Category: SPORTS

Stacking up staggering numbers with monotonic regularity may have become a day job for Virat Kohli, but he can in “no way” win a World Cup without support from his teammates, feels Sachin Tendulkar.In an exclusive interview with the PTI, Tendulkar spoke about a range of topics including Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal’s role, the contentious No. 4 slot and how flat pitches in England is taking bowlers out of the equation.”I think you will always have a couple of individuals stepping up every game but without team support, you…

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Former captain Steve Waugh said Australia may not be the favourites to win the upcoming World Cup but the return of Steve Smith and David Warner will make other teams “wary” of the five-time winners.Smith and Warner’s year-long international exile following bans for ball-tampering came to an end a couple of month ago. Immediately after returning to action Warner, with 692 runs from 12 innings in the IPL, sounded warning bells to the rival bowlers while Smith showed glimpses of his old touch in the three warm-up matches against New…

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His manic consistency has already put him among the pantheon of greats but the World Cup in England will be Virat Kohli’s hour of reckoning in his bid to create a lasting legacy as India’s captain.The first Indian captain to win a Test series on Australian soil, Kohli will be leading a team which has its own share of worries but is not short of game-changers, a must in a big ticket tournament.Who bats at No 4? Is Kedar Jadhav good enough? Third pacer or an extra all-rounder? Kuldeep or…

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He has not said it in as many words but reserve opener KL Rahul dropped enough hints that he could seamlessly settle into the key number four position, a conundrum the Indian team is carrying into the World Cup.Despite much debate and discussion around the batting position, who would bat at number four — Vijay Shankar or Rahul — remains a riddle.”The selectors have made it clear. I am part of the team and will go with whatever the team decides when we get there,” Rahul PTI in an interview…

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Chris Gayle, who heads into his fifth and final World Cup, has devised his own method of staying fit at 39, a routine that has kept the ‘Universe Boss’ away from the gym for the last two months.His fitness formula includes extensive yoga and massage sessions which help him recover after a long day on the field. Being naturally strong allows him to avoid gym and “a lot rest” in between games is also helping him stay in good shape.All of that seems to be working wonders for the Jamaican…

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The presence of multiple match-winners and a penchant for making “honest” team selection led to the consistent success of Mumbai Indians in the IPL, feels coach Mahela Jayawardene.The mighty Mumbai Indians have been the team to beat in IPL history and the Sri Lankan great says they have worked hard on building a “culture of success”. While leggie Mayank Markande did well for them last year, they replaced him with Rahul Chahar who repaid the faith with some match-winning performances.An injured Lasith Malinga was the team mentor last year but…

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Rafael Nadal believes he is finding his rhythm again after beginning his bid for a sixth Madrid Open title on Wednesday by beating Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets.The victory also came hours before Nadal’s fellow Spaniard David Ferrer played the final match of his career, losing 6-4, 6-1 to Alexander Zverev in his last tournament before retirement.Nadal has endured a turbulent few weeks after slipping to surprise defeats in both Monte Carlo and Barcelona last month before then being hit by a stomach bug on Sunday.But there was…

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Mithali Raj’s Velocity overcame some anxious moments late in the innings before registering a three-wicket win over Trailblazers to keep the race to final in the inaugural Women’s T20 Challenge alive, here Wednesday.After their five-wicket win over Supernovas in the tournament-opener on Tuesday, a victory over Velocity would have sealed Trailblazers’ place in Saturday’s summit clash.But it was not to be as Velocity first restricted Trailblazers to 112 for six after opting to bowl and then chased down the target with 12 balls to spare to keep the tournament alive…

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Handed a reality check in their last league fixture, defending champions Chennai Super Kings would bank on home advantage to seal their place in the summit clash when they take on a confident Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 1 of the IPL here Tuesday. After the gruelling league phase of the ongoing IPL, the stage is set for the play-offs with CSK and MI clashing against each other for a place in May 12 final. There is hardly anything to differentiate between the two sides as both CSK and MI have…

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Barcelona rested all 11 players that started against Liverpool in the Champions League but paid the price on Saturday as they were beaten 2-0 by struggling Celta Vigo in La Liga.Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho were all among those left out ahead of the return at Anfield on Tuesday but Barca were not unscathed, after Ousmane Dembele hobbled off early in the first half.The club later confirmed Dembele sustained a hamstring injury and will undergo tests on Sunday but it seems unlikely the Frenchman will be fit to…

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