Sports in 2015: Cricket soap-opera dominated by Kohli's captaincy as Sania-Saina enjoy a dream year

New Delhi: A phase of transition gripped India's favourite obsession both on and off the field but tennis ace Sania Mirza and top shuttler Saina Nehwal ensured that sports other than cricket also had their moments of glory as they geared up for next year's Olympics in a low-key 2015.
That cricket dominated headlines for most part of the year was hardly a surprise given the drama which unfolded in an episodic manner, be it on the field or inside the BCCI power corridors.
Whether it was Virat Kohli starting his Test captaincy reign in the middle of a high-profile series in Australia or N Srinivasan waging a lone battle to save his chair before eventually bowing out from both the BCCI and the ICC, cricket was undoubtedly a soap opera that had the fans hooked

The feisty and ferocious Kohli ushered in the new age Indian cricket team with an approach which had the purists divided.
The sight of an Indian team unabashed about getting under the opponents' skin as much with words and gestures as with sheer superiority of skill was met with mixed response from both the fans and yesteryear stars of the game.
The Cricket World Cup made a return to Down Under, as Australia and New Zealand hosted the tournament after a gap of 23 years. Coming into the tournament in poor form, the Indian team lead by MS Dhoni managed to reach the semifinals to the surprise of many, riding on a remarkable collective bowling effort. The team lost to eventual champions Australia, who won yet another one-sided World Cup final against co-hosts New Zealand.
It was also a year which marked the end of an era with the retirement of swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan.
Away from the cricket field, it was a year in which Sania was undoubtedly the biggest success story with her staggering 10 titles on the tour -- two of them Grand Slams.
Her pairing with Swiss legend Martina Hingis was near invincible through the year and the duo enjoyed a 55:7 win-loss ratio, clinching nine titles together in all. The stupendous success catapulted the duo to world number one spot in women's doubles. Sania also fittingly won the Raji Khel Ratna award.
Among the men, India's 'ageless wonder' Leander Paes continued to bring laurels for himself by winning three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles with Hingis being the common factor.