Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag was born on 20th October 1978 in a Jat family from Haryana. The son of a grain merchant, Sehwag spent his childhood in a bungalow in a joint family, with siblings, uncles, aunts and sixteen cousins. Though now settled in New Delhi, the Sehwag family hails from Haryana. Sehwag was the third of four children born to father Krishan and mother Krishna Sehwag, with two older sisters Manju and Anju, and younger brother Vinod. His father attributes his interest in cricket to a toy bat which he was given when he was seven months old. He attended Arora Vidya School in Delhi, and pestered his parents to let him play cricket, on the basis that he was not academically gifted. His father tried to end his career when he broke a tooth as a child in 1990, but Sehwag evaded the ban with the help of his mother. Later he attended Jamia Milia Islamia for graduation.

Sehwag affectionately known as Viru and the Nawab of Najafgarh, also called the Zen master of modern cricket, or the Viv Richards of this era by columnists, is one of the leading batsmen in the Indian cricket team. Sehwag is an aggressive right-handed opening batsman and a part-time right-arm off-spin bowler. He played his first One Day International in 1999 and joined the Indian Test cricketteam in 2001. In April 2009, Sehwag became the only Indian to be honoured as the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for his performance in 2008,subsequently becoming the first player of any nationality to retain the award for 2009.

Sehwag holds multiple records including the highest score made by an Indian in Test cricket (319), which was also the fastest triple century in the history of international cricket (reached 300 off only 278 balls) as well as the fastest 250 by any batsman (in 207 balls against Sri Lanka on 3 December 2009 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai). His other innings of 309 and 293 are also the second and third best by any Indian player. Sehwag also holds the distinction of being one of four batsmen in the world to have ever surpassed 300 twice in Test cricket, and the only one to score two triple centuries and take a five-wicket innings haul. In March 2009, Sehwag smashed the fastest century ever scored by an Indian in ODI cricket, from 60 balls. On 8 December 2011, he hit his maiden double century in ODI cricket, against West Indies, becoming the second batsman after Sachin Tendulkar to reach the landmark. His score remains the highest individual score in ODI cricket – 219 off 149 balls.He is the only player in world to score a double hundred in ODI and a triple hundred in Test Cricket.

Sehwag was appointed as vice-captain of the Indian team under Rahul Dravid in October 2005 but due to poor form, he was later replaced by V. V. S. Laxman in December 2006 as Test vice-captain. In January 2007, Sehwag was dropped from the ODI team and later from the Test team as well. During his term as vice-captain, Sehwag skippered the team in place of injured Dravid in 2 ODIs and 1 Test. Following his return to form in 2008 and the retirement of Anil Kumble, Sehwag has been reappointed as the vice-captain for both Tests and ODIs. By early 2009, Sehwag had reestablished himself as one of the best performing batsmen in ODI cricket. In early February a rift had been drawn between the Indian Skipper (MS Dhoni) and Virender Sehwag, but it had been solved. Virender Sehwag was dropped from the Asia Cup squad on fitness grounds, but after an improved performance in the Indian Premier League, Sehwag is making a comeback in Indian ODI side to play Sri Lankan series.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli  is an Indian cricketer. He is a middle-order batsman, who can also open the batting. He can also bowl right arm medium pace. Kohli was the captain of the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia. 

He represents Delhi in first-class cricket and is the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise in the Indian Premier League. He also played for the West Delhi Cricket Academy.

Kohli made his One Day International (ODI) debut in 2008 and was part of the Indian team which won the 2011 World Cup. Despite being a regular in the ODI side, Kohli only played his first Test in 2011 against West Indies in Kingston. But on the disastrous 2011/12 India tour of Australia, in which India's senior batsmen struggled throughout, Kohli stood out, scoring his first Test hundred in Adelaide.Kohli was the recipient of the ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2012. SportsPro has rated him the 13th most marketable athlete in the world.

Virat Kohli was born on 5 November 1988 in Delhi to Prem and Saroj Kohli. He has an elder brother, Vikash, and an elder sister, Bhavna. Kohli attended school at Vishal Bharti and Savier Convent. His father, Prem, worked as a lawyer and died in December 2006

The West Delhi Cricket Academy was created in 1998 and Kohli was part of its first intake.Kohli first came into the spotlight when he played for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka on the day of his father's death. Choosing to stay and bat, he went on to score 90 runs. Mithun Manhas, the team's captain, remarked that "That is an act of great commitment to the team and his innings turned out to be crucial".

Kohli captained the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia.Batting at number 4, he scored 235 runs in 6 matches at an average of 47, including a century against the West Indies U-19s. He was also commended for making several tactical bowling changes during the tournament. His mother noted that "Virat changed a bit after that day. Overnight he became a much more matured person. He took every match seriously. He hated being on the bench. It's as if his life hinged totally on cricket after that day."

Kohli was instrumental in India's win of the 2009 Emerging Players Tournament in Australia. In the final against South Africa, Kohli scored a century and India went on to win the game by 17 runs. Kohli emerged as the leading run scorer of the tournament, aggregating 398 runs from seven matches including two centuries and two fifties.

Following a hundred in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia in 2008, Kohli was selected in the ODI squad for India's tour of Sri Lanka in 2008.Kohli made his debut in One Day Internationals against Sri Lanka in the Idea Cup in 2008 when both Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were injured. He opened the batting in the first match, and was dismissed for 12. But he made a crucial 37 in a low-scoring second match in the series, which helped India win and level the series. He made his first half-century, a score of 54, in the fourth match which helped India win the series. 

This was India's first ODI series win against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. He was included in the squad for the home ODI series against England later that same year but was not given a chance to play, due to the inclusion of Tendulkar and Sehwag in team. Kohli was then dropped from the squad for the five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka against Sri Lanka in January 2009.

Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh  Ambani

Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani was born on 19 April 1957 is an Indian business magnate who is the chairman and CEO of the Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), a Fortune Global 500 company and India's most valuable company by market value. Mukesh Ambani, the elder son of the founder of Reliance Industries late Dhirubhai Ambani is the largest Shareholder in RIL. He holds a 44.7 percent stake in the company. TheHeadquarters of RIL is situated in Mumbai, India. The company deals in mainly refining, Petrochemical and oil & gas sectors. Reliance Retail Ltd is a Subordinatefirm of RIL. It was founded in 2006 and it is also based in the financial Capital of India i.e. Mumbai. The company is considered as the largest Retailer in the country.

In 2010, he was included in Forbes's list of "68 people who matter most". As of 2013, he is India's richest man and second richest man in Asia. Ambani is listed as the 22nd richest person in the world with a personal wealth of $21.5 billion. He has retained his position as the world's richest Indian for the sixth year in a row. He is a member of the board of directors of Bank of America Corporation and the international advisory board of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also the chairman of the board of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, one of the premier business schools in the country.In 2012, Forbes named him the richest sports owner in the world. He co-owns the Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians.

Mukesh  Ambani

The Ambani family lived in a two bedroom apartment in Bhuleshwar, Mumbai until the 1970s. Dhirubhai then purchased a 14-floor apartment block called 'Sea Wind' in Colaba, where, until recently, Mukesh and Anil lived with their families on different floors.

He attended the Hill Grange High School on Peddar Road, Mumbai, along with his brother and where Anand Jain, his close associate, was his classmate. He received BE degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Mumbai. Mukesh later enrolled for an MBA from Stanford University but dropped out. The Indira Gandhi administration threw open the doors of PFY (polyester filament yarn) manufacturing to the private sector in early 1980. Dhirubhai Ambani had applied for a license to set up a PFY manufacturing plant. In spite of stiff competition from Tatas, Birlas and 43 others, Dhirubhai was awarded the licence. To help him build the PFY plant, Dhirubhai pulled his eldest son Mukesh out of Stanford where he was studying for his MBA. Mukesh Ambani, then dropped out to help his father and initiated Reliance`s backward integration from textiles into polyester fibres and further into petrochemicals, beginning in 1981.

In 2010 ,he was given an Hon.DSc(Doctor of Science) (Hon.Causa) degree by M.S.University , Baroda.Mukesh Ambani joined Reliance Industries in 1987. He initiated Reliance's backward integration journey from textiles into polyester fibres and further into petrochemicals, petroleum refining and going up-stream into oil and gas exploration and production.

Mukesh Ambani set up Reliance Infocomm Limited (now Reliance Communications Limited), which was focused on information and communications technology initiatives.Ambani directed and led the creation of the world’s largest grassroots petroleum refinery at Jamnagar, India, which had the capacity to produce 660,000 barrels per day (33 million tonnes per year) in 2010, integrated with petrochemicals, power generation, port and related infrastructure.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni  commonly known as M. S. Dhoni, born 7 July 1981 is an Indian cricketer and the current captain of the Indian national cricket team. He is an attacking right-handed middle-order batsman and wicket-keeper. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut in December 2004 against Bangladesh, and played his first Test a year later against Sri Lanka.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Dhoni is the captain of India in all three forms of the game. His Test and ODI records are the best among all Indian captains to date. He took over the ODI captaincy from Rahul Dravid in 2007 and led the team to its first ever bilateral ODI series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the CB Series of 2007–08, the 2010 Asia Cup, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. In the final of the 2011 World Cup, Dhoni scored 91 not out off just 79 balls to take India to victory for which he was awarded the Man of the Match. After taking up the Test captaincy in 2008, he led the team to series wins in New Zealand and West Indies, and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2008, 2010 and 2013. In 2009, Dhoni also led the Indian team to number one position for the first time in the ICC Test rankings. In 2013, under his captaincy, India became the first team in more than 40 years to whitewash Australia in a Test series. He has also captained the Chennai Super Kings to victory in the 2010 and 2011 seasons of Indian Premier League along with the 2010 Champions League Twenty20.

Dhoni also holds the post of Vice-President of India Cements Ltd. after resigning from Air India. India Cements is the owner of the IPL team Chennai Super Kings, and Dhoni has been its captain since the first edition of IPL.

Dhoni has also been the recipient of many awards including the ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2008 and 2009 (the first Indian player to achieve this feat), the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2007 and the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, in 2009. He was named as the captain of ICC World Test XI and ICC World ODI XI teams for 2009. The Indian Territorial Army conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel to Dhoni on 1 November 2011. He is the second Indian cricketer after Kapil Dev to have received this honour.In 2009, Dhoni topped the list of world’s top 10 earning cricketers compiled by Forbes. In June 2013, Forbes ranked Dhoni at 16th in the list of highest paid athletes in the world, estimating his earnings at $31.5 million.^] The TIME magazine has added Dhoni in its "Time 100" list of 100 most influential people of 2011.SportsPro has rated Dhoni as the 16th most remarkable athlete in the world

Dhoni was born in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand), and he identifies as being a Rajput. His paternal village Lvali is in the Lamgarha block of theAlmora District of Uttarakhand. Dhoni's parents, moved from Uttarakhand to Ranchi where Pan Singh worked in junior management positions in MECON. Dhoni has a sister Jayanti Gupta and a brother Narendra Singh Dhoni. Dhoni is a fan of Adam Gilchrist, and his childhood idols were cricket teammateSachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and singer Lata Mangeshkar

Dhoni studied at DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali,(now the school is known as JVM, Shyamli, Ranchi) Ranchi, Jharkhand where he initially excelled in badminton and football and was selected at district and club level in these sports. Dhoni was a goalkeeper for his football team and was sent to play cricket for a local cricket club by his football coach. Though he had not played cricket, Dhoni impressed with his wicket-keeping skills and became the regular wicketkeeper at the Commando cricket club (1995–1998). Based on his performance at club cricket, he was picked for the 1997/98 season Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 Championship and he performed well. Dhoni focused on cricket after his 10th standard. Dhoni was a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) at Kharagpur railway station from 2001 to 2003, under South Eastern Railway in Midnapore (W), a district in West Bengal. His colleagues remember him as a very honest, straightforward employee of the Indian Railways. But he also had a mischievous side to his personality. Once, while staying at the railway quarters, Dhoni and a couple of his friends covered themselves in white bedsheets and walked around in the complex late in the night. The night guards were fooled into believing that there were ghosts moving around in the complex. The story made big news on the next day.

Vikas Gowda

Vikas Gowda

Vikas Gowda was born on 5th July 1983 , is an Indian discus thrower and Shot putter. Born in Mysore, he grew up in Frederick, Maryland in the United States. His father, Shive, coached the 1988 Indian Olympic track team.

He is an alumnus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the 2006 US NCAA National Champion in discus.

Vikas Gowda

His personal best throw is 66.28 meters which is also Indian national record in discus throw, achieved in April 2012. He contested at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but failed to reach the finals after finishing 22nd in the qualifiers, with a throw of 60.69 m. In 2012 London Olympics, Vikas qualified for the finals, at the fifth place, with a throw of 65.20 m  and finished 8th in the finals. He is supported by Olympic Gold Quest. In shot put his personal record stands on 19.62 meters.