India wins Chennai Test by 8 wickets

CHENNAI: India clinched the first Test against Australia with a comfortable eight-wicket victory to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series on Tuesday with their spinners taking all the 20 wickets for only the third time in their Test history.
                 India achieved the target of 50, losing two wickets in the second innings to beat Australia by eight wickets before lunch on the final day of the first cricket Test at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here Tuesday.
Sachin Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 13, assisted by two big sixes, and Cheteshwar Pujara on 8.
Earlier, Australia were all out for 241 in the second innings. Moises Henriques remained unbeaten on 81 and Nathan Lyon (11) was dismissed by left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who finished with three for 72.
Australia, resuming at 232 for nine, added just nine runs before being packed up in 30 minutes.
India have taken a 1-0 lead in their 4-match series against Australia by winning the first test in Chennai by 8 wickets. The final day of the test match failed to provide any unnecessary drama with India taking just under half an hour to wrap up Australia's second innings with Ravindra Jadeja getting the wicket of no.11 Nathan Lyon, caught at bat pad for 11. Australia were bowled out for 241, leaving India with just 50 runs to get to win the match. India lost both their openers in the chase, but knocked off the runs in less than 12 overs to land the first blow in what promises to be an enthralling series.
Resuming from their overnight score of 232-9, Australia added another 9 runs in just as many overs this morning as Moises Henriques and Lyon continued to bat for time, treating the bowling on merit. Henriques was fortunate that an inside edge in the very first over of the day from Jadeja bounced over his stumps, but apart from that looked quite solid. The debutant allrounder went on to make an unbeaten 81, an excellent effort following on from his 68 in the first innings.
India were left with exactly 50 runs to get to win the match, and the onus was on both the openers to take the opportunity to spend some time at the crease and get some confidence under their belts before the second test.

Score Board

Australia won toss

Australia 1st innings 380 all-out (M Clarke 130; R Ashwin 7-103)

India 1st innings 572 all-out (M S Dhoni 224; Pattinson 5-96)

Australia 2nd innings

E J M Cowan lbw b Ashwin 32

S R Watson c Sehwag b Ashwin 17

D A Warner lbw b Harbhajan Singh 23

P J Hughes c Sehwag b Jadeja 0

*M J Clarke lbw b Ashwin 31

†M S Wade b Harbhajan Singh 8

M C Henriques not out 81

P M Siddle b Jadeja 2

J L Pattinson c Sehwag b Ashwin 11

M A Starc c Tendulkar b Ashwin 8

N M Lyon c Vijay b Jadeja 11

Extras (b 15, lb 2) 17

Total (all out; 93 overs) 241

Fall: 1-34, 2-64, 3-65, 4-101, 5-121, 6-131, 7-137, 8-161, 9-175, 10-241

Bowling: R Ashwin 32-6-95-5; Harbhajan 27-6-55-2; R Jadeja 31-8-72-3; I Sharma 3-1-2-0

India 2nd innings

M Vijay c Henriques b Pattinson 6

V Sehwag c Clarke b Lyon 19

C A Pujara not out 8

S R Tendulkar not out 13

Extras (b 4) 4

Total (2 wickets; 11.3 overs) 50

Did not bat: V Kohli, R A Jadeja, *†M S Dhoni, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, B Kumar, I Sharma

Fall: 1-16, 2-36

Bowling: Pattinson 3-1-13-1; Lyon 5.3-0-29-1; Siddle 3-2-4-0
- See more at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-10-162323-India-go-1-0-up-with-comfortable-win#sthash.2cqGtkxO.dpu

Score Board

Australia won toss

Australia 1st innings 380 all-out (M Clarke 130; R Ashwin 7-103)

India 1st innings 572 all-out (M S Dhoni 224; Pattinson 5-96)

Australia 2nd innings

E J M Cowan lbw b Ashwin 32

S R Watson c Sehwag b Ashwin 17

D A Warner lbw b Harbhajan Singh 23

P J Hughes c Sehwag b Jadeja 0

*M J Clarke lbw b Ashwin 31

†M S Wade b Harbhajan Singh 8

M C Henriques not out 81

P M Siddle b Jadeja 2

J L Pattinson c Sehwag b Ashwin 11

M A Starc c Tendulkar b Ashwin 8

N M Lyon c Vijay b Jadeja 11

Extras (b 15, lb 2) 17

Total (all out; 93 overs) 241

Fall: 1-34, 2-64, 3-65, 4-101, 5-121, 6-131, 7-137, 8-161, 9-175, 10-241

Bowling: R Ashwin 32-6-95-5; Harbhajan 27-6-55-2; R Jadeja 31-8-72-3; I Sharma 3-1-2-0

India 2nd innings

M Vijay c Henriques b Pattinson 6

V Sehwag c Clarke b Lyon 19

C A Pujara not out 8

S R Tendulkar not out 13

Extras (b 4) 4

Total (2 wickets; 11.3 overs) 50

Did not bat: V Kohli, R A Jadeja, *†M S Dhoni, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, B Kumar, I Sharma

Fall: 1-16, 2-36

Bowling: Pattinson 3-1-13-1; Lyon 5.3-0-29-1; Siddle 3-2-4-0
- See more at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-10-162323-India-go-1-0-up-with-comfortable-win#sthash.2cqGtkxO.dpuf

Score Board

Australia won toss

Australia 1st innings 380 all-out (M Clarke 130; R Ashwin 7-103)

India 1st innings 572 all-out (M S Dhoni 224; Pattinson 5-96)

Australia 2nd innings

E J M Cowan lbw b Ashwin 32

S R Watson c Sehwag b Ashwin 17

D A Warner lbw b Harbhajan Singh 23

P J Hughes c Sehwag b Jadeja 0

*M J Clarke lbw b Ashwin 31

†M S Wade b Harbhajan Singh 8

M C Henriques not out 81

P M Siddle b Jadeja 2

J L Pattinson c Sehwag b Ashwin 11

M A Starc c Tendulkar b Ashwin 8

N M Lyon c Vijay b Jadeja 11

Extras (b 15, lb 2) 17

Total (all out; 93 overs) 241

Fall: 1-34, 2-64, 3-65, 4-101, 5-121, 6-131, 7-137, 8-161, 9-175, 10-241

Bowling: R Ashwin 32-6-95-5; Harbhajan 27-6-55-2; R Jadeja 31-8-72-3; I Sharma 3-1-2-0

India 2nd innings

M Vijay c Henriques b Pattinson 6

V Sehwag c Clarke b Lyon 19

C A Pujara not out 8

S R Tendulkar not out 13

Extras (b 4) 4

Total (2 wickets; 11.3 overs) 50

Did not bat: V Kohli, R A Jadeja, *†M S Dhoni, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, B Kumar, I Sharma

Fall: 1-16, 2-36

Bowling: Pattinson 3-1-13-1; Lyon 5.3-0-29-1; Siddle 3-2-4-0
- See more at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-10-162323-India-go-1-0-up-with-comfortable-win#sthash.2cqGtkxO.dpuf

Score Board

Australia won toss

Australia 1st innings 380 all-out (M Clarke 130; R Ashwin 7-103)

India 1st innings 572 all-out (M S Dhoni 224; Pattinson 5-96)

Australia 2nd innings

E J M Cowan lbw b Ashwin 32

S R Watson c Sehwag b Ashwin 17

D A Warner lbw b Harbhajan Singh 23

P J Hughes c Sehwag b Jadeja 0

*M J Clarke lbw b Ashwin 31

†M S Wade b Harbhajan Singh 8

M C Henriques not out 81

P M Siddle b Jadeja 2

J L Pattinson c Sehwag b Ashwin 11

M A Starc c Tendulkar b Ashwin 8

N M Lyon c Vijay b Jadeja 11

Extras (b 15, lb 2) 17

Total (all out; 93 overs) 241

Fall: 1-34, 2-64, 3-65, 4-101, 5-121, 6-131, 7-137, 8-161, 9-175, 10-241

Bowling: R Ashwin 32-6-95-5; Harbhajan 27-6-55-2; R Jadeja 31-8-72-3; I Sharma 3-1-2-0

India 2nd innings

M Vijay c Henriques b Pattinson 6

V Sehwag c Clarke b Lyon 19

C A Pujara not out 8

S R Tendulkar not out 13

Extras (b 4) 4

Total (2 wickets; 11.3 overs) 50

Did not bat: V Kohli, R A Jadeja, *†M S Dhoni, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, B Kumar, I Sharma

Fall: 1-16, 2-36

Bowling: Pattinson 3-1-13-1; Lyon 5.3-0-29-1; Siddle 3-2-4-0
- See more at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-10-162323-India-go-1-0-up-with-comfortable-win#sthash.2cqGtkxO.dpuf

Score Board

Australia won toss

Australia 1st innings 380 all-out (M Clarke 130; R Ashwin 7-103)

India 1st innings 572 all-out (M S Dhoni 224; Pattinson 5-96)

Australia 2nd innings

E J M Cowan lbw b Ashwin 32

S R Watson c Sehwag b Ashwin 17

D A Warner lbw b Harbhajan Singh 23

P J Hughes c Sehwag b Jadeja 0

*M J Clarke lbw b Ashwin 31

†M S Wade b Harbhajan Singh 8

M C Henriques not out 81

P M Siddle b Jadeja 2

J L Pattinson c Sehwag b Ashwin 11

M A Starc c Tendulkar b Ashwin 8

N M Lyon c Vijay b Jadeja 11

Extras (b 15, lb 2) 17

Total (all out; 93 overs) 241

Fall: 1-34, 2-64, 3-65, 4-101, 5-121, 6-131, 7-137, 8-161, 9-175, 10-241

Bowling: R Ashwin 32-6-95-5; Harbhajan 27-6-55-2; R Jadeja 31-8-72-3; I Sharma 3-1-2-0

India 2nd innings

M Vijay c Henriques b Pattinson 6

V Sehwag c Clarke b Lyon 19

C A Pujara not out 8

S R Tendulkar not out 13

Extras (b 4) 4

Total (2 wickets; 11.3 overs) 50

Did not bat: V Kohli, R A Jadeja, *†M S Dhoni, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, B Kumar, I Sharma

Fall: 1-16, 2-36

Bowling: Pattinson 3-1-13-1; Lyon 5.3-0-29-1; Siddle 3-2-4-0
- See more at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-10-162323-India-go-1-0-up-with-comfortable-win#sthash.2cqGtkxO.dpufe

Score Board

Australia won toss

Australia 1st innings 380 all-out (M Clarke 130; R Ashwin 7-103)

India 1st innings 572 all-out (M S Dhoni 224; Pattinson 5-96)

Australia 2nd innings

E J M Cowan lbw b Ashwin 32

S R Watson c Sehwag b Ashwin 17

D A Warner lbw b Harbhajan Singh 23

P J Hughes c Sehwag b Jadeja 0

*M J Clarke lbw b Ashwin 31

†M S Wade b Harbhajan Singh 8

M C Henriques not out 81

P M Siddle b Jadeja 2

J L Pattinson c Sehwag b Ashwin 11

M A Starc c Tendulkar b Ashwin 8

N M Lyon c Vijay b Jadeja 11

Extras (b 15, lb 2) 17

Total (all out; 93 overs) 241

Fall: 1-34, 2-64, 3-65, 4-101, 5-121, 6-131, 7-137, 8-161, 9-175, 10-241

Bowling: R Ashwin 32-6-95-5; Harbhajan 27-6-55-2; R Jadeja 31-8-72-3; I Sharma 3-1-2-0

India 2nd innings

M Vijay c Henriques b Pattinson 6

V Sehwag c Clarke b Lyon 19

C A Pujara not out 8

S R Tendulkar not out 13

Extras (b 4) 4

Total (2 wickets; 11.3 overs) 50

Did not bat: V Kohli, R A Jadeja, *†M S Dhoni, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, B Kumar, I Sharma

Fall: 1-16, 2-36

Bowling: Pattinson 3-1-13-1; Lyon 5.3-0-29-1; Siddle 3-2-4-0
- See more at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-10-162323-India-go-1-0-up-with-comfortable-win#sthash.2cqGtkxO.dpuf

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Sania Mirza, Mattek-Sands win doubles title

Dubai: India's Sania Mirza clinched her second doubles title of the season after she combined with partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands to defeat Nadia Petrova and Katarina Srebotnik in the title clash of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, here.
The unseeded Indo-American duo prevailed over the Russian-Slovenia combo 6-4 2-6 10-7 in a tightly-contested final of the USD 2,000,000 hard court event. The match lasted for one hour and 32 minutes. After a rather easy victory in the first set, the eventual winners were made to struggle as Petrova and Srebotnik fought back strongly to take the second set.
Sania and Bethanie, however, sealed the issue in their favour by winning the crucial third set. The two players had won the Brisbane International last month to make a superb start to the 2013 season. This was Sania's 16th championships wins in doubles, and she also has one single title win.
Both the pairs had two aces each but Petrova and Srebotnik, interestingly, committed just one double fault compared to three by the Indo-American duo. As far as first service was concerned, the runner-up team's winning percentage was 68 compared to the winners' 62 per cent.
However, in the second service, Sania and her partner's winning percentage was 53 compared to the runner-up's 41 per cent. Sania and Bethanie had to work hard for points as their opponents fought well throughout. The total points won were 63 by Sania and Bethanie even as their opponents fell short by just one point.

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who is SACHIN TENDULKAR???????????

 

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely acknowledged as the greatest living batsman, and second only to Don Bradman in the all time greatest list in Test cricket.

• Full name        :     sachin Ramesh Tendulker

• born                 :    24 apr 1973

• height               :     5ft5in

• batting style       :     right hand

• bowling style       :   right arm leg spin ,off spin ,medium pace

• role                     :    batsman

Sachin completed his high school from Sharadasharam Vidyamandir, and it was here where he met his mentor, coach and creator, Ramakant Achrekar. Very few know that the greatest batsman of the world who gives nightmares to many fast bowlers first started as a fast bowler himself. But was suggested by Cricket Greats to focus on his batting.
From his early days he impressed many by his batting. At just 13 he started playing for cricket club of India and at the age of 15 he played for Bombay in state level competition. He scored century on his debut in first class cricket and he was the youngest to do so. He scored a century in first matches of both the Deodhar and Duleep Trophy.
He made his presence felt when he made an unbeaten 326 in a 664 partnership with Vinod Kambli in 1988 in an interschool match.
Within one year of his entry in state level he got in the eye of Indian selectors and was selected to play for India against Pakistan at the age of 16 in 1989. Though he made only 15 in that test match but as a young batsman showed a lot of promise. He made his ODI debut on December 1989 against Pakistan.
He scored his first test century in 1990 against England at the age of 18, and became the second youngest to do so in test history. However it took him 79 ODIs to get to his first century in this format. On 9 September 1994 he scored his first ODI century against Australia.
He played his first world cup in 1992 and since then he has played for India in six world cups the most by any cricketer of the world. He has scored more than 200 runs in these world cups, again the highest by any batsmen.

 List of Sachin Tendulkars ODI Records

 

•  Longest ODI career – 22 years and 91 days(from December 18,1989 to March 18 2012) 
• Most number of runs – 18,426
• Most hundreds – 49
• Most fifties – 96
• Most matches – 463 Most balls faced – 21,392
• Most fours – 2,016 (only batsman to hit more than 2,000 boundaries)
• Most runs in World Cup history – 2,278
• Most hundreds in World Cup – 6
• Most fifties in World Cup – 15
• Most runs in a single edition of World Cup – 673 in 11 matches (2003)
• Youngest Indian to make ODI debut – 16 years, 238 days
• Most Man-of-the-match awards – 62
• Most Man-of-the-series awards – 15
• Most consecutive ODIs for India – 185 (from April 25, 1990 to April 24, 1998)
• Most centuries in a calendar year – 9 (1998)
• Fastest to reach 10,000 ODI runs and onwards (11,000 to 18,000)
• Most hundreds against one team – 9 Vs Australia
• Most times in nineties – 18
• Joint record holder of most World Cup appearances – 6 (1992 to 2011)
• Javed Miandad 6 (1975 to 1996)
• Second highest number of World Cup matches played – 45 (Highest 46 by Ricky Ponting)

 List of Sachin Tendulkars Test Records

• Sachin was the third youngest debutant (16 years 205 days) in test cricket.
• Highest run scorer in the history of Test cricket with 15,638 Test runs
• His career average from 1989 to 2012 is 193 Tests, 15,638 runs at 54.68
• He became the first Indian to surpass the 11,000 Test run mark
• Sachin and Brian Lara are the fastest to score 10,000 runs in 195 innings
• Scored world record of 8705 runs in Tests away from home
• Scored world record of 29 Centuries in Tests away from home
• First player to reach 12,000-13,000-14,000-15,000 Test runs
• Record for scoring most 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year six times
• Fourth highest run-getter in a single calendar year in Test History
• Created a world record for aggregating most runs in the fourth innings
• The only cricketer to score 100 centuries in International Cricket (Test and ODI)
• Scored his 100th century on 16th March 2012 in the Asia Cup against Bangladesh
• Highest number (51) of Test centuries
• Highest number (20) of 150+ score in Test Cricket
• When he scored his maiden century in 1990, he was the second youngest to score a century.
• His record of 5 centuries before he turned 20 year is a current world record
• Holds the current record of 217 against New Zealand for the highest score in Test cricket by an Indian when captaining in the 1999/2000 Season
• Has scored centuries against all Test playing nations

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Serena Williams is the real number one

Serena Williams has become the oldest woman to reach world number one, after the WTA released its latest rankings.
Williams, 31, confirmed her return to top spot by reaching the semi-finals of the Qatar Open, where she eventually lost in the final to Victoria Azarenka, who she replaces at number one.
Williams, a 15-time Grand Slam winner, last held the top ranking in October 2010 before a serious foot injury.
British men's number one Andy Murray remains the world number three .
Britain's top female player Heather Watson stays at number 41 while Laura Robson rises two places to 43, equalling her highest ranking to date.
Williams replaces fellow American Chris Evert as the oldest woman to be number one - Evert held the top ranking in 1985 just before turning 31.
Williams missed almost a year on the tour after winning Wimbledon in 2010, when she cut her feet on broken glass and required two operations on her right foot, before suffering blood clots in her lungs.
She slipped as low as 175th in the rankings but in 2012, her first full season back on the tour, she won Wimbledon, Olympic singles gold, the US Open and the WTA Championships.
She needed to reach the final four in Doha to overtake Azarenka at the top of the rankings.

 Oldest players to hold WTA world number one ranking

1. Serena Williams (US) 31 years, 4 months, 24 days

2. Chris Evert (US) 30 years, 11 months, 3 days (Nov 1985)
3. Martina Navratilova (US) 30 years, 9 months, 29 days (Aug 1987)
4. Lindsay Davenport (US) 29 years, 7 months, 8 days (Jan 2006)
5. Serena Williams 29 years, 0 months, 14 days (Oct 2010)
6. Steffi Graf (Germany) 27 years, 9 months, 16 days (Mar 1997)

 

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Australia Wins Women's Cricket World Cup

Mumbai: Australia Women clinched their Women's World Cup title after they comfortably defeated the West Indies Women by a huge margin of 114 runs in the final at the Brabourne Stadium here Sunday. Needing 260 to win, the Caribbeans were bundled out for 145 runs in 43.1 overs, miserably failing to recover from Elysse Perry's early three-wicket burst.

Batting first, Australia Women rode on Jessica Cameron's quick-fire 75 and a half-century by Rachael Haynes to post a challenging 259 for seven. Cameron's almost run-a-ball knock, which was studded with eight fours and two sixes, coupled with some lacklustre fielding by the Windies, allowed the five-time champions to record the highest ever total in a Women's World Cup final.

The previous best was 215 for four by the same side in 2005 against India Women. Australian pace spearhead Perry, who was back in the side after suffering an ankle injury, ripped through the West Indies top-order and had them reeling at 41 for three. The pacer struggled to get her run up right twice for her first delivery but drew first blood when she trapped Kycia Knight leg before in the last ball of her first over.

Chasing 260 to win, the Caribbean team were bowled out for just 145 at Mumbai's CCI.

She then struck in her second and third over to get rid off Stafanie Taylor and opener Natasha Mclean. Perry, who thought she had dismissed Taylor in the first ball of her second over when the ball just bounced before carrying to first slip fielder Meghann Lanning, struck three balls later.

Perry's figures after her first three overs read 3-2-2-3, and her devastating first spell ended with three wickets for eight runs in six overs. She was introduced two overs later when Deandra Dottin, known for her hitting prowess, was batting after Kyshona Knight retired hurt. Offie Lisa Sthalekar castled captain Merissa Aguilleira (23) to break the fourth wicket partnership of 47 runs.

Aguilleira had hit two fours and a six in her brief knock. Dottin, who hit a four a two sixes in her 28-ball 22, was also bowled by the all-rounder. After being reduced to 109 for five, things nosedived for the West Indies as they soon found themselves reeling at 114 for eight. Anisa Mohammed tried hard to fight back and shared a 27-run partnership for the ninth wicket.

Megan Schutt, who was the joint wicket taker earlier, became the bowler with most dismissals in the tournament with 15 wickets, after picking up two wickets in the final. Australia Women took home a prize money of USD 75,000 along with the distinction of being the top ranked team in the world, while runners up West Indies received USD 30,000.

Electing to bat, openers Meghann Lanning and Haynes provided a good start to Australia Women, putting on a 52-run stand, with the former being more aggressive of the two, striking six fours during her 31 off 41 balls. The right-hander perished at mid-off in the last ball of the 10th over.Left-hander Haynes, who later forged a 64-run stand with Cameron, notched up 52 off 74 balls. Her 88-minute knock fetched her six boundaries.

The Caribbeans, who were otherwise sloppy on the field, managed to hold onto the catches at least. After sending back Haynes, the West Indies were quick to take the wicket of Alexandra Blackwell (3), who was playing her 100th ODI. Australia Women, however, did not let West Indies take an upper hand as Cameron and Lisa Sthalekar consolidated the innings with a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket. Just as it seemed that the two were set for a long haul, Cameron was dismissed.

Australia Women, who had been cruising along, had a few hiccups as West Indies struck twice to dismiss Sthalekar and Sarah Coyte (7) to reduce them to 190 for six. The Aussies couldn't utilise the power play overs, scoring only 15 runs, while losing three wickets. A late attack from Jodie Fields (36) and Perry (25) helped the side to reach a challenging total.

For the West Indies Women, Shaquana Quintyne was the pick of the bowlers with figures of three for 27.

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Victoria Azarenka Defeats Serena Williams to Win 2013 Qatar Open

DOHA — Defending champion Victoria Azarenka beat Serena Williams 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-3 to win the Qatar Open on Sunday, earning her 16th title and ending a nine-match losing streak against the American.
Azarenka will give up the No. 1 ranking to the second-ranked Williams on Monday but extended her current winning streak to 14 matches, which included her second Australian Open title. More importantly, she may have turned around what has been a one-sided rivalry against Williams. Azarenka had not beaten Williams since 2009 in Miami, and had a 1-11 record against the American going into Sunday’s final.
“It feels incredible,” Azarenka said. “You know, this tournament is really great. … It had such a strong field going into it, and I’m really glad that in the end of the week I’m the one who’s holding the trophy.”
Azarenka broke to go up 2-1 when an erratic Williams hit one of her four double-faults in the first set, but the American ensured it was back on serve after eight games. Williams struggled with her first serve throughout the first set and hit 26 unforced errors, but still had a set point at 6-5 in the tiebreaker. However, she hit a poor forehand into the net, and Azarenka then converted her first set point with a great return.
Williams dominated the second set with her powerful serve and forehand, while Azarenka could only hit 39 percent of her first serves.
Azarenka fell behind 0-30 in the first game of the decider but recovered and took a 3-0 lead. Williams then saved a match point at 5-2 to stay the match, but Azarenka clinched the win on her next service game when Williams hit a forehand wide.
“I just wanted to fight and give it my best, give myself every opportunity I can,” Azarenka said. “I started with love-30 (in the third) and I was like, `You have to keep it together. You have to do something.’ Serena was on a roll … so I had to really step up my game. I’m really glad I could turn it around and stay tough.”
Williams praised Azarenka’s performance but insisted she still wasn’t at her best. Struggling at times with a cold and still nursing a right ankle injury that bothered her at the Australian Open, Williams appeared sluggish in early-round matches and needed three sets to beat Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals.
She made 48 errors against Azarenka and only converted three of her seven break points.
“This whole week, I just don’t think I played my best tennis, and I was fighting every match,” she said. “I can’t play that quality game against a top player like Victoria. I have to be able to pick up my game, and I wasn’t able to do that today. I stayed at a two out of a 10, and I can’t play that low.”
Williams had won her last eight finals. Still, she took comfort in the fact that she is returning to the No. 1 ranking for the first time in almost two and a half years. She becomes the oldest player to hold that title, breaking the mark previously held by Chris Evert, who was No. 1 in 1985 just shy of her 31st birthday.
“I’m definitely not happy, but I’m No. 1,” she said, smiling. “It was such a long journey, and after winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and the (WTA) Championships, I thought, I just don’t think I can win anymore. I don’t know what it takes to be No. 1. So it was awesome to come here and achieve that goal.”
But with Azarenka’s win on Sunday, Williams’ stay atop the rankings may only last one week.
Azarenka can reclaim the top spot in Dubai next week if she reaches the final and Williams does not.
But the rivalry doesn’t seem to prevent the players from getting along off the court, as they laughed and chatted about the upcoming Academy Awards after the trophy ceremony.
“I always respect Victoria. I think she’s a really good player. Obviously she’s so consistent and she plays well,” Williams said. “It’s nice to always play someone that you go home and you’re like, `OK, I didn’t do great, but let me work harder’. She inspires a lot of people to work harder, and definitely me.”
Azarenka agreed.
“I feel like we’re pushing each other to go to the limit every time, to step up, to improve, and that’s tremendous motivation to have,” she said. “You always know that somebody’s out there wants to push you. For me, it’s incredible privilege to be in that position.”

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KERALA STRIKERS WIN THRILLER

Amma’s Kerala Strikers Beat Mumbai Heroes By 3 Wickets In Their First Match In Celebrity Cricket League 2013. Mumbai Heroes Scored 135 Runs In 20 Overs, and Kerala Strikers Scored 136 in 19.1 Overs.

Kerala Strikers Next match In CCL 2013 is against Bhojpuri Dabanggs on Saturday 16 February 2013.

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Meet baby Milan!

Barely two weeks after her partner, foo

tballer Gerard Pique, posted a photo of their new-born son Milan's little feet on Twitter, Shakira has posted a proper picture of her little bundle of joy on the social networking site.

In the adorable picture, father Gerard is seen kissing his little son Milan, who was born on January 22, 2013. Shakira tweeted the picture saying, "Meet our baby boy Milan."

Shakira also posted a link of the UNICEF website along with the picture, and urged people to donate to a baby shower on behalf of needy children helped by the UN children's agency.
This picture was posted on Twitter by @Shakira

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India 2-4 Palestine

Wednesday’s international friendly pitted a weakened Palestine squad against hosts India at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi, Kerala.
Home team advantage couldn’t help India who conceded to Palestine’s offensive tactics in the second half. Palestinian midfielder Ashraf Alfawaghra disappointed the crowd of 15,000 by scoring a hat-trick and carrying his team to an undisputed 4-2 victory.

India started strong in the opening minutes of the first half after Clifford Miranda scored in the 17th minute. Alfawaghra equalized it to one apiece in the 30th minute but India once again took the lead after Syed Rahim Nabi headed the ball off of a corner kick to score in the 39th minute.
The second half began in Palestine’s favor as Hussam Abusalah found the back of the net in the 47th minute. Abusalah attempted another break in the 51st minute but was taken down by Nabi who was called for the foul. Aflawaghra capitalized on the penalty kick, putting Palestine in the lead 3-2.
Palestine focused much of their play in the middle and took advantage of India’s loose defense to break ahead in the 66th minute. Alfawaghra scored his hit-trick after cutting in from the right and fighting through India’s defenders to take Palestine’s lead up to 4-2.

India showed signs of life near the end of the match when substitute midfielder Jewel Raja took a shot that went wide by only a few inches.

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