Author: Soorya G

England head coach Gareth Southgate has confirmed that his starting XI in the Three Lions’ first World Cup game will not feature full-back Kyle Walker or midfielder James Maddison. Both players are recovering from injuries they had sustained during their Premier League commitments with Leicester City and Manchester City respectively. However, Southgate said that their recoveries were taking place along expected lines, and added that they will be involved further along the tournament as England try to better their performance in the World Cup, after reaching the semifinals in Russia.  https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/1590723388518981634 Maddison has been impressive for the Foxes, the star…

From missing the World Cup-winning England side in 2019 to making a spectacular comeback in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where he played a vital role in England’s second World T20 title win, Alex Hales’ journey in the last few years has been nothing short of amazing. The right-handed opening batsman was brilliant in the recently concluded tournament in Australia, which England won after beating Pakistan in the final. The 33-year-old was eighth in the run-scoring charts, but the impact that his runs produced far exceeded what the stats suggest. https://twitter.com/FoxSportsLab/status/1591762307331534859 His performance in the T20 World Cup, albeit made…

Amidst growing concern about the state of Indian T20I cricket and the squad’s apparent inability to pull off victories in major tournaments, there has been a call amongst the cricket fraternity to allow Indian players to participate in foreign leagues. With the number and quality of players unable to even make into the consideration of the BCCI for a spot in the senior squad, it appears as common sense to some people to allow the plethora of Indian talent to ply their trade overseas in the number of T20 leagues that have popped up. This, they feel, will allow Indian…

Although India will not be a part of the 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar, there will definitely be Indian representation at football’s biggest event in the form of Vinay Menon, who is Belgium’s wellness coach. The Kerala man will be looking after the physical, mental, and collective well-being of the Red Devils. The 48-year-old has worked for Chelsea between 2008 and 2021. He was a key part of the teams that won the UEFA Champions League in the 2011–12 and 2020–21 seasons. https://twitter.com/IndianFootball/status/1592479431763034112 Vinay is hoping for support from his home nation of India and wishes to be a…

The bond between the childhood mates was strained when de Villers retired in 2018 and worsened when du Plessis denied him re-entry in 2019. In his book Faf: Through Fire, the former South African captain described David Warner as a “bully” and acknowledged feeling “jealous” of his teammate AB de Villiers. Du Plessis singled up one particular instance that caused him to refer to Australia’s Warner as a “bully”. The players’ tunnel in Durban grew increasingly hostile during the first of Australia’s four Test matches against the Proteas under du Plessis in 2018. As players ascended the stairway to their dressing rooms…

Former England batter Michael Vaughan is of the opinion that the Indian team should look at England’s way of playing the sport in white-ball cricket. India, captained by Rohit Sharma, faced a humiliating 10-wicket defeat at the hands of Jos Buttler’s England at the Adelaide Oval and crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2022. England, on the other hand, went on to win their second World Cup title after beating Pakistan by five wickets in the final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Tough course Royal County Down … !!! pic.twitter.com/Y4nK077c6X— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) September 6, 2022 Vaughan reckoned…

Coming into the 2022 T20 World Cup as one of the firm favourites, the Proteas failed to advance to the semis after losing to Scott Edwards’ Netherlands in their last Super 12 match at the Adelaide Oval. Fast bowling allrounder Wayne Parnell admitted that the national side failed to perform under pressure in the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup on Australian soil. “It was good, personally. But, obviously, as a team, we stumbled. A lot of questions have probably been left unanswered. But you have to move on,” the 33-year-old was quoted as saying on ESPN Cricinfo.  Back in…

Eintracht Frankfurt’s centre-forward Randal Kolo Muani has been named in France’s squad as the replacement for injured RB Leipzig attacker Christopher Nkunku who sustained a blow that will rule him out of the 2022 World Cup. This season, Kolo Muani has made 23 appearances for Frankfurt and scored eight goals. In the Nations League in September, he made his first two starts for France as a substitute against Austria and Denmark. Nkunku is the latest well-known French player to be ruled out of the World Cup due to injury, joining centre-back Presnel Kimpembe, and instrumental midfield duo Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante. Nkunku’s injury…

Ivan Vukomanovic’s Kerala Blasters delivered a resounding thrashing to FC Goa, who failed to make the most of their opportunity to challenge for a top two spot, instead losing 3-1 to the Keralites. Dimitrios Diamantakos was on song at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi, as the home fans were treated to an excellent performance, which now sees them in a better position than before, moving up to fifth spot in the ISL table. Adrian Luna and Ivan Kaliuzhnyi were on target as Kerala walked away with a win The Kerala Blasters utilised both the wide flanks to their advantage, attacking via Sandeep Singh and Rahul Praveen from the…

Massimilano Allegri’s Juventus extended their excellent streak in the league to six games with a big win over rivals Lazio. The Bianconeri had the better of veteran coach Maurizio Sarri’s men, who were without star striker Ciro Immobile. Juventus attacker Moise Kean had a field day, with two goals, as the opposition defence could not manage to cope with the Italian’s rapid pace. Lazio’s midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was in good touch at the Allianz Stadium, making a couple of clever runs into the attacking third. However, the Serbian was caught out as he attempted to do what he has become so good…