Dhoni retains golden touch in Tests

Mahendra Singh Dhoni [Images] is destiny's favourite child. And he is very happily married to Lady Luck.

How else do you explain the fact that everything he touches turns to gold. He first substituted for Anil Kumble [Images] (as Test captain) against South Africa [Images] in the Kanpur Test and led India to a comprehensive eight-wicket win inside three days.
A second opportunity came his way in Mohali and he has ensured himself a 320-run thrashing of Australia [Images]. And here we won't even

mention his ODIs or T20 exploits.

Don't agree with . Here's a second point of view then.

He has given the term "leading from the front" a whole new meaning.
Captaincy at a young age can be a burden and can affect your performance as a player. Not in Dhoni's case though. He celebrated wearing the captain's armband for a second time by contributing 92 and 68 not out with the bat-- a performance that won him the man-of-the-match award.

Don't agree with ? Here's the third and final point of view.
The 27-year-old has his head firmly on his shoulder and has not let success distract him as is usually the case with the young Indian cricketers. Dhoni is aware of the fact that both "performance" and "luck" are variable factors and would pose a problem for him at some stage. And that is precisely what keeps him rooted.

Still, do not agree with ? Then just hear from the horse's mouth.
"When you play one or two matches, records do happen," said Dhoni, when queried about his second successive triumph as Test captain. "But it is about doing it over a longer period of time." The captain was in fact surprised that the Aussies succumbed so meekly.
"Honestly speaking, we have not seen this before," he admitted. "I mean in their first innings, they were 22 for two wickets after 13 overs and I was so surprised that I told Rahul (Dravid) that you don't see things like that very often

"And maybe you won't see that again for a long time." Dhoni did admit, however, that India was the better side.
"I don't believe in comparisons but we did most things right," he explained. "We had only four bowlers and to their credit, they shared the responsibility well." But doesn't his captaincy deserved some credit as well?

"There's not too much pressure of being a captain," admitted Dhoni. "We have to take care of certain things on the ground and channel our efforts in the right direction." And what about his own batting?

"It was a perfect scenario for me to just go out and play my natural game," reasoned Dhoni. "We got a good start, the track was placid and the ball old. It was just the perfect occasion for my sort of batting.
"I have realized that I should play my natural game, play to my strengths. In between, I was not playing my game but thinking of the scenario." Another thing he has realised happens to be the fact that the hallmark of a good captain is to have faith in his players.
"I believe in every guy who is part of the side," he asserted. "Every player comes to this level after putting in a lot of effort."

The Mohali Test was memorable on many grounds-- Sachin's record, Amit Mishra's performance on debut and his own batting. But what was it that Dhoni himself like the most?
"Sourav getting 102 was special," blurted Dhoni, without thinking even for a moment. "Since it is his last series, he was playing without any pressure. And that is how one wants to see him play."
With almost everything going to perfection he definitely has reasons to expect more. But Dhoni believes caution is the best way to propagate aggression.

"They are a strong side," he warned. "It is just that we are doing our job well now. So we don't have to worry about the opposition as much. But they will come back strong for sure."

Successful, and still not complacent, that's Mahendra Singh Dhoni for you. Now you have to believe!!!

After Google, Motorola readies Android phone

As the wireless world awaits the Oct. 22 debut of the first phone based on the Google-backed Android software, engineers at Motorola are hard at work on their own Android handset. Motorola's version will boast an iPhone-like touch screen, a slide-out qwerty keyboard, and a host of social-network-friendly features, BusinessWeek.com has learned.
Motorola has been showing spec sheets and images of the phone to carriers around the world in the past two months and is likely to introduce the handset in the U.S. sometime in the second quarter of 2009, according to people familiar with Motorola's plans.

Building a phone based on the highly anticipated Android operating system is part of Motorola's effort to revive a loss-making handset division that has forfeited market share amid a drought of bestselling phones. Motorola stock, which on Oct. 17 rose a penny to 5.62, is hovering near a 16-year low.

The phone will appear among a new class of social smartphones designed to make it easy for users to connect quickly and easily to mobile social networks such as Facebook and News Corp.'s MySpace. Such phones let users message in-network friends directly from phone contact lists, for example. A Facebook representative declined to comment on the company's work with Motorola. MySpace.com didn't respond to a request for comment.

Motorola declined to elaborate on its plans, but said in a statement: "We're excited about the innovation possibilities on Android and look forward to delivering great products in partnership with Google" and the community of developers known as the Open Handset Alliance that are working on the Android operating system.

Mobile networking wave
In the next year, social networking phones are expected to be a hit with the 16- to 34-year-old crowd, analysts say. According to consultancy Informa, the number of mobile social-networking users will rise from 2.3 per cent of global cell-phone users at the end of 2007 to as many as 23 per cent of all mobile users by the end of 2012.
The Android handset will feature a touch screen about the size of those on Apple's iPhone, people familiar with the phone say. While it takes some of the design cues from Krave ZN4, the first touch-screen phone from Motorola launched with Verizon Wireless on Oct. 14, it's not certain whether the Android phone screen will feature Krave's distinctive and interactive clear flip screen.

Like the world's first Android phone, from HTC, Motorola's Android-based device will offer a slide-out Qwerty keyboard. People who've seen the pictures and spec sheets for the device say it looks like a higher-end version of the HTC phone, called the T-Mobile G1. But it's expected to sell for less, at prices similar to the Krave, which is available for $150 with a two-year contract. After carrier subsidies, the G1 will retail for $180 with a two-year contract.

Slow off the mark
Motorola's new phone likely won't be ready to launch in the US until the second quarter of next year, say people who are familiar with it. And it may not be available in Europe until the third quarter of 2009. Many analysts have been expecting Motorola to roll out an Android phone in December or January.

Any delay gives competing Android phones a chance to gain traction. London-based INQ will unveil its social-networking phone, INQ1, in Britain and Australia in about a month. The slider phone, which integrates Facebook features into its address book and camera, is expected to enter the U.S. market next year.

And Nokia, the world's largest cell-phone maker, has already begun adding connectivity to its media-sharing site Ovi in some of its higher-end phones. "The sooner [Motorola] comes out with a social phone the better," says John Jackson, an analyst with the Yankee Group. "The more you wait, the more distance gets put between you and the rest of the world."
In the handset business, a best-selling product can reverse a company's fortunes quickly, as Motorola has seen first with its popular StarTAC, and then with the Razr line of devices. "Motorola still has global carrier and distribution relationships" to rival those of most competing players, says Jackson.

Motorola also has a relationship with industry innovator Apple, and may be able to offer iTunes downloads for upcoming phones, says Moe Tanabian, principal at researcher IBB Consulting. Music downloads may appeal to the same category of consumers that is expected to buy social phones.

Good people
The Android project is getting a lot of attention and support directly from Motorola's new co-chief executive officer, Sanjay Jha. The Android phone - likely one of a series of Android handsets Motorola is cooking up - is the brainchild of people who joined Motorola via its 2006 acquisition of Good Technology.

Good specialised in enterprise wireless messaging, data access, and security software used in such products as Motorola's Q line of smartphones. The project is headed by Rick Osterloh, vice-president and general manager for Android products and formerly Good's vice-president of marketing and product management.

Motorola is looking to add staff to its Android project in California, where the Good team is based. Applicants are invited to work on a "social smart phone." One posting for a software engineer on job board Monster.com reads: "We are a new start-up division within Motorola with strong executive level sponsorship, a 50M+ budget for our Android platform. Our new CEO, Sanjay Jha, has been in the forefront of the formation of the Android Open Handset Alliance!"

Injury almost pushed me into depression: Sania

Forced to stay away from courts for almost half the season, a fit again Sania Mirza is eyeing a comeback at January's Classic tennis tournament in Hong Kong and revealed that she almost sunk into depression while struggling to recover from a wrist injury.

The Indian ace has been out of action since the Beijing Olympics, where her wrist injury flared up again and she had to concede her first round singles match.
Sharing the trauma she faced when she ran out of options to get her wrist healed, she said it was difficult to cope with the situation at that time.

"It was scary. It was career threatening. I was almost going through depression. I think the post-injury period is more difficult to cope with and I am happy to be back. But I never doubted that I cannot make a comeback ," Sania, who is in Capital for the treatment, said.

Sania said she was keen to make a comeback but was not in a hurry. She confirmed that she will play a team tournament in Hong Kong in January before resuming her Tour activities.
"It is a big honour to represent Asia. It is great to be a part of such a large field, where you have players like (Jelena) Jankovic and (Maria) Sharapova. But we still have two-and-a-half months to go and it is very long period in tennis," she said after spending about an hour on the DLTA courts, practicing with Radhika Tulpule.

Talking about the next season, she said she was approaching it cautiously

India to be a developed nation by 2028: Blackberry founder

James Laurence Balsillie, founder and co-chief executive officer of Research in Motion, feels that in the next 20 years, India will reach the developed nation status with $20,000 per capita income in terms of purchasing power parity.

"I am impressed by the breathtaking transformation underway in India," he said, that has made India "the world's fourth-largest economy in purchasing-power terms, growing at 6 to 8 percent," Balsillie said. He was the keynote speaker at Canada-India Business Council Diwali dinner October 7 at Toronto's Marriott hotel.

India, he added, would "reach developed nation status [$20,000 per capita income in terms of purchasing power parity] in 2028."



Blackberry users in India are growing rapidly 'and we anticipate having millions of customers more before long,' Balsillie said.



He called the Blackberry 'an essential tool' for business that is 'profoundly empowering and democratic' as it allows 'millions of people in India to leapfrog legacy, technology and transit straight into the 21st century.'



Few countries, he said, 'are making that transition as dramatically as India.'
People the world over, he said, "respect India's incredibly rich heritage, [and] are deeply impressed by the pace of its current achievements. Indian scriptures, literature, and philosophy are read for their profound insights into human nature and social relations. Indian mathematics, from the concept of zero to the development of the decimal system, underlie modern science."



Balsillie also lauded the success of Indian businesses -- like Mittal Steel, Tata Motors , Infosys , the Mahindra Group, the Jindal Group, etc -- and "the growing impact in the world markets of Indian entrepreneurs."



He reeled off statistics and information about India, where "average literacy rates are rising, and the percentage of people living below the poverty line has been cut in half in one generation. All this progress is being made in. . . the world's most populous democracy. . . [that has] strong governance institutions, an engaged civil society, an irreverent press, a respected judiciary, vigorous Opposition parties and numerous ethnic groups and languages."



Indians, he said, are "playing increasingly prominent roles in Canada's economy and politics, including at the highest levels."



The Indian Diaspora, he said, "is a source of extraordinary benefit to Canada, in terms of talent, family and business contacts, and worldliness."



He called Indo-Canadians "crucial to Canada's openness to the world and to our success."
Balsillie is involved in establishing think tanks like the Centre for International Governance and the Balsillie School of International Affairs for which he has brought in Professor Ramesh Thakur from Tokyo as the director.



CIGI and Balsillie School will work with the Canadian International Council, the Asia-Pacific Foundation and the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute.



Balsillie suggested "the establishment of a permanent Canadian education presence in India, in order to recruit Indian students to undergraduate and graduate programs across Canada; an annual high-level policy dialogue that brings together business leaders, academic experts and government officials' exposure of Canadians to visiting Indian business and institutional leaders;" and the creation of "a young scholars program to facilitate and manage a regular and structured exchange of the best and brightest of our two countries emerging academic talent."



He also floated the idea of annual CIC fellowships by the C-IBC for the study of contemporary India.
"The world is changing faster than many people can comprehend," he concluded, "and a dynamic India [is] a major agent of that change."



He, however, admitted that this change "is uneven, with far more progress evident in economic governance than in political governance, where it is badly needed. The world's capacity to understand and manage change needs urgent upgrading."



"We are what we think, all that we are arises with our thoughts, with our thoughts we make the world," he said, quoting from the Buddhist scripture Dhamapada. "May the festival of lights [Diwali] illuminate our thoughts," he added.



RIM, inventor and maker of Blackberry phones, works with five telecom service provider partners in India -- Bharti, Airtel, Vodafone Essar, Reliance Communications , BPL Mobile and Tata Communications. Balsillie was in India two weeks ago with his wife Heidi.



Besides his meetings with Indian business leaders and CEOs, Mr and Mrs Balsillie also visited a number of historic Hindu temples, and the Mahatma Gandhi Museum in Delhi and in Mumbai.

All about India's moon mission

AIndia's first Moon mission, Chandrayaan is all set to add a golden chapter to India's space endeavour when it takes off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on October 22.
Here's all that you wanted to know about India's first Moon mission

What is Chandrayaan-1?
Chandrayaan-1 is a scientific investigation -- by spacecraft -- of the Moon. The name Chandrayaan means Chandra (Moon), Yaan (vehicle). Chandrayaan-1 is the first Indian planetary science and exploration mission.
When, and from where, Chandrayaan-1 will be launched?
Chandrayaan-1 will be launched on October 22, 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota (SHAR).

How long will it take Chandrayaan-1 to get to Moon?
It will take about 5? days for Chandrayaan-1 to get to the Moon.
How close to Moon will Chandrayaan-1 come while orbiting the Moon?
Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft will be in a 100 km polar orbit around the Moon.

What are Chandrayaan' s scientific goals?
The Chandrayaan-1 mission is aimed at high-resolution remote sensing of the Lunar surface in visible, near Infrared, low energy X-rays and high-energy X-ray regions.
Specific scientific goals are:

To prepare a three-dimensional atlas (with a high spatial and altitude resolution of 5-10m) of both near and far side of the moon.

To conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface for distribution of elements such as Magnesium, Aluminum, Silicon, Calcium, Iron and Titanium with a spatial resolution of about 20 km and high atomic number elements such as Radon, Uranium & Thorium with a spatial resolution of about 40 km.

By simultaneous photo geological and chemical mapping we will be able to identify different geological units, which will test the hypothesis for the origin and early evolutionary history of the moon and help in determining the nature of the lunar crust.

What are the basic components of the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft?
The basic components of the chandrayaan-1 spacecraft are:
The scientific payloads: the instruments that will gather science data.
The solar array that provides power to the spacecraft. Chandrayaan also carries a battery that stores the power generated by the solar array and feeds it to other systems.
The thrusters perform fuel burns to change the spacecraft's trajectory and attitude.
The various functional requirements of the spacecraft such as Attitude and Orbit Control, Command processing, House keeping telemetry, Sensor data processing, Thermal management, payload data handling operation, duel gimbaled data transmission antenna pointing, onboard mission management etc would be taken care by the Bus Management Unit (BMU).
The spacecraft also carries two star sensors and inertial reference unit based on miniaturized gyros providing absolute attitude.

What are the scientific instruments onboard Chandrayaan-1?

There are altogether eleven scientific instruments onboard Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. Five of them are Indian and other six are from European Space Agency (3), NASA (2) and Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1) selected through ISRO Announcement of Opportunity (AO). Two of the ESA instruments have Indian collaboration.

What type of propulsion system will Chandrayaan-1 use? How much propellant will it carry?
Chandrayaan-1 will use bipropellant integrated propulsion system. The propulsion system consists of a unified bi-propellant system for orbit raising and attitude control.
It consists of one 440N engine and eight numbers of 22N thrusters, mounted on the negative roll face of the spacecraft. Two tanks each with a capacity of 390 liter are used for storing fuel and oxidizer.

How will mission controllers communicate with the spacecraft?
If the spacecraft encounters a problem, it can establish contact with controllers on Earth through the Deep Space Network.

Can the team fix the spacecraft from Earth?
If a component on the spacecraft fails, controllers on Earth can instruct Chandrayaan to bring a backup online. If the spacecraft points in the wrong direction, its attitude can be corrected. If the spacecraft deviates from the desired trajectory, a controlled burn (thruster firing) can be performed to put it back on track.
Most minor problems can be corrected from Earth with existing onboard instruction systems.

How is the spacecraft powered?
The spacecraft is mainly powered by its solar array, which includes one solar panel covering a total area of 2.15 X 1.8 square meters, generating 700W power. The panels are made of materials rated to withstand extreme temperatures -- 119 degree C to minus 165 degree C.
The power produced by the solar array is stored in a Lithium-ion battery, and then distributed from the battery to the spacecraft subsystems. The power system is designed to support various phases of the mission. The power will supplement the mission with equal efficiency in both noon/midnight and dawn/dusk orbits.
The power system consists of power generation, energy storage and power conditioning elements. 36AH Li-Ion battery powers the spacecraft during orbital and lunar eclipses. Power electronics system controls the solar array power to supply the load and charge the batteries.

What is the total budget for realising Chandrayaan-1 mission?
The budgetary estimate for realising the proposed Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 stands at Rs. 386 crore (about $76 million). This includes Rs 53 crore (about $11 million) for Payload development, Rs. 83 crore (about $17 million) for Spacecraft Bus, Rs 100 crore ($20 million) towards establishment of Deep Space Network, Rs 100 crore ($20 million) for PSLV launch vehicle and Rs 50 crore ($10 million) for scientific data centre, external network support and programme management expenses.

What other missions are scheduled to study Moon?
The first leap in Lunar observation was made by Galileo Galilei who used his new invention the telescope to observe mountains and craters on the lunar surface.
The first man-made object to reach the Moon was the unmanned Soviet probe Luna 2 in September 1959. Luna 9 was the first probe to soft land on the Moon in February 1966 and transmit pictures from the Lunar surface.
The first robotic lunar rover to land on the Moon was the Soviet Lunokhod 1 in November 1970.
Humans first landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969. The first man to walk on the lunar surface was Neil Armstrong, commander of the American mission Apollo 11. The last man to walk on the Moon was in December 1972 by Eugene Cernan during Apollo 17 mission.
Moon samples have been brought back to Earth by three Russian Luna missions (16, 20, and 24) and the US Apollo missions 11, 12 and 14 through 17.
The European Space Agency has launched European spacecraft Smart1 on September 27 2003 to explore the Moon, survey the lunar environment and create an X-ray map of the Moon.
Japan has two planned lunar missions, LUNAR-A and Selene.
India plans to launch a lunar orbiter for simultanious chemical and mineralogical study of the lunar surface. The People's Republic of China has also expressed ambitious plans for exploring the Moon (Change series).
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) of USA is designed to map the surface of the Moon and characterize future landing sites in terms of terrain roughness, usable resources, and radiation environment with the ultimate goal of facilitating the return of humans to the Moon.

Thanks http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/17sli1.htm

Saina Nehwal wins CYG badminton gold

Saina Nehwal went through some anxious moments before winning the girls' singles gold in the third Commonwealth Youth Games, at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, in Pune, on Friday.

India's top woman shuttler and Beijing Olympics quarter-finalist was made to sweat by 15-year-old Sikki Reddy before posting a 23-21, 22-20 victory on the fifth and penultimate day of the Games.

The bronze medal went to Panuga Riou of England , who beat Malaysia's Tiffany Currier Chase 18-21, 21-16, 21-16.

However, Sikki did get an opportunity to lay her hands on gold. She partnered P C Thulasi to beat Mary Alexandra Bruce and Shan Michelle Li Man of Canada in the doubles final.

In the men's singles top seed Guru Sai Dutt endured a tough challenge from countryman Aditya Prakash before prevailing 21-18, 20-22, 21-18.

Martin Campbell of Scotland won the bronze medal.

It needed a string of unforced errors from Sikki to enable Saina pocket the first game after she was down 17-18. Saina capitalised on her opponent's errors to take the lead at 20-18.

Sikki bounced back to level scores at 21-21 but then the India No 1 drew on all her experience to close the game with a spectacular smash.

The second game was no different as each time Saina tried to put Sikki on the mat, she would bounce back.

Saina extended her lead to 6-2 before Sikki closed down the gap to 8-5. Some errors by the Hyderabadi ace saw Sikki back on level terms at 9-9 before the 15-year-old opened up a two-point lead.

With the game oscillating from one to the other, it was Saina's turn to forge ahead. She was just two points away from victory at 19-13 when her opponent won four consecutive points as the crowd egged her own.

However, an overhead smash helped Saina stretch her lead and when Sikki's shot went beyond the line, the match was all over.

Saina lauded her opponent, who also trains at the Gopichand Academy.

"Sikki has been playing very well recently... She is giving a tough fight to all the players. She can go well from here," she said.

Domestic airlines CEOs to discuss bailout package

Hyderabad: India first-ever civil aviation exhibition and conference, India Aviation-2008 is taking place at the old Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad.

The four-day event from October 15-18 is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Federation of Indian Chambers and Industry (FICCI).

With the aviation industry facing a difficult time due to the ongoing global financial crisis and high fuel prices difficult time for the industry, the CEO's of domestic airlines will be meeting on Wednesday morning to discuss a bailout package with the Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.

The sector is staring down at losses of over Rs 4000 crore and want a financial bailout of about Rs 5000 crore, which could be a mix of soft loans and decrease in high aviation turbine fuel (ATF) taxes to a uniform four per cent across the country.
The air show itself has participation from all aircraft manufacturers including Airbus which has brought its A380, the world’s largest aircraft.

More than 200 exhibitors from leading aviation and allied industries from around the world are taking part in the show.

Amitabh Bachchan is recovering

Amitabh Bachchan, who was admitted to the Lilavati hospital on his birthday last week for treatment of abdominal pain, is on the road to recovery, a hospital spokesperson said on Tuesday.

"Big B [Images] is definitely improving and the doctors are happy with this. He is in constant conversation with his family who have been besides him throughout," the spokesperson said.

The Bollywood icon has thanked his fans for their good wishes and prayers, the spokesperson added. The hospital has, however, declined to comment on reports that Bachchan is likely to be discharged on Tuesday.

Aussie media pick on Sourav, call him serial offender

Melbourne: Intentionally or inadvertently, Sourav Ganguly continues to rub Australians the wrong way and the media in Australia poured vitriol on the former India skipper, accusing him of indulging in delaying tactics to ensure the Bangalore Test ended in a draw.

The popular belief here is that Australia were destined to win the Bangalore Test but the existing light rule, coupled with Ganguly's delaying tactics, denied Ricky Ponting's men victory in the first of the four-match Test series.

A member of the 'National Nine News' sports team took a potshot at anyone and everyone but was particularly harsh on Ganguly, whom he described as a "serial offender".

"Serial offender Sourav Ganguly firstly persuaded the umpires to go off. Then when play resumed, Ganguly made Australia's fielders and partner VVS Laxman wait an eternity because he'd apparently 'forgotten to put his thigh pad on'.

"Please! Can't you be timed out in this game?" he wrote.

According to him, the spectators were the obvious losers in the entire exercise.

"The players got something out of it. Pedantic officials got their moment of the glory. But billions of fans and more importantly – the game itself – got nothing out of this farcical finish in Bangalore," he remarked.

Criticising umpire Asad Rauf and Rudy Koertzen, the writer said, "With the match in the balance, a crucial hour's play on the final day was lost, with not one, but two stoppages for bad light – when at times the sun was shining! Umpires strutted about like Emperor Penguins, holding out their light metres – a device that like performance enhancing drugs should be banned."