BASKETBALL
National Championship
Uttrakhand outperformed defending champions Punjab in the men’s final while Indian Railways got the better of Tamil Nadu in the women’s section to retain the title for a record ten years in a row in the National Basketball Championship.
CHESS
Tata Steel Tournament, 75th
Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the title after surviving a scare against Anish Giri of Holland. Carlsen was pushed to the wall but salvaged a half point to match Garry Kasparov’s best ever 10 points out of a possible 13 in this tournament. World champion Viswanathan Anand suffered a shocking last-round defeat against Wang Hao of China and had to be content with a joint third finish. The tournament was played at Wijk Aan Zee (The Netherlands).
CRICKET
Ranji Trophy
A dominant Mumbai lifted their 40th Ranji Trophy title after skipper Ajit Agarkar and Dhawal Kulkarni combined to wreck Saurshtra for an innings and 125-run victory in the five-day final that ended inside three days.
India-Pakistan ODI Series
An insipid India slumped to yet another series defeat with a pathetic display as arch-rivals Pakistan spanked the hosts by 85 runs in the second One-day International, played at Kolkata, to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Pakistan had won the first ODI at Chennai by six wickets. In the third ODI, played at New Delhi, India managed a consolation win. India won the match by 10 runs but lost the series 2-1. Nasir Jamshed of Pakistan was declared the Man of the Series. He scored 2 centuries in 3 ODIs.
South Africa-New Zealand Test Series
South Africa defeated New Zealand by an innings and 27 runs in the first at Newlands. Vernon Philander of South Africa needed only 26 deliveries to take five New Zealand wickets first time around as South Africa inflicted the lowest score on a Test side for 39 years. The only consolation for New Zealand was a maiden Test hundred from Dean Brownlie.
It took South Africa less than a session to complete a crushing innings-and-193-runs victory in Port Elizabeth, in the second Test, and win the two-Test series 2-0. Dale Steyn took eight wickets in the match to completely decimate New Zealand. Although two Tests is barely enough to constitute a series, still this was South Africa's first whitewash win since 2008.
India-England ODI Series
India’s woeful run of losses continued after a struggling top-order failed to convert good starts even on a placid track, as England drew first blood with a thrilling nine-run victory in the first ODI, played at Rajkot.
In the second match, played at Kochi, India first posted a competitive 285, riding on captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 72 and Ravindra Jadeja’s 61, before the bowlers skittled out the visitors for a paltry 158 in just 36 overs to win the match by 127 runs and level the five-match series 1-1. It was convincing and morale-boosting victory for the Indians who had struggled of late even in home conditions, losing the ODI series to arch-rivals Pakistan and the Test series against England.
India bundled out England for 155 runs and then went on to win the third ODI, played at Ranchi, by seven wickets.
After letting England escape from 157 for four in 40 overs to a healthy-looking 257 for seven in its allotted overs, India covered the distance riding on three half-century stands, with five wickets and 15 deliveries to spare. Rohit Sharma’s 83 pushed England to the brink of a series defeat, and Suresh Raina’s 89 not out knocked the visiting side over. The triumph gave India a series-winning 3-1 lead.
India paid the price for some poor shot selection by their top order batsmen as England rode on Ian Bell’s unbeaten century to salvage some pride by winning the fifth and final ODI by seven wickets and reduce the margin of series defeat to 3-2.
Australia-Sri Lanka ODI Series
Opener Phil Hughes scored a debut century as Australia amassed 305 for five and dismissed Sri Lanka cheaply for a 107-run victory in the opening match of the five-game one-day international series. Sri Lanka came back in the second ODI in Adelaide to win the match by eight wickets.
A fearsome spell of in-swing bowling from Nuwan Kulasekara, who took a career-best 5 for 22 and helped Sri Lanka bundle out Australia for 74 runs, with the aid of Lasith Malinga, who tore down the tail, helped Sri Lanka to win the third ODI by 4 wickets. Sri Lanka’s run chase was shaped as a straightforward one, but they lost six wickets before they reached their target.
Moises Henriques and Xavier Doherty took three wickets each to capitalize on Phil Hughes’ unbeaten century as Australia beat Sri Lanka by 32 runs in the fifth and final ODI and share the five-match series 2-2.
The fourth match was abandoned due to rain.
FOOTBALL
Messi wins Ballon d'Or for fourth time
Lionel Messi, still only 25, was named the world’s best player for the fourth time in a row after a year in which he finally produced his best form for Argentina as well as Barcelona. Messi was handed the FIFA Ballon D'Or award after a typically cheesy ceremony which featured a performance from a giant dancing armadillo named Fuleco, the mascot for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
TABLE TENNIS
National Championship
India's number one player Soumyajit Ghosh became the youngest national champion after he defeated six-time winner Achanta Sharath Kamal in the final to bag the Maharaja Pitampura Cup along with a prize money of Rs 2.30 lakh.
K. Shamini avenged her last year’s loss with a victory over Poulomi Ghatak in the final to win the women’s title, comprising of prize money of Rs 1.45 lakh along with the Travancore Cup.
Men doubles: Sourav Chakraborty and G. Sathiyan.
Women doubles: K. Spoorthy and Nikhat Banu.
Mixed doubles: Utkarsh Gupta and Manika Batra.
TENNIS
Australian Open, 2013
Novak Djokovic became the first man to win three successive Australian Open titles in the professional era when he beat third seed Andy Murray in the men’s singles final.
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus won the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Li Na of China in their women's singles final match.
Men’s doubles title: Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA) beat Robin Haase/Igor Sijsling (Netherlands). With this win, American twins Bob and Mike Bryan became the most successful men’s pair in Grand Slam history.
Women’s Doubles title: Top-seeded Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy won the first Australian Open title of 2013, beating the un-seeded Australian pair of Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua.
Mixed Doubles: Wild card entrants Jarmila Gajdosova and Matthew Ebden combined to win the mixed doubles title with a win over Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak.
Chennai Open
World number nine Janko Tipsarevic won the ATP Chennai Open with a masterful fight-back to defeat young Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the final and win the title.
National Championship
Uttrakhand outperformed defending champions Punjab in the men’s final while Indian Railways got the better of Tamil Nadu in the women’s section to retain the title for a record ten years in a row in the National Basketball Championship.
CHESS
Tata Steel Tournament, 75th
Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the title after surviving a scare against Anish Giri of Holland. Carlsen was pushed to the wall but salvaged a half point to match Garry Kasparov’s best ever 10 points out of a possible 13 in this tournament. World champion Viswanathan Anand suffered a shocking last-round defeat against Wang Hao of China and had to be content with a joint third finish. The tournament was played at Wijk Aan Zee (The Netherlands).
CRICKET
Ranji Trophy
A dominant Mumbai lifted their 40th Ranji Trophy title after skipper Ajit Agarkar and Dhawal Kulkarni combined to wreck Saurshtra for an innings and 125-run victory in the five-day final that ended inside three days.
India-Pakistan ODI Series
An insipid India slumped to yet another series defeat with a pathetic display as arch-rivals Pakistan spanked the hosts by 85 runs in the second One-day International, played at Kolkata, to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Pakistan had won the first ODI at Chennai by six wickets. In the third ODI, played at New Delhi, India managed a consolation win. India won the match by 10 runs but lost the series 2-1. Nasir Jamshed of Pakistan was declared the Man of the Series. He scored 2 centuries in 3 ODIs.
South Africa-New Zealand Test Series
South Africa defeated New Zealand by an innings and 27 runs in the first at Newlands. Vernon Philander of South Africa needed only 26 deliveries to take five New Zealand wickets first time around as South Africa inflicted the lowest score on a Test side for 39 years. The only consolation for New Zealand was a maiden Test hundred from Dean Brownlie.
It took South Africa less than a session to complete a crushing innings-and-193-runs victory in Port Elizabeth, in the second Test, and win the two-Test series 2-0. Dale Steyn took eight wickets in the match to completely decimate New Zealand. Although two Tests is barely enough to constitute a series, still this was South Africa's first whitewash win since 2008.
India-England ODI Series
India’s woeful run of losses continued after a struggling top-order failed to convert good starts even on a placid track, as England drew first blood with a thrilling nine-run victory in the first ODI, played at Rajkot.
In the second match, played at Kochi, India first posted a competitive 285, riding on captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 72 and Ravindra Jadeja’s 61, before the bowlers skittled out the visitors for a paltry 158 in just 36 overs to win the match by 127 runs and level the five-match series 1-1. It was convincing and morale-boosting victory for the Indians who had struggled of late even in home conditions, losing the ODI series to arch-rivals Pakistan and the Test series against England.
India bundled out England for 155 runs and then went on to win the third ODI, played at Ranchi, by seven wickets.
After letting England escape from 157 for four in 40 overs to a healthy-looking 257 for seven in its allotted overs, India covered the distance riding on three half-century stands, with five wickets and 15 deliveries to spare. Rohit Sharma’s 83 pushed England to the brink of a series defeat, and Suresh Raina’s 89 not out knocked the visiting side over. The triumph gave India a series-winning 3-1 lead.
India paid the price for some poor shot selection by their top order batsmen as England rode on Ian Bell’s unbeaten century to salvage some pride by winning the fifth and final ODI by seven wickets and reduce the margin of series defeat to 3-2.
Australia-Sri Lanka ODI Series
Opener Phil Hughes scored a debut century as Australia amassed 305 for five and dismissed Sri Lanka cheaply for a 107-run victory in the opening match of the five-game one-day international series. Sri Lanka came back in the second ODI in Adelaide to win the match by eight wickets.
A fearsome spell of in-swing bowling from Nuwan Kulasekara, who took a career-best 5 for 22 and helped Sri Lanka bundle out Australia for 74 runs, with the aid of Lasith Malinga, who tore down the tail, helped Sri Lanka to win the third ODI by 4 wickets. Sri Lanka’s run chase was shaped as a straightforward one, but they lost six wickets before they reached their target.
Moises Henriques and Xavier Doherty took three wickets each to capitalize on Phil Hughes’ unbeaten century as Australia beat Sri Lanka by 32 runs in the fifth and final ODI and share the five-match series 2-2.
The fourth match was abandoned due to rain.
FOOTBALL
Messi wins Ballon d'Or for fourth time
Lionel Messi, still only 25, was named the world’s best player for the fourth time in a row after a year in which he finally produced his best form for Argentina as well as Barcelona. Messi was handed the FIFA Ballon D'Or award after a typically cheesy ceremony which featured a performance from a giant dancing armadillo named Fuleco, the mascot for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
TABLE TENNIS
National Championship
India's number one player Soumyajit Ghosh became the youngest national champion after he defeated six-time winner Achanta Sharath Kamal in the final to bag the Maharaja Pitampura Cup along with a prize money of Rs 2.30 lakh.
K. Shamini avenged her last year’s loss with a victory over Poulomi Ghatak in the final to win the women’s title, comprising of prize money of Rs 1.45 lakh along with the Travancore Cup.
Men doubles: Sourav Chakraborty and G. Sathiyan.
Women doubles: K. Spoorthy and Nikhat Banu.
Mixed doubles: Utkarsh Gupta and Manika Batra.
TENNIS
Australian Open, 2013
Novak Djokovic became the first man to win three successive Australian Open titles in the professional era when he beat third seed Andy Murray in the men’s singles final.
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus won the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Li Na of China in their women's singles final match.
Men’s doubles title: Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA) beat Robin Haase/Igor Sijsling (Netherlands). With this win, American twins Bob and Mike Bryan became the most successful men’s pair in Grand Slam history.
Women’s Doubles title: Top-seeded Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy won the first Australian Open title of 2013, beating the un-seeded Australian pair of Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua.
Mixed Doubles: Wild card entrants Jarmila Gajdosova and Matthew Ebden combined to win the mixed doubles title with a win over Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak.
Chennai Open
World number nine Janko Tipsarevic won the ATP Chennai Open with a masterful fight-back to defeat young Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the final and win the title.
