The Board, however, did not clarify the reason behind granting leave to the veteran cricketer.
The 30-year-old was excluded from Spain's squad for this year's World Cup but is hopeful of turning his fortunes around under former Barcelona boss Enrique.
Former India coach Gary Kirsten says he is flattered that people are thinking about me, but the amount of time spent away from home prevents him from taking up the job.
Fernando Torres scored his first goal since October to help Chelsea crush Leicester City 5-2 and Liverpool beat Stoke City 2-1 to reach the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday.
Inexperience cost England, feels Morgan
Manchester United's Mexican striker Javier Hernandez could be out for four weeks with torn ligaments, manager Alex Ferguson said after the Premier League champions' 1-0 win at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Both Manchester clubs remain unbeaten in the league with City atop the standings on 22 points and United two points behind after eight league games, followed by Tottenham Hotspur and Watford in third and fourth respectively.
A key cog in India's pace attack, the 27-year-old was left out of the list of contracted players unveiled by the BCCI on Wednesday but the board did not offer any immediate explanation as to why.
Martinez's team face the 1998 World Cup winners in St Petersburg on Tuesday for a place in the final
Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar is not against the controversial Decision Review System but wants it to be combined with technologies such as Snickometer and Hot Spot for consistency.
Lala Amarnath was sent back from India's tour of England by the erstwhile captain Maharaja of Vijianagaram or 'Vizzy' for alleged insubordination during a first-class game.
With sports events around the world suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, football clubs and leagues have been discussing pay cuts with players to help them make it through the crisis.
Former India captains Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shahstri have expressed their astonishment at the manner in which India capitulated in the just-concluded four-match Test series against England.
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels that India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni should use three specialist spinners in the quarter-final against Australia in order to exploit the weakness of Ricky Ponting's men against slow bowlers.
With neither partner seemingly willing to consider scrapping the event as the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc globally, we consider the options available, and possible scenarios:
Companies are predictably working overtime to cash in on the boom. LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Videocon have all lined up new models of both HDTV-ready and full-HDTV sets for the world cup this year.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
Down 0-2 in the series, India's injury woes increased on Wednesday with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh being ruled out of the third Test against England due to an abdominal strain.
In separate petitions filed at the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, ESPN Software India, MSM Discovery, Zee Turner and Star Den Media Services said the tariff suggested by the sectoral regulator was not commercially viable.
SET Max is cashing in on the feel-good factor surrounding cricket.
Hardik Pandya could take a cue from Ben Stokes' bowling during the ongoing series
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
Barcelona star Neymar was subjected to allegedly racist chants during Saturday draw at local rivals Espanyol, his teammate Andres Iniesta confirmed. Though manager Luis Enrique declined to comment on the chants, Neymar's teammates called for the individuals responsible to be punished.
Arjuna Ranatunga recollected having started mind games even before the start of the 1996 World Cup.
Former skipper Sunil Gavaskar believes India's bowling is still a concern and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will have to add some sting to their attack ahead of World Cup semi-final clash against Pakistan.
Amitabh Bachchan has been signed on as the brand ambassador for the second edition of the Champions League Twenty20, to be held in South Africa from September 10.
Pakistan pace legend Wasim Akram is surprised that off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been left out of the Indian team for the ODIs against England as he feels the veteran tweaker does not deserve to be dropped despite being out of form.
It could be a windfall for cricket World Cup broadcaster ESPN Star Sports if India reaches the knockout stages, as the spot rate for advertisements could then touch up to Rs 24 lakh (Rs 2.4 million) per 10 seconds.
We have all had heroes. We have all wanted to be someone else. But there was nobody I wanted to be more than I wanted to be Sunil Gavaskar, notes Harsha Bhogle.
Harish Kotian reveals how next year's cricket World Cup, to be played on the sub-continent, will use the Umpire Decision Review System. A Rediff.com exclusive!
Pakistan's iconic former captain Imran Khan is not sure whether Shahid Afridi has the ability to pull through a team in shambles but conceded that if there is anyone capable of achieving something extraordinary, it is the swashbuckling current skipper.
'Life has been my greatest teacher.'
It's his 41st Wimbledon this year, but he still gets goosebumps every time he walks in through those gates, Vijay Amritraj tells Alan Wilkins.
Two Indian cricketers, Virender Sehwag and Robin Uthappa, have found berth in the initial Airtel Champions League Twenty20 All-Stars XI, chosen by ESPN Star Sports commentators. The swashbuckling Sehwag, who returned to top flight competition after recovering from a shoulder injury sustained during the Indian Premier League competition in South Africa in May, is the lone Delhi Daredevils player to make the cut.
Disgraced Tour de France winner Floyd Landis has sent a series of e-mails to cycling officials and sponsors admitting to the use of performance enhancing drugs, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The report said the American's e-mails detailed his systematic use of the drugs during his career.
He has been playing cricket for over 20 years now, but Sachin Tendulkar says he remains as passionate about the game as he was in his initial days in the sport.
The ad rates for the coming IPL-4 have risen 30 per cent to Rs 600,000 for a 10-second slot.
The ECB will take up the matter with the BCCI as well as the local authorities.
Vandeweghe's quest for maiden Slam title at Australian Open continues
Suspected food poisoning forced Nick Kyrgios to pull out of his much anticipated quarter-finals showdown with Roger Federer at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
