Harbhajan and co. aim to bowl over girls with dance

Showbusiness and cricket have long been passions in India. Now the two are joining forces in a new television show that pairs well-known stars with their sporting counterparts in a dance contest. "Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena", loosely translated as A Cricketer and A Maiden, follows a similar format to the popular British variety show "Strictly Come Dancing", where celebrities team up with ballroom dancing professionals. Former England opening batsman Mark Ramprakash and fast bowler Darren Gough have both won that series, showing nifty footwork and a previously hidden talent for the Tango, Foxtrot and Cha Cha Cha. Attempting to do something similar are fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, spinner Harbhajan Singh, swing bowler Irfan Pathan, wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, former slow bowler Nikhil Chopra and former batsman Vinod Kambli. Their partners will be stars of the large and small screen Surveen Chawla, Mona Singh, Ashima Bhalla, Nigar Khan, Barkha Bisht and Shama Sikander. But instead of ballroom, they will be swinging to popular tracks in an hour-long show from next Friday and Saturday on the cable-satellite channel Colors, in the hope of winning a 54,000-dollar top prize. Casting a careful eye over their efforts will be former Pakistan all-rounder Wasim Akram, who with the former Miss Universe-turned-Bollywood star Sushmita Sen and the studio audience will vote on the couples' efforts. Television advertisements for the show have already begun running, with the cricketers, dressed in maroon silk shirts, throwing shapes with their partners. Colors head of programmes Ashvini Yardi said in a statement: "We've all grown up idolising our cricketing heroes. I am sure that after 'Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena', we'll be practising their steps as well." England's Gough won "Strictly Come Dancing" after being left out of the national side in 2005. But there is no danger of Harbhajan being double-booked for the upcoming three-Test series against Australia starting early next month: the dance show is recorded.

Source: www.circbuzz.com

Tendulkar says Australia now India's major rivals

Batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar said that India's rivalry with Australia was now even more intense than with long-time arch-enemy Pakistan. Ahead of Australia's four-Test tour to India, which opens on October 9 in Bangalore, Tendulkar said he expected a fiercely competitive series between two teams who have battled for superiority over recent years. "I think it (India v Australia) has become bigger largely because of the competitiveness," Tendulkar said. "All the series between us from 2001 onwards have been very keenly fought and have been very close ones." In the ill-tempered 2007-2008 series in Australia, India lost the first two Tests but recorded a prized victory over the home team in the third Test in Perth. "We have gone to Australia and beaten them," Tendulkar stressed. "We have been able to surprise the Australian team and that's what the Australian public likes: competition and high standards of play. They love to see challenges and competitiveness. "The fan following for the India-Australia series has definitely increased as compared to say 15 years ago," he added. The "little master", now aged 35, is closing in on Brian Lara's record for the most runs ever scored in a Test career, but said statistics were not his priority. "I don't think much about records. I want to enjoy my game. If players focus on their performance, records automatically fall into place," said Tendulkar, speaking to reporters in New Delhi. "I focus on playing the game well. If it (the record) comes in doing so I will be happy," added the ace batsman, who is only 76 runs short of overtaking Lara's mark of 11,953 runs. India's last tour of Australia was marked by personal insults between teams, and allegations of racial abuse and bad sportsmanship. But Tendulkar said he did not expect a repeat of such problems during the upcoming series. "Talking on behalf of the Indian team, I can say we will play hard but fair and I feel the Australians also will do so," he said.

Source: www.circbuzz.com

SL lifts domestic ban on 'rebel' ICL players

Sri Lanka will re-admit players aligned with the unauthorised Indian Cricket League into domestic cricket, officials said on Friday, in a move that defies the world cricket establishment. "Players will be allowed to play for their respective clubs and share their expertise, but cannot represent the country," Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) media manager Shane Fernando told AFP. The SLC had last year banned its five ICL players -- Marvan Atapattu, Russel Arnold, Upul Chandana, Avishka Gunawardena and Saman Jayantha -- from playing any official cricket matches. The decision comes two days after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) joined its counterparts from other countries in banning 13 players, including former captain Habibur Bashar, who has signed up with the ICL. The ICL, bankrolled by India's largest listed media company Zee Telefilms, was launched last year in a direct conflict with the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The BCCI not only barred any ICL player or official from taking part in official cricket, but also convinced other boards to take similar action against their 'rebel' players. The Indian board also started its own lucrative Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition, featuring the world's top stars, to counter the ICL. Not surprisingly, ICL officials welcomed Sri Lanka's decision. "This is a step in the right direction," ICL business head Himanshu Mody told the Cricinfo website. "We hope that this decision will pave the way for Sri Lankan cricketers to play both for the ICL and their country in the near future." The ICL's first season last year comprised Twenty20 and 50-overs-a-side matches between eight teams that included a mix of international players and domestic Indian cricketers. Among the top stars aligned with the ICL are retired former Test captains Brian Lara of the West Indies and Inzamam-ul Haq of Pakistan, besides fiery New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond and veteran Chris Cairns. The Dhaka Warriors will be added as the ninth team in the second season starting on October 10.

source: www.circbuzz.com