Cricket First gets Sachin Tendulkar boost

A Cricket First cap which had Tendulkar's autograph on it was on display yesterday at the reception during a meeting arranged for voters in Worli for the polls which will take place tomorrow.

"Sachin has sent his best wishes to our group and me especially," said Atul Ranade, who is a childhood friend of Tendulkar. u00a0"I got this signed from him on Dussehra when he was practicing at the Bandra Kurla Complex.

"He was excited that I was getting into cricket administration. I had, of course, consulted him before taking the decision," Ranade, who will contest for a managing committee post, added.

Cricketers Sanjay Manjrekar, Kiran More, Nilesh Kulkarni, Jayantilal Kenia, Salil Ankola, Paras Mhambrey and Amol Muzumdar were present to support Vijay Patil's panel.

While Baroda-based Kiran More urged more cricketers to join administration, Manjrekar batted for clean and better governance. Domestic stalwart Muzumdar appealed to the Cricket First panelists for better treatment of cricketers.u00a0