Ashwin slams India's underutilisation of spin in Oval Test: Lacked game-awareness
The veteran off-spinner pointed to Harry Brook's counter-attack as a moment when India missed a trick. Ashwin suggested that Washington Sundar, who picked up four wickets in the third innings of the Lord's Test, should have been brought in earlier.'When Harry Brook started taking it on, after 20 runs, you could have brought on the spinner to choke the run flow. From the other end, a pacer could have bowled, with all this in mind, Washington Sundar could have been introduced earlier into the attack. Making these mistakes creates a huge gap.' Ashwin commented.It was observed that the Yorkshire duo of Joe Root and Harry Brook were comfortable in playing pace, and had it been the drifting spin of Sundar from one end, it could have been a bit more challenging for the ever-aggressive English batters to score runs at their usual rapid run-rate.While the Indian team is still mathematically in the contest, the task ahead looks steep. The Three Lions require 35 runs to win the match and the series, while on the other hand, the Indian fans will pin their hopes on a comparatively fresh burst from Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna on the final day.India is nearly 4 overs away from the new ball, and will be in anticipation for a near-perfect final morning to stop England from marching to a 3-1 win in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.- EndsMust Watch
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First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Premier League 2025-26: Top five new players, title favourites, Matchday 1 schedule and live streaming
The 2025-26 season of the Premier League gets underway with defending champions Liverpool facing Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming season. Liverpool's Florian Wirtz and Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres are two new signings to keep an eye on in the 2025-26 Premier League season. Reuters The 2025-26 Premier League season gets underway with defending champions Liverpool facing Bournemouth in an emotional season-opener at The Anfield, the English top-flight strengthened by a remarkable £2 billion ($2.7 billion) spending splurge, a sizeable chunk of it spent by the Reds. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming season, from the key signings to watch out for and title favourites to Matchday 1 schedule and information on live streaming: STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Top five new signings to watch out this season Florian Wirtz, Liverpool: The biggest signing of the summer so far, ($157 million) from Bayer Leverkusen, the spotlight will firmly be on the German attacking midfielder and whether he can live up to his price tag or not. He did, however, impress in the at the Wembley, providing an assist to fellow new signing Hugo Ekitike early in the game. Hugo Ekitike made an instant impression after joining Liverpool on a £79 million deal from Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring the opening goal in the fourth minute of the contest. AP Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool: It took under four minutes for Hugo Ekitike, who had joined the defending champions from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79 million ($107 million), to make an impact on Liverpool debut as he put the Reds in the lead with a superb strike. Like Wirtz, Ekitike too will have the spotlight on him this season, being the second-most expensive signing of the summer transfer window so far. More from Football Benjamin Sesko, Manchester United: Ruben Amorim's side have opted for a complete overhaul in their attack as they desperately seek to return to European competition this season after their horrendous 15th-place finish in May. And the Portuguese manager will be hoping that Slovenian striker Sesko, who (approximately $100 million) provides a towering presence at 6'5, makes a formidable trio with Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha up front. Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal: The Gunners have had their eyes on the Swedish centre-forward, who is among the deadliest finishers in the world and has played a key role in each of Sporting CP's title-winning campaigns in the last two Primeira Liga seasons. And after weeks of suspense, Mikel Arteta's side ($86.05 million) on a five-year contract on 27 July. Arteta will be hoping Gyokeres is able to carry that red-hot goal-scoring form over to England and help his side finally lift their first Premier League title since 2004. Rayan Cherki (Manchester City): Cherki, who joins Man City for £34 million ($46 million), had created as many as 125 chances across competitions for Lyon last season, with only Barcelona's Raphina and city rivals United's Bruno Fernandes having bettered that tally. That alone should make the Frenchman among the new signings to keep an eye on this season. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Who are the title favourites in the 2025-26 Premier League? Liverpool had clinched the Premier League last season with four matches to spare in Arne Slot's maiden season in charge, and with their ambitious shopping in the summer transfer window, there's no reason to believe that the Reds cannot win back-to-back titles for the first time in the Premier League era. Then again, one cannot leave Arsenal and Manchester City out of the conversation while discussing Premier League title favourites. With their ambitious purchases in the transfer window, Liverpool certainly will back themselves to win back-to-back Premier League titles. AP City have been the most dominant team in the English top-flight since legendary manager Alex Ferguson bid United goodbye in the summer of 2013, missing out on the title once twice since the 2017-18 season – getting thwarted by Liverpool on both occasions. A key reason why they looked relatively off-colour last season was injury to key players, including and especially Ballon d'Or winner Rodri. And there's no reason to believe Guardiola's men can't bounce back and win their 11th top-flight title this season. As for the Gunners, Arteta certainly has transformed them into a formidable and consistent side with the 13-time English top-flight champions finishing runners-up in each of the last three seasons – twice to City and to Liverpool last season. With a goal-scoring machine in striker Gyokeres in their ranks along with an elite holding midfielder in Martin Zubimendi – who joins from Real Sociedad for £60 million ($81 million), who's to say Arteta cannot deliver his fans their first league title since the Invincibles' triumph in 2003-04. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Matchday 1 Full schedule Here's the full schedule for Matchday 1 (timings in IST; home team mentioned first): – Liverpool vs Bournemouth (Saturday, 16 August at 12.30 am) – Aston Villa vs Newcastle (Saturday, 16 August at 5 pm) – Brighton vs Fulham (Saturday, 16 August at 7.30 pm) – Sunderland vs West Ham (Saturday, 16 August at 7.30 pm) – Tottenham vs Burnley (Saturday, 16 August at 7.30 pm) – Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City (Saturday, 16 August at 10 pm) – Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (Sunday, 17 August at 6.30 pm) – Nottingham Forest vs Brentford (Sunday, 17 August at 6.30 pm) – Manchester United vs Arsenal (Sunday, 17 August at 9 pm) – Leeds United vs Everton (Tuesday, 19 August at 12.30 am) Where to watch Premier League on TV and online in India? The Premier League will continue to be telecast on the Star Sports Network on television and will be streamed live on the JioHotstar website and mobile application.
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Sorry state of affairs: Cadet judokas to miss World Championships
CHENNAI: Indian judokas, especially those competing in the cadet category, continue to suffer as they may be forced to miss the World Championships scheduled in Sofia, Bulgaria from August 27 to 30. The athletes in this category missed three international tournaments last year and the upcoming World Championship will be their fourth and the biggest miss. Notably, the Judo Federation of India (JFI) has been governed by an administrator appointed by the Delhi High Court since June 2022. The latest heartbreak in the series of misses for cadet judokas meant most of them would now be unable to compete in the next World Championships as they will turn 18 by the time the 2026 edition would be held. It was learnt that the Sports Authority of India (SAI) didn't sanction the tour citing selection policy which makes it mandatory for every national sports federation to hold selection trials to pick a team for an international tournament. The JFI selected judokas, who won medals at the Taipei Cadets Asian Cup held last month for the Worlds, but the SAI didn't approve the list and in turn directed the federation to hold trials. Interestingly, the JFI held ranking trials for the Asian Cadets Championships scheduled in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 11 and 12 last week but chose the judokas for the Worlds on the basis of their performances at the Taipei event. There were many judokas who won medals in Taipei and also the ranking trials and one among them is Rahi Ghelani. She won a gold medal each in the Tashkent Asian Cup held in May, Taipei Asian Cup and the ranking trials in the -44kg weight category and could be a medal contender at the World Championships if given an opportunity. Linthoi Chanambam created history in 2022 when she won a -57kg gold at the Cadet World Championships and became the first from the country to win a medal at the event across age groups. Next year, Oliviya Devi Huidrom clinched -44kg bronze at the event and Rahi could have continued the legacy in the 2025 edition. Incidentally, Rahi is from Bhavnagar in Gujarat and the union sports minister also hails from the same district. Besides, these cadet judokas will graduate to senior level by the time India gets ready to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and 2036 Olympics if their respective bids come to fruition.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Rajeev Ram reflects on his unique journey, tennis success, thoughts on doubles and mentoring young talent.
For Indian tennis fans, Rajeev Ram at once seems a close cousin and a distant relative. The 41-year-old's parents were from India and his biggest doubles successes — Australian Open 2020 and a hat-trick of US Opens from 2021 to 2023 — have resonated in the sub-continent. But he is also proudly American, and is mentoring the next generation there. He sat courtside as fellow Indian-American Nishesh Basavareddy, then 19, took on Novak Djokovic in the first-round of the 2025 Australian Open. Incidentally, Rajeev and Venus Williams beat Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza in a close semifinal at the Rio 2016 Olympics, and Rajeev [with Joe Salisbury] also overcame Bopanna [and Matthew Ebden] in the 2023 US Open final. The six-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Olympic medallist spoke to The Hindu on his tennis journey, the state of doubles, the mixed doubles rejig at the upcoming US Open and more. Excerpts: ALSO READ | Open and shut case: Jaiswal and Rahul making headway as a partnership at the top How do you assess your year so far? In professional sport, it's a lot of up and down. My results this year haven't been what I've gotten used to over the last few years. But I'm 41 and have been very fortunate to have played at a pretty high level for the better part of 20 years. So, I'm taking it in my stride. The US Open is my favourite tournament, so I am really looking forward [to it]. What has kept you going for so long? I played singles as a priority until 2017. We, as tennis players, begin with aspirations to play at the top level in singles. I'm very proud of the fact that I became a top-60 player and won two titles on the Tour. My doubles-only career started in 2017, and even though it was much after I turned pro, it still was fresh when Joe and I won the Australian Open in 2020. It's a lot about attitude. The thing that's always been important is consistently trying to improve. If you have that attitude, you can sometimes take even losses as a positive. As heartbreaking as some of them are, sometimes they're the biggest motivators. I used them as fire and fuel. I've actually had to be more aware of myself when I've been winning a lot because you get a little bit satisfied. How has the doubles game evolved? It's changed a lot. When I started, players, especially those who transitioned from singles, would try to develop their net game a bit more. In the last three or four years, I've seen a big shift where that's really not the case. Most teams now have at least one player who serves and stays back all the time. There's more comfort from the baseline. A lot of the players don't really worry about serving and volleying anymore. From the returner's perspective, it's a lot more about pace, being aggressive and trying to get a hold on the point straight away. Whereas, when I started playing, there was a little bit more feel, more finesse. Doubles is very entertaining and popular as a recreational sport. But it doesn't get good broadcast slots or matches on the show courts, especially in the first week of a Major. Are these hindering the growth? Absolutely. Anything that is put on the back-burner in terms of promotion and marketing is going to be treated that way by people who watch it. I'm not saying by any stretch that it needs to be at the same level as singles. But there are definitely stories that could be marketed a lot more. Like Rohan having so much success at such a late age [World No. 1 and 2024 Australian Open title]. Croatia's Mate Pavic won the French Open last year and completed the career Golden Slam [along with Tokyo 2020 Olympics gold]. But I don't think it got the push that a truly rare achievement in our sport should have got. Next is to highlight the partnerships. There could be quite a bit more of that, just to get to know the players at the personal level. ALSO READ | Sai Sudharsan: 'It was clear that we were in England to create history' In such a scenario, how does the move by the US Open to completely transform its mixed doubles feel? It is being played in the week before the Slam and has more singles players than doubles. It's two parts for me. I applaud their idea to innovate. As much as doubles was on the back-burner, mixed doubles was behind even more. So putting it in its own week, with fanfare, is great. Tennis could use mixed doubles as the flag-bearer, as men and women play men and women for Olympic medals and Grand Slam titles. But they [US Open] made it such that doubles players couldn't even enter. You can't unless you have a singles ranking. That's where I feel opposed. They should [have] just let everybody enter. A lot of the players that got in from singles would have still gotten in. It would have been a bit more legitimate to give a Grand Slam trophy for. If you were in a position of power, what would you do to increase traction for doubles? I mentioned Rohan winning so late. Joe and I won three US Opens on the trot. So the stories are there. They just need to be told. Secondly, social media is such a big part of our world. We have exciting points happening every day. They don't need to be necessarily in the main stadiums or even on TV. If we could do a better job of showcasing them, people would be drawn to the game. Most of those who are watching are doubles players themselves and they can have a little bit of a relationship there. The third thing is to just tell the story of the partnerships. Joe and I played together for six years. We can do a little bit more of getting outside tennis and highlighting the personalities. ALSO READ | Injuries are a part of cricket; injury substitutes are unnecessary You have been mentoring Nishesh, among the brightest talents to emerge from the United States. What do you think India can do to develop such a player? I wish there was some magic recipe. Nishesh and I… our relationship is unique. Of all the places in the US, he moved to the little town that I'm from [Carmel, Indiana]. We have the same coach, Bryan Smith, and I have to give him a lot of credit. He not only teaches us to be good tennis players but also teaches us to give back to the next group. It was always something I was going to do for him [Nishesh] and a few others. Also, coming from the exact same background as I have, an America-born kid with Indian heritage… a lot of pieces came together. What India can do… I think it is very important for a player to feel that he or she is not alone and not feel like they have to reach a certain level for it to be successful. Just the effort of trying to be the best you can be is success in itself. I was really lucky that my dad had the foresight to realise that in the US, sports can actually open doors. I would have never gone to the colleges that I went to if I wasn't a tennis player. So, maybe, just a slight shift in mentality for what it really means to be a high-level athlete and what success really is [can help India].
