Mammootty chief guest at IFFI closing ceremony

Mammootty would be the chief guest at the concluding session of the prestigious International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

It is another feather on Mammooka’s cap, as normally only Bollywood stars are given the honor by the organisers to be present at the valedictory function.
It also shows the growing influence of Malayalam films at the national level.
Mammootty is on a roll as two of his finest movies are getting screened at IFFI starting on November 23.
His Kutty Sranku will be premièred for the first time in India at the Indian Panorama section and the stars critically acclaimed box-office hit Pazhassi Raja will only be screened at the festival.

Dravid joins 11,000 Test run club

Senior batsman Rahul Dravid on Monday added another feather to his cap by becoming the second Indian, fifth overall, to score 11,000 runs in Test cricket.




Dravid went into the three-match series against Sri Lanka needing 177 runs to reach the milestone and he achieved it in
the opening day itself with an unbeaten 177.

It was an elegant innings that not only earned him an individual record but also came at a time when the team needed
it most.



Dravid's moment of glory came in the 89th over when he cut pacer Chanaka Welegedara for a single at deep point and he
raised his bat in acknowledgment of the cheers at the Sardar Patel Stadium.

The Karnataka batsman now joins the elite list which has compatriot Sachin Tendulkar at the top with 12,777 runs in
Test cricket.



West Indies batting great Brain Lara is second in the list with 11,953 runs from 131 matches, followed by the
Australian duo of Ricky Ponting (11,345 runs from 136 Tests) and Alan Border (11,174 runs in 156 matches).

Nicknamed as 'The wall', Dravid has an awe-inspiring Test career where he scored 27 hundreds and 57 half-centuries
at an average of 53.39 in 135 Tests.

The 36-year-old batsman also has a whopping 10,765 runs from 339 ODIs at a average of 39.43 where he scored 12 hundreds and 82 fifties.

Meanwhile, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni crossed 2,000 runs in Tests cricket in company of Dravid. Dhoni reached the mark during the course of his second Test century.