PM Narendra Modi Declares 36th National Games Open

Ahead of the 91st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the BCCI in Mumbai on Tuesday, there were enough speculations about the issue of International Cricket Council (ICC) chairmanship and whether India was to send a candidate for the top post. More so, after Sourav Ganguly's exit as the BCCI president was all but decided and initial reports had claimed that the former India captain may be fielded by the BCCI.  However, sources have confirmed that there was no discussion to field a candidate for ICC chairman at the AGM. The last date for filing the nominations for the ICC top job is October 20.

Maharashtra boxer won gold in the men's middleweight category, but stood on top of the podium, devoid of any joy. He looked skywards and thanked his coach and mentor, Dhananjay Tiwari, with folded hands. Tiwari wasn't among the spectators at the Mahatma Mandir Complex's boxing arena in Gandhinagar to cheer and watch his ward secure the biggest medal of his nascent boxing career. The coach died tragically in a highway accident while riding his bike from Mumbai to Gujarat to watch his ward in action. "I cherish this medal. I will always be thankful to my coach for shaping up my career. I'll miss him," said Dubey. After winning his quarterfinal bout on Monday, Dubey called his Mumbai-based coach to inform him about his high-octane clash against reigning national champion Sumit Kundu in the semis. The excited coach readied himself for a bike ride from Mumbai to Gandhinagar. But he met with a road accident on his way and succumbed to his injuries by the time Dubey won his 75kg category bout against the Services boxer. "It was his dream that I would win my bout against Kundu and fight for the gold medal. I spoke to him on Monday and told him I was fighting Kundu. He was so excited and said he was coming for my bout. He said, 'I know you have the ability to beat him and win the gold'," an emotional Dubey said after winning the title.

Kerala and Karnataka's Hashika Ramchandra walked away with the individual top honours while Services reasserted their supremacy as a team with the 36th National Games concluding, here on Wednesday. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar gave away the coveted Raja Bhalindra Singh Trophy to the Services contingent for the fourth consecutive time. They cornered 61 gold, 35 silver and 32 bronze to tower over all the competing teams. The 29-year-old Prakash won eight medals, with five individual gold, two silver and a bronze, to be named the 'Best Male Athlete'. Hashika Ramachandra was awarded the 'Best Female Athlete'. The 14-year-old won six gold medals in her collection of seven on National Games debut.

Sourav Ganguly is set to be replaced as president of Indian cricket, with the former captain's backers claiming he has been forced out for refusing to join the ruling political party.

An Olympian and also a decorated Indian swimmer, Srihari Nataraj, alleged 'misbehaviour' by the staff of Indigo Airlines while he was returning from the National Games in Gujarat. Srihari alleged that the staff didn't just behave badly with him but also charged a hefty amount for carrying excess baggage on the flight. "I was returning from the National Games held in Gujarat, and the staff not only behaved badly but also charged us a hefty amount for excess baggage which was the medals and goodies that we athletes had won," he said in a tweet while tagging the airline.

Reid is here to witness the final of the eight-team hockey competition to be played at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium here on Tuesday. "This is the first National Games I am watching. I would say it has come at the right time.