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Sorana Cirstea celebrates a game point #wimbledon

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Sachin Tendulkar featured on TIME magazine cover page

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This photo. 

Tendulkar having a chat with Inzamam-ul Haq and his son.

Getty

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Ana ivanovic :) <3 :)

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Sachin Tendulkar & Team India celebrates their victory over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup

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Adelaide Oval on Flickr.

Taken 6th March 2012  Australia vs Sri Lanka Second Final This pano is a combination of 51 images, transferred into HDR, photos merged together, reduced noise, slight change in vibrance and clarity.

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The Genius within..

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The unsung Hero - Rahul "The Wall" Dravid

THEY CALL him “The Wall”, arguably the batsman in world cricket you would ask to stay in for YOUR life.

“I probably would have come to the same conclusion, irrespective of what happened in Australia,” he said at the conference, which was televised nationwide.

Rahul Dravid, the stalwart Indian batsman has announced his retirement from international and domestic first-class cricket. The 39-year-old retired from one-day internationals last year and has now taken his leave from the longer form of the game, though he is still due to captain the Rajasthan Royals in this year's Indian Premier League.

"It has been 16 years since I first played a Test match for India, and I feel it's time for me to move on."

“I feel it’s time for me to move on… I’ve had a wonderful time, but now it’s time for a new generation of young players to make their own history and take the Indian cricket team even further,” he said, in the calm and controlled manner so typical of his approach when at the crease with bat in hand.

Dravid became one of the world’s most respected cricketers over his 16-year career, not just for being a fantastic player. He was, and still is, a wonderful statesman for the sport and his country. Former teammate Anil Kumble, who was by Dravid’s side at Friday’s press conference, described him as “the perfect ambassador for cricket” and “a constant friend and colleague.”

Dravid, affectionately known as “The Wall” because it’s so difficult to get him out, will go down in history as one of the finest cricketers India has ever produced.

Dravid scored 13,288 runs in his 164 Tests, a total bettered only by long-time India team-mate Sachin Tendulkar, and added another 10,889 in 344 one-day internationals.

"My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity, and it was about upholding the spirit of the game. I have tried my best. I leave with sadness but also with pride" he said.

It’s for this simplicity, that there is nothing flamboyant about Rahul Dravid and he was the perfect choice to be the first non-Australian to deliver the Don Bradman Oration in Canberra last December.

"Once I was like every other boy in India, with a dream of playing for my country. Yet I could never have imagined a journey so long and so fulfilling. I have had a wonderful time, but now it is time for a new generation of young players to make their own history and take the Indian cricket team even further."

His reassuring presence has anchored the largely flamboyant Indian top order throughout a 16-year international career, while his selfless approach has seen him serve in unfavoured roles as an opening batsman and even a wicketkeeper for the good of the team.

Dravid- Debut match at Lord's

Dravid has played his part in a golden era of Indian cricket alongside the likes of Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman in a stellar batting line-up.

His illustrious career came full circle in 2011 when he made a century at Lord's on his last Test appearance at the Home of Cricket, scoring 103 to finally etch his name on the famous Lord's Honours Boards.

"I was fortunate to be part of a wonderful era when India played some of its finest cricket at home and abroad," he said. "Many of my team-mates have become legends, not just in India but in the wider cricketing world. I admired them, learnt from them and I leave the game with wonderful memories and strong friendships. It is a great gift to have.

"I would like to thank the Indian cricket fans, both here and across the world. The game is lucky to have you and I have been lucky to play before you. To represent India, and thus to represent you, has been a privilege and one which I have always taken seriously."

A devoted family man, he added: "My wife, Vijeeta, has been a remarkable partner in my journey. She has made sacrifices in her own career and has almost been a single parent bringing up our children alone as I travelled abroad to play.

"Being away from my family became harder and harder through the years and I look forward now to spending time at home and doing the simple things, like just taking my sons to school."

“There’s a really exciting bunch of talented batsmen there waiting in the wings to take over… I was nowhere near as talented as some of these kids,” he said, modest as ever.

“It will be fun to sit back on my couch and watch some of these young talents as they try to establish themselves over the next two or three years,” he added.

Whoever these talents are, they have some very, very big shoes to fill.

A Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2000 and ICC Player of the Year in 2004, Dravid's consistency and near-flawless technique allowed his name to stand out in an era notable for superb batsmanship.

Beyond the field, Dravid also become recognised as an articulate and influential observer of the game.

He is one of only two players still playing professionally to sit on MCC's WCC, an independent think-tank which meets twice a year to discuss prevalent issues in the game.

Like the other batsmen, he too had some major records, but the “Classy batting he carried throughout his career has no one to compare with.

Rahul’s greatest moments seem to be shrouded in a dimming light, like the form of the game to which he was best suited. If it is to be retirement, he will be cherished in the hearts of Test cricket fans for a very long time.

Finally, it was an emotional moment to see someone I’ve grown up watching announcing his retirement.

Good bye, Rahul..

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Rahul Dravid, we miss you for sure... 

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woow

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Jacqueline Kennedy during her state visit to India, 1962.

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Lunch Scholars

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Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia on Flickr.

The MCG is the largest cricket ground in the world.

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It was a dramatic series for Team India who had their chances for making into the finals though they weren't playing today.. Unfortunately, Australia lost, Sri Lanka into the final, Team India is set to board the flight back to India.