There is not too much to quibble about the Indian squad for the Twenty20 World Cup, even without the big three - Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid. After all, with or without them it's a foray into the unknown. Not just for the team but also for the cricket-obsessed public. It's a peep into the future with Dhoni as captain. Even Sehwag and Harbhajan of the old guard who fell from grace, are not on the wrong side of time and can look at redeeming themselves. But one irritant remains that eternal enigma Ajit Agarkar, who's repeatedly teased only to exasperate. The bigger worry though is inexperience, stemming from BCCI's tardiness in waking up to the Twenty20 concept. Australia, South Africa, England and New Zealand are far more adept at this form of the game. As it is, the likes of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have moved ahead in brute slam-bang power in the 50-over game, which will serve them well over 20 overs....

The man's a chameleon. Roger Federer is the man for all surfaces. Be it serve and volley or slugging it out from the baseline, Fedex can change his colours at the drop of a hat. He's closing in with supreme ease on Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles. By now, he would have won everything in sight, if not for a Spaniard who's just too good on clay. But is he the greatest in the Open Era" (after the Grand Slams were thrown open to professionals in 1968) For all his genius, Federer's had a free run for years without a worthy rival. Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt were humiliated time and time again, exposing them as one-dimensional, limited players. Marat Safin once showed he had it in him to oust Federer (2004 Australian Open semifinal) but then the temperamental Russian is his own biggest enemy. Age was catching up with Andre Agassi, by the time Federer displayed his wares...

Finally got around to watching Sivaji, that too in a half-empty hall. And I got exactly what I expected from a Rajini flick. Only that this time we saw a tech-savvy superstar, thanks to his alliance with a director who makes it a point to pepper the screen with special effects and technical wizardry. Be it a voice-recognition password or MMS, Rajini bridged the digital divide in style. And the style mannan had a `cool' catchphrase to wash away the wrinkles of 57 years. Style, yes in abundance. But what about substance" Director Shankar is known for his vigilante justice films where the medium(hero) is driven by the message - be it Kamal Haasan in Indian, Vikram in Anniyan or Arjun in Muthalvan, all battling corruption. But with the superstar it's all about the medium and his antics, the message is incidental. Well, big deal. That's exactly why Rajinikanth is the superstar. One razor-sharp punchline, a witty repartee, a twirl of...