Sachin Tendulkar said yesterday India have their best chance of beating Australia on home ground for the first time in the four-Test series beginning in Melbourne with the Boxing Day Test match.
The phenomenal Indian run machine, second all-time in Test runs to West Indian Brian Lara, said a victory over Ricky Ponting's champion team would be the crowning glory of his magnificent 18-year career.
The 34-year-old superstar, who is making his fourth and likely last tour of Australia, also ruled out any immediate thoughts of retiring.
Tendulkar says he is keen to beat the top-ranked Aussies on their home turf for the first time.
India have won just four Tests in eight Australian tours, but pushed Steve Waugh's side all the way in a 1-1 draw on their last tour of Australia in 2003-2004.
"I think it would be the most important tour [ever] if we can pull it off," Tendulkar told a press conference in Melbourne yesterday.
"Beating Australia is obviously the ultimate thing because of the way they have played for so many years, so it makes it a special tour," he said. "And having come here for the fourth time, it would be a wonderful occasion [if we could win the series]."
Australia's last home series loss was 14 years ago to the West Indies and they have been unbeaten in 26 home series since.
The Indians' only lead-up game to the Boxing Day Test was abandoned after three rain-hit days, offering the tourists only 48 overs' batting practice, but Tendulkar believes India have never been better prepared to beat Australia.
He said India have just come off Test series victories against England in England and against Pakistan in India.
"We have come here properly prepared because, although the practice match was rained off, we have come here having played Test cricket, which is extremely important," Tendulkar said.
"So yes, I would say we are geared up [to win] and as far as I am concerned we are ready to go out there and put on a good show," he said.
Tendulkar, who averages 54.16 in 12 Tests in Australia including a memorable unbeaten 241 in the fourth Sydney Test of the 2003-2004 series, said he was feeling fit despite missing the last Test against Pakistan with knee trouble.
Tendulkar also said he had not contemplated retiring.
"For the past 18 years I have been living my dream and every day is a special one and when we walk out on Dec. 26 [for the start of the first Test against Australia] it will be a terrific occasion," he said.
"I have not [thought about retiring] and I just want to enjoy this tour and if I enjoy it I should do a good job [batting] and that is my focus," Tendulkar said.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
RSS