Pune will get no sympathy from us: Gayle

Chris Gayle sounded out a warning to Pune as Bangalore prepared to play their last of three consecutive home games at the M Chinnsawamy Stadium. 

While the hosts are placed on second spot, Pune are languishing in the bottom half, and hurting after a crushing defeat to Punjab despite the batting finally coming good. 

However, Gayle said Bangalore would not take things lightly and ensure that they take maximum points before embarking on a long phase of away games. 

"The match against Pune on Tuesday marks the last of three consecutive home games for us before we head on the road for six straight away games. For this reason in particular, it's crucial for us to take maximum points," Gayle wrote in his column. 

"Pune visit us after a tough loss against Punjab. But they know they will get no sympathy from us," Gayle said. 

Bangalore's successful season so far is a tribute to their team spirit and some consistent performances by key players. Skipper Virat Kohli holds the Orange Cap (for most runs) while Vinay Kumar has held on to the Purple Cap (for most wickets). Gayle, who held the batting honours last year said he was happy for his teammates, but warned the team against complacency with a lot of cricket to be played in the tournament. 

"It's pleasing to see that in addition to Bangalore being top of the league standings, Virat and Vinay also hold the Orange and Purple caps respectively which is a testimony to our good all-round cricket. 

"We know only too well that it would be foolhardy to dwell on the present when there's still so much left to play for in the tournament. 

"All our hard work is paying off, but we need to continue pulling our weight together and avoid dropping our guard if we are to secure our first objective of an early playoff spot," Gayle wrote. 

Gayle was also pleased to see another West Indian great, Vivian Richards making his 'mark' in the Indian T20 League. Richards, roped in by Delhi as adviser seemed to have inspired the struggling side to a nine-wicket victory over Mumbai. Virender Sehwag roared back to form with an unbeaten 95 while Mahela Jayawardene found his touch and scored his second fifty this season. 

"Meanwhile, I'm happy to see that the Indian T20 League has been enriched by the arrival of the legendary Sir Viv Richards who has joined Delhi in an advisory role. I don't think it was a coincidence that in the first game Delhi played post his appointment, they have produced their best batting display of the tournament so far. 

"I'm sure his words would have inspired the Delhi players as a motivational speech from him is guaranteed to get the best out of any player," Gayle said. 

Thunderhead Cloud!.....

Thunderhead Cloud!
No, it’s not an explosion or anything. That is just a cloud, looks amazing though. It’s called Thunderhead Cloud or a Cumulonimbus cloud, and the color which you can see in, is because of the sun rays falling through it. !!

Jadeja wilts under Watson pressure......

Ravindra Jadeja had a sensational game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday, taking three wickets and scoring a 14-ball 36 on a track everyone else struggled on. Things didn't work out as well for him today, as Shane Watson whacked him around the stadium. His first two overs were taken for 27, and the first ball of his third was clubbed for six by Watson. Jadeja was clearly under pressure, so much so that his second delivery was hurled so far outside off that it would have been a wide even in a Test. More displays like these, and the Sir Jadeja jokes will quickly die out.

The offbreak

"Two things you should never do: cut a spinner and pat a burning dog," Matt Prior famously said. Ajinkya Rahane learned the value of that cricketing advice in the eighth over of the match. Chennai Super Kings' trump bowler R Ashwin, who has bowled plenty of legspinners this season, got a flighted offbreak to spin in a long way. Rahane shaped for the cut but the sharp turn was too good for him, and the ball crashed into the stumps, to end a breakneck opening partnership. "Ash good as it gets," said the giant screen.

The evasive action

With Watson in a murderous mood, it wasn't only the Super Kings bowlers who were at the receiving end. In the fifth over, Watson hammered a flighted delivery from Ashwin straight back down the ground. It was a flat hit that screamed towards the umpire, who seemed set for a painful blow. At the last moment, though, he leapt as though performing a jumping jack and the ball zipped between his legs for four. The next delivery was almost punched back - not with as much power though - and the umpire had to duck to get out of the way this time.

The miss

Watson could have been dismissed as early as the fifth over. After powering his way to 32, he pushed the ball to the right of Suresh Raina at extra cover and set off for a non-existent single. Raina is one of the best fielders in the tournament, and he was onto the ball quickly. He had only one stump to aim at, and missed - with Watson already having given up.

Another fifty(wins) for Dhoni.......

MS Dhoni added another entry to the list of his achievements when he became the first captain in the IPL to lead a team to 50 wins. The landmark came with Chennai Super Kings' tight win against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 20. Super Kings have made it to four IPL finals, winning two of them, under Dhoni's leadership and in 2010, they became the first IPL team to win the Champions League Twenty20. Gautam Gambhir and Adam Gilchrist are the next two captains in the list with 31 wins each.

Dhoni, who has played as a captain in 84 IPL matches,17 more than the second-placed Gilchrist, maintains a high win to loss ratio of 1.51. For players who have led a side in more than 10 matches in the IPL, only Virat Kohli has a better ratio - 2.50 from 17 matches. However, Dhoni has also suffered the second-most losses in IPL while leading a team. While Gilchrist tops the list with 36 losses, Dhoni has been involved in 33 losses as the CSK captain.During the Test series against Australia, Dhoni had become the most successful Test captain for India with 24 wins. He has also led India to ODI and T20 World Cup titles.

DRAVID ON CSK.......

Rahul Dravid: "Very pleased [with 185]. One of the finest T20 innings from Watto, in humid conditions. Early on, we missed it a bit [with the ball]. You felt they always had the team. Every time we got a wicket, someone came in and got a six."

Dwayne Bravo praises Hussey's work ethic, saying he still keeps going despite being done with international cricket

Shane Watson: "Few things went my way with the bat but you'd take that back for a win. We knew that was a lot of runs on that wicket but we knew they have a long batting order and we would have to bowl well, but we could not execute well. [My bowling] has been something I have been missing last three months, could not do it today. Hopefully it will come out better."

CSK WON....

Chennai Superkings Won the Match ......:)
And a great innings by Mr.Cricket.
CSK U BEAUTY...
ON TOP OF THE TABLE,..

Big B, SRK to shoot promotional video for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag..........

Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra who is all set to make a comeback with Farhan Akhtar starrer Bhaag Milkha Bhaag has roped in Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.

It seems Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is leaving no stone unturned to make his upcoming film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag a hit. The filmmaker has roped in close friend Amitabh Bachchan  and superstar Shah Rukh Khan to shoot a special video as part of the film's marketing strategy.

Shah Rukh's hockey and football playing experience has come handy.

Watch the trailer

Read more at:http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/big-b-srk-promotional-video-bhaag-milkha-bhaag/1/267055.html

Justin Bieber hints at reconciliation...........

Justin Bieber has hinted he is back together with Selena Gomez by posting an intimate new photo of them together on Twitter but he quickly deleted it.

Justin Bieber has hinted he and Selena Gomez are officially back together.

The 19-year-old 'Beauty and a Beat' singer - who was dumped by the brunette beauty in December after a tumultuous two year relationship - briefly posted an uncaptioned new photo of them cuddling up together on Saturday (20.04.13) but he quickly deleted it.

The 'Spring Breakers' actress flew to Norway earlier this week to see the 'Baby' hitmaker, who is currently on tour, and they were soon spotted kissing.

A source previously said: "They were holding hands, hugging and they kissed on the lips. They looked really in love, like no fights ever happened before. It definitely looked like they were back together."

Pals recently insisted that despite their on/off relationship, the pair - who split late last year - can't stay away from each other and have an intense connection.

One friend also said: "They are totally hooking up again. There is definitely some unfinished business there and they need to work things out."

But friends close to Selena are not impressed that she is spending time with her ex-boyfriend again, despite the fact she wants to keep their relationship casual for the moment.

The insider said: "None of her girlfriends think it is a good idea. She's definitely not looking to get back with him for the long haul."

The duo broke up shortly after holidaying in Mexico where they had planned to ring in the New Year together but got into a huge argument on December 30 after she allegedly found text messages from other girls on his phone.

Read more at:http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/justin-bieber-hints-at-reconciliation/1/266999.html

GSLV-D5 set for July launch......

BANGALORE: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will go ahead with the launch of a Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D5) in July, said K Radhakrishnan, the chairman of the country's space agency. 

The GSLV-D5, which will carry an indigenouscryogenic engine, will be a renewed attempt fromISRO after the launch of a GSLV-D3 (with an indigenous cryogenic engine) in April 2010 ended in failure. 

"The previous seven flights of the GSLV have indicated several small issues. We have studied all that and made improvements for the GSLV-D5," said Radhakrishnan. 

"We did about 35 tests to find the causes of its failure on ground on cryogenic engine and its sub systems. This time around the flight engine has been tested on ground, and has been integrated, while the cryogenic engine is in the final stage of integration," he added. 

The final insulation of stage, for GSLV-D5, is currently on progress. It will then be moved to Sriharikota on May 15. 

The integration of GSLV engine, meanwhile, started on January 31. 

"The first stage has already been stacked, and the four strap-on are available. The review committee for integration has cleared the second liquid stage for launch," Radhakrishnan added. 

The high altitude test for the cryogenic engine was conducted in a test facility, which stimulated vacuum conditions, on March 27. 

There remains, however, one more high altitude test, which is yet to be conducted, said Radhakrishnan. 

"We are then all set for the launch," he added.

Shinde pulls up states for not doing enough to strengthen intelligence set up; pitches for NCTC.......

NEW DELHI: Accusing states of not doing enough to strengthen intelligence set up, the Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday made a strong pitch for setting up theNational Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) -- the controversial anti-terror body which could not be put in place due to strong opposition from the non-Congress chief ministers.

Shinde tried to push the idea of setting up this central body while making his statement in the Parliament on the last week's Bangalore blast.

He said, "We have now a revised formulation of NCTC which takes care of the objections of the states". Though he did not elaborate on it, his reference was to the 'revised' draft which keeps the body out of the ambit of Intelligence Bureau as desired by some non-Congress chief ministers.

The fresh draft, which is to be shared with the states, also adds a provision clarifying that the anti-terror body will not do any operation (arrest, search and seizure) without taking concerned state police chief into the loop.

It will, however, have an 'exception' clause where the central agency will have to conduct operations in some extraordinary situation without taking the concerned state into the loop as it may not be possible to inform the DGP immediately. It may give some case-specific examples where it is needed to act immediately.

The home minister may make a similar pitch next when his ministry is expected to hold a Conference of chief ministers on 'internal security'.

After giving factual details of the Bangalore blast which left 16 persons, including 11 police personnel, injured on April 17, Shinde on Monday did not spare states while asking them to strengthen intelligence set up. He said, "We have been advising the states on this, but we have not seen much progress".

Stating that some nitrate-based compounds could possibly be used as explosive materials in assembling the IED for Bangalore blast, the home minister underlined the need for tighter checks on explosives and said that his ministry took initiative and worked with the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) to prevent the misuse of ammonium nitrate (commonly available explosives used by terror groups in making bombs).

The DIPP has engaged the National Institute of Smart Governance (NISG) to put in place explosives tracking system. "But the problems will remain till the district magistrates and superintendents of police have the stocks and consumption of the licensed explosive users checked more often and more stringently," the home minister said.

The NISG has devised an elaborate plan for bar-coding of explosives and for using GPS systems to track the movement of explosives. It has also set out a procedure for monitoring the movement of explosives from one point to another.

The home ministry has already asked states for escorting of trucks carrying explosives and detonators by providing arm guards along with them whenever they pass through the states. The proposed system of NISG provides for continuous monitoring of all these movements of explosives by a system of SMS alerts and emails.

HUSSEY ROCKS......

MIKE HUSSEY, you just keep winning our hearts... Over these 6 seasons of IPL, we have realized that you are one of the gentleman of the game but we also realized that you play the game hard nd fair..

You have done exactly that tonight.. We all thought that this would be a TOUGH CHASE as we were chasing a MASSIVE TARGET of 186 runs!!..

But you made it an ABSOLUTE CAKEWALK... Rajasthan Royal didn't have an idea that where they have to bowl to you...

I pity Australian cricket that they are missing you so badly.. Indeed, they should by the way you are playing for CSK..

An inning of tremendous QUALITY in the heat of Chennai.. An innings of 88 runs which needs to be TRULY RESPECTED..

Narendra Modi is a new hope, says BJP MP Anurag Thakur........

LUDHIANA: Terming the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a "new hope",BJP leader Anurag Thakur today said that the former is not only popular among the party but also liked by people from "various shades" in the country. 

"Modi is the most popular leader not only amongst the BJP but was also liked by the people belonging to various shades in the country," Thakur, an MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, told reporters here. 

In a separate query, he said that there was no opposition of Modi in the BJP. "He is our most popular chief minister as well as leader. Why we will oppose him," the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha President said. 

On the party's prime ministerial candidate, Thakur said the name of the candidate will be revealed at the proper time when the elections to Lok Sabha are announced.

Narendra Modi slams UPA for undermining nation's federal structure.......

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Chief MinisterNarendra Modi hit out at the Centre today for undermining the federal structure of the state in his blog. 

"The credit for establishing the civil service in Independent India goes to Sardar Patel. He wanted and argued for a federal civil service, mainly to protect the unity and integrity of the country," Modi wrote on his blog, on Civil Service Day. 

"However, Sardar Patel's vision of creating a federal service could not be achieved. This is because the rulers thereafter wanted to control it and use it in a manner desired by them. This problem reached unbearable limits during the tenure of the present UPA government," Modi said. 

"There is a major difference between the civil service of the British Raj and that of the Indian Republic. The British established the Indian civil service to protect and consolidate their rule in India. Whereas, the civil service established in post-Independent India was meant to serve the people in a democratic framework of governance," Modi said. 

He said civil servants still have a large role to play and their task is incomplete. 

"Unfortunately, Sardar Patel did not get time to re-orient civil servants for the next task - socio-economic integration of the country. Though, civil servants largely played their given roles, their task is still incomplete," Modi said. 

The issues of security and integrity of the country remain equally important, he said, adding that efficiency and effectiveness in development administration is the major need of the hour.

Both Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi are nominees of CII, Ficci: UP CM Akhilesh Yadav.......

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadavhas questioned the pan-India appeal of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi while seeming to poke fun at Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, his rival in the UP polls last year.

The 39-year-old politician, the youngest chief minister of India's largest state, also questioned the secular credentials of hisBihar counterpart, Nitish Kumar, because of the latter's long innings as a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

In an hour-long interview to ET at his residence in Lucknow, Yadav said both Modi and Gandhi were the nominees of industry bodies CII and Ficci. The two leaders, the presumptive PM candidates of their respective parties, have recently made highprofile appearances at industry events organised by the two chambers of commerce.

UPA Govt in Last Stages

Yadav, who was generally dismissive of the prospects of both leaders in the course of the conversation, said the socalled Modi wave is a media creation and the Gujarat CM's appeal is restricted to his home state.

"He (Modi) is in the media and Gujarat and nowhere else...he had come to UP during the polls (in 2012) but could not do wonders," says Yadav. He stressed that the Samajwadi Party(SP) headed by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, had tackled "big storms" in the past and dismissed the view that Modi could polarise votes in the state.

"Muslims (thought to be averse to Modi) are very aware and well informed voters, especially in UP. I can say that SP will receive their support... I do not think one person coming in will change voting patterns."

He tauntingly described Gandhi as bhavishya ke neta (leader of the future). "Woh to bhavishya ke neta hain. Sab kehte hain to hum bhi kehte hain. Par pata nahin vo bhavishya kab aayega! (He is the leader of the future. Everyone says it, so I say it too. But I don't know when that future will come.)"

He was also non-committal on his party's continuing support to the UPA even as he stressed that the government had the support of the SP for the time being. "It continues right now. But what will happen tomorrow, I can't say."

In any case, the UPA government was in its last stages, Yadav said, as even the Congress has indicated that polls could be round the corner. But whether the SP would actually topple the government was a decision that his father and party head Mulayam Singh Yadav would take.

He tore into Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's secular image stating that the twoterm chief minister's professions of secularism "confuses" him at times. " He is called a secular leader. How secular can he prove himself to be I cannot say. But I fail to understand how you can be secular while being with the BJP."

Yadav also accused senior BJP leader LK Advani of taking advantage of what he described as his father's simple nature. Referring to the elder Yadav's recent praise of Advani and criticism of the UP government, he said that his father had not been able to see through Advani's politics on that occasion.

MISSION RED PLANET.....

speak these to yourself by Abdul kalam......

Salman Khan’s ‘Mental’ loses 12 days and Rs 25 crores ..........

New Delhi: Salman Khan – who has had his fair share of controversies in the past – is going through a rough patch on his career front this year.


According to a leading daily, with an impasse over the clash between stuntmen from the South and Mumbai, the King of blockbusters has lost almost 12 days of shooting for ‘Mental’ and has also incurred a loss of a whooping 25 crore.

Sohail Khan – the producer-director of ‘Mental’ – has hired a leading South Indian fight master for his upcoming flick abiding by the All India Film Employees Confederation (AIFEC), according to which 70% of the fighters have to be local and 30% from the region of the fight master. 

In case of ‘Mental’, fighters from the South refused to shoot and demanded that 50% of their men be hired for the action scenes.

“The unit had to return within a week even though it was a 15-day schedule in Kolhapur because the fighters refused to shoot. There was another schedule in Lavasa, which was a continuity sequence from a Dubai shoot that needed the same fighters. There too, the Film Employees` Federation of South India (FEFSI) refused to send their stuntmen,” a source said.

Dharmesh Tiwari, President of AIFEC, said “The FEFSI is not ready to follow the rule passed in March 2013, and they are forcing the producer to take 50% of their fighters.”

We hope Salman’s troubles come to an end soon!

Rajnikanth’s new avatar in ‘Kochadaiyan’......

New Delhi: Superstar Rajnikanth is all set to hit the silver screen yet again, and this time with a Tamil period film ‘Kochadaiyan’. The first look of the film reveals his two new avatars.


The 62-year-old actor will reportedly be seen playing both the lead ‘Kochadaiyaan’ and his son Rana in the movie directed by his daughter Soundarya R Ashwin.

The movie, which is India`s first motion-capture film, presents Deepika Padukone as the leading lady.

Written by KS Ravi Kumar, Kochadaiyan also features R Sarath Kumar, Aadi Pinisetty, Shobana, Rukmini Vijayakumar, Jackie Shroff and Nasser.

Emma Watson treated to surprise pinata-filled b’day bash by pals.........

London: Emma Watson`s friends celebrated her 23rd birthday in New York by making 23 different pinatas representing each year of the star`s life.

There were more surprises for Watson including a few naughty male body parts, dedicated to her recent movie role in crime drama `The Bling Ring`, the Sun reported.

A source revealed to the publication that the 23-year-old beauty was astounded to see all the pinatas, when she arrived at the party.

"There was everything from her as a child, and as Hermione in the Harry Potter films, to her in the Chanel advert a couple of years ago," the insider added.

The Brit actress` friends had even gone to the effort of stuffing a few of the pinatas with sweets and treats, so that Watson could smash them open. 

Not just in Delhi, rapes happen elsewhere too: Shinde......

New Delhi: Amidst strong protests over the rape and brutality meted out to a five-year-old girl here, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday tabled a statement in both the houses of Parliament related to the horrific case. 

In a bid to assuage the raging protests, Shinde said rapes are taking place not just in Delhi but across India. 

Making a suo motu statement in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day, Shinde had said an inquiry has been ordered into the lapses on part of police to investigate the disappearance of the five-year-old girl and attempt to hush up the matter. 
Shinde gave details of the incident in Gandhi Nagar area of East Delhi on April 15 and the investigations conducted so far. 

He said the Station House Officer (SHO) and the Investigating Officer (IO) have been placed under suspension taking note of the lapses in the investigation. 

"The Joint CP (Vigilance) has been asked to conduct an inquiry. The Jt CP (Vigilance) shall also enquire into the allegation that the local police paid some money to the father of the victim to hush up the case," Shinde said in the statement which was laid in the House. 

The victim's parents had alleged that some police personnel had offered them Rs 2,000 and told them to keep quiet over the issue. 

Shinde said two accused have been arrested in connection with the case. 
Medical examination of the first accused, arrested from Muzaffarpur district of Bihar on April 19, has been conducted for DNA, he said. 

The accused is presently under judicial custody. Speaking against the backdrop of major uproar and street protests, Shinde told the House that the five-year-old girl was reported missing on April 15 and an FIR was registered at 10 pm. 

"The police started searching and conducting raids in the East Delhi area," the Home Minister said. 

In the early hours of April 17, 2013, the mother of the girl heard weeping sound of the child from the ground floor of the same house where her parents lived on the first floor, Shinde said. 

The ground floor was found locked from outside and the police, when informed, broke open the door and recovered the child, he said. 

The girl was rushed to Swami Dayanand Hospital, which is the nearest, and preliminary medico-legal case confirmed "sexual assault of brutal kind", Shinde said. 

Her condition was reported to be stable after an operation conducted on April 18. She was later shifted to AIIMS on April 19 for better treatment and presently her condition is reported to be stable, he said. 

In the meantime, on April 19, some protesters were holding demonstration at the Dayanand Hospital where the Minister concerned of Delhi government was visiting to enquire about the health of the child along with the local MP, Shinde said. 

Some protesters tried to break through the police cordon around the hospital in order to enter the premises, he said. 

An Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) was seen on camera slapping one of the lady protesters, the Home Minister said, adding the officer BS Ahlawat has been placed under suspension with immediate effect. 

Non-bailable warrant issued against Sanjay Dutt........

New Delhi: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt is in trouble again. After getting a five-year sentence from the Supreme Court for his alleged involvement in the 1993 Mumbai blasts, the Andheri court on Monday issued a non-bailable warrant against the actor for threatening producer Shakeel Noorani.

According to Noorani, Dutt had signed a movie with him in 2002 but later backed out for some reasons. When the actor was asked to pay the signing amount and the losses incurred by the producer, Dutt simply refused and instead used his underworld contacts to threaten Noorani.

Earlier a lower court had issued summons to Dutt but he did not turn up.
In a turn of events, the court in Mumbai has now issued a non-bailable warrant against the actor who is already reeling under the Supreme Court’s verdict.

China denies its troops crossed into India.........

Beijing: China dismissed as ‘speculation’ on Monday complaints in New Delhi that its troops had crossed into Indian territory and set up a camp in a remote disputed area of the Himalayas. 

The Indian government claimed at the weekend that soldiers from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) entered the northeast of Ladakh and erected a camp on the night of April 15. 

The de facto border separating China and India is known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC). While it has never been formally demarcated, the countries signed two accords to maintain peace in frontier areas in 1993 and 1996. "China's frontier troops have been abiding by the agreement between the two countries and abide by the actual line of control between the two countries," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing. 

Asked about apparent worries in New Delhi, she said it was "only the speculation of some Indian people". 

"Our troops are patrolling on the Chinese side of the actual line of control and have never trespassed the line," she added. 

Tension at the border is a regular feature and the Indian press frequently reports on apparent incursions by Chinese troops as well as the build-up of Chinese military forces and infrastructure in frontier areas of Tibet. 

According to Indian reports the Chinese troops have remained at the same position since arriving last Monday, but officials in the Indian defence and foreign ministries declined to comment about the incident. 

Relations between the giant neighbours are often prickly and marked by mutual suspicion -- a legacy of a brief border war in 1962 that was waged in Ladakh and in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. 

India's The Hindu newspaper reported recently that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was set to visit New Delhi next month as part of efforts to boost confidence between the world's most populous countries. 

"We believe the current China-India relations have been in a fine shape, there is good communication and coordination on the boundary issue. The border areas are in a peaceful condition," Hua added at Monday's briefing. 

A government source, talking to a news agency about the alleged incursion at the weekend, said New Delhi was confident it could settle the high-altitude territorial dispute "peacefully" through diplomatic channels. 

India, China holding flag meetings on incursion issue: Khurshid........

New Delhi: India and China are holding flag meetings to address the issue of incursion by Chinese troops in Ladakh, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said on Monday. 

"We are still in touch and flag meetings are going on. There is more information to come. We will factor all that and then take a final view," he told reporters outside Parliament House. 

The Minister was asked to comment on the situation after Chinese troops entered the Indian territory in Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector in eastern Ladakh and erected a tented post. 

"We are addressing this issue in an appropriate manner. We just do not want any departure from proportionality. I do not think we should allow this to get beyond the immediate area and we should retain at that level and not allow it to escape that level," Khurshid said. The issue was raised by India after the incident came to light some time ago. 

A platoon-strength contingent of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) came 10 km inside the Indian territory in Burthe in DBO sector, which is at an altitude of about 17,000 feet, on the night of April 15 and established a tented post there. 

Khurshid declined to comment on the issue of "leakage" of the draft JPC report on 2G spectrum scam. 

Not among runs, Gilchrist says he is under scrutiny......

Mohali: Going through a lean patch, Kings XI Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist has indicated there could be a change of guard when the team plays its next match in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Punjab pulled off a thrilling win over Pune Warriors here last night riding on David Miller and Mandeep Singh`s brisk half centuries, but Gilchrist`s poor run of form continued, with the Aussie spilling a catch off Aaron Finch -- he went on to score a fifty -- besides getting out cheaply.

"I am definitely under scrutiny, I have not scored runs... The drop catch was a really bad let off and it could have cost us the game. Not good enough for me. When we sit down at the selection table, we will have to look at that and see what`s right. Fortunately, the young guys have really lifted the team today to a great result," he said.

Gilchrist`s countryman Shaun Marsh joined the squad two days ago, and his availability has opened up options for the opening slot.

"Yeah, we have got some thinking to do, with David playing so well and Shaun`s back. We will have to assess how ready he (Shaun) is and when he is able to get back into the team. There are plenty of options. There is definitely some areas of weakness, I haven`t scored the runs."

About the Mohali wicket, he said that it was a very good strip.

"It was such difficult ground to defend and hence the reason to bowl first and chase the total. Knowing the power of David`s game and the touch of Mandeep, I thought it was a good blend out there."

Gilchrist also appreciated Mandeep`s common sense, saying the batsman kept his nerve at crucial moments and used his cricketing brain to the best.

Miller, who accompanied Gilchrist, said Mandeep did an "unbelievable job to bat all the way through".

He said the team was initially under pressure having lost two quick wickets, "but Mandy batted well and with about 10 plus runs needed, Mandy kept telling me that we just need a boundary an over. I really believe we were in the game whole time, to be honest".

Finch, meanwhile, said there was little they could have done with the two opposition batsmen playing "special" innings.

"Unfortunately, we were at the receiving end of a very special innings," Finch admitted.

He said that Pune had been in position to win three games that had eventually gone the other way.

He, however, said that the team will take out "some real positives out of this game".

He also praised the way Yuvraj Singh and Luke Wright batted.

About the track, Finch said, "the wicket was beautiful. Anytime there is 360-370 runs scored in 40 overs is pretty special. The wicket looked a bit indifferent and we were not sure how it is going to play, but we took the gamble and decided to bat first. The wicket turned out to be outstanding, it was a perfect T20 wicket."

Asked if giving Wright the last over was a correct decision, he said, "it`s a funny one, when you win the game, you look like a hero and when you lose, you look like a bit of an idiot. The way Ashok (Dinda) bowled the 19th over was outstanding.

"In that circumstances, it was unbelievable. The guy (Miller) was in phenomenal form, he was on song from the start. He had a great partnership with Mandeep. I don`t think we did too much wrong to be honest."