
Muralitharan, in the ongoing SLPL, in a lazy Wednesday morning interview, has his say on the tournament, friends Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble, and life after 20 years of international cricket. The cricketer speaks to
Sharmistha Chaudhuri.

Leander Paes lives on a different plane. He tells
HT Correspondent Sukhwant Basra about how motivated he is to shut everyone up and play a seventh Games.
Leander Says
With the national selectors nursing high hopes on Ajinkya Rahane After his dazzling run in the Indian Premier League, it could be his big season, starting with the Sri Lanka tour.
HT spoke to him about the challenges and how he goes about his game.

You want to mess with me? Sania is still waiting to figure out what side of the court Paes wants.
HT reports.

Over a year after Bob Houghton’s acrimonious exit, the All India Football Federation has, upon the recommendation of technical director Rob Baan, appointed Dutchman Wim Koevermans as coach of the senior national team on a two-year contract.
In a chat with HT over phone from Moscow, Anand shared his preparation for the match and plans for the year. Excerpts:
Dempo’s Armando Colaco is without doubt Indian football’s most successful coach and general secretary. After his fifth national league title in eight years Colaco, who took charge in 2000 when Dempo were in the second division, spoke to HT.
The charismatic Taufik Hidayat, who considers India a ‘lucky’ hunting ground, spoke to HT about his rivals and whether retirement is on the horizon.

Carmelo Ezpeleta is to the motorcycling kingdom, what Bernie Ecclestone is to car racing – the ultimate ringmaster. Rohit Bhaskar reports.
Ruud Gullit is the only Dutch captain to have won a major world football title when he led Holland to the European crown beating Russia in 1988 but he doesn't feel Holland has underachieved as a nation. Here as a part of ‘Super Star XI’ to take part in a charity match against Sikkim United, Gullit spoke to Hindustan Times at length. Sikkim United won 7-4.

Bayern Munich’s 26-year-old striker Mario Gomez has been having a great season so far and he spoke about his consistency and his club mates.
At the best of times, Indian sports federations have had a love-hate relationship with the sports ministry. But 2011 saw a protracted war over sports minister Ajay Maken's bid to introduce the Sports Bill to make the federations, including the Indian Olympic Association and the BCCI, more accountable and transparent in their functioning.

If ever a sportsman captured the essence of his era, it was West Germany's former left-back turned midfield general Paul Breitner. With his frizzy Afro, mutton-chop sideburns and total football swagger, none better typified the 1970s than Der Afro.
Know BreitnerMorocco-born US marathon runner Khalid Khannouchi's comeback story is inspiring. After a five-year injury layoff, the former world record holder is determined to make a mark at 39.