itll be Djokovic and Murray. In as unpredictable a Wimbledon as anyone can recall, Nadal lost in the first round, and Federer ex

Karnataka v Hyderabad, Hubli, 1992-93I got into the Karnakata team in 1992-93 after performing well in the local leagues. The Ranji Trophy debut came in my hometown, Hubli, where I used to practice, in December 1992. From 1983 to 1993, I had rigorous travel from Gadag to Hubli for 40 miles. I used to get up at 3.30am, catch a train at 4, reach Hubli at 6, practice, and then go back to school.I will never forget AK Industries where I was taken care of and trained. I spent a lot of time at Nehru Stadium in my younger days and luckily I made my debut at the same ground. I was very fortunate to have my family - my mom, my brother, sisters, friends - at my home ground for my debut. Those ten years of hard work gave me an opportunity.The buzz ahead of the match was that I had a chance but there was still a question mark because Raghuram Bhat was also there in the squad. It was a tough call for the management. Raghurams fitness was a concern, so I was the back-up. It was a doubtful start for me, I did not get any hint that I will debut. As soon as K Jeshwant was going for the toss, suddenly he said: Sunil, youre playing.That time I was just giving some knocking to one of our opening batsmen - PV Shashikanth. After hearing the news of my debut, there was a smile on my face. There was a little bit of nervousness too, but more than that I was happy I was making my Ranji debut at my home ground, where I practiced all those years. The comfort of family and the home ground pushed the nervousness to the back seat.I still remember the first ball I faced. I took my guard and Arshad Ayub was bowling and the wicket was a slow turner. But when I went forward for the first ball, it went over my head for wides, and the keeper was also beaten. After that I got my fifty, then after that I never looked back. I ended up getting 83 not out, hitting Arshad Ayub for five towering boundaries. Luckily my good friend Venky [Venkatesh Prasad] was there during that partnership. He got out in the end, otherwise, maybe I could have reached three figures. Or maybe not. Who knows?We got 500-odd runs and unfortunately the match got stopped after the second day because of the Ayodhya riots and curfew. We did not come to the ground after the second day. We got the news that the match was called off, and as soon as we left the hotel that night, we went to Bangalore. We were taken very well with the police escort and security. That incident actually rocked the whole of India.At the back of my mind, I did feel little disappointed the match was cut short, but, nevertheless, I started on a positive note. Not many players will get 83 on debut. In the end, I was very pleased with my performance. Jeshwant, K Srinath, who got a hundred in that match, supported me well.I also got to share the dressing room with Syed Kirmani, Rahul Dravid, and Venky. I went on to have a great relationship with Kirmani. I got my first hundred against Bombay at the Chinnaswamy Stadium with him. Kirmani and I had a great partnership of 240-odd runs. I think somewhere it is still in the partnership records for the seventh wicket for Karnataka. Ravi Shastri was leading Bombay at that time. I was on 99 one over before lunch and I tried to sweep a ball. Kirmani came up to me and said: Joey, just hang on, just one over to go for lunch. Just play a single, you dont need to get a six for the hundred. The next ball was bowled on the leg stump, I just flicked, and got to a hundred. I was fortunate to also see Kirmani keeping for me during my career.I played with Rahul in junior cricket, Ranji Trophy, and we shared the dressing room in international cricket between 1996 and 2002. His focus and consistency somewhere rubbed off on me and I wanted to have a longer career in domestic cricket.With Venky I bonded more because he was my room-mate from age-group cricket and then during various stages. Venky himself was a great player and he motivated me. Before my debut match, Venky, R Ananth, and K Srinath came to my home and I remember having a typical North Karnataka jowar roti meal with them.Then my second match was in Chennai. Kris Srikkanth was back with Tamil Nadu after the Pakistan tour. I think he didnt have a great tour there and he was out of form. But he got a hundred, and then I got him out. My first wicket was a Test captain, or a former captain I could say. It was a great first wicket to start with. I did face a tough time against the best batting of Tamil Nadu at that stage. But it felt great to have Srikkanth, that too Kirmani caught him at slips.I went on to play 117-odd Ranji games, and the most important thing is I always looked to get better.As told to Deivarayan Muthu Marcus Smart Celtics Jersey . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. Jaylen Brown Celtics Jersey . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. http://www.authenticcelticsproshop.com/Gordon-Hayward-Jersey/ . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Shaquille ONeal Jersey . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. Bob Cousy Jersey . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. LONDON -- Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are building their own Grand Slam rivalry, one that perhaps someday will merit mention alongside Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal, or Djokovic vs. Nadal. When the No. 1-ranked Djokovic faces No. 2 Murray to determine Wimbledons champion Sunday, it will be their fourth meeting in a major final -- and third in less than a year. Djokovic beat Murray at the Australian Open in 2011. Murray beat Djokovic at the U.S. Open last September. Djokovic beat Murray at the Australian Open this January. Thats not yet quite up to the lofty standard set by Federer and Nadal, who played each other in eight Grand Slam title matches from 2006-11. Djokovic and Nadal have contested five major finals since 2010, including a stretch of four in a row. While part of the appeal of the Federer-Nadal matchup lies in their vastly contrasting games -- all the way down to the most basic level, righty vs. lefty -- Djokovic-Murray features two guys who employ rather similar styles. They are improving servers and fantastic returners who managed to silence big hitters in the semifinals Friday: Tough to decide whether it was more surprising that Djokovic had a 22-4 edge in aces during his 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (6), 6-3 victory over No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro, or that Murray had a 20-9 edge in aces during his 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory over No. 24 Jerzy Janowicz. They also are cover-everything hustlers who can switch from defence to offence, quick as can be. "There is some similarities there, in terms of if you look at stats and stuff. I mean, both of us return well. Thats probably the strongest part of our games. Both play predominantly from the baseline," said Murray, who is aiming to become the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. "We both move well, but a different sort of movement," Murray continued. "Hes extremely flexible and he slides into shots, even on the courts here. He slides more. Hes quite a bit lighter than me. So Id say I probably move with more power, and hes much more flexible than me." In the womens final Saturday, 15th-seeded Marion Bartoli of France won her first Grand Slam title, beating 23rd-seeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-1, 6-4. Djokovic, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, is seeking his seventh Grand Slam title overall and will be playing in his 11th major final. Murray is 1-5 in major finals. He has reached the championship matches at each of the last four Grand Slam tournaments he entered; he skipped this years French Open because of a bad back. Murray didnt need to expend too much energy to get past Janowicz, but Djokovics win against del Potro was physically and emotionally sapping. It lasted 4 hours, 43 minutes, a record for a Wimbledon semifinal, and was filled with intense points. "I did play a very long match, but I had situations before where I had to recover even just in 24 hours for the match the next day," Djokovic said Saturday. "I kind of got used to it and I know my body. I have a great team of people around me that make sure that we respect everything that we usually do. Im confident Ill be ready for tomorrow." Del Potros take about how much Djokovic will have left for Sunday: "He will be OK." Djokovic and Murray have put up remarkably close numbers over this fortnight. Djokovic has lost two sets, Murray three. Djokovic has dropped 80 games through six matches, Murray 82. Djokovic has won 95 of 101 service games, Murray 95 of 103. Djokovic has 76 aces and only seven double-faults; Murray has 80 aces and 11 double-fauults.dddddddddddd Born a week apart in May 1987, Djokovic and Murray first met as junior players. "We know each other since we were 11 years old. On and off the court, we have lots of respect for each other. Always very fair, very honest relationship," Djokovic said. "Now we are big rivals and its difficult. ... So we dont get together and have dinners and parties, but we definitely always chat and remember the fun days we had as juniors." The two men get along well enough that when both were at the semifinal stage of last years U.S. Open, they sat in front of a computer together and watched online while Murrays Scotland and Djokovics Serbia played to a 0-0 draw in a qualifying match for the World Cup. "We have a professional friendship, I think, now. When we were younger, it was more friendly," Murray said. "Weve spent a lot of time discussing various issues within tennis and doing what I think sometimes what was best for the sport. But I dont think it goes more than that right now. I would hope when we finish playing, it will be different," Murray added. "But its just hard, because playing in big, big matches with a lot on the line, you cant be best of friends when thats happening." Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 11-7, including winning their most recent three matches. While this is their first Wimbledon encounter, they did play on the All England Clubs grass in the semifinals of last years London Olympics, and Murray won 7-5, 7-5 on his way to a gold medal. Thats part of year-plus stretch in which Murray has won 17 consecutive matches on grass, and 23 of 24. His victory over Federer in the Olympic final, four weeks after losing to the 17-time major title winner on the same court in the Wimbledon final, gave Murray a real boost of confidence. Theres a tremendous amount of pressure and expectations heaped on Murray every year at this time, because of the considerable wait for a British champion. He knows that, of course. So does Djokovic, who is aware there will not be many people pulling for him in the stands Sunday. "Its normal to expect, in a way, that most of the crowd will be on his side. Hes a local hero," Djokovic said. Murray says he thrives with the backing of 15,000 or so flag-waving, top-of-their-lungs-yelling spectators every time he plays on Centre Court. "Theres that extra bit of pressure that probably Novak doesnt have," said Murrays older brother, Jamie, who won the 2007 mixed doubles title at the All England Club. "If (Andy) deals with that well, then Im sure he can perform in the final. Whether he wins or not I dont know, but theyre two evenly matched guys, and theyve had a lot of great matches in the past. Hopefully Sunday will be another one." Instead of another Federer vs. Nadal, No. 1 vs. No. 2, match on the last Sunday, this time itll be Djokovic and Murray. In as unpredictable a Wimbledon as anyone can recall, Nadal lost in the first round, and Federer exited in the second, both against men ranked outside the top 100. Murray was asked how his mindset might be different in his second Wimbledon final than it was in his first, 12 months ago. "Ill be probably in a better place mentally. I would hope so, just because Ive been there before. I won a Grand Slam. I would hope I would be a little bit calmer going into Sunday," Murray said. "But you dont know. You dont decide that. I might wake up on Sunday and be unbelievably nervous, more nervous than I ever have been before. But I wouldnt expect to be." ' ' '