Some of life's great moments come when they're least expected.
Just ask Australia's cricketers.
Few gave them much chance on their tour of India.
Yet, one Test into the four match series, they lead one-nil, having just crushed the home side in conditions generally thought to heavily favour the Indians.
Spin bowler Steve O'Keefe led the charge for Australia on a savagely turning pitch in Pune, taking twelve of the twenty wickets Australia claimed in the match, as they dimissed India for paltry totals of 107 and 105.
Captain Steve Smith also played a role in the 333-run triumph with a century in Australia's second innings.
He says his side has risen to the challenge.
"Coming to India, we hadn't won a game here for 4,502 days...I've been told those facts. It's been an incredibly long time. Guys were really excited about the opportunity to come and play here. We know it's a great challenge. And this game, the boys were up to the challenge"
The second Test starts in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru on Saturday (March 4).
In the A-League, this weekend's events have set up a huge match next weekend.
Melbourne Victory and Sydney F-C both won, keeping Victory within eight points of their original arch-rivals in top spot on the ladder with six matches to play.
The two teams play each other in Sydney on Friday night. (March 3)
It's perhaps the last chance anyone has of stopping Sydney from being this season's A-League premiers.
It will take a big effort for the Victory to live up to their name against Sydney in Sydney.
It's a fact perhaps best-reflected in coach Kevin Muscat expressing his dismay that his team let Adelaide score in their match on Saturday night, despite the fact his side won.
"(The) disappointing thing from tonight was that we conceded a goal. We shouldn't have, really. But it's okay. Entertaining, I suppose."
In rugby union, the Super Rugby season is underway.
The Waratahs, of New South Wales, and the Reds, of Queensland, were the two Australian teams to find success on the competition's opening weekend.
The Reds beat the Sharks, of South Africa, 28 points to 26 in Brisbane.
Whilst in the weekend's only Australian versus Australian match, the Waratahs beat the Western Force in Sydney, 19 points to 13.
Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson says he's grateful for the win- even if it was at least a touch unfashionable.
"We'll take that four points, bank that, get on the plane tommorrow. We could have easily dropped (lost)that game tonight. Really pleasing that we stuck in there, we ground it out, we got the result."
The plane Gibson refers to takes the Waratahs across the continent- and then the Indian Ocean- to South Africa, where they'll play their next two matches, against the Lions in Johannesburg, and then the Sharks in Durban.
And on this last weekend of February, a thought for something that will dominate many weekends to come this year for many sporting fans around the world.
It's now under a month until the Formula One world championship starts again.
Australia's hopes will once again be in the hands of Red Bull racing lead driver Daniel Ricciardo (ricardo).
He finished third in the world drivers championship last year.
And he's very clear what his aim is for this year.
"To be on the top step again, and I guess the goal is to be on the top step enough times that come, you know October, November, it puts me in the fight for a title."
Ricciardo's first chance to be on that coveted top step of the post-race podium comes next month, with the season's opening race- the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Share
