Zaheer Khan, Isha Sharvani to wed in 2012?

A year and a half after rumours of their wedding plans surfaced, there's a fresh round of speculations about cricketer Zaheer Khan and Isha Sharvani finally tying the knot this year.

"Zaheer Khan and Isha Sharvani have decided to tie the knot at the end of March. The wedding is just
two-and-a-half months away," disclosed a close friend of the couple to Mumbai Mirror.

The families of the lovebirds are busy chalking out plan for their nuptial.

"Recently, their families met and finalised the wedding details. A final decision will be taken when Zaheer returns from the ongoing Australian tour. If they don't marry in March, they will do so in October. But they are keen on March," the source was quoted as saying by the tabloid.

Ups and downs of their love story

Up: Isha and Zaheer first met at a function in 2005 when the Australian cricket team was leaving India and Isha was performing at the event. The duo kept meeting after that at parties and eventually became a couple.

Down: They called it quits in 2007 and didn't stay in touch. They were not linked to anyone else in the interim.

Up: The couple got back together in 2010.

"All their friction is a thing of the past. Every couple has their share of ups and downs and this one is no exception. Anyway, its wedding bells for them in March," the friend told the tabloid.

We wish the duo a very happy married life!

India team management bans Twitter for players

Team management instructs players to stop using Twitter and Facebook to interact/voice opinions

After back-to-back defeats to Australia in the Sydney and Melbourne Test matches, the Indian team management Down Under has instructed players not to use social networking sites to voice their opinions. This comes in the wake of Virat Kohli justifying his middle finger gesture to the Sydney Cricket Ground fans, who reportedly heckled him on Day Two of the second Test last week. "I agree cricketers don't have to retaliate.



What can i say: Virat Kohli gestures to the crowd during Day Two of
the second Test on January 4. Pic/Getty Images

What when the crowd says the worst things about your mother and sister. The worst I've heard," Kohli said on his Twitter account after the incident. The young Delhi batsman was fined 50% of his match fee by International Cricket Council match referee Ranjan Madugalle for his finger gesture.

According to the ICC, Kohli was charged with a Level 2 offence under article 2.2.8 of the code which relates to "Using language or gesture(s) that is seriously obscene, seriously offensive or of a seriously insulting nature to another Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other third person during an International Match".

However, Kohli's tweet attracted other comments including England batting star Kevin Pietersen, who tweeted: "Ha ha ha ha ha!!! Welcome to Australia buddy!!" Kohli replied: "Never heard crap like that. EVER". It is learnt that the team management was wary that responses to tweets could cause a storm and hence instructed to stay away from their keypads.

A source said yesterday that the team management don't want players to pay any attention to any comments. Virat's behaviour and reaction has not been well accepted within the team and the management is hell bent on avoiding any controversy whatsoever on this tour. It can be recalled that the 2007-08 tour of Australia was marred by controversy.

Sachin's son is 'bowler' in the making

Sachin Tendulkar's 12-year-old son, Arjun, looks ready for a life in cricket as a bowler and can be seen in Team India's gear at the Sydney Cricket Ground practice nets. Bowling at his father at Moore Park, as India stepped up preparations for the second Test against Australia starting
Tuesday, he acted as if he was part of the Indian squad.

One day he could be playing for India. Expectations are a facet of life of being Tendulkar's offspring, and those of young Arjun have only intensified recently.

Arjun is busy making a name for himself, and not just in the Sydney nets and is not affected by his father's quest for a 100th international hundred, which is keeping the cricket world holding its breath with each attempt, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

It was in an interschool match in Mumbai in November that India's cricket-obsessed public of 1.2 billion realised Arjun's burgeoning talents with bat and ball.

The left-arm Arjun took 8-22 for the Dhirubhai Ambani International School on debut in the Harris Shield schools competition, bowling a dozen overs in a row and reportedly troubling all the opposition batsmen with his swing and accuracy.

The reason for the subsequent hysteria on the subcontinent was not only because he is cricketing royalty. It was in the very same schools tournament in Mumbai more than 23 years ago that Tendulkar entered the public mind.

However, young Arjun's efforts for his school and in the Indian training nets indicate that he could become a bowler rather than a batsman.

Arjun is, contrary to his legendary old man, a left-hander with the bat but didn't get a chance to pad up yesterday as Fletcher's side was in serious training mode following their 122-run defeat to Australia in Melbourne last week.

Yet his bowling has made headlines in India and also reportedly got the better of one of Tendulkar's colleagues in the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

Indian media reported that Arjun, bowling at Rohit Sharma, had with late away movement beaten the batsman with his first delivery in the nets, the paper reports.

Shane Warne burns his bowling hand in cooking incident

The 42-year-old Australian cricketing great has suffered what appear to be nasty burns to his right bowling hand just days out from his first appearance for the Melbourne Stars in the Twenty20 Big Bash against the Sydney Thunder at the MCG on Saturday.

A picture posted by Warne on Twitter this morning shows his hand badly burnt with blisters on every finger.

"Not ideal preparation for practice match today-burning the bowling hand Get better quickly please,any suggestions-HELP," the 42-year-old wrote on Twitter this morning.

Warne later tweeted: "Ps no more trying to be a master chef ! Stop and by a bacon roll on the way to the ground next time - silly Shane !"

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"Thankyou for all the great suggestions re remedy's for my burnt hand & fingers. It's improving & I'm feeling positive Appreciate the support"

Melbourne Stars spokeswoman Jessica Cook said the franchise was not worried by the injury and believed Warne will be available for their Big Bash opener.

Cook said Warne arrived at the MCG for his team's scratch match against cross-town rivals the Melbourne Renegades, which started at 10am.

But the star spinner was a late withdrawal from the game.

"We don't think it's too serious or anything like that," Cook said.

"We're not overly concerned.

"He's been in meetings all morning so we haven't had a chance to talk with him about it yet."

Cook said Warne is treating the inured hand with ice and Pawpaw ointment.

According to reports, Warne managed to injure his hand during a cooking mishap earlier this morning.

Stars chief executive officer Clint Cooper said: "Its a little bit burnt, hell be fine."

The 42-year-old Australian cricketing great said he was fitter than ever heading into the re-launched Twenty20 Big Bash, but his effectiveness as a bowler and batsman has now been thrown into turmoil.

In a scratch match disaster for the Renegades, star batsman Brad Hodge limped off with what looked like a serious hamstring injury sustained as he set off for a run after playing a pull shot during a blazing innings of 37 in just 24 balls, with five fours and a six.

Renegades coach Simon Helmot described Hodge's injury as "a twinge" and said doctors were assessing it.

"We are not overly concerned," he said.

Harbhajan robbed on road, car damaged

Star cricketer Harbhajan Singh on Monday lost his passport, credit cards and driving license as a group of thieves broke open his car which was also badly damaged at a place near Karnal.
Harbhajan and his friend were coming to Delhi by car in the evening when the incident happened at
a place called Madhuban, near Karnal.

"Me and my friend got down to get some coffee at a Cafe Coffee Day outlet near Madhuban Police Academy. I had locked my car and had gone to get some coffee. I came back within five minutes and saw that window pane of my car was smashed and a bag containing all the valuable items was not there," Harbhajan said.

"More importantly, I have lost my passport, driving license along with 10 credit cards," he added.

He said he has lodged a police complaint and freezed the credit card.

"I have frozen my credit cards but losing my passport has been a big headache. Although I have filed a complaint with the police. My appeal to whoever has done this is to at least return my passport and driving license," the senior cricketer who is now nursing an injury said.

Yuvraj turns to yoga post cancer scare

By his own admission, 2011 has been the worst year for Yuvraj Singh. The cricketer, who recently revealed he had been diagnosed with a non-malignant tumour in his lung, says, “My body has been through hell and back. When 2010 ended, I thought my worries were over. But this has been the worst year
regarding health issues.”

After having undergone surgery to treat the tumour, Singh reveals he’s now focussing all his energy on making a full recovery. “I’ve been doing lots of yoga to get my breath back,” he says, adding jubilantly, “It’s been really tough to rejuvenate mentally and physically. But I’ve got out of it, and the challenge is to come back 100% fitter. The next five-six years will be the best in my career, and I’m looking forward to that.”

While his track record on the cricket pitch may not have been consistent, the one area in which the athlete has had no trouble making headlines is his flamboyant lifestyle and playboy image. “I’m actually a simple boy at heart, that image was created by the media,” he protests, before admitting, “But living on the edge was tough. I now understand that when your life is in danger, you become more precious to your friends and family. They were really disturbed, especially my mom, so I had to be extra strong.”

Keeping his fingers crossed that he’ll be part of India’s next tour of Australia, Singh has notched up another highlight to his career, albeit off the pitch.

The cricketer has been picked as the first ever ambassador for luxury watchmaker Ulysse Nardin, and now has a signature collection to his name. Proceeds from the sale of these watches will go to the Yuvraj Singh Foundation, an NGO that promotes sports, education and health projects for underprivileged children.

Of course, being a brand ambassador comes with its set of privileges, including getting a watch with a cool six-figure price tag for free. But ask whom he might consider gifting his namesake timepiece to, and he says, “I’m not giving my watch to anyone. It’s going to be a collector’s item, so hopefully one day, when I find a wife and have a son or daughter, I’ll pass the watch on to them.”

Harbhajan Singh turns singer

Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh is now trying his hands, aka voice, on singing and has in fact already recorded one Punjabi song. The song is dedicated to 'Mother' and places her status even above god.

The song was recorded by Bhajji in a studio at Ludhiana along with Punjabi singer Lakhwinder Lucky. The song has been penned by lyricist Sanjay Gilori. Incidentally, the spinner has recorded the song when he has been left out of the Indian squad for the ODI series.

"When we recorded the song Bhajji sang the song with ease," said Lucky after recording the song. "Now the video of the song would be prepared in which Bhajji would also feature. The song would be released in May 2012 on Mother's Day," he said.

Lyricist Gilori said that he met Bhajji in Mohali during Ranji Trophy matches and asked him to sing the song. "I always thought that the song was befitting to Bhajji's personality and he would be the suitable one to sing and feature in it," Giolri added. Lucky, who also accompanied Gilori when they met Bhajji, said that he sang the song before Bhajji and he was very impressed with its meanings and it did not take a long time to see a yes from him.

They said that the song was basically prepared with a social message. Lucky said they would prepare an album, which would include this song. Bhajji could not be contacted for comments.

"Maaf Karin mere rabba mainu, bura kite je lagya tenu, Raat dine Dhiaya dil de vich, jag vich mera na chamkaya, menu farsho arsh phunchaya, par ik galti maithon hoi mere dil de vich hai koi baitha taitho uchi than, meri maa, meri, maa, meri maa. (My lord forgive me if you feel bad, I remembered you always. You have given me everything and you lifted me so high in the world, but I have committed a mistake that somebody is still sitting higher in my heart than you - my mother my mother my mother.)

When coach slapped Sachin Tendulkar

Tributes poured as ex-Shardashram School students gathered in reunion to honour their beloved cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar on his 79th birthday at Mumbai Cricket Association's Recreational Centre on Saturday.

A brainchild of former Mumbai player Atul Ranade and Sachin Tendulkar, the function saw a large gathering of Achrekar's trainees since as early as 1973.

The students recalled the teachings of Achrekar "Sir" that saw them flourish under his tutelage.

"When I study the Level 1, 2 or 3 manuals of coaching, I realize that every nuance and more has been imbibed in us by our Sir," said former Mumbai captain Amol Muzumdar.

"Achrekar Sir was so apt even in the 1970s and 80s with his way of coaching. He was clearly ahead of many generations," stressed Muzumdar.

Tendulkar revisited the time when Achrekar had slapped him for skipping a practice scheduled for him at Shivaji Park and instead being at the Wankhede Stadium to cheer his school Shardashram (English) playing in a final.

"When we were leaving the stadium me and my friend saw Sir near the dressing room. We thought of greeting him but he was angry and produced his famous "late cut" on my cheek. I had a tiffin box in my hand and it flew in typical Hindi movie style and I juggled to catch it. It was then that he told me, 'If you concentrate on your own game, one day people will come and clap for you'. I think that was the defining moment of my cricketing career.

"I also remember how Sir would keep a coin as a reward to those who could get me out at the nets. I still have all those coins," said the proud cricket legend.

Former India stumper, Chandrakant Pandit recalled how Achrekar rang his door bell at 12.30 in the night to convince his parents to put him in Shardashram School.

"My father wanted me to study and get a job. Achrekar Sir took out Rs 1000 and offered it to my father as my first stipend. He had a unique way of doing things," said Pandit.

About the well-known Achrekar 'slap', Pandit said. "I had scored 301 in a match but got out trying to hit a six. When I returned, I thought Sir would pat me, instead he planted a "square cut" on my cheek to ask, 'but how did you get out?'"

One of Achrekar's favourite pupils, Pravin Amre revealed how once 'Sir' was once annoyed with him. "He was pained that I didn't ask him but made my father buy an expensive bat. He would get us all that we needed to play the game and never made us feel unwanted."

Ajit Agarkar recollected the day during riots in 1992 when Achrekar landed up at his home on his scooter requesting his parents to allow him to go for the practice. "It taught me commitment and the value that no matter what the circumstances you should not skip training."

The 1983 World Cup hero Balwinder Singh Sandhu turned emotional saying, "Sir, you slapped almost all but not me. But it was because of you that I excelled with the in-swingers and not as a spinner."

Vinod Kambli wasn't present but sent in a note, which besides wishing him said, "You have been more than a father to me."

Samir Dighe, Paras Mhambrey, Ramesh Powar and Atul Ranade along with many others thanked their 'Sir' for setting tough standards and instilling confidence in them. "We wish such a Sir to everyone," said Dighe.

Later, former Mumbai player Robin Morris recalled how Achrekar would pay him to buy a set of clothes so that he didn't go home wet post training during the monsoons when they were made to train with rubber balls.

Achrekar's daughter Kalpana provided the icing on the cake by recalling a Tendulkar tale. "When my father got the Dronacharya award, Sachin called while on a tour to wish him but he replied, "You concentrate on the match that you are playing tomorrow."

On the occasion, Seven Hills hospital announced free treatment and medicines to Achrekar for life. The Shardashram ex-students also honoured Das Shivalkar, the assistant coach to Achrekar, with a purse of Rs 1.25 lakh.

Ponting is elephant in the room, says Cairns

Former New Zealand captain Chris Cairns called Australian Great Ricky Ponting the "elephant in the room" and said Cricket Australia should put an end to his 16-year Test career.

Ponting has been out of form in the past 12 months. Ponting has also been criticized by former wicket-keeper Ian Healy and Australian cricket legend Neil Harvey said Ponting was unncecesarily prolonging his career. Chris Cairns said its time for Ponting to consider retirement.

"I don't think you can have two years averaging 27 as a No.3. I think it's his (Ponting) time. And when you look at the likes of Mark Taylor, (Ian) Healy, Mark Waugh - they were told it was their time. And there's an elephant in the room at the moment in Ricky Ponting that nobody is really addressing," Cairns was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

Cairns feels Ponting should retire after the second Test against New Zealand in Hobart.

"Don't get me wrong, I've got the utmost respect for Ricky Ponting but there's a time and a place. And for me, his time and place is Hobart in the second Test against New Zealand. That's to say, 'Thanks very much'," he said.

Cairns feels Cricket Australia have been selecting Ponting for his stature and not performance.

"Australia for me was an uncompromising cricket nation, but I've felt there's been decisions they make that have been compromising (in) the last couple of years. They've allowed Ricky to keep going because of his stature in the game and who he is," Cairns said.

"But why should he have to make the call? At the end of the day, for me, Australia has always been about the team and what's best. He is behind Bradman, Australia's greatest batsman, so they're managing it. But I just think it's an elephant in the room. I really do. Australia has got rebuilding to do," he said.

Yuvraj Singh battling lung tumour

Yuvraj had declared himself unavailable for the one-day series against the West Indies and was also not picked for the Test series in Australia.

Yuvraj has been troubled by health issues since the World Cup, which India won, and has played just one Test match in England after that.

"Reports and scans then showed us that Yuvraj was dealing with something really serious. A golf-ball size lump was found over his left lung and doctors advised us to go in for more detailed scans. The initial reports suggested that Yuvraj had what in medical terms, is called a abnormal tumour called lymphoma over his left lung. The danger was, we were told, that it could be malignant.

"When he returned from England... detailed scanning, and biopsy reports indicated that the tumour is non-malignant and non-threatening and can be treated through proper medication and therapy. In medical terms, Yuvraj is now in a much better state and on his way to a full recovery," Yuvraj's mother Shabnam said in a statement.

Shabnam further said Yuvraj did not want to rush his return to the side and that's why he informed BCCI about his unavailablity for the West Indies series.

"Now his entire focus is to re-gain his full fitness. He is already preparing himself to play the One Day series in Australia.He doesn't want to rush things, he wants to be hundred percent fit before resuming his cricket for India."

Dhoni, Bindra get the feel of Olive Green

In dandy Olive Greens, both MS Dhoni and Abhinav Bindra attracted admirers at the Territorial Army’s officer’s mess where they were honoured with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Dhoni was at his eloquent best and his presence of mind caught everyone by pleasant surprise. Asked
about his role with the army, Dhoni was quick to admit that his job, as brand ambassador, was to attract youth in the army that was short of officers. The ceremony was hit by some blips but Dhoni kept everyone in good humour.

“It doesn’t make much of a difference,” he answered when asked about the return of the seniors to the national side.

That was the only question on cricket apart from the one on match-fixing controversy.

“It's worst thing, you can do while representing your country. If you you do worse then be ready for worse to happen to you,” he said when asked about the fixing issue.

Throughout the ceremony, it seemed that Dhoni was well versed with the army etiquettes and knowledge.

“I am ready to go anywhere the army sends me to. I’d like to go to far-flung places, like the border areas, to meet the real men,” he said after his perfect salute caught the officer who conferred the honour on him, by surprise.

When asked to react on former BCCI secretary JY Lele's comments on Tendulkar’s captaincy, he said, “It's always good to have him in the side, he is a genius and comes up with his own ideas. It's good to have him on the field as he is a class batsman.”

Gambhir ties the knot with Delhi girl

Gautam Gambhir with his bride Natasha pose for a photo during their marriage in New Delhi.
Star Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Friday tied the knot with Delhi-girl Natasha Jain in a quiet ceremony which was attended by only close family members and friends. The 30-year-old left-handed opener entered into wedlock with Natasha, a local businessman's daughter whom he met a
year ago.

Gambhir will be out of action during the only Twenty20 cricket match of India's ongoing series against England on account of his marriage.

Westend Farm on the Delhi-Gurgaon road here was the venue for the ceremonies, which began with mehendi and sangeet functions yesterday.

The couple posed briefly for photographers.

More than 300 guests were invited for the wedding, the most prominent among them being Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who also co-owns IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders of which Gambhir is the captain.

Gambhir and Natasha were introduced to each other last year by their respective families.

The batsman, who did well in the five one dayers against England by hitting 213 runs including two half centuries, was recovering from the blurred vision that he sustained after falling awkwardly while fielding during the Test series against England in August.

Chequered moment for Tendulkar

When F1 went to football-mad Brazil, they got Pele to wave the chequered flag. As the glamourous sport debuts in cricket-crazy India, can there be a better man to do the honours than Sachin Tendulkar?
Tendulkar, a motorsport buff, is likely to wave the chequered flag at the end of the 60-lap Ind
ian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit on October 30.

The 38-year-old’s name has been put forward by the organisers, Jaypee Sports, to Formula One management, which will take a final call when F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone arrives on Thursday. Jaypee officials are confident that their request will be accepted.

“Sachin's love for motorsport is well known, and he is also the biggest sporting icon of the country. It’s only logical that we nominate him,” said Jaypee's vice-president of communications, Askari Zaidi.

During the 2002 Brazilian GP at Interlagos, football legend Pele was chosen to signal the end of the race. However, the task proved to be a tad onerous.

When winner Michael Schumacher completed the final lap, Pele was busy chatting officials and missed the scarlet Ferrari crossing the line. He ended up waving the flag when Takuma Sato, who was two laps down, passed. But Tendulkar, with his keen eye and lightning reflexes, is unlikely to get his timing wrong.

Sachin highest tax paying sportsperson in country

Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has become the highest taxpayer among sportspersons in the country for the last quarter of 2009 while film stars Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan edged past others in Bollywood on individual tax payers category.

Sachin paid Rs 1.5 crore for the quarter till December and stood at 115th position ahead of Indian cricket team captain M S Dhoni among the 500 top taxpayers of the country.

Dhoni and Sehwag had paid Rs 1 crore each for the same period and stood at 199 and 201 positions respectively in the latest list of top 500 taxpayers with the Finance Ministry.

Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan have occupied 25th and 26th positions respectively edging past all others in Bollywood, including Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan by dishing out Rs 4.5 crore each for the December period in the current financial year.

However, the Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan is missing from the top 500 list though his son and daughter-in-law have figured in it.

Businessman Mahesh Gordhandas Garodia is the top taxpayer in the country dishing out Rs 20 crore.

Lawyer-politician Abhisek Singhvi figures in the list by paying Rs 1.5 crore for this period.

Other cricketers who have figured in the list are Saurav Ganguly (Rs 90 lakh) and Harbhjan Singh (Rs 70 lakh).

IPL mastermind Lalit Modi has occupied the 47th position with a deposit of Rs 3 crore.

Dhoni Launches official website

Almost all the bollywood celebrities have their official websites so how come our cricketers be left behind. Indian captain Mahinder singh dhoni has launched his official website dhoniworld.com at a function in New Delhi. Virender sehwag, Harbhajan singh and Ishant sharma too launched there respective websites

Dhoniworld.com is a flash based website and it’s still not complete as most of it’s features are not working currently. The site has personal information regarding Indian captain like his favourite movie, stars etc. Interestingly he mentions Amitabh, John, Katrina and Chitragandha singh as his favourite stars, no Deepika there, ouch. A star’s website can’t be complete without some pictures and this one has got too, but since it’s flash you can’t download them.

Gavaskar frisked at Eden Gardens

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar was on Thursday frisked by security men along with Sri Lanka's Russel Arnold while entering the Eden Gardens Stadium for the fourth one-dayer here on Thursday.

The duo are contracted with Nimbus as commentators for the series between India and Sri Lanka. According to eyewitnesses, the security personnel near the gate asked Gavaskar to show his identity card while another securitymen checked his carry bag.

"He was allowed in after the check-up. But Arnold was not let in for some reasons as somebody from the commentarty crew came and sorted out the matter.

The Sri Lankan was later allowed inside the ground," said an eyewitness. Union Railway minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the incident saying, "It is sad that the security procedure was followed even for a legendary cricketer like Gavaskar."

When contacted, Nimbus did not comment over the incident.

Docked: sports car fine on Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be fined Rs 100 for delay in the registration of his Hummer H2 sports utility vehicle (SUV).

The Team India skipper is also on a sticky wicket with his Harley-Davidson: he is yet to submit a “road worthiness certificate” by the makers of the bike. That is necessary to have it registered.

“He will be fined Rs 100 for the delay in applying for registration for the SUV. The norm is to apply for registration within seven days of purchase. Dhoni failed to do so. It’s a normal process being followed by one and all,” said A.K. Banka, the district transport officer of Ranchi.

However, according to another official of the transport department, Dhoni had applied for the registration of the Hummer within the stipulated time, but the form submitted was incomplete.

Transport office sources said Dhoni had opted for a number of his choice, a combination of his lucky number 7, and there was a high possibility that he would get it.

The Rs 100 fine for an SUV said to have cost him Rs 1 crore, including the high import duty, may not pinch the skipper’s pocket, but he could face a bigger hole if he continues to drive around in the numberless luxury vehicle. Under the motor vehicles act, the penalty increases to Rs 4,500 after the initial fine, the official said.

On the Harley-Davidson, Banka said the registration number could not be issued till the road-worthiness certificate was furnished.

“First, the maker certifies whether the bike is fit for driving on a particular road. Then we send a motor vehicle inspector to assess the fitness of the vehicle. After that, we issue a fitness certificate, following which the registration is done,” Banka said.

Speedster R.P. Singh had accompanied Dhoni when the captain had driven the Hummer from Lucknow to Ranchi on July 30.

Harbhajan Singh is the only other cricketer to own the SUV, made by US auto giant General Motors.

This is the second time Dhoni faces a penalty in connection with cars or for flouting driving rules. Three years ago, a traffic policeman had fined him for driving a car with tinted window panes, which is banned in Ranchi.

Dhoni was unaware of the curbs, which came into force when he was out of town on India duty.

Pakistan fixed Champions Trophy semis? Coach, captain sacked

Clouds of match fixing stormed over Pakistan cricket as captain Younis Khan and coach Intikhab Alam were sacked by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) following reports that the semifinal match of the Champions Trophy, which they lost to New Zealand by five wickets, was fixed.

Both the mainstays of the Pakistan cricket team were also said to have fixed the stage one match against Australia, throwing it away in the final overs. The loss incidentally pushed India out of the tournament.

Younis Khan had earlier said the memory of the dropped catch that cost his side a place in the Champions Trophy final would haunt him for the rest of his career. He had dropped a sitter offered by Grant Elliot, who went on to win the match for New Zealand with a 75-run knock.

Have sex, Indian cricket team told

India has never been an aggressor at war…Indian cricket teams are not known to attack first, to dominate from the start…

Having sex increases testosterone levels, which causes an increase in strength, aggression and competitiveness. Conversely, not having sex for a few months causes a significant drop…

With never-before attention to detail, these excer-pts from a four-part document put together by India cricket coach Gary Kirsten and mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton, and handed over to the team members, indicate the seriousness with which Team India is taking its most recent attempt to be the world’s best.

From food to sex to self-improvement, the document Hindustan Times has accessed was also given to the team’s support staff in advance of the eight-nation Champions Trophy that kicked off in South Africa on Tuesday.

Vision statements are not new — and other teams do address such issues — but the depth of this one and the topics it addresses is.

What would have quickly caught the attention of India’s players, for instance, is the piece on sex. Tongue firmly in cheek, the document clarifies myths about sex and sporting performance.

While sex is a subject that is often on the minds of the players, it is seldom discussed officially. The first part though, deals with food, specifically outlining how eating habits make a difference to cricketers.

From obvious ways to avoid acidity, to developing habits that will help in the long run, to cautioning against diabetes, the document is a must-read.

Part Three deals with the need for attitudinal changes so as to grow not just as intelligent cricketers but also develop “social, emotional and spiritual intelligence.”

The final part explores why India has difficulties playing away from home, drawing parallels from India’s history as a country and the wars it has fought. How all of this will translate into performance on the field? Wait for the championship

Wrong team won the Ashes: Shane Warne

Australia's domination of England in the one-day series is providing some small consolation for their defeat in the Tests but shows the wrong team won the Ashes, former spin bowler Shane Warne said on Tuesday.

The Australians have rebounded spectacularly from their 2-1 Ashes defeat by winning the first five of their seven one-day matches against the English.

"It's great to see them (Australia) playing well," Warne told reporters on Wednesday.

"They (England) have a pretty poor side and Australia are starting to hit their straps, they were hurting after the Ashes -- it's good to see them bounce back and play well."

Warne said the one-day results added weight to his argument that the Australians were the better side in the Ashes and should not have lost the series.

"You don't mind being beaten in any sport if a side outplays you on the day or over a series, then so be it," he said.

"I suppose the hardest thing for all us Australians was to watch them play and lose to England, who I didn't think was a better side.

"You look at all the numbers, the runs and wickets, we dominated all that sort of stuff, but through a few different things here and there... it probably cost us."

Warne was part of the Australian side that thumped England 5-0 at home in 2006-07, helping regain the Ashes and avenge a 2-1 loss away in 2005.

Warne was among a handful of senior players who retired during or after that series, triggering the present rebuilding of the national side, but predicted the Australians would again regain the Ashes when the series returns to Australia in 2010-11.

"I don't think England were a better side than us, no way, but you have to say 'well played' to England because they won," he said.

"I'm looking forward to them coming out here in 18 months."