India's No 1 spinner R Ashwin and his wife, Preethi were spotted entering a cab near the Patrick Street area on Thursday evening. Ashwin did not play the first warm-up tie but is expected to play the second game starting Monday.

A friend of Ashwin's revealed that the newly-wed were keen on spending some quality time together since the off-spinner dived into a Test match against the West Indies at Kolkata less than 24 hours after tying the knot with his childhood sweetheart last month. "This is a sort of a honeymoon for them in many ways since they didn't spend much time together after the wedding. He is very confident of putting in a strong performance against Australia," he said.

Mission Impossible for India
MEMBERS of the Indian cricket team went to watch Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol immediately after the conclusion of the first warm-up match against CA Chairman's XI yesterday. The Tom Cruise-starrer will perhaps provide the required motivation for the visitors who attempt to win their maiden Test series in this country starting with the Boxing Day Test in nine days time.

The Australian capital hasn't exactly catered to the players' night lives since arriving here in two batches. "All the restaurants are shutting by 8.30pm... they have preferred to stay in their hotel rooms. There's not too much to do here, it's a very sleepy town," a jolly Shivlal Yadav, the manager of the team, said.  

Embassy dinner for Team India
THE Indian High Commission in Australia have organised a special dinner party for the team here tonight. The players will return to the nets today morning ahead of Monday's second warm-up tie against a tougher Chairman's XI side that will include the likes of David Warner, Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja and Ed Cowan.

"Yes, we have been invited by the High Commission for a dinner party. We are told that many of them want to meet Sachin Tendulkar and Co," Team manager Shivlal Yadav said. The news from back home, that Tendulkar is now eligible for a Bharat Ratna would surely be a talking point when the delegates meet the rockstars tonight.