Pillay's absence takes sheen of `yearly ritual'
Come the National Sports Day and it's time for sports mandarins to get together in ``honouring'' sports achievements of the previous year. On Tuesday, at the hallowed Ashoka Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan the President gave away the awards to 27 such sportspersons.



Williams sisters make Swiss Miss feel weary
Martina Hingis is the world's top-ranked tennis player, but the Swiss 19-year-old is feeling the pressure from Wimbledon winner Venus Williams and her younger sister, reigning US Open champion Serena.



Friendly neighbourhood
Test rookies Bangladesh will play their first ever Test against neighbouring India from November 10, cricket supremo Saber Hossain Chowdhury announced on Tuesday. ``The five-day Test will begin on November 10 and it is an historic event,'' he told reporters.



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