[ Published on: December 30, 2019 8:52 IST ]
13 best sporting images of 2019
71 years after their first tour of Australia, Indian cricket team, led by Virat Kohli, scripted their maiden Test series win Down Under. The visitors, who were the defending champions heading into the contest, defeated Australia in Adelaide before the hosts bounced back with a win in Perth. But riding on Chetesjwar Pujara's century and Jasprit Bumrah's six-fer, India bounced back to win the Boxing Day Test and subsequently retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With rain washing out the final game after three days of play, India finishe the series with a 2-1 win and hence became the first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia.
He walked in with Sri Lanka at 52 for three and the target still milestones away. After a steady fifty-run partnership, Sri Lanka lost two more leaving them at 110 for five. But another steady partnership, of 96 runs, reduced the target to a double figure before Keshav Maharaj's triple strike brough the last man to the crease. His sole aim was to survive. The batsman on the other end stood key. With a flurry of boundaries, he notched up his ton, and cleverly tackled Dale Steyn with the new ball. Sri Lanka chased remaining 78 runs riding on the record tenth-wicket stand. But the man of the moment was Kusal Perera who’s epic 153* lead Sri Lanka to record-breaking victory in Durban.
After losing 3-0 at Camp Nou, Liverpool scripted one of the greatest comebacks in football history as they defeated Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield in the second leg of the semifinal match to move to the final round of UEFA Champions League. Liverpool hence became the third team in the history of the competition to come back from three goals down in the semis.
Mumbai Indians set a target of 150 runs in the IPL 2019 final with Kieron Pollard top-scoring with 41 runs. In reply, Chennai Super Kings got off to a got start with opener Shane Watson scoring 80 runs. However, with some tight bowling in the death overs, where Jasprit Bumrah conceded just 14 runs while taking two wickets, Chennai fell one run shot of the target.
How many times have you seen MS Dhoni being run out? He is among the fastest between the wickets. Yet on the fateful day of July 10, Indian cricket fans were forced to watch that rare unfortunate moment, the one which was the final nail in the coffin for India in the semifinal against New Zealand in Manchester. He was well set on 43 and had reduced the gap to 25 off 11 for India. But in an attempt to maintain strike, Dhoni made a desperate attempt to make his way to the crease and was undone by an impressive direct hit from Martin Guptill from the deep. India lost the match by 18 runs.
After four and a half hours of a see-saw battle at the All England Club, Novak Djokovic had break points in the fifth set while Roger Federer was serving for the championship. It ended at 12-12 and the game was all set for a tiebreak to decide a Grand Slam men's singles championship. Djokovic did not produce a single unforced error thereafter and ended the match with a 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3) win to claim his 16th Grand Slam title and fifth at the SW19.
In the picture above, Ben Stokes is seen apologising to New Zealand as the fielded ball from the deep hits his bat and runs away for four runs during the World Cup 2019 final. The match ended in a draw forcing a first of its kind Super Over in the summit clash. England managed 15 runs with both Jos Buttler and Stokes scoring a boundary each. Interestingly, New Zealand too finished with 15 runs in the Super Over. In the end, England were handed over the elusive trophy on the basis of the bizarre boundary count rule.
Just a month after England's thrilling win in World Cup final, Ben Stokes starred in yet another nail-biting moment for his team, this time in the third Ashes match at home this summer. Stokes and Jack Leach battled against all odds to steer England to their highest successful run chase in Test history, just a day after the hosts were folded for a humiliating 67 in the first innings. Stokes scored an unbeaten 135 en route to England's one-wicket win in Headingley.
USA's Megan Rapinoe was the player of Women's World Cup 2019, scoring six goals in the team's fourth championship victory. She was awarded the Golden Boot for her goals tally and the Golden Ball award as the best player at the tournament.
He came back to Test cricket after year long suspension owing to his involvement in the ball-tampering episode and what a remarkable his return was. He scored 144 and 142 in the opener at Edgbaston to help Australia win by 251 before being struck fatally behind his head with a lethal boucer from Jofra Archer. He missed a Test match and an innings to recover and bounced back to amass 774 runs in the series to help the Aussies retain the title.
PV Sindhu became the first India ever to win a badminton World Championships, by beating old rival Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in a lopsided final in Basel. She defeated the Japanese 21-7, 21-7 in just 38 minutes, two years after their epic clash at the same stage in Glasgow which had lasted for 110 minutes.
An early two-set lead in the US Open final, with minimal dominance, clearly implied Nadal was taking home the trophy. But the story took a sharp turn at the end of the second set. Young Medvedev rectified his error and scripted a stunning comeback that forced the game to a fifth and final set. The crowd by then were left poised between the two competitors. In the end, Nadal held his nerve to script a 7–5, 6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 6–4 win and lift his 19th Grand Slam trophy.
Beating Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi bagged a record sixth Ballon d'Or award earlier this month. The 32-year-old, who inspired Barcelona to a La Liga title and Argentina to the third position in Copa America, had won back in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015. "I am very lucky, I am blessed. I hope I will continue for a long time," Messi told reporters. "I realize that I'm lucky even if one day it will be time to retire."
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