After losing the Boxing Day Test, India faces a crucial match in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Indian captain Rohit Sharma has opted out due to poor form, with pacer Jasprit Bumrah expected to lead the team. This could mark the end of Rohit's Test career, while Prasidh Krishna's inclusion adds a new dimension to India's pace attack alongside Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. India must win to retain the trophy and keep its chances alive in the World Test Championship. Tune in for the Day 1 play starting at 5:00 AM IST.
Ten people have been arrested for participating in a scam that blocked government quota seats in Karnataka's private engineering colleges and converted them to expensive 'management' seats. The police were able to uncover the scam after noticing that over 2,600 students did not enroll in the seats they had chosen during the counselling rounds. These students were unaware that seats had been blocked under their names, and some had even opted for other courses or joined prestigious institutions like IIT. The scam has raised questions about the transparency and fairness of the admission process in Karnataka's professional colleges, and efforts are being made to arrest other key individuals involved in the scam.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has revealed that starting goalkeeper Sanchez will face off against Tottenham on Sunday. Maresca opted to rotate the squad in their previous match against relegation-threatened opponents and it proved to be successful with Chelsea emerging victorious. Sanchez, who has faced criticism this season, has a decent record on paper with 14 goals conceded in 13 appearances and three clean sheets to his name.
Manchester United's manager Ruben Amorim is set to call up 16-year old Godwill Kukonki for tonight's Premier League match against Arsenal, as defender Luke Shaw has been ruled out due to injury. Shaw, 29, confirmed the news through an emotional statement on his Instagram story. With left-sided defender Lisandro Martinez also unavailable, Amorim has opted to bring in Kukonki, who has previously featured in the team's matches against Ipswich and Everton. Kukonki's inclusion in the squad adds depth to United's defence, which has been hit with a string of injuries and suspensions.
The West Indies women's cricket team has announced their squad for the upcoming tour against India, and it includes the legendary all-rounder Deandra Dottin. Dottin made a stunning return to the T20I format earlier this year, and her inclusion will boost the Caribbean side's chances against the strong Indian team. However, they will also be without lead bowler Anisa Mohammed, who opted out of travelling amidst the pandemic.
In a surprising move, Indian captain-coach duo Jasprit Bumrah and Gautam Gambhir opted to leave out seasoned spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for the first test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Instead, India went with the inexperienced Washington Sundar as their sole spinner in the XI. The decision left experts and fans puzzled, as it was only the fifth time since 2012 that India did not have both Ashwin and Jadeja in their playing XI, and the second instance in Perth. The move seemed to be a strategic one, with India wanting an off-spinner to exploit the left-handers in Australia's lineup, and Sundar being perceived as a better batting option than Ashwin.
On the first day of the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, NSW opted to field and were able to restrict Victoria to a lead of just 30 runs. The match, played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, saw Victoria struggling against the strong NSW bowling attack. With the match just 43 minutes away from starting, cricket fans are eagerly waiting to see if NSW can continue their dominant performance or if Victoria can make a comeback.
The relationship between Pakistan and India in the world of cricket has always been intense, with the latest development being BCCI's decision to not travel to Lahore for the upcoming Champions Trophy. The PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, however, has stated that they have not received any formal communication from BCCI on this matter. While some reports suggest that India has opted for a 'Hybrid Model' in which their matches will be played in Dubai, Naqvi remains adamant that all teams will be playing in Pakistan. With tensions rising between the two sides, the fate of this highly anticipated tournament remains uncertain.
FC Barcelona made an unsuccessful attempt to sell Ferran Torres to Arsenal during the last days of the summer transfer window, as reported by Football Transfers. Despite offering the Spanish winger to the London club, Arsenal ultimately opted for the loan of Raheem Sterling from Chelsea instead. This reflects the Gunners' priority to sign a more experienced Premier League player, rather than taking a chance on Torres. The young forward, who is under contract with FC Barcelona until 2027, is now hoping to find a new club in the upcoming January transfer market.
The European Union's recent vote to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles has sparked fears of retaliation from China, with concerns that Beijing could target individual European countries such as France. The decision to impose tariffs came after China launched an anti-dumping probe earlier this year, which concluded that dumping had occurred but opted not to impose tariffs. However, this latest move by the EU could provoke China into reversing their decision, causing concern for French cognac producers who may be targeted in retaliation.