By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
Bangalore : The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) club not only houses its offices, but also evokes nostalgia with some rare blazers worn by former India players, signed bats and balls and well-maintained autographed photographs adorning its walls.
From blazers worn by KSCA secretary Brijesh Patel, a former Test batsman and contemporary of Gundappa Viswanath, to Sachin Tendulkar’s autographed bats make the memorabilia section of the clubhouse a connoisseur’s delight.
There are several caps and bats bearing signatures of players of various Indian and Bangladeshi teams, balls signed by India captain Anil Kumble and others, and many neatly framed, coloured and black-and-white photographs of some of the great past and present players.
It is indeed one of the best-maintained state cricket association offices in India, and not just for its rich archival material and cricket memorabilia.
The KSCA’s staff are efficient and courteous, led by a no-nonsense and hands-on secretary who played for India quite successfully and is now managing administration with smooth efficiency.
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Hoax to be reported to BCCI
KSCA officials have decided to report a hoax call about Rahul Dravid’s presser to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The official scorer Sunday made an announcement that Dravid would address a press conference at the end of the second day’s play.
The announcement, based on a slip allegedly signed by Indian team’s logistics manager Russell Radhakrishnan, sent the media buzzing with interpretations as to what could the Bangalore-based Dravid announce in the middle of a Test match. Is he announcing retirement from One-Day Internationals? Could it be retirement from the international cricket?
“There were several interpretations. It was in a bad taste, and that’s why we are making a formal complaint to the KSCA and the BCCI,” said an official attached with the media.
The freelance journalist who wrote that slip and forged Radhakrishnan’s signature apologised to the media Monday for his “joke”.
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Less but noisy crowd
On Monday, the 45,000-capacity M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was not packed to its capacity, but a section of the crowd was noisier than those who thronged the venue Sunday.
They continued to blow various kinds of horns without a pause as Pakistan replied to India’s huge first-innings total of 636.
The spectators who formed this extremely noisy group wore headbands in the shape and colours of the Indian national flag, with “Chak De India” written on them.
They had tri-colour painted on their cheeks and waved the flags at the cameras, trying to catch their attention so that their faces could be beamed on television sets.
At times, they were successful. In addition to the television screens, their faces were also shown on the giant screen inside the stadium.