Submit original Radia tapes: SC directs Govt

Supreme Court on Wednesday directed that the original tapes containing the conversation between corporate lobbyist Nira Radia and others pertaining to the 2G spectrum allocation case be handed over to it in a sealed cover.
"We direct that the original records and tapes/ CDs be submitted in a sealed cover after preparing the copies. It will be kept in the lockers of the Supreme Court registry and if required, it will be considered for its use," the court said.

The direction came from a bench comprising justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly after government submitted that it has no objection in handing over the complete set of tapes in the wake of apprehensions that the tapes may be destroyed.
Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium said that he has got instructions that there was no objection in handing over the tapes and the court can give direction for preserving them in whatever way it thinks best.
The apex court had on Tuesday asked the government to respond to the plea for preserving the tapes containing conversation between Radia and others relating to the 2G spectrum scam.
The bench had asked the Solicitor General to take instructions from the authorities on the plea made by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL). Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who had appeared for the NGO, had made the plea that the tapes prepared by the Director General of Income Tax containing conversation of Radia and others should be preserved while voicing apprehensions that the tapes may be tampered with.
While hearing the issue on Tuesday, the court had described the "pollution" as "mind-boggling".
Bhushan spoke about the nexus between politicians, bureaucrats, industrialists and journalists as "exposed" in the tapes.

Read more »

Posted in: DNA India,in,National News

Submit original Radia tapes: SC directs Govt

Supreme Court on Wednesday directed that the original tapes containing the conversation between corporate lobbyist Nira Radia and others pertaining to the 2G spectrum allocation case be handed over to it in a sealed cover.
"We direct that the original records and tapes/ CDs be submitted in a sealed cover after preparing the copies. It will be kept in the lockers of the Supreme Court registry and if required, it will be considered for its use," the court said.

The direction came from a bench comprising justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly after government submitted that it has no objection in handing over the complete set of tapes in the wake of apprehensions that the tapes may be destroyed.
Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium said that he has got instructions that there was no objection in handing over the tapes and the court can give direction for preserving them in whatever way it thinks best.
The apex court had on Tuesday asked the government to respond to the plea for preserving the tapes containing conversation between Radia and others relating to the 2G spectrum scam.
The bench had asked the Solicitor General to take instructions from the authorities on the plea made by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL). Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who had appeared for the NGO, had made the plea that the tapes prepared by the Director General of Income Tax containing conversation of Radia and others should be preserved while voicing apprehensions that the tapes may be tampered with.
While hearing the issue on Tuesday, the court had described the "pollution" as "mind-boggling".
Bhushan spoke about the nexus between politicians, bureaucrats, industrialists and journalists as "exposed" in the tapes.

Read more »

Posted in: DNA India,in,National News

What is 2G spectrum scam?

New Delhi:  From the time allegations of misappropriation during the bidding for allocation of 2G spectrum surfaced, till Telecom Minister A Raja's ouster, high drama charged both politics in Delhi and Tamil Nadu. So what exactly is the Spectrum Scam that led to all this?


WHAT IS SPECTRUM SCAM?

• 2G licenses issued to private telecom players at throwaway prices in 2008
• CAG: Spectrum scam has cost the government Rs. 1.76 lakh crore
• CAG: Rules and procedures flouted while issuing licenses
• WHAT ARE THE CHARGES ON FORMER TELECOM MINISTER A RAJA?
  
  CHEAP TELECOM LICENSES
   
•  Entry fee for spectrum licenses in 2008 pegged at 2001 prices
•  Mobile subscriber base had shot up to 350 million in 2008 from 4 million in 2001

 NO PROCEDURES FOLLOWED

• Rules changed after the game had begun
• Cut-off date for applications advanced by a week
• Licenses issued on a first-come-first-served basis
• No proper auction process followed, no bids invited
• Raja ignored advice of TRAI, Law Ministry, Finance Ministry
• TRAI had recommended auctioning of spectrum at market rates

FAVOURITISM, CORPORATES ENCASH PREMIUM

• Unitech, Swan Telecom got licenses without any prior telecom experience
• Swan Telecom given license even though it did not meet eligibility criteria
• Swan got license for Rs. 1537 crore, sold 45% stake to Etisalat for Rs. 4200 crore
• Unitech Wireless got license for Rs. 1661 crore, sold 60% stake for Rs. 6200 crore
• All nine companies paid DoT only Rs. 10,772 crore for 2G licences

Read more »

Posted in: CRIME,in,National News

What is 2G spectrum scam?

New Delhi:  From the time allegations of misappropriation during the bidding for allocation of 2G spectrum surfaced, till Telecom Minister A Raja's ouster, high drama charged both politics in Delhi and Tamil Nadu. So what exactly is the Spectrum Scam that led to all this?


WHAT IS SPECTRUM SCAM?

• 2G licenses issued to private telecom players at throwaway prices in 2008
• CAG: Spectrum scam has cost the government Rs. 1.76 lakh crore
• CAG: Rules and procedures flouted while issuing licenses
• WHAT ARE THE CHARGES ON FORMER TELECOM MINISTER A RAJA?
  
  CHEAP TELECOM LICENSES
   
•  Entry fee for spectrum licenses in 2008 pegged at 2001 prices
•  Mobile subscriber base had shot up to 350 million in 2008 from 4 million in 2001

 NO PROCEDURES FOLLOWED

• Rules changed after the game had begun
• Cut-off date for applications advanced by a week
• Licenses issued on a first-come-first-served basis
• No proper auction process followed, no bids invited
• Raja ignored advice of TRAI, Law Ministry, Finance Ministry
• TRAI had recommended auctioning of spectrum at market rates

FAVOURITISM, CORPORATES ENCASH PREMIUM

• Unitech, Swan Telecom got licenses without any prior telecom experience
• Swan Telecom given license even though it did not meet eligibility criteria
• Swan got license for Rs. 1537 crore, sold 45% stake to Etisalat for Rs. 4200 crore
• Unitech Wireless got license for Rs. 1661 crore, sold 60% stake for Rs. 6200 crore
• All nine companies paid DoT only Rs. 10,772 crore for 2G licences

Read more »

Posted in: CRIME,in,National News

Making sense of Google's seemingly whacky concepts

San Francisco: In its self-proclaimed drive to make the world a better place, Google has immersed itself in far more than Internet search and online ads. But driverless cars and a wind energy farm in the Atlantic Ocean?

It may not always be immediately apparent to frustrated investors - they wish management would be more frugal and focus more on the stock price - but there's usually some calculated logic underlying Google's unconventional strategy.

Google's brain trust - founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, along with CEO Eric Schmidt - clearly think differently than most corporate leaders, and may eventually encourage more companies to take risks that might not pay off for years, if ever.

The time is ripe for long-term thinking, with memories still fresh of the financial meltdown - a byproduct of Wall Street's demands for companies to deliver ever-higher profits every three months and meet earnings targets set by analysts.

"Everywhere you look in this country, it seems that we are suffering from the consequences of too much short-term thinking," said longtime Silicon Valley forecaster Paul Saffo, managing director of foresight for Discern Analytics.

"Google doesn't have this disease," he said. "It is one of the few lone bright spots we have in that regard."

Even so, it might be difficult to fathom how Google can justify paying for the development of robotic technology that has driven cars thousands of miles on California roads without a major accident and committing potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to help build a wind farm hundreds of miles from the Eastern Seaboard.

With a little imagination, it's easier to see how Google might benefit. For instance, Saffo surmises that the driverless technology eventually could be implanted into a fleet of vehicles used for car sharing.

Google then could use a camera to take new pictures of streets and highways that appear in its online maps, another example of a service that once seemed like a diversion from its Internet search engine but is now an indispensable tool that helps the company sell advertising.

The company announced Tuesday it would buy a 37.5 percent stake in the Atlantic Ocean wind energy project, investing in a network of deepwater transmission lines to bring power from still-to-be-built offshore wind farms.

That makes more sense when you realize Google already sucks up massive amounts of energy from the power grid and expects to consume even more in the next decade as it opens more data centers filled with row upon row of computers to run its Internet services.

And if the value of renewable energy rises, as many analysts expect, Google eventually could even sell its stake for a tidy profit.

Or it could turn out to be a total bust, something Page and Brin warned potential investors could happen in April 2004 when they laid out their iconoclastic approach to business before Google sold its stock in an initial public offering.

"Our long-term focus may simply be the wrong business strategy," they warned. "Competitors may be rewarded for short-term tactics and grow stronger as a result. As potential investors, you should consider the risks around our long-term focus."

The Google founders also told investors that the company would be willing to finance projects with just a 10 percent chance of yielding a return of at least $ 1 billion - bets that seem "very speculative or even strange."

Google's transparency about its unorthodox ways may be one reason the company hasn't been stung yet by an outcry from its shareholders, although most analysts agree the stock price probably would be higher if management were to use some of the company's $ 30 billion in cash to pay a quarterly dividend or buy back shares.

Google stock closed at $ 541.39 on Tuesday, down 13 percent for the year and far off its all-time high of nearly $ 750 three years ago.

The company's uninterrupted streak of prosperity since its August 2004 IPO hasn't hurt, either.

Google can afford to gamble more frequently than most companies because it dominates the Internet's most lucrative market, the ads running alongside search results. And Google has seized on that opportunity in a manner that would make Gordon Gekko proud, beating back its competitors to boost its annual revenue from just $ 86 million in 2001 to nearly $ 30 billion now.

The company, based in Mountain View, Calif., began branching out beyond search well before it went public.

It set up an online news section that compiles the day's top stories in 2002. Just a few months before its August 2004 IPO, Google unveiled a free e-mail service that boasted an unprecedented - and still expanding - amount of space per inbox.

In 2004, it bought an obscure digital mapping service called Keyhole that eventually turned Google into the place to go for directions. Even rival CEOs, such as Yahoo's Carol Bartz, say it's the best around.

More recently, Google created a free mobile operating system called Android that now powers millions of smart phones. This month, it's rolling out technology with Sony that weds traditional television viewing with Web surfing.

Google's expansion into mobile phones and television never seemed like quantum leaps for the company because they are little more than attempts to transplant its advertising model onto other Internet-connected screens that attract a lot of eyeballs.

The company also has poured money into building more widely available and faster ways for people to connect to the Internet, reasoning that it will make money if more Web surfers have the opportunity to use its ubiquitous services.

Schmidt, Google's CEO, frequently tries to defuse the perception that the company is frivolous. He contends the company's formula is disciplined: 70 percent of its resources go to the main search business, 20 percent to other projects connected to search, and 10 percent to initiatives that have nothing to do with search.

It's difficult to argue with the formula so far, said Colin Gillis of the stock market research firm BGC Financial.

"As an analyst, I do hammer them on their (rising) expenses and some of their questionable investments," he said. "But as a user of all their products, I love them. And from a purely personal perspective, I appreciate that Google is trying to use technology to solve the world's problems."

Read more »

Posted in: Google,in,International,WORLD NEWS

Making sense of Google's seemingly whacky concepts

San Francisco: In its self-proclaimed drive to make the world a better place, Google has immersed itself in far more than Internet search and online ads. But driverless cars and a wind energy farm in the Atlantic Ocean?

It may not always be immediately apparent to frustrated investors - they wish management would be more frugal and focus more on the stock price - but there's usually some calculated logic underlying Google's unconventional strategy.

Google's brain trust - founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, along with CEO Eric Schmidt - clearly think differently than most corporate leaders, and may eventually encourage more companies to take risks that might not pay off for years, if ever.

The time is ripe for long-term thinking, with memories still fresh of the financial meltdown - a byproduct of Wall Street's demands for companies to deliver ever-higher profits every three months and meet earnings targets set by analysts.

"Everywhere you look in this country, it seems that we are suffering from the consequences of too much short-term thinking," said longtime Silicon Valley forecaster Paul Saffo, managing director of foresight for Discern Analytics.

"Google doesn't have this disease," he said. "It is one of the few lone bright spots we have in that regard."

Even so, it might be difficult to fathom how Google can justify paying for the development of robotic technology that has driven cars thousands of miles on California roads without a major accident and committing potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to help build a wind farm hundreds of miles from the Eastern Seaboard.

With a little imagination, it's easier to see how Google might benefit. For instance, Saffo surmises that the driverless technology eventually could be implanted into a fleet of vehicles used for car sharing.

Google then could use a camera to take new pictures of streets and highways that appear in its online maps, another example of a service that once seemed like a diversion from its Internet search engine but is now an indispensable tool that helps the company sell advertising.

The company announced Tuesday it would buy a 37.5 percent stake in the Atlantic Ocean wind energy project, investing in a network of deepwater transmission lines to bring power from still-to-be-built offshore wind farms.

That makes more sense when you realize Google already sucks up massive amounts of energy from the power grid and expects to consume even more in the next decade as it opens more data centers filled with row upon row of computers to run its Internet services.

And if the value of renewable energy rises, as many analysts expect, Google eventually could even sell its stake for a tidy profit.

Or it could turn out to be a total bust, something Page and Brin warned potential investors could happen in April 2004 when they laid out their iconoclastic approach to business before Google sold its stock in an initial public offering.

"Our long-term focus may simply be the wrong business strategy," they warned. "Competitors may be rewarded for short-term tactics and grow stronger as a result. As potential investors, you should consider the risks around our long-term focus."

The Google founders also told investors that the company would be willing to finance projects with just a 10 percent chance of yielding a return of at least $ 1 billion - bets that seem "very speculative or even strange."

Google's transparency about its unorthodox ways may be one reason the company hasn't been stung yet by an outcry from its shareholders, although most analysts agree the stock price probably would be higher if management were to use some of the company's $ 30 billion in cash to pay a quarterly dividend or buy back shares.

Google stock closed at $ 541.39 on Tuesday, down 13 percent for the year and far off its all-time high of nearly $ 750 three years ago.

The company's uninterrupted streak of prosperity since its August 2004 IPO hasn't hurt, either.

Google can afford to gamble more frequently than most companies because it dominates the Internet's most lucrative market, the ads running alongside search results. And Google has seized on that opportunity in a manner that would make Gordon Gekko proud, beating back its competitors to boost its annual revenue from just $ 86 million in 2001 to nearly $ 30 billion now.

The company, based in Mountain View, Calif., began branching out beyond search well before it went public.

It set up an online news section that compiles the day's top stories in 2002. Just a few months before its August 2004 IPO, Google unveiled a free e-mail service that boasted an unprecedented - and still expanding - amount of space per inbox.

In 2004, it bought an obscure digital mapping service called Keyhole that eventually turned Google into the place to go for directions. Even rival CEOs, such as Yahoo's Carol Bartz, say it's the best around.

More recently, Google created a free mobile operating system called Android that now powers millions of smart phones. This month, it's rolling out technology with Sony that weds traditional television viewing with Web surfing.

Google's expansion into mobile phones and television never seemed like quantum leaps for the company because they are little more than attempts to transplant its advertising model onto other Internet-connected screens that attract a lot of eyeballs.

The company also has poured money into building more widely available and faster ways for people to connect to the Internet, reasoning that it will make money if more Web surfers have the opportunity to use its ubiquitous services.

Schmidt, Google's CEO, frequently tries to defuse the perception that the company is frivolous. He contends the company's formula is disciplined: 70 percent of its resources go to the main search business, 20 percent to other projects connected to search, and 10 percent to initiatives that have nothing to do with search.

It's difficult to argue with the formula so far, said Colin Gillis of the stock market research firm BGC Financial.

"As an analyst, I do hammer them on their (rising) expenses and some of their questionable investments," he said. "But as a user of all their products, I love them. And from a purely personal perspective, I appreciate that Google is trying to use technology to solve the world's problems."

Read more »

Posted in: Google,in,International,WORLD NEWS

1st Test: VVS, Ishant script heroic India win

Mohali: VVS Laxman battled severe back pain to register a gritty unbeaten half century and literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Australia, beating the visitors in a nail-biting thriller at Mohali on Tuesday by one wicket.

Laxman (46 balls, 6x4), who has been the nemesis for the Australians for the past decade, played a gem of an innings but received very little support from the other end as the visitors remained favourites to win the Test.

Paceman Ishant Sharma, who put on 38 runs for the ninth-wicket partnership with Laxman, hit a few plucky fours to remain unbeaten on 14.

Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar (38) and Zaheer Khan (10) started in a positive manner.

Rather than trying to defend in the first hour, both were keen on playing their shots. While Tendulkar struck some well-timed boundaries off Nathan Hauritz, Zaheer ran a couple and a few singles to keep the scoreboard moving.

Zaheer hung around for half an hour before he was done in by a straighter from Hauritz as he tried to play for the turn.

Michael Clarke took an easy catch in the slip.

Then came Laxman and the manner in which he started, it never looked that he has been suffering from back spasms and was in unbearable pain for the last couple of days.

He announced his arrival with back-to-back boundaries off Hauritz. First a cover drive and then a back-foot punch through the extra cover.

The best one came with the back-foot punch off Bollinger which was hit with minimum fuss.

With Tendulkar for company, the duo added 43 runs in only 6.1 overs and it looked that hosts were taking control of the proceedings.

Tendulkar played 64 balls hitting five boundaries in the process. He was the man on whom the hopes of India's victory wrested.

It looked as if he would like to prove his critics, who have often spoken about his inability to win matches for India in the fourth innings.

But just before the first drinks break of the morning session, Tendulkar tried an ambitious upper-cut off Bollinger delivery that rose but didn't get required elevation and Mike Hussey took a smart catch at gully.

Tendulkar's wicket was exactly the shot in the arm the Aussies needed.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who played one of his most forgettable Test matches, was run out for two when he was late in responding to Laxman's runner Suresh Raina's call for a single.

Ben Hilfenhaus ran from mid-off to mid-on and threw down the stumps at the batsman's end with Dhoni couple of yards short of his ground.

Harbhajan Singh also didn't last long gloving a Bollinger short ball to Ricky Ponting at second slip.

Read more »

Posted in: CricketNext,in,SPORTS

1st Test: VVS, Ishant script heroic India win

Mohali: VVS Laxman battled severe back pain to register a gritty unbeaten half century and literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Australia, beating the visitors in a nail-biting thriller at Mohali on Tuesday by one wicket.

Laxman (46 balls, 6x4), who has been the nemesis for the Australians for the past decade, played a gem of an innings but received very little support from the other end as the visitors remained favourites to win the Test.

Paceman Ishant Sharma, who put on 38 runs for the ninth-wicket partnership with Laxman, hit a few plucky fours to remain unbeaten on 14.

Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar (38) and Zaheer Khan (10) started in a positive manner.

Rather than trying to defend in the first hour, both were keen on playing their shots. While Tendulkar struck some well-timed boundaries off Nathan Hauritz, Zaheer ran a couple and a few singles to keep the scoreboard moving.

Zaheer hung around for half an hour before he was done in by a straighter from Hauritz as he tried to play for the turn.

Michael Clarke took an easy catch in the slip.

Then came Laxman and the manner in which he started, it never looked that he has been suffering from back spasms and was in unbearable pain for the last couple of days.

He announced his arrival with back-to-back boundaries off Hauritz. First a cover drive and then a back-foot punch through the extra cover.

The best one came with the back-foot punch off Bollinger which was hit with minimum fuss.

With Tendulkar for company, the duo added 43 runs in only 6.1 overs and it looked that hosts were taking control of the proceedings.

Tendulkar played 64 balls hitting five boundaries in the process. He was the man on whom the hopes of India's victory wrested.

It looked as if he would like to prove his critics, who have often spoken about his inability to win matches for India in the fourth innings.

But just before the first drinks break of the morning session, Tendulkar tried an ambitious upper-cut off Bollinger delivery that rose but didn't get required elevation and Mike Hussey took a smart catch at gully.

Tendulkar's wicket was exactly the shot in the arm the Aussies needed.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who played one of his most forgettable Test matches, was run out for two when he was late in responding to Laxman's runner Suresh Raina's call for a single.

Ben Hilfenhaus ran from mid-off to mid-on and threw down the stumps at the batsman's end with Dhoni couple of yards short of his ground.

Harbhajan Singh also didn't last long gloving a Bollinger short ball to Ricky Ponting at second slip.

Read more »

Posted in: CricketNext,in,SPORTS

Miss World 2010 - Meet the contestants

Contestants from 120 countries have arrived at Sanya Island, China to take part in the 60th edition of the prestigious event to be held on 30 October.

Miss World contestants wave while posing for a group photo under a blessing tree during their visit to the Badachu Park Temple in Beijing.


Miss India World Manasvi Mamgai will be representing the country at this year's pageant.
 
Miss World contestant Sara Khouly of Egypt waves while visiting the Badachu Park Temple in Beijing.
 
Miss World contestant Czarina Gatbonton of the Philippines smiles while taking a picture with a Chinese visitor during her visit to the Badachu Park Temple.
 
Miss World contestants Kamilla Salgado of Brazil (left), Andrea Kkolou of Cyprus (centre) and Tang Xiao of China.
 
Miss World contestant Kimberly Kuiperi from Aruba shows her welcoming gift while at the Badachu Park Temple

Miss World contestants Alexandria Mills of the US (right) and Courtenay Hamilton of Wales pose for the cameras.
 
Miss World contestant Mariana Arambarry of Argentina smiles as she receives her gift.
Miss World contestants from left, Andrea Kkolou of Cyprus, Kamilla Salgado of Brazil, Tang Xiao of China, Sara Khouly of Egypt and Denise Garrido of Canada pose for a picture.

 
Miss World contestant Kamilla Salgado of Brazil (left) and Tang Xiao of China take a photo of themselves in the vicinity of the Badachu Park Temple in Beijing.
 
Miss World contestants watch a lion dance performance under a blessing tree while visiting the Badachu Park Temple.
 
Miss World contestants from left, Yara Santiago of Puerto Rico, Czarina Gatbonton of the Philippines and Odile Gertze of Namibia pose under the blessing tree.
 
Miss World contestants Tang Xiao of China and Kaiane Aldorino of Gibraltar at a press conference.
 
Miss China Tang Xiao and Miss Gibraltar Kaiane Aldorino are all smiles as they pose for a picture.
Source India Syndicate

Read more »

Posted in: Flashnews,in,International,WORLD NEWS

Miss World 2010 - Meet the contestants

Contestants from 120 countries have arrived at Sanya Island, China to take part in the 60th edition of the prestigious event to be held on 30 October.

Miss World contestants wave while posing for a group photo under a blessing tree during their visit to the Badachu Park Temple in Beijing.


Miss India World Manasvi Mamgai will be representing the country at this year's pageant.
 
Miss World contestant Sara Khouly of Egypt waves while visiting the Badachu Park Temple in Beijing.
 
Miss World contestant Czarina Gatbonton of the Philippines smiles while taking a picture with a Chinese visitor during her visit to the Badachu Park Temple.
 
Miss World contestants Kamilla Salgado of Brazil (left), Andrea Kkolou of Cyprus (centre) and Tang Xiao of China.
 
Miss World contestant Kimberly Kuiperi from Aruba shows her welcoming gift while at the Badachu Park Temple

Miss World contestants Alexandria Mills of the US (right) and Courtenay Hamilton of Wales pose for the cameras.
 
Miss World contestant Mariana Arambarry of Argentina smiles as she receives her gift.
Miss World contestants from left, Andrea Kkolou of Cyprus, Kamilla Salgado of Brazil, Tang Xiao of China, Sara Khouly of Egypt and Denise Garrido of Canada pose for a picture.

 
Miss World contestant Kamilla Salgado of Brazil (left) and Tang Xiao of China take a photo of themselves in the vicinity of the Badachu Park Temple in Beijing.
 
Miss World contestants watch a lion dance performance under a blessing tree while visiting the Badachu Park Temple.
 
Miss World contestants from left, Yara Santiago of Puerto Rico, Czarina Gatbonton of the Philippines and Odile Gertze of Namibia pose under the blessing tree.
 
Miss World contestants Tang Xiao of China and Kaiane Aldorino of Gibraltar at a press conference.
 
Miss China Tang Xiao and Miss Gibraltar Kaiane Aldorino are all smiles as they pose for a picture.
Source India Syndicate

Read more »

Posted in: Flashnews,in,International,WORLD NEWS

CL T20: Chennai tsunami awaits Wayamba

Centurion: The Indian cricket platter – which of late has been full of Sri Lankan cuisine – will be served a fresh island delicacy garnished with Twenty20 flavour on Wednesday, when the Chennai Super Kings take on the Wayamba Elevens at the SuperSport Park here on Wednesday.

The Asian neighbours' Champions League 2010 campaign has hit an altogether different roadmap. While Wayamba's graph failed to take off against the Warriors, Chennai's has gone through the roof with a 57-run humiliation handed out to the Central Stags from New Zealand.

The Indian avatar Chennai has very subtle wrinkles to iron out, but deep furrows could be witnessed in Wayamba's first game, which warrant immediate attention.

To start off Wayamba's list of woes, they can be grouped with Guyana as the least impressive team on show on all three fronts. Whether it's bowling, batting or fielding, their armour seems full of chinks and in need of a quick pit-stop to run repairs. The team would be praying for Mahela Jayawardene to come good, which, if he does, will provide even a bigger opportunity for the impressive Jeevantha Kulatunga and Kushal Perera to use the long handle. But what Mahela does upfront would undoubtedly decide where Wayamba's quest ends up.

In comparison, Chennai won impressively without contributions from their stars like Mathew Hayden and Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni who didn't bat and Michael Hussey who wasn't picked. And with the middle order well taken care of by S Badrinath and Anirudha Srikkanth, Wayamba may be seen hiding for cover if Hayden and Co. get their act together.

Both teams look spin-heavy but the telling contrast may lie among the faster-men. Chennai's trio of Doug Bollinger, L Balaji and Albie Morkel not only bowled with control but also chipped away at wickets to let two quality off-spinners – the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan and the exciting R Ashwin – to take control in the middle.

Wayamba clearly lag behind on that front. Chanaka Welegedara, Farveez Maharoof and Thisara Perera at best look a second-choice attack and they may leave Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath a lot of ground to cover, in a lost cause.

It won't be impractical to conclude that should Chennai send Wayamba packing, they will have one foot inside the door to semifinals. With a run-rate even better than group-toppers Warriors – who have played one match more than Chennai – a win is all that Dhoni be hoping for to cement a spot in the top-two.

Read more »

Posted in: in,SPORTS

CL T20: Chennai tsunami awaits Wayamba

Centurion: The Indian cricket platter – which of late has been full of Sri Lankan cuisine – will be served a fresh island delicacy garnished with Twenty20 flavour on Wednesday, when the Chennai Super Kings take on the Wayamba Elevens at the SuperSport Park here on Wednesday.

The Asian neighbours' Champions League 2010 campaign has hit an altogether different roadmap. While Wayamba's graph failed to take off against the Warriors, Chennai's has gone through the roof with a 57-run humiliation handed out to the Central Stags from New Zealand.

The Indian avatar Chennai has very subtle wrinkles to iron out, but deep furrows could be witnessed in Wayamba's first game, which warrant immediate attention.

To start off Wayamba's list of woes, they can be grouped with Guyana as the least impressive team on show on all three fronts. Whether it's bowling, batting or fielding, their armour seems full of chinks and in need of a quick pit-stop to run repairs. The team would be praying for Mahela Jayawardene to come good, which, if he does, will provide even a bigger opportunity for the impressive Jeevantha Kulatunga and Kushal Perera to use the long handle. But what Mahela does upfront would undoubtedly decide where Wayamba's quest ends up.

In comparison, Chennai won impressively without contributions from their stars like Mathew Hayden and Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni who didn't bat and Michael Hussey who wasn't picked. And with the middle order well taken care of by S Badrinath and Anirudha Srikkanth, Wayamba may be seen hiding for cover if Hayden and Co. get their act together.

Both teams look spin-heavy but the telling contrast may lie among the faster-men. Chennai's trio of Doug Bollinger, L Balaji and Albie Morkel not only bowled with control but also chipped away at wickets to let two quality off-spinners – the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan and the exciting R Ashwin – to take control in the middle.

Wayamba clearly lag behind on that front. Chanaka Welegedara, Farveez Maharoof and Thisara Perera at best look a second-choice attack and they may leave Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath a lot of ground to cover, in a lost cause.

It won't be impractical to conclude that should Chennai send Wayamba packing, they will have one foot inside the door to semifinals. With a run-rate even better than group-toppers Warriors – who have played one match more than Chennai – a win is all that Dhoni be hoping for to cement a spot in the top-two.

Read more »

Posted in: in,SPORTS

What celebs are saying on Twitter

A.R.Rahman
 
 Aamir Khan
 
 Abhinav Bindra

  Abhishek Bachchan
 
 Ajay Devgn

Akshay Kumar

 ameesha patel

 Amitabh Bachchan

 amrita arora
 
 Amrita Rao

 anand mahindra

 Anupam Kher

 Anurag Kashyap

 ANUSHKA SHARMA

 Aparna Sen

 Arbaaz Khan

 arjun rampal
 
 arshad warsi

Asha Bhoslea

ashton kutcher

atul kulkarni

Ayesha Takia Azmi

Azmi shabana



WAHT CELEBS ARE SAYING ON TWITTER

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