Brand Sachin Tendulkar Boosts the Iconic Marketing as Resurgence of IPL FIFA fotbal Inflicted Indian Cricket Gets in Life Afresh amidst the Clouds on Commonwealth Games Feud and Sex Scandals in Indian Sports!

Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, chapter 527

Palash Biswas

http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/

Brand Sachin on top of the world

Pradipta Mukherjee / Kolkata Mar 01, 2010, 00:49

Experts say Tendulkar can leave the field tomorrow without any brand equity dilution...Read

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/brand-sachintopthe-world/387133/
No one but Sakshi singh Rawat should be Greatly thankful to Master Blaster sachin Tendulkar as Defeat in Gall would have inflicted her Husband`s Brand Value and the Hindutva Supersitions would have branded her as Unlucky for the Indian Cricket Captain. It is pleasing to see Tendulakr once again as the audiences stayed updated with Cricket live for last Two days!At last BCCI has decided to follow the bidding farewell to the ICONS of Indian cricket the OZZY way. It is a fact the following ICONS deserve a golden handshake rather than be thrown out unceremoniously. The aussies developed this method after much debate and concluded an ICON should have honourable exit designed preferably to retire in front of his home crowd.It is a lesson learnt late in the day to recognise the contribution of the ICONs unlike yesteryears when Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Vengsarkar, Srikanth, Mohinder Amarnath, Kirmani, G R Vishwanath were all shown the door without proper recognition.

Commonwelth Express is stationed at the Kolkata Turminus. Even as Mani Shankar wished to get spoiled the games criticising the diversion of Funds quite justified. But Sports Don Kalmadi has branded him anti National. Kalmadi may weep for support in the sports arena but the Full Time Cricketeer Sharad Power need not any as Sachin single handedly saved the season for the Monsoon Stricken Agriculture Minister indulged head to bottom in IPL Sacm closely associated with his blue eyed boy Lalit Modi!

Sachin Tendulkar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Reliance Communications sub-licensed brand 'Sachin Tendulkar' to update the user of the latest 2007 Cricket World Cup scores and news in Sachin's voice. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachin_Tendulkar - Cached - Similar

Brand Sachin on top of the world

1 Mar 2010 ... In 2009, the top five brand ambassadors — MS Dhoni, Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sachin Tendulkar and Priyanka Chopra — endorsed 68 brands ...
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Brand Sachin Tendulkar is fading...

17 Jun 2010 ... Pepsi ends its innings with Sachin- Advertising-Services-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times this is great news.
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The Hindu Business Line : Brand Sachin gets a 2-ton boost

26 Feb 2010 ... Sachin Tendulkar's double century marked the culmination of the re-birth of Brand Sachin. A phenomenal run of form which has seen Sachin hit ...
www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/02/.../2010022650411100.htm - Cached

Brand Sachin bigger than ever

Not just on the field, but as a brand, too. While the numbers show Mahendra Singh Dhoni just a wee bit behind Sachin Tendulkar (Rs 5 cr vs Rs6 cr per annum ...
hubpages.com/hub/Brand-Sachin-bigger-than-ever - Cached - Similar

Sachin: Cricket's biggest brand - Tendulkar - - The Times of India

"You've got to create heroes and you've got to pay them," said Mark Mascarenhas of WorldTel back in 1995 after he made Sachin Tendulkar India's first ...
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Sachin Tendulkar is a Brand Itself Ppt Presentation

30 Sep 2008 ... With age on his side, this man is set out to be the highest run getter in the history of the world Cricket. He has already own .
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Sachin Tendulkar is Toshiba's new brand ambassador - Marketing and ...

1 Jul 2010 ... Sachin Tendulkar is Toshiba?s new brand ambassador, The cricketer replaces Bollywood actress Vidya Balan who was company?s brand ambassador ...
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Toshiba Signs Sachin Tendulkar as its Brand Ambassador for India

1 Jul 2010 ... Toshiba Corporation has appointed the "Master Blaster" and "Living Legend", Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador across its product ...
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Brandistics - India's First Sports Marketing Blog: Brand Sachin ...

1 Jun 2010 ... In India, a cricket crazy nation Sachin Tendulkar is the best brand to associate with inorder to earn high brand recall. ...
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Dhoni surpasses Sachin

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bettor.com (blog) - Daniel Smith - 14 Jul 2010

Rhiti Sports will now manage the wide array of 22 brands which Dhoni endorses. When Sachin Tendulkar signed his deal, way back in 2006, people attributed it ...

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Rediff - FV Current Waves

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Rediff

Sachin Tendulkar On A New Mission To Save Water

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National Horizon - 11 hours ago

When master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is not hitting boundaries he is cajoling ... player alive or dead, is one of the most sought after brand ambassadors. ...

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It's all about loyalty for Brand Dhoni

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Economic Times - Ratna Bhushan - 1 day ago

This was tipped to be the richest sports marketing deal ever, bigger than the `180-crore contract Sachin Tendulkar signed in 2006. And it was.

Tradition intact, modernity in tune at Mecca of cricket

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Mahendra Singh Dhoni is valued at a mammoth Rs 210 crores and Sachin Tendulkar's commercial worth has plenty of zeroes as well. The only durable brand in ...

Aakash Chopra looks at various aspects of cricket from a player's ...

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The brand of ball makes very little difference in the approach when the ball gets old, ... dismissing Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. ...

Cricket legend's blood to be used in biography

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AFP - 19 Jul 2010

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The Guardian

Sachin and the full-blood prince

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Modi: Sachin Tendulkar is not just a great player, friends. ... Brand value.Brand recall. Brand sustainability. Brand extensions. Brand. ...

There's something about Sachin

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Hindustan Times - 13 Jul 2010

When Sachin Tendulkar first played for India in November 1989, ... He was Indian sport's first global brand. As cultural critic and author Mike Marqusee has ...

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Sebi's good intentions crippled the Great Indian Mutual Fund

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Jyothy Lab net profit up 16% yoy

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Tendulkar helped me in overcoming my nervousness: Raina
Colombo: After notching up a century on his debut, Suresh Raina said he was nervous when he took guard but Sachin Tendukar's pep talk helped him overcome the initial jitters. Raina with his 120-run knock against Sri Lanka also became the first Indian cricketer to have scored a hundred in all formats of the game.
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After notching up a century on his debut, Suresh Raina on Thursday said he was nervous when he took guard but Sachin Tendukar's pep talk helped him overcome the initial jitters.

Raina with his 120-run knock against Sri Lanka also became the first Indian cricketer to have scored a hundred in all formats of the game.

"Yes I was nervous when I came to bat but Sachin said just enjoy yourself, this moment will never come, you are playing your first Test match, just enjoy," Raina said after fourth day's play.
With Tendulkar, Raina raised a record 256-run partnership for the fifth wicket and said he realised a long time dream by batting alongside the legend.

"By God's grace I got this opportunity and it was my dream to bat with Sachin and today it came true. He said you are winning matches for the side in One-dayers, do well in Test also and enjoy," he said.

Raina came in the side in place of unwell Yuvraj Singh and made full use of the opportunity.

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 48th Test century to lead India's fightback in the second Test on Wednesday after Sri Lanka's new-look bowling attack ran through the top order.
The world's leading international run-scorer was unbeaten on 108 as India, replying to Sri Lanka's 642-4 declared, recovered to 382-4 by stumps on the third day at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
India, who lost the opening Test in Galle by 10 wickets to trail 1-0 in the three-match series, need 61 runs more to avoid the embarrassment of a second successive follow-on.
The tourists were 165-0 at one stage before suffering a mini-collapse to 173-3 in the morning session, as rookie off-spinner Suraj Randiv grabbed two wickets and Ajantha Mendis claimed one.
Tendulkar, 37, who has scored more Test runs and centuries than any other batsman in history, stood rock-solid at one end for four hours and 37 minutes to anchor India's revival. He put on 68 for the fourth wicket with VVS Laxman (29) and 141 for the unbroken fifth with debutant Suresh Raina, who ended the day unbeaten on 66.
Tendulkar, a veteran of 168 Tests, reached his fifth hundred this year by sweeping Randiv to the square-leg fence for his 13th boundary. Sri Lanka were left to rue Tendulkar's lucky escape on 29 when wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene failed to grasp a head-high catch as the batsman attempted to slice a ball from Dilhara Fernando to third man.
The hosts had changed their entire frontline bowling attack for the match following the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan and after losing fast bowler Lasith Malinga to a knee injury. But Randiv stood out with 2-108 from 35 overs, while Mendis had 2-92 from 26 overs on a wearing wicket that afforded bounce and turn to the spinners.
Openers Virender Sehwag (99) and Murali Vijay (58) put on 165 for the first wicket before Sri Lanka hit back, removing both batsmen in the space of 11 deliveries. Sehwag was one run away from his 21st century when he rushed out to loft Randiv's first ball of the day, misjudged the line and was stumped.
It was a typically aggressive knock from Sehwag, including 15 boundaries, but his rush of blood to the head meant he missed out on a fourth century in successive Tests. He made 109 and 165 in the last two home Tests against South Africa in February and 109 in the opening match of the current series.
Vijay compiled a confident half-century but was dismissed when he misread a googly from Mendis and was caught plumb in front of the wicket. Randiv struck a second time before lunch when he trapped Rahul Dravid leg-before for three.
Laxman partnered Tendulkar for most of the afternoon session, before falling just ahead of the tea interval when he was leg-before to Mendis. Tendulkar moved to his half-century by lofting Randiv for a six over long-on and celebrated the milestone by hitting the off-spinner for two consecutive boundaries.
Raina, 23, who was drafted in for his first Test cap after Yuvraj Singh developed high fever on the eve of the match, reached his 50 by driving Randiv through the covers.
India is known as a country that finds unity in diversity. It is an accumulation of varied beliefs and culture where people following different religions and faith come together in the spirit of unity. One such binding religion and faith in India is the game of cricket. Indian cricket has evolved far beyond the gentlemen's game to create a place for itself in the hearts of millions of fans. However, in India it is a different ball game altogether. The cricketers have achieved the status of idols, which can be praised when performing well or rebuked after a dismal performance. Much of our waking life is guided by the schedule of a live cricket match. If there is match between India and a popular opponent then chances are that the roads will be empty and the schools and offices will have an unusually low attendance.

Indian cricket has also set many precedents and among a few of them, you also have schools scheduling their exams based on the schedule of a match. If a match is being played on Indian grounds, then chances are that the stadium will be jam-packed. All those fans who are unlucky enough to be far removed from their television sets during a game of Indian cricket, have discovered various other ways to observe the match proceedings. The radio had been one of the most favored mediums of following up the commentary of an ongoing match. The arrival and omnipotent presence of the internet has turned the tables. Now no matter where you are, you can never be too far away from a cricket game.

Many cricket portals on the internet are a database of information on Indian cricket and the game as a whole. Live updates on the progress of every match are provided on these sites and a user can even request for regular updates on their mobile phones in the unfortunate event that they need to be away from their computers and televisions at a particular point of time. So now, you can be in touch with the game even while you are working at your desk and this is a highly popular method of tracking the game among the cricket fans across the globe.
Indian Cricket
has also become an important marketing tool for many corporate and they fully exploit the popularity of the Indian cricketers among their fans to promote their goods and services. The fans also like to keep track of their favorite players' performance over the years and here again the cricket portals play a crucial role. Therefore, whether you need the latest statistics on your cricket icon or want to download wallpapers of your favorite cricket star, you simply need to surf the internet and discover a cricket related site that fulfills all your needs of regular updates on Indian and world cricket. Active participation in the discussion forums on these sites also show the deep involvement of the cricket fans and provide the best platform to get across your views to the world.

The Hindu reports:
Sachin Tendulkar stressed the need to build partnership while replying to a huge total. The legendary batsman, who notched up his fifth double century in Tests here on Thursday, said, "We occupied the crease and built partnerships."
Tendulkar observed, "It was important to be patient, since boundaries were difficult to come by because of the field setting. At the same, it was important to keep the scoreboard ticking. It was an important knock for Suresh Raina as well. Especially because he came in to bat at a difficult time. I thought he showed tremendous character."
The maestro revealed, "I told Raina 'I know you are under a bit of pressure, you are feeling a bit nervous but this moment will never ever come again in your life. It's natural to be nervous, everyone goes through it. But you must enjoy whatever comes your way. Everyone will remember this knock of yours irrespective of your future achievements."
Lauds Raina
Tendulkar was all praise for Raina. "He has got a tremendous all-round game. He was solid in his defence and played some magnificent shots. Left the ball well as well. It didn't appear that he was playing his first Test. Having played 98 ODIs also helped him. When you come out to bat at a critical stage in your debut match and are involved in a big partnership when your team is in trouble, you cannot ask for anything more. I just allowed him to play his game. Whenever I felt a particular adjustment was needed I told him. He has the ability to play the big shots, was carefully selecting them."
Speaking about how he adjusted to the heat and humidity here, Tendulkar provided an insight into his preparation. "It's been challenging. Yesterday, when I got into the dressing room, I had a long ice bath. I was in the ice tub for a while. Then I did some stretching exercises, had an early dinner and I was in bed by 8.30 p.m.. I just relaxed as much as possible. Because I went off to sleep early, I was up early morning. I was in a good frame of mind."
He added, "When you are playing a Test, time flies. When you are off the field, you go back to the hotel and sleep. When you wake in the morning, it's time to go back to the ground again. But that's what Test cricket is all about. For almost all four days, I have been on the field. It's been demanding but my body has held up pretty well."
Hot Spot a better system
Asked about the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), he answered, "I am not fully convinced with that. When we were here last time, I wasn't convinced with many decisions. I didn't feel comfortable. It was an experiment. I would much rather go with the Hot Spot because that establishes the contact between the bat and the ball. It's a far better system according to me. And if there is something else to go with that, then it would be much better."
Tendulkar said he never played for records. "I have always gone out and played my game. People look at my records, not me. I would want to score as many runs as possible. I am still enjoying my cricket."
He then dwelt on off-spinning legend Muttiah Muralitharan. "Even for Muralitharan, to get 800 wickets was 18 years of hard work. If you go and ask, he would admit that the learning process never stops. He has worked hard. Other guys playing for Sri Lanka will have to do that.
It's tough to achieve what Murali has achieved. And if we are going to compare other bowlers with Murali, it's a wrong comparison. You have got to respect the individual for what he is contributed to Sri Lankan cricket, and also respect the other individuals who have their own identity. They need not bowl like Murali because they have all their own styles, their own ways of taking wickets."
Asked whether India would retain its No. 1 ranking in Test when the series ends, Tendulkar said, "Rankings will take care of themselves if you play good cricket. Focus has to be on playing good cricket. And who doesn't want to be No. 1? The ranking is not only important to us, the team, but for the entire nation."

A double hundred from Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina's century on debut added some spice to what was otherwise a dreary fourth day of the second Micromax Test. The surface at the Sinhalese Sports Club is only breaking the heart of the bowlers.
During times when attendance for Test cricket is low, at least in the sub-continent, sporting wickets are mandatory. Leading Sri Lanka by 27 runs with one wicket left on Thursday, the Indians will have the opportunity to employ the heavy roller on Friday morning in a last-ditch effort to try and break the pitch.
Unless Sri Lanka collapses dramatically in its second innings – an extremely unlikely prospect on this surface – the match is heading for a draw.
Barren pitches often whip up batting records and India's 669 for nine at stumps is the highest Test total by a visiting team in Sri Lanka. On a pitch that, at best, offered only slow turn to the spinners and almost nothing to the pacemen, Sri Lanka desperately missed Muralitharan's deception in flight and the air-speed and reverse swing of Lasith Malinga.
The Indian batsmen were certainly not complaining. After Tendulkar's monumental 203 (347b, 23x4, 1x6) and Raina's impressive 120 (228b, 12x4, 2x6), skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni made 76 with placements, hard-running and typically wristy blows.
Despite a mountain of achievements, Tendulkar's hunger for runs remains undiminished. His journey has been a relentless quest for perfection. It can be extremely demanding for a 37-year-old to bat for more than four sessions in such humid conditions.
Tendulkar's fifth double century in Tests – his first after the 2004-05 season - may have come on a flat track against a rather inexperienced attack. Yet, the innings brought the maestro's resolve to the fore. Nothing in Test cricket is ever given away easily.
It must not be forgotten either that Tendulkar, along with Raina, batted India out of a crisis situation. The Sri Lankan attack was undone by a right-left combination.
Tendulkar's square-drives and cuts off pacemen Dilhara Fernando and Dammika Prasad were exquisite. He used the depth of the crease, shortened the length of the bowler. When the pacemen erred in line, he responded with delicate glances.
The maestro's balance and poise were on view against the spinners. He essentially played Mendis off the front foot, which was the right ploy. Tendulkar's deft footwork once again disrupted off-spinner Suraj Randiv's length. It was a triumphant moment for the legend when he turned Mendis for a brace to reach his double hundred.
Raina's equanimity as he approached a major individual landmark underlined his temperament. The left hander was positive and batted with decisive footwork.
The southpaw's batsmanship stems from a balanced and upright stance. His has an elaborate back-lift and uses it to impart more power and weight behind his strokes. Over the years, he has also worked on straightening his back-swing.
Raina is a buzzing left-hander but there have been question marks on his handling of the short-pitched deliveries from the quicks. Indeed, he has been squared-up by well-directed lifters in the past.
Fernando did probe him with a few bouncers here but Raina swiftly got out of the harm's way. But then, it would be premature to arrive at a verdict on Raina's ability vis a vis short-pitched bowling from his display on this surface. Bigger tests await him on juicy tracks against hostile pacemen.
Yet, it would be unfair to take credit away from Raina's innings here. He is the 12th Indian to score a Test hundred on debut and the ninth to achieve the feat in his maiden innings.
Someone who unsettles the length of the bowlers, Raina skipped down to Randiv and lifted the ball over the long-off fence. And he slog-swept the same bowler for the maximum. Then, Raina off-drove Prasad fluently to reach the three-figure mark. The southpaw's Test debut had been a memorable one.
Raina eventually miscued an on-drive off Mendis to be held at short mid-wicket by Sangakkara. The fifth wicket association between Tendulkar and Raina produced a massive 256 runs.
Tendulkar continued to build partnerships, putting on 95 with Dhoni for the sixth before being held bat-pad by 'keeper Prasanna Jayawardene off part-time spinner Tillekaratne Dilshan. Bowling from round the wicket, Dilshan had spun one into Tendulkar. The maestro walked.
Harbhajan Singh once again gifted his wicket away, Dhoni knocked one back to Dilshan and Mithun contributed usefully before being castled by Mendis. The young Mithun does have some ability with the willow.
Despite some success, it was an ordinary day for Mendis. Although the Sri Lankan spinner troubled Dhoni with a couple of googlies, the Indians are definitely reading him better.
Scorecard: Sri Lanka (Ist innings) 642 for four declared
India (Ist innings): M. Vijay lbw b Mendis 58 (124b, 8x4), V. Sehwag st P. Jayawardene b Randiv 99 (101b, 15x4), R. Dravid lbw b Randiv 3 (18b), S. Tendulkar c P. Jayawardene b Dilshan 203 (347b, 23x4, 1x6), V.V.S. Laxman lbw b Mendis 29 (98b, 2x4), S. Raina c Sangakkara b Mendis 120 (228b, 12x4, 2x6), M.S. Dhoni c & b Dilshan 76 (138b, 7x4), Harbhajan c Sangakkara b Dilshan 0 (3b), A. Mithun b Mendis 41 (97b, 4x4), I. Sharma (batting) 10 (40b), P. Ojha (batting) 0 (4 b), Extras (b-9, lb-5, w-4, nb-12) 30; Total (for nine wkts in 198 overs) 669.
Fall of wickets: 1-165 (Sehwag), 2-169 (Vijay), 3-173 (Dravid), 4-241 (Laxman), 5-497 (Raina), 6-592 (Tendulkar), 7-592 (Harbhajan), 8-643 (Dhoni), 9-668 (Mithun).
Sri Lanka bowling: Prasad 19-1-96-0, Fernando 31-1-116-0, Mathews 9-1-24-0, Randiv 64-14-212-2, Mendis 54-7-157-4, Dilhara 21-4-50-3.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/article540299.ece
It's all about loyalty for Brand Dhoni

By: Ratna Bhushan, ET Bureau

The chase lasted six months. India's best sports marketing firms like IMG, Percept, PMG Sports, World Sport Group were in the fray.

The trophy was a three-year contract to manage MS Dhoni, India's hottest sports personality. He is at the peak of his career and the contract has the World Cup in the middle of it.

This was tipped to be the richest sports marketing deal ever, bigger than the `180-crore contract Sachin Tendulkar signed in 2006. And it was.

Also Read: Dhoni does business the way he plays cricket | Dhoni pips Sachin in brand value | Dhoni most valuable IPL player

Dhoni does business the way he plays cricket

By: Ratna Bhushan and Avinash Singh, ET Bureau

As builder flats go, C-158, Sarvodaya Enclave, is a typical construct of New Delhi's post-partition colonies. The houses are stacked shoulder to shoulder. The big architectural idea is to create five houses in a space meant for three. A grilled gate, away from the main entrance, opens into a flight of stairs, which leads to the basement office of Rhiti Sports Management.

Forget elegance or sophistication, there's nothing to even announce its arrival. It looks nothing like an establishment that has recently committed to generating business of Rs 210 crore over the next three years for its most prized client.

Inside, on every wall of the three-room set, the client is framed: MS Dhoni. He's there in sawed-off sleeves, with dreadlocks and the World T20 cup. He's there in a water-colour, in a sherwani, looking like royalty. When it's not a picture, it's a jersey: the back of his old India blue, number 7, with scribbles of fellow Indian players. When it's not a jersey, it's a calendar: Mak makes it possible. This time around, it's the closest we will get to Dhoni to understand the inner workings of Brand Dhoni.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/6226258.cms

'Cameron's delegation won't benefit UK business'

Jul 29, 2010, 10.58pm IST
David Cameron is to be congratulated for making the effort to bring a delegation to India but why subsidize companies that already conduct business in India? Do Barclays Bank, ARUP, BAE Systems, Vodafone, Rolls-Royce and Standard Chartered need to be a part of a delegation? Good publicity but nothing more, writes Christopher Lamb.

David Cameron, British prime minister, has decided that India has become vital to the interests of the UK. He may be a couple of hundred years late but one could say that his heart is in the right place. Cameron and a large proportion of British citizens are possibly of the opinion that without the Raj, Indians would still be ruled by warring maharajas and could not possibly have done anything for themselves by way of development to this day.

It would probably be more correct to say that without India and the Indians, the UK would be far poorer and had the British not pillaged their way through India, there are many British concerns that might not even exist. Without the Indian Army the Japanese might have reached the Middle East and it might be Nippon Oil with a problem in the Gulf of Mexico!

Britain did leave a lasting legacy to India by way of an infrastructure and bureaucracy second to none. Britain's fault since Indian independence has been that it has not bothered to build on the fact that a large number of Indians speak English, the engineering standards are all Imperial, India has the steering wheel on the same side of the car and Brits have come to make curry their national dish. Germany has overtaken the UK in trade with India because the Germans make an effort and look to the long term whereas the UK managers sit arrogantly waiting for orders to materialize together with short-term gains and the chance of a seat near the PM.

Let us [the UK] hope that David Cameron does better than his predecessors.

David has decided to share his curry with the following personalities:

William Hague , foreign secretary - clever, bright, but little or no foreign affairs experience and an accent sometimes hard to follow.

George Osborne , chancellor - little or no experience at anything apart from politics and University with 'David' - today he opened a Vodafone mobile powered by the sun!

Vince Cable , business secretary - good guy, former chief economist at Shell Oil but no 'down and dirty' business experience. Has no grants to give away and probably hopes that his electric personality will convince Ratan Tata to invest more in the UK!

Jeremy Hunt , culture secretary - good solid constituency MP, owns a company that publishes university guides and set up a couple of charities. Out of his depth in India.

David Willetts , universities and science minister - superbright, known as 'two brains' but another career politician.

Gregory Barker , minister of state for department of energy & climate change - former head of international investor relations for a Russian oil company and now an expert on climate change.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Camerons-delegation-wont-benefit-UK-business/articleshow/6234358.cms

Sri Lanka v India, 2nd Test, SSC, 4th day

India ahead as run-fest continues

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya
July 29, 2010
Text size: A | A
India 669 for 9 (Tendulkar 203, Raina 120) lead Sri Lanka 642 for 4 dec by 27 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Suresh Raina became the first Indian batsman in nine years to score a Test century on debut © Associated Press

Smart stats

India's score in the second innings of the Test was the 27th time they have passed 500 in the second innings. Only on one occasion (Sydney 2008) have they gone on to lose.
Sachin Tendulkar's double-century was his fifth in Tests. It places him joint-fifth on the all time list of players with the most double-hundreds.
The 256-run stand between Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina was the third highest fifth-wicket partnership for India in Tests and the joint second highest against Sri Lanka.
Suraj Randiv became only the third bowler to concede more than 200 runs on debut .
When India passed 600, it became only the fourth instance when teams made greater than 600 runs in the first and second innings of a match.

Raina showed few signs of nerves in his maiden Test appearance, looking confident early in his innings. He didn't hesitate to step out against the spinners on the third day and began in a similar vein on the fourth, lofting Randiv over long-off. Unlike Tendulkar, Raina played the pitched-up deliveries with more comfort throughout his knock. He played his favourite slog-sweep to dispatch Randiv over midwicket, and brought up his ton with a drive through mid off. The celebration began the moment he connected; he clenched his fists, ran to the other end and soaked in the applause for an achievement that opened up India's options in their Test middle order. He was beaten by a Mendis legbreak shortly after lunch and spooned an easy catch to short midwicket but only after India had reached safety.

The batsmen that followed had plenty of time to adjust to variations in pace as well as frequent changes in length, and runs flowed at a healthy pace. This was on display in the manner that MS Dhoni settled in, stepping out to Mendis on just his fifth ball and pulling Prasad for consecutive boundaries. The spinners were heaved and slogged and Dhoni notched up another fifty.

Tillakaratne Dilshan salvaged some pride with a couple of quick wickets. Tendulkar was caught off an inside edge onto the pads, and Harbhajan Singh gifted a catch to midwicket. The resistance, however, continued with Dhoni and Abhimanyu Mithun occupying the crease for 21.4 overs before Dilshan struck again to snare the Indian captain.

Kumar Sangakkara kept three close-in catchers for much of the day, hoping the extra bounce would yield something. The seamers had a slip against Tendulkar, an additional leg slip for Raina, as well as a silly point for Dhoni when he was new to the crease. Perhaps Mendis could have come on much earlier than at the stroke of lunch. But their hopes were thwarted by a determined effort from Tendulkar, Raina and Dhoni, who have set up a third Test finale at the P Sara Stadium.

Siddhartha Talya is an editorial assistant at Cricinfo

India's Sachin Tendulkar hits fifth Test double century

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I prefer Hot-Spot over UDRS: Tendulkar

Cricket Nirvana - ‎38 minutes ago‎
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Sachin, the artist, deserves Bharat Ratna: Asha Bhonsle

Times of India - ‎7 hours ago‎
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Tendulkar leads India's fightback on third day

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Reuters

British PM charms India with Shah Rukh, Sachin Tendulkar connection

Times of India - ‎Jul 28, 2010‎
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Total Filmy

Sachin Tendulkar to be guest on Bigg Boss?

Oneindia - ‎Jul 26, 2010‎
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The Guardian

Tendulkar denies use of his blood in book

NDTV.com - ‎Jul 24, 2010‎
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National Horizon

Sachin Tendulkar On A New Mission To Save Water

National Horizon - ‎11 hours ago‎
When master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is not hitting boundaries he is cajoling citizens to save water. Tendulkar, who holds more cricketing, records than any ...

Congratulate Sachin Tendulkar on scoring 48th Test century

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Randiv revels in maiden wicket

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The Hindu

Bayliss praises bowlers' effort on dead pitch

CricInfo.com - ‎4 hours ago‎
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Cameron and Osborne's Cricket Diplomacy

Wall Street Journal (blog) - Subhadip Sircar, John Satish Kumar - ‎Jul 28, 2010‎
"And Sachin Tendulkar, the Little Master, is so talented that wherever you're from, you can't help but admire him as he hits another century. ...

Tendulkar, Raina keep India on track

ESPN STAR Sports - ‎Jul 28, 2010‎
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Twitter abuzz with Sachin's feat

indiablooms - ‎1 hour ago‎
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Sydney Morning Herald

Gavaskar the first to score 9000 runs in Tests

Rediff - ‎Jul 26, 2010‎
Australia captain Ricky Ponting became only the second batsman after India's Sachin Tendulkar to score 12000 Test runs. He reached the landmark against ...
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I will go beyond Sachin Tendulkar

samaylive - ‎Jul 28, 2010‎
A small chap 'Sagar Dahiya' from Sonipat might be the upcoming new face in the field of Indian cricket consider to in place of Sachin Tendulkar. ...

Sachin Tendulkar's Passions:Cricket,Cars,Food

MyNews.in - ‎Jul 27, 2010‎
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Lasith Malinga raring to have a go at Sachin Tendulkar

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The Guardian

Numbers say Ponting and Tendulkar level-pegging

Sydney Morning Herald - Jesse Hogan - ‎Jul 23, 2010‎
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SantaBanta.com

Akshay's take on Sachin Tendulkar

Indiainfo.com - ‎Jul 23, 2010‎
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Debutant Raina hits ton as India makes 477/4

Sify - ‎11 hours ago‎
Raina was unbeaten on 112 and Sachin Tendulkar was batting on 152 at the lunch break at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground.
Daily Mail

Murali misses bowling to Sachin

Indian Express - ‎Jul 25, 2010‎
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'Tendulkar deserve World Cup win'

Hindustan Times - ‎Jul 17, 2010‎
PTI Sachin Tendulkar deserves a World Cup victory under his belt but to realise this dream the batting icon needs players like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh ...

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Tendulkar - real blood, sweat and tears

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Sri Lanka v India, 2nd Test, SSC, 3rd day

CricInfo.com - Siddhartha Talya - ‎Jul 27, 2010‎
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It's all about loyalty for Brand Dhoni

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Tendulkar rises, Gambhir slips in ICC Test ranking

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Dhoni hits a six with his contract

Hindustan Times - ‎Jul 13, 2010‎
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Create an email alert for Sachin Tendulkar

India's Sachin Tendulkar hits fifth Test double century

Email this story

Cricket Nirvana

I prefer Hot-Spot over UDRS: Tendulkar

Sachin, the artist, deserves Bharat Ratna: Asha Bhonsle

Tendulkar leads India's fightback on third day

British PM charms India with Shah Rukh, Sachin Tendulkar connection

Sachin Tendulkar to be guest on Bigg Boss?

Tendulkar denies use of his blood in book

Sachin Tendulkar On A New Mission To Save Water

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Congratulate Sachin Tendulkar on scoring 48th Test century

NDTV.com - ‎Jul 28, 2010‎
Well sangakara you knew this and cried.But you should know BCCI and Indian sponsores are powerful guys.Let us not blame Tendulkar,poor fellow. ...
CricInfo.com

Randiv revels in maiden wicket

Bayliss praises bowlers' effort on dead pitch

Cameron and Osborne's Cricket Diplomacy

Tendulkar, Raina keep India on track

ESPN STAR Sports - ‎Jul 28, 2010‎
Sachin Tendulkar's 48th Test ton and Suresh Raina's half century on debut kept India's hopes alive as the visitors finished the third day in a fairly ...

Twitter abuzz with Sachin's feat

Gavaskar the first to score 9000 runs in Tests

I will go beyond Sachin Tendulkar

samaylive - ‎Jul 28, 2010‎
A small chap 'Sagar Dahiya' from Sonipat might be the upcoming new face in the field of Indian cricket consider to in place of Sachin Tendulkar. ...

Sachin Tendulkar's Passions:Cricket,Cars,Food

MyNews.in - ‎Jul 27, 2010‎
Sachin Tendulkar's passions for game of cricket is terrific. Here is one story which shows how much he thinks of cricket. It was debut test of Sachin ...
The Guardian

Lasith Malinga raring to have a go at Sachin Tendulkar

Numbers say Ponting and Tendulkar level-pegging

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Debutant Raina hits ton as India makes 477/4

Sify - ‎11 hours ago‎
Raina was unbeaten on 112 and Sachin Tendulkar was batting on 152 at the lunch break at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground.
Daily Mail

Murali misses bowling to Sachin

'Tendulkar deserve World Cup win'

Hindustan Times - ‎Jul 17, 2010‎
PTI Sachin Tendulkar deserves a World Cup victory under his belt but to realise this dream the batting icon needs players like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh ...

An unfamiliar sight

Tendulkar - real blood, sweat and tears

Sri Lanka v India, 2nd Test, SSC, 3rd day

Live: Mendis gets debut centurion Raina

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Economic Times - Ratna Bhushan - ‎Jul 27, 2010‎
This was tipped to be the richest sports marketing deal ever, bigger than the `180-crore contract Sachin Tendulkar signed in 2006. And it was.

Tendulkar rises, Gambhir slips in ICC Test ranking

Dhoni hits a six with his contract

Create an email alert for Sachin Tendulkar

Star to the ground!

ANUJ KUMAR
Share · print · T+ <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article540199.ece?textsize=large&test=1" title="Large Text Size" >T+</a>  ·   <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article540199.ece?textsize=small&test=2" title="Small Text Size">T-</a>

PTI Aamir Khan at a press conference for 'Peepli Live' in New Delhi.
Aamir Khan explores people and their concerns that Bollywood refuses to acknowledge through "Peepli Live".
Aamir Khan continues to bend the corroding rules of Bollywood. Emboldened by the success of "Taare Zameen Par" and "3 Idiots", he has come up with one more experiment with meaningful entertainment, "Peepli Live". In Delhi to promote the film, he says he always wanted to be part of cinema that tackles contemporary realities and now the situation is ripe with new cinematic aesthetics taking shape.
This time he is limiting himself to the production. "I wanted to act in it but each of the characters is so full-bodied and unique that I didn't see myself fitting into any of the parts." It is this ability to envisage ground-breaking ideas without bringing in the trappings of stardom that has made him a unique player in the industry. His success ratio is soaring when others are hiding behind recession and lack of quality scripts. Such is the faith in his products that the 'small' film has already fetched Rs.10 crores in the form of satellite rights.
Directed and written by debutant Anusha Rizvi, "Peepli Live"takes a satirical look at the predicament of a poor farmer, Natha, who creates a frenzy when, beset with debt, he announces that he will commit suicide so his family can receive government compensation. "When I read it I was moved by its honesty. I asked her to shoot a few scenes and when I felt satisfied by her technical skills, I gave her the green signal. Today I feel privileged to be part of such a film. I feel it will sensitise a lot of people."
Shot in Badwai village near Bhopal, the promos suggest that the film talks about farmer suicide but Aamir denies that the film is about the issue. "It could be one of the inspirations for Anusha to write the script but the film is not based on it. For farmer suicide you need much more research to go into the causes that push the farmer to the brink. This script could work equally well with a rural artisan as well."
He says the film essentially talks about the urban-rural divide in the form of a satire. "It is a piece of fiction woven around real events that will put a smile on your lips but deep inside it has the potential to unsettle you. It talks about issues like migration. If somebody asks me to leave Mumbai I won't be able to, because there is an emotional attachment with the city. Most of my memories are of the city. So when a person has to leave his village he must be left with no other option. Development has happened, but it has not percolated down the way it should have."
The film's music (by Indian Ocean) is already creating waves, as "Mehngayi Dayan" — sung by Raghuvir Yadav, who plays a pivotal role in the film with a local mandali of Badwai — has already pricked those who matter. In fact the BJP asked to make it a part of its campaign against inflation, but Aamir refused. "See, I am not a political person. I am not with any party but it doesn't mean that I don't share the concern of the common man. Inflation is a problem and the song captures it really well."
If the film comments on the system, it doesn't spare the media either. Aamir says as is the case these days, the story unfolds through the media. "It comments on the TRP-driven media but the media professionals are not portrayed in a caricature-ish manner."
He feels Bollywood is not showing enough concern towards rural India. He says a rural character could also have a personality, have his likes, dislikes and eccentricities that people would like to know about. "The film has given them a face. Casting was difficult. Some of the actors have been taken from Habib Tanvir's Naya Theatre."
Habib's daughter
Tanveer's daughter Nageen has sung a song in the film. But the most difficult part was to trace Farrukh Jaffar to play the abusive amma's role. Aamir says it took a long time to trace Jaffar, a veteran radio artist. He even called up Ashutosh Gowarikar in whose "Swades" she played a small part. "We wanted her for her command over the local (Bundelkhandi) dialect."
The film has been given an A certificate by the Censor Board but Aamir is not perturbed. "There are abuses in some dialogues. I won't want my kids to listen to such dialogues but this doesn't mean we should dilute the content."
He is said to be using new tools like focussed screenings to test his product. "See, I have been holding such screenings since the time of 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' but the media is showing interest now."
His promotion skills have left many of his rivals dumbfounded. If he sets his commercial ventures for a Christmas release, for "Peepli Live" he has chosen the Friday before Independence Day so that the film could create enough buzz in the media. "See, every film demands a different kind of publicity. It is not a big film. We have yet to figure out how many prints we will release according to the buzz it will generate."
Not only that, this time he is making fun of himself in a promo, where a television reporter suggests that Aamir has lost the trick and films like "Lagaan" are not made every day. "Before you say it, I thought I should point it out!" he smiles. "Actually Anusha had shot some footage where local vendors are selling packets of chips and biscuits named Gajini with my face on the cover. It didn't fit in the film. So we decided to use it in the promo," he concludes.
http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article540199.ece

Diego Maradona says he was 'betrayed'

PTI
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AP Diego Maradona gestures as he reads an statement in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The former Argentina coach said he didn't see it coming. "I've given everything. Everything," Maradona said
An emotional Diego Maradona, close to tears, said he was betrayed as Argentina coach by national team director Carlos Bilardo and lied to by Julio Grondona, the president of the Argentine Football Association.
Speaking one day after the Argentine Football Association declined to renew his contract, Maradona claimed yesterday that Bilardo worked deviously to get rid of him and that Grondona had previously said he was happy with his work.
Argentina was beaten 4-0 by Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals in South Africa.
"They called me to put out a fire, and we put it out," Maradona said. "Grondona lied to me. Bilardo betrayed me.
While we were still in mourning (the loss to Germany), Bilardo worked in the shadows to throw me out.
"My technical team and I were prepared to keep going," he added. "Grondona, in the changing room in South Africa, said in front of witnesses that he was very happy with my work and wanted me to continue. But back in Argentina things started to change."
Bilardo was the coach of Argentina and Maradona its star player when the team won the World Cup in 1986.
The AFA had said several weeks ago that it planned to offer him a new four-year deal, and Maradona said Grondona asked him in a meeting Monday to continue but without seven of his assistants. Maradona said he could not meet those conditions.
Grondona, replying after Maradona spoke, said he had not lied to the famous No. 10.
"I continue being sorry that he has gone because it's very sad," Grondona said. "But I did not lie to Maradona. I told Maradona that I was content with him, that he had to continue. What he misinterpreted was that the conditions weren't the same."
Maradona read from a prepared script for about 10 minutes in a restaurant in the Buenos Aires suburb of Ezeiza.
And despite a room packed with reporters and family members - including his two daughters - he took no questions.
The 49-year-old Maradona replaced Alfio Basile as Argentina coach 21 months ago. He suggested he didn't have enough time to make changes, noting that Argentina had failed to get past the World Cup quarterfinals for the fifth straight time.
Argentina has some of the best players in the world, including forwards Lionel Messi of Barcelona, Carlos Tevez of Manchester City and Gonzalo Higuain of Real Madrid.
The team is made up of mostly young players with immense futures," Maradona said. "They can dream big and beautifully."
Maradona didn't mention Argentina youth team manager Sergio Batista, who will be the interim coach for the Aug. 11 friendly at Ireland. There is also a Sept. 7 friendly at River Plate stadium against world champion Spain.
Possible permanent successors include two club coaches in Argentina: Alejandro Sabella of Estudiantes and Miguel Russo of Racing.
Maradona, a national icon who divides opinion, was hired by Grondona despite having little coaching experience. Some thought he was out-coached by Germany's Joachim Loew, who identified Argentina's defensive frailties and lack of midfield speed.
Maradona gave no hint of his future plans.
"I've given everything. Everything," Maradona said, ending his speech. "I am convinced that Argentine football needs to be in a better position. I have tried to transmit the pride that I feel, being Argentine."
Argentina President Cristina Fernandez was "sad" about Maradona's departure and planned to meet with him, her office said.

Art of marketing redefined in IPL 2010

Posted by IPL Cricket on 4/12/10 • Categorized as Columns
Last night while watching the match between Delhi Dare Devils and Kings XI Punjab I rushed to have a bottle of Bisleri. The label of the bottle appeared to be slightly different and I fired the vendor for passing a fast buck and selling spurious brand. He was adamant that he was selling a genuine bottle, and that I should see the bottle before blaming him. Then I scanned the label of the bottle with full concentration and was stuck with the ingenuity. The label of the bottle was being used to spread finer nuances about cricket. As they say, message is in the medium, so the company to spread cricket literacy is using the bottle of Bisleri. It is a smart move, as, apart from spreading cricket literacy, the effort would also increase the brand registration of the product in the mind of the viewer in a jiffy.
Cricket stadiums have become so much security conscious that one cannot even carry own drinking water inside, exceptions to the rule being the VIP stands, but there the need to carry it does not arise at all. So per force a fan has to buy the bottle from the stadium and in the melee of bottles on display, how can one product stand out! It can only stand out through this innovative approach to position the brand.
The idea to use the panel of water bottles to promote the cricket nuances must have been imbibed from the advertisements that the batsman display on their cricket bats. The only difference that instead of doing a surrogate advertisement the label of the bottle is being used to create awareness about the finer nuances of the game.
One does not know whether this is a moment of disruption in marketing a bottle of water aligning it with a sports event, but indeed is an interference that can be capitalized for other sporting events as well. It also would create a committed brand of fan following for the brand, and any brand manufacturer would give his right arm to achieve the same.
Its wider manifestation could be seen in the T20 World Cup and also in the Football World Cup that follows the T20 World Cup. While the fans are mad about the game, if the finer nuances of the game are explained through the bottle, indeed the fans would become more so engaged with the game.
By: Suman Rai
http://www.iplpulse.com/columns/art-of-marketing-redefined-in-ipl-2010/

Cricket in India: It's Big Business but Not Businesslike

Published: April 05, 2007 in India Knowledge@Wharton

Sachin Tendulkar, arguably India's best-ever cricket player, earns some $30 a minute. India's highest-paid CEO, Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, gets $10, and celluloid superstar Amitabh Bachchan, $8. Ordinary people like Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh get 3 cents and 1 cent respectively. These figures from PaycheckIndia, which describes itself as an Internet-based labor market research tool, are back-of-the-envelope calculations. But even if you ignore the numbers, the conclusion is that India's cricket stars are handsomely paid. That makes it tempting to assume that the business of cricket must be huge and thriving, too.
It is -- though it wasn't always so. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now the world's richest cricket association. But, in 1992, it had a deficit of $150,000. In 1997, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the apex body for world cricket, wasn't in the red, but it had just $25,000 to show for its 90-year history. Now, times have changed: The ICC is expected to make a profit of $239 million from the 2007 Cricket World Cup, currently underway in the Caribbean. The BCCI, meanwhile, has increased its profits from $1.11 million in 2004-05 to $7.64 million in 2005-06.
Alas, while the money keeps rolling in, disasters keep rolling out for the subcontinent's cricket fans. Both India and Pakistan have been eliminated in the preliminary rounds of the World Cup. Advertisers are hastily reworking expensive campaigns that were earlier based on cricket. And TV channels that paid big bucks for telecasting rights are having trouble offloading their inventory of advertising spots.
These troubles, aggravated by a nationwide sense of disappointment over the World Cup defeat, have caused many in cricket-obsessed India to ask whether the business model for the game is flawed -- and if so, how it might be fixed. According to faculty from Wharton, the Indian Institute of Management and other experts interviewed by India Knowledge@Wharton, India needs to rethink the business model for cricket. The current model needs improvement in areas such as governance as well as in the way incentives for players are structured. Some suggest that a professional league for cricket might be the solution. In fact, on April 3, Zee TV founder Subhash Chandra announced at a press conference in New Delhi that he would invest Rs. 100 crore ($23 million) to create a parallel cricket league as an alternative to the BCCI.
The Business of Cricket
To see why the current model doesn't work, consider how the business of cricket is organized. This is harder than it might appear because it is difficult to quantify exactly how much the business of cricket is worth or how much it makes. For the year ended 31 March 2006, ICC had revenues of $36 million and a deficit of $3.5 million. The money made depends on the events held during a year. One successful World Cup can replenish the coffers for several years.
The BCCI's finances, meanwhile, leave many questions unanswered. "The BCCI behaves as a private club," says Sandeep Bamzai, author of Gavaskar & Tendulkar: Shaping Indian Cricket Destiny and other books on Indian cricket. There is, of course, no reason why it shouldn't, because the BCCI is a club. (It is a society under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act.) Fighting often breaks out among different factions. Office bearers sometimes make more news than cricketers do. It is run by industrialists and politicians. India's agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar, is the president.
"At the national level as well as state levels, politicians and businessmen dominate the BCCI administration," says Anjan Raichaudhuri, professor of marketing at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC). "A long-term vision for developing the game is not apparent." Moreover, BCCI is involved in many lawsuits. The bill for legal expenses in 2004-05 was nearly $1 million.
Last year, Forbes magazine attempted a valuation of the different cricket boards. According to its calculations, the BCCI was worth $1.5 billion, the England & Wales Cricket Board $270 million and Cricket Australia $225 million. The ICC was pegged much lower at $200 million. The others were Pakistan ($100 million), South Africa ($65 million), Sri Lanka ($14 million) and Bangladesh ($5 million). "There are 10 full members of ICC, but in terms of revenue India contributes more than 70% to the game," the magazine wrote. "Most sponsorships and broadcast rights come from India, and Indian tours make foreign boards rich."
That has brought its own share of problems. Officials at the BCCI and the ICC have been waging a war for control of world cricket. The shifting of the ICC headquarters from London to Dubai in 2005 was regarded as one more battle won in the inevitable transition of power. But while acrimony prevails, running the business smoothly has its problems.
The official money in cricket is big. For instance, ESPN Star Sports has won the audiovisual rights for ICC events from late 2007 to 2015 for $1.1 billion. This includes two World Cups -- Asia (2011) and Australasia (2015). There is more money coming ICC's way. Sale of sponsorship rights could fetch another $500 million. Companies like LG Electronics, Pepsi and Hero Honda, which have been sponsors for the past few years, may, however, take a second look after India's poor performance at this year's World Cup.
The BCCI, meanwhile, has been setting new records. It collected $612 million from Nimbus Communications for the global media rights to all international and domestic cricket owned or controlled by BCCI to be played in India from 1 March 2006 to 31 March 2010. Later it sold its global media rights for one-day internationals (ODIs) at neutral venues (places like Abu Dhabi, Holland, the U.S. and Malaysia, where cricket is not very popular) to Zee Telefilms for $220 million. This contract runs up to March 31, 2010. The BCCI has also sold the kit sponsorship to Nike for $45 million for five years through December 31, 2010. The team sponsorship has gone to Air Sahara for $72 million. The board's income has crossed $1 billion. And, despite the recent setback, more funds will flow into its coffers. New Delhi-headquartered financial daily Business Standard estimates that it will get another $450 million from the sale of other rights, including hotel, travel and ground sponsorship.
Superstar Sachin
The business of cricket, however, goes beyond the ICC and the BCCI. Consider sponsorships. Last year, Tendulkar signed a three-year deal with Iconix, a newly formed marketing arm of international advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi. India's star batsman will be paid around $40 million over the period. Tendulkar is also leveraging his iconic status for other businesses. He owns two restaurants -- Tendulkar's and Sachin's. He has a joint venture with the South India-based Manipal Group for healthcare and sports fitness products. Virgin Comics, owned by Richard Branson, is bringing out a series in which Tendulkar will be featured as a superhero. The royalty may be minimal, but it all adds up.
Other Indian cricketers have not been able to create such successful money machines. But it is nothing to be sniffed at. Indian captain Rahul Dravid, for instance, is estimated to earn an annual fee of $3.5 million from endorsement deals, a little lower than Tendulkar's estimated $4.6 million annual endorsement money. (The latter's Iconix deal encompasses much more than sponsorship or endorsements.) Former Indian captain Saurav Ganguly has been charging an annual fee of close to $350,000 per endorsement. He endorses Hero Honda, Puma, TCL, Tata Indicom and Sahara, among others. Dravid promotes Reebok, Max New York Life, Sansui, Hutch, Britannia and Citizen. And Tendulkar has been endorsing products for companies such as Pepsi, Canon, MRF, Sunfeast, Pantaloons, Audemars Piguet and G Hanz, among others.
The cricketers also get paid to play the game, of course. The BCCI has several of them on contract. The top Indian players -- eight at last count -- get an annual retainer of $115,000. The players in Grade B (four) get an $81,000 retainer and those in Grade C (five) get $46,000. The match fee is $5,800 a test match and $3,700 for ODI matches. The contracts expired in September 2006. Hoping to squeeze more from the Board, the players walked away from the negotiating table before the World Cup. They may have hoped that good performance at the Cup would make it difficult for the BCCI to deny them a bigger slice of the pie. Under the existing system, 26% of BCCI's gross revenues were earmarked for player payments. The Men in Blue -- the Indian team -- got 13%, domestic cricketers got 10.6%, with the remaining 2.4% going to junior cricketers.
These sums may seem small compared to the endorsement amounts, but they provide a perspective on what is wrong in Indian cricket. At the level of the domestic league -- the Ranji Trophy -- a cricketer at the very top can expect to earn $15,000 annually. You can survive on that sort of money, but your one ambition is to make it to the India team and onto the gravy train.
Flawed Model
"It would be good to take a look at how professional leagues are structured in the U.S. and Canada as a possible model for Indian cricket," says Jitendra Singh, professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "In the NBA, NFL or the baseball leagues, you have professional athletes who spend time playing and a marketplace that supports them. There is a market for talent. You can get a contract for seven years based on your performance. If you do well, you can stay on in the major leagues. If you don't, you drop down to the minor leagues. Indian cricket isn't set up to work like this.
"I see three problems with the business model of Indian cricket," Singh continues. "First, the market is not as deep as it is in the U.S. It allows those who have talent to command a very high price, while those who are not part of that small group don't make money. In the U.S., performance is what drives your compensation. In India, the money from endorsements exceeds payment for performance by many multiples. We should ask if these incentives are structured the right way. Second, the governance system for cricket is not functioning effectively. The third issue is the motivation of the cricketers. In the past, it was an honor to play cricket for India. Now some players make $30 million to $40 million a year. If you make so much money, to what extent does that take away your motivation for the game? Money has changed the nature of the game."
Where does the money come from? Eventually, of course, it comes from the consumer. In India cricket sells better than anything else, including movies. In a curious sidelight, Bollywood, as Bombay's film industry is called, tried to cash in on World Cup fever with cricket-themed movies such as Hat Trick, Say Salaam India and Meerabhi Not Out. The first two were released to coincide with the World Cup and have bombed at the box office, in keeping with the Indian team's performance. Earlier movies on cricket have done better. "Cricket has been a catalyst for social transformation," says Raichaudhuri of IIMC. "This is reflected in movies like Lagaan (which won an Oscar nomination)."
It's not just the movies that have suffered. Many expensive campaigns that banked on India making it to the final stages of the World Cup have had to be withdrawn. Pepsi's Blue Billion campaign, on which it has spent several million dollars, has been yanked. It will return, probably without the cricketers and the hype. Several other companies that had launched similar campaigns have pulled out. Consumer durables company Videocon, which has already spent nearly $6 million on cricket-related advertising this year, has dropped cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni from its ads. The same has been the fate of Dravid in the campaigns of Sansui India, the Indian subsidiary of the Japanese electronics giant.
Before the World Cup debacle, the industry had estimated that some $450 million of the $1,600 million corporate advertising on TV would be on cricket. Now all bets are off. Companies want their money back. SET MAX, the official broadcaster of the World Cup and an affiliate of Sony, has dug in its heels. But it is believed to be doling out TV spots as freebies. It had not sold these spots, hoping to sell them at triple the price when India made the semis or the finals. This implies a notional loss of $18 million. "The advertisers took a gamble on India making it to the final rounds," says Rohit Gupta, executive vice-president of SET MAX, the channel that has the rights for the current World Cup. "In no other country would we be asked to share the losses."
The less quantifiable loss is the impact on TV manufacturers (inventories have begun piling up), tour agencies (corporate junkets to the Caribbean are being cancelled), hotels (which were setting up big screen extravaganzas) and others cashing in on the Cricket mania.
Darker Side
The massive illegal betting on cricket will also be affected. How much money is involved? Nobody quite knows. But Delhi-headquartered morning newspaper The Hindustan Times reckons it is more than $25 billion in a good year for Indian cricket. One of the most sordid incidents of the Caribbean World Cup was the alleged murder of Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer, a former England cricketer. Like India, Pakistan got knocked out at the initial stages of the tournament. Some media reports have claimed that Woolmer was about to blow the whistle on illegal betting and match-fixing. Now that both India and Pakistan are out of the World Cup, the illegal betting might cool off -- at least for a while.
Kenneth L. Shropshire, professor of legal studies and business ethics and director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative, acknowledges that gambling is difficult to control unless there is will. He recalls the Black Sox scandal in 1919, when eight members of the Chicago White Sox (known as the Black Sox after that) were banned from baseball for intentionally losing games. "The fans said they would no longer watch the game and they did not respect it any more," he says. A judge was appointed as the first baseball commissioner. Adds Shropshire: "That helped restore the credibility and the popularity of the game. It was a watershed moment in American sports. The challenge for Indian cricket may be to align political forces to bring about a similar outcome. This is one form of governance that has worked."
New Ballgame
With Woolmer's death, the dark clouds around Indian cricket have become darker; the big business of illegal betting is in India, not Pakistan. And the setback comes at a time when the game is under attack for a variety of reasons. The first is its traditional form. The principal form of cricket is a five-day test match. Throw in a rest day, and each game takes almost a week. When a test match is played in a city like Calcutta, where fans are known for their fanaticism, the city comes to a standstill. That may have been acceptable in a more laid-back world, and many players came from the leisured classes; it is an aberration in a fast-paced, global economy.
The alternative has been the ODI which, as its name suggests, lasts for a day, or 50 six-ball overs a side. Now the ICC has been pushing for a new format called the Twenty20. This will consist of 20 overs a side. A Twenty20 World Cup -- another ICC property in the making -- will be held in South Africa later this year. India had resisted the new format but fell in line after all other cricket-playing nations agreed to the ICC proposal. "It's a whole new ballgame," says sportswriter Bamzai.
Indeed it is. When five-day test matches ruled, cricket was genteel. The best players were noted for their elegance and style; it didn't matter how many runs they scored but the way in which they did it. With one-day cricket, the big hitters gained ascendancy. In the Twenty20 format, the pace will pick up further and players will be under pressure to throw their bats at everything they can. "It won't be cricket," rues a purist. "You could possibly call it baseball."
Changing the rules has often proved detrimental to India. A few decades ago, the country had no challengers in field hockey. Then came Astroturf -- a faster surface -- and rules were changed to make the game more "exciting." India just couldn't adapt. It didn't have the money to put up Astroturf surfaces across the country. And the players didn't have the muscle, size and stamina that the new game demanded. Hockey fell by the wayside. Cricket also could.
Cricket appears far more vulnerable when viewed in light of hockey's fall from grace. When India won, hockey had a huge following. Once the country joined the ranks of the also-rans, fans dumped it for cricket, where India had started performing respectably. Today, there are alternatives for disillusioned fans. Vishwanath Anand is the world chess champion. Sania Mirza has been doing exciting things on the tennis court. And, after several barren decades, India has started picking up medals at the Olympics. Indians have long lacked sporting icons. The moment they have others to cheer for, cricket could lose its primacy -- and possibly its mass appeal. The process may have begun. "There is a huge consumer market in South Asia and (Indian) advertisers have plans for this market," says Sushil Khanna, professor of economics and strategic management at IIMC. "Some of the advertising money is also going to football and car racing, even without an Indian team."
Misaligned Incentives
Saikat Chaudhuri, a professor of management at Wharton, sees the problems of cricket spreading to other sports. "If one player -- like Sania Mirza -- shines, everybody wants to go after her. That is how we see her ending up with contracts from a host of different companies. This is neither systematic nor sustainable because companies end up supporting individual brilliance rather than putting money into a system. In Indian sports, the biggest weakness is that whenever money flows into a sport, it ends up with individuals rather than in a system that can help build that sport. It is opportunistic in nature and very, very limited in its scope."
Others agree that the focus on individual incentives lies at the root of many problems. "We value the individual a lot more than the team," says Simon Chaudhuri, senior project manager at Citigroup in Düsseldorf, and a passionate supporter of professionalism in Indian sports.
"There is a distinction between individual incentives and collective incentives," says Jagmohan Singh Raju, a professor of marketing at Wharton. "The individual gets a lot more from outside sponsorships than from playing cricket. If all the money came to the BCCI, and it was then allocated to the players based on how popular they are, it would have been a different story. But if that money comes from outside, the players' incentive is not to retire but to keep playing as long as they can. They may spend more time in front of the TV cameras rather than on the cricket field. It creates an incentive structure that is not good for the game."
Once a player has made it to the hallowed ranks, his main ambition is to make as much money he can as fast as possible. The earning-per-minute figure for Tendulkar may seem high, but one has to remember that all sportspersons have a limited shelf-life. Tendulkar has been on the India team for 18 years, but he is an exception. Most Indian cricketers ride off into the sunset when they finish their playing careers. Some may find jobs as media experts, but not everyone can make the cut.
Some say discipline is a problem area too. Players have been known to arrange their schedules to accommodate their sponsors instead of participating in mandatory practice sessions and coaching camps. The coach and trainer have no authority because the top players are stars -- and can sometimes act like prima donnas. India's coach and former Australia captain Greg Chappell -- who resigned on April 4 -- has often pointed to the attitude problem of senior players as the main cause for their erratic performance. A day earlier, Tendulkar had lashed out against him in an interview in the Times of India. "Typically Indian players don't listen to their coaches," says Chaudhuri of the Wharton School. "I don't know why that should be the case, but it is definitely a problem."
India Team players also ignore the domestic leagues -- the Ranji Trophy, the Irani Trophy, the Deodhar Trophy and the Duleep Trophy -- though the BCCI requires them to take part. The only time they show up is when the BCCI declares that their performance in a particular match will be used for selection purposes. The net result is that domestic cricket in India is largely unloved and unnoticed. With no sponsors and very little money, cricketers can't treat this as a fulltime occupation.
Anjani Jain, vice dean and director of the Wharton School's graduate division, says that one problem is clearly the lack of professional cricket leagues in India. "A privatized professional league could help curb the illegal and 'greedy' aspects of the sport," he says. Incidentally, according to him, "some prominent Wharton alums are thinking of starting a professional cricket league in India."
Chaudhuri of Citigroup offers the example of Germany, which has "a structure in which clubs have a lot of say and they give the players to the national team." He explains: "The federation is responsible only for the national team. There is a very strong club culture, which means it is in private hands. This means there is accountability at the national level. But at the same time the clubs have the power to manage what happens and they are accountable to their fans. The head coach is responsible for the selection of the team. The coach of the national team is paid by the federation, and he is responsible for the results. But he has the freedom to choose the team based on performance. Politicians don't get involved."
Another challenge facing not just cricket but also other sports is the severe shortage of sports infrastructure. For long, food has come before football. Though India is no longer a shortage economy, sports and games are still not top of mind at most schools. Even today, if faced with a choice between funding a midday meal program (which have had remarkable success in improving attendance levels) and investing in a playing field, administrators are more than likely to choose the former.
The cash-rich BCCI, too, has found it difficult to set up the grassroots infrastructure to locate new talent. This is one of its mandates, but it has been largely content with refurbishing old stadiums. In its defense, though, it must be said that all the BCCI's wealth wouldn't make a significant impact. That does not mean that the BCCI is blameless. Cricket may be a gentleman's game, but for its administrators, it is a pugnacious sport. At the BCCI, every election for its office bearers is hard fought, and many election contests end up in court.
"Cricket is now too overheated," says Gupta of SET MAX, referring to the amounts being paid for rights. "At $1.1 billion (paid by ESPN Star Sports for the audiovisual rights for ICC events up to 2015), it will be impossible to make money." A decade down the line, he could be proved right, but for a different reason. The game in 2020 is more likely to be Twenty20. It might make money. But will it be cricket?
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4182

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Sport in India

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Sport in India includes cricket, chess, badminton, field hockey, tennis, football, golf. Hockey, in which India has an impressive record with eight Olympic gold medals, is officially the national sport. Other popular games are football, cricket, basketball, volleyball and badminton. Cricket has become a very popular game in India. After the IX Asian Games in New Delhi in 1982, the capital city now has modern sports facilities. Such facilities are also being developed in other parts of the country. Besides sports and games included in the international sporting agenda, there are many which have developed indigenously.

Cricket is the most popular sport in the India

[edit] History

The history of sports in India dates back to the Vedic era. Physical culture in ancient India was fed by a powerful fuel religious rites. There were some well-defined values like the mantra in the Atharva-Veda, saying," Duty is in my right hand and the fruits of victory in my left". In terms of an ideal, these words hold the same sentiments as the traditional Olympic oath: "For the Honour of my Country and the Glory of Sport."

Badminton probably originated in India as a grownup's version of a very old children's game known in England as battledore and shuttlecock, the battledore being a paddle and the shuttlecock a small feathered cork, now usually balled a "bird."

In the area of recreation and sports India had evolved a number of games. One would be surprised to know today that games like, Chess, Snakes and Ladders, Playing Cards, Polo, the martial arts of Judo and Karate had originated as a sport in India and it was from here that these games were transmitted to foreign countries, where they were further modernized.

It is more than likely that many of today's Olympic disciplines are sophisticated versions of the games of strength and speed that flourished in ancient India and Greece. Chess, wrestling, polo, archery and hockey (possibly a fall-out from polo) are some of the games believed to have originated in India.

Hockey, in which India has an impressive record with eight Olympic gold medals, is officially the national sport. Other popular games are football, cricket, basketball, volleyball and badminton. Cricket has become a very popular game in India. After the IX Asian Games in New Delhi in 1982, the capital city now has modern sports facilities. Such facilities are also being developed in other parts of the country. Besides sports and games included in the international sporting agenda, there are many which have developed indigenously. Among these are wrestling and several traditional systems of martial arts.

[edit] India at the Olympic Games

Main article: India at the Olympics

The Indian Hockey team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, later going on to defeat Germany 8-1 in the final

India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, with a lone athlete (Norman Pritchard) winning two medals inathletics. The nation first sent a team to the Summer Olympic Games in 1920, and has participated in every Summer Games since then. India has also competed at several Winter Olympic Games since 1964.India had won total 20 medal at Olympic Games. India won its first gold medal in Men's Field hockey in 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games. Abhinav Bindra became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games and India's first gold medal since 1980, when the Men's Field Hockey Team won the gold.^[1]^[2]

India is remarkable among nations for having won very few Olympic medals despite a population exceeding a billion, around half of them under the age of 25. Numerous explanations have been offered for the dearth, including poverty, malnutrition, neglected infrastructure, the lack of sponsorship, the theft of money and equipment, political corruption, institutional disorganization, social immobility, the predominance of cricket and other cultural factors.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

According to several informal statistics, India is the country in the world with the lowest number of total Olympic medals per capita (of those countries that have actually won at least one medal).^[7]^[8] According to another calculation, however, India ranks last but one, above Vietnam, in this statistic.^[9]

[edit] Medalists

Medal	Name	Games	Sport	Event
2 Silver	Pritchard, NormanNorman Pritchard*	1900 Paris	Athletics	Men's 200 metres
2 Silver	Pritchard, NormanNorman Pritchard*	1900 Paris	Athletics	Men's 200 metre hurdles
1 Gold	National team	1928 Amsterdam	Field hockey	Men's competition
1 Gold	National team	1932 Los Angeles	Field hockey	Men's competition
1 Gold	National team	1936 Berlin	Field hockey	Men's competition
1 Gold	National team	1948 London	Field hockey	Men's competition
1 Gold	National team	1952 Helsinki	Field hockey	Men's competition
3 Bronze	Jadhav, Khashaba DadasahebKhashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav	1952 Helsinki	Wrestling	Men's freestyle bantamweight
1 Gold	National team	1956 Melbourne	Field hockey	Men's competition
2 Silver	National team	1960 Rome	Field hockey	Men's competition
1 Gold	National team	1964 Tokyo	Field hockey	Men's competition
3 Bronze	National team	1968 Mexico	Field hockey	Men's competition
3 Bronze	National team	1972 Munich	Field hockey	Men's competition
1 Gold	National team	1980 Moscow	Field hockey	Men's competition
3 Bronze	Paes, LeanderLeander Paes	1996 Atlanta	Tennis	Men's singles
3 Bronze	Malleswari, KarnamKarnam Malleswari	2000 Sydney	Weightlifting	Women's 69 kg
2 Silver	Rathore, Rajyavardhan SinghRajyavardhan Singh Rathore	2004 Athens	Shooting	Men's double trap
1 Gold	Bindra, AbhinavAbhinav Bindra	2008 Beijing	Shooting	Men's 10m Air Rifle
3 Bronze	Kumar, SushilSushil Kumar	2008 Beijing	Wrestling	Men's 66 Kg Freestyle
3 Bronze	Singh, VijenderVijender Singh	2008 Beijing	Boxing	Men's 75 Kg

* IOC regards this medal is credited to India, and International committees credits to Great Britain.

[edit] Professional Sport

[edit] Cricket

Main article: Cricket in India

Cricket match between India Blue and India Red in progress during NKP Salve Challenger Trophy 2006 at the M. A. Chidambaram Cricket Stadium, Chennai, India.

Cricket is the de facto national sport of India, and its development has been closely tied up with the history of the country, mirroring many of the political and cultural developments around issues such as caste, religion and nationality. Though cricket is indubitably the most popular sport in India, it is not the nation's official national sport (a distinction held by field hockey).

[edit] Field hockey

Main articles: Field hockey in India, India national field hockey team, and India women's national field hockey team

Field hockey is India's game. Until the mid 20th century, India dominated international hockey, winning eight Olympic gold medals, the World Cup in 1975 and were runners-up in the 1973 World Cup. The Indian player Dhyan Chand, arguably the most famous Indian hockey player, was described as a 'wizard' by the European press. However, India's recent performance have been below par and India is currently ranked 9th in the world.

[edit] Football

Main articles: Football in India and India national football team

Sayed Rahim Nabi of East Bengal FC and Daniel of Chirag United SC during I league at Salt Lake Stadium.

Football is one of the major sports in India. It was introduced during the British occupation and in some areas of the country it is equally popular as cricket. India was an Asian powerhouse until the sixties, but gradually the standard of football has gone down compared to other countries and currently India ranks 146 in the FIFA Rankings as of the 22nd of June 2009. The sport is, nevertheless, widely popular both as a spectator sport and as a participation sport and is played throughout the country.

The All India Football Federation is the parent body of football in India.

[edit] Badminton

Badminton is a popular recreational sport in India. Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal is currently ranked 2nd^[10] in the world and has been named the Most Promising Player of 2008 by the Badminton World Federation. This is the first ever achievement by any Indian shuttler after Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand won the All-England in 1980 and 2001 respectively.

[edit] Golf

Golf is an emerging sport in India. It is especially popular sport among the wealthier classes and has not yet caught on with middle class and poor people due to the fact that it is expensive. The most successful Indian golfer is Jeev Milkha Singh who has won titles all over the world, namely three during the European Tour, four during the Japan Golf Tour and six during the Asian Tour. Although his current world ranking is 36, his highest ranking has been 28 (in March 2009). Sing has won the Asian Tour order of merit twice. Other Indians who have won the Asian tour order of merit are Jyoti Randhawa in 2002 (the first Indian to achieve this) and Arjun Atwal.

There are numerous golf courses all over India. There is an Indian Golf Tour. India's men's golf team won gold at the 1982 Asian Games and silver at the 2006 Asian Games. Lakshman Singh won the individual gold at the 1982 Asian Games.

[edit] Chess

Vishwanathan Anand is an Indian chess Grand Master and the current World Chess Champion.

Chess has risen in popularity in India in the last few decades primarily due to its star player GM Vishwanathan Anand. He is the current World Champion and he has revolutionized the popularity of this sport in India. Also it is believed that the game originated from India.

[edit] Formula One

Giancarlo Fisichella leads Adrian Sutil at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.

Force India F1 is a Formula One motor racing team. The team was formed in October 2007, when a consortium led byIndian businessman Vijay Mallya and Michiel Mol bought the Spyker F1 team for € 88 million.^[11] After going through 29 races without a point, Force India won their first Formula One world championship points and podium place when Giancarlo Fisichella finished second in the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix.^[12]New Delhi is scheduled to host Indian Grand Prix in 2011 at Jaypee Group Circuit in Greater Noida, 50 km fromNew Delhi.

[edit] Tennis

Main article: Tennis in India

Leander Paes (left), along with his former team-partner Mahesh Bhupati (right), has won seventennis Grand Slam doubles titles. Tennis' popularity has grown drastically in India.

Tennis is popular among Indians in urban areas. However, India's fortunes in the Grand Slams singles have been unimpressive although Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have won many Men's Doubles and Mixed Doubles Grand Slam Titles.Sania Mirza is the only notable Indian woman tennis player, having won a WTA title and breaking in to the Top 30 WTA ranking. On the men's side, young Yuki Bhambri and Somdev Devvarman are flying India's flag on atp tour. Yuki is the current Australian Open junior singles champion.

[edit] Team sports

[edit] Baseball and Softball

Baseball has recently started to show up in India. Softball is played at school and university level. Two Indian pitchers were selected after the Million Dollar Arm competition to play in the USA. A talent hunt kind of competition was conducted byMLB to find baseball talents in India and found the teenagers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel. They were taken to the USA and received good coaching.^[13]. Now these two players are selected to play in major league baseball for Pittsburgh Pirates. Rinku and Dinesh are currently in their second year playing for Pittsburgh's minor league rookie level team. T^[14]. This achievement is being noticed by Indians and their interest in baseball may increase if these players are able to succeed in the USA.

[edit] Volleyball

Volleyball is a sport played all over India, both in rural as well as urban India. It is a popular recreation sport. India is ranked 5th in Asia and 27th in the world. Doing doing well in the youth and junior levels, India came in second in the 2003 World youth championships. Currently, a major problem for the sport is the lack of sponsors.

[edit] Basketball

Main articles: Basketball in India and India national basketball team

Basketball is a very popular sport in India. It is played in almost every school, although very few people take it professionally. India has both men's and women's team in basketball. It also made one Olympic appearance in basketball and appeared 20 times in Asian championship. India is currently ranked 46th in the world in basketball.

[edit] Floorball

Floorball is a sport which is gaining popularity in India. The Floorball Federation of India was started on 2001 and since then it has expanded rapidly. There has been 4 national floorball championships held with Uttar Pradesh being the champions. Women's floorball has also expanded alongside men and Mumbai is the first national floorball champion of India. Currently India is a provisional member of International Floorball Federation. India has participated in many international friendlies and steps are being taken to make India Ordinary member of Floorball.^[15]

[edit] Rugby

Main articles: Rugby union in India and India national rugby union team

Like other sports founded in England and introduced during the British Raj such as cricket, rugby union has a long history in India. The first recorded match was played on Christmas day 1872, at CFC in Calcutta. Although low in profile as compared to cricket or field hockey, some Indian sporting clubs are embracing the game. It is considered the second most popular winter sport after football in India.

Currently, there are 17,500 registered players in the country and the Indian national team are ranked 80th out of 95 nations in the IRB (International Rugby Board) world rankings. The home of rugby in India is considered to be Kolkata.^[16]

[edit] Bandy

India does have a bandy team. Bandy Federation of India takes care of Bandy in India. It's headquarters is in Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh. Bandy is generally played in northern India where there is generally snow and ice. India is one of 5 countries in Asia and in total 27 to be a member of Federation of International Bandy. BFI will send a team to the Asian Winter Games in Astana-Almaty 2011.[1]

[edit] Netball

Netball is a lesser known sport in India played only by women. India's team is ranked 22 in the world and has played only very few matches. The team has failed to qualify for any of the netball world cups. Recently they have played eight matches in total.

[edit] Ice hockey

Ice hockey in India is played mainly in the Himalayan region of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir. In winter, the game is extremely popular and there are more than 25 clubs and villages that play the sport. However, due to lack of artificial freezing, the game is limited to the cold winter months of December, January and February which facilitate natural freezing of lakes and ponds. However, the first artificial ice hockey rink was inaugurated in Dehradoon, Uttarakhand in March 2009. The rink has an international sized surface of 60 by 30 metres and also offers a small practice rink.

The Ice Hockey Association of India just concluded the 4th National Ice Hockey Championships in Leh from 22 to 29 January 2009. The Ladakh Scouts Regimental team won the finals. The Ice Hockey Association of India also selected its National team there which represented India in the Asian Challenge cup to be held in Abu Dhabi in March 2009.

[edit] Handball

India has a handball team, although it hasn't made any impact at world stage. Indian Handball federation manages Handball in India. Handball is played at local level in India but hasn't made it big in domestic level. India has yet make an impact at international level.

[edit] Throwball

Main article: Throwball

Throwball gained popularity in India as a competitive sport and Indian authorities of the game was instrumental in organizing Asian level and later, world level association for the sport. The game is popularly played in schools, colleges, clubs throughout Asian countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is also slowly taken up by other countries such as France, Australia, Brazil or the United Kingdom.

[edit] Kabaddi

Kabaddi match in progress in Haryana

Main article: India national kabaddi team

Kabaddi is a game in India. It is one of the most popular sports in India played mainly among people in villages. India has taken part in 4 Asian games Kabaddi and won gold in all four of them. India is the powerhouse of world Kabaddi. There are three forms of kabaddi played in India. The three forms of Kabaddi are Amar, Suranjeevi, and Gaminee. Amar is generally played in Punjab, USA, Canada, and other parts of the world. Suranjeevi is the most played form of Kabaddi in India and the world. This is the form used in international matches generally and played in Asian games. India won the Kabaddi world championship in 2007 beating Iran 29-19.^[17]

[edit] Korfball

Korfball is a game played by over 50 countries in the world. It is not as popular in India as other sports, but is still played by a significant amount of people. India came third twice in the Asia-Oceania korfball championships.

[edit] Lacrosse

Main article: Indian National Lacrosse Federation

Lacrosse is a fairly new sport in India which was introduced in 2006. It is now being played by schools inShillong,Meghalaya and mostly unknown in the rest of the country.

[edit] Individual sports

[edit] Boxing

Main article: Indian Boxing Federation

Vijender prepairing for a boxing match on a television show.

Boxing is one of the most enjoyable profiled sports in India. India had produce a world champion in any weight class, although it is a regular medal-holder at Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. In November 2007, India's Mary Kom won the best boxer title and also secured a hattrick of titles. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Vijender Kumar won a bronze medal in the middleweight boxing category and Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar qualified for the quarterfinals. Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar, A.L.Lakra and Dinesh Kumar each won a bronze medal at the 2008 world championship.Vijender Kumar is current world number 1 on middleweight class

[edit] Cycling

Main article: Cycling Federation of India

The history of cycling in India dates back to 1938. The Cycling Federation of India takes care of the sport. Cycling is unknown as a professional sport in India, but popular as a common recreational sport and it is a good way to keep fit

[edit] Table tennis

Table tennis is a popular indoor recreation sport in India, which has caught on in states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The Table Tennis Federation of India is the official sports body. India, which is currently ranked 90 in the world, has produced a single player ranked in the top 100, Sharat Kamal.

[edit] Equestrian Sports

India also has a wide following in various equestrian sports like Showjumping, eventing, dressage, endurance and tentpegging. Supported by the Equestrian Federation of India, eventing is the most popular of the five, with teams representing the country at most Asian games, winning a bronze medal in the 2006 and 2002 games. India has been represented at the Olympics twice, by Wing Commander I.J.Lamba, and Imtiaz Anees.

[edit] Gymnastics

Gymnastics is almost non existent after school level. It bears similarities to a local sport from Maharashtra calledMallakhamb, which is a pursuit of police and armed forces in India. However, interest and participation in gymnastics have not gained much popularity.

[edit] Kayaking

[edit] Flat water & sea kayaking

Indian flat water kayakers are considered emerging powerhouse in the Asian circuit. Aside from professional flat waterkayaking, there is very limited recreational kayaking. Potential to generate interest in flat water kayaking is held by leisure resorts located near the sea or other water bodies. But more often than not, Indian tourists consider kayaking a one-time activity and not a sport to be pursued.

[edit] Whitewater kayaking

Whitewater kayaking has its rabid enthusiasts concentrated in the north towards Himalayas and some in the south in Bangalore in Karnataka. Most of these enthusiasts are or were Whitewater Raft guides who took to the sport of whitewater kayaking. Some of the prominent whitewater kayakers include Abhinav Kala, Shalabh Gahlaut and John Pollard. Many of them have notched first descents (similar to Climbing Ascents) on rivers in India and Nepal. The race for first descents is probably what will fuel the imagination of Indian whitewater kayakers in the future.

'Bangalore Kayakers' are India's first amateur group of white water kayakers. Based out Bangalore, they currently explore rivers around Western Ghats. ^[18]

Gear availability is another problem that plagues the sportsmen and sportswomen. While the global designs for whitewater boats and paddles change annually, Indian kayakers have to pay high fees if they want to import any kind of gear or they have to buy used gear in Nepal. More often than not, one will see Indian kayaking guides riding down the river in a Perception Amp or Piroutte or Dancer kind of design while the kayakers from abroad in their new design, planing hull, centered volume kayaks from Riot, Pyranha or Wave Sport.

Due to increasing media coverage, more people do kayaking every season. Damming of rivers though assures that the specialty of kayaking in India will soon be changed with short sections of runnable river between dams as against the multi-day expeditions now.

[edit] Mountain biking

Mountain biking is now getting momentum. For the last four years, Himachal MTB has been organised regularly by HASTPA, an NGO. It is attended by a number of national and international participants, such as Indian Army, Indian Air Force, ITBP and a number of young and energetic MTB individual riders from cities like Pune, Bangalore, Delhi and Chandigarh. Last year, the government of Sikkim (Department of Tourism) introduced its own MTB race with South East Asia's biggest prize money. The second edition saw 48 professional participants from across the globe.

Tour of Nilgiris is a major non-competitive/non-commercial touring event in South Asia today, that covers 1000 kilometers in under ten days. ^[19]

Most major brands are now available in India, including Trek, Cannodale, Giant, Kona, and Merida. Local brands such as Firefox, BSA and la-sovereign are some of the known MTB Cycles in India.

[edit] Scuba diving

Scuba diving is carried out in Andaman, Nicobar, the Lakshadweep islands, Karnataka, Goa, Malvan as well asTarkarli. Andaman, Goa and Malvan are PADI certified centers.

[edit] Rock climbing

Annual competitions promoting rock climbing are growing in strength. Some events draw over fifty participants and hundreds of viewers, which is relatively good for an evolving sport. Along with the increasing interest, multiple climbing walls are sprouting around the country. These walls probably number less than 30, most of them single walls with one or two routes at most.

A growing number of climbers have entered the climbing scene in India, particularly in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kangla Wall of MMTA (Manipur) Shillong, Kolkata and Indore. For locations to climb in India, see Climbing locations in India.

[edit] Sepak takraw

Sepak Takraw is not very well known in India, although it was a demonstration sport at the Delhi Asiad in 1982.^[20] The Sepak Takraw Federation with its headquarters in Nagpur, Maharashtra, was founded on 10 September 1982. It is recognised by the Indian Olympic Association and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports since 2000.^[21] So far, the Federation has conducted 14 Senior, seven Junior and six Sub-Junior National Championship in different cities and is also conducting Federation Cup Tournament and zonal National Championship.

The game is very popular in the north eastern state of Manipur and some of the best players hail from there. In the 22nd King's Cup International Sepak Takraw Tournament held at Bangkok, the India men team lost in the semifinals and claimed bronze in the team event. In doubles event, the women team lost in the semifinals, but bagged bronze medals.^[22]

[edit] Snow sports

Snow sports are uncommon in India due to a lack of snow except in the extreme north. Ski tournaments take place every winter inGulmarg, Kashmir. Winter sports are generally more common in the northern states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Skiing, snow rugby, snow cycling and snow football are few of the common sports played in India. Skiing is more popular although India has taken part in Luge in winter olympics since 1998. Shiva Keshavan is the only India to have won a medal in international meet in winter sports.

[edit] Regional Sports

[edit] Gilli - Danda

It is a sport played using one small stick (gilli) and a large stick (danda) like cricket with ball being replaced by Gilli. It is still played in villages of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh etc. states of India only as a recreational sport among boys. also is played in very warm weather.

[edit] Kancha

It is played using marbles (kancha) in cities as well as villages by small boys only as gully sport. The winner gets the kancha of other boys.

[edit] Kite Flying

It is played by many people in India in cities as well as villages. The festival of Makar Sankranti is marked with competitions of this

[edit] References

India portal

^ Abhinav Bindra wins 10m air rifle gold
^ Medalists - India, The official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/sports/olympics/12indiagold.html?ref=olympics New York Times: With India's First Gold, Suddenly a Billion People Notice the Olympics
^ http://www.sportstaronnet.com/tss2738/stories/20040918005300800.htmThe mystery of the missing medals
^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/25/india.olympicgames2008 Track and failed: the making of a sleeping Olympic giant
^ http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/aug/04rajeev.htm Olympic machismo: The tale the medals tell
^ "Olympic Medals/Population". Photius Coutsoukis. http://www.photius.com/rankings/medals2.html. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
^ "Per Capita Olympic Medal Table". Herman de Wael. http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/reloly.html. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
^ "Sports Statistics > Summer olympic medals > All time (per capita) (most recent) by country". NationMaster.com. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/spo_sum_oly_med_all_tim_percap-medals-all-time-per-capita. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
^ http://bwf.tournamentsoftware.com/ranking/ranking.aspx?rid=70
^ "Spyker F1 team officially sold". GPUpdate.net. 2007-10-05. http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2007/10/05/spyker-f1-team-officially-sold/.
^ "Spa-Francorchamps results". BBC Sport. 2009-08-30. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/results/7921166.stm. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
^ Nightengale, Bob (2008-11-05). "Pair of pitchers from India eye major league opportunities". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2008-11-04-india-pitchers_N.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jNTISka0-ucftf1Suc81RUDW1M2wTheir
^ http://www.floorballindia.org
^ Rugby in India thriving with international help
^ http://www.kabaddiikf.com/results2007.htm
^ http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=149952787372&ref=ts
^ http://tourofnilgiris.com/
^ The Hindu : Metro Plus Hyderabad / Sport : Takraw tourney to kick off
^ Sportal - Sports Portal - GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
^ Sepak Takraw players and officials felicited :: KanglaOnline ~ Your Gateway

Throwball Federation of India (www.throwball.co.in) Ice Hockey Association of India (www.icehockeyindia.com)

[edit] External links

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bettor.com (blog) - Daniel Smith - 14 Jul 2010

Rhiti Sports will now manage the wide array of 22 brands which Dhoni endorses. When Sachin Tendulkar signed his deal, way back in 2006, people attributed it ...

Dhoni handlers not to go on a signing spree‎ - Daily News & Analysis

Dhoni hits a six with his contract‎ - Hindustan Times

Dhoni signs Rs.200 crore deal with sports management firm‎ - Gaea Times (blog)

Rediff - FV Current Waves

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National Horizon - 11 hours ago

When master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is not hitting boundaries he is cajoling ... player alive or dead, is one of the most sought after brand ambassadors. ...

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Economic Times - Ratna Bhushan - 1 day ago

This was tipped to be the richest sports marketing deal ever, bigger than the `180-crore contract Sachin Tendulkar signed in 2006. And it was.

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Hindustan Times - 4 days ago

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is valued at a mammoth Rs 210 crores and Sachin Tendulkar's commercial worth has plenty of zeroes as well. The only durable brand in ...

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CricInfo.com - Aakash Chopra - 11 hours ago

The brand of ball makes very little difference in the approach when the ball gets old, ... dismissing Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. ...

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AFP - 19 Jul 2010

LONDON — Sachin Tendulkar's blood is to be used in a special edition of a huge ... "The Opus brand is all about celebrating the highest achievers in their ...

Tendulkar, the Legend, to Surpass another Record - Part II‎ - bettor.com (blog)

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Cricketnext.com (blog) - 5 days ago

Modi: Sachin Tendulkar is not just a great player, friends. ... Brand value.Brand recall. Brand sustainability. Brand extensions. Brand. ...

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Hindustan Times - 13 Jul 2010

When Sachin Tendulkar first played for India in November 1989, ... He was Indian sport's first global brand. As cultural critic and author Mike Marqusee has ...

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Daily News & Analysis - 2 days ago

So you have the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and even super star ... The moral of the story: A bottled water brand cannot say it is healthy to ...

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India Infoline.com - 2 days ago

During the quarter, Jyothy Labs signed 'Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador for 'Ujala' for a period of 30 months ending on July 2012. ...

'Cameron's delegation won't benefit UK business'

Sri Lanka v India, 2nd Test, SSC, 4th day

India ahead as run-fest continues

Smart stats

I prefer Hot-Spot over UDRS: Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar On A New Mission To Save Water

Sri Lanka v India, 2nd Test, SSC, 3rd day

I prefer Hot-Spot over UDRS: Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar On A New Mission To Save Water

Sri Lanka v India, 2nd Test, SSC, 3rd day

Star to the ground!

Diego Maradona says he was 'betrayed'

Art of marketing redefined in IPL 2010

Cricket in India: It's Big Business but Not Businesslike

Indian watchdog alleges graft in Commonwealth Games works