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New Delhi: Former India captain Virat Kohli was set to be issued a show cause notice by BCCI President Sourav Ganguly for his emotional outburst in the press conference before leaving for the South Africa tour, according to a BCCI source as reported by India Ahead News . It is learnt that Ganguly, who was a successful India captain himself, had prepared a draft letter for the same and discussed the matter with the other BCCI members. But the board members decided against it as the Indian team was leaving for the tour of South Africa and most of them reckoned that it will have a detrimental impact on the team and might take the focus away from such an important tour. Kohli claimed that no one from the board or the selection committee had asked him to reconsider his decision to give up captaincy in the T20 cricket, contradicting Ganguly, who had said that he personally requested the star batter to not leave the leadership role in the shortest format of the game. The 33-year-old … [Read more...] about Virat Kohli Was to be Issued Show Cause Notice by Sourav Ganguly; Ravi Shastri Saw It Coming But he Didn’t: BCCI Source

Could the United States men’s national team’s Nos. 1 and 2 goalkeepers be Premier League understudies by the 2022 World Cup? Zack Steffen is already backing up Ederson at Manchester CIty, and now New England Revolution star Matt Turner could be leaving Boston for London. U.S. soccer insider Taylor Twellman says that Arsenal has “put in a strong bid” for Turner, 27, whose star has risen in a dramatic way over the last two seasons in Major League Soccer. [ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ] Turner has 13 caps and has 23 clean sheets in 106 senior appearances for the Revs. He was MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021, also winning Golden Glove and Best XI status for the USMNT at the Gold Cup. Aaron Ramsdale is currently Arsenal’s No. 1 after taking the job from Bernd Leno, who is expected to skip town. Ramsdale has the third-best save percentage in the Premier League — Ederson is fifth, if you’re a USMNT fan wondering aloud — and is not even 24 years old. Should … [Read more...] about Arsenal transfer news: Gunners bidding for USMNT’s Matt Turner (reports)

Arsenal Women have signed Sweden striker Stina Blackstenius and Austria defender Laura Wienroither. Blackstenius - who will wear the No 25 shirt - joins as a free agent after leaving Swedish club BK Hacken, while Wienroither - who will wear No 26 - signs from Hoffenheim. Blackstenius was part of the Sweden squad that won silver at the Tokyo Olympics last summer and the 2016 Games in Rio, while she also helped her country beat England in the third/fourth place play-off at the 2019 World Cup. WSL previews: Tottenham vs West Ham on Sky Transfer Centre LIVE! | Paper Talk Live football on Sky Sports The 25-year-old - who was wanted by a number of clubs, including Manchester United - has won two Swedish titles and three Swedish cups, while she was also the top scorer in Sweden last year. Blackstenius told Arsenal's website: "It feels amazing to be here. I'm so happy to join such a big and great club like Arsenal. Trending … [Read more...] about Arsenal Women transfer news: Stina Blackstenius and Laura Wienroither join Jonas Eidevall’s side

KL Rahul will have to show drastically improved leadership acumen when he leads India against a buoyant South African side in the second ODI on Thursday, with the three-match series and his long-term Test captaincy ambitions both at stake. Rahul was at best mediocre in terms of "on-your-feet-thinking", something that's basic to art of captaincy, and also didn't look the part with the bat in a deflating 31-run defeat in the opening ODI where India were outplayed for the better part of the game. The middle-order, which had been a problem since Virat Kohli's heady days as captain, is still sticking out like a sore thumb and no one knows what exactly the solution is. Once again, it was a case of one opener -- Shikhar Dhawan on this occasion -- and the indomitable Kohli holding fort before the middle-order caved in on a slower pitch where there was turn and the ball gripped, making a run-of-the-mill seamer Andile Phehlukwayo look formidable. South Africa crushed India both … [Read more...] about India vs South Africa 2nd ODI, Preview: KL Rahul-Led India Aim At Improved Batting Show With Series On Line | Cricket News

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir credited South Africa batters for their spirited comeback-win after being 0-1 down in the series but added the story could well have been different had Cheteshwar Pujara not dropped Keegan Petersen 's catch off Jasprit Bumrah's bowing in the first session of Day 4 in the third Test in Cape Town. Petersen, who was adjudged Player of the Match for his twin half-centuries in the decider, was dropped when was on 59 by Pujara. In the 40th over of the South African second innings, Jasprit Bumrah got one to just bounce a little bit more than what Petersen expected. The South African right-hander perhaps could have let that one go but he was in such good form that he got sucked into prodding at that one and ended up getting a thick outside edge. It was just below Pujara's chest; he went at it with his fingers pointing below but made a meal of it. Gambhir agreed that dropping a catch is part and parcel of any cricket match but added that it the timing … [Read more...] about “India Could’ve Been Right Back”: Gautam Gambhir Pinpoints “Series-Dropping” Event In 3rd Test vs South Africa | Cricket News

Sania Mirza and her American partner Rajeev Ram moved into the mixed doubles second round of the Australian Open with a confident straight-set win over the Serbian team of Aleksandra Krunic and Nikola Cacic, in Melbourne on Thursday. Ram came out serving big and also stayed like a rock at the net as he anchored the 6-3 7-6(3) win in the opening round that lasted 69 minutes. Ram is a defending champion in the event. He had won the mixed title here with Czech partner Barbora Krejcikova in 2021. Mirza, who will retire after the 2022 season, also served well in the contest. They had a chance to go up as early as in the second game but Mirza buried a forehand into the net on the deciding point. The team got another chance on the serve of Krunic but that chance also went abegging when Mirza could not finish the point with a volley. However, they got the break on the deciding point. Ram then served out the next game at love for a 4-1 lead. Mirza too made a lot of first serves as … [Read more...] about Sania Mirza-Rajeev Ram Pair Moves Into Australian Open Mixed Doubles 2nd Round | Tennis News

Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami on Thursday were named in ICC Women's ODI Team of 2021 . Mithali and Jhulan are the only two Indians in the side. The eleven will be led by England's Heather Knight. The side has three players from South Africa, one from Australia, two from West Indies, and two from England. The England Women's captain has been a vital cog of their middle-order for a number of years now and she was one of the top performers in that role once again in 2021. Knight accumulated a total of 423 runs this year, at an average of 42.30, including one century and three fifties. She also played a key role with the ball, chipping in with five wickets at an average of 19.80. Mithali Raj, the veteran India batter and captain, amassed the same number of runs as Beaumont and at exactly the same average. But her runs came when the Indian team struggled as a unit, thus making her contribution even more important. She didn't score any century this year but made a total of six … [Read more...] about Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami Named In ICC Women’s ODI Team Of 2021 | Cricket News

Cricket Australia on Thursday confirmed the schedule and venues for the upcoming T20I series between Australia and Sri Lanka. The five-match series from February 11-20 will be played across three venues, the Sydney Cricket Ground, Manuka Oval, and Melbourne Cricket Ground. The second, third, and fourth T20Is have been relocated from Queensland and Adelaide to minimize biosecurity risks by reducing travel across the country. Nick Hockley, CA CEO, in an official release, said: "CA will continue to prioritize the health and safety of all players, match officials, staff, fans, broadcasters and the wider community as we navigate the challenges presented by Covid-19." "We know that fans in South Australia and Queensland will be disappointed to miss out on these matches and we remain committed to bringing international cricket to all states and territories across the country as safe as possible. We thank Sri Lanka Cricket for working closely with us to make the series possible and look … [Read more...] about Australia Announce Revised Schedule For Sri Lanka T20Is | Cricket News

Misfiring Stefanos Tsitsipas survived a thorough examination by former world number one junior Sebastian Baez before taking his place in the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday. The Greek world number four raced through a first-set tie breaker but struggled to put away the tigerish 88th-ranked Argentine before winning in four sets. Tsitsipas wrapped up the match 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 in 3hr 22min on Margaret Court Arena. He will next face Frenchman Benoit Paire or Bulgarian 26th seed Grigor Dimitrov. "It wasn't easy. I'm glad I overcame that obstacle today. Lots of fighting, a little bit of swearing, but I'm glad to be in the third round," Tsitsipas, who is yet to win a Grand Slam, said. "It was a pretty hot day today playing here, but I tried to play with the heart and it paid out at the end." Tsitsipas, a two-time semi-finalist in Melbourne, struggled for fluency and was often cussing and frustrated by his mistiming off the racquet among his flurry of 63 … [Read more...] about Swearing Stefanos Tsitsipas Pushed All The Way To Reach Third Round Of Australian Open | Tennis News

The Australian Open was under growing pressure Thursday to make Covid tests mandatory after leading players openly questioned the seemingly lax policy and the Grand Slam got its first positive case. Frenchman Ugo Humbert said following his first-round exit on Tuesday that he tested positive on his exit test to leave Australia and would isolate for a week. Men's third seed Alexander Zverev said in response that players were not getting tested, even as infection numbers surge in Australia, and believes that "quite a few players" are infected, without providing evidence. Official attendees at Melbourne Park, such as tournament staff, are provided with rapid antigen tests each day and must be negative to remain on site. But Tennis Australia (TA), which organises the Australian Open, says players only need to test if they have Covid symptoms. Zverev's remarks threw another spotlight on Covid policies at the Australian Open, which were already under scrutiny following the saga of … [Read more...] about Australian Open Under Pressure Over “Optional” Covid Tests | Tennis News