Shock: How tense the race became in the closing stages. Once Nico Rosberg had jumped Max Verstappen midway through, it looked as though it would be a routine one-two for Mercedes. But Lewis Hamilton wasnt going to give up that easily and started to back his teammate into the chasing Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel in the closing stages. Knowing overtaking is tough in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton could afford to reduce his pace by over a second as Vettel closed in, but ultimately it wasnt enough.Was it fair racing? No doubt everyone will have an opinion, but for Hamilton he did everything he could to win the title, and can leave Abu Dhabi satisfied he left no stone unturned in his pursuit of a fourth title. He didnt break any rules in the process, didnt do anything unsafe and didnt jeopardise the teams constructors or drivers titles (which were already secure). It was feisty -- making the race a lot more exciting than it could have been -- but isnt that what we want from Formula One drivers?Shocker: Jolyon Palmer locking up and taking Carlos Sainz out while battling for position at Turn 17. Both drivers were making the most of a bad weekend at the time, but Palmer can have no excuse for the mistake, which ultimately led to a gearbox problem and retirement for Sainz.Overtake of the race: Nico Rosbergs pass on Max Verstappen was gutsy and crucial to his championship victory. Yes, he was on fresher tyres, but had he not made that pass, he could have found himself stuck behind the Red Bull with Sebastian Vettel coming through fast at the end. He was told to make the move on the previous lap and then got the job done the next time round.Strategy of the race: Ferrari may have had a disappointing season, but it ended with a fighting flourish. Red Bull should have had the legs on Sebastian Vettel this weekend, but Ferrari sent him on a long middle stint that allowed him to attack in the final stint using super-soft tyres. He was also helped by Hamilton backing up the pack, but when he passed Verstappen, the Red Bull wasnt sniffing around Rosbergs gearbox. It was the teams first podium since its home race in Monza and it well-earned.Radio broadcast of the race: I suggest you let us race. Hamilton responds to repeated requests from the Mercedes pit wall to speed up and help Rosberg pull a gap over Vettel in third.Driver of the Day: Nico Rosberg is undoubtedly the man of the moment. Say what you like about Lewis Hamiltons reliability record this year, but Rosberg got the results he needed to secure the title and finished it with a measured drive under difficult conditions at the final race. Arguably, Sebastian Vettels drive from sixth to third was tactically more impressive and Hamiltons lateral thinking showed significant skill to balance his lap time against the rest of the field (regardless of how sporting it may have been), but given the obstacles and pressure in place on Sunday, Rosberg was the driver that impressed most. Cheap Boston Bruins Jerseys China . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Cheap Anaheim Ducks Jerseys China . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. http://www.cheaphockeychina.com/ . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Cheap Arizona Coyotes Jerseys China . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. Hockey Jerseys China . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. The older I get, the better I was goes a familiar saying, referring to the human tendency to embellish the past and exaggerate ones abilities in a now-distant youth. I am often reminded of this when I encounter references to Indias alleged glory days in the 1970s, when, one may be led to believe, the side were world beaters.According to this myth, the quartet of great spinners - Chandra, Bedi, Prasanna and Venkat - backed by sharp close-in fielders and doughty batsmen made India a formidable opponent, especially at home.A nine-year-old who became a fan of the game the moment GR Viswanath hit that debut century against Bill Lawrys visiting Australians in the 1969-70 series, I was a keen witness to the decade that followed, and humbly suggest a fair amount of selective recall has rendered that era a tad more glorious than it really was.It would be churlish to deny that India did well to win in the West Indies and in England in 1971. But what followed thereafter is difficult to describe as great on any comparative yardstick. The MCC team that toured India in 1972-73 had exactly two Test players with any real experience - Derek Underwood and Alan Knott. Regulars like Geoff Boycott, John Snow, Bob Willis, John Edrich, Ray Illingworth, Basil DOliveira and others had either chosen to skip the subcontinent, retired, or been dropped on form.They were led by Tony Lewis, who was yet to play a Test match, and their top order was composed mainly of batsmen who had failed to establish themselves over the years (Dennis Amiss, Keith Fletcher, Mike Denness) or were just a few Tests old (Barry Wood and Tony Greig, for instance). Medium-pacer Geoff Arnold, himself a non-regular in the England team, was joined by Bob Cottam (playing his third Test) and Chris Old (yet to make his debut). Underwood was supported by three other spinners, who were best described as journeymen - Pat Pocock, Norman Gifford and Jack Birkenshaw.Despite the evident weakness of the MCC side, India managed to lose the first Test quite badly. They beat the visitors in Calcutta by 28 runs in a low-scoring thriller, and almost made a meal of chasing a mere 86 to win at Chepauk. The series was effectively over after the third Test since the featherbeds in Kanpur and Bombay spelled draws. While Indias spinners, especially Chandra, took the lions share of the wickets, the 2-1 win was hardly indicative of any greatness on Indias part.When India returned to England in the summer of 1974, they were trounced so badly that it hurts to recall it even now. In the course of three Tests, they lost 60 wickets (well, 59 - an injured Chandra did not bat in the infamous 42 at Lords), while England lost 24 - only two in the third Test - and won the second and third Tests by an innings each. Indias spinners were completely ineffective in the first half of a cold English summer and their batsmen simply unable to play the moving ball. While we proudly recall coming back from 2-0 down to level the home series against Clive Lloyds West Indies in the 1974-75 series (before losing the decider at thee Wankhede), we tend to forget how inexperienced Indias opponents were.dddddddddddd Gordon Greenidge and Viv Richards had yet to play a Test, and Andy Roberts had just made his debut at the time. Only Lloyd, Lance Gibbs and Roy Fredericks had played much Test cricket at all. With their experienced spin quartet ostensibly in their prime, and bowling in home conditions, India were favourites going in, yet lost the series.This was followed by back-to-back tours to New Zealand and the West Indies. India tied 1-1 with New Zealand in a three-Test series, and lost 1-2 against West Indies, the lone win of that tour being the record chase of 403 in Trinidad. That West Indian team had just been hammered 5-1 by the Australians, and two of Indias four Tests were played in Port-of-Spain, where the wicket was known to be both slow and ideal for spinners.When Greig led an England team to India later in 1976, once again the hosts began as firm favourites but proceeded to lose the first three Tests. England showed that patience and occupation of the crease were the secrets to succeeding on the slow tracks, and their tight bowling lines directed away from the strengths of Indias batsmen ensured a steady supply of wickets for their largely faceless bowling attack. Another home series lost.Perhaps the definitive indicator of the real worth of the Indian team back then was the tour to Australia in 1977-78. The Australians were severely depleted by the desertion of all their main cricketers, barring Jeff Thomson, to Packers World Series Cricket, and were effectively fielding a 2nd or even 3rd XI, led by Bob Simpson, who had come back after retiring from Test cricket a decade prior. Six Australians made their debuts in the first Test. Indias bowling attack included Chandra, Bedi and Prasanna, yet they lost by 16 runs. They also proceeded to lose the second (with Venkat replacing Prasanna), where nightwatchman Tony Mann, playing the second Test of his career, made a century to help Australia chase down 339. India did well to come back to level the series but eventually lost 3-2 - against a team that was, to put things in perspective, beaten 5-1 at home the next season by England.In October-November 1978, India lost 2-0 in a series in Pakistan that effectively finished tje spin quartet (even if some of them played on for a few more Tests). Later that season India prevailed 1-0 in a six-Test home series against Alvin Kallicharrans Packer-depleted West Indians. The sole victory amid five boring draws came at Chepauk, where India lost seven wickets on the way to chasing down 125.It is not my intention to query the skills of those players, or to deny that India had their moments of individual and team glory. Its rather to put those accomplishments back then in a comparative perspective in assessing their true worth. Most importantly, its to guard against that all-too-human tendency to view the past through rose-tinted lenses. ' ' '