Indian players chart out Independence Day plans

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Independence Day memories revolve around sweets being distributed in his school, while Suresh Raina misses the kite flying sessions. Young Virat Kohli, travelling with the Indian senior side, remembers relaxed outings with his friends.

As a team, they will celebrate Independence Day. “We will have a flag-hoisting ceremony before the match,” team manager Sanjay Desai says. “It will be a short ceremony though.” The national anthem will be played out from one of the players’ i-pods.

And while the Indian team will stand in attention during the anthem, the fans will be hoping they will be at ease once the action shifts on to the field.

Dammika Prasad, who dismantled the Indian batsmen with raw pace during the Test series, couldn’t find a place for himself in the one-day squad but the Sri Lankan is in high demand in South India.

The Deccan Chargers and the Bangalore Royal Challengers are fighting it out to sign up Prasad for the second season of Indian Premier League. Prasad admitted that “the two teams have shown interest in me and I am in the process of negotiation with them,” but refused to dwell further on the issue.

Interestingly, both the South teams ended up at the bottom of the table in the first edition and announced their intention of shoring up their squads. India’s chief tormentor, Ajantha Mendis has already been signed up by Kolkata Knight Riders last season. Sri Lanka Cricket has been at loggerheads with their players, who have forced the board to postpone their proposed England tour next year as it clashes with the second edition of IPL.

Moral of the story: Do well against India, and earn big rewards.