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Gambhir Faces Criticism Just Three Months into His Role
Sports Desk
04 Nov 2024, 10:18
Photo: Collected
Gautam Gambhir had a promising start as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, beginning with a T20 series win against Sri Lanka. However, India later lost the ODI series to Sri Lanka, and the recent Test series whitewash at home against New Zealand has put Gambhir under scrutiny.
The unexpected series losses against Sri Lanka and New Zealand have intensified the pressure on Gambhir. Although India had a dominant victory over Bangladesh, the recent humiliating defeat to New Zealand has directed criticism toward him.
Gambhir was appointed as head coach with much fanfare, but within just three months, India experienced a home Test whitewash against New Zealand—their first in 24 years under his tenure. Moreover, India lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years.
India's top order has struggled repeatedly against spin for the past six to seven years, and questions have also arisen about Gambhir's tactical decisions. In the third Test against New Zealand in Mumbai, Mohammad Siraj was sent in as a night-watchman, and Sarfaraz was positioned to bat at number eight in the first innings, which sparked further debate.
BCCI regulations usually prohibit coaches from attending selection committee meetings. However, an exception was made for the selection meeting for the Australia tour, allowing the head coach to attend, according to a BCCI source who spoke anonymously to PTI.
Reports from Indian media suggest that Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy were included in the squad for the Australia series at Gambhir’s request. Rana, however, was not part of the playing XI in the white-ball matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He was reportedly released before the final match due to illness, yet he was seen bowling in the nets in Bengaluru a week later and later performed well in the Ranji Trophy against Assam.
Reddy impressed with his performance in the T20 series, and Gambhir believes he could develop into a pace-bowling all-rounder similar to Hardik Pandya.
The upcoming series against Australia will be a significant test for Gambhir, as well as for the senior players. If the team performs poorly in this series, BCCI may consider making major decisions.
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Neymar Returns After a Year, Al Hilal Wins 9-Goal Thriller
Neymar is back on the field after a long absence. The Brazilian superstar had been sidelined since October last year due to a knee injury, and as another October draws to a close, he finally returned.
Fans at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, UAE, eagerly awaited the moment Neymar would take the pitch. He made his comeback for Saudi club Al Hilal in the 77th minute of an AFC Champions League match against Al Ain, replacing Nasser Al Dawsari after 367 days out.
The game itself was full of drama, with nine goals keeping the excitement high. In a nail-biting 5-4 victory, Al Hilal edged past Al Ain. Though Neymar didn’t score, the match witnessed two hat-tricks—Salem Al Dawsari for Al Hilal and Sofiane Rahimi for Al Ain.
Al Hilal faced adversity when Ali Al Bulayhi received a red card in the 82nd minute, reducing them to 10 men. Even with the advantage, Al Ain fell short of a comeback.
In the end, Neymar’s long-awaited return added to the thrill of a match that will be remembered for its electrifying moments.
Global Super League Fixtures Released
The fixtures for the inaugural Global Super League T20 tournament have been released.
The tournament commences on 26 November at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
The Super League features the former Caribbean Premier League (CPL) champions, the Guyana Amazon Warriors against top T20 teams from around the world.
The Amazon Warriors will compete in the tournament against the Lahore Qalandars, Hampshire Hawks, Rangpur Riders, and Victoria.
The Guyana franchise opens the tournament against the Lahore Qalandars on 26 November.
The Amazon Warriors will play Victoria on 29 October, with matches to follow against the Hampshire Hawks (1 December) and the Rangpur Riders (4 October).
The final will be staged at Providence on 7 December.
The Amazon Warriors lost to the St Lucia Kings in the CPL finals in October.
Providence Stadium is set to host the 2025 CPL final.
Global Super League Fixtures
26 Nov - Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Lahore Qalandars
27 Nov - Hampshire Hawks vs Rangpur Riders
29 Nov - Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Victoria
30 Nov - Hampshire Hawks vs Lahore Qalandars
1 Dec - Rangpur Riders vs Victoria
1 Dec - Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Hampshire Hawks
3 Dec - Victoria vs Lahore Qalandars
4 Dec - Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Rangpur Riders
5 Dec - Lahore Qalandars vs Rangpur Riders
6 Dec - Hampshire Hawks vs Victoria
7 Dec - Grand Final
Najmul Hossain Shanto To Step Down As Bangladesh Captain
Bangladesh's all-format captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is likely to step down from the leadership role after the conclusion of the ongoing home Test series against South Africa.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board appointed Najmul as captain across formats for a year in February 2024, with plans for him to lead the team in the Champions Trophy next year. However, Najmul has informed the board of his decision to step down and is awaiting approval from board president Faruque Ahmed, who is currently abroad and expected to return soon.
A senior BCB director is attempting to persuade Najmul to reconsider his decision to step down as captain, though a reversal appears unlikely at this point, the report said. Following the 2024 T20 World Cup, Najmul initially planned to resign from T20 captaincy but later decided to quit as captain across all formats.
Source: News 18
Tabith Awal Elected New President of BFF
Tabith Awal has been elected as the new president of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). He secured 123 votes, while his closest rival, A.F.M. Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, received just 5 votes.
Since 1998, the sports arena in Bangladesh has followed an electoral system. The first elected president of BFF was S.A. Sultan, followed by Kazi Salahuddin, a legendary footballer who held the position for four consecutive terms. Salahuddin did not participate in this election, making Tabith the third elected president in the federation’s history. Interestingly, Tabith received the highest number of votes ever recorded for this position.
Tabith Awal had previously served as a vice president of BFF in 2012 and 2016. In 2020, the vice-presidential race ended in a tie, and he lost the re-election by just four votes. This time, however, he has secured the top spot.
His victory as BFF president seemed only a matter of time. After voting concluded at 6 PM, the election commission began the counting process with the presidential votes. Within half an hour, the count was completed, confirming Tabith’s 123 votes against Mizanur's 5.
Bangladesh Hammers Bhutan 7-1 to Storm into SAFF Final
Though Bangladesh drew against Pakistan in the first match of the SAFF Championship but lost to India in the second match and reached the semi-finals.
Keeping that consistency, the girls of Bangladesh played like a boys against Bhutan in the semi-finals. The red-green representatives confirmed their ticket to the final by defeating Bhutan 7-1.
The Bangladesh women's team show their attacking prowess throughout the match, overwhelming their opponents at Nepal's Dasharath Stadium on Sunday (October 27).
Bangladesh scored in the seventh minute at the Dasharath Stadium. Rituparna took Bangladesh's lead with a great left-foot shot after catching Tahura's pass.
Tahura doubled the lead in the 15th minute. The next goal came in the 26th minute. Sabina Khatun scored from teammate Monika's diagonal cross.
Bangladesh scored again in the 35th minute. Tahura has written his name on the scorecard for the second time. She made the scoreline 4-0 with a shot from a little above the opponent's D box. After two minutes, Sabina sent the ball into the net again and took the number of goals to five.
Bhutan then pulled one goal back before the break. Deki Lhazom's goal was to get back into the fight, but it was not possible. Because Bangladesh took control of the match with two more goals after the break.
In the second half, Tahura completed her hat-trick by getting the ball off Monika Chakma's chip shot. She completed the hat-trick in the 58th minute. Masura Parvin hit the last nail. In the 72nd minute of the match, she made the scoreline 7-1 with a header from a corner kick. The girls of Bangladesh confirmed the ticket to the final by maintaining this gap for the rest of the time.
Result
Bangladesh 7 (Tahura 15, 35, 58; Sabina 26, 37; Ritoporna 7, Masura 72) Bhutan 1 (Deki 41)
Real Madrid and La Liga Condemn Abuse of Barcelona Players
Real Madrid on Sunday strongly condemned the racist behavior of its fans at the El Clasico football match, which saw Madrid thumped 4-0 by rival FC Barcelona on Saturday.
Several Black Barcelona players, including 17-year-old phenom and Spanish national team player Lamine Yamal, faced racist insults during the game.
Yamal, for instance, was targeted with abuse after becoming the youngest player ever to score a goal in El Clasico, the name for the match between Spain's two biggest clubs.
Real, Spain's La Liga and its governing football body RFEF, as well as numerous government and police agencies, all condemned the situation, promising swift and harsh punishment for the perpetrators.
La Liga and its governing body strongly denounce the 'scourge' of racism
Real Madrid on Sunday said it had already launched an investigation, releasing a statement that read: "Real Madrid strongly condemns any kind of behavior involving racism, xenophobia or violence in football and sport, and deeply regrets the insults that a few fans uttered last night in one of the corners of the stadium."
"La Liga will immediately report the racist insults and gestures received by Barcelona players to the Hate Crimes Section of the National Police Information Brigade, as well as informing the Coordinating Prosecutor of the Hate Crimes and Discrimination Unit of the State Attorney General's Office," read a league statement.
"La Liga vehemently condemns the incidents at the Santiago Bernabeu and remains firm in its commitment to eradicate any kind of racist behavior and hatred inside and outside stadiums."
The RFEF, Spanish football's governing body, called racism a "social scourge," vowing zero tolerance for racist abuse and violence.
In the past, RFEF and La Liga have gone so far as to close stadiums over such behavior.
The Spanish Supreme Sports Council (CSD) said that its Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance would convene on Monday to discuss the case.
Beyond sporting bodies — the Spanish government gets involved
Spain's Minister for Inclusion and Migration Elma Saiz was among those in government to speak out against the incident.
"The racist insults aimed at Lamine Yamal in the Clasico are everything we in the government will fight against," she wrote on social media platform X. "We will not allow attacks that we do not tolerate in other spaces to become normalized in sport."
Minister for Education, Professional Development and Sport Pilar Alegria wrote on X: "Neither racism, nor insults, nor violence have a place in our country's sport."
Spanish football has long grappled with the issue of racism in its stadiums and has recently gotten help from prosecutors and judges.
In June, three Valencia fans were given eight-month prison sentences for abuse targeting Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius made headlines and received an outpouring of global support a year earlier for facing down those abusive fans in Valencia's Mastella Stadium in May 2023.
In December 2023, four Atletico Madrid fans were charged in a separate racist incident targeting Vinicius. Prosecutors are pushing for four-year prison terms for each.
And this week, four more individuals were arrested for their suspected involvement in organizing an online hate campaign against Vinicius.
The Brazilian voiced support for Yamal and his Barcelona teammates, writing on X: "There is no place for these criminals in our society. I know that Madrid and the police will do things to identify and punish the guilty."
Ballon d'Or 2024 / Vinícius Jr. 'Not Respected' After Losing to Rodri, Claims Real Madrid
Real Madrid say the Ballon d'Or and UEFA "do not respect" the Spanish champions after Manchester City's Rodri was crowned the 2024 winner.
Madrid winger Vinicius Junior was the heavy favorite to scoop the award in the days leading up to Monday's ceremony, with the club expecting their first winner since Karim Benzema in 2022.
With rumors circulating that it would instead go to Man City midfielder Rodri, it emerged that there would be no one present at the ceremony from the Spanish club at the Theatre du Chatelet in France.
An emotional Rodri did collect the trophy, with Vinicius ranked second and his Real Madrid team-mate Jude Bellingham finishing third.
The result did not sit well with Real, who issued a statement saying the club was not respected.
"If the award criteria don't give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner," the club told AFP on Monday.
"As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d'Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected."
Carvajal, who scored alongside Vinicius in Madrid's UEFA Champions League final victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium, finished fourth overall.
In the aftermath of the ceremony, Los Blancos players took to social media to speak out in support of Vinicius, who missed out on his first Ballon d'Or after a remarkable 12 months.
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Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni said: "They are not ready for what you're gonna deliver," while Eder Militao insisted: “You are the best and no one can take that away from you."
Eduardo Camavinga also dedicated a post to Vinicius, while Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti - who was awarded the Johan Cruyff Trophy for the best men’s coach - thanked the forward and Carvajal in a message on X.
"I want to thank my Family, my President, my Club, my Players, and above all Vini and Carvajal."
Although there were no Madrid representatives in attendance, the club did not walk away empty-handed.
In addition to Ancelotti’s award, the Liga outfit was named Club of the Year after their record-extending 15th Champions League success.
Kylian Mbappe, who is now a Madrid player following his summer transfer, shared the Gerd Muller Trophy with Harry Kane.
