In the last innings of the Bangalore Test, a 22-year-old walked out instead of Rahul Dravid – and made sure he gave those watching plenty to talk about

Nagraj Gollapudi21-Oct-2010For one poignant moment Cheteshwar Pujara was a fan again. Looking over the shoulders of his team-mates at the post-match presentation following his audacious innings on the final day of the second Test against Australia in Bangalore, Pujara did not want to miss out on anything Sachin Tendulkar was saying. When Tendulkar finally mentioned his name, Pujara’s face lit up.It was not that he was feeling empty without an acknowledgement from his senior team-mates. His 72 runs in the final innings had shut Australia out of the contest. He had no doubt he belonged among the elite. He just wanted to hear his name, savour the moment, soak in the happiness.A week later he still is pinching himself in delight. “I am still recovering a little bit,” he says. “It is a great feeling, no doubt.” But he is not getting carried away. “There are many things to achieve in life. It is a very good start but it is in the past now, and as a cricketer I would like to be in the present.”Only Pujara and his father-mentor-coach-comforter Arvind know how hard it was for him to claim the honour of being India’s 266th Test cricketer. Rajkot is no backward town, but in terms of cricketing infrastructure it is the outback. Pujara trained on concrete wickets, with sparse kit, against average bowling, and grew hungry as time ticked by.At 22, he has not waited all that long to earn a Test berth. It just seems that way, though, since he seems to have been scoring big in domestic cricket forever. In the last four first-class seasons Pujara has averaged at least 50: in 2006-07 he logged 595 runs at 59.50 (two centuries and three fifties); in 2007-08, 807 at 73.36 (three centuries and three fifties); 2008-09, 906 runs at 82.36 (four centuries); and last season he had 554 at 79.14 (one hundred and four fifties).His desperation possibly had something to do with the fact that contemporaries like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli seemed to be gaining mileage in the media based on brilliance they had shown in the shorter versions. Pujara did not panic and try and transform his game, though. He suppressed his impatience and kept his focus clear. And when in Bangalore he was told he was in, an hour before the toss, he knew he was ready. He walked in as if he belonged.On the eve of the Test Gary Kirsten told him to be prepared and that he might get a chance. VVS Laxman was to have a fitness test for back spasms on the morning of the match. Pujara went to bed thinking Laxman would probably make it.During the morning warm-up, Laxman walked up to Pujara to tell him he wasn’t feeling okay and that he might not play. “He also said sorry to keep me hanging in the balance,” Pujara says. “Because I was making my debut he understood that if I was playing and got the news 45 minutes or an hour before the match, it was not good. But he couldn’t do anything about it and I told him that.”When he walked in to bat on the third day, he couldn’t have asked for a better partner. Tendulkar was already in the zone, inching towards his double-century.”Sachin told me, ‘You will feel some pressure initially because it is your debut match. You will feel some nerves and stiffness in the body. But just enjoy it, don’t put pressure on yourself. It will go away after 10-15 minutes.’

“When I went in I did not feel anything. But as soon as I reached the crease I saw my name followed by the word ‘debutant’. Everyone started screaming. Then I felt, ‘Oh, this is the moment I have always wanted to be in'”

“When I went in I did not feel anything. But as soon as I reached the crease I saw my name, followed by the word ‘debutant’. Everyone started screaming. Then I felt, ‘Oh, this is the moment I have always wanted to be in.’ It was different from a Ranji game.”Having watched Tendulkar and M Vijay dominate the Australian bowling for many hours on an easy pitch, Pujara was looking forward to batting himself. He lasted only three balls, though, and was defeated by a fast, angled, ankle-height Mitchell Johnson delivery from round the stumps. Tendulkar and other team-mates consoled Pujara later, pointing out it was not his fault.”I was really disappointed and it was really difficult to sleep,” he says. “The wicket seemed very batting-friendly. So I thought things would be easy for me, especially as the bowlers were tired. And I was feeling well when I entered. The second ball I hit a four but somehow I got out.”He did not let the disappointment affect his fielding on the fourth day, impressing with his agility at silly point and short leg, giving India’s spinners confidence and putting pressure on the Australians.Pujara’s hour of reckoning would arrive on the fifth morning, when he was told during the warm-ups that he would have to bat at one-down. “I said, ‘It is perfect,'” he says. He agreed with the team management’s strategy behind the move, which was that they did not want an inexperienced player down the order with India chasing in the fourth innings. “Raina and myself are good players but we are still inexperienced in Test cricket.”The confidence MS Dhoni showed in him despite it being only his second international innings was important to him. “The opportunity I got of batting at No. 3 was one of the best moments. It was a bit difficult – a challenging task,” Pujara says. “As a debutant you want to score some runs in the first innings, to prove you are capable enough to play at the international level. And when you get out for a low score your confidence does go down. I told myself that I did not do anything wrong, so let me be positive. I have done enough hard work and I’m capable enough to play at international level. And when I got to play at three, that was my best chance.”On the fourth evening he read a spiritual book in Gujarati. One sentence made an impression: “If you have worked enough and if you trust God, then why do you worry about the result?” The book is one Pujara has had since he was 12 or 13. It was introduced to the family by his mother, Reena. “She did not force us to read it, she just left it there. One day I picked it up and started to read it. I get life-changing thoughts reading such stuff, as I believe in God,” he says.The second time he went in to bat, that sentence came to mind. “I said I wouldn’t worry about the result. I have worked hard enough. I will try and be in the present. I will just bat,” he says.”The Bangalore innings is in the past now, and as a cricketer I would like to be in the present”•AFPWhen Virender Sehwag got out on the fifth morning the crowd went mute for a minute, then sighed, seeing Pujara and not Rahul Dravid, the local hero, walk in. Did Pujara sense the disappointment of the fans? He begs to differ.”I sensed they wanted me to score runs. They wanted India to win,” he says. But he admits the first ball was difficult. The first-innings dismissal was playing on his mind. “I was a bit more nervous.”He took a risky single and was lucky Ricky Ponting missed hitting the stumps at the end to which Vijay was rushing. The next over, Pujara hit Johnson for a boundary, but the momentum only swung his way when Nathan Hauritz came on to bowl his first over of the day. Pujara charged him second ball to hit an off-drive that went straight, past the right of mid-off, to the boundary – his favourite shot from the innings. Eleven came off that over. “I thought then that I could dominate the bowlers,” he says.The fields set for Hauritz were easy for Pujara to manipulate. He had watched the offspinner closely in the first innings. “I had seen him bowl to the same fields during the first innings from round the wicket to Sachin and Vijay. I don’t want to say if it was the right field or wrong field, but I knew what field he was going to bowl to me,” he says. By lunch Pujara was on 26, including four boundaries.Pujara made his Test debut on October 9 – the day, in 2005, that his mother passed away, succumbing to cancer. “She was one of the most inspiring persons in my life and the one whom I loved the most,” he says. “So I did not want to do anything sad. Wherever she is now, she would be happy.”For Pujara to play for India has not been a dream for him alone. It has been a family dream, one achieved through collective efforts. If there is one person happier than Pujara, it is his father.”He is a modest person,” Pujara says. “People are not aware of how much he has done for me. His contribution to me is tremendous. The satisfaction is, I have met his dream.”

Plays of the day from the second day of the first Test between India and Australia in Mohali

Sidharth Monga in Mohali02-Oct-2010The intent
Until Mitchell Johnson came out to bat, Harbhajan Singh had been allowed to bowl pretty much wherever he wanted to. Johnson saw three deliveries, and then lofted him over long-on for the first six of the innings. Soon came the lunch break. After lunch, the after-effects of that six could be felt. Harbhajan resumed bowling to Johnson with a long-on, deep midwicket and deep backward square leg in place.The change
Of his 30 overs, Zaheer Khan bowled the first 25 from the Pavilion End. It made sense too, for he was bowling really well from that end. Once the Johnson-Tim Paine partnership started assuming alarming proportions, and Zaheer was hit for back-to-back fours, MS Dhoni switched him to the City End. And lo, Zaheer removed Johnson first ball.The after-you moment
Dhoni usually has some fine gentlemen for company in slips. Sachin Tendulkar is respected the world over, Rahul Dravid is always proper in his conduct, VVS Laxman is, well, a Hyderabadi. Perhaps there is too much gentlemanliness floating around in the Indian slips as Dhoni thought it better to give Dravid an opportunity to add to his 197 Test catches when a Paine edge bisected him and first slip. This is the second time such territorial confusion has happened with Dhoni in less than four months, after he failed to go for a catch between him and first slip in Galle.The statistic
When Virender Sehwag cut Nathan Hauritz for a single in the 13th over of the innings, he joined Vivian Richards and Gautam Gambhir to have scored a half-century or more in 11 straight Tests. Gambhir was right there to congratulate him.The boo
Sehwag’s dismissal less than 10 minutes from stumps was, of course, a sad event for the weekend crowd at the PCA Stadium, but soon they realised who the next batsman would be, and cheered up again, chanting “Sachin, Sachin”, rushing to the front rows to catch a glimpse of the man walking out to bat. Alas, they saw Ishant Sharma walk out as the nightwachman, and gave him the booing of his life. And it had nothing to do with his 11.4 overs for 71 runs, or the 10 no-balls that he bowled.

Somehow Australia have either hung in or come back for the last four days to now be favourites

Sidharth Monga in Mohali04-Oct-2010Whatever happens on the final day of this great Test, Australia can be proud of themselves. Don’t count on them feeling content with this, though.This has been an un-Australian display in many ways, but in the refusal to give up, in the fight they have put up despite limitations, this has been so very Australian. And that is the beauty of playing Australia, that only rarely – like in Nagpur two years ago – do they make it easy for the other side to win.In foreign conditions, with two bowlers who had never played Tests here and one who had played one, with a wobbly middle order that has allowed the Indian spinners to dictate terms, somehow Australia have either hung in or come back for the last four days to now be favourites.Earlier Australian sides wouldn’t have batted the way Shane Watson and Tim Paine did in the first innings. Even as recently as in 2008-09, Matthew Hayden was trying to hit his way out of trouble, feeling out of place as one of the pack. The difference, perhaps, was that that team was not used to struggling. This team has not only been introduced to the struggles, it seems to be enjoying the fight. And India, down to three bowlers and five batsmen in the first innings, have given them some fight, only for Australia to absorb, absorb, absorb, and then strike back at a weak moment.On the start of the fourth morning, with all three results possible, Australia showed safety was the last thing on their minds. Watson went from monk to marauder, identifying the moment to seize and coming hard at India. All the shots he had avoided earlier, he played now: the upper-cut, the slog-sweep, the adventurous drive against the turn. A collapse followed, but two left-hand batsmen who were denied by the golden generation before them stuck around to push Australia to a defendable total.Simon Katich and Michael Hussey began their careers almost simultaneously as kids in Perth, and started this game with the same number of caps and runs. Hussey followed Katich into the 4000-run club today, and you couldn’t help but wonder how many more they would have got had they been born in some other country. Both of them have been part of – fleetingly, albeit – the days of domination too, but as scratchy accumulators. The 42 runs that came from their scratchy accumulation today will not be talked about often, but just ask India what they won’t give for a 42-run stand right now?The pièce de résistance, though, came when Australia came out to defend 215. If Virender Sehwag got off to a flier, this would have been one last Australian effort in this match. And if this was going to be the one last effort, they were going to make it grand.The Australian bowlers might not have the skill of Zaheer Khan, but they made up for it through aggression and persistence. The wickets didn’t come through a cracking pitch or a mischievous spinner, but through three pace bowlers finding energy they didn’t seem to have in the first innings. Ben Hilfenhaus’ pace went up dramatically, Doug Bollinger found accuracy, and Mitchell Johnson just had to do the back-up job.”We had a bit over an hour to bowl,” Hilfenhaus said later. “We knew we could come out hard. We knew we didn’t have the runs on the board, and this could be the defining moment in the match.”There have been teams that have tried the short ball against Sehwag in the last two years and failed, but the Australian trio remained quick and accurate. With only two men in front of square, Bollinger kept pounding in the bouncers at around 140kmph, and hit Rahul Dravid once before getting his wicket.Hilfenhaus was prepared to play what is not his natural game. He bowled as many bouncers and cutters as he did outswingers. He had been much better in the first innings than figures of 0 for 100 suggest. For somebody playing his first Test in the country, he has shown remarkable knowledge of Indian conditions. He has been bowling off a shorter run, preserving energy for longer spells, and has done well with the old ball that hasn’t quite swung.Against Sehwag today, two of his bouncers sailed over the keeper’s head, giving away close to 4% of what Australia were defending. With a change of ends, he kept searching for the correct bouncer. It wasn’t quite an unplayable delivery, and Sehwag has managed these before too, but the right amount of pressure had been created.Similarly Hilfenhaus has promised to put Sachin Tendulkar, who has terrorised generations of Australian bowlers before him for 20 years, under the pump on the final day. Who can blame him for feeling confident? Staying consistent with the Australian way, expect Hilfenhaus and friends to make India fight for every single run.

He bowled three solid overs, in the mid 130s or thereabouts, and all the damage to England was done elsewhere. Still, both India and Shami will be breathing a sigh of relief

Hemant Brar28-Jan-2025Rajkot is probably the last venue a fast bowler would want to make his comeback at. Before today, the average first-innings total in T20Is here was 186. In his pitch report for the third India-England T20I, Murali Kartik called the playing surface “as bald as my head”, while Nick Knight labelled it a “#belter”. But Mohammed Shami would not have minded any of that, especially after being out of international cricket for 14 months.Shami’s last outing for India was in November 2023: the ODI World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad. He was nursing his ankle throughout the tournament and underwent surgery in February 2024.His previous T20I was way back in 2022: the World Cup semi-final against England in Adelaide. Since then, India’s approach to T20 cricket has shifted tectonically. Luckily, that shift has to do with batting, not bowling. So Shami did not have to change anything.Related

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After he was named in the squad for the England T20Is – by now the focus of the Indian cricketing circle had moved from his ankle to his knees – many expected him to play right away. He bowled in the nets ahead of the first two T20Is with knee support, but did not play in either. Was he still not 100% fit, or did team composition play a role? We do not know the answer yet. But on Tuesday, India rested Arshdeep Singh and gave Shami a go.After Suryakumar Yadav opted to bowl, Shami was into the action straightaway. With his very first delivery, he showed what India had been missing. It was a good-length ball, the seam angling towards deep third. Phil Salt threw his hands at it but was beaten as the ball swung away.Whenever a fast bowler returns from an injury, the eyes automatically shift towards the speed gun. It read a satisfactory 134.6kph. That the wicketkeeper collected it on the bounce had to do with the pitch.That was a cue for Shami to take the slip out. On the next ball, Salt found a boundary down the ground, even though he barely middled the punch.Shami then decided to attack the stumps and bowled an inswinger; Salt worked it towards short midwicket. Speed? 134.1kph. Hovering around that mark, Shami conceded only six in his first over.He started his second over with his trademark dead-straight seam. Jos Buttler had a waft at it, but the ball seamed away. It looked like there might have been a faint edge. It would not have mattered, though, as Sanju Samson fumbled it behind the stumps.For left-hand batter Ben Duckett, Shami went around the wicket. The batter used the angle and scooped him over the keeper’s head for a six. After two overs, Shami’s figures read 2-0-15-0.As India trained ahead of the England series, the returning Mohammed Shami had his knee(s) strapped•AFP/Getty ImagesBy the time Shami returned for his third over, the 19th of the innings, Varun Chakravarthy’s five-for had England reeling on 151 for 9. Shami went for hard lengths and slower ones but could not prevent Adil Rashid and Mark Wood from taking ten (plus a bye) from the over. The only time he tried a yorker, it ended up as a beamer.Shami finished with none for 25 from his three overs. It was not a dream comeback but it was not shabby either. Given there were no signs of discomfort, both Shami and the team management would be pleased with it.Because in the last few months, whenever Shami tried to make a comeback, he had a setback. He was expected to feature in the home Test series against Bangladesh last year, but that did not happen. The same was the case for the New Zealand Tests.A few months later, he appeared for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy match and bowled 43 overs across two innings. Following that, he played in all nine games at the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, taking 11 wickets with an economy rate of 7.85.Just when it started looking like he could be part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, the knee issue came up. As he increased his workload to be ready for Test cricket, his left knee started swelling, and ruled him out of the Australia tour.Therefore, even though he bowled just three overs tonight and failed to pick up a wicket, India would consider Shami’s return a big positive, especially with the Champions Trophy on the horizon and then the Test series in England later in the year.

Plays of the Day from the one-off T20 international between England and West Indies

George Dobell at Trent Bridge24-Jun-2012Disappointment of the Day
Alex Hales’ dismissal for 99. In a game where personal milestones sometimes obscure team achievement, the disappointment of Hales and his home crowd was perfectly understandable. Had Hales scored just one more, he would have become just the seventh man to record a century in a T20 International and it would have been the first for England. He later said that he could not have asked for a more obliging delivery from which to score his century – it was a quick half-volley, really – but instead he was bowled. He need not worry: it is a team game and here he produced the matchwinning contribution.Wicket of the Day
West Indies recovered well through Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, but the early wicket of Chris Gayle was still a vital moment in this match. It meant West Indies endured a sluggish start – they scored only 38 off their first eight overs – and, despite some steep acceleration towards the end of their innings, they never fully made up time. Gayle was the victim of good planning and good fast bowling: cramped for room by a sharp, short ball from the distinctly hostile Steven Finn, Gayle was unable to control the stroke and top-edged to fine leg. It was the first of two very well judged catches from Jonny Bairstow and also reward for some smart captaincy from Stuart Broad, who had just moved the deep fielder from square to fine leg.Catch of the Day
Sometimes, given his skill in the outfield, it is hard to remember that Bairstow is also a wicketkeeper. His catch to dismiss Lendl Simmons, running in from the midwicket boundary and diving, was exceptionally good. Bairstow not only covered the ground quickly but, despite the potential distraction of Hales, running back from midwicket, threw himself forward to cling on to the ball. It was an example not only of Bairstow’s value to England, but also of the team’s athleticism and skill in the field. In a format where games can be decided by such moments, it provides England with a substantial advantage.Shot of the Day
As ever in T20 cricket, there were several contenders for this: Ravi Bopara, with some elegant cuts, and Hales with a series of pulls and hooks, were impressive, but for sheer power West Indies’ batsmen were hard to beat. Smith, in particular, hit the ball murderously hard and struck five sixes in all. The second of them, a lovely straight drive off Graeme Swann, landed in the second tier of the Radcliffe Road Stand and almost hit a cameraman. It was an enormous hit.Milestone of the Day
So long has Broad been a fixture of the England team that it can easily be forgotten how youthful he remains. Broad celebrated his 26th birthday at Trent Bridge and, while some people might balk at the idea of working on their birthday, the prospect of leading his side to victory on his home ground would have softened the blow. Already the most-capped player in this side, Broad could have the best part of a decade of international cricket ahead of him and may well break every England wicket-taking record in all formats. He and Graeme Swann already hold the record (41 apiece) for most T20I wickets for England.

ESPNcricinfo writers pick their favourite white-ball India-Pakistan moments from the 21st century

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2022The perfect Tendulkar stroke•Getty ImagesTendulkar’s punch
2003 World Cup, Centurion
Say the words Sachin and Centurion, and iconic slash off Shoaib Akhtar for six over third man is what people (Indian fans?) remember most vividly. Largely because it was so utterly unexpected so early in the chase.For me – watching in a packed, raucous college common room – the best memory of that Sachin Tendulkar innings was his strokeplay through the off side against India’s old tormentors, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.Among the many cuts and drives that pierced Pakistan’s infield with precision, one shot stood out. It was soon after Tendulkar had been dropped at mid-off by Abdul Razzaq off Akram. The delivery wasn’t too different from the one that had nearly got him – on a good length from over the wicket, angling across the right-hander, just outside off stump. This time, Tendulkar moved across his crease with perfect balance, transferred weight on to his back foot, and brought down that famously heavy bat to punch the ball and send it screaming along the ground through extra cover.It was the perfect Tendulkar stroke, and the sound off the bat was nearly as memorable as his pull off Andrew Caddick a few days before.Shadab Khan’s assuredness in the 2017 Champions Trophy Final stood out•Getty ImagesYuvraj Singh lbw Shadab Khan
2017 Champions Trophy final, The Oval
In many ways, Yuvraj Singh defined the ascendancy of Indian white-ball cricket in the 21st century: the audacious all-round skill, the athleticism and, above all, the strut. For a period in the mid-aughts, no side felt it more than Pakistan.Yuvraj was pretty much done by the time he came to the crease at The Oval in the Champions Trophy final – he would only play three more ODIs after this game – but Pakistan would not have known that. Only two weeks earlier, he’d reminded them of what he was, with a 32-ball 53 in the group-stage thumping. So, when Shadab Khan trapped him with a lovely, sharp-turning legbreak in the 13th over, it wasn’t just that the delivery was good – it was. But it was the confidence with which he pointed to the pad and convinced his captain to review it: “,” because he was 150% sure of what had happened, 150% sure of his skills, 150% sure of himself even as an 18-year-old.That assuredness stood in stark contrast to the cricket Pakistan usually played against India on these occasions, where they visibly shrunk. Yet here was Shadab, the audacious all-round skill, the athleticism and, above all, the strut, who grew. An ending and a beginning, all in one.A chaotic end to an old-fashioned ODI•Getty ImagesSaqlain runs home
1999-2000 Carlton and United series, Gabba
Last ball of the match, one to win. Seven fielders on the single. Venkatesh Prasad runs in, doesn’t leap into his stride, tries to run the non-striker out, but Waqar Younis – ready to sprint – has his bat in the crease and eyes firmly on the bowler.**Prasad bowls a slower ball, Saqlain Mushtaq misses wildly, and despite not stealing ground Waqar is in the middle of the pitch by the time the debutant wicketkeeper Sameer Dighe – back in his usual position – collects and underarms the throw.**Eleven players in one frame. Nine Indians hoping to make a play at the stumps. Waqar home. Saqlain in the middle of the pitch with his head turned back, about to realise his is the danger end now that Dighe has missed.**You can imagine Sachin Tendulkar, India’s captain and now beside Saqlain, is willing the ball to hurry up, but it arrives too slowly. Tendulkar misses anyway. Saqlain, having completed the run needed to win, keeps running with his bat in the air.**Chaotic end to an old-fashioned ODI on a seaming pitch in Brisbane. Shoaib Akhtar, with figures of 8-3-19-1, then pushes a young fan out of the path of a speeding taxi as he rushes across the street for an autograph.The review that would be talked about for years to come•Getty ImagesThe review that lives on
2011 World Cup semi-final, Mohali
You can see why Ian Gould gave it out: the ball turned past the inside edge, smacked the front pad in front of middle stump, and the batter hadn’t taken a particularly long stride forward. You can see why Hawk-Eye suggested it would have missed leg stump: the bowler had released from fairly wide on the crease, creating a significant initial inward angle, and the ball turned and still had a fair distance to travel.A reasonable on-field decision, legitimately overturned. That both those things are possible is one of the many reasons cricket is so confoundingly beautiful.But this was Saeed Ajmal to Sachin Tendulkar in an India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final, so it wasn’t just another confoundingly beautiful moment. It became the stuff of conspiracy theories, charged by history and geography. And destiny.Tendulkar was on 23, and batting fluently, serenely. Then this ball happened, and the rest of his innings was a struggle. He kept offering chances, and Pakistan kept shelling them. He made 85. India won.Tendulkar had a World Cup to win. Everything would align to make it happen.In full flow, Mohammad Asif was an artist with the ball•Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty ImagesMohammad Asif in full swing
2007 World T20 group game, Durban
The final almost consigns this game to history’s scrapheap, but the India-Pakistan group stage game provided fans of Mohammad Asif (and who isn’t?) the wistfully nostalgic hit only he can provide. Bowling first, Asif, whose gifts in the shortest format hadn’t yet been as obvious, had India on toast in a scintillating opening spell.There’s no love lost between Gautam Gambhir and Pakistan, and it was just three balls in that Asif sent him back for a duck with a superb catch off his own bowling. It was the next three dismissals that were trademark Asif, though – Test match balls on a T20 surface. They all swung in wickedly almost in defiance of the laws of physics, and Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Karthik had no defence against them.He was given the full four overs, and he had made them count. The arrogance and swagger in full flow by the end, he waved Karthik off to the pavilion. The Pakistan supporters were on their feet, and India on their knees at 36 for four. If a first Pakistan World Cup win was to come, Asif had made it possible.And it would surely come now, wouldn’t it?

Thanks to the Impact Player rule, CSK could be tempted to have him on field for 20 overs, and use him as a batter when his impact can be maximum

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-20244:52

Is this the right time for Gaikwad the captain?

MS Dhoni has done it again. Yet again, he has stepped away from a role without an announcement, forget fanfare. Right from his Test retirement back on December 30, 2014, Dhoni has once again caught everyone by surprise. Nobody outside Chennai Super Kings (CSK) seemed to have an inkling until Ruturaj Gaikwad turned up for the captains’ photoshoot a day before the first match of this edition of IPL: CSK against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).Minutes later, the CSK management confirmed the development with a cursory one-line press release, which chose to omit Dhoni’s role as a player now that he is not captain. Given nothing has been said, it is safe to assume Dhoni will continue playing as a wicketkeeper and occasional batter.It is possibly the Impact Player rule that allows Dhoni to step down from captaincy while still letting him shepherd the new captain into his role. It opens up interesting possibilities for CSK to have him on the field for the whole 20 overs but use him as a batter when his impact can be maximum.It is no secret Dhoni preferred to bat only a few number of deliveries and certain match-ups last year, which happened to be the introductory year for the Impact Player. Now he can almost formalise that arrangement.If CSK bat first, they can start off without Dhoni in the XI. If wickets fall and match-ups allow for it, Dhoni can be substituted in while the batting innings is on. If he is not required at all, he can substitute a batter and keep through the defence.If CSK are chasing, Dhoni can keep through the fielding innings and make way for a batter during the chase. Of course Dhoni could be used as a batter in some games where the match-ups suit him and CSK fancy bringing in an extra bowler for a specialist batter.Whichever way it turns out, Dhoni has opened up a lot of talking points and tactical possibilities right on the eve of what was proving to be an uneventful start to the IPL. And he has done so without warning.

Leeds United have now shown they can compete with the big boys in the Premier League, but can they pick up results against the sides nearer to them in the overall division?

Up next for Daniel Farke’s reinvigorated Whites, after facing off against Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool in quickfire succession, is Brentford away, who are only four points better off than the West Yorkshire outfit, sat in 14th spot.

After that, more tough ties flood the calendar for the relegation-threatened side against Crystal Palace and Sunderland, before Arne Slot’s Reds do battle with Farke’s men back at Anfield to see in the New Year.

It will be more obvious by that point in time whether Leeds can go the distance in their survival aims, as plenty of new signings also begin to be linked with a switch to Elland Road, in preparation for the bumper January transfer window swinging open.

Leeds transfer latest

The Premier League newcomers have splashed the cash in January before, having once splurged a club-record £35.5m on Georginio Rutter back in 2022.

The same over-the-top spending is unlikely to be on the menu this time around, but Farke and Co. have been linked with a move for Hibernian midfielder Josh Mulligan, who continues to impress in Scotland.

Barcelona’s Roony Bardhji has also reportedly caught the eye, but the most tantalising rumour of them all now has them linked with Chelsea reserve talent Tyrique George, according to a fresh report from TEAMTalk.

Sources have allegedly revealed to the site that George is adamant about a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge, amid concerns about his lack of first-team opportunities.

That has generated interest in his services from the likes of Fulham, Everton and Leeds, with the Whites said to be monitoring the exciting Englishman, as they seek out depth in the attacking areas this January.

With goals such as this one put away in the Champions League earlier in the season, George should be able to come into Farke’s camp and stamp his authority, as another discarded Chelsea youngster potentially comes into his own at Elland Road, much like Ethan Ampadu.

Why George can be the next Ampadu

Ampadu would only go on to make 12 unmemorable senior appearances for the Blues before moving on from West London.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

George, at the time of writing, sits on a far heftier 36, but he will still be itching for more consistent senior minutes.

The Welshman would, ultimately, never look back after swapping Stamford Bridge for Elland Road in the summer of 2023, with Ampadu now a Championship-winning midfield star under Farke.

He even had the last laugh against his ex-employers at the start of the month, when his six duels and two tackles won, as per Sofascore, gave Leeds some much-needed grit in the 3-1 victory over Enzo Maresca’s challengers.

George will look at Ampadu’s sharp rise from reserve fodder at Chelsea to leading star at Leeds with an eagerness to follow in his footsteps, with clear bursts of quality in the Blues’ first team picture, already, standing the 19-year-old in good stead to make waves in Farke’s main team, if a move is sealed.

Indeed, analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed the London-born winger “explosive” last summer when he was starting to make strides, while scout Jacek Kulig has also noted George as being “special” when chipping in with goal contributions in the FA Cup, Premier League and Conference League for Maresca’s men.

Games played

36

Minutes played

1601 mins

Goals scored

6

Assists

6

Still, despite having 12 goal contributions next to his name in the senior side in West London, George has been restricted to just four Premier League appearances so far this season, with Leeds perhaps the location that can finally hand him the minutes he longs for.

With one goal and one assist in the top-flight from just one start, George would surely be a worthy back-up option at the very least for Leeds.

But, in time, everything looks in place for George to become a dependable first-team presence under the German, with Ampadu’s patience in the reserve ranks at Chelsea, ultimately rewarded by breaking out in style at Elland Road.

Shades of Klich & Dallas: Farke's Leeds "monster" must now start every week

This Leeds star has become a key man in midfield

ByJoe Nuttall 2 days ago

تحدث أحمد سليمان، عضو مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، عن ملف محمود بنتايج، الظهير الأيسر للفريق الذي أنذر النادي بفسخ التعاقد بسبب مستحقاته المتأخرة.

وكانت الفترة الأخيرة شهدت حديث عن دور سليمان في حل الأزمة خاصة بعد خطوبة اللاعب وابنة عضو مجلس الإداراة.

وقال سليمان عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “مهم أن نفصل الأمور الشخصية عن النادي، فالقصة أنه إنسان مؤدب ومثقف ومحترم ومتعلم، ولم أجد تلك الأخلاق في كثير من الشباب”.

طالع.. بعد أرض أكتوبر.. الزمالك يواجه صدمة جديدة بشأن مصيف مرسى مطروح

وأضاف: “لست مسئولًا عن ملفه مع نادي الزمالك، هناك نظام في النادي ومشرفون وإدارة كرة، وهذا شيء جيد وتم توضيحه من قبل، حاليًا أصحاب القرار باتوا محدودين، وفي وقت سابق كانت الأمور مفتوحة”.

وتابع: “يعيب جون إدوارد عدم حديثه، ولابد كل فترة أن يوضح، ولابد أن يظهر للتوضيح للناس، صحيح أن المال مهم، لكن في الفترة الأولى عملنا حسب الإمكانيات، وتعاقدنا مع عبد الله السعيد وأحمد حمدي وبنتايج وناصر ماهر ومحمد شحاتة”.

وأتم: “المشكلة أن الطموح كان كبيرًا وتم التعاقد مع عدد من اللاعبين بأموال كثيرة، بعدها حدثت أزمة الأرض فأصبح هناك عجز مالي”.

Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce have made a significant amount of money in their respective careers—about $176 million combined in salary.

And yet! Even they couldn't help but gawk during Wednesday's episode of their podcast at the 15-year, $765 million contract the New York Mets handed to right fielder Juan Soto this past Sunday.

"Arguably the most ridiculous f—ing contract I've ever heard of in my life," Travis said.

Both Jason and Travis were shocked by the longevity and sheer size of the deal, with Jason calling it "a big gamble."

The ex-center then called on NFLPA to step up its game.

"The baseball union… I don't know how they've finagled this stuff, but wow. NFL union's gotta get their stuff together," Jason said.

The Kelce brothers have a number of baseball loyalties, having pledged allegiance at points to both their hometown Cleveland Guardians and their respective NFL teams' city-mates.

Soto's heroics against the Guardians didn't stop Travis from praising him, however.

"Congratulations, Juan Soto," Travis said. "That dude is a f—ing beast."