Dhoni is brand ambassador of Nepal cricket; Sehwag dons coach’s role

Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was appointed Ambassador of Nepal Cricket in a function at Kathmandu on Saturday. According to a report in The Indian Express, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal, Posta Bahadur Bogati, made the announcement about Dhoni's association with Nepal Cricket.

The appointment of Dhoni will also help promote Nepal's tourism industry, according to acting chief of the country's Tourism Board Subhash Niraula. Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Jayanta Prasad, was also present on the occasion.

Earlier, Dhoni also visited Kirtipur Cricket Stadium, situated in the premises of Tribhuvan University in the outskirt of Nepal. Dhoni is scheduled to pay a visit to Pashupatinath Temple tomorrow, before wrapping up his visit. Earlier, speaking to media, he said, "Youths should come forward for sports besides studies as it helps to earn goodwill for the country. Cricket is an upcoming sport in Nepal and I want to see Nepali youths forming a famouse cricket team in future," he said.

Meanwhile a report in The Hindu says that for the first time in many summers, Virender Sehwag did not turn out for the hot weather cricket tournaments. “I was busy,” he informs, “with my own coaching camp.” The three-week camp was held at his school in Jhajjar with Sehwag assuming the role of a coach. The enthusiasts came from nearby towns and some as far flung as Kanpur, Bhopal, Una and Jammu.

“I did not exactly give lectures, but the question-answer sessions were lively and enjoyable. The kids were thrilled and I must say some of them had very tricky questions too. It shows how closely they follow the game. I made it clear that gamesmanship can be part of the game, but not cheating or dissent. Cricket etiquettes are paramount. Give respect to earn respect from the opposition. I taught them the basics and finer points of the game, but I'll be happy if they become better humans than players.”

The coaching experience was a dream-come-true for Sehwag. Giving top class facilities to the players was a far-cry from the days when he would travel in public transport to attend coaching classes from mentor A.N. Sharma. “I lost so much time in travelling. Four hours in the bus for half-an-hour batting stint. I got half-an-hour because I was my coach's favourite. The rest got only 15 minutes. I could have become a better batsman had I got more time to practice.”