Leander Paes equalled the record for most Grand Slam title triumphs by an Indian as the veteran and his Zimbabwean partner Cara Black clinched the Australian Open mixed doubles Championship with a straight-set win here on Sunday. Top seeds and favourites, the 36-year-old Paes and the 30-year-old Black beat 10th seeds Ekaterina Makarova of Russia and Jaroslav Levinsky of Czechoslovakia 7-5 6-3 in just about one and a half hour.
The triumph gave the Indian his 11th overall and fifth mixed doubles title. With this, Paes has equalled one-time doubles’ partner Mahesh Bhupathi’s tally. The last couple of times they reached a Grand Slam final, Paes and Black ended up on the losing side and eager to make amends for that, they were dominant from the word go.
They broke their rivals as early as in the third game and save for a couple of breaks lost on Black’s serve, the Indo-Zimbabwean pair seemed hardly troubled by Makarova and Levinsky, who committed far too many unforced errors. Black, whose net game and serve were the weak links for the top seeds, raised her game when it mattered after getting some pep talk from Paes.
Full article here
Above picture source: Topnews
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Miffed at the Indian Premier League’s snub of Pakistan players, Javed Miandad says the cash-rich Twenty20 competition is turning out to be ‘a big mafia’.
“The Indian Premier League is becoming a big mafia that wants to control world cricket; it is not only endangering the existence of the International Cricket Council, but also the rest of the cricketing nations.
“It is my message to all cricket boards around the world that the IPL is the biggest danger for their future; if it is not controlled timely it will engulf all boards.
“India is trying to control the world of cricket through the IPL and wants to become a super power; India is trying it and India is doing it,” the Pakistan cricket icon told rediff.com in an exclusive interview, shortly after the players’ auction for the third edition of the IPL in Mumbai on Tuesday.
His reasoning is that “a number of players have refused to play for their own countries because they can earn more money overnight than they could throughout their careers”.
Saying the players are receiving money more than they are worth, he urged the ICC to form rules to curb the League’s expansion.
Mafia? err…ummm… Isnt your son married to the biggest mafia leader’s daughter Mr Miandad?
Full article here
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The mailtoday newspaper has gone further with another cartoon lampooning the Victorian police and the state of Indian students studying in Australia.
Read more in the paper about how the Australian police have systematically ignored the racist attacks on Indian students. 1447 people of Indian origin were either robbed or assaulted in the previous one year in Australia. Yet the Aussie police refuse to acknowledge the targetted violence.
Its high time the parents in India realise that its not worth sending your kids to Australia to study some god forsaken courses for which there is no future anyway, but also that there is no future in contributing to increasing the Aussie education market. Lest your kids come back in body bags.
Similar articles on Australia on this blog previously
More ramblings
Now Murali ends up with an egg on the face
Racism in Cricket? Read the damning Aussie report
Sreesanth’s Agression
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With India playing only 2 test matches in the next 11 months, the ranking might not hold if South Africa manage to beat England and take the crown. Still, its a golden letter day in the history of cricket in India. For the first time ever, the Indian cricket team takes the crown of being the Number 1 test team in the world. Its a long day coming from the earlier decades when India was regularly beaten by rivals. Today they travel well and have won tests in Australia, South Africa, won series in New Zealand, West ?Indies, Pakistan, England.
Few things unite India like cricket, and on December 6, 2009, millions of Indians were united in celebration as their team ascended to the top of the ICC Test rankings.
Fittingly, the victory that made it possible was marked by standout performances from the men who have played a crucial role in India’s ascent. Virender Sehwag has scored more runs than any other Indian batsman over the last 25 Tests – played over a two-year period beginning November 2007. His innings of 293 – played at a pace that left the bowlers ample time to finish the demolition job – proved pivotal as India fulfilled its destined tryst with the top slot.
Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan have been India’s highest wicket-takers during this period. Both picked up six wickets apiece for the match, with Zaheer coming up with a five-wicket haul to polish off the tail on Sunday morning and take India to a comfortable win by an innings and 24 runs.
Full news here
Pictures source: Cricinfo
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Macho Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray has again come under limelight after he slammed India’s cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar in an editorial piece in Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece ‘Saamna’.
According to the reports, Bal Thackeray has come down heavy on Tendulkar’s remark. The master blaster had asserted that he is extremely proud of being a Maharashtrian, but he also added that Mumbai is a part of India and he plays for India.
Criticising master blaster for his remarks, Bal Thackeray urged Tendulkar to stay away from politics and concentrate on his game.
On Sunday, Tendulkar sent a poignant message to all who have been fighting for the cause of the Marathis.
Source: Headlines India
Ya, Sachin should concentrate on the game of cricket because Bal Thuggeray continues his business of inciting hatred and violence even with one leg in the grave along with his nephew Raj Thuggeray. While the bloody Congress / NCP government you elected to keep you safe and sound is busy politicking and finding out how much it would cost (swindle) to put up Shivaji’s statue in the Arabian sea.
Meanwhile the price of daily essential goods skyrocket and farmers continue to commit suicide in droves all over Maharashtra unable to repay their debts. And we are busy with our marathi pride.
We deserve such swines.
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