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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.
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 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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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.
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!
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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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.
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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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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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.