Sach-Modi talk Swachh Bharat
New Delhi: Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and apprised him about his contribution to the Swachh Bharat initiative campaign. The 41-year-old iconic cricketer was one of the nine people chosen by the Prime Minister for his initiative, which he had launched on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on October 2. Tendulkar, who was accompanied by wife Anjali, told the Prime Minister that he had extended the "chain" by inviting more people to participate in the campaign. "The legendary cricketer also shared the idea of adopting a village under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana with the Prime Minister, besides expressing his keenness to work towards development of sports in schools and colleges," an official release said.
Swann denies Gooch charge
london: Graeme Swann has insisted he did the right thing quitting midway through England's 5-0 Ashes series thrashing despite Graham Gooch calling the decision "criminal". England great Gooch, the team's batting coach on their woeful 2013/14 tour of Australia, told Britain's Daily Telegraph on Wednesday that the former off-spinner's decision had been highly damaging to the team."It made us a laughing stock," said Gooch, one of England's most successful opening batsmen. "I cannot understand why he couldn't stick it out until the end of the trip. It left a bad taste." Swann quit, with England 3-0 down, in December 2013 after deciding a longstanding elbow injury meant it was no longer possible for him to spin the ball properly. "I understand (what he is saying)," Swann told several British newspapers. "Goochy is very old school. "Perhaps if he had gained my perspective on it he might have seen the reasons why I did it. I think he is a bit misinformed thinking I just left because of form. It wasn't because of form. "It was because I just couldn't turn a cricket ball, which, as a spin bowler, means you are useless to your team. It wasn't a form thing, it was succumbing to the inevitable."
SMITH IS MARK’S MAN
CANBERRA: The successor to Michael Clarke as Australia's next captain is looking like allrounder Steven Smith, feels former Australia opener turned selector Mark Waugh. Clarke has not given any indication of relinquishing the Test or ODI captaincy, but with a history of back injuries, there is reason to believe he could have to curb playing 50-overs cricket. George Bailey has led Australia in ODIs when Clarke has not been available or rested, but has not convinced as a Test player. The lack of options forced Waugh to pinpoint Smith. "Obviously, Clarke is there but Steve Smith has been one of the names that's been bandied around. David Warner's name has been there as well," Waugh said in Canberra Times. "Hopefully it won't happen for a while and Pup [Clarke] will play for a few years yet. But you need someone who is going to be in the team, for a starter, and I think logically looking at it, Steve Smith is probably there or thereabouts, isn't heIJ" Smith, 25, has made rapid strides over the past year and a half as a Test cricketer. Since returning to the side for the 2013 Ashes in England, he he has scored 1102 runs at an average of 44.08, with four centuries and four fifties. He was a big part of Australia reclaiming the historic Ashes urn earlier this year, contributing two centuries in the 5-0 sweep of England.
Bawne shines, Pujara fails
lahli: Maharashtra batsman Ankit Bawne scored a gutsy century under pressure as West Zone took a vital 43-run first innings lead against East Zone on the second day of the Duleep Trophy quarter-final, here on Thursday. Responding to East's 278 in the first innings, West skipper Cheteshwar Pujara (10) failed with the bat but middle-order batsman Bawne scored a patient 105 off 194 balls to help the team end Day 2 on 321 for nine. Credit should also be given to Yusuf Pathan for his attractive run-a-ball 73 that went a long way in West grabbing the first innings lead. All eyes were on Pujara but he was castled by seamer Basant Mohanty due to lack of footwork. While Bawne's knock had eight fours and two sixes, Pathan predictably was more attacking in his less than two hour stay hitting 10 fours and two sixes. For East, Tripura seamer Rana Dutta got five for 60 but Pathan and Bawne's 124-run sixth-wicket stand could prove to be decisive in the final context of the game.