BATTING MAESTRO: On November 15 1989, Sachin Tendulkar took to the field for the first time in an international encounter. Two decades later, India's favourite son is still going strong - on and off the field. Photo: K.R. Deepak
NUMERO UNO: Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men moved to the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings. The 2-0 series triumph against Sri Lanka, took the side beyond South Africa as the top-ranked team. Photo: K.R. Deepak
AFRICAN SAFARI: Deccan Chargers celebrate after defeating the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final of the IPL in South Africa on May 24. Photo: AP
TERROR HITS CRICKET: Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis arrives at Bandaranayake International Airport in Colombo on March 4. A team of heavily armed gunmen ambushed Sri Lankan cricket team as it arrived for a match, killing six police guards and wounding seven players in Lahore. Photo: AP
THE URN IS OURS: England players celebrate their Ashes victory over Australia at the Oval cricket ground in London on August 23. Photo: AP
TOP HONOUR: The year has been outstanding for Gautam Gambhir. He won the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Test Player of the Year award on October 1. Photo: AP
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: Australian players celebrate after winning the final of the Champions Trophy match against New Zealand at the Supersport Park in Centurion on October 5. Photo: AP
GOLDEN GLOVES: Suranjoy Singh (R) with Sports Minister M.S. Gill. The gritty boxer from Manipur gave India its first Asian Championship gold in 15 years. Photo: Anu Pushkarna
BRILLIANT BUTTON: Brawn GP's Jenson Button celebrates with teammates after securing the Formula One World Championship by arriving fifth during Brazil's Grand Prix at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo on October 18. Photo: AP
FATAL CRASH: Ferrari F1 driver Felipe Massa recovered from injuries from a July crash in his Ferrari at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Photo: AP
BACK IN THE FAST LANE: Seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher is coming out of retirement to drive for Mercedes in 2010. Schumacher's bid for an eighth world title provides Formula One with one of the most eagerly anticipated championship seasons in history. Photo: AP/Brawn GP
MAIDEN SUCCESS: Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella looks at his trophy after being placed second at the Belgium F1 GP at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on August 30. Force India finally nixed the hoodoo and scored their maiden Formula One points. Photo: AP
OFF THE HOOK: Renault escaped severe punishment for ordering former driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash, receiving only a suspended two-year ban from Formula One’s governing body. At the 2008 Singapore race, team management ordered Piquet to deliberately crash in order to help teammate Fernando Alonso win the race, leading to one of the biggest scandals F1 has seen. Photo: AP