The second annual ICC winter training camp begins in South Africa next week with 24 players from the six top Associate countries coming together for intensive coaching, training and tactical analysis of one-day cricket with some of the leading coaches.Players from Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland will arrive at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria on October 2 for a seven-week camp that will aim to boost their form and skills ahead of the World Cup in West Indies next March.Last year, the camp concentrated on fitness and technical improvements but, according to the Richard Done, the ICC’s high performance manager, the emphasis of this year’s camp will be slightly different.”The success of last year’s camp has been really encouraging. Several of the players who attended the WTC in 2005 have gone from strength to strength within their own countries”This year though, with the World Cup so close, it is especially important to focus on one-day skills,” added Done. “So as well as fitness and technical sessions, we will program a lot of match scenarios to recreate specific situations that players will face during one-day games.”William Porterfield, the 22-year-old Ireland batsman, is excited by the opportunity of the camp: “This is a great opportunity for me to improve my all-round game. I can’t wait. I’m looking forward to working with the coaches they have lined up and the programme looks really interesting.”It is also important that we continue the season. I feel I finished the summer quite strongly so I want to maintain that momentum heading towards the World League and World Cup next year. It is also important to spend some time in the hotter climate and learn to adjust to that.”Dewald Nel, the Scotland pace bowler, knows what to expect after attending last year and says it has come and just the right time. “I think it will be very beneficial to work on specific cricket skills and game scenarios with coaches who, as players, performed at the highest level. Part of this, too, is that I want to keep match fit and match aware.”The tendency at this time of year is to relax too much and although you might keep fit, you lose a certain sharpness that you only get from playing and pushing yourself on a regular basis.”The coaching staff at the camp will be led by the current Leicestershire and former England Under-19 coach Tim Boon and will be co-ordinated by Mark Lane with specialist input from former international players including Gary Kirsten, Kepler Wessels, Eric Simons and Rod Marsh.In the final two weeks of the camp the players will a chance to put into practice the skills they have picked up with two matches against Gauteng at the Wanderers, four against Northerns and two against Western Province.However, the camp is more than just about bat on ball as the players will also undergo comprehensive physiological testing, strength and fitness training, biomechanical testing, psychological/life skills sessions, nutrition advice, and video analysis.

The most famous sparrow in cricket is to feature in “The Grand House Sparrow Exhibition” at the Natural History Museum of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.The bird was hit by a ball during a match between MCC and Cambridge University in 1936, as chronicled by Wisden. “TN Pearce, the batsman, managed to play the ball and the bird fell against the stumps without dislodging a bail.” It was subsequently stuffed and mounted on the ball which caused its fate.Dave van der Wal from the TV station accompanied Kees Moeliker who travelled to the Lord’s museum, and produced a short video of the journey with some misty-eyed music accompaniment.There’s more information on the bird’s flight at the Lord’s website.

Scorecard
Victoria face an uphill battle to avoid defeat after their injury-depleted attack struggled to capitalise on a deteriorating MCG pitch against Queensland. Without their strike bowler Gerard Denton, who left the field with a leg injury, the Bushrangers were unable to provoke one of the major batting collapses that have dominated the game as the Bulls worked their way to 9 for 293 declared and a lead of 312. Victoria are 0 for 6 at stumps and will need to score the highest innings total of the game on the final day to secure their second Pura Cup win of the season.The Bushrangers had the sniff of an easier run-chase when Queensland were 8 for 230 but once again they failed to skittle the tail. Chris Hartley batted for 144 minutes for 29 not out and put on a valuable unbeaten 38 for the last wicket with Daniel Doran, the No.11. Doran (24 not out) rubbed salt into Victoria’s wounds, smashing Cameron White for two sixes in the last over before Queensland declared.Lachlan Stevens and Martin Love defied the bowler-friendly trend of the match, adding 82 to Queensland’s overnight total of 1 for 51 before Jon Moss exploited the pitch’s variable bounce and trapped Stevens lbw for 61 to a ball that kept low. Two overs later Adam Crosthwaite took a sharp chance standing up to the stumps from Moss’s bowling to dismiss Love for 63.When Andrew Symonds had a brain-fade in the next over and was bowled for 8 attempting to slog White over midwicket, leaving Clinton Perren and James Hopes both yet to score at lunch, another middle-order collapse was on the cards. But without Denton to negotiate, the pair steadied the Bulls with a 52-run partnership until Perren (22), the man whose direct hit from third-man on Saturday ran out Clinton McKay, became the victim of a run-out.On a day when a little-known substitute fielder caught Andrew Strauss in the Test match at the Gabba, another ring-in ended Perren’s innings. Tom Stray, a former member of Australia’s Under-19s team, was fielding instead of the 12th man Robert Quiney who was playing club cricket, when he ran Perren out from point. Hopes was bowled by a Shane Harwood skidder in the first over after tea for 46 and when Andy Bichel (4) and Ashley Noffke (0) fell the Bushrangers had hopes of wrapping up the tail cheaply.Victoria’s fast-bowling situation went from bad to worse when Denton hurt his leg in the morning session. Denton, whose 6 for 62 in the first innings was his second six-wicket haul in the Pura Cup this season, could miss two to three weeks depending on the result of scans on Monday. Victoria are already without Mick Lewis, Allan Wise, Dirk Nannes, Rob Cassell and Peter Siddle through injuries and have only just regained Harwood from a side strain.

In a red t-shirt, and matching red Reebok cap, Aakash Chopra is a picture of relaxation after a Delhi team meeting on the eve of their Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu. And why would he not be, given that he’s fresh off a big score in the Duleep Trophy final. He’s now once again eyeing a spot in the Indian team, and another big score will do him no harm – especially with Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, in Delhi to watch the game. He took time off to speak to .Anand Vasu (AV): How satisfying was it scoring 188 in a big game like the Duleep final?

Aakash Chopra (AC): Scoring runs is always satisfying, and to do so in a bit stage like the Duleep Trophy final against a touring side that has 7-8 internationals makes it that much more special. The match was on TV. I was a bit disappointed not to get the double-century, and perhaps more, but it was an important innings for me.AV: Was the knock especially significant as India are in South Africa and there might be a requirement for a third opener in the Test series?AC: Regardless of where India is at the moment and what the requirements areit was an important knock. I’m not looking beyond that. The next thing isthe game starting tomorrow. I might get two innings there and that’s twomore opportunities to score. I’m just looking at that and not thinkingabout things I cannot control.AV: How easy or otherwise is it to motivate yourself in domestic matches whenyou have been dropped from the Indian team and have to fight your wayback?AC: Motivation has never been an issue. It has always been there. If I wasn’tmotivated enough I’d stop playing cricket. The problem was nevermotivation – it was that I was putting too much pressure on myself. Everytime I went out to bat I wanted to score a double-century so I could makeit back into the Indian team as soon as possible. In trying to do that youcut out a lot of shots and tend to play a bit too safe. Then you’re onlythinking about not making mistakes and you go into a shell. It’s a viciouscycle. Two years out has given me a chance to think about my game, to playin England and iron out a few flaws.AV: In domestic cricket you don’t get the same kind of back-room support as ininternational cricket. So in a sense is it harder to adjust to that whenyou’re dropped from the Indian team?AC: I didn’t spend that much time in international cricket either. It was justabout a year. And even in that because I was only playing Test matches itwas not as though I was with the team all year. Having played domesticcricket for five-six years before that, and gone through the grind ofage-group cricket, I was used to the facilities, the support staff – orthe lack of it – so that was not an issue. But you definitely look atthings from a different perspective.AV: It’s been said that you didn’t have too many shots. That your top hand waslocked and so you could never play through the off side.AC: You won’t score runs if you can’t play through the off side. The Duleepfinal was covered live, people would have seen that, 60% of my scoringshots were on the off. If you don’t score runs, or get dropped, there arethousands of opinions voiced and judgments passed on your technique. Therewere flaws in my batting, and still are – nobody is perfect. But the samepeople who passed those comments will talk differently when you make runs- they’ll say ‘he’s changed’ or ‘he’s improved’, even if you’re doingexactly the same thing. Basically you’re still the same player – perhapsyou’re working more on your all-round game. But it’s not possible tochange your entire game.AV: Are you looking for that one chance back in the Indian team to proveyourself once more?AC: I’m definitely looking for one more chance, and more. When you get achance to play for India you want to cement your place in the team, andthat was what I tried to do the last time round as well. But it didn’thappen. So, I’m looking at it as an opportunity to first make it back, andif I do that, then to cement my place.AV: Have you been in touch with your team-mates since you were dropped fromthe national side?

AC: I’ve been playing with Viru [Sehwag] a lot. I travelled to Mohali to speak with Mike Atherton and have been in touch with him on email since. He has beenmy idol since childhood. I spoke to Greg Chappell in Nagpur last year.When you know you’re lacking somewhere – maybe it’s a mental thing, maybeit’s a technical thing, you want to talk to as many people as possible andget the best out of it. I have spoken to a lot of people, not just myteam-mates, and hopefully all that will help.AV: When you were dropped back then, it was after you had done a job that wasasked of you. With Sehwag scoring as quickly as he does, you were told tojust seal one end up. You did that, and were still dropped. What did thatfeel like?AC: That was the brief when I played then. My job was to just block one end upand see the ball off. That was the role I was assigned, and I think I didthe job to some extent. So you do feel bad, because you played the roleyou were told to and then got dropped. But I won’t blame anyone for mybeing dropped. No one stopped me from converting those 40s and 50s intocenturies. If I had done that, things would have been different and wewouldn’t be talking about this now. We all make mistakes, and we learnfrom them. That said, when you’re playing in any team, you have a role toplay, and that is assigned based on what suits your game best, and youhave to play that. The thing is, if you get a start you have to make itcount, and make sure you’ve saved enough for a rainy day.AV: When you were dropped did the selectors tell you why you were dropped?AC: Unfortunately things don’t work like that in India. I’ve spoken to peoplelike Kiran More and they’ve assured me they still had faith in me – it’sjust that I had to back that up with runs in domestic cricket. I reallydon’t blame the selectors or anyone. There’s no point in that. You have tobe looking to improve yourself. Unfortunately there isn’t a system inIndia where the selectors tell you where you lacked or where you need toimprove when you get dropped. You have to figure it out yourself.AV: With television coverage coming in and increased pay for players, do youthink the profile of domestic cricket will now go up?AC: It should. Domestic cricket should almost be at par with internationalcricket. I play in England and I’ve seen what it’s like at counties. Theyhave loyal fan followings, people turn up in team shirts to support theirteam. That’s the way it should be. If you see the lot of the first-classcricketers in India half of them don’t have jobs. And that is because thereisn’t much interest in first-class cricket from the public, and thereforethe sponsors and corporates. India, unfortunately, is not a cricket-crazycountry; it’s a star-crazy country.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has asked bowlers from domestic cricket with suspect bowling actions to report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore for a one-week remedial workout on their actions.Intially 41 bowlers were hauled up from last season for having suspect actions, but 19 have not reported to the board at all and have thus been banned. The remaining twenty two bowlers with suspect bowling action were suspended by the board from bowling in domestic competitions and were instructed through local Regional Development Managers/Regional Development Officers to report to respective regional Head Coaches for the first phase of remedial. However, only 15 reported during the first phase while two other bowlers had informed that they had decided not to carry on bowling.During the second phase of the remedial work, which will be held between December 18 and 23, 15 bowlers have been asked to report to the NCA. After completion of the next stage of the remedial work, an analysis report of each individuals will be prepared with the help of Quintic Biomechanics Software and will be presented to the board’s Suspect Bowling Action Committee for review.The following will participate in this activity: Zaheer Aslam (Kasur), Aqeel Ahmed (Faisalabad), Tariq Mahmood (Sialkot), Ihsan Sheikh (Muridke), Ahmed Naseem (Lahore), Nadeem Javed (Sheikhupura), Asad Zahid (Rawalpindi), Munir Ansari (Rawalpindi), Noor ul Amin (Mardan), Misbah Khan (Karachi), Aftab Ahmed Khan (Karachi), Noman Hussain (Karachi), Irfanuddin (Karachi), Mudasar Manzoor (Mirpurkhas), Agha Sharique (Mirpurkhas).

Scorecard

A century to Michael Klinger gave Victoria every chance of pulling off a remarkable win before New South Wales bounced back with late wickets on a wearing SCG pitch. Klinger helped the Bushrangers rein in the target of 360 but fell late in the day and at the close the visitors were 5 for 241, needing a further 119 for victory with David Hussey looming as the key.Klinger, who has been in outstanding limited-overs form but was playing his first Pura Cup game for the season, reached his second first-class hundred before Stuart MacGill drew an edge to slip when he was on 102. That dismissal proved a catalyst for New South Wales, who went on to claim Jon Moss and Andrew McDonald without scoring. The chase will rely heavily on Hussey, Victoria’s stand-in captain, who was unbeaten on 62, and Adam Crosthwaite (1 not out).Hussey, who made 212 when Victoria chased down a record 455 at Newcastle in 2003-04, again frustrated the Blues in a 114-run partnership with Klinger after Nick Jewell (57) helped with the strong start. A Victoria win looked unlikely as New South Wales built a substantial lead thanks to Dominic Thornely and the lower order.Thornely made 89 and received vital support from Beau Casson, Matthew Nicholson and MacGill as they pushed the score to 299. Bryce McGain did his best with 6 for 112 – his best first-class figures – but Shane Harwood (3 for 95) was the only other bowler to make a dent in the Blues’ line-up. McGain, playing just his fourth Pura Cup game in a career spanning six seasons, removed Thornely for 89 but received a hiding from MacGill, whose 15-ball 33 included three sixes.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

England recovered from two near-death experiences and Paul Collingwood produced back-to-back centuries to steal the first CB Series final at the MCG. After being dominated by Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting in the afternoon, England fought back to restrict their target to 253 and then dropped to the severe danger of 3 for 15.The situation did not worry Collingwood, who had already taken a brilliant catch and two sharp run-outs, and he combined with Ian Bell, Andrew Flintoff and Paul Nixon to secure the tight win with three balls to spare. Australia were as shocked as England were happy when Collingwood struck the winning run through midwicket to finish with a magnificent 120 from 133 deliveries.With Flintoff (35) and Collingwood in partnership England were confident of winning, but they lost Flintoff and Jamie Dalrymple to require 28 to win in 23 balls. Collingwood remained cool and once he had taken consecutive boundaries from Shane Watson in the 48th over he could not be stopped.Collingwood, who scored 106 against New Zealand on Tuesday, began with a lofted boundary over mid-on before working the ball around the massive ground with precision. When he needed a single he grabbed one and he found seven fours and a spectacular straight six that added to Glenn McGrath’s woes.England overcame their horrible early position through Collingwood’s 133-run partnership with Ian Bell and as they felt more comfortable they upgraded from occupation to renovation. The turning point in their important stand came when they picked up 47 runs between the 18th and 23rd over. From then on, as Duncan Fletcher predicted this week, the Australians were the ones feeling the pressure.McGrath spent much of his 37th birthday grumbling, especially after he dropped Bell on 18 and then assisted Brett Lee in messing up a run-out of Flintoff on 2. In a strange sequence Collingwood could also have been dismissed if Adam Gilchrist had removed the bails at his end instead of throwing to the jostling bowlers. Ponting rearranged his attack and while Brad Hogg was unlucky, especially when his wrong’uns were mis-read, it was Lee who created the most danger with 3 for 41.After two wickets in his opening spell Lee struck again at the end of his second with a fierce yorker to take care of Bell for a composed 65 off 90 balls. It created some doubt for England, but Collingwood, Flintoff and Nixon (11 off 10) erased it. At the conclusion the Australians could barely believe their position.

Hayden and Ponting provided the perfect platform for Australia and were severely let down by the remainder of the batsmen. They lost 3 for 26 after easing to 1 for 170 and their aim for a total of 300-plus disappeared when the lower order collapsed in a manner reminiscent of their opponents during the Test series. Not only did Australia give up their last six wickets for 23 runs, they were dismissed in the 49th over when Flintoff picked up his third victim.The procession was started by Monty Panesar and Collingwood’s snappy dive to remove Ponting. Hayden grabbed a polished 82 from 102 deliveries while Ponting breezed to 75 during a partnership of 138 in 148 balls that put Australia in extreme comfort.Ponting was in reach of a third consecutive century until Collingwood intervened and Hayden was also on the verge of three figures when he left 10 runs later. Brad Hodge departed for 5 and after a brief rally Michael Clarke (33) and Michael Hussey (17) fell in consecutive balls. Collingwood’s direct hit did for Clarke and Australia were 6 for 229 when Hussey glided Flintoff to Nixon. The rest submitted meekly and quickly.Panesar performed strongly again, taking 2 for 44 off ten overs, while Flintoff combined the roles of bowler and captain, capturing 3 for 41 and assuming essential roles in both comebacks. Flintoff was jubilant as England sealed their third win in a row and the second against a team that tormented him for most of the tour.Australia have reduced the intensity of their training in the lead-up to the finals and today named a squad for New Zealand without Ponting or Gilchrist. They also eased up on England and paid for their planning that did not include such a courageous opponent. The teams head for Sydney on Sunday for the second final and England will be in the unfamiliar position of being able to wrap up the series.

Greg Chappell, India’s coach, was confident and positive in the pre-departure press conference ahead of India’s campaign in the forthcoming World Cup in the Caribbean. “We’re all looking forward to the World Cup. It’s the showpiece tournament in one-day cricket and we are in as good a position as we could have been,” he said. “The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle have fallen into place in the last few weeks. There is a good balance, good experience and youth in the squad, and a good variety in bowling and batting. That will give us a wide range of options no matter what the condition and no matter what the opposition.”Over the recent months India’s journey in limited-overs cricket has been far from smooth, and the fielding has come in for specific criticism. But Chappell did not think the fielding would be a major worry. “The fielding in the last few games has been good,” he said. “We have worked hard on it and will continue to so in the World Cup. The positive side is that we have got some 1900 ODIs between the group and that hopefully will offset any deficiencies anywhere.”The one aspect that Chappell and Rahul Dravid have been insisting on over the last year and more has been the need for flexibility within the squad, and Chappell was happy with how this side of the game had shaped up. “We have cover for pretty much all the key players and key positions. We have got flexibility in bowling and batting. We have got a squad that we can expect to do well with,” he said, adding a note of caution. “Obviously now it is down to execution. We can do all the preparation that we have done and continue to do in the Word Cup, but now it is up to the performance on the day and each game and that’s where the pressure is going to be.”But Chappell, who has come in for some criticism for changes in the batting order, would not be drawn into saying who would open the batting in the World Cup. “We cannot really talk about that at the moment because a lot of it will depend on the conditions and opposition. We have some plans and ideas on which we have been working towards in the recent months,” he said. “We have got the options to do a number of things and to mix the batting order in a number of ways but we have some strong ideas of where we play players and what sort of role that they will have. We will be sitting down with players and reinforcing them once we reach the West Indies. To talk about that will be a bit premature at this stage.”Chappell also said that India could take some pointers from their recent trip to the West Indies, although they lost the one-dayers 1-4 on that tour. “Obviously we have some experience in West Indies. We are not playing on some of the grounds that we played last year and will play on some new grounds,” he said. “I do not expect the conditions to be very different from what I have experienced in the last 30 years. In a World Cup the intention will be to get the best possible batting wickets and that certainly doesn’t do us any harm as batting is our strength. It’s really a matter of what we do on that day and execution can be the decider. If anyone is going to have an advantage you will think it will be the home team. But then again the hosts have never won a World Cup.”When asked about the terms “process” and “systems”, which are common enough and yet have taken some rather negative connotations vis-à-vis the Indian team, Chappell said there was always work to do and ways to improve. “They have come along well from the point that we have come to this, where we have a fit and in-form team ready to go for the World Cup. It’s been successful but it’s a never ending process and you try to improve the group and each player tries to improve himself,” he said. “The coaching staff is trying to expand its vision and range and in all ways and will continue in the World Cup and after the World Cup. I suppose we will be able to answer that question definitively after the World Cup.”Chappell also did not want to read too much into Australia’s recent run of losses. “It shows that New Zealand is a good side. It shows that England has made some progress. No doubt it will effect Australia’s balance if [Brett] Lee and [Andrew] Symonds are not going to be there, but I am sure they have got good cricketers there. Stuart Clark has come in and maybe he will be the player of the series for them,” he said. “The loss would have made them a bit hungrier and determined to play well. I would have preferred that they won all the matches and gone to the West Indies overconfident. Now they will be right on the job. We will have our job cut out.”

Andrew Symonds could complete a remarkable comeback from injury when the team for Australia’s second World Cup match against The Netherlands is unveiled. Six weeks ago it was feared Symonds could miss the entire tournament after tearing the biceps in his right arm, but Ricky Ponting said the allrounder was now “seriously close” to full fitness.”He was saying on the bus he was ready to play today, but that’s just him saying that,” Ponting said in the aftermath of the 203-run win over Scotland. “We can’t afford to take him into that game if he’s only 75-80% fit, in case he hurts himself again. There’s been a well-thought-out process to get him back to where he is now, so we’ve just got to make sure he ticks all those boxes.”Symonds’ fitness is crucial to Australia’s prospects of defending their World Cup crown, not only for the explosiveness of his middle-order batting, but for the versatility of his spin and medium-pace bowling. On the slow, low pitches of the Caribbean he is sure to carry a major role at some stage of the tournament.”He’d play with one arm if he could but he’s getting seriously close,” Ponting said. “There will be some discussion about him playing against The Netherlands [on Sunday], because he’s rolling his arm over and doing a fair bit of throwing, and he’s comfortable with his batting. The next few days are crucial if he’s going to play against Holland.”Ponting said he would be having several lengthy discussions with Australia’s chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, who is in St Kitts, before any decision is made. “We probably could play him as just a batsman, but he’s still got to field,” Ponting said. “There’s nowhere to hide in a one-day international, and the last thing we want is for him to hurt himself again.”In Symonds’ absence, Ponting used today’s match to test the depth of his spin options. Michael Clarke, the usual alternative, was overlooked, and instead Brad Hodge took 1 for 17 in a tidy six-over spell. “We wanted to give Hodge a good bowl today and he looked good,” Ponting said. “Clarke has played a fair bit and bowled a fair bit, and I know what I get from him.”Ponting said he had been satisfied with the performance of another key man in Australia’s strategy, Shaun Tait, who has stepped into Brett Lee’s shoes as the team’s out-and-out paceman and picked up 2 for 45. “He’s been pretty good,” Ponting said. “He’s done what was expected of him.”He’s a real impact bowler for us, and we’ll use him when we need a wicket or when a new batsman comes to the crease. Because of his extreme pace he’s going to go for a few boundaries, especially on these smaller grounds, but he’s going to be a real card for us in this World Cup.”

In a statement that is likely to have a large bearing on the immediate future of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that India’s cricketers would be most disappointed with Greg Chappell, the coach, if he questioned their attitude.In a rare public outburst, Tendulkar, not known to air his views on controversial issues, expressed his anguish. ” (Things have gone a bit too far to keep quiet). I’ve given my heart and my soul for 17 years. No coach had mentioned even in passing that my attitude was not correct,” Tendulkar told . “Cricket has been my life for all these years and will always be.”His statements come in the wake of reports that many members in the team have rallied together against Chappell and Dravid and want Tendulkar to take up their case to the board. Cricinfo had reported on the crisis in the team , one largely owing to the rift between Chappell and the senior players, and Tendulkar’s statements reinforce the players’ stance.”Tell me, the world has gone on talking about all this [our defeat and exit] but has anybody spared a thought for us?,” asked an emotional Tendulkar. “Did they try to find out what we have been going through?

“I am shattered beyond words and I feel helpless. I’ve never felt so bad in my entire career.” he said. “No matter how many Tests or one-day series you win, nothing else even comes close to a World Cup triumph. The World Cup was our passion, our collective goal, our dream and that has been shattered. And we all are terribly disappointed over it.”Tendulkar took responsibility for the World Cup debacle but responded to what he perceived as a slight to his commitment. “Again, it’s not that we are defending ourselves. We do realise that we played badly and, as a team, we take full responsibility for that. But what hurt us most is if the coach has questioned our attitude.”The Indian board’s working committee meets on April 7, following the meeting of the review committee the day before. It is expected that Chappell’s report, due to be submitted to the board before April 6, will be scathing in its criticism of the attitude of the senior players including Sourav Ganguly, Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh. The working committee meeting will be attended by BCCI’s office-bearers and seven former captains, including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri and S Venkatraghavan.