General Awareness Updates – December 2009

Sports

CHESS

Ninth seeded Soumya Swaminathan (left) has won the World Junior Chess Championship at Puerto Madryn, Argentina.

She is the third Indian girl and the second in succession to win the title after K. Humpy (2001) and D. Harika (2008).

CRICKET

New Zealand v Pakistan in UAE

ODI Series Result: New Zealand defeat Pakistan 2-1

Player of the Series: BB McCullum (NZL)

T20 Series Result: Pakistan win the two-match series 2-0

Player of the Series: Shahid Afridi (Pak)

MOTORRACING

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Island

Winner: Sebastian Vettel (Germany / Red Bull-Renault)

Second: Mark Webber (Australia / Red Bull-Renault)

Third: Jenson Button (G. Britain / Brawn-Mercedes)

Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo

Winner: Mark Webber (right) (Australia / Red Bull-Renault)

Second: Robert Kubica (Poland / BMW Sauber)

Third: Lewis Hamilton (G. Britain / McLaren-Mercedes)

Sachin Tendulkar: 20 years of undiminished aura

Sachin Tendulkar (left) on November 15, 2009, completed 20 years in international cricket and became the first Indian and only the 16th in the history of the game to have a career spanning more than two decades.

The Master Batsman made his debut as a 16-year-old against Pakistan way back on November 15, 1989. At the end of the Australia - India series, in his Test career spanning 19 years 143 days till date, Mr. Tendulkar has represented India in a record 159 Tests.

He also played a record 436 ODI matches in his 19 years and 325 days one-day career, thus becoming only the second player after Pakistan’s Javed Miandad to have the longest ODI career. The Indian batting maestro is also the only active cricketer to feature in the longest Tests career list and at 36 years of age he is still going strong. In his two decades long career, he had written many records which catapulted him to the honour of being the milestone man.

No other cricketer has managed to seamlessly combine both statistics and aesthetics to underline his greatness like Sachin Tendulkar did, retaining the innocence and humility of his early days all along.