Sports

ignored-because-i-m-indian-sunil-gavaskar-fumes-over-not-being-invited-to-present-border-gavaskar-trophy

Sun Jan 05 14:03:16 IST 2025

Veteran Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar expressed displeasure over not being invited to present the border-Gavaskar trophy to Australia, following their win over India in the five-match rubber. The trophy is named after him and veteran Australian cricketer Allan Border.

"I certainly would have loved to have been there for the presentation. After all, it is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and it is about Australia and India," Code Sports quoted Gavaskar as saying. The cricketer expressed displeasure over he not being invited to the trophy presentation despite him being at the venue.

"I mean, I am here on the ground. To me, it should not matter that Australia won when it comes to the presentation. They played better cricket so they won. That's fine,” he said. "Just because I am an Indian... I would have been happy to present the trophy with my good friend Allan Border," Gavaskar added.

Both India and Australia have been competing for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since 1996-1997 and the rivalry has grown to become one of the biggest in Test cricket. After 10 years, Australia reclaimed the Border-Gavaskar trophy with a six-wicket win over India in the final Test. The five-match series drew record crowds at multiple venues and broke an 87-year-old attendance record at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last week.

football-premier-league-marcus-rashford-won-t-play-liverpool-game-for-manchester-united-here-s-why

Sat Jan 04 22:50:42 IST 2025

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford will miss Sunday's Premier League clash against leaders Liverpool at Anfield because of illness, head coach Ruben Amorim said.

"It's the same situation, at the moment he is ill. He is not training," Amorim told reporters ahead of the game.

The 27-year-old Rashford was left out of the squad for four straight matches before being named on the bench for their game against Newcastle United, which Amorim's side lost 2-0 at Old Trafford on Monday. Englishman Rashford, however, did not play a single minute against Newcastle.

With five losses in their last six league games, United struggle at 14th in the standings with 22 points from 19 matches, which was their worst placing to end a calendar year since they were 15th in 1989.

Amorim initially left Rashford out for the 2-1 derby win at Manchester City on Dec. 15, two days before the England international said he was "ready for a new challenge" after having been at United since the age of seven.

Rashford has scored 138 goals in 426 appearances since making his senior debut for the club in 2016, winning the Europa League, two FA Cups and the League Cup twice.

"We will see in the future but this is like a normal player, then I make a selection. So, it's the same. I think he is going to be out, this week he is out," Amorim said.

cricket-without-jasprit-bumrah-india-can-t-defend-200-against-australia-at-sydney-says-this-cricket-pundit-border-gavaskar-trophy

Sat Jan 04 22:15:07 IST 2025

Sunil Gavaskar feels India will struggle to defend even 200 in case premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah is unable to bowl at full throttle on the third day of the fifth and final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Bumrah had left the field for scans during the second day's post-lunch session after bowling just one over, having experienced some discomfort. However, he returned to the dressing room after undergoing precautionary scans for an unspecified niggle.

India pacer Prasidh Krishna said his skipper had suffered back spasm.

ALSO READ | Jasprit Bumrah injured? Stand-in skipper leaves field as Kohli takes over as captain

The medical team was monitoring him as India ended the day 145 runs in front with four-second innings wickets left on a SCG track which is aiding the bowlers.

If the captain is well and ready to go, then India have a good chance of defending 185 at the SCG, Gavaskar said. However, in his absence, Australia may find even 200 chaseable, he added.

"Look, if India scores 40 more runs or they put 185 on the board then they have a great chance but it all depends on Jasprit Bumrah's fitness. If Jasprit Bumrah is fit then 145-150 might be enough. But if Bumrah is not fit then a score of around 200 also might not be enough," said Gavaskar on Star Sports on Saturday.

"One thing that I liked was when he came back after the scan, obviously it took a lot of time because the hospital is a bit far, but he looked in good shape and his body language was such that there was no indication of the Australian team and it is very important to maintain the secrecy.

"Because, tactically you do not want to announce whether Bumrah will be available for bowling or not, and even if he is not available and this news goes across the opposition dressing room because till now Australian batsmen haven't found out a way to counter him, they don't know whether they should attack, defend, or whether they should play on front-foot.

ALSO READ | 'Have not retired; not going anywhere': Rohit Sharma clarifies after opting out of Sydney Test

"So to execute this plan it is important to maintain secrecy, so Bumrah and the Indian team management managed it quite well," Gavaskar said.

Bumrah, who led to a win in the first Test of the series, has already taken 32 wickets in the series, and had figures of 2/33 in 10 overs before leaving the field, having removed Marnus Labuschagne in the morning session and Usman Khawaja on the last ball of the first evening.

football-barcelona-can-t-register-dani-olmo-pau-victor-why-spanish-authorities-ruled-against-la-liga-giants-and-can-csd-help

Sat Jan 04 21:38:28 IST 2025

Barcelona's Dani Olmo and Pau Victor will be unable to play for the La Liga side in the second half of the season, Spanish football authorities said on Saturday. The ruling was made while rejecting the former La Liga champions's latest attempt to extend their registration.

According to Spanish media reports, Barcelona plan to file a complaint to the Spanish government via the Administrative Sports Court (CSD) in a last-ditch attempt to allow the pair to play. There was no immediate comment from Barcelona.

Euro-winning midfielder Olmo, 26, has been an integral part of Barcelona's team this season, while forward Victor, 23, has been largely restricted to substitute appearances. Barcelona are third in La Liga, five points behind leaders Real Madrid and three behind second-placed Atletico.

What can Barcelona do against RFEF ruling?

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and LaLiga said in a joint statement they had rejected a request to register them both for the second half, saying a cancelled licence could not be revived for a player by the same club in the same season.

"The Monitoring Committee agrees not to grant the prior approval or the definitive licence requested by FC Barcelona for the players Daniel Olmo Carvajal and Pau Victor Delgado," the RFEF said. Two courts had previously rejected the club's requests.

Hansi Flick's Barca had signed Olmo from RB Leipzig on a six-year deal in August for around 55 million euros ($56.7 million) and Victor in July, but only registered them for the first half of the season due to LaLiga wage cap considerations.

La Liga had previously welcomed the legal rulings, saying additional spending is allowed so long-term injuries do not weaken a team but the rule should not be exploited to allow the registration of players whose salaries exceed the limit. The club had managed to register Olmo after long-term injuries kept first-team players out of the squad for months, allowing Barca to allocate a portion of wages to register the man who was joint top scorer at the Euros.

ruthless-australia-knock-rudderless-india-out-of-wtc-final-reclaim-bgt-after-10-years

Sun Jan 05 10:36:37 IST 2025

An out-of-sorts India was knocked out of the World Test Championship final as Australia cruised to a six-wicket victory in the fifth Test here on Sunday to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years, leaving the visitors with several points to ponder in a difficult transition phase.

Australia won the five-match series 3-1 and also qualified for the World Test Championship final against South Africa slated at the Lord's from June 11 to 15.

A target of 162 could have been trickier had new Test captain Jasprit Bumrah been in a position to bowl despite painful back spasms but once Virat Kohli led the team out, it was as clear as the Sydney skyline that defending the total would be next to impossible.

Bumrah deservedly claimed the player of the series honour for his astonishing haul of 32 wickets in five matches but that was hardly a consolation for the shambolic team performance that India managed.

"Little frustrating but sometimes you have to respect your body, you can't fight your body. Disappointing, probably missed out on the spiciest wicket of the series," Bumrah said of his inability to bowl in the second innings during the post-match presentation ceremony.

Prasidh Krishna (3/65 in 12 overs) and Mohammed Siraj (1/69 in 12 overs) were not a patch on Bumrah and despite multiple breakthroughs, they bowled too many poor deliveries to make it easy for the hosts to canter home in just 27 overs.

Usman Khawaja (41), Travis Head (34 not out) and debutant Beau Webster (39 not out) completed the formalities, putting an end to India's misery in a tour that has exposed all of the team's batting frailties and an unhealthy reliance on Bumrah. Once Bumrah was ruled out after he tried some shadow bowling during the morning warm-up session and didn't feel comfortable, the writing was on the wall.

The magnificent Scott Boland (6/45) and the ever-reliable Pat Cummins (3/44) polished off the Indian tail for just 157 in 39.5 overs. If one takes out Rishabh Pant's fiesty 61 and Yashasvi Jaiswal's 22, the other nine players collectively contributed a mere 74 runs.

The series would leave the men who matter in Indian cricket establishment with a lot on their minds when they deliberate on ways to get the house back in order.

With six of the completed innings yielding less than 200 runs, one doesn't need a soothsayer to tell what went wrong on the tour. Regular skipper Rohit Sharma and batting talisman Virat Kohli flopped with technical issues troubling them throughout the season.

Jaiswal (391 runs) was the top-scorer despite three ducks followed by rookie Nitish Kumar Reddy (298 runs), KL Rahul (276 runs) and Pant (255 runs).

As much as one wants to take a nuanced view of Rohit and Kohli's poor form but it is undeniable that both veterans are finding it increasingly difficult to stem the rot that has set in their batting.

There are a few good youngsters in the fringes and the new World Test Championship cycle would demand that they be given a chance to develop over time.

While a tough call on Kohli and Rohit is awaited, the BCCI brass also needs to seriously look at whether coach Gautam Gambhir is the right man to be in-charge across formats.

Under Gambhir, India have lost six Tests out of 10 during the season going by apart from being defeated in an ODI series in Sri Lanka. If Kohli and Rohit are held accountable, Gambhir can't be let off merely because the team is in transition.

The head coach's head-strong approach is an pen secret and it is not earning him too many friends in the dressing room. Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement after Brisbane and Rohit's eventual call to drop himself happened in a manner that can best be described as abrupt.

Messing with a player's gameplan isn't the best way to manage as Rishabh Pant demonstrated by oscillating between too careful at times that only disrupted his natural rhythm.

But more than batting, it would be the bowling both pace and spin that would be a huge concern for the national selection committee as well as the team management. Bumrah's absence showed what India missed on the final day even though it was heavily tilted towards Australia.

As Glenn McGrath put it, had Bumrah not taken 32 wickets, there was no chance that India would have managed a 1-3 margin.

In Brisbane, they were saved by rain and in Melbourne, Rohit let the game drift away during the final session on day four.

It has taken Mohammed Siraj 36 Test matches to complete 100 wickets and these are not exactly great figures.

Deep is still raw but has potential while Prasidh Krishna can swing between bowling unplayable deliveries and pedestrian work.

Harshit Rana is simply not prepared for this level and would need to play loads of Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and India A games to get ready for big Tests.

In the spin department, Ravindra Jadeja is now more of a batter and less of a spinner unless the wicket has something to offer from day one like it happens in India.

Washington Sundar's 12 wickets in Pune should be looked in isolation and he is also more of a batter than a competent off-spinner on batting-friendly wickets.

Only silver lining of the series is Jaiswal taking over the mantle as the next batting superstar and the raw talent exhibited by Nitish Reddy.

Reddy's bowling, if it develops, would give India a chance to play three spinners at home on decent tracks.

football-why-tottenham-is-signing-goalkeeper-antonin-kinsky-after-handing-brandon-austin-premier-league-debut-against-newcastle-united

Sat Jan 04 20:17:20 IST 2025

Premier League's Tottenham Hotspur is on the verge of sealing their first January transfer by roping in goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague.

According to reports, Czech Republic U21 international Antonin Kinsky will cost Tottenham £12.5 million.

The news comes amidst Spurs handing 25-year-old Brandon Austin his debut against Newcastle United at home on Saturday.

Why Tottenham want to sign a goalkeeper mid-season?

Tottenham, who are currently placed in the bottom half of the Premier League table, lost their first-choice Guglielmo Vicario to an ankle injury. Fraser Forster, Vicario's deputy, was among the stars infected by a sickness bug, Sky Sports said while reporting Brandon Austin's Premier League debut. Thus, they were forced to use their third-choice shot-stopper against the in-form Magpies.

According to reports, 21-year-old Kinsky will reach London on Saturday and have a medical on the same evening.

Kinsky, who is expected to become Spurs custodian over Austin in the absence of Vicario and Forster, managed 12 clean sheets for leaders Slavia Prague in the Czech First League across 19 appearances.

Who is Brandon Austin?

Meanwhile, Austin waited around a decade for his first start for Tottenham. Austin, who possesses dual American/English nationality, once played for the US under 18s.

Brandon Austin has played for Spurs' youth teams from 2014 and has been a regular member of the first-team squad since returning from a loan spell at Orlando City in 2021. He has appeared in Tottenham's senior matchday squad on 78 occasions prior to his debut, the club said.

Eight players were missing for Saturday's home match against Newcastle, including the suspended Uruguayan Rodrigo Bentancur.

Dominic Solanke, who arrived from Bournemouth for €64.3 million is the costliest player in the history of the London club, followed by Tanguy Ndombele, who came from Lyon for €62 million.

football-transfer-rumours-liverpool-s-trent-alexander-arnold-to-join-real-madrid-in-january-arne-slot-says-no-guarantee-right-back-will-stay-until-summer

Sat Jan 04 23:02:27 IST 2025

Real Madrid and Trent Alexander-Arnold's mutual liking is not a secret anymore. However, Liverpool fans were hopeful that their academy product would stay till the end of the season as they continue to maintain a comfortable lead at the top of the Premier League table.

However, to the disappointment of Liverpool loyals, their manager Arne Slot has reportedly claimed that he can't guarantee the right-back's stay at Afield until the end of the season. Real Madrid is preparing a second offer for Trent ahead of the January transfer window, the report said.

FULL REPORT | Trent Alexander-Arnold tells Liverpool he wants to join Real Madrid next summer

Trent Alexander-Arnold can join the La Liga heavyweights as a free agent at the end of the current season. However, the Los Blancos are interested in getting Alexander-Arnold's service immediately as their first-choice right-back and captain Dani Carvajal is unvailable along with defenders Eder Militao and David Alaba.

Speaking to the media ahead of Liverpool's Premier League clash against Manchester United, Slot said that Trent Alexander-Arnold remains committed as ever as he gives 100% on the training ground. It is difficult to say what happens in a month or six when it comes to football, Slot added.

"I can tell you that he's playing on Sunday and hopefully he'll bring the same performances as he's brought in the last half year.... The only thing I do know is that he (Trent Alexander-Arnold) is fully focused and ready to play for us on Sunday and as long as he is here," Goal.com quoted Slot as saying.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is free to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club in January. However, Real Madrid decided to get in touch with his current club first as a token of respect, TalkSport said in a report quoting sources at Madrid. Real's England midfielder Jude Bellingham is a close friend of Trent's and his influence is said to have solidified his decision to make a switch to the Spanish capital.

have-not-retired-not-going-anywhere-rohit-sharma-clarifies-after-opting-out-of-sydney-test

Sat Jan 04 10:21:17 IST 2025

Amid widespread specualtion that he will be retiring from Tests, India skipper and senior batter Rohit Sharma, on Saturday, clarified that he "stood down" from the ongoing Sydney Test against Australia because of poor form. He categorically denied he is retiring from any format of the game.

"I have not retired. I stood down, that is what I would say,” Sharma told Star Sports. “Basically, the chat that I had with the coach and the selectors was very simple. That I am not able to score runs, there is no form, it is an important match and we need a player with form. As it is, in our batting, the form of the boys is not that good. So, you cannot carry a lot of out-of-form players in the team. This simple thing was going on in my mind,” he reasoned.

"That is why I wanted to tell the coach and the selector that this is what is going on in my mind. They backed my decision. They said that you have been playing for so many years. You know what you are doing. So, for me, it was difficult to take this decision. But if everything is kept in front, then this decision was sensible. I will not think much further," Sharma added.

“I am not going anywhere.”

"I have seen a lot in cricket that life changes every second, every minute, every day. I have confidence in me that things can change, but at the same time I have to be realistic as well,” Sharma said.

"So, life won't change by what people with a mic, pen or laptop write or say. They can't decide when we should retire, when we should sit out, when we should captain. I am a sensible man, mature man, father of two kids. So, I know what I need in life."

ALSO READ: Who will replace Rohit Sharma as captain?

After missing the opening Test in Perth due to the birth of his second child, Sharma returned to the team and tried to bat in the middle order, before going out to open the innings, but in vain. His scores read 3, 6, 10, 3 and 9 in the three Tests that followed.

His captaincy, too, came under fire, with former cricketers calling him a “reactive” skipper rather than a proactive one, for not seizing moments in the games. His field settings and bowling changes, too, were criticised.

In Test cricket in 2024, Sharma scored just 619 runs in 26 innings across 14 matches averaging 24.76.

ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma opens up on Jasprit Bumrah dependency, Rishabh Pant's recklessness

Sharma's revelation came after ex-cricketers like Ricky Ponting and Navjot Singh Sidhu had cast doubts about the skipper “opting out” of the Sydney Test. While the Australian great said that though Sharma's absence was expected due to his woeful form, he was "surprised" by the Indian team's wording. Sidhu, on the other hand, said that Sharma's decision was "bizarre" as it sends the wrong signal.

In Sharma's absence, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is leading the team, while Shubman Gill was included in the playing XI for the crucial fifth and final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, which India are trailing 1-2. India won the first match in Perth under Bumrah.

jasprit-bumrah-injured-stand-in-skipper-leaves-field-as-kohli-takes-over-as-captain

Sat Jan 04 15:10:09 IST 2025

India were dealt a huge blow on the second day of the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, in Sydney, as pace spearhead and stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah had to leave the field because of an unspecified injury.

The 31-year-old, who is leading the side in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma after he opted out of the Sydney Test because of poor form, left the field shortly after the lunch break. Reports say that he has left the Sydney Cricket Ground for precautionary scans, as he felt some discomfort after bowling an over post the break. From visuals, it appeared to be a side strain. He was seen speaking to Kohli and leaving the field. The official broadcasters later showed him leaving the venue with team's security liaison officer Anshuman Upadhyay and team doctor in an SUV.

Bumrah, who has been India's strike bowler throughout the series, dismissed Marnus Labuschagne in the morning session to take his series tally to 32 wickets at an average of 13.06.

The Indian team is yet to issue a statement about Bumrah's condition. Former skipper and veteran batter Virat Kohli has taken over as the captain in his absence.

India take a four-run lead

The Indians, however, did not let Bumrah's absence affect them much, as Mohammed Siraj (3/51) and Prasidh Krishna (3/42) produced a great spell of fast bowling to dismiss the Aussies for 181. All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, too, chipped in with two wickets.

Debutant Beau Webster, who top scored for the Aussies with a solid 57, held the innings together even as wickets fell regularly at the other end. He put on 57 runs with Steve Smith (33) for the fifth wicket, but did not get much support from other batters.

After Bumrah dismissed Labuschagne, Sira removed Sam Konstas (23) and Travis Head (4) in the same over, before Krishna got Smith at the stroke of lunch to reduce the Aussies to 101/5 at the break.

Post-lunch, the Indian pacers continued to chip away as Krishna dismissed Alex Carey (21) with an angled-in delivery, while Reddy got Pat Cummins (10) and Mitchell Starc (1). Krishna then removed Webster, who fell to an excellent catch by Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully, while Siraj put the finishing touches, castling Scott Boland for 9.

India need to win the Sydney Test to level the series at 2-2 and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

sydney-test-jasprit-bumrah-breaks-bishan-bedi-47-year-old-record-but-will-he-bowl-on-day-3

Sat Jan 04 15:19:02 IST 2025

India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah continued his great form, picking up his 32^nd wicket in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, before a back spasm laid him low on day 2 of the fifth and final Test in Sydney.

Bumrah, who dismissed Aussie opener Usman Khawaja off the final ball of the day yesterday, got Marnus Labuschagne to edge one to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant for two runs in the morning session.

With this, he went past Indian spin legend Bishan Singh Bedi's 47-year-old record of 31 wickets in a Test series against Australian on their soil. Bedi had achieved the feat in the 1977-78 series. The top five wicket-takers in series against Australia Down Under are:

32*: Jasprit Bumrah (2024-25)

31: Bishan Bedi (1977-78)

28: B.S. Chandrasekhar (1977-78)

25: E.A.S. Prasanna (1967-68)

25: Kapil Dev (1991-92)

However, Bumrah's injury has dealt a serious blow to the visitors as the Sydney Test is interestingly poised. The team is waiting for an update from the medical staff about his availability, pacer Prasidh Krishna said after the day's play today.

ALSO READ: 'Have not retired; not going anywhere': Rohit Sharma clarifies after opting out of Sydney Test

Bumrah, who was the stand-in skipper for the Sydney Test in Rohit Sharma's absence, had left the field for scans during the second day's post-lunch session after bowling just one over. With the 31-year-old away from the field for three hours and 20 minutes, senior batter and former India skipper Virat Kohli led the side.

A lower back injury had kept Bumrah away from cricket for nearly one year, between 2022 and 2023.

Sydney Test heads for exciting finish

Indian batters, with the exception of Rishabh Pant, once again failed to rise to the occasion, as the visitors were reduced to 141/6, with the overall lead being 145, at stumps on day 2.

Despite widespread criticism for his aggressive style of play which resulted in him throwing away his wickets at crucial junctures in the series, Pant scored a spectacular 33-ball-61 to keep India afloat. The wicketkeeper-batter struck four sixes and six boundaries. But, Pant perished by the sword, edging the ball to Alex Carey while trying to attack a wide delivery from Pat Cummins.

The other batters found it difficult to face the Aussie pacers on a tricky pitch. Openers KL Rahul (13) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22) started well, but were both castled by Scott Boland (4/42). Virat Kohli (6) then lost his wicket on outside the off stump line for the eighth successive time in this series, to Boland. Shubman Gill (13) once again fell to an aggressive shot, falling to Beau Webster this time.

Nitish Kumar Reddy (4) became Boland's fourth victim, miscuing a length ball to Cummins at mid-off. Ravindra Jadeja (8*) and Washington Sundar (6*) are at the crease.

India will be looking to set a target of at least 175 runs, if not more, and to have a good chance of winning, the visitors would need the services of their best bowler of the series.