Tendulkar, the right choice for ICC WC brand ambassador: Kapil Dev

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DUBAI: Former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev has praised the International Cricket Council (ICC) for selecting batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador for the 2011 World Cup.

"I am thankful to ICC for naming Tendulkar as the brand ambassador of the World Cup. I am happy they did not pick any film star, singer or a politician to be their brand ambassador. It is a very great feeling to see your colleague as the brand ambassador for a game which is so fantastic," the Gulf News quoted Kapil Dev, as saying.

He added: "I genuinely feel that the game should be promoted by the cricketers who played the game. I am deeply touched by the gesture and I am sure we could not have got a better person than Tendulkar as the ambassador."

"Everyone has to be proud of this man not because of his performance, but by the way he has played the game for over 20 years. He is truly the greatest sportsman of the era," Dev said.

Sachin, Sehwag, Raina earn nominations for Cricinfo Awards

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Sachin Tendulkar has been nominated for the best ODI batsman in 2010 at the ESPNCricinfo Awards, for scoring one-day cricket's first-ever double hundred.

Tendulkar, who had scored an unbeaten 200 against South Africa in Gwalior on February 24, will be competing with compatriots Virender Sehwag and young Virat Kohli apart from seven other players.

India's ever reliable VVS Laxman has earned the nomination for the best Test batsman and out of a total of 10 nominations, the stylish Hyderabadi features in three.

His fantastic knocks -- 73 not out against Australia in Mohali, 103 not out against Sri Lanka in Colombo and 96 against South Africa in Durban -- make him one of the favourites for the award.

Sehwag has also been nominated in this category for his fighting 109-run knock against Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle.

Road in Gwalior named after Tendulkar

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Gwalior, Jan 27 (PTI) A new 3.55 km long road here namedafter master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar was inaugurated by theMadhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hereyesterday.

The four-lane road constructed at a cost of Rs 2.89crore from the Madhya Pradesh High Court''s Gwalior Bench toHuravli village was named after Tendulkar to mark his historicdouble century in the one-day international match against South Africa in the city played on February 24, 2010.

The announcement in this regard was made by Chouhanwhen Tendulkar played his historic innings here on that daylast year.

Chouhan inaugurated the road yesterday on the occasionof Republic Day.

India should win World Cup for Sachin:Vinod Kambli

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MUMBAI: Former cricketer Vinod Kambli on Friday said Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his boys should do everything to win the World Cup for Sachin Tendulkar, who has dreamt of collecting the coveted trophy since his childhood.

Kambli said Tendulkar, his childhood friend, has such a burning desire to win the World Cup title that if it does not materialise this time around, he would continue playing and give it a shot in the 2015 edition.

"It is somewhere in the back of Sachin's mind to win the World Cup. I sincerely hope that the team should give the World Cup gift to him else or he will play in the 2015 World Cup too," Kambli, who played in the 1992 and 1996 World Cups said on the sidelines of a function on Thursday night.

"He (Sachin) has stated his desire to win the World Cup. During the 1987 World Cup we were ball boys and our dream (of playing in World Cup) came true in the 1992 when we played together.

"Many a times I feel why we lost despite coming so close to winning. I remember I had cried. In 1996 we had a good opportunity to win. Despite playing well throughout the tournament we lost the match in the semifinals (against Sri Lanka).

"The entire country is looking forward to it. Our best wishes will really help our team. I wish that the team, after the 1983 World Cup win, will repeat the feat again in the 2011 World Cup. I wish the entire team, especially Mahendra Singh Dhoni, all the best to fulfill the master blaster's dream," he added.

Kambli said the team has enough talent to do well. "There is a different pressure of playing at home. I have faced it during 1996. Just hope that the 1996 incident does not happen again. Crowd will play an important role," he said.