Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Wish- Win the World Cup!

After taking Indian team to the new as well as magical heights of success and accolade Skipper Mahender Singh Dhoni Wants make team India ICC World Champion. It is to be noticed here that under his magical as well as inspirational leadership Indian team lifted the Inaugural World Twenty20 ChampionshipCup.At the same time under his highly skillful leadership first in the history Indian team captured much coveted the spot of ICC World No.1 Test Team in the ICC world Test Rankings.

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Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to compose World Cup song

De Ghumaa Ke' with versions in Hindi, Bangla and Sinhalese is the World Cup's official song composed by the musical trio Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy. All three versions will feature in the build-up to and during the tournament that will run from February 19 to April 2 in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"'De Ghumaa Ke' is a passionate expression that creatively captures the fierce sense of competition and the desire to win. It literally means Hit It Hard. This local cricket euphemism is every fan's wish and every cricketer's intention. It encapsulates all that it takes to win a match," ICC said.

Will Eden Gardens and Wankede get ready on time?

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Saturday expressed their confidence that the venues for ICC World Cup 2011 -Eden Gardens and Wankhede Stadium -- would be ready by the middle of January.

Jagmohan Dalmiyah said that he expected Eden Gardens to be prepared two months earlier but that will not happen now.

At Wankhede Stadium, the umpires' room, medical and anti-doping room were thought of as ill-fit for hosting the Cup.

"We are going to modify as per the ICC suggestion. We are confident that everything would be ready when the ICC inspection team returns by the middle of January. We are ready to host the World Cup matches,"said Dalmiyah.

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Students ThinkWise at World Cup

Think Wise initiative, a joint partnership between the ICC, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative has taken the World Cup opportunity to spread the World Cup fever and make the students aware about HIV-AIDS. In this laudable venture a tournament would be held in Mumbai (14-15 December), Nagpur (14-15 December), Mohali (14-15 December), Kolkata (14-15 December), Ahmedabad (17-18 December), Delhi (17-18 December), Chennai (17-18 December) and Bengaluru (17-18 December), wherein young adults will receive HIV education and awareness sessions both at school and during the tournaments as part of the Think Wise initiative.

Indian batsman and Think Wise champion Virender Sehwag said: “I am very excited about playing in the ICC Cricket World Cup next year and it is great to see that young people across the country are getting involved in the tournament as well.

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Sachin and Dhoni in Cola fight

The Great Wars of Cola have begun as the World Cup countdown has come nearer. The big companies are eyeing for the biggest players and this time they have put Sachin and Dhoni at loggerheads. Coca Cola may rope in Sachin Tendulkar who was associated with Pepsi earlier. Although no contract has been confirmed as signed yet. Dhoni on the other hand is endorsing the Coke's competitor Pepsi and it would be fun to watch them take potshot at each other off the field.

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ICC Launches ICCArchive.com

A few months ahead of the World Cup, the International Cricket Council, has launched a website ICCArchive.com. The site has the archive of broadcast footage from all its events. The site is managed by ESPN-Star Sports and targets broadcasters, docu film makers and media houses. According to a statement, archives include footage from “all of the ICC’s televised events, such as the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC World Twenty20, ICC Champions Trophy, ICC Women’s World Cup, ICC U19 Cricket World Cup and many others”.

ESPN-Star Sports gear up production

ESPN-Star Sports the official broadcaster of ICC World Cup 2011 is elated over the fact that ad rates may see a 50 per cent hike for this season.

A top media executive says on conditions of anonymity, "The channel is commanding Rs 4-5 lakh per 10 seconds, while the sponsors are paying about Rs 3.5 lakh. This is a large increase over what the tournament had witnessed in the last season."

The live coverage of the matches will also be available in 3G mobile phones and special Hindi feeds for select matches. The production has also invested heavily in the quality of the content by assigning 27 cameras, including innovative features such as movable slip cameras and new low 45 degree field cameras. The production will also have a mid-wicket camera position for live running between wickets.