MindPlus: Colonel Gaddafi dies of wounds: NTC official

MindPlus: Colonel Gaddafi dies of wounds: NTC official: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-libya-idUSTRE79F1FK20111020 http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-libya-idUSTRE79...

Colonel Gaddafi dies of wounds: NTC official

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-libya-idUSTRE79F1FK20111020

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-libya-idUSTRE79F1FK20111020

(Reuters) - Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi died of wounds suffered in his capture near his hometown of Sirte on Thursday, a senior NTC military official said.
National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters earlier that Gaddafi was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy which NATO warplanes attacked.
"He was also hit in his head," the official said. "There was a lot of firing against his group and he died."
There was no independent confirmation of his remarks.

MindPlus: LIBYA: COLONEL GADDAFI has been captured and wound...

MindPlus: LIBYA: COLONEL GADDAFI has been captured and wound...: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-libya-idUSTRE79F1FK20111020 (Reuters) - Deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was captured...

LIBYA: COLONEL GADDAFI has been captured and wounded near Sirte - NTC Officials

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-libya-idUSTRE79F1FK20111020

(Reuters) - Deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was captured and wounded in both legs near his hometown of Sirte at dawn on Thursday, National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid said.

Majid reported the capture after Libyan interim government fighters took the town on Thursday, extinguishing the last significant resistance by forces loyal to the former leader and ending a two-month siege.

"He's captured. He's wounded in both legs ... He's been taken away by ambulance," the senior NTC military official told Reuters by telephone.

Gaddafi was trying to flee in a convoy which NATO warplanes attacked, Majid said. The head of Gaddafi's armed forces Abu Bakr Younus Jabr had been killed during the capture of the Libyan ex-leader, he added.

Majid said NATO warplanes struck the convoy and hit four cars as it headed west. Ahmed Ibrahim, a cousin and adviser of Gaddafi, was also captured.

In the capital Tripoli, sounds of gun shots were heard and people cheered in the street: "God is Great, God is Great, Gaddafi has been captured.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-libya-idUSTRE79F1FK20111020

US Rating Downgrade - Mr. Deven Sharma Alumni of Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi and President of Standard & Poor’s shakes the world

Mr. Deven Sharma Alumni of Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi and President of Standard & Poor’s, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies has now shaken up the world. On August 5, Mr. Deven Sharma, President of Standard & Poor’s which is the world’s foremost source of financial market intelligence, providing independent credit ratings ,indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data struck off the 'AAA' rating of the US, considered the Gold standard in the world of finance, for the first time since 1914. 
Mr. Deven Sharma born in 1956 got his Bachelor’s Degree from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, India and then Master’s Degree from University of Wisconsin and a Doctoral degree in Business Management from Ohio State University in 1987.

Mr. Deven Sharma has work with Dresser Industries and Anderson Strathclyde. After that he has worked 14 years for Booz Allen Hamilton.Mr. Sharma left the company as a partner then he joined McGraw-Hill in 2002 .He served Executive Vice-President of Global Strategy of McGraw-Hill Companies Inc till 2007. Mr. Deven Sharma was named President of Standard & Poor’s in August, 2007.

On August 5, 2011 Friday afternoon, Standard & Poor’s officials told Mr. Barak Obama's The President of USA treasury department that the ratings major's analysts have come to a decision that the US no longer deserves to be among the best rated countries in the world. After six hours and a flurry of emails, phone calls and conferences between top officials in the Mr. Barak Obama administration and Sharma's team of number-crunchers, the world got to know of the unprecedented move - something that was in the air for a few months but which appeared more like a distant possibility: The US' country rating was downgraded one notch to 'AA-plus'. And suddenly the 57-year old Mr. Deven Sharma was in the spotlight, hailed by a select few, but criticized by several in the financial world. 

Mr. Deven Sharma took over as the president of Standard &Poor’s  in August 2007, just when the sub-prime crisis in the US housing sector was getting out of hand, and credit rating agencies were picked as one of the perpetrators of the meltdown for their flawed ratings models of housing loans. Over the last four years as the head of one of the foremost rating agencies in the world, Sharma has faced several US Congressional grilling, but has negotiated most of those with much élan, people who have followed him closely say. In a recent interview, Sharma admitted that over the last four years, comments made by US lawmakers have changed to appreciation from strong criticism. 
No wonder the veteran of several testimonies in the US congress has been able to stand up to the global criticism from all quarters for their critical decision. Since Friday evening, Sharma, along with Mr. David Beers, his top lieutenant on the ratings side, have stood firm alongside Standard &Poor’s analysts and defended the controversial and unprecedented decision saying that such a step was necessary and it was done for the benefit of investors. 
People who followed Mr. Sharma's recent messages to the world said that there was enough evidence that a rating downgrade was more of a probability than not. Late last month, in a Congressional hearing during the height of uncertainty about raising US debt limit, Sharma was non-committal about what ratings decision his company would take. A Bloomberg report said that he told US lawmakers that S&P was waiting to see what the final proposal would be before deciding whether to keep US debt at the firm's highest ratings level. 
While the world criticized Standard &Poor’s for their historic decision, some even questioning the data the analysts used but back home there are some who think Sharma and his men have done a great job. 

Blackberry Torch Smartphone,Blackberry Smartphone

Blackberry Torch is a Blackberry Smartphone.The Torch is the first Blackberry smartphone having a touchscreen with the sliding Qwerty Keyboard. Torch runs

On the latest Blackberry 6 Operating System.

Blackberry Torch Specification

• Network: Quad band GSM/HSDPA
• BlackBerry 6 operating system
• Touchscreen with sliding QWERTY keyboard
• Optical Trackpad
• 3.2-inch color display
• Video player with recording
• Video format support: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV3
• QWERTY keypad
• Camera: 5.0 MP camera (JPEG encoding) with flash, 2x digital zoom, image stabilization and auto-focus
• Ringtones: MIDI, MP3Connectivity:
• Connectivity: 3G; Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR; 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi; 3.5mm stereo headset, Micro-USB
• Dimensions: H/W/D – 111 x 62 x 14.6 mm
• Weight 161.1 gm
• Mobile instant messaging
• 512 MB RAM/512 MB Flash/4 GB Flash & 4 GB MicroSD
• Facebook/ Twitter MySpace
• Screen resolution of 480 x 360 pixels
• Music player with 3.5 mm headset jack
• You Tube Enabled
• Blackberry Map and Messenger
• Video playback and streaming
• Battery1300 mAhr removable/rechargeable lithium-ion cell
• Battery life: 18 days (GSM) or 14 days (UMTS) standby; 5.5 hours (GSM) or 5.8 hours UMTS)   talk

Price: Blackberry Torch costs around 24000 Indian Rupees.

Apple and Samsung leave Nokia behind with sales of smartphones – Apple becomes the number one supplier of smartphones on Planet

Just four years after entering the market of smartphones with iphone in 2007, Apple became the No. 1 maker of smartphones on the planet. In the second quarter of 2011, Apple sold more smartphones than Nokia and Samsung. The cell phone market has changed a great deal in recent years, and company’s who used to rule the roost is now seeing their fortunes change. New manufactures have taken the lime light as tastes and technology changes. Recently released figures show that Apple and Samsung leave Nokia behind with sales of smartphones. After releasing the iPhone back in 2007 the company has seen massive unit sales which continue to increase. The company currently has an 18.5 percent share of the smartphone market, while Samsung were just behind on 17.5 percent. Cnet are reporting that according to Strategy Analytics Apple achieved this with sales of over 20 million iPhone’s. Samsung has seen big improvements in sales with sales of 19.2 million handsets which have been helped with the success of the Galaxy range of handsets. Nokia’s the former number one continues with the company seeing its market share falling from 38.1 percent a year ago to only 15.2 percent.

The smartphone market is continually changing, and during the past year the Finnish manufacturer Nokia has seen consumers turning their backs on the devices for more advanced operating systems from Apple and Android. Sales of Nokia's smartphones powered by Symbian operating systems started to plummet in February after the company's chief executive officer announced transition from Symbian platform to Windows Phone operating system. The drop off in sales has seen Nokia looking to the Microsoft and its Windows Phone operating system.

Apple is likely to continue its success with the release of the next iPhone in September, with a recent survey finding a high percent of consumers planning on picking one up. Samsung may have been top of the tree if the latest Galaxy S II handset had been available in the US. The handset has already proved to be a massive success in the places it is already available, and there is no reason why that can’t continue once it arrives. Samsung introduced its Galaxy S II flagship smartphone in May, 2011, and sold three million units of the device by early July. The model is available from more than 145 vendors in 120 countries. Nokia only introduced its N9 and Oro smartphones in Q2. The N9 is the first and the last and smartphone powered by MeeGo operating system. The handset sports impressive design and feature-set, but it will only become available in September, 2011, which means that it will face competition from loads of rivals, including Apple and Samsung. Nokia Oro is a smartphone in golden enclosure that is based on C7 low-cost smartphone platform from Nokia.

Around the world the smartphone market grew by an impressive 76 percent with 110 million handsets shipping. Apple managed to double its market share for all types of mobile phones to 5.6 percent in the second quarter. This was the biggest leap for any manufacturer, and kept Apple in fourth place overall.

Nokia were still top but saw its market share dropping to 24.2 percent from 33.8 last year; this position is mainly down to its entry level devices sold in emerging markets. Samsung are also successful selling more basic devices around the world and has the second biggest market share. The company did see its market share fall by a small amount as consumers moved away from Samsung’s cheaper handsets.

Samsung Proxima Concept Phone with Wristwatch – Phone will never be lost(Samsung Mobile)

Samsung Proxima Concept Phone Project Slogan- “You will not lose your phone again.”

The concept of Proxima is designed by industrial designer Johan Loekito.

Samsung Proxima Phone Features - Wristwatch, Touch Screen, Texting and QWERTY keyboard

Samsung Proxima will be like a beautiful wristwatch. It will have a full touch screen as well as texting capabilities with a sliding down QWERTY keyboard. The full fledge QWERTY keypad for texting, which is really easy to handle with, for today’s youngsters. This feature is great for the teens to be in contact with their friends through texting.Samsung Proxima will also have Email.

Samsung Proxima has a wristband that helps you to keep your phone wrapped around your arm or wrist. If you still forget your phone, the wristband emits a lot of vibrations that increase while the distance increases. This device also allows the user to determine the contacts with the help of the proximity sensor. The detachable section has a feature to display a color e-paper and a dual OLED display. This small detached section can also be opened as a flip for text messages.

Samsung Proxima concept phone is an official device which comes with the wrist watch having different colors and styles. As we see today’s trends and fashion, this device perfectly suits for those people who are very fond of new trends and fashion styles. The watch will provide a descent and a graceful look to the people out there. The main advantage of this device is that for the people, who often misplace their cell phones, will never forget about their device because of the sensor’s alarm.

Top Ten Young Leaders in India - Top Young Politicians in India

One of the hottest topics  often heard in Indian political gatherings all across the country is that the youth should play a more prominent role in politics and public administration.But the fact is, despite the presence of youth wings of all major political parties, the presence of youth in national politics is inadequate.In the current Indian Parliament, which has an average age of 53 years, there are only 79 leaders who are under 42. Most of them are well-educated. Of these, most young leaders are those who have an influential political background to back them up. A few young Members of Parliament are ministers as well.

Britain, the country from which we derived much of our political framework, boasts of a 43-year-old PM in David Cameron. But back home, we have to make do with the likes of Manmohan Singh. Oldies like Sharad Pawar, S.M. Krishna, Karunanidhi, Pranab Mukherjee, L.K. Advani, Kapil Sibal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee etc. dot the Indian political landscape.

Pakistan recently appointed a 34-year-old elegant and beautiful Hina Rabbani Khar as their foreign minister. In India, none of the young MPs have been considered good enough to head an important ministry and have always been appointed as junior ministers.

Let's take a look at 10 prominent young politicians of India many of whom are also ministers:

NAVEEN JINDAL

BORN: 9 March 1970

Born to O.P. Jindal, who was a prominent Indian industrialist and politician, Naveen Jindal represents the Kurukshetra constituency in the state of Haryana on the ticket of Indian National Congress. An MBA from the University of Texas, Jindal owns 45 horses and a polo team. He fought a long legal battle for the legalization of flying of Flag of India inside and atop non-governmental buildings and institutions and emerged victorious. He then founded the Flag Foundation of India, a non-profit body to promote the national flag.

SACHIN PILOT 

BORN: 7 September 1977

Son of deceased Congress politician and Union Minister Rajesh Pilot (who was also a Squadron Leader in the Air Force and hence the name “Pilot”), 33-year-old Sachin Pilot represents the Ajmer constituency on the ticket of Indian National Congress. A management graduate from the prestigious Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA; he is presently the Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology. He is married to the daughter of Farooq Abdullah

JYOTIRADITYA SCINDIA

BORN: 1 January 1971

The young scion of the Scindia family of Gwalior is a 40-year-old Minister of State for Commerce and Industry. He represents Indian National Congress as an MP for the Guna constituency in Madhya Pradesh. His father Madhavrao Scindia was a prominent Indian politician and minister from the Congress Party.

After earning a management degree from the Stanford College in the United States, he worked as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley and also gained some development experience working as an intern with the UN Economic Development Cell.

AGATHA SANGMA

BORN: 24 July 1980

Representing the Tura constituency of Meghalaya on the ticket of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Agatha Sangma is the youngest MP (and minister as well) in the Indian Parliament. The 30-year-old Minsiter of State for Rural Development is the daughter of P.A. Sangma, a prominent Indian leader and politician, and former speaker of the Lok Sabha. Sangma has a Masters degree in Environmental Management from Nottingham University, UK.

AKHILESH YADAV

BORN: 1 July 1973

The son of the Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh is an MP from the Kannuaj constituency in Uttar Pradesh. An engineer by qualification, he is party's Uttar Pradesh president and is spearheading the campaign to bring back Samajwadi Party to power in 2012 in UP assembly elections. Akhilesh's wife, Dimple, unsuccessfully contested the by-election for Firozabad Lok Sabha seat (in U.P.) in 2009 against actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar

DUSHYANT SINGH

BORN: 11 September 1973

Son of Vasundhara Raje, the ex-chief minister of Rajasthan (and also a member of the Scindia royal family of Gwalior), Dushyant Singh is a BJP MP from Jhalawar-Baran constituency in the state. He acquired a management degree from IHTTI School of Management, Neuchatel, Switzerland.

VARUN GANDHI

BORN: 13 March 1980

Varun Gandhi is grandson of the ex-Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. His father died in a plane crash when he was three months old. His grandmother was assassinated when Varun was four-years-old. Indira Gandhi is said to have been very fond of Varun and was greatly distressed when his mother left the household. He attended Rishi Valley School and completed his A levels from the British School, New Delhi, where he was elected secretary of the student council. According to a press statement released by Sumantra Bose, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at London School of Economics, Varun completed his BSc in Economics from LSE via the University of London External System in the year 2002. He also completed his MSc in public policy from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, in 2004 also through correspondence. These claims were ratified by him through one of his recorded letters.

Varun is married to Inca Yamini Roy, daughter of late diplomat Sunil Roy Chowdhury and film enthusiast Dr Aruna Vasudev. The wedding took place on 6 March 2011 in a Hindu religious affair at the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt in Varanasi. 

MILIND DEORA

BORN: 4 Dec 1976

Congress MP from Mumbai South, Milind Deora was born in Mumbai to veteran politician Murli Deora. He is one of the youngest members of the current Lok Sabha. An alumnus of Boston University, he founded SPARSH, a social initiative aiming to educate students in computer and IT proficiency. Milind Deora was inducted in the Union Government of India as the Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology in 2011. On 9 November 2008, Deora married Pooja Shetty in Mumbai. She heads the film production company called 'Walk Water Media' and is the daughter of film producer Manmohan Shetty.

RAHUL GANDHI

BORN:  19 June 1970

Rahul Gandhi often advertised as the future prime minister of the country, Rahul Gandhi comes from India's most powerful family: the Nehru-Gandhi family. Three members of his family have occupied the post of the Prime Minister of India. His educational credentials have been questioned by Dr Subramanian Swamy, a noted politician and president of the Janata Party. As per the information available in public domain, he studied at St. Stephen's College in Delhi for a year and then later moved to Harvard University in the US. But in 1991, after Rajiv Gandhi former Prime Minister of India was assassinated by the LTTE during an election rally, he shifted to Rollins College, University of Florida due to security concerns and completed his B.A. in 1994

He is presently quite active in the state of Uttar Pradesh where he is trying hard to revive his party Congress image.

PRIYA DUTT 

BORN: 28 August 1966

44-year-old Priya Dutt is the daughter of actor-politician Sunil Dutt and actress-politician Nargis Dutt. She is the sister of actor Sanjay Dutt. She is currently representing Mumbai North Central constituency for the Indian National Congress. After graduating in sociology from Sophia College, Mumbai University, Dutt worked in television and video. Later, she studied at The Center for the Media Arts in New York. She is actively involved in many charities and campaigns for many social causes including breast cancer awareness.

Ford announces $1 billion plant in India

NEW DELHI: United State of America  auto giant Ford  said on Thursday it would invest $1 billion to build a vehicle assembly and engine plant in India as it ramps up production to exploit the country's burgeoning car market.
The new factory in the western state of Gujarat will employ around 5,000 workers and will be the firm's second in India.
"Ford has very aggressive expansion plans in India and in Asia Pacific and Africa," Joe Hinrichs, president of Ford Asia Pacific and Africa, told reporters in a conference call.
This new investment "will be important in realizing our growth strategy," Hinrichs said, calling India "one of the most dynamic regions in the world".
The facility in Sanand, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Gujarat state's main city of Ahmedabad, will have an initial annual capacity of 240,000 vehicles and 270,000 engines.
Ford already has a plant near the southern Tamil Nadu port capital of Chennai, where it manufactures small cars such as the Fiesta as well as the Endeavour sports-utility vehicle.
Ford's Chennai plant can assemble up to 200,000 cars a year. The US group will begin building on the Gujarat site this year with the first vehicle and engine slated to come off the assembly lines in 2014.
Thursday's announcement brings the US car giant's total investment in India to some $2 billion.
The company aims to introduce more products from its global portfolio and other Asia Pacific and African markets into India as it seeks to tap the country's growing domestic car market.
"This is an investment in the future of Ford globally," said Hinrichs.
"These new state-of-the-art facilities will help us reach the goal of increasing worldwide sales by nearly 50% by mid-decade to about eight million vehicles a year.
Gujarat has emerged as an investment magnet for car and other manufacturers with its business-friendly policies. Some 60 to 70% of Ford's growth is expected to come from the Asia Pacific and Africa region over the next 10 years.
India has become a battleground for global vehicle manufacturers such as Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen. They have been hoping to offset sluggish sales at home by steering towards India and China, seeing huge potential in their billion-plus populations.

CBSE CTET Result 2011

Central Board of Secondary Education is expected to declare its Central Teacher's Eligibility Test(CTET) result at 4pm on July 26, 2011.

The official website also says that the certificates and the marksheets will be sent to the candidates by August 26, 2011.

The CTET exam was held by CBSE on June 26, 2011.

Check your result by clicking on the site give below…..

 CTET Result 2011

http://cbseresults.nic.in/

Wishing you all the best

Planning for losing weight! Check It Out…

With miracle diets around every corner, here are the basic rules of weight loss...

To lose weight you need to create a calorie deficit. A weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week is safe. To lose 1 pound a week you need to cut back on 500 calories a day. That is a total of 3500 calories a week. The best way to achieve this is by reducing your calorie intake and increasing calorie expenditure through exercise.

If you do without your 250-calorie chocolate bar and burn 250 calories by running three miles, you will create a calorie deficit of 500 calories. Do this everyday and you will have a deficit of 3500 calories in one week.

How many calories should you consume to lose weight?
To lose weight, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends a minimum consumption of 1200 calories per day. If your calorie consumption is less than 1000 a day, your body is in danger of not receiving an adequate supply of nutrients. The body then enters a state of semi-starvation, lowering the metabolic rate and depleting the body of its energy stores.

When counting calories, is it necessary to consider the nutritional value of foods?
When you plan your meals, look at the caloric content and body's nutritional requirement simultaneously. The body needs nutrients from various food groups. To lose weight it is best to consume foods such as watermelon, marsh melon, cucumber, bottle gourd, snake gourd, pumpkins since they are light, filling and easy to digest. Also the diet should have fibre-rich food and vegetables as it helps in elimination. The diet should also include low-fat dairy products, white meat over red meat, sprout and wholegrain products. Having a positive mind and right spirit also helps you in knocking those kilos.

Diet plus exercise
Diet plus exercise is the ideal way to lose weight. A sound weight-loss program should include:
Decreased fat consumption
Portion control
High fibre
An active lifestyle
Consistent, sensible eating and exercise habits

Exercise is crucial
Cardiovascular exercises help reduce body fat and burn calories. Also, metabolic rates can increase up to 25 per cent for six to eight hours after a cardiovascular workout. A duration of 30 to 60 minutes of low-impact cardiovascular activity is recommended to lose weight. Examples of low-impact exercises are walking, swimming or cycling.

Strength training improves bone density, builds strength and enhances the metabolism. You can strength train on various types of equipment in a health club, gym or at home. Strength train two to three times per week.

The Top Ten Cricket Test Matches Ever Played In Test History

With 1999 Tests played, there have been any numbers of classic Test matches over the ages. While it is not possible to have watched all of the matches, the beautiful thing about Test cricket is that every age has had its own share of memorable matches. This is a list of the best Test matches, I have had the privilege of watching. 

Australia vs West Indies, Adelaide, 1992-93: West Indies won by one run 

A Test that tantalized and titillated the audience till the last ball when Craig McDermott couldn't get out of the way of a sharp lifting delivery from Courtney Walsh, handing victory to the West Indies by the smallest margin anyone has achieved in 116 years of Test cricket. When West Indies set Australia a target of 186, it looked like the hosts would canter home. But Curtly Ambrose had other ideas, taking 6 wickets and reducing them to 102/8. A stubborn ninth wicket stand between the debutant Langer and Tim May brought them closer, before Langer fell. Craig McDermott strode out and hung in - the tension was unbearable as victory loomed on the horizon. When 3 were needed, May nudged one to fine leg and didn't take the 2nd fearing Ambrose's arm from the deep. Soon Walsh struck to send the crowd - who had been singing Waltzing Matilda as Australia inched towards their goal - into a state of shock. The series had been squared and West Indies went on to win it with a thumping innings win in the next Test at Perth. 

West Indies vs Australia, Barbados, 1999: West Indies won by one wicket 

It was Brian Lara against Australia the whole way during this series. A one man show from Lara who single-handedly took on the Aussies and defeated them with a bit of help from the tail. Earlier in the game, a stubborn ton from Sherwin Campbell ensured that West Indies avoided the follow-on when they were 98/6 in the first innings. Australia took a lead of 161, but were bundled out for 146 thanks to a 5-fer from Courtney Walsh, setting West Indies a target of 308. When the hosts were 105/5 it seemed all over, but Lara added 133 with Adams before Adams was dismissed. It soon became 248/8, but Ambrose gave Lara good support and they added 54 for the ninth wicket. With a handful of runs needed, Walsh came out and survived one full over from McGrath to loud cheers from the Barbados crowd. His trademark bat twirl after every safely negotiated delivery sent the faithful into a tizzy. Finally, Lara crunched a cover drive off Gillespie to seal an astonishing match that united the whole Caribbean like never before. 

India vs Pakistan, Chennai, 1999: Pakistan won by 12 runs 

This was the first India-Pakistan Test in nine years, and was played amid massive security. The match didn't disappoint fans either, oscillating from one side to the other, before Pakistan held their nerve to win by 12 runs. Shahid Afridi slammed an aggressive 141, while Venkatesh Prasad took 6/33 in the second innings. India were set a target of 271 and were quickly reduced to 82/5 when Nayan Mongia joined Sachin Tendulkar. The two put on 136 before Mongia played a rash stroke to allow Pakistan back in. When 17 were required, Sachin - battling severe back spasms - tried to loft Saqlain inside out and holed out. The Indian tail-enders couldn't handle the excruciating tension and the wiles of the Pakistani attack, and they capitulated. The Chennai crowd had been left disappointed, but in a splendid gesture, they gave a standing ovation to the Pakistani side who ran a lap of honour when the applause started. That prompted a moved Pakistani team to call the Chennai crowd the most sporting one they had played before. 

India vs Pakistan, Delhi, 1999: India won by 213 runs 

There was a lot riding on this match. India had to win to level the series and then there was the question of pride. India had the upper hand for the first three days and set Pakistan 420 to win in the fourth innings, which was a tall order. However, the visitors did start well, racing to 101-0 before the Anil Kumble show began. He removed Afridi to a contentious decision, and that opened the flood-gates. Kumble then ran through the Pakistani line-up taking nine wickets. When last man Waqar Younis came out, skipper Azharuddin ordered Srinath to bowl way outside off so that Kumble could take all 10. It was so nearly not to be when a miscued pull was almost caught by Ramesh, before he was shouted away by his team-mates. Finally Kumble snared Akram and became only the second man in history to take ten wickets in an innings, following English off-spinner Jim Laker in 1956. The series had been squared and Kumble had an achievement for the ages. 

India vs Australia, Kolkata, 2001: India won by 171 runs 

Perhaps the greatest Test of them all. India were down and out for all the money when two men - VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid - engineered the greatest comeback by putting on 376 runs (an Indian record) for the 5th wicket. Earlier, India were 4/232 while following on, when Dravid joined the promoted Laxman. What followed was breathtaking batting with the duo batting for a whole day without being separated. VVS had made 281 sublime runs - the best ever by an Indian in Tests. Australia had to bat for a little over 2 sessions to secure a draw, with the victory target being an improbable 384, but they succumbed to the spinners. Sachin took three important wickets and the final nail was fittingly drilled in by Harbhajan who had taken 13 wickets, including a hat-trick in the game. It was only the third instance of a team winning a game after being asked to follow-on and fittingly, this Test marked the heralding of a new Indian team that would challenge the best and win. The Aussies' unbeaten streak of 16 test wins had ground to a halt and India went on to claim the series with another heart-stopping win at Chennai in the next game. 

England vs India, Leeds, 2002: India won by an innings and 46 runs 

The conditions were totally alien to India. It was dull, grey, dark and perfectly suited for bowling first. Yet Sourav Ganguly opted to bat after winning the toss, which prompted experts to predict disaster for India. However, in one of the finest batting shows under seaming conditions, the Indian trio of Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly hit tons as the team piled up 628. Special credit should go to Dravid and Bangar (who opened the innings) and weathered the initial storm. The ball was bouncing, swinging, seaming and doing all kinds of things - yet both held firm. Once India had made such a huge score, the spinners tightened the noose and England were forced to follow on. England couldn't do much the second time around too as Kumble's 4 wickets ensured an innings win. The win broke all precedent for India, who went into the match with 2 spinners and still got the job done. The move to bat first was a daring one, and it also helped India shed the conservative image they had built over the years. 

Australia vs India, Adelaide, 2003: India won by 4 wickets 

It was Rahul Dravid's Test match. He showed tremendous resilience allied with skill to take India home in what was a landmark victory - their first in Australia for nearly 23 years. Australia had made 556 in the first innings and still lost. Only once had a team scored more runs in the first innings of a Test and lost. The hosts had India on the mat at 85/4 before VVS joined Dravid in the first innings. They put on 303 and Dravid's 233 ensured Australia only had a lead of 33. Then on the fourth day, India found an unlikely bowling hero in Ajit Agarkar who took 6/41 to skittle Australia out for 196, giving India a chance to chase down 230. The final day's action was a test of nerves as Dravid strung together vital stands with Sehwag, Sachin and VVS. When Dravid cut MacGill to the point boundary he kissed the badge on his India cap and later Sourav Ganguly said that Dravid 'batted like god.' Dravid, who was on the field for most part of the five days, batted 835 minutes and scored 305 runs. Wisden called it 'a monumental effort, the finest performance by an Indian batsman in an overseas Test, because he made the difference.' 

England vs Australia, Birmingham, 2005: England won by 2 runs 

A modern day classic that ended fittingly, allowing England to level the Ashes. Surprisingly, Ponting bowled first and was punished with England racing away to 407 inside 80 overs - not the full 90 - the most conceded by Australia on the first day of any Test since 1938. England claimed a first innings lead of 99, but Shane Warne spun his web to take 6 second inning wickets to bundle them out for 182. Australia, chasing 282, lost Michael Clarke to the last ball of day 4, leaving them 107 away with just 2 wickets left. On the final day, Shane Warne joined Lee and clattered a quick 42 before treading on his wicket. When Kasprowicz joined Lee, 62 were still required. Both tail-enders then began to inch closer. Lee took blows all over his body, withstanding a fearful barrage from Flintoff and Harmison. 

The tension mounted when Simon Jones dropped Kasprowicz with 15 runs required and it seemed England would regret the error. Australia could still have won with 4 required, but Lee hit the ball straight to the sweeper cover for a single, when a stroke placed on either side of that man would have closed out the game. Then Harmison produced a short, sharp lifter that caught the glove of Kasprowicz, allowing the raucous crowd to find their voice. Wisden called it the greatest Test ever and when the Old Trafford Test began four days later, The Greatest Test DVD was on sale. The Ashes series had been brought to life and an Indian fan later thanked Kasprowicz for saving Test cricket - proof of just how much the match had changed the course of a summer. 

Australia vs India, Perth, 2008: India won by 72 runs 

The pre-match atmosphere was among the most tense for any Test. India had just come off Sydney-gate, a series had to be saved and there was a lot of acrimony between the two sides. The Aussies were gung-ho and predicted a serious thrashing, with the returning Shaun Tait expected to blow away the Indians. Instead India showed their mettle by out-witting the Aussies and ending their 16 match winning streak for the second time in the decade. It was Australia's first Test defeat at the WACA since 1996-97, and their first on home soil since India won in Adelaide in 2003. A solid knock from Dravid helped India post 330, and the Indian bowlers bowled Australia out for 212, gaining a lead of 118. India set them a target of 413 and Australia were on course with Ponting batting beautifully. However, that changed in one spell from the 20 year old Ishant Sharma, when he snared Ponting. Eventually, India won by 72 runs and skipper Anil Kumble described it as one of the best wins that he had been a part of. 

India vs Australia, Mohali, 2010: India won by one wicket 

Australia ran into their nemesis VVS Laxman once again and duly lost. It was a thrilling Test match that seemed to change course with every session. Shane Watson's 126 had powered Australia to 428, before Tendulkar replied with 98 as India ended with 405. Zaheer and Ishant shared 6 wickets to bowl Australia out for 192, leaving India 216 to win. They were soon in trouble at 119/6 when Tendulkar fell. It got worse, and with eight wickets down, Ishant joined Laxman - who was battling severe back spasms and needed a runner. 92 were required, but Ishant showed tremendous character to build a stand of 81 before he was wrongly given out LBW. Australia could've won the game when Ojha was short of his crease, but Steven Smith failed to hit the stumps directly. The resultant 4 overthrows proved crucial, before a couple of leg-byes sealed a nerve-wracking win. Laxman had thwarted Australia once again and his masterly 73 not-out included a rare display of emotion when he yelled at Ojha for not responding to the call of a quick single. It also left Ponting without a victory as Test captain on Indian soil, a record that was to stay when India won the series by winning in Bangalore in the next game.