New Zealand skipper Williamson idolises Tendulkar
Kolkata, April 15: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson on Sunday said he idolised batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar as a youngster.
"Some of my favourite cricketers have been Indians. Indian player Sachin Tendulkar, I met him during my debut for New Zealand. We were playing against each other, and I was looking at what he was doing. That was a bit of distraction," Williamson told reporters during a promotional event of Rupa, one of the largest manufacturer of hosiery products celebrating its 50 years with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Williamson is also the captain of table-toppers Hyderabad who have won three successive games to start their campaign on a high.
"The first time I met him was in my debut game for New Zealand. I was watching him on the field, wondering what he was doing. It was a really nice experience. He is a legend of the game," said Williamson who is rated as one of the best batsmen of his times along with Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith.
In his debut Test in Ahmedabad eight years back, Williamson scored 131 in the first innings and did not get a chance to bat in the second as the match ended in a draw.
Besides Tendulkar, the MS-Dhoni led Indian team had the likes of Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in their ranks.
"There were so many great players in the team. Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman...they are such fantastic people...open to talk to about the game of cricket.
"I was 19-20 and it was great opportunity to get alongside the legends of the game and pick their brains," Williamson, 27, added.
Williamson, who scored 50 to help SRH fashion their third straight win against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Saturday, was flanked by India opener Shikhar Dhawan, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan and bowling coach and former Sri Lankan spin great Muttiah Muralitharan.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
