Australian MP questions Gillard over award to Sachin Tendulkar

October 17, 2012

PM_Gillard_watching

Melbourne, October 17: An Australian politician has questioned Prime Minister Julia Gillard's decision to award an Order of Australia to iconic Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar for his contribution to sport.

Federal Independent MP Rob Oakshott who expressed his love for Little Master, said the special award should not be used for diplomatic gain, the ABC news reported.

"I love Sachin Tendulkar, I love cricket. But I just have a problem with soft diplomacy as you call it," he said, adding "Getting in on the act of the Australian honours."

Oakeshott said the Order should be focused on recognising Australians doing community work instead.

"I'm not going to die in a ditch over it...but it's about the integrity of the honours list which should be for Australians," he said.

He said that Tendulkar was an "obvious diplomatic touch point", and further suggested setting up an inter-nation gong, such as an "Australia-India award".

On Tuesday Gillard, who is currently on her three day visit in New Delhi, had announced that Tendulkar would receive the special honour.



"This is a very special honour, very rarely awarded to someone who is not an Australian citizen or an Australian national," she said.

"He is away playing cricket - surprise, surprise - but the award will be conferred on him by Minister [Simon] Crean when [he] visits India," he said.

ABC also quoted Australia India Youth Dialogue chairman Ruchir Punjabi as saying that approach has worked with the Indian public.

"I think perhaps the Order of Australia to Sachin Tendulkar is probably going to be bigger than the nuclear issue," he said.

"I think the nuclear issue is a trust issue with the Indian government whereas the Order of Australia to Sachin Tendulkar is going to be the headline in most newspapers here. And I think ... things like that play an important role in bringing the two countries closer," he added.


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News Network
January 2,2020

New Delhi, Jan 2: On the first day of the New Year 2020, Hardik Pandya announced his engagement with Serbian actor Natasa Stankovic.

The cricketer took to Instagram to share a photo with the actor and captioned the post: "Mai tera, Tu meri jaane, saara Hindustan. 01.01.2020 #engaged".

The 26-year-old shared three pictures and a short clip on the social media platform. In one photo, Stankovic can be seen flaunting her ring.

The couple got engaged in Dubai and were seen taking a ferry ride along with close friends.

On work front, Stankovic was last seen in a song from Bollywood movie The Body starring Emraan Hashmi and Rishi Kapoor. She had also made it to the finals of the TV show Nach Baliye with her ex-boyfriend Aly Goni.

Stankovic first became a household name after appearing as a contestant on famous reality show 'Bigg Boss 8'.

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News Network
July 16,2020

Kolkata, Jul 16: BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday went into home quarantine after his elder brother and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) joint secretary Snehasish Ganguly tested positive for Covid-19.

Snehasish, a former Bengal first-class player, has been admitted to the Belle Vue hospital in Kolkata after his COVID report came positive.

"He was suffering from fever for the last few days and his test report came positive today. He's been admitted to Belle Vue Hospital," a CAB official said.

"The reports arrived late in the evening. As per health protocols, even Sourav will have to be in home quarantine for a stipulated period," a source close to the BCCI President added.

Snehasish had shifted to their ancestral house, where Sourav is based, in Behala after his wife and in-laws at his Mominpur residence tested positive for the dreaded virus.

The former India captain was, however, unavailable for a comment on the development.

Recently, during an interview to India Today, Sourav had spoken about how life around him has changed, making people more vulnerable.

"My brother visits our factories everyday and he is more at risk," the former batting star had said

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News Network
January 14,2020

Sydney, Jan 14: Retired South African big-hitter AB de Villiers on Tuesday said efforts are on to ensure his comeback in the national team for the T20 World Cup in Australia, a plan in which his IPL form will play a crucial role.

Speaking to Cricket Australia's official website 'cricket.com.au', the 35-year-old swashbuckler said he would love to be back two years after calling it quits internationally. He is currently in Australia to play in the Big Bash League.

"I would love to. I've been talking to 'Bouch' (new South Africa coach Mark Boucher), (new director of cricket) Graeme Smith and (captain) Faf (du Plessis) back home, we're all keen to make it happen," he said.

"It's a long way away still, and plenty can happen – there's the IPL coming up, I've still got to be in form at that time. So I'm thinking of throwing my name in the hat and hoping that everything will work out," he added.

De Villiers, nonetheless, is keeping a check on his expectations.

"It's not a guarantee, once again. I don't want to disappoint myself or other people, so for now I'm just going to try and keep a low profile, try and play the best possible cricket that I can and then see what happens towards the end of the year," he said.

"There are a lot of players (involved with CSA) who I used to play with. Guys who understand the game, leaders of the team for many years" he said of the present dispensation.

"So it's much easier to communicate than what it used to be in the past. They understand what players go through – especially players that have played for 15 years internationally.

"It doesn't mean that everything is going to be sunshine and roses, but it's definitely a lot easier and it feels comfortable, the language that's being used and just the feel that everyone has at the moment in South Africa about the cricket," he added.

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