Sharapova engaged to Sasha Vujacic...

Maria Sharapova, the Russian tennis player and former World No.1 has accepted the marriage proposal of Los Angeles Lakers player Sasha Vujacic.

       The couple were first spotted holding hands about a year ago, got engaged Tuesday after Sasha proposed to Maria Sharapova at his home in Manhattan Beach, California.
       Maria Sharapova has already been spotted out wearing the ring which is reported to include a large diamond comparable which was given by him.

      She became the World No. 1 for the first time on Aug 22, 2005. She is currently ranked World No. 14.
       Maria Sharapova has since won 22 WTA singles titles, 3 WTA doubles titles and 3 Grand Slam singles titles, including 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open.
        She was also runner-up at the 2007 Australian Open. She has also won the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in 2004. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her World No. 1 in singles on 4 separate occasions.

ROONEY STAYS WITH MAN UTD

Wayne Rooney has agreed a new five-year contract with Manchester United, ending speculation about his future.
         The club confirmed the news on Friday lunchtime, ending an amazing week in which Rooney claimed the Old Trafford outfit no longer matched his ambitions.

 Yet after a staggering 24-hour period, and demonstration by irate supporters at Rooney's house in Prestbury, Rooney is now set to stay at Old Trafford.
       When Sir Alex was asked about the dramatic turn-around of events he said," Sometimes, when you're in a club, it can be hard to realise just how big it is and it takes something like the events of the last few days to make you understand."
       "I think Wayne now understands what a great club Manchester United is."
        Rooney has said, "I am delighted to sign another deal at United,"
        "In the last couple of days, I have talked to the manager and the owners and they have convinced me this is where I belong.
        "I said on Wednesday the manager is a genius and it is his belief and support that have convinced me to stay.
        "I am signing a new deal in the absolute belief that the management, coaching staff, board and owners are totally committed to making sure United maintains its proud winning history - which is the reason I joined the club in the first place.
         "I am sure the fans over the last week have felt let down by what they have read and seen.
         "But my position was from concern over the future.
         "The fans have been brilliant with me since I arrived and it's up to me through my performances to win them over again."

And Sir Alex has asked the Old Trafford faithful to Forgive Rooney and move on....
 
"We have been hurt by events but Wayne has apologised to me and the players. He will do so with the supporters too.
       "I always feel it is a quality in a person when they say they are sorry and realise they have made a mistake. That happens with young people.
        "The job is to put it behind us and get Wayne Rooney back on the pitch, playing the way we know he can."
       "We have been hurt by events but Wayne has apologised to me and the players. He will do so with the supporters too.
       "I always feel it is a quality in a person when they say they are sorry and realise they have made a mistake. That happens with young people.
        "The job is to put it behind us and get Wayne Rooney back on the pitch, playing the way we know he can."

Let us see how Wazza is going to win back the fans at Old Trafford.....

Sachin - The Maestro carrying INDIA forward !!!

In yet another first, India's all time great Sachin Tendulkar became the only person to scale the 14,000 peak in Test cricket.

Sachin Tendulkar cracked his 49th Test hundred in the on-going 2nd Test against Australia and is roasting the Kangaroos scoring 103* along with Murali Vijay who is batting on  73*.

This Century makes Sachin the only Indian to score 6 centuries in a calender year.. Maestro carrying India forward !!!

Sachin needed 27 runs to reach into the 14,000 runs landmark, when the 37-year-old cut off-spinner Nathan Hauritz through coverpoint for a boundary and accomplish the feat in his 171st Test.

A packed Chinnaswamy Stadium crowd rose and gave the Indian maestro a standing ovation as Australian skipper Ricky Ponting came up to congratulate Tendulkar who is unbeaten on 44.

Tendulkar also became the highest Test run-getter at Chinnaswamy Stadium scoring in excess of 600, eclipsing Sunil Gavaskar's total.

BCCI and its UDRS woes...

	Gautam Gambhir may have been aggrieved, but India had only themselves to blame © AFP Enlarge

India can feel hard done by Billy Bowden's lbw decision against Gautam Gambhir, but they have only themselves to blame. The batsman hits the leather off the ball, and is also hit outside the line of the off. The umpire thinks it is pad first, and misjudges the line. The batsman makes a T sign, the third umpire has a look at it, and tells the on-field umpire he has made a mistake. The umpire then crosses arms, reverses his decision, and the batsman goes ahead with his innings. When that happens at a critical juncture, as it could have on two occasions today, it is a huge relief for those participating in, officiating in, and watching the game.

India, though, refuse to use it. The Gambhir decision, and the one against Michael Hussey, where everyone in the crowd immediately knew it was not out, is exactly what the UDRS is in place for. Umpires are human too. They too make mistakes. Admittedly some are more human than others. In recent times their workload has grown manifold, but the Elite Panel remains just as big - or small.

India's argument against the UDRS is that they are not comfortable with it unless a technology at least as reliable as Hot Spot is used. Rahul Dravid illustrated India's concerns about the system yesterday. "My personal view is that if it can be proved that technology is foolproof, there is no harm in going for it," he said. "As long as we can be sure that it is available for every Test match, every condition all over the world and it's uniform." And while neither the BCCI nor the ICC is willing to bear costs for the technology that is to be used for the smoother running of the game, it is unfair to expect the broadcasters - who have paid through their noses to obtain the rights - to foot the bill.

Yet, looking at the way Gambhir and Hussey were given out, there is a case for even half the technology doing more good than bad. The Indian team is not united in its opposition of the system. At the P Sara Oval earlier this year, when Abhimanyu Mithun and Ishant Sharma were given out caught off their pads, Virender Sehwag had said: "It happens in cricket. Sometimes the umpire gives you a good decision and sometimes a bad decision. But yes, I would love to have that referral system in Test cricket, or even in one-day cricket. That is my personal opinion."

Ben Hilfenhaus shared the opinion after the day's play. "Obviously there is technology out there to be used," he said. "Umpires are doing a fantastic job, but obviously with the technology you take a bit of that human error out."

Chances are Gambhir's personal opinion might not be too different from Hilfenhaus' after today. Personal opinions, though, should not matter in the first place. As many players have demanded before, the ICC needs to put its foot down and make it mandatory for all Tests to be played under the same set of playing conditions. Test cricket shouldn't become a backyard game of cricket where kids decide beforehand if they can be given out lbw or not.

INDIA wins First Test against Australia

The Hyderabad batsman scored 73 runs off 79 balls and added 81 off 21.4 overs for the ninth-wicket with Ishant Sharma (31) after it seemed the tourists were closing in on victory.

India reached the 216-run target half an hour before the tea break despite the best efforts of Ben Hilfenhaus, who took four for 57.

India had been pushed onto the back foot after Doug Bollinger's two-wicket burst reduced them to 162 for eight at lunch.


But Laxman and Ishant turned things around in the final hour, though India had to overcome a huge scare as the paceman was harshly adjudged lbw when 11 runs were required.

However, the Hyderabad batsman managed to see India home in the company of number 11 Pragyan Ojha (five not out), who hung around during the testing final moments and was lucky to survive a confident lbw shout.

India's triumph was built on the back of a superb bowling performance by Zaheer Khan, who claimed match figures of eight for 137, and fine contributions from Sachin Tendulkar (98 and 38) and Rahul Dravid and Suresh Raina, who made 77 and 86 respectively in the first innings.

But it was Laxman's performance which proved to be the game-changer as the 35-year-old fought his stiff back and the rampaging Australia bowlers to pull off a sensational victory.

Laxman's heroics follow his match-winning century in the second innings against Sri Lanka in Colombo in August which helped India to level the series 1-1.

But one should never forget Ishant Sharma's effort of 3 wickets in the second innings after being ruled out on day 2 and come back and score 31runs in a complete entangled tensed situation.

ICC AWARDS 2010

The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its seventh year and this year is being held in Bengaluru. The announcement was made at the LG ICC Awards celebration at the Grand Castle, Bengaluru. Presented in association with FICA, the ICC Awards recognise the best international players of the past 12 months.Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007 and 2009) and Dubai (2008).

	Sachin Tendulkar with his first ICC awards.

Full winners:
Cricketer of the Year (winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) – Sachin Tendulkar (Ind)

Women’s Cricketer of the Year – Shelley Nitschke (Aus)

Test Player of the Year – Virender Sehwag (Ind)

ODI Player of the Year – AB de Villiers (SA)

Emerging Player of the Year – Steven Finn (Eng)

Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year – Ryan ten Doeschate (Ned)

Twenty20 International Performance of the Year – Brendon McCullum (NZ)

Spirit of Cricket– New Zealand

Umpire of the Year (winning the David Shepherd Trophy) – Aleem Dar