CricketBriefly

Rakesh Parikh nominated as India manager for sl tour

mumbai: Former Baroda opener Rakesh Parikh has been nominated by the Cricket Board as administrative manager of the Indian team to tour Sri lanka next month. The cricketer-turned-administrator said "yes" when asked whether he would be the manager of the Indian team on the tour comprising a tour game followed by three Test matches. India, to be led by Virat Kohli, will be visiting the Emerald Island after a five-year gap. The last time the two teams met in a Test series, in 2010, the three-match rubber was tied 1-1.

Verma meets Sonowal

New Delhi: The petitioner of the IPl spot-fixing case and secretary of the unrecognised Cricket Association of Bihar, Aditya Verma, on Monday met Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to voice his grievance about BCCI not granting full membership status to his state. “I apprised him (Sonowal) of the state of affairs pertaining to country’s cricket and how more than 11 states in the country are not able to play first-class cricket conducted by the board, in spite of the popularity of the game,” Verma claimed in his media release.

“I even informed the Hon’ble Minister about Bihar being derecognized after 65 years due to apathy of the BCCI and that players hailing from the third largest populated state in our country are not playing cricket for the last 15 yrs. I also handed over a memorandum with my grievances,” the release further stated. "I further urged the Hon'ble Minister to give direction to the BCCI to end isolation of the north-eastern states," Verma further claimed.

Cricketers have no role in spot fixing: Suresh Raina

baghpat (UP):  Indian batsman Suresh Raina on Monday came out in defence of cricketers, saying that they have no role in spot fixing. On the first visit to his in-law’s village Bamnauli alongwith his bride Priyanka, the newly married Raina was responding to questions on the recent verdict by a Delhi court discharging cricketers S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan in the 2013 IPl spot-fixing case. “There is no role of cricketers in such matters and so these allegations do not have any demoralising effect on them,” Raina said.

‘I am in a tricky position regarding my Test spot’

new delhi: Star batsman Rohit Sharma knows that he is in a “very tricky position” but wants to utilise the upcoming Sri lanka tour and the subsequent tour of South Africa at home to cement his spot in the five-day format. “I stand in a very tricky position. I  definitely want to do well in every Test match I am playing but it’s not easy knowing how Test matches are played these days. The lanka series and after that we have a lot of series in India. It will be great chance for me to go and perform there,” Rohit told ‘bcci.Tv’ on Monday.