Root’s wings and Sachin’s zing, here’s 2013 in pics

New Delhi: Year 2013 was an eventful one for cricket fans. While on one hand we had India returning favours to Australia with a 4-0 whitewash, on the other we had the Aussies reclaiming the urn towards the end of the year. In between, we saw India winning the last edition of Champions Trophy with IPL spot-fixing incident still hot. 
                        
The year also witnessed Nepal announcing its arrival on cricketing turf, and a Bangladeshi becoming the first man ever to score a hundred and claim a hat-trick in same Test, not to forget, Zimbabwe defeated Pakistan in a Test match as well.  And of course, Sachin Tendulkar retired from international cricket as well. Read more

Kallis thanks friends, family on last day as Test cricketer

New Delhi: For a cricket world still morning the departure of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis’ announcement of hanging his big boots did come as the worse possible New Year’s gift. However, for a man who has manly carried South Africa on his broad shoulders for 18 gruelling years, it marks a moment to thank all those who have made his illustrious career, and the 38-year old didn’t forget to thank them on the eve of his last day as South African Test cricketer. 

                                   

Kallis took to microblogging site Twitter to express his gratitude to friends and family. “Last day of Test cricket for me. I have so many wonderful memories and stories, thanks to my family, friends, team mates and fans. Tough day,” he tweeted. Read more

 

J&K Ranji players woken up at midnight

New Delhi: Players of Jammu and Kashmir Ranji team had a horrid experience when local police officials allegedly harassed them at their Jammu hotel on Wednesday night. The incident reportedly took place in the middle of the night. Local police officials reportedly woke them up and grilled them for hours. They were looking of a suspected militants, said reports.
                                         
The incident happened hours before the cricketers were to play against Hyderabad on the final day of their Ranji Trophy Group C match, which ended in a draw later.Read more

Sachin’s swansong to Virat’s arrival, these are top sports pics of the year

New Delhi: Year 2013 is in its fag end, and is the norm, we are here with some of the most amazing images that defined Indian sports throughout the year. It was the year when an icon left the stage. It was also the year when some new heroes wrote their own script. 

                                

Leander Paes defied age, Jwala Gutta defied crony BAI, and Team India defied pretty much everyone to bring home a host of laurels. Here’s a pictorial review of 2013: Read more

Here’s why Dhoni’s men couldn’t nail it in Johannesburg

New Delhi: After five sapping days of high class cricket, the first Test between India and South Africa ended in a nail-biting draw on Sunday. Chasing a world record 458 for victory, the Proteas finished at 450/7, thanks to AB de Villiers' and Faf Du Plessis' remarkable innings. 

                                        

The duo dug in, rode their luck and played the right shots on a tricky track to stave off defeat. As for India, win was the most likely option at the start of Day 5, but the fact they almost ended up losing the match points towards some glaring errors of judgment. Read more

 

Virat-Pujara pair shines in Johannesburg

Johannesburg: Indian batting order put up a splendid show in front of the Proteas bowlers and managed to post a healthy lead of 320 runs on a pitch that is slowly turning notorious.

Indian wrapped the third day of the play at 284 for 2, with Cheteshwar Pujara (135) and Virat Kohli (77) still on the crease.

                                 

The duo strengthened the Indian position in the first test match against South Africa in Wanderers, Johannesburg. They compiled over 192 runs for the third wicket in the face one of the most dominant pace attack in the world.Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara batted with lot of grit as India reached 109 for two in 40 overs at tea, thereby extending the overall lead to 145 on the third day of the first cricket Test against South Africa here today. Read more

 

India versus South Africa: Amazing stats from Day 2

Johannesburg: India and South Africa treated a partisan crowd at Wanderers to a see-saw of a Test match on day two of the ongoing Test here on Thursday, making sure that both teams-and spectators- start day three with heightened anticipation and excitement.

                   

                      

While the Proteas’ pacers did their bit in folding India for 280, they got a taste of their own medicine later, with India’s fast men reducing them to 146/6. South Africa ended the day at 213/6; still 67 adrift of India’s tally, and the visitors would be hoping to exploit the early morning movement to wrap up the South African innings. Read more

Centurion Virat leads India’s charge at Wanderers

Johannesburg: The prospect of filling big number 4 boots may well be intimidating for many, bit for Virat Kohli, it was yet another opportunity to make yet another impression- and the Delhi right-hander did just that with a delightful century on the first day of first Test between India and Australia here on Wednesday. 

                                     
Kohli, who entered the field as the only man in the squad with an ‘away’ century, did his growing reputation as Indian cricket’s next big thing no harm, as he waltz his way to 181-ball 119, also his highest Test score. At the close of play on day one, India were comfortably placed at 255/5, though the visitors would have preferred to do without Cheteshwar Pujara’s run-out, caused by a terrible error in judgment from Kohli. Read more

India versus South Africa

Johannesburg: As India prepares to take on world number one Test side South Africa in Johanneburg on Wednesday, Indian skipper MS Dhoni is set to enter ecord books, one more time. The 32-year old, when he walks out for toss at the Wanderers, will do so for the 50th time in whites for India, going past Sourav Ganguly as India’s longest serving Test captain in terms of number of games. 

                                   
Only 32 years old, he often jokes about how he has greyed with the captaincy. Dhoni, who took over the reins of Indian cricket team from legendary leggie Anil Kumble in 2008, has led India to 26 Test wins of the 49 Test she has led India so far. Read more

Tendulkar-less India ready for trial by pace as first Test commences tomorrow

Johannesburg: The thrashing in ODIs behind them, India will be aiming to start the post-Sachin Tendulkar era in Test cricket on a positive note but the task looks daunting as they would be up against the world's number one side South Africa in the two-match series starting here tomorrow.

                                        

At the Wanderers stadium, after losing the three-ODI series 2-0, the visitors will be looking to make their first mark on the tour, in what will be a new era in the annals of Indian cricket.Read more

 

West Indian off-spinner Shane Shillingford suspended over ‘illegal’ bowling action

Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday pronounced West Indian offie Shane Shillingfod’s bowling action “illegal,” and suspended him from bowling in international cricket. An independent biomechanical analysis revealed that for both his standard off-break delivery and his doosra, the amount of elbow extension in his bowling action exceeded the 15 degrees’ level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions, ICC said in a media release on Monday.

                           

The 30-year old is suspended from bowling in international cricket until such time that he has submitted to a fresh analysis, which concludes that he has remedied his bowling action. Read more

Sachin bats on Rajya Sabha pitch, MPs line up for autographs

New Delhi: Seldom does one come across a parliamentarian who draws people, least of all fellow MPs, to seek an autograph. While obliging fans is nothing new for Sachin Tendulkar, the God of cricket must have felt different -to say the least- when parliamentarians descended upon him with requests for autographs in Rajya Sabha here on Friday. 

                             

Tendulkar was the cynosure of all eyes in the Upper House when he made his maiden appearance during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.Read more

 

Hot WAGs of English cricketers

New Delhi: They may be having a tough time Down Under, but English cricketers have scored heavily as far as WAGs are concerned, or so it seems. From Kevin Pietersen to Alastair Cook, English cricketers have some of the most stunning women around for company. 

                                           

As England readies itself to take on the mighty Aussies at WACA, we take a look at some of their hottest WAGs!Read more

Boxer MC Mary Kom launches biography, gives boxing tips to Amitabh Bachchan

Mumbai: Ace Indian pugilist MC Mary Kom on Tuesday launched her biography in company of Bollywood patriarch Amitabh Bachchan. Titled ‘Unbreakabale,’ the biography charts Mary Kom’s phenomenal rise from Manipur to the pinnacle of boxing glory. 
                              
Five-time world champion Mary Kom also played a mock bout with Bachchan, who later describe the experience as “humbling.”Read more

Clinical Proteas leave visitors wondering at Wanderers

Johannesburg: India came into the first ODI here on Thursday with the confidence befitting of a side that has won its previous six series on the trot. It, however, took just about half an hour of cricket for the swagger to disappear, and it didn’t return until Dale Steyn caught Mohammed Shami off his own bowling on the last ball of the 40th over to hand India a 141-run thrashing and a bitter reality check at the Wanderers. 

                              

It was an act of clinical precision from South Africa, who never took their foot off the peddle. Read more

Here’s why India will win against Proteas

New Delhi: The Indian juggernaut has reached the Rainbow Nation to participate in a three-ODI- two-Test series, and with 6 consecutive series wins behind them, Team India would be high on confidence. 
                             
While Proteas are bound to test India in conditions that do not exactly suit the visitors, chances are that India will still come out trumps. We tell you why!Read more

Sachin Tendulkar celebrates coach Ramakant Achrekar’s birthday

Mumbai: He might have retired from international cricket but that has done little to diminish batting legend Sachin Tendulkar’s association with the sport, and Tuesday was yet another testimony of his reverence for the game and its practitioners. 
  
                   
The Little Master celebrated his coach Ramakant Achrekar’s 81st birthday at a Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) function here, and almost to add a bit of irony to the occasion, the Master Blaster went on to felicitate new kids Musheer Khan and Prithvi Shaw; boys whose combined age falls short of Tendulkar’s international career. Read more

Hot WAGs of Pakistani cricketers

New Delhi: While the year 2013 sounded wedding bells for a host of Indian cricketers, it also ensured enough competition for Sakshi Dhoni in war of WAGs. Once considered the undisputed queen on WAGs circuit, Sakshi received tough competition from Shikhar Dhawan’s beautiful wife Ayesha and Dinesh Karthik’s hot fiancée Dipika Pallikal. 
                     
                             
That, however, is just the Indian part of the story. World cricket is replete with some of the hottest WAGs, and while their national team might not be playing on home soil, Pakistani cricketers are no pushovers when it comes to attractive WAGs. Read more

Steffi Graf-Andre Agassi to Tiger Woods-Lindsey Vonn

New Delhi: Team India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik announced his engagement with squash sensation Dipika Pallikal recently. Dinesh and Dipika’s alliance is not the only instance where sportspersons have chosen a sporting partner, in real terms that is.
                                 
Global sporting arena is replete with couples where both the partners are professional athletes. We take a look at some: Read more