LINUS FERNANDES

I have been an IT professional with over 12 years professional experience. I'm a B.Sc. in Statistics, M.Sc in Computer Science (University of Mumbai) and an MBA from the Cyprus International Institute of Management. I have completed levels I and II of the CFA course. Blogging is a part-time vocation. I am also the author of four books, Those Glory Days: Cricket World Cup 2011, IPL Vignettes, Poems: An Anthology, and It's a Petting Sport---all available on Amazon Worldwide.
LINUS FERNANDES has written 1458 posts for Make Time For Sports.

The Apprenticeship of Federer: Long, Arduous and Fruitful


Roger Federer against Juan Martín del Potro in...

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16 Grand Slams to his name and still counting, Roger Federer, the Swiss champion, is master of all he surveys. One French Open, six Wimbledons, five US Opens and four Australian Opens (66 ATP titles); you could hardly call his trophy cupboard bare. His rivalry with Nadal is the stuff of legend and an enduring story for the ages. His challenger needs just one more Slam to move into double digits and Borg territory.

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IPL: Recusal, All-Rounder Ganguly and the return of Lara (Satire)


ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - MARCH 10: Brian Lara and guest arrive at the Laureus World Sports Awards 2010 at Emirates Palace Hotel on March 10, 2010 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Laureus)

The BCCI created some kind of legal precedent by forcing former Justice BN Srikrishna—the court-appointed arbitrator for the legal battle between BCCI and Kings XI—to seek recusal from his engagement.

The legal luminary represented the Wadia group over 35 years ago when he was a young lawyer. Ness Wadia is a stakeholder in Kings XI Punjab.

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The Australian Press Go Gaga over their team’s performance: Just kidding!


Ricky Ponting at a training session at the Ade...

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The Ashes evoke reactions like no other Test series in the cricketing world.

Some excerpts of the media reactions to the first Test between England and Australia at the Gabba. A stream of classy vituperations:

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Tennis Bytes:World Tour Finals, Serbian friendship and Chennai


Roger Federer at the Australian Open 2010.

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Roger Federer had a plan and stuck to it. Come hell or high water!

Poor Nadal! If only he had known! Federer may have just a solitary Slam to his credit this year but he sure knows how to throw a year-end party.

He conquered the World Tour Finals for the fifth time, one of among a select few to do so.

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The Guangzhou Asian Games: It came, we saw, it went!


GUANGZHOU, CHINA - NOVEMBER 27: A drummer performs during the Closing Ceremony at Haixinsha Square on day fifteen of the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010 on November 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, China. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

It’s been two weeks of waiting in vain for Indian athletes to prove that their CommonWealth Games medal haul was no flash in the pan. But it was not to be.

Even though India came home with 14 golds, their highest ever tally at an Asiad, comparing our performance against those of the Chinese or the Japanese or the Koreans does put our recent tomtomming in the shade. Let’s get some perspective, chaps!

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Lalit Modi, Cheerleaders and Bollywood Culture: A Modern Tale (Satire)


Oct 24, 2008; London, ENGLAND; Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi during The Global Sport Summit Innovation vs.tradition: The quest for growth at The Landmark. Photo via Newscom Photo via Newscom

I had just stepped out of Bandra station after having climbed up and down the railway bridge. Globus, the retail outlet, were having a huge season-ending sale and I was in a tearing hurry to get there. All I needed was a rickshaw to get me to my destination. It was then that I noticed the ruckus.

A huge crowd was blocking the entrance and exit  to and from the terminus. Cries of ‘Hai! Hai!” and “Down with cultural imperialism” rent the air. There were a few  interspersed “Go Back”s as well.

I was  irritated. “What the hell was going on? Was this my unlucky day?” I thought.

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IPL Bytes:Kochi’s demise,Tharoor’s anguish,Modi’s reprieve and domestic salaries


Shashi Tharoor campaigning in Thiruvananthapuram

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The Kochi consortium have no glad tidings for even their most die-hard supporters. The investors in the franchise have struck the death blow ,communicating their inability to work together to the BCCI. The IPL Governing Council meet on November 28, 2010 to perform the last rites. The Gaikwads refused to play ball with the other investors leading to the current impasse.The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) are the sole believers in a miraculous turnaround.

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Somdev’s Sanam,Mission 2018, Maradona’s showboating and Davis Cup teams


GUANGZHOU, CHINA - NOVEMBER 22: Devvarman Sk and Sanam Krishan Singh of India celebrate winning the gold medal during the medal ceremony of the Men's Doubles Final tennis match at Aoti Tennis Centre during day ten of the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010 on November 22, 2010 in Guangzhou, China. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Somdev Devvarman carries the hopes of a billion on his lean, sinewy frame. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are aging warriors. They will soon be gone.

But Somdev is undaunted at the prospect of stepping into the boots of these stalwarts. He has etched his mark in the Davis Cup. The Guangzhou Asian Games saw him pick up a rich haul of three medals, two gold in singles and men’s doubles and a bronze in the team event. His singles gold at the CWG pales in comparison. The clinical manner in which the Indian demolished Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin 6-1, 6-2 augurs well for India’s Davis Cup aspirations.

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How many times must Rahul Dravid prove his critics wrong?


Modifed photo of Rahul Dravid for Ethnic group...

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He’s called Mr. Dependable, Mr. Reliable, Jammy and simply The Wall.

If Raymond—the famed suitings and shirtings  brand— has the Complete Man, then Team India retains the Complete Team Man.

His name is Rahul Sharad Dravid and he has just compiled his 31st ton for India in the third Test at Jamta against New Zealand.

For a man who has over 10,000 Test runs— only the third Indian ever in the select club—Dravid is amazingly low profile.

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Tennis Bytes: Asiad tennis,The Indian Express, Nadal and Goodwill Ambassadors


Leander Paes (the dubakour) and his former dou...

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Sania Mirza continues to delight her Indian fans. She followed up her CommonWealth Games individual silver with an Asiad bronze at Guangzhou. Mirza may be struggling with her ranking on the WTA tour but is enjoying her time in the sun post her recent marriage to Shoaib Malik and a renaissance representing India. Sania and her partner Vishnu Vardhan tamed Tamarine Tanasugarn and Sanchai Ratiwatana 6-3, 6-7 (7-3), 10-5 in the mixed doubles semis to assure the Hyderabadi of another silver—at least.

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