Tag: India

BANGALORE - England need to be "positive" and "fearless" in their high-profile World Cup clash against crowd favourites India, fast bowler Stuart Board said on Friday. "The thing about batting in the sub-continent is that you have to have a positive mindset at all times. That is the way we have tried to play our one-day cricket over the last 18 months," said Broad. "We have been very fearless and if you think a shot is on you take it on. Our batsmen are excited about facing the Indian

LAHORE - The Pakistan Cricket Board has heaved a sigh of relief after the Indian High Commission cleared visas for the national squad to play across the border if they qualify for the knockout stages of the 2011 World Cup. Pakistan could be required to play in India if they qualify for the quarterfinals. The PCB had, in a preemptive move, submitted applications for visas for the entire squad and other board officials to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad for clearance at an early

Lahore - Artists from various sections strongly condemned Rehman Malik's statement in a discussion at Press Club on Friday. They said that the notification that no artist or journalist can travel abroad without the government's No Objection Certificate (NOC) was ridiculous and against human rights and democracy.
"The journalists should be with us on this," said Madeeha Gauhar from Ajoka Theatre. She was backed by Usman Peerzada, Samina Peerzada, Faizan Peerzada, Samina Ahmed, Ali

ISLAMABAD - The government on Thursday decided that Pakistani artists and other visitors travelling to India would have to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Interior Ministry prior to their visit. An inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Interior Minister Rehman Malik decided to regulate foreign visits of public servants, artists and journalists, in the interest of Pakistan's security and to safeguard country's prestige, an official statement said, adding that the

NEW DELHI - India on Thursday asked Pakistan to "grasp its hand of friendship" and made it clear that all issues could be resolved if the country stopped "use of its territory for anti-India" activities.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said there were hopeful signs and an atmosphere in which negotiations between the two countries could go forward. "I sincerely hope and believe that the new ruling classes of Pakistan will grasp the hands of our friendship and recognise that whatever

BANGALORE - Ashes-winning England have spinners who can cause a headache for India if Sunday's World Cup match is played on a turning track, batsman Ravi Bopara said on Thursday.
"If it is a spinning deck we have got our own spinners who can cause problems. A pitch that spins is going to cause trouble for any team. It is going to cause problems for India as well," said Bopara. "A lot is going to depend on the conditions. If the conditions don't suit spin we don't have to worry

COMMENT - Defending champions Australia will take on New Zealand in their second match of 10th World Cup in Nagpur on Friday. It will be the 124th ODI between the two teams. Australia have won 84 and New Zealand 34 in 123 matches played between the two teams in one day internationals.
The remaining five matches could not produce a result. The world champions won five and lost two in seven matches played against New Zealand in this mega event.
AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND ODI

NEW DELHI - The Indian government will seek a peaceful resolution of all issues with Pakistan through talks as long as Islamabad does not allow its soil to be used for terrorist activities against India, Indian President Pratibha Patil said on Monday.
"With Pakistan, we seek a peaceful resolution of issues through a meaningful dialogue as long as Pakistan does not allow its soil to be used for terrorist activities against India," PTI quoted her as saying in her address to a joint

EXPERT COMMENT - The biggest cricket show on earth got underway on Saturday in Dhaka. Sitting in Sri Lanka, I could feel the butterflies in the stomach of both the Indian and Bangladesh camps. Nothing can be better than this. I hear Ashish Nehra is struggling with fitness, but that should not be of any concern to the Indian team management. They have enough ammunition to pick their first XI and this is the hallmark of a team that is No. 1 in the world.
India will start as

DHAKA - Opener Virender Sehwag ignored an injury to smash 175 and set up a massive 87-run win for India in the opening match of the World Cup against co-hosts Bangladesh on Saturday. Out for revenge over Bangladesh for India's five-wicket defeat in the 2007 World Cup which helped lead to their first stage exit, Sehwag hit his highest one-day score off 140 balls, leading India to 370-4.
Chasing the improbable target of scoring nearly seven-and-half runs an over, Bangladesh ended

LAHORE/NEW DELHI - India charged well-known singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan with currency violations on Saturday after he and his entourage were allegedly caught with $124,000 in undeclared cash at New Delhi's airport, reports said.
Thirty-seven-year-old Khan is accused of carrying undeclared foreign currency in violation of India's Foreign Exchange Management Act and customs rules, the Press Trust of India and other media reported. Khan's manager Maroof, who goes by one name, faces

COMMENT - I believe co-hosts India have the best chance to win the World Cup. There are around four to five teams with genuine credentials of winning the World Cup and India's stability makes it the hot favourite. Most of the World Cup matches will be played in India. At home India are too good. India have just the right combination of youth and experience. Captain MS Dhoni has been doing a great job. He is lucky to have the services of cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar.
But

CHENNAI - India must raise their World Cup intensity, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Tuesday, with star batsman Sachin Tendulkar poised to play a crucial role. India, strong favourites to win the showpiece tournament, stuttered in their warm-up game against defending champions Australia in Bangalore on Sunday before pulling off an unlikely 38-run win.
The Indians take on New Zealand in their second and final practice match on Wednesday in Chennai ahead of their tournament

ISLAMABAD - Following leads provided by an earlier arrest of a local resident recruited by Indian intelligence agencies, a well organised spy network operating from the border areas of Sialkot has been unearthed.
According to intelligence sources, follow-up investigations had led to the arrest of another local working for Indian intelligence agencies, who was facilitating recruitment of agents from the border areas to cross over to India in return for cash, liquor and contraband

ISLAMABAD - Head of USAID surprised Pakistan by diverting his scheduled visit to India, well-placed sources told Online on Sunday. According to the sources, chief of parties or commonly known as head of the projects being funded or initiated by the USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah was scheduled to visit Pakistan. But he diverted his visit to India, the sources added.
Last time he visited Pakistan in August 2010 for a review of projects due by then, however, unprecedented floods

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD - Noted singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi on Sunday by India's revenue intelligence officials after he and two of his troupe members were caught for allegedly carrying $100,000 in undeclared foreign currency, private NDTV has reported.
According to the channel, Rahat, and his entire troupe, had been arrested by India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials, the channel said. They

NEW DELHI - India plans to withdraw 10,000 paramilitary troops from Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) in 2011 and renew efforts to hold talks in the rebellion-hit region, a top government official said on Sunday. A separatist insurgency has raged in IHK, and at least 114 people died in street protests last summer in pitched battles with security forces.
"I think this year we can easily take out 10 battalions (10,000 personnel), if not more," Indian Home Secretary Gopal Pillai said.