Dhoni backs Kohli, says team needs preparation time for tough tours

We play so much cricket that we do not get much preparation time when we go overseas: Dhoni

Senior India player Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday backed captain Virat Kohlion the issue of cramped scheduling and said that the team needs time to get used to the conditions in tours like South Africa.

Dhoni, who is not in the Test side but will be in the ODI team in the upcoming South Africa tour, however, said that as an international cricketer it was a challenge one has to face.

"It is absolutely right, because we play so much cricket that we do not get much preparation time when we go overseas to play. But as an international cricketer, this is also a challenge," Dhoni said here.

"It takes some time to get used to, but if you see this team, there are many cricketers who have played overseas and it helps a lot. If they get six to eight or 10 days, it is good, but whatever time they get, I think they will do well," he said in response to a question about Kohli's statement.

The former India captain was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a match played at Kunzer cricket ground, 35km from Srinagar, in north Kashmir's Baramulla district.

Dhoni was the chief guest at the finals of Chinar Cricket Premier League, organised by Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Army.

"This time when the (Test) team leaves for South Africa, they will only get some time to prepare before playing the matches. The ODI team after that will also want to try to get seven to eight days because the conditions are different there, there is more bounce," he said.

Asked whether there should be a bilateral series between India and Pakistan, Dhoni said it should be best left to the government.

He said when it comes to a cricket match between the arch-rivals, it becomes much more than sports. (more)

Fadnavis says Army to build Elphinstone station footover bridge, sparks row

The foot overbridges will be built on Elphinstone Road of Western Railway, and Currey Road and Ambivali stations of the Central Railway

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday said the Army would build three footover bridges including the one at Elphinstone railway station where a stampede killed 23 people in September, sparking a political slugfest over soldiers being used in civil works.

The foot overbridges (FOBs) will be built on Elphinstone Station of Western Railway, and Currey Road and Ambivali stations of the Central Railway on the congested Mumbai suburban network.

"Given the Army engineers' expertise, they will construct the three foot overbridges by January 31. The Army has been very helpful to not just us but the society at large and I am very thankful to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal for this huge help to bring ease in Mumbaikars' life," Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the media.

Sitharaman said: "The Indian Army has always been steadfast in the provision of aid for disaster relief issues. This is the first time when we are actually Army to help us in what essentially could be called civil work in the financial capital city of the country."A

Goyal said work on the bridges was expected to begin within 15 days, and in a later tweet, said it will be done by January 31, 2018.

Western Railway Divisional Railway Manager Mukul Jain had told IANS that the Elphinstone Road bridge will be a new one, independent of the one being planned and constructed by the railways, and be be located towards the Parel side at the northern end of the Elphinstone Road station.A

He said an Army team will identify the spot, submit its design and plans to the railways before proceeding with the work, adding that is the first time such a civilian contract would be handled by the Army. (more)

Doklam standoff ends: MEA says troops begin 'disengaging'

A press statement by the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday announced the development

Troops involved in the border standoff between India and China at Doklam have begun disengaging, a press statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.

Shortly after the MEA statement, China’s Foreign Ministry said that Indian troops had withdrawn to the Indian side of the disputed border at Doklam, where the two countries’ soldiers had been locked in a standoff for more than two months, news agency Reuters reported.

Speaking at a daily news briefing, ministry spokes woman Hua Chunying said Chinese troops would continue to patrol the disputed Doklam region, the report added.

New Delhi and Beijing have reached an understanding for disengaging troops involved in the Doklam standoff, the MEA press statement said.

According to the statement, "expeditious disengagement" of border personnel at the face-off site has been agreed to and "is ongoing".

The MEA statement said that during bilateral communications, "we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests". It was on the basis of these communications, according to the statement, that the agreement to disengage was reached.

The People's Daily has also tweeted that India has withdrawn its troops.

The decision to disengage troops comes ahead of a crucial BRICS summit being hosted by China in September, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend.

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a standoff since June at Doklam, located at the Sikkim section of the Bhutan-China border.

This is the longest standoff between the two armies since 1987 when they faced a similar situation at Somordong Chu Valley in Arunachal Pradesh. Read more