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From commentary, to active politics
After his stint as a TV commentator, former India opening batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu may contest the Indian parliamentary elections.
After his stint as a television commentator in the ongoing Test series in Pakistan, former India opening batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu may contest the Indian parliamentary elections on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket.
There are indications that Sidhu might be asked to contest the Amritsar seat from Punjab, though the final word is yet to reach Sidhu.
But at the moment, the affable Sikh is thoroughly enjoying his stay here in the company of former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar, former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja and some other former Australian and English players who are also here as commentators.
Asked what his schedule was after the series ends here with the third Test Saturday, Sidhu said he had made no plans as such but that the upcoming elections might keep him busy. "You never know, the party might want me to contest in the ensuing election," he said enigmatically. "But no one has informed me as yet."
Sidhu, whose father had been a member of parliament, joined the BJP just before the India-Pakistan series started on March 10.
Punjab chief minister hosts dinner
Punjab Chief Minister Pervez Elahi hosted a dinner Wednesday for the Indian and Pakistani journalists who are covering the cricket series. But it turned to be a dull affair as most journalists stayed away for one reason or the other.
Elahi himself did not turn up and his businessman brother made an appearance, and no one informed the gathering why the chief minister could not make it. Hardly 40-odd people, including a few from the chief
minister's office, were there to enjoy the meal at Hotel Shalimar in Rawalpindi.
Before the dinner started, there were a couple of speeches from the Indian and Pakistani sides in which the newfound friendship between the countries was lauded.
Test 'slips' out of Inzamam's hands: The position of the Pakistan team in the ongoing third and final Test was aptly depicted through a cartoon in the News Thursday. In the front-page cartoon the final is portrayed as a fish slipping out of the hands of Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq,
with the skipper looking quite stunned.
By the end of the second day of the match, India had taken a firm grip on the match by establishing a lead of 118 runs. Both teams have won one Test each.
India has never won a Test series in Pakistan.
Benazir scraps Sharif's project
The Pindi Cricket Stadium, where the third and final Test between India and Pakistan is in progress, was originally meant to be a multipurpose sports complex. Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif mooted the idea when he was in power, but when Benazir Bhutto replaced him at the helm, the project was modified and the stadium was made only for cricket.
The vast area that the original proposal had earmarked for hockey and football stadiums adjacent to the cricket ground is still lying vacant. Big halls were also built within the cricket stadium for indoor sports, but those halls are now being used for other purposes, like the rest rooms for policemen on duty for the match.
The main gate of the complex, which is still incomplete, resembles the entrance of a Mughal palace of the days gone by.
