Rohit Sharma has climbed six places to a career-best eighth position in the ICC men’s Test batsmen’s rankings, while R Ashwin has progressed four places to third position on the bowlers’ rankings on the back of their performances in the third Test against England in Ahmedabad that India won by ten wickets.Left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who was named Player of the Match for his 11-wicket match haul in what was only his second Test, gained 30 slots to reach the 38th position.Sharma, who top-scored in the first innings with 66 and carried India over the line with an unbeaten 25 in the second, now has 742 rating points, 20 more than his previous best of 722 in October 2019 when he was ranked tenth.Sharma, Patel, and Ashwin, who took seven wickets across the two innings and crossed 400 Test wickets, were the chief architects of India’s resounding win in a low-scoring contest on a tricky Ahmedabad pitch, which helped keep them in contention for the final of the inaugural World Test Championship.From the English side, left-arm spinner Jack Leach broke into the top 30, moving up three places to 28th after taking four wickets. Captain Joe Root’s maiden five-wicket haul helped him advance 16 places to 72nd among bowlers. He also made gains in the allrounders’ rankings, claiming the joint-13th position with New Zealand’s Tim Southee.Opener Zak Crawley’s 53 in the first innings lifted him 15 places to 46th in what was the only notable gain for any England batsman.
Chelsea are not the juggernaut they once were but there are hopes that former glory can be restored under Enzo Maresca, who is ready to take on the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.
Admittedly, pre-season preparations have encountered snags and setbacks in the form of high-scoring losses against Manchester City and Celtic and previously a 2-2 draw against Wrexham to kickstart their United States tour.
The Blues were never going to adopt the possession-centric style without raising some questions but defensive fragility and a perceived lack of organisation across the past several weeks will not have been welcomed as simply part and parcel of pre-season.
03/08/2024
vs Man City
4-2 loss
01/08/2024
vs Club America
3-0 win
27/08/2024
vs Celtic
4-1 loss
25/08/2024
vs Wrexham
2-2 draw
No, Chelsea must of course trust the process, but that tactical undertaking needs to enter third or fourth gear within the coming fortnight, and some added impetus in attack might go down a treat.
Chelsea transfer news
As per Football Insider, Chelsea have learned that Manchester City's Julian Alvarez will be available for £70m this summer, amid ongoing chatter around the versatile forward's future.
Alvarez, 24, is struggling with his at-times utility role at the club and would seemingly jump at the chance to move, so it now remains to be seen whether Chelsea can negotiate a deal.
The west Londoners have a healthy mix of attacking options but could benefit from a player of Alvarez's talent and winning pedigree, perhaps swaying the odds in the bid to return to the Champions League and hunt down silverware.
Why Chelsea want Julian Alvarez
With Arsenal also sniffing around, Todd Boehly and Co know that swift action could hold sway, lest the Gunners get their own back concerning a recent transfer history of hijacked deals.
Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez
On January deadline day, 2022, Alvarez signed for City from River Plate in Argentina for a fee in the region of £14m, proving to be a shrewd signing indeed for a player who is now among the finest in the Premier League.
Across 103 matches under Pep Guardiola's management, the dynamo has posted 36 goals and 18 assists, with his performances earning him praise for his unwavering consistency – pundit Owen Hargreaves has even said that he's "never seen him have a bad game."
Oh, of course, the accolades have come in hordes, but Alvarez has reached a point in his career where he wants his giddy quality to match the standing in the squad. Despite playing regularly and completing the set under his Spanish boss, the £100k-per-week star yearns for a role of greater significance.
His two campaigns in Greater Manchester have acted as an illustrious teething period of sorts, but now is the time for Alvarez to be handed a platform at the top of the squad's pyramid, Chelsea can offer that platform.
Carney Chukwuemeka in action for Chelsea in the Premier League.
His dynamism and electrifying qualities on the ball could even see him perform as Maresca's very own version of Kai Havertz, who plays for the Blues no more.
Maresca's own Kai Havertz
Havertz has divided opinion since arriving in England, signing for Chelsea in a £76m transfer from Bayer Leverkusen four years ago, scoring the Blues' winning goal to win the Champions League but finishing his stay at Stamford Bridge with only 32 strikes across 139 matches.
Former Chelsea attacker Kai Havertz.
Making the cross-London switch to Arsenal last summer, the German has gone from strength to strength and has formed into a coherent and effective threat under Mikel Arteta, scoring nine goals and supplying six assists over the final 14 matches of the top-flight term.
The 25-year-old's tactical fluidity has seen him operate across myriad positions, with the Gunners deploying him as a thrusting type of midfielder earlier in the campaign before returning him to the top of the pitch, where he found his Midas touch.
With Alvarez, Chelsea could emulate this impact, for the Man City sensation has also played up and down the pitch in England and has the potency in attack to make a marked improvement on the side's offensive fluency.
And if he knows one thing, it's how to make an impact. Over the past year, as per FBref, Alvarez ranks among the top 6% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues for goals scored and the top 15% for assists per 90.
Matches (starts)
36 (31)
37 (30)
Goals
11
13
Assists
9
7
Shots taken*
2.7
1.9
Big chances missed
10
13
Touches*
45.3
37.1
Pass completion
88%
81%
Big chances created
7
8
Key passes*
1.9
1.2
Ball recoveries*
2.7
3.3
Dribbles completed*
0.6
0.4
The Argentine World Cup winner also offers skills similar to Havertz's while proving to be more technically crisp and creative – a product of his learning under Guardiola and something that could see him thrive in the new Chelsea system.
Alvarez would want to nail down a regular role at Chelsea, as is his desire as he considers leaving the world's most imperious outfit, but he could find that under Maresca.
Former Leicester manager Enzo Maresca.
With Conor Gallagher in the process of being sold to Atletico Madrid, Alvarez could adopt the advanced position behind the centre-forward – almost a Havertz-like false 9 of sorts – bolstered by the deep-lying orchestrating of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo's tough tackling.
Guardiola has actually said that he's "almost undroppable" in the past – which is rather lofty praise from a man known for constant tinkering and tweaking.
Whether Chelsea wish to part with a hefty sum to bring Alvarez in remains to be seen, but he could be the perfect figure to perform at the summit of the midfield triangle and ensure that the club rise to the fore at the start of a new, exciting era.
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Rahul Chahar likely to be replacement, while status of Rahul Tewatia – who had also failed fitness tests – is unclear
Nagraj Gollapudi09-Mar-2021Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy is set to miss India’s five-match T20I series against England that will take place from March 12 to 20. Chakravarthy is understood to have failed to clear the mandatory fitness tests set by the BCCI. It is likely that the selectors will draft in Rahul Chahar as a replacement, with the legspinner having already been named as one of the net bowlers for the series.Related
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Meanwhile, Rahul Tewatia is currently training with the national squad in Ahmedabad. Tewatia, who received his maiden national call-up for the series, had also failed in his initial fitness test. It is not yet clear whether Tewatia – picked as a bowling allrounder after his exploits for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020 – will get another chance to clear his fitness test or be asked to continue as a net bowler only.For Chakravarthy, 29, it’s the second time he’ll be missing out on an opportunity for a potential India debut, having been initially picked in the T20I squad for the tour of Australia, but ruled out due to a shoulder injury then. Chakravarthy was picked on the back of his IPL 2020 performances, where he emerged as one of the standout uncapped Indian players. However, the shoulder injury meant Chakravarthy never even travelled to Australia, which allowed T Natarajan to make his international debut.Chakravarthy had a lengthy rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, following which the selectors picked him for the England T20Is – subject to everyone being picked clearing their fitness tests, whose targets the BCCI had revised recently.It is understood that to be part of India’s limited-overs squads, clearing the fitness tests is a key selection criteria imposed by the BCCI at the behest of the team management and the selectors. In the new fitness standards, players have the choice to either clear the yo-yo test, whose level has been increased to 17:1, or run two kilometres in 8.15 minutes (for bowlers) and 8.30 minutes (for the rest).It could not be confirmed which of the tests both Chakravarthy and Tewatia had failed to clear. While Tewatia travelled to Ahmedabad from Jaipur after representing Haryana in the league phase of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (the domestic 50-overs competition), Chakravarthy’s whereabouts could not be ascertained.As for Chahar, this will be the second time he will part of the T20I squad after he made his debut in the Caribbean, where he played one T20I and picked up 1 for 27.
Tudo igual em um dos jogos mais aguardados da fase decisiva do Brasileirão sub-20. Na tarde deste domingo, Botafogo e Atlético-MG ficaram no empate sem gols no Estádio Nilton Santos pelo jogo de ida das quartas de final da competição de base.
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+ Jonathan Lemos volta com atuações sólidas e coloca dúvida em Enderson na lateral-direita do Botafogo
As equipes voltam a se encontrar na próxima sexta-feira no Sesc Alterosas, em Belo Horizonte. Qualquer novo empate no jogo da volta leva a decisão da vaga para os pênaltis. O time que vencer, obviamente, garante a classificação.
Em campo, uma partida agitada. O Atlético-MG criou oportunidades promissoras, mas parou em uma boa atuação da defesa do Botafogo. Reydson, zagueiro do Glorioso, chegou a tirar uma finalização do Galo em baixo da linha do gol.
O Botafogo, por sua vez, ficou na bronca com a arbitragem. Ainda no primeiro tempo, a equipe construiu uma jogada em que Ênio e Matheus Nascimento entraram sozinhos contra o goleiro, mas a arbitragem assinalou um impedimento – que não existiu. O time reclamou, mas de nada adiantou.
After clinching a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, Leicester City are set to use the transfer market to bolster Steve Cooper's squad in preparation for next season.
Leicester look set to keep key players at the club
The big news out of the King Power Stadium in recent weeks has surrounded the futures of some of Leicester's most important players. Wilfred Ndidi long looked destined to be playing his football elsewhere next year after his contract expired at the end of last month. Despite this, a breakthrough in negotiations has seen the midfielder snub a move to the likes of Everton and commit his future to the Foxes.
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Another Leicester star returning to the club for the 2024/25 season is Abdul Fatawu who spent last term on loan with the Foxes but now joins in a permanent move from Sporting. The 22-year-old contributed 7 goals and 13 assists for Leicester last season and will no doubt play a vital role in their bid to stave off relegation in the next campaign.
With a number of key players committing their future to the Foxes, the club can now look towards bringing in new signings. The name most commonly associated with a move to the Midlands outfit has been Juventus winger Matias Soule. Leicester have already seen a bid in the region of €25million (£21million) rejected by the Italian giants meaning that they will have to up their offer to get a deal over the line.
Matias Soule who is linked to Premier League club Newcastle United.
As Leicester look eager to bring fresh faces to the King Power, the Foxes are said to be plotting a move for an established Premier League midfielder this summer.
Foxes in the hunt to sign Spurs' Skipp
As first reported by Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, Leicester are plotting a move for Tottenham midfielder Oliver Skipp. The outlet claims that the North London side could be open to letting the 23-year-old leave this summer despite being a product of the club's youth academy and playing a key role in their first team.
The Foxes are said to be in the market for a proven Premier League midfielder who can step straight into the starting eleven and in that regard Skipp more than fits the bill. Across his career, Skipp has made 77 appearances in the English top flight, scoring once in the process.
Skipp's time at Spurs has seen him earn praise as a diligent presence in the middle of the park. Speaking after a game versus Norwich City back in May 2020, then Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho spoke highly of the 23-year-old: "Phenomenal. Very, very good. Very, very good, solid performance,
"He was always in control of the game. We could see the difference also on the physical condition of him and the people who us playing all the time."
Currently commanding a weekly wage of £40,000, the Foxes should not need to break the bank to bring Skipp to the King Power, especially if Spurs are willing to let him leave this summer.
Leeds United have less than two weeks left to prepare for their opening game of the 2024/25 Championship campaign against Portsmouth at Elland Road.
The Whites failed to win promotion to the Premier League at the end of last season and they are now getting ready for a second year in the second tier.
Daniel Farke's side finished third in the division, just shy of automatic promotion, before they went on to lose in the play-off final to Southampton at Wembley back in May.
As a result of their failure to make their way back to the top-flight, Leeds have had to watch some of their talent move on from Elland Road in recent weeks.
Versatile academy graduate Archie Gray was sold to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur after he won the Championship Young Player of the Year award.
Central midfielder Glen Kamara, who had only joined from Rangers last summer, has also completed a move away from the club to sign for Rennes in Ligue 1.
Leeds have a gap to fill in the middle of the park and have reportedly turned their attention to a player who was relegated from the second tier last term.
Leeds interested in League One star
According to Football Insider, the West Yorkshire outfit are one of the teams interested in a swoop to sign Birmingham City midfielder Jordan James.
The report claims that Farke has made a move to sign the Wales international by registering an interest in the talented youngster this summer.
It states that the Whites have a 'strong interest' in the 20-year-old midfield sensation, who they view as a potential replacement for Glen Kamara.
Football Insider adds that an unnamed Premier League club are also showing an interest in the Birmingham midfielder, which means that Leeds could face some strong competition for his signature.
HITC recently reported that Ipswich Town are leading the race to sign the League One starlet and that Newcastle United are also in the mix to secure his services.
The outlet added that James is expected to move on from St. Andrew's following their relegation from the Championship at the end of last season.
HITC also revealed that it would take a fee within the region of £10m to tempt Birmingham into cashing in on their prized asset, and it remains to be seen whether or not Leeds would be willing to offer that.
If the Whites do end up winning the race for his signature, though, then they could land a dream replacement for Kamara in the middle of the park.
Glen Kamara's season with Leeds
The Finland international was brought in from Scottish giants Rangers on a permanent deal last summer to bolster Farke's options in midfield.
He enjoyed a strong season with the Whites as he showcased his metronomic qualities in possession to help the team to dominate matches.
Kamara ranked within the top 2% of midfielders in the division for pass completion rate (92.7%) and the top 6% for progressive passes per 90 (6.87), which shows that he was reliable and progressive with his use of the ball to find his teammates in dangerous positions.
These statistics show that Farke could rely upon the ex-Gers man in midfield as his ball retention was fantastic and allowed him to dictate the tempo of games.
However, one criticism of his performances – and this could extend to the rest of the midfield options – was that he did not make much of an impact at the top end of the pitch.
No central midfielder in the squad managed more than one goal or three assists in the Championship last term, which shows that the manager did not have much of an attacking threat from that position.
23/24 Championship
Glen Kamara
Appearances
37
Goals
0
Big chances missed
3
Big chances created
2
Assists
3
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Kamara did not provide much in the way of quality in the final third with just three goal contributions in 37 league appearances.
These statistics suggest that Leeds could land a dream replacement for the Finnish whiz by landing a midfielder with the potential to offer more in attack, which is why James could be an excellent addition.
What Jordan James could offer Leeds
Firstly, the Birmingham youngster would come in as a long-term prospect for the Whites at the age of 20. He has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve, which means that it would be a signing for the here-and-now as well as the future.
This means that he is a player Farke could work with on the training pitch to help him grow over the years to come, which could see his performances improve and value grow – leading to the potential for the club to make a profit in the future.
James, who was described as a "standout" young player by journalist Josh Bunting, is also a proven Championship performer who could come in and be a fantastic option for the manager to call upon in the middle of the park.
23/24 Championship
Glen Kamara
Jordan James
Appearances
37
42
Goals
0
8
Big chances missed
3
2
Big chances created
2
3
Assists
3
0
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the 20-year-old star has the quality to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch after his return of eight goals and just two 'big chances' missed last term.
He was also unfortunate to end the season with three fewer assists than Kamara as the midfielder, in fact, created more 'big chances' for his teammates than the Finland international did.
The Welsh star also held his own out of possession with a duel success rate of 51%. This shows that he did not allow opposition players to bully him in physical duels.
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These statistics suggest that the £10m-rated star has the potential to be a dream replacement for Kamara as he can hold his own off the ball whilst offering far more than the now-Rennes ace at the top end of the pitch to help Leeds to win valuable points.
He was asked whether farmers were finding space in conversations in India’s dressing room
ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2021
Virat Kohli, among other prominent names in Indian cricket, tweeted on Wednesday on the response to farmers’ protest•Getty Images
A day after India’s cricket establishment joined a Twitter conversation on the ongoing farmers’ protest in the country, captain Virat Kohli said the issue has been discussed within the India team. He said everyone had, in a team meeting, “expressed their views” on the issue, which has dominated national headlines for several weeks.Kohli, speaking to the media before the first Test against England, did not disclose details of the conversation. “We briefly discussed it in the team meeting. Everyone expressed their opinion, that’s about it,” he said.Kohli, and many of India’s leading cricket figures – including Sachin Tendulkar and team coach Ravi Shastri – tweeted on the issue on Wednesday, and his statements on Thursday were in response to a question on that. He was asked whether, given those tweets, farmers were finding space in conversations in the dressing room.The tweets, which were all posted within a few hours of each other on Wednesday evening, had a common theme of calling for unity among Indians. Most of the tweets, and those at the same time by Bollywood actors and other celebrities, bore common hashtags: #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda.
They followed a tweet by the singer Rihanna, who had linked to a CNN report on the farmers’ protests and asked, “Why aren’t we talking about this?” It sparked off a widespread response in India, the theme of which was that outsiders had no place in the national political discourse.There were two kinds of tweets; those by Tendulkar, Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir – now a BJP member of Parliament – and Anil Kumble, among others, essentially called for “external forces” to keep out of an internal issue. Tweets by Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shastri referenced farmers and their importance in Indian life.Some cricketers took a sharply different line. Bengal and India batsman Manoj Tiwary’s tweet was one of the sharpest, with a visual of a hand pulling strings and the caption: “When I was a kid, I never saw a puppet show. It took me 35 years to see one”.
Also taking a different perspective was the Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler Sandeep Sharma. His tweet – subsequently deleted – used a screenshot criticising the reaction to Rihanna’s comments and added his own comments. “By this logic”, he said, “no one should care about each other because every situation is someone’s internal affair.”Former India allrounder Irfan Pathan referred to the outrage in India over the death of George Floyd last year, with the hashtag “justsaying”.BCCI president Sourav Ganguly retweeted Tendulkar’s and Kumble’s tweets.
The farmers’ agitation has been on for several months, after the federal government passed a set of laws last September that would change some of the mechanisms of procurement and minimise government involvement in favour of private or corporate traders.The protests were originally located in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, seen as the country’s granary; for more than two months, though, thousands of farmers have been protesting in campsites around New Delhi, the national capital. The protests – largely driven by farmers’ unions – have evoked sharp reactions from both sides: the government and its supporters, and those who sympathise with the farmers’ cause. The issue has also attracted global responses, from Rihanna, the environmental activist Greta Thunberg, and the government of Canada, which has a large population of expats from this region.
Real Madrid are set to receive a timely injury boost as David Alaba is closing in on a return to fitness after almost a year out of action.
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Austria international on comeback trailHas been out for lengthy spell with knee issueReturn comes at a good time for MadridFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Real Madrid are hoping to welcome Alaba back to first-team action at the beginning of 2025, according to . The Austrian has been sidelined since December 2023 with a serious knee injury but is working his way back to full fitness. Alaba is back in training in the Spanish capital and is gradually building up his fitness with a view to a comeback in January.
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Alaba's return comes at a good time for the Spanish giants. Carlo Ancelotti's side have lost both Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao to season-ending injuries, leaving the Italian manager short of options in defence. The Madrid boss is planning on deploying Aurelien Tchouameni in his backline due to his lack of defenders but will surely be thrilled to see Alaba available again after a lengthy period on the sidelines.
WHAT HAS BEEN SAID
Real Madrid are yet to pencil in an exact return date for Alaba but a source told : "He is becoming more and more confident and is doing more things in training."
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Real Madrid still have some key fixtures to negotiate before Alaba is due to return at the start of 2025. Los Blancos take on Leganes, Getafe, Athletic Club and Girona in La Liga and face Liverpool and Atalanta in the Champions League.
What do you see when you look at a pink ball? As Joe Root had indicated on the eve of the Ahmedabad Test, there’s not a lot of data to back up any preconceptions about day-night Test cricket. Therefore, both sets of players came into this contest at perfect liberty to see in the conditions whatever they so chose.Ben Stokes, for England’s part, had been “licking his lips” in anticipation of a seam-dominated joust in what he clearly envisaged being the Trent Bridge of the East. And sure enough, England’s optimistic surge continued on the morning of the match, as James Anderson and Stuart Broad were thrown together for one last heist, like the cast of Ocean’s 14, before Root won a crucial toss and handed his batsmen the same opportunity that they had seized upon in the first Test – a chance to post a gargantuan first innings and dominate the match narrative through sheer weight of runs.Related
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Well, so much for the best-laid plans and all that. Unfortunately for England’s dreamers, India saw clean through the optics, and the lacquer, and all the paraphernalia that comes with this most fundamental switch of the sport’s basics. Instead they looked directly at another dry, dusty red-earthed deck, and opened their ears to the sweet music of 50,000 passionate fans at the newly minted Narendra Modi stadium – which, even when half full, was still more populated than almost any ground bar the MCG.The upshot was an ardour-dousing day of one-sided dominance – one that has emphatically killed off any hopes of Root’s men emulating those of Sir Alastair Cook nine years ago, and inflicting on India a rare home series defeat. The late dismissal of Virat Kohli was a boost to their hopes of limiting their deficit but by that stage Rohit Sharma was rumbling on towards another century – very different, but no less emphatic, to the game-breaker he produced on the first day of the previous Test.And though Anderson and Broad proved predictably parsimonious in their combined analysis of 15-7-27-0, they had been fighting the rising tide from their opening spells after England’s catastrophic batting malfunction had surrendered any right to set the match agenda. Instead, England’s attentions began to stray to factors beyond their control – most notably, the state of the footmarks that were forming big cavities for their heavy-limbed seamers, and the state of the TV umpiring, which reprieved each of India’s openers on evidence that may have been correct but was less-than-conclusive, much to Root’s mounting fury.Instead, the mastery of R Ashwin – in his 77th Test and now odds-on to reach 400 wickets before the match is done – was matched for the second Test in a row by the eager apprenticeship of Axar Patel, who proved his debut in Chennai had been no fluke by improving on his Test-best figures with a remarkable haul of 6 for 38 in 21.4 overs.Between them, they harvested the doubts that still lingered from that last Test, and instigated a collapse that was remarkable even by the standards of England’s last visit to India in 2016-17.Axar Patel followed up his five-for in the second Test with 6 for 38•BCCI
From a pre-lunch scoreline of 74 for 2, with Zak Crawley batting with uncommon poise and panache, England squandered their last eight wickets for 38 in 17 overs – almost universally spooked by the fear of what might have been, rather than by any unplayability on the part of the balls that did them in.Between them the spinners accounted for nine of England’s ten all told – the exception being Dom Sibley, who flinched to slip in the third over for a duck to give Ishant Sharma a souvenir from his 100th Test appearance. On the evidence of the rest of the innings, Ishant is unlikely to be over-worked in the next few days.Despite some unconventional seam movement for Jasprit Bumrah in particular, India turned to spin as early as the seventh over – and were not made to wait for vindication. Jonny Bairstow, hailed as England’s missing link in Chennai despite a top score of 47 in his two appearances at No. 3 in Sri Lanka, showed that visualisation hadn’t been a big part of his rest-and-rotation break. He poked uncertainly at his first ball from Axar and was slammed on the knee-roll by the ball that didn’t turn – his wasteful use of the review merely compounding his confusion.That brought Root to the middle several hours earlier than he would have liked – although in his earliest overs, he was at least shielded by an extraordinary flurry from Crawley at the other end. It would prove all too brief in the end, but while it lasted, Crawley’s timing was stunning – right from his very first scoring shot, a non-committal block that pinged through long-on off Bumrah.He continued in the same vein en route to a 68-ball fifty, replete with drives and clips whenever seamer and spinner alike over-pitched. And just as Rohit had transcended the conditions in Chennai through his uncompromising weight of stroke, so Crawley appeared to be providing the forward momentum that England needed to post a competitive total. So long as he endured, and enabled Root to grow into his day’s work, the chance was there to make a good toss count.But then, on 17, Root made a fatal misjudgement – Ashwin’s brilliance is through the air every bit as much off the pitch, and having given the impression in his first three Tests of the winter that he was infallible to the trickery of all spinners, Root chose to slide onto the back foot to a ball that just kept hanging in the air longer than he had anticipated, and was pinned in front of middle and leg as the ball pitched and gripped. Tellingly, he had barely unfurled a single sweep in the course of his 37-ball stay.Moments earlier, England had seemed set to claim the morning spoils. Instead, their mood was wrecked three overs later, as Crawley succumbed to the best double-whammy of the day. Two deliveries from Axar, pitching in almost identical spots – the first ripped venomously past the outside edge; the second kissed straight on through, off the deck, into the knee-roll, to leave England on 80 for 4 and with two new batsmen at the crease.The Zak Crawley-Joe Root stand was the best phase for England in their innings•BCCI
The first of those, Ollie Pope, didn’t even see out the over after the interval, as he too was done in by Ashwin’s flight, and beaten around the outside edge by another ball that skipped on through to hit off stump. And one over later, Stokes surrendered on the back foot to Axar, pinned in front of off as he rocked back and simply missed with a defensive poke. At Chennai, he’d been launching such deliveries over midwicket in a “get them before they get you” mindset, but here he felt obliged to drop anchor for the cause, to no avail.The rest were rounded up with minimal fuss – Ben Foakes the last to go for a becalmed 12 from 58 balls as he too missed a straight one, bowled by Axar as he rocked back to cut and missed. In mitigation, the timing of their final collapse – an hour into the afternoon session – did mean that England would be bowling as the witching hour set in, but it was going to take a bout of necromancy from Anderson and Broad to revive England from this point.Suffice to say, it did not transpire. Both men were promoted to the new ball ahead of Archer – which was food for thought in itself after the manner in which Archer had roughed up Rohit in the first innings at Chennai – but in their familiar, self-preservatory fashion, both men dragged their lengths back, almost subconsciously, to avoid being driven, rather than attack from the outset in the do-or-die manner that the moment required.Shubman Gill, for his part, did his utmost to ride out the threat – he took 27 balls to score his first run, by which stage he had been reprieved by the third umpire after Stokes at second slip failed to close his fingers around a low edge off Broad. Archer eventually scalped him with the short ball, and Cheteshwar Pujara then fell for a duck – his third dismissal by Jack Leach this series after four years of dominating left-arm spinners. But it was too little too late for England’s hopes, which were perhaps best summed up by Pope’s eventful few minutes in the field in the closing overs.One moment, he came close to pulling off a world-class one-handed take at short leg as he pre-meditated Rohit’s sweep and launched himself to his right. The next, no doubt still brooding on the one that got away, he dropped Kohli at slip off the luckless Anderson, who according to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data has now induced 73 false strokes and three dropped catches off the main man since he last claimed his wicket seven years ago. On this evidence, he might not get another opportunity before this contest is done and dusted.
Newcastle United have reportedly joined the race to sign a "special" player in the summer transfer window, hoping to hijack another Premier League club to his signature in the process.
Newcastle transfer news
Numerous exciting transfer updates have emerged at St James' Park of late, with Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry linked with a summer move to the club. The German has not always been first choice for the Bundesliga giants of late, and it looks as though the Magpies may try to tempt him away, with a potential £40m move mooted after the Bavarians landed Michael Olise.
Another exciting attacking player, Jonathan David, has also been mentioned as an option for Newcastle, coming in and providing competition for Alexander Isak leading the line, or possibly even forging a devilish strike partnership with him. He has a highly impressive 28 goals in 54 caps for Canada, showing what a prolific performer he has been at international level.
Canadian striker Jonathan David
Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo is another name that has been thrown into the hat, with the Brazilian happy to go back to the Premier League, even though his loan spell at Liverpool in 2023 was an instantly forgettable one, not making a single league appearance.
The arrival of Paul Mitchell as sporting director represents an exciting appointment, and Fenerbahce left-back Ferdi Kadioglu has emerged as his possible first signing in the role at Newcastle. The 24-year-old can also shine in a more attacking position, and at right-back, so he could be a great versatile option for Eddie Howe.
Newcastle join race to sign "special" player
According to a fresh update from TEAMtalk, Newcastle United are now battling Everton for the signing of Wilfried Gnonto, with the Leeds United ace keen on moving back to the Premier League this summer.
It is claimed that the Magpies are "plotting a move" for the young Italian and are "ready to join the chase", with Howe "looking to bring in a replacement for Miguel Almiron", ahead of his expected exit.
Gnonto may be a Championship player currently, which could naturally make some supporters turn their noses up at the rumour, but he is a young player with so much promise moving forward.
The 20-year-old scored eight goals and registered three assists in the league last season, en route to helping Leeds reach the playoff final against Southampton, and coach Michael Skubala has heaped praise on him: "He’s a great lad, he’s a special player. He’s a credit to Leeds, he’s a credit to himself and he’s a really nice player to work with."
Gnonto, who currently earns £20,000 per week at Leeds, is a 13-cap Italy international, which is no mean feat given his tender years, and his pace, trickery and end product out wide could be a great asset for Newcastle.
Wilfried Gnonto's international career
Caps
Goals
Italy
13
1
Italy Under-21s
7
5
Italy Under-19s
10
5
Italy Under-18s
1
0
Italy Under-17s
10
5
Italy Under-16s
10
1
Granted, he may have to settle with a squad role to begin with, especially if he's trying to oust Anthony Gordon on the left wing, but he should only get better with age, and could adapt to playing from the right in the place of Almiron.