Cricket is indeed a game of 'Glorious Uncertainties' and no one knows it better than India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Another year passed but the sorry state of Indian hockey refused to change as the prolonged struggle for power between two warring federations once again took centre-stage over the performance of the national team in 2011.

For once, doping did not take centre-stage in Indian weightlifting but the country failed to impress at the world stage with London Olympics qualification still uncertain.

Argentine wunderkind Lionel Messi's visit was undoubtedly the watershed moment for Indian football in a year during which its torchbearer Bhaichung Bhutia walked into the sunset after an illustrious career spanning a decade and a half.

Manchester was confirmed as the football capital of England in 2011 as the long-dormant spectre of racism re-emerged to cast a shadow over the sport.

Cricket and controversy, never far apart, were closely linked in a year where England finally achieved their long-held objective of climbing to the top of the world Test rankings.

The year 2011 saw many Indian sports emerging out of the shadow of cricket. Formula One and pro boxing were the first off the block to corner a lot of eyeballs.

The Los Angeles Lakers were chasing history by pursuing another title and the Miami Heat were partying on South Beach even before the season started, but it was the Dallas Mavericks who came in and stole the show in 2010-11.

Three Pakistani stars being jailed for spot-fixing in England underlined a mixed year for cricket in Asia despite India's memorable World Cup triumph at home in April.

Real Madrid and Barcelona will always be judged by how well they perform against each other, and in that regard a mere glance at the results of the year's seven Clasicos would suggest that not too much has changed in 12 months.