The quarterfinal clash between Australia and India, on Thursday, is not only about who stays in the hunt for the title but also about two of game’s modern day greats Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting squaring off in a World Cup game for what appears to be one last time.

The two ageing warriors would like to stamp their superiority and propel their side to the last four stage on March 24 at Motera’s Sardar Patel Stadium.

Neither of the two is expected to be around in 2015 when the next edition is scheduled to be held Down Under.

In the previous meeting between the two sides in the World Cup, that took place in the summit clash of the 2003 edition in Johannesburg, Ponting came out trumps with his unbeaten century took the game away from India even before the Men In Blue came out to bat.

Ponting’s blistering 140 not out, in only 121 balls with a staggering eight sixes and 4 fours, had propelled Australia to an imposing 359 for two.

Chasing the huge Australian total, Tendulkar could score only 4 and despite Virender Sehwag’s run-a-ball 82, India fell well short of the target and Australia walked away with cricket’s most coveted prize for the second edition running.

On Thursday, in front of a vociferous 50,000-strong crowd, the Indian master has the chance to make ample amends for what happened eight years ago and also step into the record books as the first batsman to have scored 100 centuries combined in both forms of cricket – Tests and ODIs.

Tendulkar has had a very good tournament individually, with superbly crafted tons against England and South Africa at the league stage, though both efforts could not power India to victories, with the first match tied and the second ending in a narrow defeat.

Ponting, on the other hand, has had a horrendous run with the bat. In six matches, he has mustered a miserly 102 runs with 36 being his best effort at a poor average of 20.40, less than half his 358-match career average.

Ponting’s ODI average in India against the hosts is also an impressive 44.86 from 24 games, but the second and last of his two hundreds in this country was notched eight years ago in Bangalore.

The Tasmanian has looked a pale shadow of his domineering style and is under tremendous pressure to keep his captaincy though teammate Michael Hussey felt otherwise.

Hussey brushed aside reports in Australia that Ponting’s captaincy was at stake, at a media conference here today and said the entire team was backing the struggling skipper.

“No worries at all. He has been fantastic, best man for the job and has been for a long time. He’s certainly got the full support of all team members,” Hussey said.

Ponting has also been lambasted in the media for losing temper on the field of play and off it too, as well as for not walking after clearly edging behind the stumps while Tendulkar did the exact opposite a day later and was hailed for his sportsmanship.

“He’s been criticized over minor things. They have been blown out of proportions. He’s been playing well and just like a champion rises to the occasion at the right time, on Thursday we will see the best of Ricky Ponting,” Hussey said in his skipper’s defence.

In five duels against Australia in World Cups, Tendulkar’s best effort thus far has been a splendid innings of 90 in a league game at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium in 1996, and his average against them is a modest 28.20 spread over four World Cups.

Thursday’s match provides both these stalwarts, among the all-time great batsmen in the game, a last chance to impose their stature in head-to-head battles in the premier ODI tournament.

Capping a splendid season in which he scored the first-ever double century in ODIs and crossed 14,000 runs in Test cricket, iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar was on Saturday named the Indian Cricketer of the Year at the second Sahara India Sports Awards function here.

37-year-old Tendulkar, who was earlier named the ICC Cricketer of the Year for his superb show in both Tests and ODIs, beat back the challenge of India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina to be given the honour by the eminent 14-member jury headed by another cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar.

Tendulkar scored 1,064 runs, from August, 2009, to September, 2010, in 10 Tests with six centuries and three fifties. In 17 ODIs, he scored 914 runs with three hundreds, including a world record 200 not out against South Africa at Gwalior on February 24 this year and two fifties during the period under consideration.

“This is the first time I am getting the opportunity to congratulate all sportspersons who have made the country proud. So, congratulations to all of you. I also thank all my colleagues. Without you, this award would not have been possible”, the batting maestro said while receiving the award.

The Best Woman Cricketer of the Year award was bagged by former national captain Mithali Raj.

Rifle shooter Gagan Narang, who picked up four gold medals in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi earlier this month, and young Jamshedpur-based woman archer Deepika Kumari, who bagged two gold medals in the Games, were declared winners of the best male and female athletes in the multi-sport extravaganza. These were two special awards for performances outside the period under consideration.

The award winners are:

Best Young Achiever (Male): Asher Noria (Shooting)

Best young Achiever (Female): Soumya Swaminathan (Chess)

Cricketer of the Year (Male): Sachin Tendulkar

Cricketer of the year (Female): Mithali Raj

Outstanding Performers of the year: Suranjoy Singh (Boxing), Achanta Sharath Kamal (Table Tennis), Pankaj Advani (Billiards and Snooker), Om Prakash Singh (Shot Put)

Best Male athlete CWG: Gagan Narang (Shooting)

Best Female athlete CWG: Deepika Kumari (Archery)

Coach of the Year: Yashvir Singh (Wrestling)

Memorable Moment of the year: Vishwanathan Anand (successfully defended his title at the World Chess Championship being held since 2001)

Unsung heroes (Rs five lakh each): S H H Hamid (Football Olympian) and Manohar Topno (Hockey Olympian)

Legend award: Gurbachan Singh Randhawa (finsihed 7th in men’s 100m hurdles in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics).

Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar’s willow fetched the highest bid of Rs 42 lakh at a glittering sports auction here that saw personal items donated by 25 top sports persons from the country and overseas go under the hammer.

The champion batsman had scored an unbeaten 163 against New Zealand at Christchurch last year, his fourth highest one day score, with this bat.

Tied at second spot was the rifle used by India’s only individual Olympic gold medallist, shooter Abhinav Bindra, when creating history at the Beijing Games two years ago and the bat of Rahul Dravid, with which he had scored a century in each innings in the Kolkata Test of 2005 against Pakistan. Both were successfully bid for Rs 20 lakh.

The bat signed by all team members of the 1983 World Cup winning team and donated by former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar’s willow went under the hammer for Rs 17.5 lakh.

Anil Kumble’s jersey which he wore when he equalled Jim Laker’s ten-wicket in a Test innings record against Pakistan in New Delhi in 1999, and his Test cap that he wore between 2004 and 2006 went for Rs 11.5 lakh.

Among the other items auctioned off were Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer’s shoes, a bat donated by 1983 World Cup winning skipper Kapil Dev with the autographs of all the team members and sports gear donated by Indian top racquet sports exponents – Shuttler Saina Nehwal and tennis player Sania Mirza.

Doners Dravid, Kumble, tennis ace Leander Paes, national football captain Bhaichung Bhutia, 1974 hockey World Cup winning skipper Ajit Pal Singh, former hockey captain Viren Rasquinha and Bindra were present at the auction last night.

Leander’s 12th Grand Slam winning racquet at Wimbledon this year in mixed doubles was the second piece to be auctioned and received a bid of Rs 7 lakhs.

Also gracing the function were world champion wrestler and Delhi Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sushil Kumar and hockey great Dhanraj Pillay.

The auction was held by Non Government Organisation ‘The Foundation’ founded by actor and ex-rugby international player Rahul Bose in association with Raheja Universal and the proceeds were donated to Bose’s NGO.

The donors and items that went under the hammer were:

Pankaj Advani: Medal – World Billiards Champion, 2007; CueInternational debut, 2002

Viswanathan Anand: Medal- World Chess (Match) Champion, 2008.

Mahesh Bhupathi: Racquet  Mixed Doubles Champion, Australian Open, 2009.

Bhaichung Bhutia: Jersey – Signed by Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Baichung Bhutia and others worn at the International Charity Match for Haiti earthquake, 2010.

Abhinav Bindra: Rifle – World Champion, 2006; World record, Olympic Record.

Rahul Dravid: Bat – Century in each Test innings, v Pakistan: Kolkata, 2005.

Anil Kumble: Test Jersey – 10 wickets in an innings, v Pakistan: New Delhi, 1999; Test cap  2004 to 2006.

Sania Mirza: Racquet  Wimbledon, 2010.

Saina Nehwal: Racquet  Singapore Open Super Series, Indonesian Open Super Series, Indian Open Grand Prix, all 2010; Gold Medal  Indian Open, 2010.

Sachin Tendulkar: Bat – 163 v New Zealand: Christchurch, 2009 – Fourth highest one day score.

Virender Sehwag: Batting gloves  125 v New Zealand, 2009-Fastest one day hundred by an Indian.

Kapil Dev: Bat – Signed by 1983 world cup winning squad.

Sunil Gavaskar: Bat – Signed by 1983 world cup winning squad.

Leander Paes: Racquet – Mixed Doubles Champion, Wimbledon 2010.

Viren Rasquinha: Hockey stick – Bronze medal, Asian Games, Busan, 2002; India blazer, Asian Games, Busan, 2002.

Geet Sethi: World  Professional Billiards trophy, 1992; Cue -World Billiards Championship, 2007, World Snooker Championship, 2008.

Prakash Padukone: Silver Medal – Japan Open, 1981.

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi: Debut India blazer v England, 1961; Retiring India blazer v West Indies, 1975

Ajitpal Singh: Hockey stick  (Exchanged with) Pakistan captain, Islahuddin, World Cup Final, 1975.

Vijay Amritraj: Tennis racquet, Tennis balls.

Roger Federer (courtesy Globosport): Tennis shoes Winner, Cincinnati Open 2010.

Diego Forlan: (Courtesy Mahuaa TV): Football, 2010.

Ricky Ponting (Courtesy Dhiraj Malhotra): Gold Medal, World Cup, 2007.

Maria Sharapova (Courtesy Akshay Kulkarni): Racquet, 2010

Shane Warne: (Courtesy Rahul Bose): Retiring Cricket Victoria shirt, 2008.

The Asian Awards 2010, presented by Lord Sebastian Coe, saw leaders in business, sports and the arts in attendance, including award winners Yash Chopra, A R Rahman and vijay Mallya alongside guests Jermaine Jackson, Nasser Hussain OBE, Gurinder Chadha, Christian Louboutin and playback singer Sonu Nigam.

Oscar-award winning music director Rahman won the award for outstanding achievement in music, while Yash Chopra received the outstanding achievement award in Cinema.

Liquor-baron Vijay Mallya was chosen as the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ while telecom giant Bharti-Airtel owner Sunil Mittal was named the ‘Philanthropist of the year’.

Mittal’s award was collected by Eiesha Bharti Pasricha. Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan got the ‘Lifetime Achievement award’.

Other recipients of the awards were: Ratan Tata (Business Leader of the Year, collected by Anwar Hasan), Zarin Patel (Public Servant of the year), Prof Muhammad Yunus (Social Entrepreneur of the year, collected by Shiban Mahbub), Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla (Outstanding achievement in Arts and Design), George Alagiah OBE (Outstanding achievement in Television).

Created to honour excellence and achievement among in the south Asian community, the inaugural Asian Awards in partnership with Lebara, saw South Asians gather at The Grosvenor House Hotel on Tuesday night.

Cricket India

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is looking forward to next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 which will be staged in the Indian sub-continent after a span of one and a half decades.

“The Cricket World Cup is the ultimate limited overs competition for a cricketer as it happens only once in four years. The entire cricketing fraternity eagerly waits for this event and when it starts, everyone gets deeply involved,” said Tendulkar, who will become the most capped Test batsman when he plays against Sri Lanka in his 169th match tomorrow.

“It’s a completely different feeling to be part of a Cricket World Cup where the atmosphere and the buzz is very special and to be staged in the sub-continent for the first time in 15 years is a magnificent feeling,” added the Indian batting maestro.

With the World Cup to be co-hosted by India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said winning the the show-piece event on home soil is his biggest dream.

“It can’t get any bigger than the ICC Cricket World Cup in which the best of the best enter with just one objective to take home the Cup that counts,” the Indian skipper said.

“It’s not only my dream to be a Cricket World Cup winner but it’s the wish of every member of Team India to put his hand on the Cricket World Cup trophy. We’ll work as hard as possible to turn our dreams into reality,” Dhoni said.

“This trophy has been eluding us for the past 27 years and I think we have a very good chance at home to break the drought,” he added.

With 200 days to go before the first ball is bowled in the World Cup, the ICC today announced the event mascot’s name as ‘Stumpy’ at the P Sara stadium here ahead of the third Test between India and Sri Lanka starting tomorrow.

The mascot, an elephant, has been named ‘Stumpy’ after an online selection process that drew proposals from thousands of cricket fans around the world.

The lucky winner will receive a cricket bat signed by the all-star quartet of Dhoni, Tendulkar, Sri Lanka’ captain Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena.

“This is another milestone in the build-up to our flagship event and it’s great to see the game’s best players like Mahendra, Kumar, Sachin and Mahela looking forward to the ICC Cricket World Cup with such enthusiasm,” ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.

“As the excitement builds over the coming 200 days, we will see Stumpy throughout the cricket world, promoting the event and generating enthusiasm,” he said.

International Cricket Council is now planning to split One-day matches into two innings of 25 overs each, an idea mooted by the Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar earlier this month.

In order to spice up the One-day format, Tendulkar had proposed that every team should play two innings of 25 overs each and ICC cricket manager Dave Richardson said the governing body might soon conduct a trial.

“I quite like that idea, I believe South Africa may trial something along those lines,” Richardson said.

“This might work in day/night cricket where one team has to bat in day and the other at night. It provides something different and reduces the effects on the team who loses the toss and has to bat first on a damp wicket, for example,” he said.

Even though Tendulkar aired his view earlier this month, Richardson said the idea had popped up in the past as well and came up for discussion at annual meeting of the ICC cricket committee in May.

One-day cricket is already facing tough challenge from Twenty20 and the England and Wales Cricket Board scrapped Friends Provident trophy, the only 50-over domestic tournament, in favour of a Twenty20 event.

Richardson, however, is concerned that splitting it into two innings would mean less centuries as batsmen would have less overs to bat.

“I don’t necessarily like the idea of playing two matches of 25 overs each with the openers batting again. The charm of One-day cricket is seeing someone batting at four and scoring a good hundred,” Richardson said.

“If you bat in the middle order of a Twenty20 or a new 25-over innings, you’re not to get much of an opportunity to hit three figures, one downside of the Twenty20 game,” he said.

He, however, made it clear that such an experiment should be conducted at the domestic level before pushing it into international cricket.

“If it has been trialled successfully at domestic level, it may give the trial to give it the go-ahead at international level,” he said.

“The ICC has been proactive with ideas and innovations, like the powerplays. The idea of the ‘super-sub’ wasn’t as successful and got rid of quite quickly. One of the criticisms was that we trialled things at international as opposed to domestic level.

“Our tactics going forward are member countries trial changes first domestically and if they are successful, then we can take them on board at the international level,” Richardson said.

The ICC cricket committee will discuss the result of the experiment when it meets next year.

Rudi Koertzen, who on Thursday became only the second umpire to officiate in 100 Tests, said Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the two cricketers he has highest regard for.

Less than a week after becoming the first umpire to stand in 200 One-Day Internationals, Koertzen on Thursday became the only person after Steve Bucknor to officiate in 100 Tests by taking the field in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.

Looking back on his career, the 60-year-old South African said he was fortunate to have seen Tendulkar and Lara bat from close quarters.

“I have been fortunate and privileged to have seen some of the greatest modern day cricketers very closely. It would be unfair to pin-point one or two players but I have to name Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar for whom I have the greatest respect and I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing them bat,” he said.

“They had amazing reflexes and used to pick up the ball as soon as it left the bowler’s hand which helped them make batting look very graceful and elegant due to their superb timing, excellent footwork, ability to hit the gaps and score runs off good balls. While Sachin continues to delight us with his batting, it was sad to see retire Brian in 2007,” Koertzen said.

“I don’t think you can replace batsmen like Sachin and Brian in a day or two. The batsmen of these qualities and class are born in years and we are so fortunate to have seen them when they were at their brilliant best,” he added.

Koertzen, who made his international debut in December 1992 in a match between South Africa and India in Port Elizabeth, said he was still keen on improving.

“Obviously you feel proud when you know that among a galaxy of quality umpires you are only the second to complete century of Tests and the first to stand in 200 ODIs. But it was never a target that I had set for myself after making my first-class debut in 1981,” he said.

“I still have the fire in my belly to improve, umpire in more matches and continue to enjoy the sport which has given me respect and recognition,” said Koertzen, who also stood in the Super Series Test between Australia and the ICC World XI in Sydney in October 2005.

Koertzen singled out Adam Gilchrist for “the most ruthless display of stroke-play” when he scored 204 against South Africa at The Wanderers in February 2002.

Among the bowlers, he named Shane Warne as the stand out bowler while expressing his admiration for fast bowlers like Glenn McGrath and Allan Donald.

“He (Warne) used to get the best out of the umpires by putting a lot of pressure on them. On numerous occasions, he bowled from my end and I have always found him testing my decision-making,” Koertzen said.

On the present health of the game, Koertzen said, “I think cricket has never been healthier and it is all due to the fact that it is in very safe and capable hands. It is the only sport that offers three excellent formats which give options to everyone to go and enjoy.

“We are also embracing technology at the right time, after extensive research and considerable debate. The Umpire Decision Review System, which is being rolled out in Tests from 1 October, is an excellent initiative and will help the umpires to make more correct decisions which are already in mid-90s percentage-wise,” he added.

He’s got 85 international centuries to his name, but Sachin Tendulkar rates his 103 not out against England in Chennai last December as his most significant.

“I think the one against England in Chennai last year,” he said, about his most-satisfying century that came barely a month after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

“After what happened in Mumbai (the terrorist attacks), the mood of the entire nation was low. Something was needed to put smiles on people’s faces. I am by no means suggesting that the people who lost near and dear ones could forget their terrible loss, but if we as a team were able to make them smile for just a couple of seconds, that was an achievement,” the Independent quoted Tendulkar, as saying.

Spotted by former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar when he was just 14 to play first class cricket, the master-blaster said that the tons he scored during those schooldays would always find a special place in his heart.

“I would say that there were a couple in my schooldays that changed my life. In the semifinal of an under-17s tournament, I scored 326 not out, which is when everyone in Mumbai took notice of me. I then scored 346 not out in the final, with Dilip Vengsarkar and Sunil Gavaskar watching.”

“I was only 14 at the time, but Vengsarkar wanted me to join the Mumbai first-class team, which contained nine Test players. He had to be sure I was ready. So he invited me to play in the India nets. The Indian team had a camp in Mumbai, and he made Kapil Dev and all these guys bowl at me in the nets. After that session he gave a green signal to the selectors,” he said.

And validating Vengsarkar’s faith in him, the young Sachin scored the highest number of runs in his very first domestic season.

From then to now, Tendulkar said that Indian cricketers are in a unique position to affect the mood of a billion-strong country, and they have to respect this power.

“You know, cricket in India brings the entire nation together, from the poorest child to a billionaire. We are in a position to make everyone happy, which is very special for me and the whole cricketing fraternity,” he said.

With International Day against Drug Abuse being observed on Friday, the state Narcotics Control Bureau is using the image of cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar to spread awareness on the crucial issue.

“Sachin has allowed his photo to be used to send a message to the youth against drugs,” Zonal Director Yashodhan Wanage of the Narcotics Control Bureau said.

The posters featuring the ‘master blaster’ will be put up at railway stations in Mumbai and in 30 buses to spread the message against narcotics, he added.

The NCB has also tied up with an outdoor advertising company to show anti-narcotics messages on display screens put up at popular coffee bars and eateries.

“We will also be setting up a stall at Dadar railway station which will provide information regarding drug related issues and distribute pamphlets,” Wanage said.

SMS messages will also be sent to people and a rally by school students in Dharavi which will be addressed by local police and NCB officials.

The drug enforcement agency has also tied up with an NGO to open a rehabilitation clinic in the Dharavi area for 15 days.

Batting sensation Sachin Tendulkar has decided not to tour the West Indies for India’s One-Day International series later this month. 

The batting maestro is hesitant to tour as he has not trained with the team for quite a while.

Tendulkar played his last ODI in Christchurch, New Zealand where he scored a match-winning 163 before retiring hurt.

The West Indies series begins with the first ODI on June 26 at Jamaica which hosts the second game too. While third and fourth matches will be played at St Lucia.

Meanwhile, India’s pace spearhead Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the upcoming West Indies tour due to injury.

The pacer’s injury was carried to the T20 World Cup from the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Indian left-arm-seamer suffered a left shoulder injury while playing in the IPL in South Africa on May 3 and didn’t figure in any of the games for Mumbai Indians after that.