Below are the dhoni marrige picutes.
MS Dhoni wife Sakshi in college
Indian cricketer dhoni marriage picture:
Dhoni wife saakshi in school:
MS Dhoni's wife sakshi: Isn't she beautiful? Best of luck Dhoni and sakshi.
Happy married Life.
MS Dhoni wedding pictures
Finally we are able to get the sakshi (India cricketer mahendra singh dhini's wife) photo.
Below are the dhoni marrige picutes.
MS Dhoni wife Sakshi in college
Indian cricketer dhoni marriage picture:
Dhoni wife saakshi in school:
Below are the dhoni marrige picutes.
MS Dhoni wife Sakshi in college
Indian cricketer dhoni marriage picture:
Dhoni wife saakshi in school:
Sania-Shoaib reception in MUMBAI!
If you are wondering where shania shoaib malik marriage venue is, here is the answer - Mumbai!!!
Now it can be told, the Sania Mirza-Shoaib Malik marriage that is taking place in Hyderabad on April 15, will have its grand reception not in Dubai or Pakistan as is widely believed... but in Mumbai. Yes, and the date slated for this bigtime party to celebrate the union between India’s tennis poster girl sanie mirza and Pakistan’s flamboyant cricketer shaoeb mallik is April 18, a Sunday. Apparently, the new venue for the reception was decided on Monday after the Taj in Mumbai announced the reopening of its Grand Ballroom — which has been good enough in its old avatar to host Presidents and Kings, statesmen and godmen of the world, leading lights of Bollywood and Hollywood, international sportsmen, charttopping rock and pop stars, and the party of the year — the annual BT bash! That apart, careful thought was also given to the list of eminent international guests who would want to bless the young couple and would, naturally, be happier doing so on Indian soil rather than Pakistani.
Event managers, wedding planners, are already engaged in closed-door discussions with the banquet organisers of the hotel for the reception. Everything is hush-hush. The Taj, understandably, is being secretive about it all. Executive Chef Hemant Oberoi will be dashing down in a private jet to Sialkot in Pakistan to meet the groom’s family with his best wedding menus of the last five years. And, Police Commissioner D Sivanandhan has already requisitioned Black Cat commandoes from New Delhi to throw a security cordon around the venue on April 18. A celebrity event management company, used to working on the Academy Awards, is giving finishing touches to the programme. A sangeet of sorts is being planned in which the bride’s good friend, Bollywood hottie Shahid Kapoor, will dance. Then Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania’s tennis partner in the ATP doubles, has expressed the wish to do an item number with his girlfriend, Bollywood’s sex bomb and former Miss Universe Lara Dutta. As to who will be attending the reception, that guest list could be anybody’s guess, but BT has learned that the among the VVIPs will be former tennis superstars Andre Agassi and wife Steffi Graf. Sania has always been an unabashed Steffi fan and the German tennis legend has conveyed that she would be delighted to attend the reception with her American husband. From here, Steffi and Andre intend to go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Former Pakistan great Imran Khan, a mentor of sorts to Shoaib, is also coming. His ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith, who was reportedly fond of the young Pakistani allrounder, may join Imran in wishing Shoaib and Sania better luck than Imran and she had in their own marriage. Who else? Among the international notables, Richard Branson, Martina Navratilova, Donald Trump, Prince William of Wales and girlfriend Kate Middleton, Apache Indian, Runa Laila, Gordon Ramsay, perhaps General Pervez Musharraf, Javed Miandad, singer Khaled of Didi fame, the actor Will Smith and a Mr. 50 Cent.
Now it can be told, the Sania Mirza-Shoaib Malik marriage that is taking place in Hyderabad on April 15, will have its grand reception not in Dubai or Pakistan as is widely believed... but in Mumbai. Yes, and the date slated for this bigtime party to celebrate the union between India’s tennis poster girl sanie mirza and Pakistan’s flamboyant cricketer shaoeb mallik is April 18, a Sunday. Apparently, the new venue for the reception was decided on Monday after the Taj in Mumbai announced the reopening of its Grand Ballroom — which has been good enough in its old avatar to host Presidents and Kings, statesmen and godmen of the world, leading lights of Bollywood and Hollywood, international sportsmen, charttopping rock and pop stars, and the party of the year — the annual BT bash! That apart, careful thought was also given to the list of eminent international guests who would want to bless the young couple and would, naturally, be happier doing so on Indian soil rather than Pakistani.
Event managers, wedding planners, are already engaged in closed-door discussions with the banquet organisers of the hotel for the reception. Everything is hush-hush. The Taj, understandably, is being secretive about it all. Executive Chef Hemant Oberoi will be dashing down in a private jet to Sialkot in Pakistan to meet the groom’s family with his best wedding menus of the last five years. And, Police Commissioner D Sivanandhan has already requisitioned Black Cat commandoes from New Delhi to throw a security cordon around the venue on April 18. A celebrity event management company, used to working on the Academy Awards, is giving finishing touches to the programme. A sangeet of sorts is being planned in which the bride’s good friend, Bollywood hottie Shahid Kapoor, will dance. Then Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania’s tennis partner in the ATP doubles, has expressed the wish to do an item number with his girlfriend, Bollywood’s sex bomb and former Miss Universe Lara Dutta. As to who will be attending the reception, that guest list could be anybody’s guess, but BT has learned that the among the VVIPs will be former tennis superstars Andre Agassi and wife Steffi Graf. Sania has always been an unabashed Steffi fan and the German tennis legend has conveyed that she would be delighted to attend the reception with her American husband. From here, Steffi and Andre intend to go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Former Pakistan great Imran Khan, a mentor of sorts to Shoaib, is also coming. His ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith, who was reportedly fond of the young Pakistani allrounder, may join Imran in wishing Shoaib and Sania better luck than Imran and she had in their own marriage. Who else? Among the international notables, Richard Branson, Martina Navratilova, Donald Trump, Prince William of Wales and girlfriend Kate Middleton, Apache Indian, Runa Laila, Gordon Ramsay, perhaps General Pervez Musharraf, Javed Miandad, singer Khaled of Didi fame, the actor Will Smith and a Mr. 50 Cent.
Sania mirza to marry Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik
After Hyderabad marriage, sania and shoaib will live in dubai
In her biggest move yet, India’s tennis ace Sania Mirza is set to marry former Pakistani cricket captain Shoaib Malik at a private ceremony in Hyderabad early April.
Any alliance between superstar celebrities is a subject of interest; but this marriage, with its complex political angle, is bound to garner intense attention.
Sania will continue to play competitive tennis and continue to represent India, while her prospective groom will hold his end of the bargain for Pakistan. The couple will be based in Dubai. The alliance has been blessed by both families.
“This is the biggest day of my life. I have been in the media glare for too long, and would appreciate a little privacy at this very personal moment in my life,’’ Sania, 23, told The Times of India.
Shoaib, 28, has pledged Sania his support: “I fully understand what it takes to be an int e r n at i o n a l sportsperson. I’ll support Sania as long as she wishes to play. Representing India at the 2012 Olympics is very important for her, and I will be the proudest husband if she can win a medal for her country.’’
Sania, whose much-publicized engagement to Mohammed Sohrab was called off earlier this year, met Shoaib in Dubai in February while she was playing a tournament there. They liked each other. The families took things forward and planned the alliance.
Sania’s mother, Nasima said: “Marriages are made in heaven. As parents, we are delighted with her choice.’’ Her father Imran, who has coached and managed her through her career, said: “This is a unique case where the husband and wife will represent their respective countries in sport.’’
A busy year up ahead for Sania
Tennis sensation Sania Mirza is set to marry Pak cricketer Shoaib Malik in Hyderabad.
A busy year awaits the tennis star as she ties the knot in April in Hyderabad. Ranked No. 27 in the world, Sania Mirza’s rating has plummeted after a wrist injury saw her take a break from competition.
Her treatment and rehabilitation drills continue. She will probably test her wrist in competition later in the summer, but is targeting a return for later in the year.
“I hope to be fully fit to represent India in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games that are scheduled for later this year,’’ Sania said.
Shoaib, however, can’t play for one year for Pakistan as he faces a ban imposed by the national Cricket Board for breaching the code of conduct.
Although no reason was given, Pakistani media speculated he may have been involved in match-fixing.
It may be recalled that Shoaib was involved in a marriage dispute with another Indian national, Ayesha Siddiqui, with whom he reportedly exchanged marriage vows with over the telephone in 2002.
Shoaib, however, has denied the marriage, indicating he had been cheated in the relationship, which was mostly carried out over the internet. Sania’s family has downplayed the issue and made no comment on it.
In her biggest move yet, India’s tennis ace Sania Mirza is set to marry former Pakistani cricket captain Shoaib Malik at a private ceremony in Hyderabad early April.
Any alliance between superstar celebrities is a subject of interest; but this marriage, with its complex political angle, is bound to garner intense attention.
Sania will continue to play competitive tennis and continue to represent India, while her prospective groom will hold his end of the bargain for Pakistan. The couple will be based in Dubai. The alliance has been blessed by both families.
“This is the biggest day of my life. I have been in the media glare for too long, and would appreciate a little privacy at this very personal moment in my life,’’ Sania, 23, told The Times of India.
Shoaib, 28, has pledged Sania his support: “I fully understand what it takes to be an int e r n at i o n a l sportsperson. I’ll support Sania as long as she wishes to play. Representing India at the 2012 Olympics is very important for her, and I will be the proudest husband if she can win a medal for her country.’’
Sania, whose much-publicized engagement to Mohammed Sohrab was called off earlier this year, met Shoaib in Dubai in February while she was playing a tournament there. They liked each other. The families took things forward and planned the alliance.
Sania’s mother, Nasima said: “Marriages are made in heaven. As parents, we are delighted with her choice.’’ Her father Imran, who has coached and managed her through her career, said: “This is a unique case where the husband and wife will represent their respective countries in sport.’’
A busy year up ahead for Sania
Tennis sensation Sania Mirza is set to marry Pak cricketer Shoaib Malik in Hyderabad.
A busy year awaits the tennis star as she ties the knot in April in Hyderabad. Ranked No. 27 in the world, Sania Mirza’s rating has plummeted after a wrist injury saw her take a break from competition.
Her treatment and rehabilitation drills continue. She will probably test her wrist in competition later in the summer, but is targeting a return for later in the year.
“I hope to be fully fit to represent India in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games that are scheduled for later this year,’’ Sania said.
Shoaib, however, can’t play for one year for Pakistan as he faces a ban imposed by the national Cricket Board for breaching the code of conduct.
Although no reason was given, Pakistani media speculated he may have been involved in match-fixing.
It may be recalled that Shoaib was involved in a marriage dispute with another Indian national, Ayesha Siddiqui, with whom he reportedly exchanged marriage vows with over the telephone in 2002.
Shoaib, however, has denied the marriage, indicating he had been cheated in the relationship, which was mostly carried out over the internet. Sania’s family has downplayed the issue and made no comment on it.
Collections of Best Comments for Sachin Tendulkar
For all you Sachin admirers out there.
"Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it."
- Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a flight.
"Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar that you lose focus on your job."
- Yaseer Hameed in pakistani newspaper.
"To Sachin, the man we all want to be"
- Andrew Symonds wrote on an aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin.
"Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium,there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives."
- BBC on Sachin
"Tuzhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?"
- Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq when the latter dropped Sachin's catch in 2003 WC.
Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal.
- Brian Charles Lara
"We did not lose to a team called India...we lost to a man called Sachin."
- Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997)
"The more I see of him the more confused I'm getting to which is his best knock."
- M. L. Jaisimha
"The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility - all make for a one-in-a-billion individual,"
- Glen McGrath
"I can be hundred per cent sure that Sachin will not play for a minute longer when he is not enjoying himself. He is still so eager to go out there and play. He will play as long as he feels he can play,"
- Anjali Tendulkar
Question: Who do you think as most important celebrity ?
Shah Rukh Khan: There was a big party where stars from bollywood and cricket were invited. Suddenly, there was a big noise, all wanted to see approaching Amitabh Bachhan. Then Sachin entered the hall and Amitabh was leading the queue to get a grab of the GENIUS!!
- Shah Rukh Khan in an interview.
"India me aap PrimeMinister ko ek Baar Katghare me khada kar sakte hain..Par Sachin Tendulkar par Ungli nahi utha Sakte.. "
- Navjot Singh Sidhu on TV
He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also.
- Waqar Younis
Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world. I was bowling to Sachin and he hit me for two fours in a row. One from point and the other in between point and gully. That was the last two balls of the over and the over after that we (SA) took a wicket and during the group meeting i told Jonty (Rhodes) to be alert and i know a way to pin Sachin. And i delivered the first ball of my next over and it was a fuller length delevery outside offstump. And i shouted catch. To my astonishment the ball was hit to the cover boundary. Such was the brilliance of Sachin. His reflex time is the best i have ever seen. Its like 1/20th of a sec. To get his wicket better not prepare. Atleast you wont regret if he hits you for boundaries.
- Allan Donald
On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was
nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!!
- Peter Rebouck - Aussie journalist
"Sachin cannot cheat. He is to cricket what (Mahatma) Gandhiji was to politics. It's clear discrimination. "
- NKP Salve, former Union Minister when Sachin was accused of ball tempering
There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Twoall the others.
- Andy Flower
"I have seen god, he bats at no.4 for India"
- Mathew Hayden
"Commit all your sins when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed cause even the GOD is watching"
- A hoarding in England
NOW THIS ONE IS PROBABLY THE BEST
"Even my father's name is Sachin Tendulkar."
- Sachin Tendulkar's daughter, Sara, tells her class her father's name after the teacher informs them of a restaurant of the same name in Mumbai.
"Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it."
- Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a flight.
"Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar that you lose focus on your job."
- Yaseer Hameed in pakistani newspaper.
"To Sachin, the man we all want to be"
- Andrew Symonds wrote on an aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin.
"Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium,there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives."
- BBC on Sachin
"Tuzhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?"
- Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq when the latter dropped Sachin's catch in 2003 WC.
Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal.
- Brian Charles Lara
"We did not lose to a team called India...we lost to a man called Sachin."
- Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997)
"The more I see of him the more confused I'm getting to which is his best knock."
- M. L. Jaisimha
"The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility - all make for a one-in-a-billion individual,"
- Glen McGrath
"I can be hundred per cent sure that Sachin will not play for a minute longer when he is not enjoying himself. He is still so eager to go out there and play. He will play as long as he feels he can play,"
- Anjali Tendulkar
Question: Who do you think as most important celebrity ?
Shah Rukh Khan: There was a big party where stars from bollywood and cricket were invited. Suddenly, there was a big noise, all wanted to see approaching Amitabh Bachhan. Then Sachin entered the hall and Amitabh was leading the queue to get a grab of the GENIUS!!
- Shah Rukh Khan in an interview.
"India me aap PrimeMinister ko ek Baar Katghare me khada kar sakte hain..Par Sachin Tendulkar par Ungli nahi utha Sakte.. "
- Navjot Singh Sidhu on TV
He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also.
- Waqar Younis
Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world. I was bowling to Sachin and he hit me for two fours in a row. One from point and the other in between point and gully. That was the last two balls of the over and the over after that we (SA) took a wicket and during the group meeting i told Jonty (Rhodes) to be alert and i know a way to pin Sachin. And i delivered the first ball of my next over and it was a fuller length delevery outside offstump. And i shouted catch. To my astonishment the ball was hit to the cover boundary. Such was the brilliance of Sachin. His reflex time is the best i have ever seen. Its like 1/20th of a sec. To get his wicket better not prepare. Atleast you wont regret if he hits you for boundaries.
- Allan Donald
On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was
nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!!
- Peter Rebouck - Aussie journalist
"Sachin cannot cheat. He is to cricket what (Mahatma) Gandhiji was to politics. It's clear discrimination. "
- NKP Salve, former Union Minister when Sachin was accused of ball tempering
There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Twoall the others.
- Andy Flower
"I have seen god, he bats at no.4 for India"
- Mathew Hayden
"Commit all your sins when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed cause even the GOD is watching"
- A hoarding in England
NOW THIS ONE IS PROBABLY THE BEST
"Even my father's name is Sachin Tendulkar."
- Sachin Tendulkar's daughter, Sara, tells her class her father's name after the teacher informs them of a restaurant of the same name in Mumbai.
T20 World Cup squad named
Squad:
M S Dhoni (c),
Virender Sehwag (v-c),
Gautam Gambhir ,
Suresh Raina ,
Yuvraj Singh ,
Yusuf Pathan ,
Rohit Sharma ,
Harbhajan Singh,
Zaheer Khan ,
Ishant Sharma ,
Praveen Kumar,
RP Singh,
Ravindra Jadeja ,
Pragyan Ojha and
Irfan Pathan .
India, who won the inaugural edition of the championship in South Africa in 2007, will be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni while Virender Sehwag has been named his deputy.
Paceman RP Singh was on Monday rewarded for his consistent performance in the ongoing IPL with a recall while fellow speedster Munaf Patel was dropped from India's 15-member squad for next month's Twenty20 World Cup in England .
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik , who figured in India's squad that played the last Twenty20 in New Zealand in February end, has also been dropped from the squad which has no major surprises. Hard-hitting batsman Robin Uthappa has also been omitted.
The squad includes five specialist batsmen, five specialist pacers, two spinners, two all-rounders and a wicket-keeper in Dhoni.
The selectors had earlier announced a list of 30 probables for the event to be held in England from June 5-21 and today pruned it to the final 15. All participating teams have to submit the final squad by tomorrow as per the ICC rules.
As expected, there are no major surprises in the squad which was picked up by the selection panel headed by former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth via teleconference.
Among others who could not make it to the final 15 are Tamil Nadu opener M Vijay, Mumbai trio of Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni and Abhishek Nayar , Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath, Delhi batsman Virat Kohli , Bengal duo of Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha, Haryana leggie Amit Mishra , Tamil Nadu pacer L Balaji and Madhya Pradesh stumper Naman Ojha.
Tamil Nadu off-spinner R Ashwin, who was named back-up for Harbhajan Singh , also failed to survive the pruning exercise.
Youngsters Abhishek Raut, who plays for Rajasthan Royals , and Bangalore's Shrivats Goswami also could not make the cut despite their decent showing in the Indian Premier League .
Joginder Sharma, who is remembered for his last over in the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 World Cup, could not find a place in the 30-member list of probables, along with Piyush Chawla and S Sreesanth .
Sreesanth is recovering from a back injury and has not played competitive cricket for the last few months.
Sachin Tendulkar had opted out of the Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 and continued to remain away from the shortest format of the game despite his good form in recent time.
M S Dhoni (c),
Virender Sehwag (v-c),
Gautam Gambhir ,
Suresh Raina ,
Yuvraj Singh ,
Yusuf Pathan ,
Rohit Sharma ,
Harbhajan Singh,
Zaheer Khan ,
Ishant Sharma ,
Praveen Kumar,
RP Singh,
Ravindra Jadeja ,
Pragyan Ojha and
Irfan Pathan .
India, who won the inaugural edition of the championship in South Africa in 2007, will be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni while Virender Sehwag has been named his deputy.
Paceman RP Singh was on Monday rewarded for his consistent performance in the ongoing IPL with a recall while fellow speedster Munaf Patel was dropped from India's 15-member squad for next month's Twenty20 World Cup in England .
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik , who figured in India's squad that played the last Twenty20 in New Zealand in February end, has also been dropped from the squad which has no major surprises. Hard-hitting batsman Robin Uthappa has also been omitted.
The squad includes five specialist batsmen, five specialist pacers, two spinners, two all-rounders and a wicket-keeper in Dhoni.
The selectors had earlier announced a list of 30 probables for the event to be held in England from June 5-21 and today pruned it to the final 15. All participating teams have to submit the final squad by tomorrow as per the ICC rules.
As expected, there are no major surprises in the squad which was picked up by the selection panel headed by former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth via teleconference.
Among others who could not make it to the final 15 are Tamil Nadu opener M Vijay, Mumbai trio of Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni and Abhishek Nayar , Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath, Delhi batsman Virat Kohli , Bengal duo of Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha, Haryana leggie Amit Mishra , Tamil Nadu pacer L Balaji and Madhya Pradesh stumper Naman Ojha.
Tamil Nadu off-spinner R Ashwin, who was named back-up for Harbhajan Singh , also failed to survive the pruning exercise.
Youngsters Abhishek Raut, who plays for Rajasthan Royals , and Bangalore's Shrivats Goswami also could not make the cut despite their decent showing in the Indian Premier League .
Joginder Sharma, who is remembered for his last over in the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 World Cup, could not find a place in the 30-member list of probables, along with Piyush Chawla and S Sreesanth .
Sreesanth is recovering from a back injury and has not played competitive cricket for the last few months.
Sachin Tendulkar had opted out of the Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 and continued to remain away from the shortest format of the game despite his good form in recent time.
A Win To Cheer
Success in New Zealand takes India closer to top spot in Test cricket
Ablemish in Team India’s recent record in Test cricket has been wiped out: a series has been won in New Zealand, the first in four decades. This 1-0 win reaffirms Team India’s emergence as a Test side that can win matches not just at home but also abroad.
The success in New Zealand was a collective effort. Yet, special mention must be made of Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan. These two players have had a remarkable run in recent times and that’s helped Team India to become one of the world’s top Test teams. The Virender Sehwag-Gambhir combine is arguably the most destructive opening pair in world cricket today. Sehwag’s relative failure in Tests in New Zealand — unusual because he had a terrific one-day series — did not affect Gambhir, but revealed new facets of his batting. His two centuries were contrasting efforts shaped by the needs of the team. In Napier, he blocked for over 11 hours to score 137 runs, which helped India save the match. In Wellington, he blasted his way to 167 in less than six hours and set the match up for the bowlers. And Rahul Dravid, who now holds the world record for the most catches in Tests, Sachin Tendulkar and V V S Laxman did justice to their reputations.
Similarly, Zaheer’s re-emergence as a strike bowler a few seasons ago has dramatically transformed Team India’s bowling. That he now has the best strike rate of any Indian bowler overseas — the list includes men like Anil Kumble, B S Chandrasekhar and Kapil Dev — is evidence of his skills and potency. Fast bowlers, as is well known, hunt in pairs. Zaheer and Ishant Sharma make a formidable pair. The right-arm Sharma, with his pace and bounce, complements the swing and seam of the left-arm Zaheer. Together, they have blunted many top order batsmen and set the middle order up for spinners, especially Harbhajan Singh. Not surprisingly, Singh, like another off-spinner E A S Prasanna 41 years ago, topped the wickets tally in New Zealand. Moreover, these bowlers have become handy batsmen.
But it rankles a bit that the result could have been 2-0 in India’s favour if not for the hostile weather and excessively defensive tactics on the part of M S Dhoni, who is otherwise having a fabulous run as captain and player. An early declaration in Wellington would have given bowlers enough time to wrap up the match. Team India, it seems, preferred to hold on to the 1-0 lead and not risk an improbable loss. Teams like Australia aren’t scared of taking risks to maximise their success. That’s a winner’s mindset. Team India should not become a prisoner of excessive caution. Winning must become a frame of mind for Dhoni’s remarkable team.
CHANGE OF GUARD
Bringing to an end to long and string stretching speculations, Dr Vijay Mallya, owner of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team named England’s Kevin Pietersen as skipper for the second edition of the Indian Premier League that is slated to begin on April 10.
Pietersen will lead the team until the end of April after which he will return to do duty for his country and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis will take over for the rest of the tournament. With six international players having captaincy experience in the RCB line-up, Dr Mallya said, “After long and decisive consultations with icon player Rahul Dravid the decision to make Pietersen captain was taken.” The names of former Indian skipper Anil Kumble and Karnataka skipper Robin Uthappa did the rounds and many backed a Bangalorean to lead the local team if it was not to be Rahul.
It is also likely that Rahul Dravid could be unavailable as his wife is expecting the couple’s second child and the star middle order Indian batsman would like to be by his wife at that moment.
Pietersen, in a statement, said, “It is indeed a great privilege and honor to be asked to take over the captaincy from such a great player and friend, Rahul Dravid. Rahul has an incredible cricketing brain and a vast amount of experience in playing the sport at the highest level.”
The team, which boasts of a plethora of young Indian players, wears a more balanced look compared to the inaugural year when they were tagged “a Test team”. Talking of cheerleaders, Mallya said, “Cheerleaders don’t win matches, players do.” He went on to add, “The cheerleaders contributed significantly overall in portraying the Indian Premier League worldwide”.
“We will do whatever it takes to market RCB as a brand and if we feel that cheerleaders are necessary, and then it will be done.” “We (RCB) felt it necessary to sign and promote young Indian players who could benefit from the experienced international players in the team. Along with Brijesh Patel (CEO) and Ray Jennings (Coach) Royal Challengers are in really good shape now,” ended Mallya.
VENKY LEAVES RCB
In a major change, Indian bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad will not be seen with the Royal Challengers team. The former Indian seamer has signed up to be the bowling coach of Chennai Super Kings and his place in the RCB will be taken up by Eric Symonds from South Africa and Grant Morgan, also a South African, will be the batting coach who will join Jennings and Bash Naidoo (High Performance coach) both from South Africa.
BCCI BOWLS GOOGLY AT GOVT
The Indian Permier League Twenty20 tournament, which proved to be hugely popular in its inaugural edition last year, will be played this year in another country, probably England or South Africa, in the wake of a tussle between the Government and the Board of Control for Cricket in India over security issues.
The BCCI took the surprise decision here on Sunday after the Union Home Ministry and some state governments had told the organisers that it may not be possible to provide adequate security for the 45-day tournament, whose dates clash with the Lok Sabha polls.
Even a rescheduling of the matches and change of some venues had not satisfied the security establishment which had heightened concerns after the Lahore terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team.
Determined to go ahead with the tournament which involves big money — some estimates putting the figure at close to Rs 10,000 crores mainly in TV rights and sponsorships — the BCCI threw a googly at the government by taking the tournament out of the country.
After the meeting of the BCCI working committee attended among others by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, BCCI President Shashank Manohar told a press conference that they were forced to take the tournament out of the country because of the government’s attitude.
INDIAN LOSS, FOREIGN GAIN
Manohar said that the BCCI was in touch with boards of other countries and a decision on the venue for the IPL will be taken in 2-3 days.
BCCI sources said that England or South Africa appear to be most likely venues. “Due of the attitude of the government that they are not ready to spare security forces for the cricket tournament, we are forced to take the decision to move the event out of India,” Manohar said.
“So the Board has decided to take the tournament out of the country. We are in discussion with other boards who are willing to host the event. I apologise to the people of India for moving the tournament out,” Manohar said.
“But we’re are going ahead with the event so that they can at least watch the event on television,” he added.
The BCCI President said venue would be decided in next couple of days. “We are in discussion with other boards and will decide the venue in next 2-3 days,” he said. IPL Commissioner and Chairman Lalit Modi, who was also at the press conference, said the number of matches, format and timing of the event will remain unchanged and the organisers would not tinker with the “integrity of the tournament”.
“Dates and timings of the matches will remain the same. The Indian audiences can watch the matches at 4 pm and 8 pm IST as they did in the inaugural season,” Modi said. Modi said the increased cost of holding the matches overseas was not important but the tournament’s integrity was. “We are not bothered about the cost factor but the issue is the integrity of the tournament. The issue is holding all 59 matches as scheduled,” he said.
Modi said the telecast row concerning the tournament between the BCCI and Sony was also expected to be sorted out in 24 hours. Manohar also expressed his displeasure at the state governments’ attitude, saying Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra Government changed their stance at the last moment.
“The AP government revoked its earlier permission and Maharashtra Chief Minister wrote a letter that we can’t host matches in that state until May 13. We had scheduled 18 matches for Maharashtra,” he said.
DISCUSSION
Manohar said that the BCCI officials would now have a discussion with the eight franchise team owners and said on an optimistic note, in the presence of team owners Vijay Mallya and Nita Ambani, as well as N Srinivasan (the BCCI Secretary), that he did not think they will have any objection. “We will hold discussions with the owners. I don’t think the franchises would oppose us,” he said.
The schedule of the tournament has been fixed from April 10 to May 24 and BCCI said in a press release that there did not exist any other window for holding the IPL sometime later.
The BCCI statement said it was not possible to hold the event on any other date other than the original schedule due to a busy international calender.
“The BCCI is conscious of the general elections, which will be held between April 16 and May 13. The BCCI has had several discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs on the scheduling of IPL matches.”
“It is pertinent to understand that within the present international calendar of events, there is no other window for IPL to be played during this year. Immediately after the IPL, the teams will be in England on May 25 for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup commencing from June 2.”
“After the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, the Indian team will play four ODIs in the West Indies after which, the team will tour Zimbabwe for a tri-series involving Zimbabwe and South Africa.”
“In September, India would play in the Champions Trophy in South Africa, following which would be the Champions League. Between October 2009 and March 2010, there are three home series against Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa,” it said.
The release also said the tournament provided a large revenue last year so, it would not hold a truncated event. “The experience of the first IPL has shown that apart from providing employment at the various venues, IPL has also contributed close to Rs 100 crore to the exchequer.”
“The BCCI, therefore, is not in a position to either play a truncated IPL or to cancel the second edition of the IPL. The BCCI is left with no other option.”
HUNGRY FOR MORE
Beckham could become the most capped English player if he is able to make his loan move to Milan permanent.
David Beckham equalled the late Bobby Moore’s outfield record of 108 caps for England after coming on as a substitute in a friendly on Wednesday away to Spain in Seville. The 33-year-old midfielder, recalled to the squad after impressing Fabio Capello with his recent displays for AC Milan, came on for the second half and now looks set to eclipse Moore as the most capped outfield player when England play their next match, a World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on March 28.
Beckham came on as a halftime substitute, but David Villa and Fernando Llorente scored to hand England its first loss in almost a year. The loss of England’s unbeaten streak shows it still has plenty of work to do after missing last year’s European championship, which Spain won.
EYEING 125
Beckham has still some way to go to catch the overall record holder, goalkeeper Peter Shilton, who played for his country 125 times. But it is not completely out of the question that he could reach that landmark if he is able to make his loan move to Milan permanent and realise his ambition of playing for England in next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.
By then, Beckham will have turned 35 and have been representing his country for almost 14 years, having made his debut as a floppyhaired 21-year-old against Moldova on September 1, 1996. The first of his 17 international goals came at the 1998 World Cup, his freekick against Colombia helping England into the second round.
That tournament was to end in disgrace with Beckham vilified for getting himself sent off for a petulant kick at Diego Simeone as England went out on penalties to Argentina. An experience that would have crushed less resilient personalities served only to make Beckham stronger and his growing significance to the national squad was recognised by caretaker boss Peter Taylor, who made him captain.
CAPTAIN BECKHAM
That decision surprised many people but Beckham retained the role under Sven-Goran Eriksson and was at the centre of a revival in England’s fortunes under the Swede. Beckham was wearing the armband when England hammered Germany 5-1 in Munich in 2001 and it was his dramatic last gasp free-kick that secured a 2-2 draw with Greece later that year, clinching the squad’s place in the 2002 World Cup finals. His redemption from the 1998 setback was completed in Japan, where he scored the penalty that gave England a group stage win over Argentina. Another freekick, against Ecuador in the 2006 finals, made Beckham the first Englishman to score in three World Cups.
TESTING TIMES
Beckham’s international career appeared to have ended after that tournament when new manager Steve McClaren dropped him from the squad. But the midfielder refused to take the face-saving option of retirement and, the following June, he was back in the fold, setting up John Terry for England’s goal in their first match at the new Wembley, a 1-1 draw with Brazil. The century of caps was chalked up in a friendly defeat by France last March and it has been inevitable for some time that Beckham would reach Moore’s milestone.
That has triggered some unfavourable comparisons between Beckham and Moore which, according to Sir Bobby Charlton, are unfair. “David Beckham can’t do any more than go on the field and do his best. And his best has been good enough,” Charlton said on Wednesday.
“Of course Bobby Moore was the captain when we won the World Cup and maybe people will say that will always overshadow anything David Beckham has done. “But I don’t think David Beckham will see it like that, he’ll be very pleased and very proud.”
FRIDAY DEADLINE
Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has set a Friday deadline for AC Milan to complete a transfer deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy for David Beckham. Garber said on Wednesday that the league will not approve any transfer that is not completed by Friday even though Beckham’s threemonth loan to the Italian club does not end until March 8, 11 days before the US league’s season begins.
David Beckham equalled the late Bobby Moore’s outfield record of 108 caps for England after coming on as a substitute in a friendly on Wednesday away to Spain in Seville. The 33-year-old midfielder, recalled to the squad after impressing Fabio Capello with his recent displays for AC Milan, came on for the second half and now looks set to eclipse Moore as the most capped outfield player when England play their next match, a World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on March 28.
Beckham came on as a halftime substitute, but David Villa and Fernando Llorente scored to hand England its first loss in almost a year. The loss of England’s unbeaten streak shows it still has plenty of work to do after missing last year’s European championship, which Spain won.
EYEING 125
Beckham has still some way to go to catch the overall record holder, goalkeeper Peter Shilton, who played for his country 125 times. But it is not completely out of the question that he could reach that landmark if he is able to make his loan move to Milan permanent and realise his ambition of playing for England in next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.
By then, Beckham will have turned 35 and have been representing his country for almost 14 years, having made his debut as a floppyhaired 21-year-old against Moldova on September 1, 1996. The first of his 17 international goals came at the 1998 World Cup, his freekick against Colombia helping England into the second round.
That tournament was to end in disgrace with Beckham vilified for getting himself sent off for a petulant kick at Diego Simeone as England went out on penalties to Argentina. An experience that would have crushed less resilient personalities served only to make Beckham stronger and his growing significance to the national squad was recognised by caretaker boss Peter Taylor, who made him captain.
CAPTAIN BECKHAM
That decision surprised many people but Beckham retained the role under Sven-Goran Eriksson and was at the centre of a revival in England’s fortunes under the Swede. Beckham was wearing the armband when England hammered Germany 5-1 in Munich in 2001 and it was his dramatic last gasp free-kick that secured a 2-2 draw with Greece later that year, clinching the squad’s place in the 2002 World Cup finals. His redemption from the 1998 setback was completed in Japan, where he scored the penalty that gave England a group stage win over Argentina. Another freekick, against Ecuador in the 2006 finals, made Beckham the first Englishman to score in three World Cups.
TESTING TIMES
Beckham’s international career appeared to have ended after that tournament when new manager Steve McClaren dropped him from the squad. But the midfielder refused to take the face-saving option of retirement and, the following June, he was back in the fold, setting up John Terry for England’s goal in their first match at the new Wembley, a 1-1 draw with Brazil. The century of caps was chalked up in a friendly defeat by France last March and it has been inevitable for some time that Beckham would reach Moore’s milestone.
That has triggered some unfavourable comparisons between Beckham and Moore which, according to Sir Bobby Charlton, are unfair. “David Beckham can’t do any more than go on the field and do his best. And his best has been good enough,” Charlton said on Wednesday.
“Of course Bobby Moore was the captain when we won the World Cup and maybe people will say that will always overshadow anything David Beckham has done. “But I don’t think David Beckham will see it like that, he’ll be very pleased and very proud.”
FRIDAY DEADLINE
Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has set a Friday deadline for AC Milan to complete a transfer deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy for David Beckham. Garber said on Wednesday that the league will not approve any transfer that is not completed by Friday even though Beckham’s threemonth loan to the Italian club does not end until March 8, 11 days before the US league’s season begins.
CLEAN SHEET
Ryan Giggs scored a sublime goal to seal a 1-0 win for Manchester United at West Ham United on Sunday that sent them back to the top of the Premier League. In a cagey game of few chances, Giggs jinked past two West Ham players after 61 minutes before skimming a low shot inside the far post to put the champions two points clear of Liverpool.
United have 56 points from 24 games while Liverpool, who beat Portsmouth 3-2 on Saturday, have 54 from 25.
United’s miserly defence was never unduly troubled as they registered a 13th consecutive league clean sheet while goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar made it over 20 hours since he last had to pick the ball out of his net in the league.
“This has been a difficult match for us over the years and this was a great result for us to come away with a win,” Dutchman Van der Sar told Sky Sports. “The defenders are incredible, how they defend, how they clear the ball, it’s a team effort.”
ARSENAL FIFTH
Arsenal remain a distant fifth with 44 points after drawing 0-0 at north London rivals Tottenham
Arsenal remain a distant fifth with 44 points after drawing 0-0 at north London rivals Tottenham
Hotspur despite playing for nearly an hour with 10 men after Emmanuel Eboue was sent off. Eboue, who also had a goal disallowed, was shown a red card for a sneaky kick at Tottenham’s Luca Modric after 36 minutes but the home side, even with Robbie Keane back in the starting line-up, failed to take advantage.
For all their attacking flair, United’s surge towards a hat-trick of Premier League titles has been built on rock-like defending.
Sunday’s victory was their sixth by 1-0 in an eight-match winning sequence in the league. West Ham had not lost until before Christmas and started confidently against United.
Carlton Cole, who was included in the England squad on Saturday, had the game’s first chance when he found a rare gap in United’s defence before trying to chip Van der Sar.
At the other end a Paul Scholes shot was re-directed by Cristiano Ronaldo, forcing a fingertip save from West Ham keeper Robert Green.
United were comfortable after the break without really threatening until two of their most experienced players combined to unlock West Ham’s defence. Scholes drilled a perfect crossfield pass to pick out Giggs on the left wing and the Welsh winger cut in, side-stepped past two static West Ham players and threaded a shot into the net.
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY
Rafael Nadal made 2008 his own, but the signs are not good for the Australian Open where he will bid to extend his mastery with a first hardcourt Grand Slam. The muscular Mallorcan has played only three tour matches since October, when he wrapped up his season early with an injured right knee, and crashed out in last week’s Qatar Open quarters.
Nadal, 22, was also beaten in an exhibition event by the in-form Andy Murray, and will have to play his way into form here. “There’s no damage to my confidence,” he insisted in Doha.
“I knew that the beginning of the season was not going to be easy because, although I have had more rest than other players, I have also had more time outside of competition than others.
“So it is a little bit more difficult to come back fast to my rhythm. I’ll leave here with positive feelings when I go to Australia.” The clay-court king also started slowly last year, winning his first title in April before finally wresting the top ranking from Roger Federer.
Last year’s Australian Open semi-final — which he lost to an inspired Jo-Wilfried Tsonga — was his best performance in four visits to Melbourne Park. However, Nadal won Beijing Olympic gold and also made the US Open semis, suggesting he is not a complete slouch on hard surfaces. The Spaniard also has something else in his favour one — of the fiercest competitive streaks in modern sport.
This desire can be traced back to his low-key home life in Manacor, Mallorca, where he was born into a family wellversed in sporting success.
Uncle Miguel was the ‘Beast of Barcelona,’ a well-known footballer who was capped 62 times by Spain. But it was his father Sebastien’s other brother, Toni, who changed Nadal’s life when he first handed him a tennis racquet at the age of just four. After shedding his two-handed forehand at about nine, the young Nadal quickly rose through the ranks and reached the junior Wimbledon semi-finals at his first attempt in 2002.
TOP 100
‘Rafa’ reached the top 100 in April 2003, making his first ATP final at Umag, and enjoyed his career breakthrough at Sopot a year later. In 2005 the clay-court livewire began to scythe through the rankings, reaching the top 50 in January and the top 10 three months later.
The first of four consecutive French Open crowns brought him to the number two spot that July — a position which he occupied until last August, when he finally overhauled Federer. The all-action Nadal was fast garnering a reputation for his feats on clay, and he shattered Guillermo Vilas’ 53-match win streak with 81 straight victories on the surface between April 2005 and May 2007.
SEVEN TITLES
Despite ongoing knee injury concerns exacerbated by his physical style of play, the Spaniard upped the tempo last season grabbing seven titles and ending Roger Federer’s five-year Wimbledon reign in an epic final.
The legend is secured, but super-stardom appears at odds with Nadal’s selfeffacing personality and unflashy lifestyle. Eschewing the trappings of fame, Nadal still lives with his parents above the family restaurant in Manacor where the ardent Real Madrid fan watches football matches and goes fishing with his childhood friends.
While fiercely protective of his private life Nadal is reportedly dating local beauty Maria Francisca ‘Xisca’ Perello. AFP Rochus test for Nadal
Rafael Nadal finds British contender Andy Murray in his half of the men’s singles for the Australian Open, starting on Monday.
Murray, the fourth seed, is bidding to become Britain’s first men’s Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936. Second seed Roger Federer, chasing one more slam title to equal the record 14 set by American Pete Sampras, has defending Australian champion Novak Djokovic in his bottom half of the draw.
Nadal begins his campaign against Belgian Christophe Rochus and could face unseeded former world number one and Australian finalist Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth round.
Hewitt, whose ranking has slipped to 74 after hip surgery last August, has a tough first-up opponent in former finalist and 13th seed Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.
Murray’s first-round opponent is Romanian Andrei Pavel and he also has last year’s beaten finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in his quarter of the draw.
Federer, beaten by Djokovic in last year’s semi-final, takes on Italian Andreas Seppi in the first round and could meet 2005 champion and 26th seeded Russian Marat Safin in the third round.
Djokovic starts off with a qualifier and has American seventh seed Andy Roddick and Argentine 10th seed David Nalbandian in his quarter of the draw.
Tough draw for Serena
Serena Williams, chasing her fourth Australian Open title, has drawn sister Venus and in-form Russian Elena Dementieva in her half of the women’s singles draw.
The second-seeded American is looking for her 10th Grand Slam title, but has been given few favours by the draw’s computer.
She starts off against China’s Meng Yuan and has a potential quarter-final against Russian eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and a possible semifinal against either her sixthseeded sister Venus or fourthseeded D e m e n t i e v a . Venus Williams kicks off her Australian campaign against Angelique Kerber, while Dementieva faces another German, Kristina Barrois.
World number one Jelena Jankovic has Russian third seed Dinara Safina and fifth-seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic in her top half of the draw.
Nadal, 22, was also beaten in an exhibition event by the in-form Andy Murray, and will have to play his way into form here. “There’s no damage to my confidence,” he insisted in Doha.
“I knew that the beginning of the season was not going to be easy because, although I have had more rest than other players, I have also had more time outside of competition than others.
“So it is a little bit more difficult to come back fast to my rhythm. I’ll leave here with positive feelings when I go to Australia.” The clay-court king also started slowly last year, winning his first title in April before finally wresting the top ranking from Roger Federer.
Last year’s Australian Open semi-final — which he lost to an inspired Jo-Wilfried Tsonga — was his best performance in four visits to Melbourne Park. However, Nadal won Beijing Olympic gold and also made the US Open semis, suggesting he is not a complete slouch on hard surfaces. The Spaniard also has something else in his favour one — of the fiercest competitive streaks in modern sport.
This desire can be traced back to his low-key home life in Manacor, Mallorca, where he was born into a family wellversed in sporting success.
Uncle Miguel was the ‘Beast of Barcelona,’ a well-known footballer who was capped 62 times by Spain. But it was his father Sebastien’s other brother, Toni, who changed Nadal’s life when he first handed him a tennis racquet at the age of just four. After shedding his two-handed forehand at about nine, the young Nadal quickly rose through the ranks and reached the junior Wimbledon semi-finals at his first attempt in 2002.
TOP 100
‘Rafa’ reached the top 100 in April 2003, making his first ATP final at Umag, and enjoyed his career breakthrough at Sopot a year later. In 2005 the clay-court livewire began to scythe through the rankings, reaching the top 50 in January and the top 10 three months later.
The first of four consecutive French Open crowns brought him to the number two spot that July — a position which he occupied until last August, when he finally overhauled Federer. The all-action Nadal was fast garnering a reputation for his feats on clay, and he shattered Guillermo Vilas’ 53-match win streak with 81 straight victories on the surface between April 2005 and May 2007.
SEVEN TITLES
Despite ongoing knee injury concerns exacerbated by his physical style of play, the Spaniard upped the tempo last season grabbing seven titles and ending Roger Federer’s five-year Wimbledon reign in an epic final.
The legend is secured, but super-stardom appears at odds with Nadal’s selfeffacing personality and unflashy lifestyle. Eschewing the trappings of fame, Nadal still lives with his parents above the family restaurant in Manacor where the ardent Real Madrid fan watches football matches and goes fishing with his childhood friends.
While fiercely protective of his private life Nadal is reportedly dating local beauty Maria Francisca ‘Xisca’ Perello. AFP Rochus test for Nadal
Rafael Nadal finds British contender Andy Murray in his half of the men’s singles for the Australian Open, starting on Monday.
Murray, the fourth seed, is bidding to become Britain’s first men’s Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936. Second seed Roger Federer, chasing one more slam title to equal the record 14 set by American Pete Sampras, has defending Australian champion Novak Djokovic in his bottom half of the draw.
Nadal begins his campaign against Belgian Christophe Rochus and could face unseeded former world number one and Australian finalist Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth round.
Hewitt, whose ranking has slipped to 74 after hip surgery last August, has a tough first-up opponent in former finalist and 13th seed Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.
Murray’s first-round opponent is Romanian Andrei Pavel and he also has last year’s beaten finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in his quarter of the draw.
Federer, beaten by Djokovic in last year’s semi-final, takes on Italian Andreas Seppi in the first round and could meet 2005 champion and 26th seeded Russian Marat Safin in the third round.
Djokovic starts off with a qualifier and has American seventh seed Andy Roddick and Argentine 10th seed David Nalbandian in his quarter of the draw.
Tough draw for Serena
Serena Williams, chasing her fourth Australian Open title, has drawn sister Venus and in-form Russian Elena Dementieva in her half of the women’s singles draw.
The second-seeded American is looking for her 10th Grand Slam title, but has been given few favours by the draw’s computer.
She starts off against China’s Meng Yuan and has a potential quarter-final against Russian eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and a possible semifinal against either her sixthseeded sister Venus or fourthseeded D e m e n t i e v a . Venus Williams kicks off her Australian campaign against Angelique Kerber, while Dementieva faces another German, Kristina Barrois.
World number one Jelena Jankovic has Russian third seed Dinara Safina and fifth-seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic in her top half of the draw.
Rooney winner moves United up to second
Wayne Rooney scored the winner but suffered a hamstring injury in a 1-0 victory over Wigan Athletic that moved Manchester United up to second in the Premier League on Wednesday. The England striker netted after just 54 seconds at Old Trafford but hobbled off soon after scoring and will be sidelined for at least three weeks, manager Alex Ferguson said.
“Unfortunately we lost Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez came on and did fantastically for us then he got injured. It was a test of our character for the last half hour because it was an absolutely brilliant performance by Wigan,” Ferguson told Sky Sports News.
United, who have 44 points and a game in hand, will go top if they beat Bolton Wanderers on Saturday as leaders Liverpool, who have 46, do not play until they host Everton in the Merseyside derby on Monday. Wigan, coached by former United favourite Steve Bruce, remain in seventh place. Shortly before kickoff they rejected a 10 million pounds bid from Tottenham Hotspur for Honduras midfielder Wilson Palacios. “When the big boys start circling and coming and nicking your players, unfortunately if they pay enough they are always going to get their own way,” Bruce said.
CHELSEA WIN
Chelsea went some way to relieving the pressure on coach Luiz Felipe Scolari by coming from behind to beat Southend United 4-1 in an entertaining FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday. Goals from Michael Ballack, Salomon Kalou, Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard gave Chelsea, with only one win in their previous six matches, a deserved win after League One (third division) Southend had taken a shock 16th-minute lead with an Adam Barrett header. The ultimately emphatic nature of the victory was just the boost Brazilian coach Scolari needed after a recent run of unimpressive performances.
DATE WITH DESTINY
Federer had his aura of invincibility shattered, but this time the Swiss is determined to win one Grand Slam to cement his legacy as the greatest player of all time.
Just a year ago, Roger Federer arrived at the Australian Open as the undisputed king of the courts, ready to kick off another season of domination with his third successive title. A trifling virus couldn’t stop the Swiss maestro, right? Wrong. The debilitated Federer went down in the semis to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, ending a record run of 10 straight Grand Slam finals and setting in motion the toughest period of his career.
This year, Federer comes to Melbourne with a few questions to answer. Can he regain the number one ranking? Does he still have the mental edge? Can he beat Pete Sampras’s Grand Slam record before age catches up with him? He can start to answer at least one of those straight away. “I have high hopes and aim to play well from the start,” he said this week. “Of course I’m trying to beat the record of 14 from Sampras so we will see how it goes.”
NEW PHASE
Federer, who begins the year without the top ranking for the first time since 2004, is entering a new phase of his career.
He has already announced a slimmed-down schedule, dropping clay-court events to stay fresh for Wimbledon where he is desperate to win back the title from Rafael Nadal.
If all goes to plan, Federer will win here and overhaul Sampras’s 14 Grand Slam titles in London, cementing his legacy as the greatest player of all time. That career, with 57 titles and counting plus 44 million US dollars in prize money, stems from humble beginnings when he was born in Basel, Switzerland, on August 8, 1981.
SAMPRAS EFFECT
Federer first picked up a racquet aged eight, inspired by the exploits of Sampras and Boris Becker and an outstanding amateur career followed, including the junior Wimbledon title in 1998.
After turning pro, he ended 1999 as the youngest player in the top 100 and reached his first ATP final in Marseille the following year. But it was in 2001 that he made his entrance, famously ending Sampras’s 31-match Wimbledon winning streak in the fourth round.
He stalled briefly, losing a number of finals in 2002 when he was staggered by the death in a car accident of his first coach, Peter Carter.
MAIDEN SLAM
Rock-bottom, and the careerdefining moment, came at the 2003 French Open with a firstround defeat to Luis Horna. One month later the chastened Federer took Wimbledon by storm for his first Grand Slam title aged 22. It set the stage for a spell of unprecedented dominance. Federer reached number one in February 2004 and racked up 11 titles that year, repeating at Wimbledon and winning the US and Australian Opens. Tennis had rarely seen anything like it but Federer matched the exploits in 2005, winning another 11 including successful defences at Wimbledon and the US Open in a season he finished 81-4.
INCREDIBLE RUN
Only the French Open eluded him in 2006 and 2007 as Federer extended his incredible Grand Slam run which left most of his rivals, except Nadal, at a loss. It was a bout of mononucleosis which finally stopped him when he went out in the semis here last year, beginning his worst season since becoming number one. He was hammered by Nadal in the French Open final but recovered for Wimbledon, only to lose his five-year unbeaten run to the Spaniard in an epic showdown.
LOSING THE STATUS
Suddenly, Federer was vulnerable and he lost his number one ranking after a record 237 weeks. Now world number two, and in danger of slipping to third behind Djokovic, Federer remains his phlegmatic self. “I felt the most (pressure) when (I) reached six or seven slam titles and everyone was expecting me to win every match I played. That’s gone away and it’s a relief,” he shrugged. “But I’m very motivated and will remain so for a long time. I just don’t feel a lot of pressure now.”
AUSTRALIAN OPEN BOSS DEFENDS TIMING OF TOURNAMENT
SYDNEY: Australian Open organisers have dismissed suggestions from Roger Federer that the first Grand Slam of the year should be switched from its usual January time slot to February.
Fededer, president of the ATP Player Council, said he would like to see the Australian Open moved back a few weeks so the top players could enter warm-up events in the Middle East and Australia. Under the current schedule, players often choose between events but Federer, one of a handful of players who played at both regions, said changing the dates of the Australian Open would give all players the chance to play both.
“The calendar is always something we do talk about,” Federer told reporters in Melbourne. “I guess to fix the Australian Open problem, having more tournaments beforehand it, is to move it backwards a couple of weeks so you have more of an Australian swing coming, and maybe also the middle eastern tournaments.” A number of top players, including world number one Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick, as well as Venus Williams played warm-up events overseas instead of the Australian circuit. Australian Open organisers have long faced complaints from players about the timing of their summer circuit but Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said there was nothing wrong with the lead-up events.
When Diego said ‘sorry’
It now appears that Diego Maradona had actually 'apologized' after scoring what is probably his best goal. At least that is what the Argentine genius told a group that had met him last month to get his final seal of approval for the upcoming trip to India.
"There were five of us - Maradona's agent, the brother of national player Gabriel Heinze, two directors of Celebrity Management Group and I - and the scheduled 10-minute meeting stretched to an hour with the discussion veering to everything from Fidel Castro to Maradona's famous run that ended in a brilliant goal against England at the 1986 World Cup final," said Samik Lahiri, the MP from Diamond Harbour who is now at the heart of the organizing committee dealing with the high-profile visit.
"When it came to that goal, even before his interpreter could complete our question, Maradona was on to describing it," remembers Lahiri. "He said he was in two minds when he was upon Peter Shilton because Valdano was in a better position to score, but he realized he had to get behind the last man because he feared the class of the English goalkeeper, and knew Shilton may well have turned and narrowed the angle for Valdano," Lahiri recounted, adding: "Maradona then told us that he apologized to Valdano for not releasing the ball to him but that he had also felt he made the right choice. He said that Valdano had agreed and then, rather shockingly, Maradona told us that many in Argentina still feel he should have passed to Valdano!"
If football fans in this city and beyond are now quivering in anticipation of the Argentine legend's arrival later this week, blame it on that often-asked question. Why can't India produce top-class footballers? "It was some four years ago when the question came up again while we were chatting in this little group that had, among others, former footballers Shankar Banerjee and Manas Bhattacharya," says Lahiri. "This time, we didn't stop there but wanted to do something about it."
E-mails were shot off to some of the leading football academies of the world so that they could find the formula. "The model of a leading academy in South Africa, which has their national coach at the helm, looked impressive but when their representative visited the proposed venue and gave his wish list in terms of infrastructure, we realized the cost of project would be beyond us," said Lahiri, who has found a few financial backers to get him started.
They have finally settled for a top Argentine club's model that targets to produce 40 top-drawer footballers from a base of 1,000. "We'll identify talent from about 20 to 25 coaching centres but that's a process that will take some time to complete," says Lahiri. "It was during our exchange of e-mails that both parties felt the need for sensitization of more Indians to the beautiful game. It was then that the dream of bringing Maradona was born. It would be the big bang to draw attention."
The first few steps were taken over e-mail to Maradona's ex-wife Claudia, and then the communication hub shifted to Maradona's agents. It all culminated with a visit to Maradona's home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires early last month, only days after he was appointed coach of the national side.
Well, when you are looking for the big kickoff to a dream, what better than the left foot of Diego Armando Maradona!
Maradona’s visit to India in doubt after attacks
The Mumbai terror attack has cast a shadow over Diego Maradona’s two-day trip to Kolkata, even as the organisers claim the iconic Argentine football star’s country visit is on.
Immediately after the terrorist strike at the country’s commercial capital Mumbai, the 1986 World Cup hero’s personal manager Sebastian De Monte got in touch with the citybased Celebrity Management Group (CMG) who are instrumental in bringing the football legend to Kolkata.
De Monte inquired about the prevailing situation and whether it was “safe” to travel to Kolkata at a time when terrorists were targetting foreigners, as was seen during the attacks.
“It’s true that Diego's manager Sebastian enquired about the situation. He wanted to know what was happening in Mumbai and how safe is Kolkata... I said there was nothing to worry about. This (terrorism) is an internal problem, which is happening on an off in the country for the past 20 years. There’s nothing to worry about, I assured him and he said both Maradona and Claudia (his estranged wife) have started packing for the trip,” Goswami said.
“Afterall, the state government is in-charge of his security, what is there to worry about. Kolkata is very much safe city, with no history of terror attacks. Moreover, Maradona had been to Israel, so I don’t see any reason why he should abort touring India,” Goswami said.
According to unofficial sources, 40 per cent of the payment for Maradona’s visit has already been made long back, while the remaining is said to be despatched by Monday. The recent terror strike, has cut short England’s series. While there is question mark over the Champions League Twenty20.
England-India ODI series called off
The last two matches of the India-England seven-match one-day series have been called off over safety fears following a series of terrorist attacks in south Mumbai on Wednesday night in which around 100 people have been killed and more than 300 injured.
An England [Images] Cricket Board (ECB) statement said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had agreed to its request to postpone the remaining two one-dayers.
"The ECB today requested the postponement of the 6th and 7th One Day Internationals in the current series between India and England. BCCI has agreed to this request," England team's media relations manager Andrew Walpole said in an email statement.
"The England team will not travel to Guwahati this afternoon as scheduled and will remain in Bhubaneswar overnight pending further discussions with the BCCI," he added.
ECB Managing Director Hugh Morris, captain Kevin Pietersen [Images], coach Peter Moores, manager Reg Dickaso and Walpole held initial discussions with the BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, as well as representatives from the Indian team management at the team hotel in Bhubaneswar after which it was decided to call off the last two ODIs.
A decision on the two-Test series to be played next month will be taken later on Thursday evening.
England have so far played five one-dayers and have lost all the matches to trail the seven-match series 0-5. They were also scheduled to play two Tests in Ahmedabad [Images] (December 11-15) and Mumbai (December 10-23).
Even before the tour began there had been security concerns for the ECB after bomb blasts left dozens dead in Guwahati, where the sixth ODI is due to be played on Saturday.
The teams were also supposed to stay at the Taj Hotel, one of the places attacked by the terrorists, during the second Test in Mumbai next month.
The sources said that the upcoming Champions League, to be held in three different venues of the country from December 3 to 10, is also likely to be cancelled with many of the top overseas players reluctant to tour India.
Even if the tournament takes place the matches could be moved out of Mumbai.
English county side Middlesex have already cancelled their flight to India on Thursday after reports of the attacks came out.
Gunbattles raged between terrorists and commandoes and fresh explosions rocked two luxury hotels -- Taj and Trident (Oberoi) -- after a night of terror targeting ten places in the country's financial capital killed over 100 people.
A groups of militants armed with automatic weapons and grenades burst into luxury hotels, a hospital and the CST railway station late on Wednesday and fired indiscriminately.
An England [Images] Cricket Board (ECB) statement said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had agreed to its request to postpone the remaining two one-dayers.
"The ECB today requested the postponement of the 6th and 7th One Day Internationals in the current series between India and England. BCCI has agreed to this request," England team's media relations manager Andrew Walpole said in an email statement.
"The England team will not travel to Guwahati this afternoon as scheduled and will remain in Bhubaneswar overnight pending further discussions with the BCCI," he added.
ECB Managing Director Hugh Morris, captain Kevin Pietersen [Images], coach Peter Moores, manager Reg Dickaso and Walpole held initial discussions with the BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, as well as representatives from the Indian team management at the team hotel in Bhubaneswar after which it was decided to call off the last two ODIs.
A decision on the two-Test series to be played next month will be taken later on Thursday evening.
England have so far played five one-dayers and have lost all the matches to trail the seven-match series 0-5. They were also scheduled to play two Tests in Ahmedabad [Images] (December 11-15) and Mumbai (December 10-23).
Even before the tour began there had been security concerns for the ECB after bomb blasts left dozens dead in Guwahati, where the sixth ODI is due to be played on Saturday.
The teams were also supposed to stay at the Taj Hotel, one of the places attacked by the terrorists, during the second Test in Mumbai next month.
The sources said that the upcoming Champions League, to be held in three different venues of the country from December 3 to 10, is also likely to be cancelled with many of the top overseas players reluctant to tour India.
Even if the tournament takes place the matches could be moved out of Mumbai.
English county side Middlesex have already cancelled their flight to India on Thursday after reports of the attacks came out.
Gunbattles raged between terrorists and commandoes and fresh explosions rocked two luxury hotels -- Taj and Trident (Oberoi) -- after a night of terror targeting ten places in the country's financial capital killed over 100 people.
A groups of militants armed with automatic weapons and grenades burst into luxury hotels, a hospital and the CST railway station late on Wednesday and fired indiscriminately.
Should Sachin Tendulkar be playing one-day internationals?
VIEW 1
Just focus on Test cricket
During the rain-hit Bangalore one-dayer the Indian batting line-up put on a power-packed display. The only exception was Sachin Tendulkar. Playing his first game of the ongoing India-England series, he scored 11. While there’s every reason to believe that Tendulkar will better this score in the remaining games, it’s time to ask whether he should be playing ODIs at all.
A few months shy of 36,Tendulkar’s body is just not up to the rigours of the packed international schedule. Over the past few seasons, he has missed Tests and ODIs because of injury, something that was unthinkable when he was younger. The last ODI that he played was in March missing a triangular tournament, the Asia Cup, and a one-day series against Sri Lanka this year. But the Indian one-day team hasn’t really missed Tendulkar. It reached the finals of the Asia Cup, beat the strong Sri Lankan team in Sri Lanka and crushed England in the first three ODIs.
The ODI team under M S Dhoni is an explosive unit. And unlike earlier Indian teams it is an exceptional fielding side. One of the reasons for this is the team’s youth. All the players in the team are in their twenties with the exception of Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan, both of who turned 30 last month. So why disturb this winning combination by playing Tendulkar?
The current ODI squad should be the team that will play the 2011 World Cup. It’s difficult to imagine Tendulkar maintaining peak form and fitness in both the longer and shorter forms of the game till then. It would be much better for Indian cricket if he focuses on Test cricket where Team India has just lost two stalwarts in Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly. Tendulkar is needed in the Test squad not just as a batsman but also to see through a difficult transition process.
If he sticks to playing Tests, Tendulkar would in all likelihood be able to stretch his playing career. That would be a bonus not only for Indian cricket but also for millions of cricket fans.
VIEW 2
Sachin should play on
The spotlight was on Sachin Tendulkar when he walked in to open the Indian innings. It did not stay on him for long. An ungainly 11 runs later, he was back in the pavilion. At a time when M S Dhoni’s brave young gladiators are establishing their authority, this became reason enough for suggestions that he should leave the limited overs shenanigans to the youngsters and prolong his career at the pinnacle of the sport in Test cricket. They are wrong.
Four hundred eighteen oneday matches, 16,372 runs at an average of over 44, 42 centuries and 89 half centuries. The statistics bear repeating. A man cannot reach such heights without knowing every aspect of his game. There can be no better judge of his fitness and future in the one-day game than Tendulkar himself. The way he plays his cricket shows that he is no egotist. He will not cling on when he feels that he is no longer up for it or that it is detrimental to the team. The game reveals a man’s character and his has withstood the sternest examinations.
Suggestions that his latest outing proves otherwise are premature. Sourav Ganguly might have made it his USP but the Little Master is no less adept at proving naysayers wrong. Let it not be forgotten that in the last one-day series he played against Australia in 2007-08, he was the highest run scorer from the Indian side. Of late, his game has seen a rejuvenation of sorts. He has emerged from the cocoon of cautious strokeplay he had built around himself in the middle of the decade to play with something approaching his old joie de vivre. It is heartening to the team and disheartening for opponents.
For two decades he has been at the top of the game, one of its most feared exponents. His presence is talismanic, not just for the fans watching him but for his teammates. The day that it is no longer so, he will choose to step down. Until that day, he must be left alone.
He Played From The Heart
Sourav Ganguly retires from international cricket
How will one best remember Sourav Ganguly? What will be his most enduring legacy? These are questions being asked all over the cricketing world on a day when Ganguly will wear his India colours for one final time in Nagpur. While some say that he will be best remembered for his never-say-die spirit and perhaps as India’s best ever captain, history will also surely remember him as someone who rescued Indian cricket from its deepest low: the tribulations of match fixing.
At a time when the match fixing scandal was eating into the very edifice of Indian cricket and the national side under Sachin Tendulkar was in disarray, Ganguly assumed the mantle of leadership. Fans had started to lose interest in the game and only a handful in the cricket fraternity — one of them being Ganguly — was above suspicion. To compound problems, he was soon challenged by Steve Waugh’s record-breaking Australians seeking to conquer the “final frontier”. It was a team that came to India on the back of 15 wins on the trot.
Ganguly’s initiation into Test captaincy in 2000 could not have been more dramatic. To add to his woes, India was mauled at the Wankhede in a little under three-anda-half days in the first Test of the series. Add to this the scoreline at the end of Day 2 at the Eden Gardens in the second Test: Australia having scored 445 and India reeling at 128-8, the situation looked set for Ganguly to lose the captaincy even before he had warmed up to it. Reality, however, could not have been more different. India won at the Eden match thanks to a miracle partnership between V V S Laxman and Rahul Dravid and a match-winning spell by Harbhajan Singh. This was followed by a series-winning victory at Chennai. It was perhaps the best Test series ever to be played on Indian soil and suddenly to borrow the words of the man of the moment, Barack Obama, Indian cricket had a three-word mantra: “Yes we can”. Under Ganguly, nothing seemed impossible and innovation was routine.
Ganguly converted Virender Sehwag into an opener, discarding all the conventional idioms about opening the batting. It was a decision that still continues to pay dividends. Remembering the decision, Ganguly suggested in a conversation last week at the end of the Delhi Test, “In India you need quick runs at the top of the order for once the ball gets older, you can’t score fast. And if you get off to a flier the opposition will always be under pressure. Sehwag was our best bet.” He played Dravid at number six and promoted Laxman up the order, an innovation that won India the Eden miracle, and could be something we need to resort to again to get Dravid back in form. He inspired Harbhajan to become a proven match-winner in all forms of the game and motivated the team to win in adverse overseas conditions. In doing all this, his hair may have turned grey and his batting form may have suffered but the nation surely gained.
Ganguly’s personal journey may be divided into two distinct phases — the pre- and post-Greg Chappell periods. While the first witnessed near unrivalled elegance in batsmanship, the second was a more cautious and hardened phase, one in which he valued his wicket much more. While in the first, dancing down the track and hitting spinners out of the ground was routine and caressing the ball through the offside to the boundary second habit, in the second, milking the ball for ones and twos was the norm. The first phase resulted in comments like Sourav was god-like in his offside play; the second forced critics to acknowledge that he was more mature and solid after his stunning comeback in South Africa in the 2006-07 series.
The one link between the two periods was his aggression. Be it the over-thetop waving of his shirt at the Lord’s balcony after the Natwest victory in 2002 — something that he gets slightly embarrassed about when reminded of — or making Steve Waugh wait for him at the toss in the 2001 series or his valiant counter-attack en route to scoring a series-defining century at Brisbane in 2003, aggression and confidence have been his defining traits.
In retirement, too, Ganguly stands out. Even in his final Test match at Nagpur, Ganguly scored a flawless 85. Giving it up before critics call for his head, despite knowing full well that he could have continued for some more time given his current form, he remains someone who has always exceeded expectations and fought his way out of trouble. In fact, it is this ability that endears him most to the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.
In commenting on his legacy, one is forced to acknowledge Ganguly’s ability to surprise one and all. You may not trust him with your life if you apply the parameters of reason and rationale, but you can certainly bank on him if you think with your heart. And who better to tell us than Ganguly that modern competitive sport is more often than not played from the heart and not in the mind.
Indian beats Australia, leads series 1-0
Disastrous! That's how Australia's performance in the Mohali Test can be described in one word.
With winning the match ceasing to be an option after India set them a mammoth 516, the least they could have done was play sensibly to ensure a draw, which would have given their otherwise vapid performance in the match a semblance of respectability. But therein lay their failure as a team.
With winning the match ceasing to be an option after India set them a mammoth 516, the least they could have done was play sensibly to ensure a draw, which would have given their otherwise vapid performance in the match a semblance of respectability. But therein lay their failure as a team.
Paceman Zaheer Khan captured three wickets in four balls Tuesday as India completed a comprehensive 320-run victory in the second cricket test against Australia to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
Score: Ind inn 1: 469-all out
Aus inn 1: 268 all out
Ind inn 2: 314-3 (Dec)
Aus inn 2: 195-10
Score card: The worst Olympians
India is the worst-performing Olympic country, with only 17 medals in its kitty so far, says Foreign Policy. A games participant since 1900, India ranks behind Nigeria, a country with an economy one-twentieth India’s size, in total medals. But we can take heart from the fact that there are others not so ahead of us.
VENEZUELA
Venezuelans have brought home only 10 medals, which is as many as Trinidad and Tobago, despite winning their first medal in 1952. Georgia, which first medaled at the 1996 Games, has outpaced the Bolivarian Republic. Venezuela has taken home only one gold, and the only Venezuelan woman to earn a medal is Adriana Carmona, who won the bronze for tae kwon do in Athens in 2004.
ISRAEL
The Jewish state won its first medal in 1992, and since then Israel remains tied with Uganda in the medal count, which stands at six. Of the other countries that first reached the podium in Barcelona, Israel has been outdone by Croatia, Slovenia, and Lithuania. All this is despite the fact that Israel has had a recognized Olympic committee since 1952.
TAIWAN
With 15 medals in all, Taiwan ranks with Mongolia, whose economy is one hundredth its size. Taiwan has half the medals of Ethiopia, which, like Taiwan, won its first medal at the 1960 Games. Taiwan’s Olympic status has always been contested. For years, China boycotted the games to protest Taiwan’s participation. In 1979, Communist Party leaders got the IOC to agree that Taiwan had never been a recognized Olympic country and that it would have to compete as “Chinese Taipei.” Taiwan must march under a special Olympic flag and may play only the “National Flag Anthem” on the few occasions when its athletes reach the podium.
PERU
Peru, with four medals, stands with Zimbabwe and Moldova, the biggest losers in Africa and Eastern Europe, respectively, as a top Olympic washout in its region. Peru took its first medal in 1948. Jamaica—whose economy is one-tenth of Peru’s—has won 10 times as many medals. Reason? Poverty and lack of infrastructure. Ten years ago, over half of Peru’s team was malnourished. In May 2008, President Alan García, proffered Lima as the host for 2016 Olympics, along with Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Prague, Doha and Tokyo. The deadline for applications had passed nine months earlier, and competing cities were already raising funds. García announced later that he’d like to play host in 2020.
VENEZUELA
Venezuelans have brought home only 10 medals, which is as many as Trinidad and Tobago, despite winning their first medal in 1952. Georgia, which first medaled at the 1996 Games, has outpaced the Bolivarian Republic. Venezuela has taken home only one gold, and the only Venezuelan woman to earn a medal is Adriana Carmona, who won the bronze for tae kwon do in Athens in 2004.
ISRAEL
The Jewish state won its first medal in 1992, and since then Israel remains tied with Uganda in the medal count, which stands at six. Of the other countries that first reached the podium in Barcelona, Israel has been outdone by Croatia, Slovenia, and Lithuania. All this is despite the fact that Israel has had a recognized Olympic committee since 1952.
TAIWAN
With 15 medals in all, Taiwan ranks with Mongolia, whose economy is one hundredth its size. Taiwan has half the medals of Ethiopia, which, like Taiwan, won its first medal at the 1960 Games. Taiwan’s Olympic status has always been contested. For years, China boycotted the games to protest Taiwan’s participation. In 1979, Communist Party leaders got the IOC to agree that Taiwan had never been a recognized Olympic country and that it would have to compete as “Chinese Taipei.” Taiwan must march under a special Olympic flag and may play only the “National Flag Anthem” on the few occasions when its athletes reach the podium.
PERU
Peru, with four medals, stands with Zimbabwe and Moldova, the biggest losers in Africa and Eastern Europe, respectively, as a top Olympic washout in its region. Peru took its first medal in 1948. Jamaica—whose economy is one-tenth of Peru’s—has won 10 times as many medals. Reason? Poverty and lack of infrastructure. Ten years ago, over half of Peru’s team was malnourished. In May 2008, President Alan García, proffered Lima as the host for 2016 Olympics, along with Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Prague, Doha and Tokyo. The deadline for applications had passed nine months earlier, and competing cities were already raising funds. García announced later that he’d like to play host in 2020.
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