Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan Royals by 10 wickets

Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan Royals by 10 wickets, highest opening partnership between Sachin Tendulkar and Smith 163 in IPL

IPL preview: Mumbai Indians hope to seal playoff berth, RR to play for pride

Mumbai Indians would be looking to seal a playoffs berth and iron out minor flaws for the bigger battles ahead, while the Rajasthan Royals would play for pride when the two sides take on each other in their last league encounter of the IPL here tomorrow. Rajasthan Royals, who have not been consistent enough, bowed out of contention for the playoffs with a humiliating five wicket defeat against Deccan Chargers in Hyderabad. They must be ruing their close defeats against Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings but are left with no other options but to play for pride against the formidable Mumbai Indians. Skipper Rahul Dravid has already proved that he is not a spent force and that too in the shorter version of the game which has never been his forte. He, along with Australian Shane Watson, Shaun Tait, Ajinkya Rahane and others would like to prove a point with better performances. Mumbai are placed third with 18 points from 15 matches and Royal Challengers Bangalore have 17 points from 15 matches and they take on the lowly Deccan Chargers on Sunday in a day match. It will be a must-win situation for the visitors if RCB too wins. Mumbai Indians have a strong side featuring the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, South African Herschelle Gibbs, West Indian Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu. Rohit is in good nick with a hundred under his belt but Tendulkar is yet to play a big knock in the competition.

Chennai and Mumbai in same Champions League group

The Chennai Super Kings, led by MS Dhoni, the India captain, have been grouped with Sachin Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians for the Champions League Twenty20 (T20) tournament.

The September 23 to October 9 competition, which will feature 10 of the world's top T20 sides, will be played in two groups of five with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

The tournament will be played in the southern Indian cities of Chennai and Bangalore, as well as Kolkata in the east.

Chennai will host the final and a semi-final, while Bangalore will host the other semi-final.

Seven teams from India, Australia and South Africa have earned given direct entries, while six others will play off for the remaining three spots in a qualifying tournament at Hyderabad from September 19-21.

The qualifying event will have two pools of three teams with the top side from both advancing, along with the next best qualifier.

The Kolkata Knight Riders, Trinidad and Tobago of the West Indies and the Auckland Aces of New Zealand will be joined by two teams from England and one from Sri Lanka in qualifying.

The Super Kings are the defending champions.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal reach Sunday's Wimbledon final

There is no end in sight to Britain's wait at Wimbledon, not with Rafael Nadal of Spain smothering Andy Murray on his home turf once more.

But Novak Djokovic's wait to get to No. 1 in the world is certain to end when next week's computer rankings are released.

Djokovic's deeply convincing, deeply entertaining victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Friday's first semifinal means that for the first time in more than seven years, someone other than Nadal or Roger Federer of Switzerland will hold the top spot.

"They don't give you a lot of chances to become number one," said Djokovic, a 24-year-old from Serbia who is 47-1 this season. "So I guess you need to lose only one match in seven months to get there. If you can do that, then well done."

Well done then to Djokovic for absorbing all of Tsonga's power, showmanship and momentum on Centre Court and answering with plenty of his own to win 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-7 (9-11), 6-3.

"I can beat everybody today, but not Djokovic," No. 12 seed Tsonga said. "He was everywhere."

Djokovic and Nadal will meet in Sunday's final.

Djokovic has defeated Nadal four straight times, but top-ranked Nadal has won 20 consecutive matches at Wimbledon.

Though they have not met each other on grass since 2008, Djokovic is 0-2 on the surface against Nadal, who has won two Wimbledon titles.

Djokovic is playing in his first Wimbledon final.

"I think every child has a dream to become something in his life," he said. "We live from those dreams. Obviously I had a big support of my family and people around me that allowed me to have the opportunity to reach that dream, to reach the life goal."

Murray has yet to reach his major goals. Although he seems increasingly comfortable as the annual focal point of Wimbledon — cracking wry comments — he has not been able to give Britain its first men's finalist here since 1938, let alone its first men's champion since 1936.

Nadal beat No. 4 seed Murray 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.

Nadal said he was even feeling for Murray during the match.

"I'm not a robot when I'm playing; I think," Nadal said.

"He's the best player without a title of Grand Slam that I ever see."

Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni to fly Sukhoi soon

Star Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni will soon don the flying suits, with the defence ministry clearing their flights in Indian Air Force's mighty Su-30 MKI fighter jets.

"Our proposal to fly the two cricketers in the Su-30s has been approved by the defence ministry and we are looking forward to their flight in Pune soon," IAF officials said.

The proposal for flying Tendulkar and Dhoni was submitted with the government by the IAF.

They said the dates for the flights have not been finalised yet and would be done soon depending on the availability of the two cricketers.

After India's World Cup victory in April this year, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal PV Naik had said that he would seek special permission from the government so that Dhoni and Tendulkar could experience a flight in Su-30MKI.

"Tendulkar is already our honorary group captain. Once both Sachin and Dhoni are free from their cricketing engagements, I will ensure that they get to fly Su-30MKI. They have done our country proud and it will be an honour for us," he had said.

At present, Dhoni is leading India in the three match test series against West Indies in the Caribbean and Tendulkar is on a personal visit to England.

Pune-based air force station Lohegaon is the home-base of Sukhois and VIPs including President Pratibha Patil and her predecessor APJ Abdul Kalam had also taken off in the mighty jets from the air base.

I can relate to Tendulkar in dedication: Bolt

Yearning to see Sachin Tendulkar play, Olympic and world champion sprinter Usain Bolt said he can relate to the Indian cricket icon when it comes to dedication and aggression.

Asked about the qualities he admires in Tendulkar, Bolt said, "Tendulkar is obviously dedicated. He is aggressive but calculated and knows how to make runs."

"He (Tendulkar) also plays for the fans ... really similar to what I do," Bolt told reporters in an e-mail interview.

Tendulkar recently met tennis great Roger Federer during the ongoing Wimbledon Championships in London and Bolt said he would be game for a similar meeting with the Indian.


"I hope to be able to watch him play sometime in future but I don't have any plans to meet him at the moment. He is always welcome to come and watch me run," said the Jamaican triple Olympic and World Championships gold medallist.

Bolt described Tendulkar as one of the greatest cricketers but picked fellow West Indian Vivian Richards as the greatest of all time.


Asked to take his pick among Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Vivian Richards, Garfield Sobers and Shane Warne, Bolt said, "That is a difficult one, they were all great in their time, but I think I would give the edge to Sir Vivian Richards."

Forgive Sachin Tendulkar for his 'blasphemies'

Usually he manages to steer clear of controversies — the way he steers clear of deliveries outside the off stump. But last week, he dragged himself into a couple of them. Yes, I am talking about Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar.

The fact that he sold off the Ferrari that was gifted to him and borrowed money to buy a 1BHK flat in Panvel has not gone down too well with his fans who worship him like God. Of course, he is the God of Cricket.

Being on top of the game for two decades, despite carrying the expectations of a billion people, is no joke, and he has done that without showing any pain on his face. He has rarely faulted on the cricket pitch. And also off the pitch. But if he did, so what? Let’s deal with the flat first. What’s wrong in borrowing, if it is going to give him tax breaks? It is merely an accounting issue, a decision made by his charted accountant, fully endorsed by him. Everybody does that and it’s allowed by the system
Similarly, I don’t understand the whole brouhaha surrounding the Ferrari sale. Did he sell off a gold medal? Did he sell off some trophy? It was a gift from a company with whom he had a commercial deal. The company was interested in being associated with the legend and hence gifted its product to him. It helped the company’s brand image. Remember how Fiat sold its cars, riding on Sachin’s popularity?

At least he hasn’t done what Shane Warne did. Do you remember how he threatened a girl who had taken his picture while smoking? He was bound by a contract with Nike that offered him great money if he stayed off cigarettes for the contract period. If the picture were to be published, Warney would have lost money. Is Sachin’s ‘crime’ so big?

There is another angle for those who consider him God. Don’t temple authorities auction off things offered to deities? Devotees make offerings to the god and his managers sell them off after a while. We don’t object to that. In fact, many make a beeline to buy them and offer big money to get them as they are considered sacred.

As long his core values are intact, there is no need to criticise the man who has been a real ambassador of the game. He refused to fix matches as he strongly believes in the spirit of the game. He refused to endorse liquor brands even though his teammates and even the Captain Cool didn’t find anything wrong with it. He could have easily added a few crores to his kitty, but he made a conscious decision.

Agreed, he is seen as a God. But he is not the God. And even our gods have had their failings. There could be a few minor blemishes in Sachin’s image. But who doesn’t have them? The problem with us Indians is that that we see things only in black and white. No grey shades are ever allowed.

New owner of Sachin Tendulkar's Ferrari applies for new number

Sachin’s Ferrari car has arrived in the city, but still certain legal formalities are to be completed. One of them is transferring ownership of the car and getting a new number.

This is because Sachin Tendulkar has retained the current registration number of the car and according to its papers, is still its owner.

City-based land developer Jayesh Desai purchased Sachin’s Ferrari more than a week back. While Jayesh is enjoying its ride, legal paperwork is still to be done at Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Surat. The car has to get clearance from Surat RTO as it is registered with Mumbai RTO. Again, it also has to obtain new number because Sachin retained the original number of the vehicle.

The car’s old registration No. was MH-01-AD-9999. Owing to new rules framed by Mumbai RTO, Sachin retained number of his Ferrari, by paying Rs50,000 as fees. The car has been given temporary registration number by Mumbai RTO, which is MH-02-AV-4722. To get a new registration number Desai has made an application with Surat RTO.

“I have applied for new registration number for my new car. Hope I will get it soon,” Desai, said. However, he shied away from saying whether he has applied for a ‘lucky’ number or not.

As RTO was closed on Saturday, Desai’s application will be considered only on Monday.

Federer knows a lot about cricket, says Sachin Tendulkar

It takes lot to bowl over Sachin Tendulkar as bowlers around the world would confess but tennis ace Roger Federer managed to do it just by his knowledge of cricket when the two legends caught up during the Wimbledon

Tendulkar, a self-confessed Federer fan, met the winner of 16 Grand Slams at the All England Club after the world number three beat David Nalbandian to advance to the fourth round of Wimbledon.

Tendulkar chatted for an hour with the Swiss and posed with him for the shutterbugs.

"Spent an hour with Roger Federer chatting on the balcony of Wimbledon Royal box. What a humble guy! And by the way he knows a lot about cricket!!" Tendulkar later tweeted.

The two reportedly also had dinner together after Federer's match.

Federer too talked about his meeting with Tendulkar on his facebook page.

"Today was a special day, played a good match and had the chance to catch up with the great indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar," read the status message on his facebook page.

Huge sand cake for birthday boy Sachin Tendulkar in Puri

Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik and his students on Saturday sculpted a huge cake and 38 bats in sand on the beach of his home town Puri as a birthday gift to cricketer Sachin Tendulkar who turns 38 on Sunday.

Hundreds of tourists and fans visited the site and saw the colourful sculpture which was created using 20 tonnes of sand.

The work on the sculpture began Friday and was completed Saturday, Pattnaik told IANS.

The work has been displayed on Puri beach, 56km from Bhubaneswar, and will continue to stay Sunday, the birth day of the master blaster, he said.

Pattnaik said this is a special year for Tendulkar because of India's victory in the cricket World Cup.

"That is why we created the bats and a big colourful birthday cake to pay tribute to the legendary cricketer," he said.

"I have sent the photographs of this sculpture to Sachin at his Mumbai address," said Pattnaik, who has participated in more than 50 international sand sculpture championships across the globe and has won many prizes.

Australian Open: Clijsters needed rethink to beat Li Na

A mid-match rethink helped Kim Clijsters battle back to victory in the Australian Open final against Li Na.

The 27-year-old Belgian struggled to find her rhythm for more than a set at the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday.

But a change in tack saw Clijsters claim the second set before running through the decider to complete a 3-6 6-3 6-3 win over 28-year-old Li.

"I tried to do things differently to break her rhythm a little bit and make her think a little bit more," she said.

"I mixed it up a little bit, put some slices in, also hit a few higher shots and it made her make some unforced errors.

"And then she got a little bit aggravated and I just tried to hang in there."

Li, who was aiming to become the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam singles crown, sealed the first set with a fine forehand winner.

"She did everything better than me in that first set," said Clijsters.

"Her ground strokes were heavier, deeper, she served better and she returned better.

"She was playing really well, probably the best she has ever played against me."

But Li was upset by her own supporters midway through the second set, when she claimed they were trying to tell her what to do mid-point, and the switch in momentum began to turn Clijsters' way.

Afterwards, Li said: "I don't know why after I got to the final I had so many Chinese coaches on the court.

"Of course they want me to win the match but they were trying to coach me how to play tennis."

Clijsters broke for 4-3 and again to level the match and at the change-over, Li complained for the third time to the umpire about crowd interference.

It continued to bother Li as she was broken to go 3-1 down in the third before Clijsters held twice to get to 5-2 and then take the set 6-3.

After the match, three-times US Open champion Clijsters admitted she was overwhelmed when Li put the ball wide on match point.

"What gets you is that it's so intense until that last shot and then all of a sudden it's finished, then it's just a big relief," she added.

"The disbelief too that it's over and the fact I was able to turn it around is what makes it so special."


Clijsters, a beaten finalist in Melbourne in 2004, added that she was delighted to finally win the Australian title having come close to clinching it before.

"I will enjoy this win, especially here in Australia," she said. "It's a country which I have always loved coming to and where I have always been well-received.

"I have been close to doing it for a few years so it's nice to finally get it this year."

Li also took the positives from a tournament in which she made history by becoming China's first Grand Slam singles finalist.

"I thought I played some great tennis tonight," she said. "But she played better than me.

"I am still happy with what I did today and proud of myself.

"But she had more experience than me because she has played in more finals.

Hopefully if I can play in another final I will do better."

Batsman Tunes Out Troubles and Sets a Record

Sachin Tendulkar’s 50th score of 100 or more in five-day tests, achieved earlier this week in Centurion, South Africa, was more than just another personal landmark in a career already overflowing with them.

It was a significant moment for cricket as a whole. Cricket as a game thinks in fifties and hundreds and applauds when players reach those marks.

Until recently it was unthinkable that any one man might score as many as 50 centuries in tests. Tendulkar not only met the old record, 34, set by his Indian compatriot, Sunil Gavasker, he smashed it. One more and he’ll have exceeded the original mark by 50 percent.

It is not unthinkable that somebody may one day overtake Tendulkar, though his closest pursuers right now — Ricky Ponting (39) and Jacques Kallis (38) — are far behind in his wake.

It appears unlikely, barring some implausible explosion in the number of the matches or the emergence of an authentic Superman, that we will ever see the next step, somebody scoring 100 centuries in tests, and that makes Tendulkar’s mark of 50 a truly special moment.

For many of the Tendulkar’s millions of followers, he already is Superman. He is a rare sporting marvel, a child prodigy who not only fulfilled the awesome potential he first showed when he broke into India’s team at 16, but then showed the desire and durability that allowed him to maintain his top-level play later on in his career. It is as if Mozart had lived to be 70, composing fresh works of greatness all the while.

That Tendulkar, 37, retains his underlying genius was evident in the first innings at Centurion as India collapsed around him. Tendulkar was facing the most effective and aggressive pace pairing in world cricket — Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel of South Africa — in conditions that perfectly suited them. He did not merely cope, but scored more than a run a ball, producing a succession of breathtaking strokes.

In the second innings, when he reached his own landmark, he was battling for his team, desperately attempting to avert first defeat and then, when that became inevitable, the humiliation of losing by an innings.

It was left to a South African, India coach Gary Kirsten, to shed light on what is perhaps the secret to Tendulkar’s extraordinary durability: practice.

He is, “the model of what an international cricketer should be, and has been for years,” Kirsten said. “I still reckon that I do more throw-downs to him every day than any other member of the squad.”

That comment brought to mind other great athletes who had nothing else to prove, yet still had the inner drive to take them to the next level.

Like the golfer Gary Player, who when complimented on his good fortune said, “And you know, the more I practice, the luckier I get.”

The baseball player Joe DiMaggio explained his dedication to performing well every day by pointing out, “there might be some kid watching who has never seen me play before.”

The 50th century is yet another addition to the monument being built by the man who, without a doubt, is the greatest living batsman. He plays in a batting order that also includes the world’s most explosively brilliant player, Virender Sehwag, and the man who most closely resembles the outcome should anyone ever succeed in constructing the ideal batsman from scratch, Rahul Dravid.

Yet none of them, not even Tendulkar, is India’s most valuable player, in the sense of being the man it can do least without. The match in Centurion left little doubt about who that is: the left-arm quick bowler Zaheer Khan.

While South Africa’s pacemen made the pitch there look lethal, India’s equivalents, shorn of their injured leader, were ineffective and allowed the Proteas to pile up 620 runs for four wickets. With Zaheer, India will just about pass muster in bowling, his presence taking the pressure off the other players. His teammates benefit from the pressure that his speed and movement place on opposing batsmen. Without him, India is way short of what a No. 1 team needs.

Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Daredevils by 98 runs

It was a forgettable outing for Delhi Daredevils after two consecutive victories in the IPL, but they would be taking solace from the way the under-scrutiny Feroz Shah Kotla pitch behaved.

The ball came on to the bat fairly well, always a welcome sign for a team loaded with attractive stroke-players, though on this day, they were left looking on helplessly as Mumbai Indians took advantage of batting first, notching up 218 for seven.

The progress of the Kotla turfs has been of much interest after the venue was handed a one-year ban from international cricket for offering an ‘unfit’ pitch for a one-dayer against Sri Lanka. The one used for this match was adjacent to the track played on then, and had been worked on by former player Venkat Sundaram in the intervening period.

The venue, which is set to host four matches of next year’s World Cup, is banned till December this year but is hosting matches of the IPL, considered domestic cricket. Delhi skipper Gautam Gambhir’s decision to field first boomeranged as the Mumbai batsmen hit the highway straight away and his day did not become any better as he pulled a hamstring while fielding. The left-hander was sorely missed by the home side, who were bowled out for 120 in their pursuit of a challenging total.

It was the second consecutive victory for the Mumbai side, for whom Sachin Tendulkar and Saurabh Tiwary struck fine half-centuries.

Tendulkar gave the initial thrust, which was capitalised on by Jharkhand left-hander Tiwary (61) and Ambati Rayudu (34), the pair adding 71 for the fourth wicket. The left-right combination showed a penchant for big shots down the ground, their three sixes each propelling the score towards the 200-run mark. The
Delhi bowlers failed to put the brakes on the opposition, not helped the least by a rather indifferent effort by the fielders.
Tendulkar mustered 63 off only 32 balls. The record-breaking machine set the tone with a superb square-drive off Dirk Nannes and it was to be followed by a number of cracking shots on either side of the wicket. Dropped by Amit Mishra at point off other leg-spinner Sarabjit Ladda on 35, Tendulkar completed his 50 off 31 balls and it took a superb diving effort from Yogesh Nagar, running in from long off, to help Mishra make amends by dismissing the master batsman.

Nagar, who had earlier brought off a brilliant one-handed catch at mid-off to dismiss Sanath Jayasuriya, ensured Tendulkar’s damages were restricted to 11 in terms of boundaries hit and he was the lone bright spot for Delhi on the field.

The Mumbai team could not use the services of West Indian players Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo like they would have anticipated, but they proved pretty useful in choking Delhi with their bowling.

Bravo’s dismissal of Virender Sehwag, caught at long-off, virtually decided the outcome of the match what with Tillakaratne Dilshan already out and Gambhir ruled out. Sri Lankan all-rounder Farveez Maharoof was the highest scorer for Delhi, clouting two sixes in his 28, but his dismissal in the 12th over reduced the side to 106 for six and it was only a matter of playing out time from then on.

The lower-order batsmen struggled to get into double-figures, even as Harbhajan Singh and Jayasuriya helped themselves to two wickets each with their slow stuff.

Anil Kumble book on photography provides a new 'angle' to Indian cricket

One thought Sachin Tendulkar is a hero but he did once turn into a ‘villain’. In fact a famous villain, and was caught on camera trying to chop off the hands of Anil Kumble. Sounds bizarre?

Well, former skipper Anil Kumble’s book, Wide Angle, showcasing his exploits with the camera, reveals just that.

In one of the team-building exercises held in Bangalore in 2008, the team enacted a scene from Sholay and Tendulkar played the role of ‘Gabbar Singh.’ Kumble was ‘Thakur’ with his hands tied.

The book, a compilation of pictures taken by Kumble during cricket tours, was released on Wednesday by Shane Warne and Kumble himself. The former India captain started taking a camera along with him since he was 17. He has captured some rare pictures that reflect a cricketer’s life beyond the cricket field.

“Anil has always been an avid photographer, and when I see the results in this book, they take me back. ...’as long as I am in the team, you will have no privacy,’ he would say, pointing to his camera and we would laugh. It was wonderful,” Sachin Tendulkar says in his foreword of the book.

Anil pointed out that he enjoyed clicking Javagal Srinath, Vinod Kambli, Venkatapathy Raju and Harbhajan Singh as they presented great off beat moments.

Kumble also managed to get some rare on-field moments, his favourite one being when Tendulkar got his 35th Test century in New Delhi. While cricket takes the centrestage in the book, there are also some amazing wildlife pictures. If one thought that Indian cricket was all about playing and shooting when not playing, Kumble provides a new angle about the Indian players.

The Great Sachin Tendulkar

Full name Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Born April 24, 1973, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra

Current age 36 years 307 days

Major teams India, Asia XI, Mumbai, Mumbai Indians, Yorkshire

Nickname Tendlya, Little Master

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm offbreak, Legbreak googly

Height 5 ft 5 in

Education Sharadashram Vidyamandir School





History rewritten by Little Master 200

Sachin Tendulkar hits first 200 in ODIs

Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman to score a double century in One-Day Internationals, accomplishing the feat in the second one-dayer against South Africa in Gwalior on Wednesday.

The master batsman, who holds the record for most runs and centuries in Test (13,447) and one-day (17,398) cricket, scored 200 not out off 147 balls as India amassed 401-3 in 50 overs.

His previous best was an unbeaten 186 against New Zealand , at Hyderabad, in 1999.

Tendulkar, who registered his 46th ODI century in the process, got to 200 with a single off Charl Langeveldt in the final over of the game, having earlier broken the World record for the highest individual innings, of 194, jointly held by Pakistan's Saeed Anwar and Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry.

Anwar rattled up that total against India in May 1997 while Coventry hit 194 not out against Bangladesh last year.

Join us in congratulating the Indian ace on becoming the first man to breach the 200-run mark in 39 years of One-Day Internationals, since its inception in 1971.

British media hail 'sensational' Sachin

Sachin Tendulkar's stupendous feat of becoming the first cricketer to score a double century in One-dayers was on Thursday hailed by the British media, which described the little master as the "finest batsman" ever.

"Tendulkar underlined his sensational class with a double century in Gwalior. To have reached such a landmark, with a single in the final over, only serves to underline his class and add to the legacy that already surrounds arguably the finest batsman to have played the game," BBC Sports said.

"His innings, the 46th One-day century of his career, was typified by wristy strokes, trademark boundary shots and, above all, stamina as he batted through the entire innings," the report read.

Meanwhile, The Times tried to anticipate whether the Indian can complete a century of centuries in international cricket by the end of this year.

"All kneel down and praise whatever god you fancy for the mighty Sachin Tendulkar. This could just be turning into the greatest year of his international career, more than 20 years after it began," the report said.

"Tendulkar now has 93 hundreds in international cricket - 47 in Tests and 46 in ODIs - which is 25 more than the next best man, Ricky Ponting . At the age of 36 and in such great form, he could reach 100 hundreds by the end of the year," it added.

Tendulkar on Wednesday became the first batsman in the four-decade history of ODI to hammer a double ton as his 200 not out helped India pile up a mammoth 401 for three against South Africa and beat the visitors by 153 runs in the second One-dayer.

The Daily Mail also termed the innings as "sensational" in their report.

"Sensational Sachin Tendulkar smashes world record One-day innings and first ever double hundred for India," the headline goes.

In another report, the Guardian opined that the stormy knock has hit hard the notion that form of Tendulkar is on the wane.

"The blazing innings comes 10 months after his 36th birthday and four years after he was booed off his home ground in Mumbai , with his career apparently in terminal decline.

"Somewhat improbably given today's innings, the abuse had been for slow scoring," the daily said.

It was not only Tendulkar's 46th ODI century but also the highest score in One-dayers, eclipsing the previous record of 194 which was held jointly by Pakistan's Saeed Anwar and Zimbabwe's Charles Conventry.

Sachin Tendulkar to bat for Aamir Khan

When cricket meets Bollywood, it's bound to be a blockbuster. In this case, it is Aamir Khan and Sachin Tendulkar. When Aamir approached his dear friend and neighbour Sachin with an interesting proposal concerning his next film, the master blaster immediately agreed. Sources close to Aamir said he had a meeting with Sachin in Anjali's presence to be part of a marketing campaign for Aamir's film which will be unveiled just days before the release.

"Sachin didn't hesitate a moment to say yes to the marketing gimmick that requires Aamir to go 'missing', with a prize announced for whoever can locate him. He told Sachin Tendulkar that before he 'disappears', he is going to declare that Sachin will have the first clue about his whereabouts and the press would be encouraged to ask Sachin the question -- 'Where is Aamir?'. Sachin has agreed to be a part of this campaign," says a source.

The producer of the film, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, also confirmed that Aamir and Sachin have teamed up for this one. "Honestly, I don't know where Aamir Khan is right now. He told me that I can't keep a secret so he is not going to disclose where he is hiding. He's told his friend Sachin Tendulkar to give out a clue about his first location.Sachin is playing his confidante in this game which makes him the only actor in the world to go missing before his film's release," Chopra says.

Kareena Kapoor, who is Aamir's leading lady in the film, laughs, "Aamir hasn't told me how he's going to play the game he has invented, but he has told Sachin about it." If that was not enough, Aamir has also made an 'Aamir Goes Missing' promotional video on a handycam which also features his wife Kiran, that was shot in his own apartment.

Meanwhile, Aamir organised a private screening of the film for Sachin, Anjali and their children at Ketnav theatre in Bandra on Friday afternoon. Sachin is one of the first persons to see the final cut of the film apart from the crew.

India can't justify Test status without a bowling superstar

It is often said that the Indian cricket public are not terribly interested in Tests. But a glance at the blogosphere suggests that they are thoroughly enjoying their team’s rise to No. 1 in the world rankings.

When a fellow English columnist (sorry, “ranting Pom”) recently scoffed at the table, suggesting that India were poor under pressure and didn’t deserve their lofty position, he was subjected to a ritual disembowelling online.

For myself, I tend to feel that India are every bit as deserving of the laurel wreath as South Africa or Australia. The problem is that we have become accustomed to the idea of a single champion team, because that is the way the game has been since the early 1970s.

In theory, the concept of three or four half-decent sides scrapping it out at the top of the table – a hung parliament, if you will – should make for greater drama than the monotony of totalitarian rule.

But that is to under-estimate our love of neatness in all things, especially sport. We like to know who the pillars of world cricket are, so that we can look for cracks in the edifice. There is no story as resonant as the fall of a dynasty (as Tiger Woods, a dynasty in his own right, has just discovered).

The ICC’s algorithm does a decent job of turning results into placings, as far as that goes. But the definition of a true champion side is that you don’t need to look at the table to know they are the world’s best.

The other issue with India is that they are a team without great bowlers (begging Harbhajan Singh’s pardon). Their batsmen do the attacking, crushing the life out of sides with the weight and the speed of their run-scoring.

Yes, the attack may be solid and professional. But it is hardly up to the level of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, nor the all-conquering juggernaut that was the West Indies’ mean machine.

You can almost see their Test cricket as an extension of their one-day skills. Virender Sehwag’s 293 was a 50-over innings that happened to go on for a whole day.

This is the modern way. But it is also an ancient way. The Indians are turning the clock back to the 1930s and 40s, decades when the giant score was the building block of every Test series win.

That was the last era when pitches were flat enough, and bowlers subservient enough, for a batsman (Sehwag now, Bradman then) to eye up the possibility of scoring 300 runs in a day.

In the modern game, we are still seeing isolated examples of bowlers (Dale Steyn, Mitchell Johnson, Ajantha Mendis) who manage to upset the established order. At least, for a while, before the combination of an overstuffed itinerary and exhaustive video analysis brings them back to the pack.

India need someone with that wow factor. Harbhajan had it at the start of his career, when he ambushed the Aussies with the slippery variation that has become known as “the doosra”. Yet his performances since then have been impressive rather than truly iconic.

Perhaps the solution is in front of us. Perhaps the combination of Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan, which performed so well against the Sri Lankans, can develop into a genuinely world-beating pairing. But until the Indians can dominate opponents with ball as well as bat, the arguments will go on.

CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) Felicitates the Stalwarts of International Cricket

CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) Felicitates the Stalwarts of International Cricket
E Prasanna Conferred with CEAT International Lifetime Achievement Award



-- CEAT International Team of the Year award - Australia
-- CEAT International Cricketer of the Year - Gautam Gambhir (India)
-- CEAT International Test Batsman of the year - Gautam Gambhir (India)
-- CEAT International ODI Batsman of the Year - Virender Sehwag (India)
-- CEAT International Test Bowler of the year - Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
-- CEAT International ODI Bowler of the year - Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka)
-- CEAT International Spirit of Cricket Award - Thilan Samaraweera (Sri Lanka)
-- CEAT International 300 Wickets Felicitation Award - Harbhajan Singh (India)

Tyre major CEAT Limited celebrated the success and glory of International cricket with ‘CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) International awards 2009’ at a glittering ceremony here today. The awards honored the best of the International cricketers based on their performances as rated by the CEAT Cricket ratings (CCR) for the year 2008 – 2009.

CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) is the first cricket rating to officially recognize and reward cricketers for their performances in the international cricket arena. This year CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) awards touched a new high with awards in 9 different categories.

Mr. Harsh Goenka, Chairman, RPG Group said, ‘The CCR International Award function is a reiteration of the close association CEAT has with cricket and our endeavor to recognize the individual brilliances on the international cricket scene.” He added “In India, where cricket is not just a sport, CCR awards plays a pivotal role in paying tribute to not just the cricketing brilliance but also the millions of cricketing fans as well”.

Australia, India and Sri Lanka dazzled at the event by sweeping away all the CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) awards between them. The awards honor the best of the International cricketers based on their performances in international cricketing both test and ODI as rated by the CEAT Cricket ratings (CCR) for the year 2008 – 2009.

While Australia won the award of CEAT International Cricket Team – cash prize of Rs 10 Lakh. India’s Gautam Gambhir was the winner of the CEAT International Cricketer and CEAT International Test Batsman awards. India’s Virendra Sehwag was the CEAT International ODI Batsman of the Year. Australia’s and Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis – was conferred with the CEAT International Test Bowler and CEAT International ODI Bowler of the year award respectively.

This year CEAT Introduced the CEAT International Spirit of Cricket Award to celebrate the sportsman spirit shown by the cricketers. The CEAT International Spirit of Cricket Award was conferred on Sri Lanka’s Thilan Samaraweera, India’s Harbhajan Singh was given a special award the CEAT International 300 Wickets Felicitation Award.

It was also a day to honour the stalwarts of the yesteryears who have carved a name for themselves as legends of Cricket. Cricketing legend E. Prasanna was awarded the ‘CCR International Lifetime Achievement Award’ The Lifetime Achievement award recipients have been selected on the basis of the Retro-CEAT cricket ratings, and have taken into consideration the performances of the cricketers since 1947. Mr Prasanna received a cash prize of Rs 5 Lakh from CEAT

CEAT has CCR Rating and Awards for both for domestic and international cricketers. CEAT Cricket Ratings has been a pioneer in identifying and honoring the potential cricketing talent of the country. CEAT has also initiated the Under-19 and T-20 cricketing awards taking another step to emphasize its commitment to cricket.

Speaking on the occasion cricket legend Mr.Sunil Gavaskar said, “CEAT International Cricket Rating Awards is one of the most important events on Cricketing calendar as it recognizes the achievements of the players from grassroots to the international arena“. He also added, “CEAT Cricket Rating is a unique rating in that recognized and rewarded Indian and International cricketers for their outstanding performances at the end of the year. CEAT Cricket Rating thrives to focus on identifying the right talent..The ratings are pretty much accurate as you can see some of the modern greats like Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ricky Ponting etc winning the CEAT International Cricketer of the Year in the past.”

ABOUT CEAT

CEAT Limited, the flagship company of RPG Enterprises, with an annual turnover of Rs. 2,600 crore, was established in 1958. Today, CEAT is one of India’s leading tyre manufacturers and has a strong presence in both domestic & international markets. The company manufactures over 10 million tyres every year and enjoys a major market share in the light truck & truck tyre market. CEAT tyres, tubes and flaps are renowned for their superior quality and durability. CEAT offers the widest range of tyres to all user segments and manufacture world-class radials for all Indian vehicles including: Heavy-duty Trucks and Buses, Light Commercial Vehicles, Earthmovers, Forklifts, Tractors, Trailers, Cars, Motorcycles and Scooters, Auto-rickshaws.

CEAT has three manufacturing plants - Mumbai (Bhandup), Nasik & Sri Lanka. The company currently exports tyres to nearly 110 countries across USA, Europe, Africa & other parts of Asia. CEAT has a robust network consisting of over 3,500 dealers, 33 regional offices and more that 100 C & F agents. CEAT also has a branded franchisee network ‘CEAT Shoppe’. These Shoppes are retail tyre outlets, providing comprehensive expertise in tyres and tyre services -- all under one roof. The company has a dedicated Customer Service department, comprising Customer Service Managers in all the four divisional offices, assisted by 50 Service Engineers. The board of the company is headed by Mr. R P Goenka, Chairman Emeritus and Mr. Harsh Goenka, Chairman, RPG Enterprises. Mr. Paras K Chowdhary is the Managing Director of CEAT Ltd and Mr. Arnab Banerjee heads the Sales & Marketing division.

About CEAT CRICKET RATING (CCR)

The CEAT Cricket Rating was the first rating system in international cricket to recognize and reward outstanding performers in cricket on an annual basis. Conceived in 1995 by CEAT, the CEAT CRICKET RATINGS attempted to answer every cricket-lover’s persistent and perennial query – “Who is the best of the best?”

The CEAT Cricket Rating stands out by virtue of its simplicity. It comprises an objective points system that awards points to cricketers for their batting, bowling and fielding performances. There is a separate CEAT Team Rating (initiated in 1996-97) that assigns points to teams on the basis of their performances in Tests and one-day internationals.

The CEAT Cricket Year commences on 1st May and ends on 30th April of the following calendar year. The cricketer and team that accumulate the highest number of points in their respective categories at the end of this twelve-month period are declared the CEAT Cricket Rating International Cricketer and Team of the Year respectively.