MUMBAI: The Emerald Isle, Sri Lanka will play host to a One Day International Tri Series involving New Zealand and India. The Compaq cup will see a star studded commentary team from Ten Sports including Tony Grieg, Ian Bishop, Mike Haysman and Arun Lal

Currently at no. 2 in the team ODI Rankings, India will be the hot favourites in the tournament. But given the unpredictable nature of the game, the contest between the three teams will be fierce. For India, all eyes will be on Rahul Dravid as he makes a return to One Day cricket after almost two years.

The Indian side, have had a break from International cricket and to get the boys back into a match fitness state, a conditioning camp was organized at the national cricket academy in Bangalore. The main focus of the camp was fitness and dealing with the individuals, on a one to one basis was the newly appointed fitness trainer - Ramji Srinivasan along with the support staff of Coach Gary Kirsten and the mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton

For the Black Caps, the One Day version is much more their cup of tea as they have won six and drawn one of their last eight series. Captain Vettori, reiterated this fact when he confessed that , they were indeed stronger in the limited-overs format because it suited some of the boys better. He felt that with the experience of playing Test cricket in the region, would have strengthened a few of the players for the limited-overs series. He had high hopes especially for the batsmen in the side. New Zealand have some personnel changes, such as fast bowlers Kyle Mills, Shane Bond and Ian Butler and relative rookies Brendon Diamanti and Neil Broom, but the core group stays the same.

The hosts, Sri Lanka would look to take advantage of the home conditions. In the ICC ODI rankings they do stand a poor 7th , and would look at the tri series to move them to a higher position. With stalwarts such as Sanath Jayasuriya in their ranks, the younger members of the squad will only benefit with his presence. At the age of 40 its not surprising that he has played the most number of one day international cricket than anyone else in the world. In his 20 year career he has played in 435 matches amassing 13202 runs with his highest score of 189!

The action will unfold from September the 8th. With the sides gearing up for the Champions Trophy, later in the month, this series will be fought in full earnestness to gain that crucial psychological edge. Sri Lanka and New Zealand are part of the same group with India in the other.

All the action from the tri-series can be seen live on Ten Sports.

This series promises to prove most detractors wrong, that one day cricket is slowly dying. With close encounters that New Zealand, Sri Lanka and India can provide in the 50 over set up just goes to show that all formats of the great game of cricket can exist independent of each other.

MUMBAI: hen it comes to voice, none can match Asha Bhonsle when it comes to variety? and at 75 years she is one of the rare breed of singers whose voice matches perfectly to Hollywood heroines who have just begun their career. With a career spanning more than six decades, the famous playback singer has sung over 20,000 songs in practically every Indian language and is still going strong.

And when you speak of versatility, who can forget the golden oldies such as Piya tu ab to aaja (film Caravan, 1971, with Helen gyrating to the hit number), the sexy Duniya mein logon ko (Apna Desh, 1972), the defiant Dum Maro Dum ( Hare Rama Hare Krishna, 1971), and the ever green romantic hit Chura Liyaa Hai TumneJo Dil Ko (Yaadon Ki Baaraat, 1973)? to the current Tanha Tanha and Rangeela Re from the film Rangeela (1995), Asha Bhosale has charmed many a generation with her melodious voice.

To celebrate the living legend?s achievements, IBN-Lokmat brings to you her birthday special ? Watch Asha Bhonsle speak her heart out for an exclusive interview on IBN-Lokmat on Tuesday 8th September 2009 at 10.30 AM and Repeat telecast at 2.30PM & 10.30PM. Only on IBN-Lokmat

In this exclusive interview to IBN-Lokmat - Asha Bhonsle speaks about her recent honour by Amazon.com, (her album Precious Platinum has been featured in the Top 100 Greatest World Music Albums of all time by Amazon.com), and her views about current music promotion policies; new talents; reality shows

; her devotion for ?Lalbaugcha Raja?; her love for cooking; and last but not the least, how she makes her birthday plans.

MUMBAI: Aspiring Rock Stars of the city can now look forward to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as IDEA Cellular has announced the City Audition of its unique Musical Talent Hunt ? ?Idea Rocks India? to be held on Monday, September 7, 2009. The talent hunt show will be telecast on the popular TV channel, Colors starting Sunday, September 27, 2009.

IDEA has created a Microsite http://www.idearocksindia.in.com to provide details about the audition and registration process. Interested candidates can register online, or by sending an SMS ?IRI? to 55456 (IDEA customers) or 56882 (non-IDEA customers). Walk-in registrations will be conducted at the venue of audition in Mumbai on September 7th at 8:00 am.

The star studded jury of ?Idea Rocks India 4? on Colors, will comprise of leading male playback singer Shaan, and Vasundhara Das, a versatile singer and actress, besides other celebrity judges from the film, music and entertainment fraternity. The show will be anchored by Karan Singh Grover, a TV serial actor, along with a female co-anchor.

IDEA Cellular launched ?Idea Rocks India? in 2006 to bring the country?s musical sensations closer to its subscribers, and other music lovers. For the last three consecutive years ?Idea Rocks India? has been entertaining the fans with its successful concert tours in Indian cities, packed with performances by the likes of Salman Khan, Lara Dutta, Bipash Basu, Kareena Kapoor, Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan, and Sonu Nigam. This year ?Idea Rocks India? will traverse the length and breadth of the country to discover the best musicians.

MUMBAI: The verdict is out; the viewers have spoken. JAY HIND!, a standup comedy show with the unique distinction of being the world?s first show on the internet with a television format has touched the whopping one million viewer mark in a short span of two weeks since its release. The experimentation with a full-blown stand up comedy show for the first time on the Internet twelve years after the resounding success of Movers and Shakers on Indian Television, has paid off for producers Abhigyan and Mirnal Jha of Undercover Productions.

The creative team then and now, have retained the essential comic ingredients that hooks audiences on to the show. A lot has changed ? the medium for one. Buzzintown, the leading entertainment portal replaces popular television channel Sony, which aired Movers and Shakers in 1997. Sumeet Raghavan, of the popular Sarabhai vs Sarabhai sitcom reveals his amazing range in comedy and stickiness to the Show with his uniquely pleasant personality and style.? Finally, while stand up comedy was but an element of Movers and Shakers, it is now the mainstay of Jay Hind! , and the audiences love it!

Since its official launch on August 15, 2009, the ?Jay Hind!? has accomplished the challenging task of pleasing the discerning Indian audience with its chutzpah humour, its risqu? banter and bags of funny gags. The current Indian TV circuit has a plethora of comedy shows, varying from slapstick to sitcoms to laughter contests. However, what really gives Jay Hind! the competitive edge is the novelty of the concept, the topicality of the jokes and Sumeet Raghavan?s engaging interaction with the audience during the street interviews ? in which conversations are marked by the exchange of witty retorts and snazzy repartee. The Jay Hind! Success Party was attended by some of the leading actors from the television fraternity, who stood in solidarity to support and congratulate Sumeet on his maiden foray into the internet platform. Sumeet?s performance and his act had everyone in splits.

Abhigyan Jha, the creative brain behind Movers and Shakers and the founder of Undercover Productions said, ?Even though the television space has a comedy show cropping up every second week, we still have a dearth of good and topical content that will ensure audience loyalty in the long run. Jay Hind! has endeavored to fill that space and we are simply overwhelmed with the response we have received for it.?

Dr. Amitabh Saran, co-founder and managing director, Buzzintown said, ?The resounding success of Jay Hind! by way of a million viewers within a fortnight brings to fore the fact that there is an audience that is isolated owing to our compulsive focus on Bollywood and the clutter of soaps and reality shows on Indian small screen. Good and intelligent comedy will find an audience anywhere; the laughs, appearances of celebrities and gags will sweep audiences across the world.?

MUMBAI: 12th Rajiv Gandhi Awards 2009 were recently conferred upon eminent personalities like Vineet Jain, Sam Pitroda, Krushnaa Patil, Avika Gor, Shahid Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Rajashree Birla who have made India proud. The past recipients include Sunita Williams, Ana Hazare, Mukesh Ambani, Adi Godrej, Sant Singh Chatwal, Anand Mahindra, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Sania Mirza, Khalli, Dhanraj Pillay, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Shilpa Shetty, Rani Mukherjee, Veer Sanghvi, Barkha Dutt, and many others have received this award in the past.

This is one grand annual ceremony which can be termed as Indian Oscars, for not just the strong & deserving list of awardees but also the way these awards are presented. The felicitations take place on a magnificent stage embellished with advanced technology of sound, lighting, LED projections & latest special effects. No wonder then, Dr. Narendra Jadhav, who won the award for his contribution in the field of Education said, "The ceremony is conducted in such a grand manner that the awardees themselves feel like stars themselves". The felicitations are interspersed with stars performances in order to cater to millions of people watching them across the globe on Sony TV. This year‘s ceremony will be telecasted on prime time Sunday 8:00 pm on Sony and looks like the whole world is actually waiting to get a glimpse.

Though the event company, Momentum Group, that has been doing these awards rope in various film stars for blockbuster performances. But they do admit that they get a strict briefing from Sh. Charan Singh Sapra, Convener - Rajiv Gandhi Awards Committee. Hence all acts are woven around the theme of the event - celebration of modern India.

This award ceremony is one and only of its kinds where young talent of India salutes national achievers on such a grand scale. "We strive to make this award ceremony a thoroughly inspiring & an entertaining experience", says Ms. Aarti Mattoo, Event Director, who has been assisting Sh. Charan Singh Sapra, MLC - Maharashtra Govt. in putting this event together for past 5 years.

Hrithik Roshan who is donning a new look for Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s next film, dazzled the stage with his performance based on the theme ‘Colors of India‘. For the first time he will be seen performing Indian classical dance like Kalaripayattu to Kathakali to his popular track "Baawre" from ‘Luck by Chance‘.

In keeping with the theme, were the anchors Shreyas Talpade & Mahima Chowdhary who gave away real life examples of Indian sentiments and had the audiences in splits. Celebrating modern India were also Vishal & Shekhar with their young vibrant energy on stage that got transported to each & every person sitting pretty in the magnificent auditorium.

Raju Shrivastava performed against a backdrop set by a huge collage of caricatures of famous national & international personalities. He entered the stage and the audiences started laughing without him even having gotten started. His opening line to the guests was "Naha dho ke aaye hain na?"

Hussain Kuwajerwala often known as the Shahrukh Khan of the Television industry did a breath taking thematic act which reflected patriotism, positivity & passion. Esha Deol did a contemporary number, quite different than her usual classical & bollywood stints. Priyanka Chopra had a vibrant energy on stage and off it especially when she came down to shake a leg with Shahid Kapoor who was sitting in the awardees row.

So for all the action watch Sony TV Sunday 8:00 pm !!!!!

MUMBAI: Robert Douglas Houghton, head coach of Indian national football team, speaks exclusively with NewsX on current scenario of Indian football. After winning the Nehru cup for second successive year, it may be Indian football‘s hour of glory but Bob Houghton feels that the coming few months are extremely crucial for Indian football

Showing his detest on clubs spending money on players, he said, ?Clubs need to invest money in infrastructure rather than paying big money to the players. That does not ensure better quality of the football; it only makes the players richer. We can achieve a low amount of success with the current domestic situation.?

He then comments on state associations, ?If the state associations are not willing to change then don?t complain that you are 150 in the world, because that?s where you will be.?

Tune into Bob on the Ball for the full version of this exclusive interview this Saturday, 5 September at 10:30 PM, only on NewsX.