Author: Soorya G

All-rounders Wanindu Hasaranga and Dhananjaya de Silva both did extremely well as reigning Asian champions Sri Lanka picked up a simple victory against an Afghanistan side that was simply not at its best. The win keeps Sri Lanka in contention for a qualification to the semi-final, but they will have to count on Afghanistan to come up tops against defending T20 champions Australia, and will also have to beat England to qualify for the knockout stages. Credit: Twitter / T20 World Cup Afghanistan got off to a good start as opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz looked in fine touch. The marauding batsman scored a couple of boundaries and maximums…

Indian batsman Virat Kohli has been having an excellent T20 World Cup so far, with two outstanding unbeaten half-centuries in three games. The 33-year old played perhaps the all-time great T20 innings against Pakistan to take India to victory from a seemingly insurmountable position. The player then followed it up with another fine knock of 65* against the Netherlands as Team India all but sealed qualification into the semi-finals of the marquee event. Although things did not go as per plan against South Africa, Virat will not be worried, after playing a couple of stunning drives to the fence before a Lungi Ngidi bouncer hurried…

Indian batsman Suryakumar Yadav is undoubtedly in the prime of his career. The right-hander is currently in the middle of a purple patch, where everything he has touched has turned into absolute gold. His form in the shortest format has been especially brilliant, with more than 1200 runs to his name since his debut in 2021. What is particularly striking about Yadav is the remarkable strike rate at which he goes about his game. The Mumbai batter has an astounding career strike rate of 177.07 in 37 games, the highest in the history of the game. Considering the kind of…

Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram has been linked with a summer move to Bayern Munich, as the Bundesliga giants have shown that they intend to make a big move for a prominent striker just one summer after losing Robert Lewandowski. And now the player who is also targeted by Premier League club Everton has seemingly shot down the possibility of joining the Munich club. Speaking to L’Equipe the 25-year-old attacker revealed that he is enjoying each day as it comes following an increase in transfer interest, with Thuram set for a January move as he enters the final six months of his…

Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie is apparently furious with his situation at the Catalan club and is looking at potential moves, including returning to the Serie A. The Ivory Coast international signed for Barcelona over the summer after the expiration of his contract at AC Milan. His arrival was widely considered the changing of the guard in the Blaugrana, as fans expected legendary midfielder Sergio Busquets to drop to the bench in favour of Kessie. However, that is far from what has actually transpired, as Kessie struggles to get minutes under Xavi Hernandez, starting in only four of Barcelona’s games across all competitions. The midfielder…

The Blues are considering a move for Portugal star Nelson Semedo, who is currently at Wolverhampton Wanderers. With Chelsea light in the right-sided full-back position, especially considering that Cesar Azpilicueta’s contract expires at the end of the season, manager Graham Potter is reportedly pursuing a move for Semedo, who is seen as a backup to Reece James. James suffered an injury in recent weeks, forcing him to undergo surgery, which puts him out of action at least until the completion of the World Cup, which he will miss. Such being the case, Potter is forced to play Azpilicueta in the…

A match-winning opening spell from South African pacer Lungi Ngidi was instrumental in the Proteas’ stunning victory against the in-form Indians. His outstanding spell tore through the entire Indian top order, picking up four invaluable wickets in his first two overs. Ngidi was unplayable, getting rid of KL Rahul, skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya in quick time, leaving India reeling at 51/5. The mercurial Suryakumar Yadav then got together with veteran Dinesh Karthik to stitch the innings back together after the horror start. On a Perth pitch where the ball was flying through, and the brilliant South African pace attack was…

Bayern Munchen regained their top spot in the Bundesliga after a lengthy absence by their standards after a 6-2 thumping of Mainz in a high-scoring gameweek in Germany. The Bavarians put six past a listless Mainz defence. Sadio Mane accumulated two assists and a goal despite poorly missing a penalty, while Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, as well as youngsters Mathys Tel and Jamal Musiala all scored. https://twitter.com/OptaFranz/status/1586385682704257024 Eric Maxim Chupo-Moting was brilliant, the Cameroonian scoring once and also assisting Musiala in a beautiful one-two. Sven Ulreich also faced a penalty but was untroubled as Jonathan Burkardt sent his effort well over the bar. The Nmeha brothers ran riot on VfL Bochum as Wolfsburg eased…

Defending Indian Super League champions Hyderabad FC were lucky to walk away with a win against FC Goa after a shabby performance. The Guars were dominant against the defending champions, controlling possession for most of the match and creating a significantly higher number of chances. Nevertheless, Carlos Pena’s men were just unable to find the back of the net.  Playing at home at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad, the table-toppers were dominated by the Goans, who barely allowed Hyderabad to get a glimpse of the ball, but somehow ceded the early upper hand, as Nigerian veteran Bartholomew Ogbeche played Javier Siverio in, how…

The Nerazzurri were brilliant in their laboured efforts to get back into the top four places, brushing aside a tame challenge from relegation-threatened Sampdoria. Internazionale scored three against Dejan Stankovic’s men in what was a superb performance from the likes of Alessandro Bastoni and Hakan Calhanoglu. Nicolo Barella was also on song, scoring his fifth of the league campaign as Inter drew level on points with third and fourth-placed teams Lazio and Atalanta respectively, having played a game more. https://twitter.com/OptaPaolo/status/1586443232191315968 Inter looked like scoring within the opening ten minutes via centre-forward Edin Dzeko, who displayed some beautiful footwork to get a shot away, only to be denied…