Andre Agassi

Sunil Gavaskar buys stake in Mahesh Bhupathi’s IPTL

Gavaskar has bought a stake in a franchise in Bhupathi's IPTL.

Six sportspersons whose retirement left a trail of broken hearts

sportspersons, whose retirement left many heartbroken.

Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and their Andre Agassi-like situation

Sport can be a hard taskmaster. It requires extraordinary commitment and, upon failure to comply with its demands, has no hesitation in leaving behind an individual — regardless of his or her history — in the lurch. Neglect its curriculum and the plummet is unbelievably swift. This is true of any genre. Whether you’re a heptathlon athlete, a tennis player or a cricketer, the rule etched is the same for all: take the game for granted at your own peril.

Tendulkar, Navratilova, Agassi and Schumacher among others have defied time and age in an incredible fashion

When Sachin Tendulkar entered the Indian dressing room as a precocious, baby-faced 16-year old, one of the first things team members noted was his incredible zest for the game; it bordered on the obsession — even while sleeping! It’s an obsession that has remained till date as many who were not even born when Tendulkar started playing international cricket shared the dressing room with him. To last for two decades in any sport is truly amazing. But what is almost unparalleled in any sports is the intensity which Tendulkar has retained in 24 years and performed. Apart from the physical wear and tear, there is also the inevitable mental fatigue factor, the sheer ennui of having to do the same monotonous things day in and day out, while sacrificing many, many things in life that will never ever comeback — the wedding anniversaries, the joy of seeing the children grow, their birthdays, the joyous family occasions, the need to spend time with an ageing mother…. Those are priceless moments in life.

Interview: It’s a compliment to be compared with Virat, says Unmukt Chand

By Navneet Mundhra

India’s Under-19 team recently won the Quadrangular ODI series held in Australia where they thrashed the host Australia by seven wickets in the final to lift the coveted trophy. The chief architect of the glory was their captain, Unmukt Chand, who led from the front and cracked 94 runs in the semi-final against England and followed it up with coruscating century in the final against Australia as he remained unbeaten on 112. He faced the Australia’s new pace sensation Pat Cummins with panache and clouted him for a couple of sixes in the final. Chand bagged Man-of-the-Match award in both semi-final and final for his barnstorming exploits with bat and inspirational leadership.

Destiny offers Sachin Tendulkar another shot at that fairytale ending

By Madan Mohan

Sachin Tendulkar endured a fairly long drought of centuries, by his standards. That could have been a dreadful way to sign off a glorious career, having experienced its high point only last April.  At least the record is now his. He has, in any case, owned the record of most international hundreds comfortably, but a hundred hundreds has a nice ring about it. 

Why I, an Indian, am rooting for England

England normally play dull and uninspiring cricket.