MCA backs Tendulkar for Bharat Ratna

Mumbai: With the Government changing rules to make sportspersons eligible for the Bharat Ratna, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has passed a resolution to support the demand for bestowing the country`s highest civilian honour on champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar.

"A resolution was passed at our Managing Committee meeting to back Tendulkar for Bharat Ratna. Our Joint Secretaries (Nitin Dalal and P V Shetty) will now be writing to Maharashtra Government requesting it to take it up with the Central Government," said MCA Vice-President Ratnakar Shetty. There has been a clamour for bestowing the honour on Tendulkar, the world`s highest run-getter in both Tests and ODIs and on the cusp of an unprecedented 100 centuries in international cricket (he`s one short of the landmark). There are also demands from other quarters, notably hockey aficionados, to honour the late Major Dhyan Chand, with the the coveted award. Meanwhile, the MCA also took up the incident of former India pacer Ajit Agarkar returning from Cuttack after being left out of Mumbai Ranji Trophy playing XI by the team management and the open support extended to him by pace spearhead Zaheer Khan. "There is no question of them being let off. They agreed they would not be repeating what they did," said Shetty, who is also the Chief Administrative Officer of the Cricket Board. He said, though, the BCCI has scrapped its broadcast deal for international and national matches with Nimbus, it will show the Ranji Trophy league tie between Mumbai and Punjab from December 21 at Mumbai, as scheduled, on its website. About web casting rest of the Ranji matches from the knock out stage, he said BCCI will look at it later. PTI