Small errors, non-traditional dismissals, another collapse, and India had lost another opportunity to make losing this Test improbable

Sidharth Monga12-Jul-20251:30

Manjrekar: ‘The grind’ a great facet of Jadeja’s batting evolution

For a moment if you forget the last session of the day is always longer, at drinks in the middle session of the Saturday of Lord’s we reached the halfway point of the series. Two Tests, two days and 1.5 sessions in, India had scored 2139 runs and lost 41 wickets, making it an average of 52.17 and scoring rate of 4.17 per over. They had conceded 1903 runs and taken 45 wickets at 42.29 apiece and 4.21 per over. They had kept England in the field for 513 overs and had themselves bowled just 452.5This kind of superiority is usually enough to win Test series. And it can be argued India ought to have been even more superior on these numbers because India had been better on control numbers. India’s bowlers had drawn false shots to 17.76% of the deliveries they had bowled as against England’s 12.45%.Account for regulation amounts of luck going England’s way, but you would still expect India to be ahead of England at the halfway point of the series. Instead, the series scoreline read 1-1, and the first innings of this Test was England 387 all out vs India 290 for 5. Somehow India had contrived to be only just level, playing catch-up really considering they had to bat last on what started as an aged pitch during what is among the hottest Tests played at Lord’s.Related

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India's 350-plus streak in Tests, and a rare first-innings tie

The latest slip-up came after India had vowed not to gift wickets in the aftermath of the Headingley defeat where they endured collapses of 7 for 41 and 6 for 31 to bowling that didn’t call for them. They showed the corrections at Edgbaston, kept England in the field for 234 overs and levelled the series.At Lord’s, India batted with similar resolve, got into positions of strength through a 141-run partnership between KL Rahul and the injured Rishabh Pant, but found a new skittish way to let England back in.Rahul, having never scored two centuries in a series, started the last over before lunch on 97, got a short and wide ball, but cut it straight to the sweeper. Just for perspective – and not to suggest it was bothering Rahul – Kumar Sangakkara on air had just finished saying how he hated going into breaks just short of a milestone. He said he would have been looking for a boundary.Rahul’s non-striker, Pant, was more disappointed. He seemed more invested in Rahul’s century. He could be heard on stump mic: “It was a bad ball, deserved four.” Rahul said he did go for it, but found the fielder. The unspoken was spoken now. The two now had the milestone on their mind. Pant looked to manipulate a single off the next two balls, and on the second, the two just looked up at each other and set off.They had survived a whole session of the best England had to throw at them including a bouncer barrage, Rahul serenely, Pant slightly more entertainingly despite having to look after his injured digit. And then a three-way nightmare came together: a milestone jeopardy, a quick single and the Ben Stokes juju. It was such a poorly judged single that Stokes had a choice of ends to go for.Chris Woakes had Ravindra Jadeja caught down the leg side•Getty ImagesIndia had once again found a newer non-traditional way to lose a Test wicket to a Stokes-led piece. They have been doing this since Hyderabad at the start of the home series in 2023-24.Imagine playing the superior cricket through the series, and struggling to avoid trailing in the series halfway into it. When Ravindra Jadeja was joined by Nitish Kumar Reddy, India were 133 behind.Jadeja is just the man you want to see at such a time. Please don’t do a double take. He is the most old-school batter in the Indian line-up. So old-school he hasn’t changed his technique to allow for DRS. He still defends spin with bat beside the pad. He just reacts to what is bowled at him.And still for about the next half hour, India didn’t enjoy the calm Jadeja should bring to the middle. Borne mostly out of Jadeja’s propensity to take two or three steps down the pitch every time his bat touches the ball, it was another spell of skittish and frantic play that could have got India into trouble.Desperately due some luck, India miraculously avoided any run out. Not every lesson has to be as harsh as the Headingley one. Jadeja’s serenity took over. He was only the fourth batter in the Test to be in control of 100 balls or more. At a control rate of 91%, this innings was as good as any played in the match. Coming at the stage that it did, it sent a message if it needed repeating: if you are good enough, in these conditions you can thrive even if you take just what is offered.And then, with ascendency in sight, the juju struck again. There had been a period of wide and dry bowling from England, understandably so, the new ball had been seen off, and just when India might have started to think of forcing the issue, Jadeja tickled one down the leg side. Another non-traditional dismissal, another collapse, and India had lost another opportunity to make losing this Test improbable.At the end of the day’s play, India averaged 48.6 with the bat at 3.97 per over, England 42.33 and 4.19 per over. And yet, England were two ahead with all their second-innings wickets in hand in the third Test and the series 1-1. With temperatures rising both in the air and on the pitch, India will be counting the costs of their small errors here and there.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim says he will put the club first when it comes to potential January transfers. Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee are both yet to start for the Red Devils this season and have been linked with winter exits in a bid to play regularly in the second half of the season ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Amorim has previously suggested both players will not be allowed to leave but has now offered a fresh update.

Mainoo and Zirkee out of favour at Old Trafford

Mainoo has managed just 259 minutes for Manchester United so far this season, while Zirkzee has made only five substitute appearances and hasn't featured since the win over Brighton in October. Their lack of game time means that both players have been linked with January exits despite Amorim having said earlier this season "we need everyone" when quizzed on the possibility of the duo moving on.

AdvertisementAFPAmorim offers fresh transfer update

Amorim has now been asked about about both players again and says he wants to help them out but the club's needs must come first.

"I was a football player," he told reporters. "I understand everything, and I want to help my players in every situation. I understand the frustration of some players, seeing the World Cup is there. I know what it means. But the first thing is that the club comes first. If I can help the club and the players, I will be happy. If not I have to think about the team."

AFCON and injuries affecting Man Utd

Manchester United's transfer plans are likely to be affected by the club's current injury situation and the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament. The Red Devils are set to lose Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui to the tournament, with the trio set to miss key fixtures over the festive period. Amorim is also currently without striker Benjamin Sesko due to a knee injury that is expected to keep him out for a month. The situation could offer Mainoo and Zirkzee the chance for more minutes at Old Trafford in the coming weeks and will also certainly factor into the club's thinking if any offers arrive for the duo in the January transfer window.

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Amorim admits Ugarte also struggling at Man Utd

Mainoo and Zirkzee are not the only players having a difficult time at Manchester United at present. Midfielder Manuel Ugarte has struggled to find his best form and has come in for criticism during his time at Old Trafford. Amorim, who worked previously with Ugarte at Sporting, has even reportedly criticised the midfielder in front of the whole squad, calling his work rate into question at a team meeting.

Amorim has now admitted that Uruguay international is not at his best but hopes he can improve. He added: "You can sense that a lot of very good players come here, and sometimes they struggle. He is struggling in the moment, but it is our job to try to help our players, and again, everything can change, and you saw it five weeks ago, the environment was completely different. So I know that Ugarte is struggling in the moment, and my job is trying to help him to feel as a player, like I felt when he was a sporting player, for example. But it is a different world, and he needs to adapt, and he needs to improve, especially in training."

Third umpire Gayathri Venugopalan’s decision to reprieve Heather Knight against Bangladesh came under the scanner after England escaped to a four-wicket win in their women’s World Cup 2025 match in Guwahati.In the 15th over of England’s chase of 179, Knight chipped legspinner Fahima Khatun to the covers, where Shorna Akter dived to her right and seemed to have taken a low catch. Knight started walking, but the on-field umpires referred it to the TV umpire, who felt that the fielder did not have her fingers under the ball and ruled it not out. Knight was on 13 at that point. She went on to finish unbeaten on 79 off 111 balls, taking her side home with 23 balls to spare.”At first look, I thought it was out,” Knight said after the match. “I thought it carried and thought it was a fair catch and walked off. But the TV umpire decided otherwise. I certainly had a bit of luck today. But probably with the year I have had, I deserved a little bit of luck. I tried to ride it and really make it count.”Related

• TV umpiring slip-ups come under the scanner at Women's World Cup

• Shining Knight sweeps in to rescue England

• Knight scraps to help England overcome Bangladesh scare

The tricky bit about these non-dismissals was that the TV umpire gave her ruling while saying the replays available to her were “inconclusive”. In the first instance, of the caught behind, an on-field decision of out was overturned on “inconclusive” evidence, which might have gone against Bangladesh. In case of the “catch” in the covers, too, replays seemed to suggest that the fielder had her fingers under the ball, but the on-field umpires hadn’t really given the batter out to start with.But so convinced was Knight of the legality of the catch that she had reached the boundary line before walking all the way back.Fahima, who finished with 3 for 16 from her ten overs, certainly felt the catch-that-wasn’t affected the final result.”It was a disappointing decision for us,” she said. “Every player in our team felt it was a clear dismissal. The decision was overturned after being given out, which was disappointing. We all know how crucial that wicket was. Had the call gone our way, there was every chance the outcome of the match could have been different.”This was one of the three reprieves for Knight, who was batting for the first time in international cricket since her return from a hamstring injury. She was ruled out caught behind on the first ball she faced. But a review saved her, after replays showed that Marufa Akter’s inswinging delivery had missed her inside edge and brushed the front pad instead. The impact, as it turned out to be, was well outside the line of off too. Then, in the seventh over, she was given lbw but used the DRS successfully once again. Ball-tracking showed that this time, the ball would have bounced over the stumps.”It was the first time I was out three times in an innings and had them overturned, that’s for sure,” Knight said. “It was a case of refocusing. I knew I didn’t hit the ball, and it was tricky conditions as well. It was swinging quite a lot, [which] can make it tricky for the umpires as well. But that’s the joy of DRS, isn’t it? It’s great to have that in place.”

Abhishek’s 37-ball 68 went in vain as Australia chase down 126 with 40 balls to spare

Alex Malcolm31-Oct-20252:49

What explains India’s batting blowout?

A spellbinding performance from Josh Hazlewood silenced an MCG crowd of 82,438 that was dominated by India supporters and handed Australia a 1-0 series lead.Everything about the atmosphere felt like an away game for the home side except for the quintessential fast-paced Australian pitch, and Hazlewood thrived, taking 3 for 13 from four overs to bundle India out for 125 despite a stunning lone hand from Abhishek Sharma, who made 68 off 37 balls to give Australia something to chase.Abhishek could not get much strike, facing 37 balls from a possible 111 before falling in the 19th over. Harshit Rana was the only one to stay with him, making a valuable 35 from 33. But Australia’s bowlers were too good, with Nathan Ellis bagging 2 for 21 and Xavier Bartlett 2 for 39 after Hazlewood’s new-ball destruction.Related

'The more the merrier' – Hazlewood calls for more allrounders in Ashes XI

Australia and India teams among those to pay tribute to Ben Austin

Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head saw off the threat of Jasprit Bumrah early and then exploded to set up a routine chase. Marsh thumped four sixes in his 46 off 26 while Head made 28 off 15. Varun Chakravarthy bowled beautifully to bag 2 for 23 but got little support with the exception of two wickets in two balls from Bumrah when just two runs were needed to win. It made the four-wicket margin look closer than it was, given Australia won with 40 balls to spare.Hazlewood 4-0-13-3Hazlewood set the tone with his first three balls. The first was a perfect length that pitched fourth stump and nipped back to pin Shubman Gill on the pad. He was given out initially but reprieved via DRS thanks to the MCG’s steep bounce. The second ball pitched in the same spot and nipped away to beat the edge. The third ball was a searing bouncer that thudded into Gill’s helmet before he had completed an attempted pull shot. There was an audible gasp and a hush in the stadium seconds later as all players on the field rushed in with concern, all of which was completely understandable given that the pre-game tribute to Ben Austin had taken place no more than 15 minutes earlier.Shubman Gill was hit on the helmet by a Josh Hazlewood bouncer•AFP/Getty ImagesGill was fortunately fine to continue after the mandatory concussion check. But he was anything but comfortable against Hazlewood, scoring two singles in eight balls and 5 off ten in total before miscuing a lofted drive to mid-off.Sanju Samson was a surprise entrant at No. 3. He was beaten by Hazlewood but not dismissed by him. Ellis trapped him lbw at the other end and he took a review with him.Hazlewood then tormented Suryakumar Yadav. More steep bounce was gloved down the leg side and Josh Inglis dropped the chance, surprised by how much it climbed above his head. Inglis got another chance next ball when Hazlewood nipped one away off the seam to scratch the outside edge and Inglis gleefully pouched it. Tilak Varma was out two balls later trying to flick a length ball against the angle and bounce, Inglis held onto the towering skier.Hazlewood had 3 for 6 from three overs and India were 40 for 4 after the powerplay. Mitchell Marsh went for the jugular, bowling his prized stallion for a fourth straight. It nearly paid dividends with Abhishek edging another superb delivery, only for it to fly just wide of a diving Inglis and away to the rope for the only boundary off Hazlewood’s bowling.Abhishek Sharma brought up a half-century•Getty ImagesAbhishek’s solo standAbhishek not only looked like he was playing on a different pitch, he looked like he was playing a different spot. As his teammates tumble, Abhishek teed off with some stunning batting. He smashed 14 off the second over of the match from Bartlett, including an outrageous inside-out drive over the cover fence to a ball that pitched outside leg. His best shot came in the fourth over from Ellis. With two men back square on the leg side, he predicted the slower ball bouncer outside leg, skipping down and leg side to upper cut it over short third.The problem was that he kept running out of partners and could not get the strike. Axar Patel was run out for a painful 7 off 12 after a mix-up trying to get him on strike. At one stage, India had faced 66 balls as a team and he had only faced 19 of them but had hit eight of those to the rope. His 50 came off 23 balls. He finally found an ally in Harshit Rana, who made an important 35 but it did come off 33 balls as Australia’s bowlers did a good job of forcing Abhishek to take singles in the middle overs. He finally found the fence again in Bartlett’s last over with inventive footwork again, stepping outside leg to carve him behind point and then outside off to flick him over fine leg. Ellis trapped him lbw with an excellent yorker, which meant Australia was only chasing 126 rather than something north of 140.Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head gave Australia a flying start•Getty ImagesTravishek in sync alongside monstrous MarshThe other half of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s dynamic duo picked up where Abhishek left off to snuff out any hope of India making the small chase uncomfortable. After surviving some unplayable deliveries from Bumrah, Head shovelled him over mid-on to ease the pressure. Two flashed outside edges off Rana found the rope but in between them, he flicked him for six off the hip. Head fell to an excellent catch on the rope by Tilak.But his brisk 28 off 15 allowed Marsh to take his time. Back in February, after being dropped from Australia’s Test side having been tormented by Bumrah in the Border-Gavaskar series, Marsh joked publicly that his nephew impersonating Bumrah’s action in the backyard had continued his “nightmare”. He would have had PTSD watching a fresh Bumrah fly in from the Members’ end. Marsh played him like it was a Test match, leaving on length and defending as best he could. The lack of run-rate pressure forced Bumrah to go searching for wickets rather than continuing to stack dots. It came at a cost with four byes and five wides off consecutive balls to make Marsh’s lowly strike rate a non-issue. Once he saw off the threat, he unleashed four monstrous strikes. He pulled Rana into the second tier and launched Varun and Kuldeep for three sixes and two fours in the two overs post powerplay. He holed out to Kuldeep but the damage was done.Kuldeep and Varun were able to take four wickets between them. Bumrah’s two late strikes may inflict some psychological damage for the remainder of the series, but Australia still cantered home with 6.4 overs to spare.

The allrounder says he’s not feeling apprehensive ahead of his return to match bowling for the first time in 12 months

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2025Cameron Green has declared he will not be under any bowling restrictions by the time the Ashes starts, and is up for the challenge of batting at No. 3 as an allrounder.Green hasn’t bowled in a match since undergoing back surgery last October after suffering his fifth stress fracture. That will change this weekend when Green makes his bowling return in Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield opener against New South Wales at the WACA ground, starting Saturday.Related

• Webster misses Sheffield Shield opener with ankle injury

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Green will be restricted to just eight overs for the match, with WA skipper Sam Whiteman needing to manage his overs across the game, but will build up steadily in the ensuing Shield matches and ODIs for Australia.In total, Green expects to play three Shield matches as well as Australia’s ODI series against India before the Ashes begins at Perth’s Optus Stadium on November 21.”It’s been a long 12 months, but feeling really good,” Green said on Friday, before adding he was feeling no apprehension ahead of his bowling return. “The body’s in a good place. It’s been a really good rehab journey. I feel stronger, fitter, my action feels good.”It will be eight overs for the [Shield] game. Just a steady build-up. The first Test should be no restrictions. That’s kind of the whole plan of the last year.”That’s why it’s been such a slow build up – so that you’re peaking by the time the Ashes comes around.”Green will bat at No. 4 for WA in their Shield opener despite being the incumbent Test No. 3 having batted in that position in Australia’s last four Tests. Green only averaged 23.50 across those matches but scores of 52, 26, 42 and 46 in tough batting conditions in the Caribbean were worth more in the context of those games.Australia’s selectors have made a point of allowing states to use Test players in whatever batting position they need, even if that is different to their position in the Test team. WA prefer to keep Jayden Goodwin at No. 3 and bat Green at No. 4 given he averages 67.09 from 26 Shield innings in that position for WA with five centuries and six fifties. He also averages 53.60 in six Test innings at No. 4 thanks to his career-best 174 not out against New Zealand last year.But there’s a chance he will remain at No. 3 in the Ashes despite big questions as to whether Green can handle the workload of batting so high in the order and also bowling crucial overs.But with fellow allrounder Beau Webster also in the Test side, Green is confident of being able to bat at first drop.”Shane Watson used to open the batting and bowl,” Green said. “People probably don’t realise how tough that was. Spending so long in the field bowling, and then expected to go out there and bat the last 10 overs of the day for example, is really challenging.”But I think I’m in a bit of a different place. Let’s say I’m batting up the top, and Beau’s batting six, for example – he might take more of the [bowling] load.”Rising star Sam Konstas will be part of a strong NSW line-up for the upcoming match at the WACA, with the opening rounds of the Shield season a huge chance for the 20-year-old to push his case to open in the Ashes.Konstas struggled badly during the 3-0 Test series win in the West Indies, but has since rebounded with some strong displays for Australia A against India A in India.Other contenders looking to push their case to open alongside Usman Khawaja include Marnus Labsuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Jake Weatherald, Marcus Harris, Josh Inglis, Campbell Kellaway, Kurtis Patterson, Matt Renshaw and Cameron Bancroft.

Leeds United have their eyes on a tricky January transfer to sign a new forward who has been compared to Crysencio Summerville.

Leeds’ lack of goals in Premier League as 49ers eye forward

The Whites have struggled in front of goal so far following their return to the Premier League, with centre-back Joe Rodon the club’s joint top scorer in the top flight.

Joe Rodon

2

Lukas Nmecha

2

Noah Okafor

2

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

1

Anton Stach

1

Brenden Aaronson

1

Sean Longstaff

1

Daniel Farke’s side have only scored 10 goals in 11 games, with bottom of the table Wolves the only team to score fewer (7).

Only three attacking additions were made over the summer, two of which were free transfers in Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. It is looking like a decision the 49ers Enterprises could live to regret, but they do have their eyes on attacking reinforcements in the New Year.

Brazilian forward Jhon Jhon is one name that has emerged in recent weeks, and he already has Red Bull links at RB Bragantino in the Brazilian Serie A. Journalist Graeme Bailey said:

“He’s a fascinating player. Very interesting. A bit of an attacking midfielder, can play as a forward. His name has come up in conversations with Red Bull, and he’s within the Red Bull name. He’s a good age, good player. Ticks a lot of boxes.

“Leeds aren’t the only ones looking. He’s come up in conversations, and one I’d not heard before until recently.”

Leeds set to make imminent bid for Real Madrid ace after Farke convinces 49ers

The Whites are looking to bring in a new forward, having not scored enough goals so far this season.

ByDominic Lund Nov 21, 2025

Domestically, Coventry City’s Haji Wright is another attacker who has been linked with a move to Elland Road in recent months, and there has been a fresh claim regaring the Whites taking the USA international in the New Year.

Update on Leeds’ move for Haji Wright

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds have four attacking targets who they could move for in January, one of which is Wright.

It is stated that the Whites ‘have a genuine interest in signing Wright’ and ‘the club are considering a concrete move for a player they have tracked since the summer’.

A deal is viewed as tricky with Coventry top of the Championship, however, Wright’s contract is set to expire in 2027.

Despite the difference in size, Wright has been compared to former Leeds attacker Summerville due to his ability to play off the left.

Roony Bardghji

Barcelona

Marcus Edwards

Burnley

Crysencio Summerville

West Ham

Sadio Mane

Al-Nassr

Borja Sainz

Porto

Primarily a centre-forward, though, the 27-year-old has scored eight Championship goals in 14 appearances so far this season.

Labelled as a “constant problem” for defenders to keep tabs on by his manager Frank Lampard, it has previously been suggested that an offer of £20m could be required to sign Wright.

How Leeds believe they'll convince Raheem Sterling to join with move in the works

Leeds United are struggling to string together a run of form, and they may now have identified a successor to replace Daniel Farke at Elland Road.

The Whites came back off the back of the international break keen to find an upturn in form. However, a Morgan Rogers double condemned them to a damaging defeat at home to Aston Villa despite taking the lead early on in West Yorkshire.

If it wasn’t already tough to make a case, pressure has now cranked up on Farke as Leeds sit inside the Premier League relegation zone before the daunting reality of a trip to face Manchester City this weekend.

However, the former Norwich City coach doubled down on frustration from supporters when opting to take off substitute Ao Tanaka against Aston Villa, claiming that despite discontent in the stands, he had to withdraw the midfielder as he was on a final warning before being red carded.

He told BBC Sport: “It is totally OK for fans to chant for subs – everyone has views on changes and game management. But I will not do a round table or poll before each match. I can’t be driven by emotions, I can’t make subs on 55, 60 minutes just because someone is singing.”

While Farke could be backed with the arrival of Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia, it is becoming more likely that he could be about to part ways with the club after a series of frustrating results.

Making changes in mid-season can have varied results, but there is definitely an appetite for change at the club, and this isn’t the first time the 49-year-old has come under scrutiny. Who could replace him at Elland Road? Fans could be about to find out.

Leeds identify Brendan Rodgers to replace Daniel Farke

According to TEAMtalk, former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is in line to replace Farke at Leeds, with the Whites’ current boss now at increasing risk of being sacked following his side’s poor form.

Intriguingly, the Irishman would be open to taking charge at Elland Road, with his ability to galvanize struggling sides making him a fit that is hard to ignore.

Stiliyan Petrov praised Rodgers’ player development skills during his time in Glasgow, something which is sure to endear him to a Leeds support who are used to seeing local and academy talents emerging from Thorp Arch.

Brendan Rodgers’ second spell at Celtic

Matches

123

Wins

83

Draws

20

Losses

20

Trophies

Scottish Premiership x2, Scottish Cup x1, Premier Sports Cup x1

Only last season, he saw off the likes of RB Leipzig and guided Celtic through to the knockout playoff round of the Champions League before a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich across two legs, albeit his side were unlucky not to progress.

Nevertheless, a public fallout with Dermot Desmond means he is a free agent, something that Leeds could now take advantage of as they look to his previous Premier League experience at Swansea City, Liverpool and Leicester City to guide them out of trouble.

After watching him clobber two home runs in Game 1 and deliver an RBI single earlier in Game 2, the Cincinnati Reds were done pitching to Shohei Ohtani. So, when the reigning National League MVP stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning with a runner on second base and one out on Wednesday night, the Reds opted to intentionally walk him.

Can you blame them?

But the decision didn't pay off, as the next batter, Mookie Betts, hit an RBI double to extend the Dodgers' lead to 8-2. And even though Betts helped orchestrate the decision's backfire, he told reporters after the game that he doesn't blame teams for not wanting to pitch to Ohtani.

"Nothing," Betts said when asked what goes through his mind when he's intentionally walked. "I wouldn't let Shohei swing either. I mean, I understand. I expect the Phillies to do it. I expect [it to happen] for the rest of the postseason. I undertstand. I understand Shohei. I understand the situation of the game. And so I just gotta be ready to do my thing."

And ready he was, as Betts' RBI double proved to be valuable insurance when the Reds would bring the tying run to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning, a jam the Dodgers bullpen navigated out of.

And as for intentionally walking Ohtani to pitch to Betts, it may be a short-lived strategy with the latter heating up at the dish. Betts collected six hits and three RBI in the Dodgers' sweep of the Reds.

Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Phillies begins on Saturday.

MatériaMais Notícias

Agustín Giay é a bola da vez para chegar ao Palmeiras. O Verdão insistiu na contratação — e pagará cerca de R$ 40 milhões por 75% dos direitos — porque o argentino de 20 anos se encaixa perfeitamente no perfil de reforços do clube. Anteriormente, os argentinos endureceram as negociações e rejeitaram as primeiras propostas apresentadas.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! Palmeiras no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Verdão

O Palmeiras ficou “encantado” com Giay. Ele soma as características desejadas pela comissão técnica de Abel Ferreira, além de entrar no projeto a longo prazo do clube: atleta versátil, jovem, competitivo, passagens por seleções de base e promissor, podendo render lucro ao Alviverde no futuro.

Polivalente, o jogador atua na lateral-direita, como volante e meia pela direita. A versatilidade é justamente um dos “mantras” de Abel, que insiste em ter um elenco que os atletas desempenhem mais de uma função.

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Praticamente todo plantel alviverde, atualmente, atua com frequência em mais de uma posição. Além disso, Giay é analisado como competitivo para marcar e atacar, outra valência enfatizada pelo técnico do Palmeiras.

➡️ Mudanças no time: quem Abel Ferreira deve escalar no Palmeiras durante a Data Fifa

➡️ Veja calendário e mais dados do Brasileirão 2024

Formado no San Lorenzo, Giay foi capitão da seleção Argentina no Mundial sub-20. Experiente apesar da pouca idade, o provável reforço palmeirense está no time profissional do “clube do Papa” desde seus 18 anos.

continua após a publicidadePalmeiras viu Giay de perto

O Palmeiras enfrentou o San Lorenzo duas vezes na fase de grupos da Libertadores 2024. A partir disso, o interesse na joia aumentou.

— Sim, teve contato (com Abel Ferreira e Simeone). Mas são coisas que não cabem a mim. Estou tranquilo, pensando no clube — disse Giay, em entrevista recente à “Espn Argentina”.

Na temporada atual, o atleta soma 24 partidas, um gol e duas assistências.

Tudo sobre

OriginalPalmeiras

Standing at 2.08m tall, the fast bowler delivered a stinging blow to India in the Guwahati Test

Firdose Moonda24-Nov-20255:17

Best Test allrounders: Jadeja, Stokes, and… Jansen?

We all know the image that best represents the long and the short of South African cricket because we see it every time Marco Jansen and Temba Bavuma get together on the field. Turns out it’s Jansen who carried all the height envy, not the other way around.Okay, not quite, but now that you’re interested, hear him out about why he wishes he could shave a bit off his 2.08 metres, especially when he is playing in India.”I’ve always struggled bowling in India, whether it was white ball or red ball,” Jansen said at the post-day press conference, “And I’m still jealous of people that get the ball to squat and nip back. Yesterday was a perfect example. (I bowled a ball) that went over off stump because I’m so tall. For a different bowler, like KG [Kagiso Rabada] that’s hitting top of off, so I’ve always been jealous of those people where they’re a bit shorter than me.”The delivery Jansen referred to came late on day two of the Guwahati Test, at the end of his second over. He pitched the ball on a length. It seamed back in to KL Rahul. He left it. And it sailed over the top of the sticks. Rahul judged it well but Jansen was frustrated, knowing he had come close to bowling the India opener.Related

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A tall fast bowler can often find it difficult to keep the stumps in play. But there is a flip side to it. A broadcast graphic showed that Jansen’s short ball pitched almost a metre closer to the batter than Mohammed Siraj’s and still generated disconcerting bounce.Going short wasn’t the plan when the day began. South Africa’s initial breakthrough came when the spinners operated in tandem for 17 overs in the morning session. Keshav Maharaj had Rahul caught at slip to break a 65-run opening stand while Simon Harmer was at the other end. Jansen then replaced Maharaj and the short-ball barrage started because South Africa thought they were “just going to try it.” He bowled six in a row in his first over as a sign of what was to come.In the next over, Jansen took the catch at backward point that dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and gave Harmer his first wicket. Harmer also got the next one, when Sai Sudharsan was caught at midwicket. Jansen felt that was key. “The spinners did a great job and then I was lucky to capitalise,” he told the broadcasters.3:51

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Jansen had Dhruv Jurel caught on the pull in the 36th over and that set the tone for how he was going to bowl for the rest of the innings. “When I got my first wicket with the bouncer, we said ‘okay cool, let’s see how long this is going to work.'”It worked for the rest of that spell as Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja were all out to the short ball sending Jansen on his way to pick up 6 for 48. Still, he didn’t think this performance has exposed a particular weakness in India’s batting. “Nitish Kumar Reddy. I’ve played with him at Sunrisers and I’ve seen him hit the short ball 50 rows back in IPL so I don’t think it’s a vulnerability thing. I just think it’s the game situation,” Jansen said.He was similarly complimentary about both Jurel and Pant but explained that Test cricket is “just difficult,” because “you have to absorb pressure and then you have to find a way and then you have to put pressure back on.” That is something South Africa have become better at doing over the last two years and were best at on a day like today.

I called the family – my brother, sister, mum, dad, you name it – just to get all those feelings and everything out.Jansen needed a bit of help to recover from being dismissed for 93 in Guwahati

Now as for Jansen’s claim about not bowling well in India before. It’s worth noting that he had only played one red-ball game in the country before these Tests, in 2019 for a South African A side. He bowled 15 overs and took 2 for 59. In ODIs, he has done reasonably well (17 wickets in 10 matches at 29.00), though the blow-out from South Africa’s group stage World Cup match against India in 2023 when he took 1 for 94 in 9.4 overs is clearly still a sore point. In the IPL he has 36 wickets from 35 matches but concedes at 9.40 runs to the over. All told, Jansen has been on nine tours to India, including five IPLs, over the last six years and perhaps the value of experience is starting to show.On this, his 10th trip, he has taken his first five-for in any format in the subcontinent to follow a career-best 93 with the bat. Still, he livid that a first red-ball century had eluded him. “I’ve never been in the 90s before in first-class cricket, never mind flipping Test cricket,” Jansen said.2:19

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Was it nerves, with South Africa nine down at the time, that caused him to hang back in his crease to defend Kuldeep Yadav, whom he had attacked all day, and chop on? Maybe. Maybe not. “I was nervous when I had 20. Definitely nervous. And I was nervous in my 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s. I was nervous the whole way through,” Jansen said.South Africa’s centurion, Senuran Muthusamy, told him to “just breathe” and “that helped massively,” but the disappointment was writ large on Jansen’s face when he was dismissed. He dealt with it when the team left the ground. “Yesterday, when we went to the hotel, I tried to switch off and blow some steam off. I called the family – my brother, sister, mum, dad, you name it – just to get all those feelings and everything out.”And to make sure he was focused for a big bowling shift. South Africa lost Rabada to injury at the start of the tour and went into this game with only two seamers in the XI. Jansen conceded that losing Rabada was big but “whether KG plays or doesn’t play, I always try to think of myself as someone who can also break the game open for the team,” he said.”I just try to give my best every time I get the opportunity and try to put the team in a winning position. Not having KG there definitely adds a bit of responsibility and pressure on myself and Wessie [Wiaan Mulder]. Nonetheless, we know we have the bowlers, we know we have the players in the squad to help the team.”Those same bowlers will have the job of bowling India out again if South Africa are to win the Test. Jansen suspects it will fall to the three spinners, one of whom – Muthusamy – has not been required at all thus far as the surface deteriorates.”It is a good wicket. There is a bit of pace, there is a bit of bounce and now, the ball is starting to turn a little bit as well. Some of the balls are stopping as well from the spin, so I think the game is going to go more to the spinners side of things,” he said. “I think the pace and the bounce will stay there, but for seamers, in particular, I think we are going to have to make the new ball count. It is still a good wicket. If you bowl well, you will get wickets. If you bat well, you will score runs. You are just going to have to figure out your way of doing it.”South Africa only need a draw in Guwahati to win the series and if they do, it will be their first series win in India since the year 2000.