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It’s always difficult coming into the first Grand Slam of the year. It is as though one has to shake off the excesses of the Christmas festivities ,shed the trappings of the successes in the previous year and get down to business on a clean slate. Yet, one has to act as though one were never away from the hurly-burly of the action on court.
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Today—the 16th of January—is the eve of the 2011 Australian Open.
History will be made at the Asia-Pacific Grand Slam if Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal clinch the men’s title.
It will be Roger Federer’s 17th major. It will be a Star Trek landmark—going where no man has been before. If Nadal wins, it will be the culmination of the Rafa Slam—an event much anticipated by players and fans.
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Wikileaks—the pro-transparency website— has released transcripts of the Parliamentary Standing Committee hearing into the finances of the IPL.
The BCCI officials summoned include president Shashank Manohar, secretary N Srinivasan and IPL commissioner Chirayu Amin. The panel is headed by BJP MP Yashwant Sinha, the former finance minister.
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The dust has settled on the IPL auctions.The players have been bought (or not).The teams have been formed (or not). The franchises are happy (or not).
The rumour mills ,however, have been overactive.
Among the numerous reports floating around, these are the more salient ones:
My dog, Bolshoi The Boxer, said to me this morning: “Botox and I are going to form our own super sports league.”
“Hmm…. That’s interesting.” I reply, sipping my ante meridiem cuppa tea.
“If the Indian cricketers can have the ICL and IPL, the hockey players, the IHL and the tennis players, the ITL, then us canines should have a league of our own.”
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Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes have done it again.
The Indian Express triumphed at the 2011 Aircel Chennai Open subduing the Dutch-American pair of Robin Hasse and David Martin 6-2, 6-7 (3), 10-7.
The Chennai tourney has Indian champions once more. This is the first time since 2002 that an Indian pair have inscribed their names on the trophy. It was the duo of Bhupathi and Paes who claimed it then as well.
Somdev Devvarman came close in 2009, losing to Marin Cilic in the final.
It was fitting that the duo came together in the sweltering environs of the South Indian city that boasts the best-known tennis families in India—the Krishnans and the Amritrajs, to clinch their first title this year.
Sceptics felt that the two would find it difficult to reprise their form of the late 90s and early oo’s, given their aging bodies and slower reflexes.
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Jacques Kallis is the finest all-rounder and best cricketer of the modern generation.
Yet, he has failed to capture the imagination;he is not spoken of in the same breath as SachinTendulkar, Virender Sehwag, or Ricky Ponting.
Why is that? Is it because he is unpretentious? Is it because he is unflashy? Is it because that he is not a dasher?
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I must admit that I am relieved that the twin Test series in South Africa and Australia have ended. The cricket has been exhilarating, the battle has seesawed between the sides and there has been no respite from the all-encompassing media hype.
I hope to catch a break from all forms of cricket until the World Cup. I have seriously overdosed.
India finish tied 1-1 on the Last Frontier in the Rainbow Nation. This will be a result they will cherish , but they will also regret that they could not make it a more memorable tour.
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It has been an exhilarating month-and-a-half for cricket aficionados. The two Test series in the antipodes, Australia and South Africa, witnessed enchanting, entertaining cricket from four sides.
The Ashes, whose history goes back over a hundred years, and the Sumo tie between the Goliaths of modern day cricket, India and South Africa, were a treat for the eyes. The Ashes more so for the excellent Hot Spot camera views. No complaints about umpiring decisions there.
My dog, Bolshoi The Boxer, asked me this morning: “Am I egoistic? Do I have a large ego?”
“What makes you think that? Has someone said something to you? Have you had another fight with Botox?”
Botox, the Pekingese, is Bolshoi’s girlfriend; Bolshoi, however, takes umbrage at being termed her boyfriend.
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“I have been reading an article about Yuvraj Singh ranked among the top ten egos in sport this year by the British newspaper, the Daily Telegraph.”