Monday, October 18, 2010

saina nehwal history

Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal (born March 17, 1990) is an Indian Khel Ratna winning badminton player currently ranked number 3 in the world by Badminton World Federation,[4]. Saina is the first Indian woman to reach the singles quarterfinals at the Olympics and the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships. Saina Nehwal made history on June 21, 2009, becoming the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament, by clinching the Indonesia Open with a stunning victory over higher-ranked Chinese Wang Lin in Jakarta. (The Super Series tournament is roughly equivalent to a Grand Slam in tennis).

Saina won her second career Super Series title by winning the Singapore Open title on June 20, 2010. She completed a hat-trick in the same year by winning the Indonesian Open on June 27, 2010. This win resulted in her rise to 3rd ranking and subsequently to No. 2. This remains her highest career ranking.

Previously coached by S. M. Arif, a Dronacharya Award winner, Saina is the reigning Indian national junior champion and is currently coached by Indonesian badminton legend Atik Jauhari since August 2008,[6] with the former All England champion and national coach Pullela Gopichand being her mentor. Saina was born in Hisar, Haryana and has spent her entire life in Hyderabad, India. Her foray into the world of badminton was influenced by her father Dr. Harvir Singh, a scientist at the Directorate of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad and her mother Usha Nehwal, both of whom were former badminton champions in Haryana. She is the top ranked player (both Men & Women) in Indian Badminton history.

Childhood and early training

Saina was born in 1990 in a Jat family from Haryana. In December 1998, Saina's father took her to meet Coach Nani Prasad at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad. Seeing potential in the girl, Prasad asked Singh to enroll Saina as a summer trainee.

Harvir Singh and Saina, who was 8 years old at the time, would wake at 4am every morning and head to the stadium which was 25 km away. After two hours of practice, Singh would drop Saina at school on his way to work. Sitting behind her father on his scooter, Saina would often fall asleep on these journeys which prompted her mother to accompany them for the next three months.

In order to keep up with the rising cost of her training, Saina’s father withdrew money from his savings and provident fund. The tight-rope walk continued until 2002, when sports brand Yonex offered to sponsor Saina’s kit. As her status and rankings improved, the sponsorships increased. In 2004, BPCL (Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited).[8] signed the rising star onto their payroll, and she is also supported by Olympic Gold Quest.[9]

Saina Nehwal won Commonwealth games gold in Womens Singles Shuttle badminton held in Siri Fort Auditorium, Delhi,on 14th October 2010.
[edit] Career summary

Saina was the under-19 national champion. Saina created history by the winning the prestigious Asian Satellite Badminton tournament (India Chapter) twice, becoming the first player to do so.

In 2006, Saina appeared on the global scene when she became the first Indian woman to win a 4-star tournament, the Philippines Open.[10] Entering the tournament as the 86th seed, Saina went on to stun several top seeded players including number seed Huaiwen Xu before defeating Julia Xian Pei Wong of Malaysia for the title. The same year also saw Saina as runner up at the 2006 BWF World Junior Championships, where she lost a hard fought match against top seed Chinese Wang Yihan. She did one better in the 2008 by becoming the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships by defeating ninth seeded Japanese Sayaka Sato 21-9, 21-18.

She became the first Indian woman to reach the quarter finals at the Olympic Games when she upset world number five and fourth seed Wang Chen of Hong Kong in a three-game thriller. In the quarter-finals Saina lost a nail biting 3-gamer to world number 16 Maria Kristin Yulianti. In September 2008, she won the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open 2008 beating Li Ya Lydia Cheah of Malaysia 21-8 21-19 [11]. Maria Yulianti had earlier lost her quarter-final match to Pia Bernadet, Saina's semi-final opponent, thus denying Saina a rematch.

Saina has been named The Most Promising Player in 2008.[12] She reached the world super series semifinals in the month of December 2008[13].

On 21 June 2009, she became the first Indian[14] to win a BWF Super Series title, the most prominent badminton series of the world by winning the Indonesia Open. She beat Chinese Wang Lin in the final 12-21, 21-18, 21-9. Saina on winning the tournament said "I had been longing to win a super series tournament since my quarter final appearance at the Olympics". Saina is on the par with the likes of Prakash Padukone and her mentor Pullela Gopichand who both won the all England championships which are of similar status to the super series. In August 2009 she reached the quarterfinals of world championship losing to the second seed Lin Wang. Saina Nehwal was rewarded with Arjuna award in August, 2009 and her coach Gopichand was also rewarded with Dronacharya award at the same time.

Saina has been signed up by Olympic Gold Quest to support her in fulfilling her dream of winning the Olympic gold medal.[15] Saina has been awarded with Padma Shri award in January 2010. Saina is brand ambassador of Deccan Chargers, an Indian Premier League team owned by Deccan chronicle. She has also became one of the 8 brand ambassadors of 2010 Commonwealth Games held on New Delhi India

Her strategy, at the beginning of 2010, was to ignore ranking points and focus her energies on premier tournaments. That seems to be working as she has won three titles (including two in India), and has reached the semis of two majors. With the World Championships, Commonwealth and Asian Games coming up, her preparation couldn’t have been better. Saina has been awarded with the highest national sporting award given to players, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award on 29 August 2010.

On October 14th 2010 won gold medal against Mew Choo Wong of Malaysia 19-21, 23-21, 21-13 in CWG delhi and made an unforgettable moment in india's badminton history.
[edit] Career Record - Best Results
Event     Year     Result
Czechoslovakia Junior Open     2003     Winner
2004 Commonwealth Youth Games     2004     22 Silver
Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament     2005     Winner
2006 Commonwealth Games     2006     33 Bronze
Philippines Philippines Open (badminton)     2006     Winner
Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament     2006     Winner
India Indian National Badminton Championships     2007     Winner
India National Games of India     2007     11 Gold
Chinese Taipei 2008 Chinese Taipei Open Grand Prix Gold     2008     Winner
India Indian National Badminton Championships     2008     Winner
2008 Commonwealth Youth Games     2008     11 Gold
2008 BWF World Junior Championships     2008     Winner
2008 BWF Super Series Masters finals     2008     Semifinalist
Indonesia 2009 Indonesia Super Series     2009     Winner
2009 BWF World Championships     2009     Quarter-finalist
India 2009 Indian Open Grand Prix     2009     Winner
England 2010 All-England Super Series     2010     semifinalist
2010 Badminton Asia Championships     2010     33 Bronze
India 2010 India Open Grand Prix Gold     2010     Winner
Singapore 2010 Singapore Open Super Series     2010     Winner
Indonesia 2010 Indonesia Open Super Series     2010     Winner
France 2010 BWF World Championships     2010     Quarter-finalist
India 2010 Commonwealth Games     2010     11 Gold
[edit] 2008 Summer Olympics
Stage     Opponent     Result     Games     Points
First Round     Ella Diehl     Won     2-0     21-9, 21-8
Second Round     Larisa Griga     Won     2-0     21-18, 21-10
Third Round     Wang Chen     Won     2-1     21-19, 11-21, 21-11
Quarter-finals     Maria Kristin Yulianti     Lost     1-2     28-26, 14-21, 15-21
[edit] 2010 Updates (Her Path Breaking Year)

    * Saina successfully lead the Indian Women Team to the Quarter-finals stage of the 2010 Uber Cup finals.

    * Saina became the first Indian Woman to reach the semi finals of 2010 All-England Super Series before losing to eventual champion Tine Rasmussen.

    * Top seeded Saina reached the semifinals of Yonex Sunrise Badminton Asia Championships 2010 losing out to unseeded eventual champion Li Xuerui of China. Saina's Coach Gopichand advised her not exert too much pressure on herself due to the overwhelming home crowd support.

    * Saina wins the Indian Open Grand Prix Gold 2010, beating Wong Mew Choo of Malaysia in the final and thus justifying her billing as top seed in the tournament. She won a prize money of $8,280 for winning this BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament.

    * Saina Nehwal, again seeded no. 1 in the Singapore Open Super Series 2010, entered the finals defeating World champion Lu Lan of China (updated on 06/20/2010)

    * Saina won the second Super Series title of her career by beating qualifier Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the final of the Singapore Open 21-18, 21-15. But the fact that she won the tournament in the absence of all the top 5 ranked players (who all happen to be Chinese), takes a little sheen away from her path breaking victory. Saina won a prize money of $15,000 for winning this BWF Super Series tournament.

    * Saina has reached a career high of world no. 3 in the women's singles badminton world rankings on 24 June 2010.[16]

    * Saina defended her Indonesia Open super series title in three tough games against Sayaka Sato of Japan, 21-19 / 13-21 / 21-11.This is her third super series title and her third successive title following wins at Indian open,Singapore Super series.[17] She again won the top prize money of $18,750 for winning this BWF Super Series tournament.

    * On 15 July 2010, with 64791.26 points Saina Nehwal reached a career high world ranking of No. 2 only behind Wang Yihan of China.

    * 2nd seed Saina, a tournament favourite, crashed out of the 2010 BWF World Championships in Paris after losing to 4th ranked Chinese Wang Shixian in straight sets 8-21, 14-21. She although equalled her tournament best performance, as she was also a losing quarter-finalist in the last edition held in Hyderabad. She subsequently dropped a spot to be No. 3 in the world rankings.

    * In the BWF Super Series ranking for the year 2010 (which only considers the performances of players in the elite world super series tournaments), as on 27 September 2010, Saina has dropped to No. 7 from a high of No. 1 after giving a miss to 2010 China Masters Super Series and 2010 Japan Super Series due to her preparation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games [18].

    * Top seed Saina, won the gold medal in the Women's Singles badminton event in the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi. She beat Mew Choo Wong of Malaysia 19-21 23-21 21-13.

source:wikipida.com

Viswanathan Anand history

Viswanathan Anand Profile

Achievements:
  • Became India's first Grandmaster in 1988
  • Became the first Indian to win the FIDE World Chess Championship in 2000
  • Won , the Chess Oscar many times
  • World Chess Champion in 2007 and 2008
Viswanathan Anand been the epitome of chess in India and has gained worldwide recognition. In a glorious career spanning 25 years (and still counting), Anand has taken Indian chess to new heights. He has registered success in both the national and the international levels and has been entitled to a number of prestigious awards, for his excellence in chess. Born on 11 December 1969 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Viswanathan Anand is the role model for the aspiring chess players of India and has proved to be the prominent figure in the field of the sport, since the beginning of his career.

Early Years Of Career In Chess
Viswanathan Anand's rise in the Indian chess world is dramatic. He gained national recognition at an early age, when won the National Sub-Junior Chess Championship in 1983, at the age of fourteen. In the following year, he became the youngest Indian to be entitled to the International Master (IM) Title. He became the National Chess Champion at sixteen, and went on to receive the title twice more, thereafter. In 1987, Anand became won the World Junior Chess Championship, which made him the first Indian to reach the height.

Entry To World Chess Championships
In 1988, Viswanathan Anand became the first Grandmaster of India, by winning the International Chess tournament held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. This achievement won him one of India's most prestigious civilian awards - the Padma Shri. The following decade proved to be the golden period for Anand. It was at this time, when he registered continuous wins at coveted tournaments. He entered the World Chess Championship competitions in 1993 and rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in the World Chess, including Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov.

Personal Life
A graduate in Commerce, Viswanathan Anand is fond of reading, swimming and listening to music. He is married to Aruna, with whom he is living in Collado Mediano, Spain.

Notable Wins
  • 1986: Arab-Asian International Chess Championship
  • 1987: Sakthi Finance Grandmasters Chess Tournament 
  • 1988: 5 Hoogovens Chess Tournament
  • 1989: 2nd Asian Active Chess Championship, Hong Kong 
  • 1990: Gold Medal in Asian Zonal Championship
  • 1990: Manchester Chess Festival, Manchester 
  • 1990: Triveni Super Grandmasters Tournament, Delhi Joint 
  • 1991: World Chess Championship, Brussels Quarter Finalist
  • 1992: Reggio Emilia Chess Tournament, Reggio Emilia 
  • 1992: Goodrich Open International Tournament, Calcutta 
  • 1992: Alekhine Memorial, Moscow
  • 1993: PCA Interzonal, Groningen 
  • 1994: Melody Amber Tournament, Monaco 
  • 1994: World Championship Candidates Cycle, Linares
  • 1994: PCA Grand Prix, Moscow 
  • 1995: PCA Candidates Final, Las Palmas
  • 1996: Dortmunder Schachtage, Dortmund
  • 1996: Credit Swiss Rapid Chess Grand Prix, Geneva 
  • 1996: Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez, Leon
  • 1997: Torneo de Ajedrex, Dos Hermanes  
  • 1997: Melody Amber Tournament, Monaco 
  • 1997: Aegon Man vs Computers Chess Event
  • 1997: Chess Classic Rapid Tournament, Frankfurt
  • 1997: Invesbanka Chess tournament, Belgrade 
  • 1997: Credit Suisse Classic Tournament, Biel 
  • 1997: Knock-Out Championship, Groningen
  • 1998: FIDE World Chess Championship (Finalist)
  • 1998: 60th Hoogoven's Schaak Tornoi, Wijk Aan Zee 
  • 1998: Torneo International De Ajedrez, Linares 
  • 1998: Torneo Magitral Communidad De Madrid, Madrid 
  • 1998: Siemens Nixdorf Duell (Rapid), Frankfurt 
  • 1998: Fontys-Tilburg International Chess Tournament 
  • 1999: Wydra Memorial Chess (Rapid), Haifa 
  • 1999: Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez, Leon
  • 2000: Wydra International Tournament (Rapid), Haifa 
  • 2000: Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez, Leon
  • 2000: Fujitsu Siemens Giants Chess (Rapid), Frankfurt 
  • 2000: Corsica Masters (Rapid), Corsica 
  • 2000: Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Dortmund (Joint  with Kramnik)
  • 2000: FIDE World Cup, Shenyeng
  • 2000: FIDE World Chess Championships, Teheran and New Delhi
  • 2001: 2nd Torneo Magistral, Mexico 
  • 2001: Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez, Leon
  • 2001: Duel of the Champions (Rapid)
  • 2001: FIDE World Chess Championship, Moscow (Semi Finalist)
  • 2001: Corsica Masters (Rapid), Corsica 
  • 2002: Eurotel World Chess Trophy, Prague
  • 2002: Chess Classic (Rapid), Mainz
  • 2002: FIDE World Cup, Hyderabad
  • 2002: Corsica Masters (Rapid), Corsica 
  • 2003: Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk Aan Zee 
  • 2003: Melody Amber Tournament, Monaco 
  • 2003: Chess Classic (Rapid), Mainz beat Judith Polgar 5.0:3.0
  • 2003: Corsica Masters, Bastia 
  • 2004: Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk Aan Zee 
  • 2004: Dortmunder Schachtage, Dortmund
  • 2004: Chess Classic (Rapid), Mainz beat Alexei Shirov 4.5:2.5
  • 2004: Corsica Masters, Bastia 
  • 2005: 18th Magistral Ciudad de Leon Chess, Leon
  • 2005: Chess Classic, Mainz
  • 2005: FIDE World Chess Championship Tournament, San Luis (Runner-up to Topalov)
  • 2006: Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk Aan Zee (Joint  with Veselin Topalov)
  •  2006: Melody Amber Tournament, Monaco (Joint  with Alexander Morozevich)
  • 2006: 19th Magistral Ciudad de Leon Chess, Leon
  • 2006: Chess Classic (Rapid), Mainz
  • 2006: Mikhail Tal Memorial Blitz Tournament, Moscow 
  • 2007: Morelia-Linares Super Grandmaster Tournament, Linares 
  • 2007: 20th Magistral Ciudad de Leon Chess, Leon beat Topalov
  • 2007: Chess Classic (Rapid), Mainz
  • 2008: Morelia-Linares Super Grandmaster Tournament, Linares 
  • 2008: Chess Classic (Rapid), Mainz
Awards
  • 1985: Arjuna award for Outstanding Indian Sportsman in Chess
  • 1987: Padma Shri, National Citizens Award and Soviet Land Nehru Award 
  • 1991-1992: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
  • 1998: British Chess Federation 'Book of the Year' Award for his book 'My Best Games of Chess'
  • 2000: Padma Bhushan
  • 2001: Jameo de Oro the highest honor given by the Government of Lanzarote in Spain
  • 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008: Chess Oscar
  • 1998: Sportstar Millennium Award
  • 2007: Padma Vibhushan 
source:www.iloveindia.com

PULLELA GOPICHAND BIO-GRAPHY

                         Pullela gopichand history
Achievements:

    * Won the All-England Open Badminton Championship in 2001
    * Reached the finals of the Indian Open, a grand prix event

Pullela Gopichand is an Indian Badminton player, and is famous for achieving the highest level of success in International Badminton after the legendry Prakash Padukone. Barring Prakash, Gopichand has been the only Indian Badminton player to have won the prestigious All England Badminton Championship.

Early Life & Introduction to Badminton

He was born on the 16th of November 1973 at Nalgonda, Andhra Pradesh to Pullela Shubhash Chandra and Subbaravamanna. Initially Gopichand was more interested in playing Cricket, but later his elder brother Rajashekar initiated him to take up the game of Badminton instead. He studied at the St. Paul’s School, and even at an early age of 10 years his prowess in the game of Badminton had become an issue to be discussed in the School. Gopichand suffered a ligament rupture in the year 1986 when he was just 13 years old, although he had won the Singles and the Doubles title at the Inter School Competition the same year. Undeterred by the injury, he bounced back soon and reached the Final round of the Andhra Pradesh State Junior Badminton Championship, only to lose the title to his own elder brother. By the year 1988, when he finished his schooling, Gopichand had made a mark for himself in the Badminton circuit. Further, he joined A.V. College, Hyderabad to receive a degree in Public Administration. He was the Captain of the Indian Combined Universities Badminton team in the year 1990 and 1991.

National Badminton

He won his first National Badminton Championship title in the year 1996, and won the title five times in a row, till the year 2000. Also, he won two Gold Medals and one Silver Medal at National Games 1998 held at Imphal. The same year, Gopichand led the State Badminton team of Andhra Pradesh to win the prestigious Rahmatulla Cup.

International Badminton

Gopichand made his debut into International Badminton in the year 1991 when he was selected to play against Malaysia. In his International Badminton career, he represented the nation in 3 Thomas Cup tournaments. In the year 1996 he grabbed a Gold Medal in the SAARC Badminton Tournament held at Vijayawada, and repeated the victory in the same tournament held at Colombo in 1997. At the Commonwealth Games, he won a Silver Medal in the team event and a Bronze Medal in the singles event.

Making of the Legend

He was able to get his first big boost up at International level in the year 1997 in the Indian Grand Prix Tournament held at Delhi. At the event, Gopichand continuously defeated an array of top-seeded players from all around the world, although he lost in the Final Match. In the year 1999, he won the Toulouze Open Championship in France, and the Scottish Open Championship in Scotland. Continuing his smashing form, he emerged winner at the Asian Satellite tournament held at Hyderabad the same year, and lost in the Final match of the German Grand Prix Championship.

The Golden Moments

The proudest moments of Gopichand’s lifetime arrived in the year 2001, when he recreated the history by winning the prestigious All England Badminton Championship at London. In the Championship, he defeated Olympic Gold Medallist player Anders Boeson in the Quarter-Final round, while in the Semi-Final round he beat the World No. 1 Peter Gade of Denmark. Finally, he outperformed the talented Chen Hong of China by 15-12, 15-6 to lift the coveted title, and to achieve the feat that had been accomplished by only one Indian till then, the legendry Prakash Padukone.

Awards & Honors

To commemorate his excellence performance as a Badminton player at the National and International level, and his exceptional services to the nation through the sport of Badminton, the Government of India honored Pullela Gopichand with the Arjuna Award in the year 1999. Further, in the year 2001 he was bestowed upon the greatest Indian award in the field of sports, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. In the year 2005, he was conferred upon the Padma Shri award.

source:www.iloveindia.com

sachin history

born April
24, 1973) is an Indian
cricketer, widely
considered to be one of
the greatest batsmen of
all time. He currently
holds the records for
the most cumulative
runs in One-Day
Internationals, and the
most number of
centuries scored in both One-day Internationals
and Test cricket. He made his international debut
against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of sixteen,
becoming India's youngest Test player. Although
primarily a top-order batsman, Tendulkar has
often proved to be a useful and effective slow
bowler. He received India's highest sporting
honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in the year
1997-1998 and the civilian award Padma Shri in
1999. His cricketing and batting abilities are
widely regarded as genius by many stalwarts of
the game. For instance, Sir Donald Bradman, the
Australian great said of Sachin, "He reminds me
of myself". He is affectionately known as The Little
Master by his adoring fans.
Sachin's Latest News & World Records
Sachin Tendulkar breaks ODI world record, hits
first ever 200
February 24, 2010
Sachin Tendulkar became the first man ever to
score double hundred in one-dayers. The former
India captain reached the landmark with a single
off Charl Langeveldt in the final over. India won
the match by 153 runs to take a winning 2-0 lead
in the series after bowling out the tourists for
248.
The 36-year-old hit 25 fours (a world record) and
three sixes in a stunning 200 off 147 balls.
It passed the previous best of 194, set by
Pakistan's Saeed Anwar in 1997 and Zimbabwe's
Charles Coventry last year. Anwar made 194
against India in May 1997 while Coventry hit the
same total not out against Bangladesh. His
previous best one-day knock was the 186 not out
scored against New Zealand in 1999.
Sachin now holds the record for most runs in
tests (13,447), most runs in one-day
internationals (17,598), most centuries in Tests
(47) and most centuries in ODIs (46). He has
played 166 Test matches with a batting average
of 55.56. He has appeared in 442 One-day
internationals, with a batting average of 45.12.
"I'd like to dedicate this double hundred to the
people of India who have stood by me no matter
what for the last 20 years," man of the match
Tendulkar said at the prize-giving ceremony.
"There have been ups and downs, but they have
supported me."
HIGHEST HIGHEST ODI ODI INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUAL SCORES SCORES
Runs Batsman Match Venue Year
200* Sachin
Tendulkar
India v South
Africa Gwalior 2010
194* Charles
Coventry
Zimbabwe v
Bangladesh Bulawayo 2009
194 Saeed
Anwar
Pakistan v
India Chennai 1997
189* Vivian
Richards
West Indies v
England Manchester 1984

Saturday, October 9, 2010

SUNIL GAVASKAR'S HISTORY

Add caption
                                                   SUNIL GAVASKAR'S CAREAR
Sunil Gavaskar is a former Indian cricketing great who shone for India. Nicknamed 'Sunny', Sunil is often regarded as one of the greatest opening batsman in Indian Test history and also has several records to his name. His full name is Sunil Manohar Gavaskar and he was born on 10th July, 1949, at Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. His uncle is Madhav Mantri, a former Indian Test wicketkeeper. He is married to Marshaniel Gavaskar with a son Rohan, who is also a domestic level cricketer.

With great cricket influences in his family, Sunil's interest in cricket began since his school days, where for his brilliant performances he was even named 'India's Best Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year' in 1966. Since then, he has come a long way in Indian cricket, and now, although retired from the game, still plays a significant role in advising and managing affairs of the cricketing fraternity in India and as a commentator and ICC official. The major sides that Sunil Gavaskar has represented are India, Mumbai and Somerset.

Despite his diminutive stature, he was an outstanding right-hand batsman with brilliant batting technique, noted 'late-flicks' and impenetrable defensive stance, especially against fast bowling. Sunil was a backbone for the team's innings in a match, along with his ability to be a good slip fielder. It was in his era that Indian cricket realized its potential and began performing well at Tests and ODI's. Sunil made his first class debut for Vazir Sultan Colts XI and then played on with the Bombay squad, until he was selected in 1970/71 to the Indian cricket team.

Sunil made his Test debut against West Indies at Port of Spain in March 1971 and helped India clinch their first ever win, as well as their first ever series victory over the West Indies. Since then he has played as many as 125 Tests, scoring 10122 runs while becoming the first batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs; with a record 34 centuries. His record was recently surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar in 2005. Gavaskar's highest Test score was 236 not-out against West Indies at Madras in their 6th Test in 1983/84. He has also taken 108 catches in Tests, besides being a fine slip fielder.

Sunil made his One Day international debut against England at Leeds in July 1974. Since then he has played as many as 108 ODI's scoring 3092 runs, with an average of 35.13, and a strike rate of 62.26. He has also taken 22 catches in ODI, with the most memorable being 4 catches in an ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah in 1985. Sunil has played in the 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1987 Cricket World Cups, playing a big role in India's 1983 World Cup win. He has played 19 World Cup matches, scoring 561 runs, with his highest ODI score being 103 not-out.

Gavaskar created many records including breaking Sir Donald Bradman's prestigious total of 29 Test centuries in 1983 and also becoming the first batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs. Despite some outstanding performances, Sunil has also had his share of downs, like some controversial performances and unsuccessful stints at captaincy and at ODI games. Sunil was honored with the Padma Bhushan, the 1980 'Wisden Cricketer of the Year', and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was jointly instituted in his and Allan Border's honour.
SOURCE:http://www.mapsofindia.com/who-is-who/sports/sunil-gavaskar.html

SOURAV GANGULY

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                                                            SOURAV HISTORY
Full Name: Sourav Chandidas Ganguly Born: July 8, 1972, Kolkata, Bengal Major teams: India, Bengal, Glamorgan, Lancashire Batting style: Left-hand bat Bowling style: Right-arm medium

Achievements: Most number of Test victories as India captain; more than 10,000 runs in ODI cricket; highest ODI score by an Indian in World Cup; first Indian captain to win a Test series in Pakistan; India captain in most number of Tests

Sourav Chandidas Ganguly, commonly known as Sourav Ganguly has been a member of the Indian Cricket team, and regarded to be one of the most successful Captains ever of the Indian Cricket team. As a matter of fact, the Indian Test Cricket team won 21 Test Cricket matches out of total 49 that were played under his Captainship, which is one of the best success rates any Captain of the Indian Test Cricket team has ever managed to accomplish. Not only this, Ganguly, fondly known as Dada by his fans and Maharaj by his teammates, has to his credit the feat of having nurtured a number of efficient players who played under his Captainship. These include Virender Sahwag, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh among others.

Early Days
Ganguly started playing Cricket at a very early age, as he got inspired by his elder bother Snehashish who played Cricket for Bengal. Interestingly, Sourav started playing with his left hand so that he could use his brother’s Cricket gear who himself was a left handed batsman. In his school days, Ganguly was the captain of St. Xavier’s School.

Beginning of the Cricket Career
Sourav Ganguly showed a good performance in the Ranji Trophy season of the year 1990-91. In the year 1992 he started his One Day International (ODI) Cricket career with a match against West Indies, in which he grabbed just 3 runs.

Again in the domestic Cricket he performed quite nicely during the years 1993-95. He scored 171 runs in an innings during the Duleep Trophy tournament of 1995-96 and was included in the national team for the England tour of the year 1996.

Test Debut
Sourav Ganguly made his Test Cricket debut at Lord’s Cricket Ground, in which he scored a century with 131 runs. This has been the highest score a batsman has achieved at Lord’s in his debut Test match.

Throughout his Test Cricket career, Ganguly played 113 Test Matches and scored a total of 7212 runs, including 16 centuries and 35 half-centuries. He scored 900 fours and 57 sixes as a Test Cricket batsman. His highest score in Test Cricket was 239 runs, and the overall Batting Average was 42.17 runs.

In the One Day International (ODI) Cricket, Ganguly played 311 matches and made a total score of 11363 runs comprising of 22 centuries and 72 half-centuries. The record included 1122 fours and 190 sixes, and the overall Batting Average was 41.02 runs.

Successful Captaincy
Sourav Ganguly is said to be one of India’s all time greatest Test Cricket Captains. After the match fixing scandal of the year 2000, He was declared Captain of the team. Under his Captaincy the Indian Cricket team reached the finals of the World Cup Cricket 2003, where Australia beat India to win the championship. During the year 2000-2005, he led the Indian Test Cricket team to 49 matches, out of which 21 were won by the team. He also led the Indian team to 146 One Day International (ODI) Cricket matches, out of which 76 were won by the team. In the year 2004, Ganguly was conferred upon with the Padma Shri award.

The Comeback
Ganguly made a comeback to the Indian Cricket team in a tour match against Rest of South Africa, in which he scored 83 runs leading India to victory. In his first Test Cricket innings after the comeback, he grabbed 51 runs in a Test match against South Africa. He also came back to the Indian ODI team in the year 2007, and in his first ODI innings after the comeback scored 98 runs in a match against West Indies.

Ganguly’s score of 66 runs was the highest in the first round match of the Indian team against the Bangladesh team in World Cup 2007, although the Indian team lost the match by 5 wickets.

He was named the Captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders team in the IPL Twenty-20 Cricket tournament 2008. In a match played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals during the tournament, Ganguly scored 51 runs off just 39 balls, which was his highest Twenty-20 Cricket score.

Last Moments
Ganguly played his last Test Cricket match against Australia in the year 2008, and scored 85 runs. He played his last ODI Cricket match against Pakistan on 15th of November 2007, in which he scored 5 runs.
SOURCE:http://www.iloveindia.com/sports/cricket/cricketers/ganguly.html

KAPIL DEV HISTORY

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Kapil Dev Profile




Full Name: Kapildev Ramlal Nikhanj
Born: January 6, 1959, Chandigarh
Major teams: India, Haryana, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm fast-medium

Achievements:
Captained India to World Cup victory in 1983
Broke Richard Hadlee's record of 431 wickets in Test cricket
Scored first ODI century by an Indian
Only cricketer to score 4,000 Test runs and take 400 wickets
Named Indian Cricketer of the Century by Wisden
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj has been a Indian Cricket player, and is said to be one of the all time greatest all-rounders to have existed in the world of Cricket. Kapil also served the Indian Cricket team as its Captain, and is famous for being the only Captain of the Indian Cricket team that led it to win a World Cup Cricket Trophy in the year 1983.

Early Life
Kapil Dev was born on the 6th of January 1959 at Chandigarh, India. He began his Cricket career in Domestic Cricket from the Haryana team, with a match played against Punjab team in November 1975. Kapil took 6 wickets in the match and helped Haryana to win the match.

Domestic Cricket Career
Kapil gave his best performance of his initial times in a match against Bengal, in which he took 7 wickets giving only 20 runs within just 9 overs in the second innings. Although Haryana was beat by Bombay team in the quarterfinals, his performance brought his talent under the limelight.

Debut
He debuted the Test Cricket with a match played against Pakistan at Faisalabad in the year 1978. During the 3rd Test match played at Karachi, he scored the fasted half-century made by any Indian cricketer off just 33 balls.

Kapil’s One Day International (ODI) debut was made on 1st of October 1978 in a match played against Pakistan at Quetta. He scored 13 runs and took 1 wicket giving 27 runs in the match.

Captaincy
He was made the Captain of the Indian Cricket team in the year 1982-83 for a match against Sri Lanka. He began as a regular Captain of the team with the tour of West Indies.

World Cup 1983
During the 1983 World Cup, Kapil scored a huge 175 runs off 138 balls against a crucial match against Zimbabwe. India won this match by 31 runs and went on to win its only World Cup Trophy. This innings played by Kapil has been regarded as one of the Top 10 ODI Batting Performances of all times by the Wisden magazine.

After the World Cup victory, the Indian team lost its grip and faced some bad defeats due to which Kapil was removed from the Captain’s seat and Sunil Gavaskar again became the Captain in the year 1984. Again in March 1985 Kapil got the Captaincy back and led India to World Cup 1987. India lost to Australia in the Semi-Finals, and Kapil’s Captaincy came to a permanent end.

Vital Statistics
In his Test Cricket career, Kapil Dev played 131 Test matches in which he scored 5248 runs with a Batting Average of 31.05 runs. His highest score was 163 runs. As far as bowling is concerned, he took 434 wickets in the Test Cricket, and gave away 12867 runs with an average of 29.64 runs.

Kapil played 225 ODI matches throughout his career, and scored 3783 runs with an average of 23.79 runs, his highest score being 175 not out. He took 252 wickets, and gave 6945 runs with an average of 27.45 runs in his ODI career.

Kapil served as the Coach of the Indian Cricket team between October 1999 and August 2000, but resigned after match fixing allegations were imposed upon him. The Wisden magazine named him the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002, and has been conferred upon with Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards by the Government of India.
SOURCE:http://www.iloveindia.com/sports/cricket/cricketers/kapil-dev.html

M.S DHONI'S HISTORY

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Full Name: Mahendra Singh Dhoni              
Born: July 7, 1981, Ranchi, Bihar
Major teams: India, Jharkhand
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Fielding Position: Wicketkeeper

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the best known Indian Cricket players, who was made the Captain of the Indian Cricket team in the year 2007. One of the most flamboyant Indian Cricket stars ever, Dhoni is also fondly known as Mahi by the huge number of his fans particularly comprising of a big percentage of females. And not only his looks and style Dhoni equally proved to be a hard hitting batsman and one of the best Captains the Indian Cricket team has ever seen.

Early Days
Dhoni was born in Ranchi, the state capital of Jharkhand on the 7th of July 1981, and was brought up in the same city. His parents originally hailed from a village in Uttarakhand. In his childhood Dhoni played Badminton and Football, and was sent by his Football coach to play Cricket. He began the journey as the wicketkeeper at the Commando Cricket Club in the year 1995, and was selected for the Under-16 Vinoo Mankad Trophy in the year 1997-98.

The Beginning
Dhoni entered the Bihar Cricket team in the year 1998-99, and was further selected for the India-A Cricket team in the year 2004. Later the same year, he made his debut in the National Cricket team of India.

The Charisma Begins
In his 5th One Day International (ODI) Cricket match against Pakistan, Dhoni scored 148 runs which was the biggest score made by an Indian wicketkeeper till then. He managed to accomplish this score just off 123 balls in the match played at Vishakhapatnam on the 5th of April 2005. Later the same year, he scored 183 not out against Sri Lanka in the Bi-lateral One Day International (ODI) Series, outclassing his own record. This match was played at Jaipur and India had to outsmart a huge 299 runs score set by the Sri Lankans. Dhoni got India this great victory with his wonderful 183 runs within just 145 balls. This score set a yet another record for being the highest score made in the second innings of a One Day International (ODI) Cricket match, and still lies unbeaten by any other batsman. At the end of the Series, Dhoni finished with highest total score of 346 runs and grabbed the coveted Man of the Series award.

He scored good number of runs in a consistent manner for a period of time, and soon grabbed the No. 1 position in the One Day International (ODI) Cricket rankings issued by International Cricket Council (ICC) in the year 2005-06.

The Low Down Phase
The Indian Cricket team lost its grip during the year 2006-07, as the team lost in the DLF Cup 2006-07, and again in the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy. Although, Dhoni tried to maintain his record a bit by half century against West Indies. This was a low phase both for the Indian Cricket team and Dhoni, as the wicketkeeper batsman could just score 139 runs in the 4 matches during the One Day International (ODI) Cricket Series against South Africa, and the Indian team lost the Series to South Africa by 0-4.

Again, in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, India badly lost to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and was ousted from the tournament. In both the matches, Dhoni lost at duck (0 runs), and scored a total of 29 runs in the whole tournament.

The Fighter Bounces Back
But he soon emerged as a winner again after the World Cup nightmare, and scored 91 runs not against Bangladesh in a Series later and 174 runs in 3 matches during the Afro-Asia Cup with an average of 87.00 runs.

Finally, the Leader
He was named the Vice Captain of the Indian One Day International (ODI) Cricket team during a Series against South Africa in Ireland, and the Captain of the team during the Twenty-20 Cricket World Cup played in September 2007. On 24th of September 2007, Dhoni got India its second World Cup victory in the breath-taking finals against Pakistan, and equaled the rare feat of leading India to a World Cup Cricket Trophy achieved by Kapil Dev in the year 1983.

Latest Achievements
Under the able Captainship of Dhoni, the Indian One Day International (ODI) Cricket team continued to maintain its record of victory. First of all, the team defeated Australia consecutively in 2 final matches of the Commonwealth Bank Series played in March 2008. The series was played between India, Australia and Sri Lanka. In the first final, Australia scored 239 at the loss of 8 wickets in 50 overs. India bounced back with 242 runs in just 45.5 overs at the loss of 4 wickets. Sachin Tendulkar was the highest scorer with 117 Not Out, while Dhoni scored 15 Not Out. In the second final, India scored 258 runs at the loss of 9 wickets in 50 overs with Sachin again being the largest contributor with 91 runs. Dhoni scored 36 Not Out in the innings. The Australian team crashed out at 249 runs with 2 balls remaining, and India became the winner of the championship.

After this, in the India tour of Sri Lanka in Jan-Feb 2009, India simply washed out Sri Lanka with 4-1 win in the ODIs while they also crashed Sri Lanka in the single Twenty-20 match played between the two countries. In this series, Dhoni was the maximum scorer in the 4th ODI played on 5th of Feb 2009. He scored 94 runs out of 96 balls in the match.

Then again in the India Tour of New Zealand in the year 2008-09, India played Test, ODI and Twenty-20 Series against New Zealand. In the Test Series, India won 1 match out of the 3 matches while 2 were drawn, making India the winner of the series. Dhoni scored a total of 155 runs in the series with his highest score of 56 not out. While in the ODI Series, India defeated New Zealand by 3-1, as 1 match out of the 5 matches went without any result. In this series, Dhoni scored 184 total runs with highest of 84 not out. Similarly, India won both the Twenty-20 matches of the Twenty-20 Matches Series, and Dhoni scored a total of 30 runs with highest score of 28 not out in the Twenty-20 matches.

SOURCE:http://www.iloveindia.com/sports/cricket/cricketers/dhoni.html