Virat Kohli nominated for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award

Kohli and Rahane have had a fruitful year in international cricket

Virat Kohli, India's Test captain, has been recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the nation's biggest sporting honour, by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). His deputy, Ajinkya Rahane, is also in line for another honour, having been nominated for the Arjuna award.

Kohli is in prolific batting form at the moment and has become the go-to guy in Indian cricket. Having replaced MS Dhoni as India's regular Test captain mid-way during the Australian tour in 2014-15, Kohli led India to an impressive series win in Sri Lanka before blanking the then number one Test playing nation, South Africa, by a 3-0 margin at home.

The number three batsman has been India's pillar of strength in the shorter formats of the game and enjoyed tremendous success with the bat, during consecutive T20 WCs, in 2014 and 2016, named Player of the tournament, both times.

"We have received the recommendations from the BCCI. Their names will be sent to the awards selection committee," a sports ministry official said. If Kohli is awarded the prestigious honour, he will become the third cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar (1997-98) and MS Dhoni (2007-08) to be bestowed with the honour.

While Kohli has been recommended for the country's highest honour, Ajinkya Rahane is in line to receive the Arjuna award. India's new Mr. Consistent, Rahane has been India's best overseas batsman in recent times and capped off a wonderful 2015 with hundreds in both innings in the fourth Test against South Africa, in Delhi.

The Khel Ratna carries a cash reward of Rs 7.5 lakh along with a citation, while the Arjuna award consists of a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh and a citation.

Sachin Tendulkar accepts IOA’s invitation to become India’s Olympics Goodwill Ambassador

India Olympics Association (IOA) were embroiled in controversy after naming Salman Khan as ambassador earlier.

Retired cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has accepted Indian Olympic Association’s invitation to become the Goodwill Ambassador for the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympics.

In what has been a controversial topic since IOA named Salman Khan as ambassador, the Olympic body were forced into naming other ambassadors after a furor over naming a non-sporting ambassador. Even now, Tendulkar’s nomination might pacify some due to his laurels in sports and for the country, some might question the selection given cricket is not part of the Olympics.

His statement to IOA expressed interest in meeting the athletes before they leave for Rio and any other awareness campaigns preceding the extravaganza in person or through social media.

The IOA Secretary General, meanwhile, said they are yet to get a confirmation from Rahman. “Mr. Rahman is yet to communicate to us but we are hopeful that he will also accept our invitation,” Mehta said.

Asked about what specific role the goodwill ambassadors would play, Mehta said: “These iconic sportspersons and celebrities will spread the idea of Olympic movement in every nook and corner of the country, every village, block and city of India.

“They will help in building up a sporting culture in this country. We need a sporting culture if we want to become a sporting country,” he added.

India to tour Zimbabwe next month for limited over matches

Zimbabwe will host India for three one-day internationals (ODI) and three Twenty20 matches in June, the country's cricket board said on Tuesday.

All the matches will be played at Harare Sports Club with the ODIs scheduled to be played between June 11-15 and the Twenty20s between June 18-22.

“After finalising all the formalities with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), we are pleased to announce the incoming tour scheduled for this June,” Zimbabwe Cricket managing director Wilfred Mukondiwa said in a statement.

India have been regular travellers to Zimbabwe in recent seasons with three previous tours since 2010, including last year, all featuring limited-overs matches.

Shahid Afridi worried about declining standards of Pakistan cricket

Shahid Afridi, former Pakistan captain, believes that lack of focus towards the lowest levels of the game is bound to hurt Pakistan cricket and wants the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to focus more on the grassroots of the game.

The 36-year old all-rounder says he's worried about the absence of talent in Pakistan's domestic scene. "The way I see it right now we don't have that much real talent in the background. I can't pinpoint any young player with certainty. I think the Board needs to pay attention to school cricket and work at the grassroot level," he said while speaking to Geo Super channel.

Afridi, along with Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad, was recently omitted from the 35-member training camp for the upcoming England tour by the new national selection committee, headed by chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq. However, Afridi insisted that he had already informed the board about his non-availability for the training camp. "I am just focussing on T20 cricket and I had informed the board about my commitment in English county cricket this summer. But I will obviously work hard on my form and fitness in order to make the Pakistan team," Afridi said.

Inzamam had also insisted that Afridi was just being rested as Pakistan would play very few T20Is in the upcoming season and the former captain would be considered for future T20 games. While Afridi has been officially rested, the same couldn't be said about Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal.

"I don't know why they (Shehzad, Umar Akmal) are dropped, but if discipline is the reason than obviously they need to pay attention to this and work harder on their cricket. I also agree that there should be no compromise on discipline and it is time to give young players a chance," he added.

Pakistan are currently preparing for the tour of England which consists of 4 Tests, 5 one day Internationals and a solitary T20I.

IPL 2016: Delhi Daredevil's Amit Mishra reprimanded for foul language

IPL 2016: Delhi Daredevil's Amit Mishra reprimanded for foul language

The leg-spinner admitted to the level 1 offence (Article 2.1.4 of the IPL Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials) and accepted the sanction.

Delhi Daredevils leg-spinner Amit Mishra was reprimanded by the match referee for using inappropriate language during their IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders in New Delhi on Saturday.

Mishra admitted to the level 1 offence (Article 2.1.4 of the IPL Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials) and accepted the sanction. For Level 1 breaches of the IPL Code of Conduct, the Match Referee's decision is final and binding.

Youngster Karun Nair and debutant Sam Billings batted with lot of responsibility before their bowlers came good as Delhi Daredevils displaced Kolkata Knight Riders from the second spot with a comfortable 27-run win.

Kings XI Punjab name Murali Vijay as captain

Vijay was bought by the franchise ahead of the last season in 2015 and has played 17 games so far for Punjab.

Kings XI Punjab have named M Vijay as their captain for the rest of the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, on Saturday (April 30).

David Miller, the current captain, has struggled with bat and as captain so far in the tournament. Punjab are currently at the bottom of the table with just one win from six games.

"Kings XI Punjab announces M Vijay as the Captain for Kings XI Punjab for the remaining part of the IPL 2016 tournament. David Miller continues to be an integral part of the team and is a very strong player of the squad," said the franchise in a statement.

Vijay was bought by the franchise ahead of the last season in 2015 and has played 17 games so far for Punjab. This season, he has scored 143 runs in six games, while Miller has accumulated just 76 runs from six games so far.

"It was purely a management decision because we wanted Miller to play with freedom," a source was quoted as saying in the New Indian Express. "He is our best batsman and as everyone can see it, he is struggling to cope with the added responsibility. With the play-off place still up for grabs, we thought that it was the right time to change captains. Maybe that can infuse new enthusiasm and energy into the side.

"He (Vijay) is a Test regular and has seen great success. Moreover, as a senior player, he has always given valuable inputs. We believe that he will come in handy in this crucial time."

The trend to drop a foreign player isn't new in the tournament. Ricky Ponting, named as captain of Mumbai Indians, dropped himself and handed the reins of the side to Rohit Sharma. Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews too have faced the axe and were asked to hand over leadership duties to Indian players.

Punjab had a great run in the 2014 edition where, after 11 wins in the group stages, they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in the final. However, they weren't able to replicate the same form in the 2015 edition and finished at the bottom of the table with just three wins from 14 games.