General Awareness Updates

India wins Cricket World Cup for the Blind

India defeated defending champions Pakistan to win the 4th Cricket World Cup for the Blind in Cape Town, South Africa.

Except for their initial match against Pakistan, India won all games in the league, in which other participating countries were Sri Lanka, Australia, Bangladesh and England and hosts South Africa. Pakistan beat England in the semi-finals, while India ousted Sri Lanka.

South Africa won the inaugural edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup in 1998, but the game has been in decline since then due to a lack of support from most national cricketing authorities, a fact lamented by Indian captain Shekar Naik as well. He said the team was elated at having won despite the great odds and lack of support from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Tendulkar is Brand Ambassador for 2015 ICC World Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Sachin Tendulkar as the World Cup 2015 Ambassador. It will be the second successive time that the India maestro, the all-time leading run-getter in World Cup history, will be the Ambassador of ICC’s pinnacle tournament, after he fulfilled the role in the previous event in 2011.

In his role as ambassador, Mr Tendulkar will promote and support a variety of ICC initiatives to enhance the profile of the tournament, which is the third biggest sporting event in the world and will take place in Australia and New Zealand this year from 14th February to 29th March.

Mr Tendulkar retired from international cricket last year after representing India in 200 Tests, 463 ODIs and one Twenty20 International. In a career spanning 24 years, the 41-year-old scored a total of 34,357 international runs and 100 centuries. He is the all-time leading run-getter in World Cup history with 2,278 runs in 45 matches at an average of 56.95. For his 673 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, he was awarded player of the tournament as India finished runner-up to Australia.

The 11th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup will see the participation of 14 teams, including four qualifiers – Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland, and the United Arab Emirates.

Boxer Sarita Devi handed down one-year ban

Ending months of speculation regarding her career, troubled Indian female boxer Laishram Sarita Devi was banned for one year and fined Swiss francs 1,000 by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) for refusing to accept her 2014 Asian Games bronze medal.

The world boxing body also handed down two-year bans, ending 1 October 2016 to the 29-year-old boxer’s husband Thoiba Singh and coach B. I. Fernandez, and barred her coach Lenin Meitei for one year ending 1 October 2015. The AIBA, however, relieved Indian boxing chief coach G. S. Sandhu from all charges of misdemeanour.

Speculation was rife that the apex body of world boxing will impose a life-ban on the former world champion. The Indian government had earnestly appealed for consideration of her humble background and controversy-free image to spare her a career-ending ban. The ban will run till 1 October 2015, providing her an opportunity to represent the country in the 2016 Olympic Games.

In Incheon, a day after she lost the 60-kg category semi-final bout to host challenger Jina Park despite dominating the bout, an inconsolable Sarita refused to accept the bronze medal and later handed it over to Park, who left the medal on the podium before making her exit at the Seonhak Gymnasium.