'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The year is still very young, but for a weekend of prolific pleasure, the marker has been laid. Our players may not have unearthed incomparable treasure this Sunday, we would normally reserve that for an event like the World Cup or an even more poignant moment from an Olympics. But then, let no measure of the magnitude distract you from a delightful celebration this weekend. Sania Mirza, Rohan Bopanna, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli or Mahendra Singh Dhoni – pick your hero and relish the story, you are spoilt for choice. A heart warming victory for the injury prone Sania in Dubai; a confidence boosting title for Bopanna, getting used to live with multiple partners or the most celebrated belligerence of Dhoni – the options are many.
Sania storms to Dubai title
Mirza was back on the tour after a brief hiatus to recover from a hip strain suffered at the Australian Open. The injury had ruled her out of the Federation Cup earlier this month in Kazakhstan. But Sania and her partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands are building a formidable partnership and their second WTA Premier title of the year reaffirms the pair among the leading practitioners on the circuit. It is a chemistry built on the strength of their off-court bonding. Bethanie spent a few days in India recently, visiting the Mirzas at home and taking a tour of an upcoming Cafe and training academy being developed by Sania’s family in Hyderabad.
The Indo-American duo hadn’t dropped a set all week, but found their hands full against Nadia Petrova and Katarina Srebotnik in the finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. They looked on course for an easy victory after taking the first set, but their level dropped without warning and the second seeds took advantage to run up a 4-0 lead to start the the second set. Riding the shift in momentum to a nicety, Nadia and Katarina took the second set before taking control of the decisive tie-break at 6-3. Sania and Bethanie though saved their best for the last, reeling off seven of the last eight points before finishing with a flourish. Sania dealt an ace down the middle to clinch the title 6-4, 2-6, 10-7 and add to their triumph in Brisbane this January.
Bopanna works some magic in Marseille
Bopanna has been mostly in the news for his shenanigans off the court with Mahesh Bhupathi, as the two continue their pitched battle against the AITA, the apex body for tennis in India. The Bengalurean hadn’t been past the round of 16 this year in four starts with his regular partner Rajeev Ram. But working with Colin Fleming, who is also without his regular partner Ross Hutchins – who is nursing himself after being diagnosed with cancer in December last year – Bopanna has tasted immediate success. The duo, playing together for the first time, managed to stave off spirited resistance from Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer to take the Open ’13 title in Marseille. Bopanna and Fleming saved all four break points faced to earn a well deserved 6-4, 7-6(3) in an hour and 20 minutes inside the indoor arena.
Dhoni tsunami could sink the Aussies
I had to save the best though for the last – Indian fans may have been deprived in the recent past of the sordid pleasures of beating a competent Pakistan team on the cricket fields around the world. But then, Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting walked into our hearts and minds to script a new rivalry that continues to gain in depth and intensity with each new series. The storied battles between the men from down under and those in blue have been stoked into a hungry monster – Sourav Ganguly‘s raw leadership, Greg Chapell’s quixotic experiments with Indian cricket, VVS Laxman’s heroics have all layered the story and built a simmering rage that adds a sharp edge to every contest between the two teams, especially in Test cricket.
The ongoing match between the two nations is turning into yet another advert for the unbelievably engrossing nuances of five day cricket. The match seemed locked in the iron grip of the Aussies when they had India on the mat at 12-2, with 380 runs in the bank. The revival that followed has brought fans gushing in excitement to the otherwise deserted Chepauk stadium as one after another the middle order set about wiping the Aussies off their imagined perch. Sachin Tendulkar, under pressure from a growing band of critics, managed to silence many for the moment with an innings of measured brilliance. The Little Master seemed in total control as drove with trademark elegance through the covers and past the bowlers to remind them about his undiminished passion for the game and the ability of his feet to dance to the tunes of his iron-clad heart.
Just as the nation was readying to savour yet another century from Sachin’s ageless bat, Nathan Lyon stepped in to crush their hopes with an inspired moment of brilliance. A looping delivery drew Sachin out of his crease and the line just outside the off-stump dragged his bat away to create the fatal gap – the ball landed on a bowler’s mark and the off break turned just enough to take the edge and ruin the woodwork. But if Australia hoped for a quick capitulation, they were woken up to a rude surprise. Virat Kohli kept himself wrapped in a cocoon of concentration to continue building the innings with Dhoni. Kohli though, reached his century and departed immediately to leave the stage for his captain, who may have finally played the most decisive innings of his Test career.
Not that the skipper hasn’t already ensured his legacy in the pantheons of cricket – two World Cup victories are more than enough to do that for him. But then there is no more definitive assessment of a cricketer than in a Test match and some may have felt that the wicket-keeper batsman was a beneficiary of holding reins during a period of glorious riches, both on and off the field for Indian cricket. With India still behind the Aussie total, Dhoni farmed Chepauk with customary assurance to work with Kohli to break the shackles before eventually bringing the dam down on the Aussies. Under difficult conditions and a situation of pressure, Dhoni showcased his ability to stay calm and unruffled to steer India into a position of control with each passing over. That the first seven overs with the second new ball yielded a generous 54 runs was the perfect giveaway for the tone being set in the middle.
Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin‘s brief stints in the middle provided support to Dhoni to enable the team claw to parity even as Dhoni’s own score began to assume significance. And even though India continued to lose wickets including that unseemly swipe that costed Harbhajan his wicket and his captain’s respect – the presence of Dhoni left the promise intact. Bhuvneshwar Kumar might be wet behind the ears, but the young lad already seems to possess the temperament expected of a warrior in blue. With the 23 year old willing to offer a straight bat and graft without looking at the clock, Dhoni gained the freedom he needed to showcase his exploits at his second home. And he tore into the Australian attack to shred them into smithereens as he stroked his way to a brilliant 206* off just 243 balls, with 22 boundaries and 5 sixes. Dhoni has now scored 206 of the 319 runs that have come in his presence and in a century stand for the ninth wicket that is worth 109 runs, his partner contributed a generous 16 of them.
As counter attacks go, this is an innings that shall be remembered for a long time. Chennai is home to many a Test match memory including that mesmerising tie against the Aussies in 1986. But this double century of Dhoni will be remembered in the company of such innings’ as Adam Gilchrist’s 122 at the Wankhede (2000-01 season) that enabled the Aussies take control of the match despite being in a spot of bother at 96-5. Yet another wicket-keeper’s mark beckons Dhoni when he resumes his colossal innings on the morrow – the Ranchi man is 26 adrift of the 232 scored by the Zimbabwean Andy Flower against India at Nagpur at the turn of this millennium. That is the highest score for a wicket-keeper batsman in Test cricket. Irrespective of whether he reaches that mark, Dhoni has etched an indelible print on this contest and also built a monument for himself that people might use to remember him long after the man has hung his bat and gloves.
It is the kind of weekend that is the stuff of every sports fan’s dream in India, so let us relish the fare before it turns cold again. For in the great cauldron of our undulating sporting traditions, it only takes a moment for these stars to send us from the dizzying heights of warm reflection to the gory depths of plumbing darkness. Enjoy the bright lights and have a great week ahead. We could be one up over the Aussies by the time Somdev Devvarman begins his campaign against Igor Kunitsyn in Dubai tomorrow evening.
