Sania: Hope the game back home gets a fillip

Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi needed less than an hour to tame Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram 6-3, 6-1 in the Australian Open mixed doubles final on Sunday.

After winning her first Grand Slam title a day after Yuki Bhambri won the boys’ singles crown, Sania believes the game is poised to reach the next level in India.

The following are excerpts

How much of an impact would the two titles (mixed doubles and boys’ singles) at the Australian Open have back home?

Let’s hope a lot. You know, it’s great. I don’t remember the last time when we had so many. I mean, Bhupathi played the men’s doubles finals, we won today, Yuki won. It’s been a great two weeks. Let’s hope a lot more people play, and tennis grows. Hope that Indian tennis gets a fillip from these feats.

On a personal level, what does the win mean?

It’s always a dream to win a Grand Slam. That’s what we all play for. It’s just great. What makes it more special is that it’s with someone who I know for so long and so well. It’s a feeling that you can’t really describe. It’s a dream come true.

On the partnership with Bhupathi

It’s great. What can you say? We’ve been playing for, I think, four or five Slams now. We came very close last year, as well. We did one better this time. We hope to continue.

sania mirza

Dhoni has proved a hard nut to crack in the middle-order

His men get the message without Dhoni uttering a word. Even on those occasions when he defends with the willow, his methods rarely appear negative.


He is a tactically sound captain but does not believe too much in theories. Perhaps, this X factor has a lot to do with confidence.

Dhoni’s enormous self-belief comes through forcefully in his game. Even during stressful situations, his visage does not reflect any strain. The intensity in his cricket shines through and he does have a strong physical presence on the field. The strength in his frame, though, is bettered by the toughness of his mind.

The first Wealthsurance Cup ODI at Dambulla was in the balance when Dhoni walked in. Sri Lanka was now up against a great barrier. It was Dhoni’s confidence factor at work again. Time and again, he has proved a road-block for the opposition in the middle-order.

Symonds fined for on-air abuse

Controversial Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds on Thursday was fined 4000 Australian Dollar by Cricket Australia (CA) over his radio interview in which he called New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum a "lump of s..t".

Symonds appeared before CA Code of Conduct senior commissioner Gordon Lewis here and pleaded guilty for breaching section nine of the board's code for detrimental public comment in a hearing that lasted two hours.

After the hearing, while speaking to the media Symonds said he accepted the penalty and again apologised to McCullum.

"Whilst the comments were intended to be light-hearted, I acknowledge that they were careless and as such I accept the fine that I have received today," the 33-year-old was quoted as saying by The Age.

Zimbabwe cricket head Chingoka refused entry to Australia

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will hold a two-day board meeting without ZC chairman Peter Chingoka, who is banned from entering the country because of his links with the regime led by Robert Mugabe in his homeland.

It is unclear whether Chingoka applied for a visa to enter Australia, however it is understood Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) would have refused his application.

Chingoka and ZC chief executive Ozias Bvute are among a DFAT list of 254 Zimbabweans not permitted entry into Australia because of their relationships with the Mugabe regime.

The ICC has confirmed Wilfred Mukondiwa will represent ZC at the meeting in place of Chingoka.

ODI career stats: Indian squad for Sri Lanka series

Sri Lanka [Images] bound Indian squad was announced on Sunday. The squad comprises of 15 players with Saurashtra's Ravindra Jadeja being the only new-face. Here are the ODI career stats of the squad:

# Batsman Type Age (Yrs-Days) Mts Inns Runs Avg Wkts Avg Ct/St
1 MS Dhoni [Images] (C-Wk) RHB / RM (explained below) 27 yrs-195 days 125 112 3935 46.85 0 - 125/40
2 Virender Sehwag [Images] (VC) RHB / ROB 30-90 196 191 6124 33.28 84 40.63 76
3 Gautam Gambhir [Images] LHB / RLB 27-96 64 64 2162 37.28 0 - 20
4 Ravindra Jadeja LHB/ SLA 20-43 Yet to debut
5 Praveen Kumar RHB/ RMF 22-108 15 8 41 8.20 21 30.57 5
6 Pragyan Ojha LHB / SLA 22-135 5 3 27 27.00 5 34.60 4
7 Munaf Patel [Images] RHB / RMF 25-190 37 15 52 7.43 46 29.11 3
8 Irfan Pathan [Images] LHB / LMF 24-83 105 77 1360 23.05 148 29.96 18
9 Yusuf Pathan [Images] RHB / ROB 26-62 12 7 96 24.00 6 46.00 4
10 Suresh Raina LHB / SLA 22-52 55 46 1292 34.00 1 59.00 24
11 Ishant Sharma [Images] RHB / RF 20-138 20 6 13 6.50 27 31.48 5
12 Rohit Sharma [Images] RHB / ROB 21-263 32 31 593 24.71 0 - 11
13 Sachin Tendulkar [Images] RHB / ROB,RLB 35-269 419 409 16422 44.26 154 44.12 126
14 Yuvraj Singh [Images] LHB / SLA 27-37 222 204 6466 37.16 64 40.72 67
15 Zaheer Khan [Images] RHB / LFM 30-103 154 86 679 13.31 218 28.63 32

Rajesh Pawar gets his 'turn'

Rajesh Pawar belongs to this elite group of cricketers.

His name may not ring a bell instantly, but his figures certainly do. A tally of 42 Ranji Trophy wickets in the last two seasons for Baroda is certainly impressive, if not outstanding. Add to it the six-wicket haul (six for 34), on Day 1 of the Duleep Trophy match on Thursday, which helped West Zone dismiss East Zone for a paltry 171 in the first essay, and certainly you've got a spinner of class.

But ask him about his bowling and he sounds dismissive at first.

"I had 20-odd wickets in six matches in this Ranji season," says the left-arm spinner. "But I wasn't particularly happy with my efforts, as in the last two matches I had only three wickets."

Then, this six-wicket haul must surely come as a relief.

Simmons aiming for a double

West Indies A v England XI, St Kitts, 1st day

Trinidad and Tobago batsman Lendl Simmons is hoping to complete a double-century against England on the second day of the tour match in St Kitts. Simmons added 262 runs for the second wicket with Adrian Barath and finished the first day unbeaten on 171. Barath fell to Kevin Pietersen after scoring 132.

"I am really delighted to get a score against England and I am looking to get even more tomorrow," Simmons said. "I have my eyes on a double-century, which would be the second [double-century] of my career."

Simmons, nephew of the former West Indies batsman Phil Simmons, played eight ODIs and a Twenty20 international between December 2006 and July 2007. "It was not easy out there but I decided I would work hard to get a good score. I decided to bat time rather than bat runs. I knew once I stayed there for a long time, the runs would come."