Australia Lead 2-0 After Two Facile 300+ Runchases, Rohit Tons in Vain

#IND v #AUS
2nd #ODI at #GABBA, #Brisbane
15th Jan 2016

#Australia cruise to another facile win against spineless #India in the second ODI at #GABBA, Brisbane, Australia today.

First, the Indian batsmen faltered late in their batting innings when 330 looked pretty easy, to end up on 308 in their 50 overs. Some good death bowling by Faulkner and Hastings too.

In reply, none of the Australian batsmen were troubled by this lacklustre bowling attack. Finch, Shaun Marsh, Bailey scored fifties while Smith chipped in with 46 and Maxwell 34. 

Easy win yet again for Australia, (lead 2-0 in 5 match series) and that should be worrying Dhoni really. His bowlers arent able to defend 300+ scores and not even able to make a match of out it!

Rohit should be the most disappointed man. Both his hundreds have gone in vain. In hindsight, his run-out could have been the turning point in this game. What do you think? (with him around 330 was a big possibility).

What happens next?
We move to #MCG on 17th Jan for the 3rd ODI, and supposedly this is India's chance to come back (do they have a choice?) with pitch that might suit their spinners?

Perhaps bat second? Not sure. I can guarantee .. if India was chasing in these first two games they would have floundered under the relentless Aussie attack. Its not about the quality of bowling (Australia are considerably weaker without their heavyweights), its about the mental fortitude which India is lacking big time.

Lets see what happens. For now, they sit down and lick their wounds.

#LIVE #SCORE
India - 308 for 8, 50 overs
Australia - 309 for 3, 49 overs

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India v Australia 2016 Cricket Rivalry Renews

#Ind v #Aus #ODI #Series #2016

The fierce (in the literal sense) rivalry between India and Australia #Cricket teams is all set to renew starting 12th Jan 2016 with a 5 ODI and 3 T20 series. India tour Australia and the series kicks off with the first #ODI at the #WACA #Perth.

Over the last few years, series between these two teams have been hotly contested mostly due to on-field verbal spats, ugly sledging and controversies. It all started with that infamous #MoneyGate scandal in #Sydney in 2008 when Harbhajan and Symonds got into an altercation that threw the sport into a great abyss (suspensions, threats from BCCI, fines, etc).

Australia brought fierce gamesmanship in the game under Steve Waugh and play their game very aggressively. The young Indian brigade has tried to match them word for word over the past few years. Although performances show Australia have an upper hand in terms of results, the Indian team has laid to rest its soft target image of the 90s and 80s.

So, how does it look this time around?

India is being led by the old veteran #MSDhoni (probably his last hurrah will be the #T20 #WorldCup to be played in Mar 2016 in India). With fading form and age, he has one last chance to show he is still the wily old fox who can inspire his team to win in Australia again (remember .. it was under his leadership that India beat Australia 2-0 in the Tri series of 2008). 

His deputy #ViratKohli is hot on his heels if he fails to perform and deliver results. Virat has taken the new India team by the storm with his win-at-all-costs and aggressive attitude. Youngsters want to follow him and his attitude seems to be rubbing on his young team.

So, how with Captain Cool handle this young brigade? remains to be seen.

Australia on the other hand are rebuilding a team again under the young #SteveSmith. A lot of their bowling strength is depleted since retirement of #MitchellJohnson last year and #MitchellStarc out with a hamstring problem. How are their young bowlers going to cope with international matches will determine Australia's outcome in the series.

There are dangerous players on both sides who can turn games on their own. Warner and Maxwell for Australia alongside Smith and Marsh' while Jadeja and Raina can turn it on for India apart from Dhoni, Kohli and Rahane. India's #RaviAshwin will be the huge difference between these two team's bowling departments. 

All in all, it looks like a humdinger of a contest between these two sides over the next two weeks. May the best "cricket" team win (not the worst behaving one)!

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Independence Day: Indian Sportstars On Threshld Of Glory

#WhoWillWinTheCup

Wow, its been a while and back on India's Independence Day eve to restart our blogging.

As India celebrates its 69th independence day tomorrow (15th Aug), some of its sportsmen have either achieved or are on the threshold of glory for their country.

#PankajAdvani was crowned World Champion in Billiards yet again just a few days ago.
What a champion and at such a young age, he's already an all time great in the game competing with Mike Russell and Geet Sethi as the greatest player ever.

#PSindhu and #SainaNehwal have reached quarterfinals of the world badminton championships in Malaysia. While Sania has never crossed this stage in 5 attempts before, Sindhu seems to be the more likely to advance to finals given her form and fitness. #JwalaGutta and #AshwiniPonappa have created history at the same event qualifying for quarters in the Women's Doubles event.

#AnirbanLahiri won the PGA long drive competition last week doing India proud and the little 10 year old prodigy #ShubhamJaglan is already doing India proud all over!

The Indian Men's #Hockey team beat Spain to win series in Europe. Spain are real tough nut to crack so this win will definitely spur the much controversy plagued team to greater heights. If only the IHF manages this team and its politics, the golden days of Indian hockey (8 Olympic gold medals, the highest by any team in a particular event at the Olympics!) can be re-dreamt of!

The #ProKabaddi fever is gripping the nation and its wonderful to see traditional sports getting so much coverage and support from media and businesses alike. This would do India a world of good..

#SaniaMirza has been nominated for the prestigious #KhelRatna award (the highest sportsman award in the country) for becoming the first woman to win a tennis grand slam at Wimbledon last month.

And last but not the least ... the much maligned Indian #Cricket team is battling it out against Sri Lanka in a three test series under new captain, Virat Kohli, and the young side will look to win this series to gain confidence going into a long and tough season ahead....

All in all ... sports moving ahead in the right direction for India
Jai Hind...

Wish all Indian viewers all over the world a Very Happy Independence Day!

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Indian Tennis Golden Moments Sania and Leander Are Champs

#Wimbledon 2015

India witnessed glory on 12th and 13th July 2015 at Wimbledon.

Women's Doubles - Amazing Fightback
Tennis star #Sania #Mirza teamed up with Swiss legend #Martina #Hingis to become the first Indian woman to win a tennis Grand Slam on Saturday, 11th Jul 2015. What a feeling!!

In a three set edge-of-the-seat thriller, the duo beat Elena Vesnina-Ekaterina Makarova 5-7, 7-6, 7-5. What made the victory more sensational was that these two came back remarkably from 2-5 down in the third set to drawl level and eventually win the contest under the covered roof. Absolutely sensational! Sania dedicated her win to India's women and urged them to dream and pursue it. Wonderful feeling.
 
Mixed Doubles - Walk in the Park
On 12th evening, just after the men's singles final, India's tennis legend #Leander #Paes teamed up with #Martina #Hingis, yet again to win the mixed doubles crown.

The pair drubbed a hapless combination of Peya/Bohosh 6-1, 6-1 in under 40 minutes. Just amazing tennis from the two superstars to provide a master-class to newbies on tour. Lee is 42 and Hingis 34, both veterans (and old by tennis standards) but their skill and overall ability showed on Centre Court.

Leander has now won the mixed doubles crown 4 times, each time with a different partner
1999 - with Lisa Raymond
2003 - with Martina Navratilova
2010 - with Cara Black
2015 - with Martina Hingis

#ProudOfYou - Lee and Sania.
Well done Martina!!

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Djoker Reigns Supreme, Fedex Age Showing Up

#Djoker mesmerizes #Federer. Wins Clash of the Titans to lift the Wimbledon crown a third time! Who's going to stop him...
Posted by Who Will Win The Cup? on Sunday, July 12, 2015

Its SerenaSlam! Watch out CalendarSlam

#Serena #Williams completed #SerenaSlam by winning Wimbledon 2015 yesterday.
This was her 21st Grand Slam crown, just one shy of #Steffi  #Graf's 22, to become holder of the record in #tennis   #open #era. This was also her 8th Grand slam crown after age of 30, another record. Whats next for Serena? The #CalendarSlam is next with US open in a few weeks time! Way to go Serena....


Here's how she completed the #SerenaSlam
US Open 2014 bt. Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3
Aus Open 2015 bt. Maria Sharapova 6-3, 7-6
French Open 2015 bt. Lucie Safarova 6-3, 6-7, 6-2
Wimbledon 2015 bt. Garbine Muguruza 6-4, 6-4

Apart from the French Open final last month where she was really challenged by Lucie Safarova in a three setter, she seems to win these finals pretty easily. Just that champion instinct probably. She ups the game couple of notches in finals of tournaments to down her hapless opponents.

Her Grand Slam record now reads 21 - 4 (25 finals played, 21 victories, 4 losses) which is phenomenal. Her only final losses include

US Open 2001 lost to Venus Williams 2-6, 4-6
Wimbledon 2004 lost to Maria Sharapova 1-6, 4-6
Wimbledon 2008 lost to Venus Williams 5-7, 4-6
US Open 2011 lost to Samantha Stosur 2-6, 3-6 

Interestingly all her final losses have been straight-set losses as well. Twice to her elder sister Venus and more recently to the unfancied Samantha Stosur in US Open 2011. Since then she has won all US Open titles and the 2015 title will give her the CalendarSlam! You wouldn't bet against her to complete it with that kind of a record.

Overall titles of Serena in Grand Slams
Australian Open - 6
French Open - 3
Wimbledon - 6
US Open - 6

At 33, she has a couple of years definitely to push that record beyond everyone's reach you'd say?

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Two Great Matches One Classic While One Houdini Escape

#Wimbledon 2015

The Championships of 2015 have produced some exciting tennis and results over the last 10 days. Seeds have tumbled, stumbled and mumbled along the way. However, two matches have caught imagination of the crowd and media alike. Both stunners ... one an absolute classic and the other one a lesson in resolute stubbornness!

The Classic
Without doubt, the greatest tennis match at this year's ‪#‎Championships‬ by a distance and we dare say this could go down as an all time classic too! Unfancied Heather Watson pushed top seed and World No.1 Serena Williams to the limit in their Round 3 match at Wimbledon.

After an easy first set to Serena, the match looked dead and buried for Heather. But the second set saw a major turnaround as she started stroking the ball beautifully, chasing every ball down and catching Serena completely off guard. She broke Serena and tied the score at 1 set apiece.

The decider began in favor of Heather again. She raced to a 3-0 lead and Serena for once didn't look like a multiple grand slam champion - tired, frustrated and clueless! But the true champion that she is, she hung on and brought all her experience into play breaking Heather in the next game and the next and tying at 3-3. Momentum shifting towards the champion.

Heather managed to hold her next game and then broke Serena yet again to go 5-4 up! Serving for the match, she needed nerves and temperament to put it past the top player but class of Serena showed as she broke her back and tied things and served beautifully to surge ahead 6-5.

Serving to stay in the match, Heather gave her absolute everything but Serena's overall ability and champion skill broke through her resilience and won an incredible match (Serena admitted this being one of the toughest matches of her career) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 in over 2 hours of breathtaking tennis from the youngster challenging the champ.

Everyone in the crowd was supporting Heather and Serena was feeling that heat throughout. She had words for the chair umpire about crowd behavior distracting her during play.

Nevertheless, Heather will be the talk of tennis for years to come owing to this performance. Well done Heather and she'll definitely come back stronger in other tournaments. Serena marches on to her dream of the calendar grand slam!

The Houdini Escape

If the women produced a gem, the men weren't to be left behind.

Top seed and World No 1, #NovakDjokovic faced super serving #KevinAnderson (South Africa) seeded 13th in a 4th round match. 

Anderson started brilliantly. Much faster, supple and with intent. Although no serves were broken in the first set, Kevin looked stronger and deservedly won the tie breaker to go 1-0 up. Nothing to worry for Novak since he's master of long matches.

The second set began on the same note. Anderson breaking Novak and raced to a lead but Djoker caught up with him at the right time to force another tie-breaker. Once again, it was Anderson who looked better and he went 2-0 up. He was certainly welcoming thoughts of a great upset at Wimbledon. The crowd once again rallying behind the underdog.

But, champions are champions and it showed. Djokovic came out blazing in the third set to demolish Kevin 6-1. This shook up Anderson badly and the Serb No.1 was in his usual backs to wall recovery mode. He demonstrated similar clinical display in the fourth set to tie the match at 2-2.

Kevin was certainly out of it by the time fifth set began. The momentum and ability was with Novak and he kept powering his way through. Kevin hung on though before bad light forced play to stop.

When play resumed the next day, Kevin was hoping a change of momentum but Djokovic had nothing to with it. He powered and won the fifth set 7-5 to clinch a place in the quarterfinals.

Final score

Djokovic bt Anderson 6-7, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5

A typical Houdini escape by Djoker!

Wonderful play from Kevin Anderson and he must have been dejected after being 2-0 up in the match. But, the masterclass he received from World No. 1 should stand him in good stead as he moves his way up in the rankings and future tournaments.

2 great games of tennis. 

Tennis, the winner all the way!

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With Rafa Out And Seeds Falling It Gets Interesting

#WimbledonUnderway

If Day 1 belonged to the top players cruising through their first round matches, Day 2 saw some upsets in the women's draw to make things interesting. Top seeds #Serena and #Kvitova recorded easy wins though.

The upsets came in for 3rd Seed #Simona #Halep. Last year's semi finalist and seeded very high this year, Simona was expected to challenge the bigger seeds. What turned out was drab affair where she lost in straight sets.

Similar fate awaited last year's finalist Eugenie Bouchard losing again in straight sets.

In the men's draw, things were moving according to script with some casualties here and there until Dustin Brown decided to pull out something special against Rafael Nadal. Rafa is certainly not in his elements and with injuries he's moving a touch slow. Dustin took this opportunity to howcase his power and agility to outrun Nadal in four sets to cause the biggest upset of the Championships so far. 

Other casualties included Raonic going down to upcoming star Nick Kyrgios, Goffin beating Baghdatis, Krunic beating 19th ranked Errani from Italy, Matek-Sands beating Ana Ivanovic, 11th seed Pliskova going down to Vandeweghe.

Its all becoming very interesting as we approach Week 2 at the Championships!

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