Indian news round-up

Leg spinner Anil Kumble and batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, along with two other former Test stars, have been invited to attend the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) technical committee meeting at Baroda on August 11.

The meeting, to be chaired by former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar, who wants to involve past and present cricketers while discussing the new format of the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy tournaments will also have his former opening partner K Srikkanth and former player turned commentator Arun Lal, according to a BCCI official on Friday.

The meeting will also be attended by its members Raj Singh Dungarpur, who is also the chairman of the National Cricket Academy, MP Pandove (Punjab), Dr Bharghava (Madhya Pradesh), Prof Rathod (Rajasthan) and former India stumper Kiran More (Baroda), the official added.

Virender Shewag, for obvious reasons, is currently the most talked about cricketer in the land. His 100 off 69 balls, the seventh fastest century in One Day Internationals and the second fastest by an Indian has elevated his status to almost that of a super star. Messages of congratulations have poured in and the one that he cherishes most is one from Sachin Tendulkar.

And that is not all. The 22-year-old Delhi batsman has been awarded Rs one lakh by his employers the Oil and Natural Gas Corporatioon (ONGC). Shewag, who is an administrative officer with ONGC in the capital, plays regularly for them in various tournaments around the country.

The Mumbai cricket team has been invited by the Kenyan Cricket Association (KCA) to participate in a triangular tournament between Mumbai, Baroda and Kenya from September 10 to 25, according to a press release from Mayank Khandwala, joint secretary, Mumbai Cricket Association.

In the tournament, the Mumbai team will play three one day matches against the two other teams. The top two teams will meet in the final. Mumbai will also play a three day match after the completion of the triangular tournament against the Kenyan team. The tour is on a reciprocal arrangement with the KCA which sent a team to play a few matches in Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra last year.