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Jhulan Goswami talks about the expectations from the team after the World Cup, her best spells, and the time she felt like quitting the game

Interview by Annesha Ghosh12-Aug-20177:28

“To play any sport, you have to have a lot of passion”

What has the reception been like in Chakdaha, your home town, and Kolkata, where you currently live, after the World Cup?
I’m yet to visit Chakdaha, but yesterday they were showing the India-Pakistan match in a restaurant [in Kolkata] and people were watching the highlights keenly – ball by ball. It’s not a common sight, is it? It was nice to see that because the match happened a long time back.Given the recognition the team has received, do you reckon there will be more pressure and scrutiny than ever to contend with the next time India women take the field?
Yes, certainly. Whenever matches are on television, people get to know who you are. There’s going to be a lot of expectation: self-expectation, expectation from family, friends, and the media.There will be some good things about the increased attention and some difficult stuff as well. People will talk about things when we’ll fail. How we handle this will be the most important concern. The senior players, the coaches and the support staff will play a big role to figure a way out. Sometimes criticism helps you perform better in the next match. We should not focus on things beyond our control. We should instead be able to focus on our process, control our emotions and go ahead.Following a four-match winning streak in the World Cup, India lost two games in a row and were facing a knockout encounter against New Zealand. What was the atmosphere in the dressing room like ahead of that game?
Among other factors, I think what Tushar [Arothe, the coach] told us in a team meeting egged us on to perform the way we did against New Zealand. He said, unless you believe in yourself, you can’t win. “touristrepair karenge [It will hurt, there will be pain. We’ll repair it when we get home]. But on the field, you have to perform.” Those words instilled a lot of belief in us. Not only did we defeat New Zealand, we beat Australia and then almost pulled off what not many would have expected us to.Are there any specific changes since the 2013 World Cup that may have contributed to India’s run in this year’s tournament?
The 2013 World Cup was heartbreaking. In the World T20 last year, we lost the matches we should have won. After the early exit, the team had gone into a bit of a depression. To be playing a World Cup at home and not being able to make a mark was the most underwhelming experience. Unless you do well on a platform like the World Cup or the Olympics, your event – whether an individual discipline or a team sport – will struggle to get recognition or march forward. For the younger generation to take up sport in this country, they need to have role models they can follow. That’s one thing we were consistently struggling to do over the past World Cups.”You can trace the start of our journey to the Australia tour in early 2016. Whenever we tasted victory, we took pride in that, and even our losses taught us a great deal”•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesLuckily, over the last one and a half years, the BCCI played a big role in addressing several concerns contributing to our inconsistency. Ahead of this World Cup, we played a substantial number of matches. The ICC Women’s Championship ensured we played the best teams in several bilateral series. That helped us build the team and ensure the core of the team remained roughly the same. Most of the girls who played this World Cup have been together for the past 18 months or so. We were mindful of making sure that whoever makes the squad has at least experience worth 15 to 20 matches.You can trace the start of our journey to the Australia tour in early 2016. We won the T20 series there for the first time, and although we couldn’t wrap up the ODI series, we did defeat them in one match/a>. Then we won the West Indies home series 3-0, the Asia Cup that followed, the Qualifiers – Harmanpreet [Kaur] won us the nail-biting final – and then the Quadrangular. Whenever we tasted victory, we took pride in that and even our losses taught us a great deal. This new-found ability to accept failure and then setting our mind to stage a comeback helped us in this World Cup.Quantifiable results aside, to what extent do you believe you have been able to accomplish what you set out to achieve in the World Cup?
I think our campaign will go a long way in changing the ground realities of women’s cricket in India. Am I being falsely hopeful? I don’t think so. This is the first World Cup in which people watched us play. Apart from broadcasting of the matches, social media played a huge role. Electronic and print media complemented it perfectly. The way the ICC conceived of and promoted the tournament – all these factors have made this World Cup a success on so many levels. The revolution India needed to give women’s cricket an identity of its own, I would like to believe we have been able to bring that about.What did senior players like you and Mithali Raj want the team dynamic to be like?
We spent the majority of the past two years discussing how we can raise the profile of women’s cricket in India and create an individual identity for the sport. We would talk about how to create a good team, whom we can rely on more going forward. We knew how badly we wanted to do well in the World Cup, else it would be another wasted opportunity for women’s cricket in India.With 13 wickets from eight innings, including two four-fors, you were the third-highest wicket-taker in the 2005 World Cup. What targets did you set your 22-year-old self after making that final?
Many people would tell me, “It’s easy [to perform in anonymity]. No one knows you well. That’s why you’ve been successful in the World Cup.” I was young back then and comments like that made me uncomfortable. I realised if I didn’t bowl well for the next few years, I might not play the next World Cup. After the World Cup, there was a break for the next seven to eight months and then we played again in November-December. It was important for me to prove that I wasn’t finished. The home series against England in that period turned out to be fantastic for me, starting from the Test we played in Delhi. I took five wickets in the first innings and scored runs in the second. I was named the Woman of the Match, but unfortunately the Test was drawn.

“Most of the girls who played this World Cup have been together for the past 18 months or so. We were mindful of making sure that whoever makes the squad has at least experience worth 15 to 20 matches”

What do you think of the domestic structure at the state and zonal levels?
We have a few official tournaments organised by the BCCI – one-dayers, T20s and inter-zonals, which have three-day matches. It’s a good thing on the part of the board to persist with three-day games. We have Under-23, U-19 and will probably have U-16 in some time too. So the domestic structure is good, but I’d suggest increasing the number of matches. For some states, if they qualify, they get to play a lot of matches. If they don’t, then in a year a senior player gets to play only four matches. If they don’t perform in those four-five games, they won’t get selected in the zonal team and the year goes to waste.India went into the World Cup with three quick bowlers. While spin has always been the side’s strength, the lack of a genuine fourth fast-bowling option can’t be overlooked. Are there enough medium-pace resources in the national ranks?
Shikha [Pandey] has been doing well for the last couple of years. She has improved her skills and bowled well in the World Cup. Mansi [Joshi] too is a quality bowler. Whenever she’ll get the chance, she’ll do well. Sukanya Parida is also very promising. Then there’s Pooja Vastrakar, who unfortunately got injured this season. Since she bats well too, she can be a good allrounder.Ahead of the Australia tour in 2008, you replaced Mithali Raj as the captain, and were replaced by Anjum Chopra in 2012. How would you describe your captaincy stint?
It wasn’t a burden, but it was a big challenge for me because they handed me the captaincy just before the World Cup. It was a transition period with many newcomers making their way into the side. I had to handle them in a way that would get the best performance out of them without putting them under pressure. It was a big task for me, but just when I started enjoying myself more and performing better as a captain, I was removed after that series. I don’t know why. That was a bit disappointing because I wanted to remain the captain for some more time.I really enjoyed those two years. The team was very young: Harman, Punam Raut, Thirush Kamini, Gauhar Sultana, Veda [Krishnamurthy] – they all debuted around that period. Ekta Bisht debuted in the [2011] Quadrangular series. About 30-34 girls debuted for India during that period. Every series had two to three debutants. At a certain point I was like, “What’s going on?” The selectors would consult me [regarding the changes] at times and sometimes they wouldn’t.That transition period was crucial for all of us. I took that period as the most challenging and exciting period of my life. I wanted to set an example for them and make sure I wasn’t harsh. When they dropped me from captaincy, I didn’t feel any regret, but as a human being you feel bad. If they don’t like my way of captaincy, they have the right to remove me. It wasn’t a big issue.What do you make of Raj’s evolution as captain since she took over from Chopra in 2012 to leading the team to the final in this World Cup?
When Mithali came back as captain, I was happy. She had a team that had already played a couple of series and had an idea [about playing at the international level]. She was there, so I didn’t have to bother about that. Mithali the captain is very cool. I never saw her expressing her emotions on the field. She knows what she has to do and she is very clear about that. Secondly, when the team is good, the captain also looks good. She’s done a fantastic job for the country and this team is top-class.Jhulan Goswami dives in an attempt to take a catch during the 2002 Taunton Test•Getty ImagesHas there been any point in your career when you contemplated retirement?
Yes, after the World T20 in 2014. Before the tournament, I was bowling really well, but in Bangladesh I couldn’t bowl well. I was not able to give breakthroughs. After coming home, I had almost decided to retire. But some of my close friends told me, “No, it’s not the end. You can still make a comeback and play. It’s just one bad series.” Then I went back to the NCA, worked with Balwinder Singh Sandhu for a few days, and fortunately, during that time we played the bicentenary match of Lord’s. Mithali and I were selected for the Rest of the World XI v MCC. I got to speak to a few friends over there who told me, “How can you say you’re going to quit? You’re still the best. No one can touch you.” A few of them even said, “I can see you playing in the 2017 World Cup. You’re bowling in the final at Lord’s.”I realised if these people can have so much confidence in me, it means I have to work on a few things, especially in the mental aspect [of the game.] So I prepared in such a way that I could be fresh and enjoy my bowling. I believe when you enjoy your craft, the best things happen automatically. And things went exactly that way: in the following tour, to England, we won the Test match; I had a contribution there. [In the second ODI] in Scarborough, we lost the match by eight or nine runs [13 runs], but it was probably one of my best spells. I remember Heather Knight praising me for that spell. “That was Gozzy’s best spell I’ve ever faced.”You went through a lean patch, compounded by injury, ahead of becoming the leading wicket-taker in ODIs. Was the build-up to picking up the 181st wicket filled with pressure?
Initially I was really keen to get that wicket. But after a certain point, I realised I was putting unnecessary pressure on myself. I told myself, “Let’s not count, let’s not think about it. If that highest wicket-taker thing is in my destiny, it will happen. Let’s instead concentrate match by match, ball by ball and tour by tour, enjoy the series, the atmosphere and the cricket.” And after some time, I stopped counting.In the home series against West Indies, my performance wasn’t extraordinary. I pulled out of the Qualifier because of the injury. I knew I was going to play only one series before the World Cup – the Quadrangular. Though a lot of self-doubt had crept in by then, during the series all I was concerned about was the rhomboid muscle injury I was recovering from. I was doing extra treatment before and after every game because I didn’t want it to bother me much. Once I got that wicket, I was like, “India [Go one better than Jhulan, surpass her, play longer than her, and take India to greater heights].

If the Knight Riders don’t pick themselves in their final match, their entire season stands in danger of malfunctioning for the second year in a row

Nagraj Gollapudi in Kanpur19-May-2016It is a weird thing. A team like Royal Challengers Bangalore, by playing fearless cricket, has now found itself within one victory of making the playoffs from a previously hopeless position. In contrast, a team like Kolkata Knight Riders who won four out of their first five matches this season has managed just three wins in their following eight matches. Instead of being in an impregnable position, the two-time champions stand on the precipice of exiting ahead of the knockout stage with just one match remaining.Sometimes what you fear materialises if you keep thinking about it. Despite being a strong position leading into the business leg of the tournament, the Knight Riders leadership group comprising captain Gautam Gambhir and coach Jacques Kallis have kept on saying that they could never forget the lesson learned from last season when they were in a similar position after a strong first half and failed to make the playoffs. Yet, the Knight Riders have failed to seal a knockout berth.The reasons are aplenty: fielding lapses, poor running between the wickets, middle-order failures and generally an absence of fearless cricket. In Kanpur that sequence of mistakes continued. Gambhir wanted a single on the very first ball of the match which Robin Uthappa had pushed in to the hands of the short cover fielder. Gambhir was nearly halfway down the pitch and had to scamper back to safety to avoid being run out. He had already been run out thrice this IPL but it seemed he had still not worked out a solution.At the start of the fourth over, Uthappa flicked Dhawal Kulkarni to short midwicket powerfully and set off for a run. Gambhir responded positively. But both openers were left stunned midway down the pitch, watching Shadab Jakati come up with a sprawling dive to his left and in one swift motion hit the stumps. Instead of focusing on completing the run, Gambhir dithered for a fraction of a second and was left shaking his head in dejection while walking back.Uthappa had voiced his desire to bat deep and today was another chance to do so. Yet when the opportunity presented itself, he floundered badly. Praveen Kumar had earlier tried the plan to confront Uthappa with outswing by placing a couple of slips. But Praveen altered his lines too many times to allow Uthappa to settle down quickly.However, Uthappa got carried away against Dwayne Smith’s medium pace and paid the price, chasing an away swinging delivery from the Bajan. Uthappa admonished himself, but it was too late. He had already seen his Karnataka teammate Manish Pandey, too, commit the same error against Smith in the bowler’s first over, yet Uthappa only ended up repeating the mistake.After the top order collapse, the Knight Riders decided to put Piyush Chawla in a pinch-hitter’s role clearly to accelerate. It was a plan fraught with danger considering the only act Chawla performed was swing his bat wildly for a hit-and-miss or be outsmarted by the bowler.With the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Shakib Al Hasan or even Jason Holder in the lower order, would it not have been a better option to send one of them to build a partnership with Yusuf Pathan, which was more important in the first 10 overs? By the time he was bowled, Chawla had chewed 16 deliveries, making just 11 runs with one four.Thursday’s 55 for 4 was the Knight Riders’ lowest score at the end of 10 overs in this IPL. Coincidentally, their previous lowest – 57 – had also come against the Lions when the teams met at Eden Gardens. On Thursday, the Knight Riders batting lacked not just a plan and wised heads, but also the ruthlessness to snatch the control back. A total of 55 dot balls in a Twenty20 totally exposed the Knight Riders batting.In the absence of the injured Andre Russell, someone had to come at the back end of the innings and pack a punch which the Jamaican has done consistently over the last two seasons. But Suryakumar and Shakib did not last long enough to help Yusuf at the other end to raise even a competitive total.Since his match-winning 60 against Rising Pune Supergiants, Suryakumar has managed just 78 runs in six innings. In Pune, Suryakumar had been promoted to play the No. 3 role after Pandey sat out due to chicken pox. Pandey, too, apart from two half-centuries, has failed to cross 15 runs in the rest of his matches. Holder said the batsmen did not do well, especially the top order.”We got to be honest, we haven’t been at our best,” Holder said. “We have been a bit inconsistent for the last few games. It just boils down to us being a little switched on at certain stages of the game so we can build partnerships when we bat and carry on as deep for guys like myself, Yusuf, Russell, if selected, to go on power hitting at the end.”Writing his newspaper column on Thursday, Gambhir described spilling the crucial catch of Virat Kohli in Knight Riders’ last match against the Royal Challengers akin to a “wardrobe malfunction”, referencing the Super Bowl halftime show fiasco involving performers Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake from 2004. If the Knight Riders don’t pick themselves in their final match, their entire season stands in danger of malfunctioning.

Looking to seal a dominant Scottish Premiership title victory, Celtic are reportedly set to accelerate their move to sign a young attacking reinforcement who could replace Daizen Maeda.

Celtic transfer news

The Bhoys are currently 18 points clear of closest title competitors in what has been a dominant campaign in the Scottish top flight, but are seemingly in a ruthless mood as the January transfer window continues to roll on.

Bye bye: Celtic agree £4m+ deal to sell "sensation" with medical now booked

It will net Celtic a profit to reinvest into their squad.

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By
Ben Browning

Jan 10, 2025

And with Champions League action soon returning, the Scottish giants may even get the chance to cause further shocks on the European stage, having already defeated the likes of RB Leipzig this season.

The fact that they’re clear and away at the top of the Scottish Premiership should undoubtedly aid their push to reach the next stage of the Champions League, as could any potential reinforcements.

On that front, the likes of Bazoumana Toure have already been mentioned among the headlines, with Celtic reportedly set to submit a bid of as much as £10m to secure the services of the young central defender.

However, it’s not just defensive reinforcements that the Bhoys are setting their sights on in the January transfer window. According to Football Insider, Celtic are now accelerating their move to sign Sondre Orjasaeter from Sarpsborg 08 this month in a deal that would welcome a player ready to eventually replace Daizen Maeda.

Just 21 years old, Orjasaeter has entered Celtic’s radar following an impressive breakthrough in Norway on top of their own need for attacking depth as they enter the second half of the campaign. As per Sky Sports’ Anthony Joseph, though, the Norwegian side are looking for £7m to sell their young star.

Maeda, now 27 years old, has once again been among the stars of the show for Brendan Rodgers this season, but could yet get the chance to move back into the No 9 role and away from the left wing if Orjasaeter arrives this month.

Celtic should splash out on "interesting" Orjasaeter

Described as “another interesting young player from Norway” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, Orjasaeter’s £7m fee could quickly turn into a bargain if he was to complete a move and continue an impressive rise. Just last season, the 21-year-old was the star of the show at Sarpsborg – scoring six goals and assisting another seven in all competitions.

Thinking ahead to when Maeda is eventually past the peak of his powers certainly isn’t a bad idea either, and the young Norway star seems to be a worthy candidate to do just that at Celtic Park.

Whilst the Scottish Premiership is all but sealed in the current campaign, Rodgers will no doubt already have his sights set on defending his side’s throne for years to come, and perhaps even stepping things up on the European stage in the remainder of the season.

Looking to cement their Champions League place once and for all, Nottingham Forest have now reportedly made contact to sign a Serie A midfielder who knows all about finishing inside the Premier League’s top four.

Nottingham Forest transfer news

Six wins on the bounce and level on points with second place Arsenal in the Premier League, Nottingham Forest are proving to be no flash in the pan as the season enters its second half. It’s even worth noting that up next they have the chance to become the first side to complete the double over Arne Slot’s Liverpool side and remain the only side to defeat the Reds in league action so far this season.

Watch out Wood: Nottingham Forest could land their own Gyokeres in £35m ace

Nottingham Forest could target added attacking reinforcements to bolster their top four hopes.

ByEthan Lamb Jan 8, 2025

Defeat Slot’s side once again and Nuno Espirito Santo’s high-flying Forest will find themselves just three points adrift with the leaders, who will at least have a game in hand to rectify that gap. If the likes of Chris Wood perform at the level they did against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the coming weeks, then the title race may well have a shock participant.

The January transfer window could yet boost their impressive campaign even further too. According to The Daily Mail, Nottingham Forest have made contact to sign Douglas Luiz from Juventus this month in what is likely to be a short-term loan move away from the Serie A giants.

Having struggled since arriving in Turin, Luiz could now receive the opportunity he so desperately needs to return to the Premier League and rediscover his best form. A move to Nottingham Forest wouldn’t be without its controversy, however, given that the Brazilian spent a number of years at Aston Villa and even helped the Villans into the Champions League last season.

"Decisive" Luiz would cement Nottingham Forest's ambitions

Just like he did for Midlands rivals Aston Villa last season, Luiz could seal Forest’s Champions League ambitions by completing a January move and much-needed fresh start away from Juventus – albeit merely a brief loan spell.

Earning a reported £132,000-a-week in Serie A, it will be interesting to see just how much of Luiz’s hefty salary Nottingham Forest are willing to match and how much Juventus will pay, themselves, in order to send their midfielder on loan.

The former Villa man is certainly worth the gamble this month, having still earned plenty of praise throughout a troubled campaign so far. Among those with plenty of positives has been Aston Villa sporting director Monchi, who told reporters as relayed by Tribal Football earlier this month: “He’s playing less than we all expected, but we’re talking about a strong player.

“There are guys who arrive and impose themselves, others who need time. Patience is needed, but Douglas’ qualities are beyond discussion. He will become important for Juve. He’s a playmaker and every ball that comes out of his feet has a meaning: last year he played 90% of the games with us. He was decisive.”

The PCB’s controversial decision to drop Mohammad Rizwan for Sarfaraz Ahmed for the two-Test series against New Zealand was among the biggest talking points throughout the series. Rizwan, however, said he felt that, on current form, he “didn’t deserve to play” for Pakistan at the time.”You can ask the head coach Saqlain Mushtaq what I told him after the end of the England Test series,” Rizwan told in an interview. “I personally thought that since I wasn’t able to perform, I didn’t deserve to play in the next series.”In his last half dozen Tests, Rizwan had suffered a downturn in his form with the bat, scoring 262 runs in 12 innings without a half-century at an average of 21.83. That was significantly down from his career batting average (38.13), though it was believed his quality behind the stumps gave him enough protection from omission.But soon after the PCB chairman Ramiz Raja was removed in a dramatic overhaul, changes were felt on the pitch, too. Rizwan was replaced by Sarfaraz, playing his first Test match in over three years. While concerns over his wicketkeeping linger – there were a slew of dropped catches and missed stumpings across both Tests – his form with the bat was not in question. He was the highest run-scorer in the series with 335, scoring three half-centuries and a hundred on the final day of the second Test to ensure Pakistan escaped with a draw. He would go on to be named the Player of the Series.”I was happy to see Sarfaraz perform because that is what I wanted,” Rizwan said. “Sarfaraz has been performing in domestic and deserves his chance now. I asked for his inclusion. Whoever performs best for Pakistan deserves to play.”Some players said that every player goes through this phase and you can’t sit on the bench based on few failures. But I went to the coach and captain myself and told them that you can drop me because I haven’t performed. Two players are witnesses to this conversation.”This wasn’t the first time Rizwan’s benching raised eyebrows. He was famously left on the bench for much of his time at Karachi Kings, playing just seven times across his last two years with the franchise. Upon moving to Multan Sultans in 2021, he was appointed captain and led the side to their maiden PSL trophy, finishing as the second highest run-scorer in the competition.Rizwan defended his former franchise’s decision. “I was never hurt when I was benched during the PSL in the past. I thought they [Karachi Kings] were honest with the team, and it was the team’s requirement at the time to keep me on the bench.”Rizwan remains with Multan, whom he will captain for the third successive season when the PSL gets underway on February 13.

Ricky Ponting talks about Mumbai Indians’ amazing turnaround, his relationship with Harbhajan Singh, and being part of perhaps the most star studded coaching line-up in cricket

Interview by Gaurav Kalra in Kolkata23-May-201519:49

“Coaching has got my competitive juices flowing once again”

Coach Ponting, how has the experience been?
It has been going well so far. We are in the IPL finals. After a really slow start, we have played some really good cricket and we needed to in order to qualify. Full credit to all the players; the coaches have worked exceptionally hard but it is the players who are out there getting the job done day after day. It has been a dramatic turnaround after the first six games. To have been the first team to qualify for the final is a great effort. I made it clear to the boys that I was here to win the IPL and not to qualify for the Champions League. We are in the finals now and it is about focusing, preparing well and making sure that we play our best game on Sunday.Is it easier to prepare for a big final compared to your opponents given that you have had four days to get ready for it?
It probably is. We had a little bit of rest with a couple of days off and had our first training day yesterday. We felt, towards the back end of the tournament, that when we are really busy, we got a little bit of momentum as we just kept playing. There is only a certain amount you can train when you are two months into a T20 tournament. It is more about tactics and mindset rather than the skills. We are playing Chennai and we played them in the last game. So, things won’t change too much. It is a matter of execution now.Is Chennai an opponent you would have preferred less given their success over the years, having been in six IPL finals in eight years?
Our last win was against Chennai. So, we have no worries about playing them. They are a very skilled and well-led team but we won against them in the 2013 final. We have to just look after what we are trying to achieve and have the best preparations and then go out there and play. They are a good team with not too many gaps from number 1 to 11 but we are a good team that can combat against them.Kolkata Knight Riders play to a template in Kolkata, which is to bat first and get their spinners into the game. Is that something you will work with too?
We need to look at the pitch first. It had a bit of grass last night when we trained. It is early stages of preparation and we will get a better understanding tonight. We played our first game of the tournament here and it was a really good wicket. It had a little bit of grass and the ball skidded on to the bat more than you normally see at the Eden Gardens. It did not spin much and our game plan will be based on the pitch. If you bat first, you have to leave it to the opening batsmen to assess the conditions and indicate it to the rest of the guys.That is something we have done really well so far. We have known what a good score is batting first and managed to put up some good totals in the first innings. The defensive side of our bowling has been particularly good with Lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan. Harbhajan Singh has been good as well. We are expecting it to be a good wicket.What is your method going into a big final as coach?
My method has been same throughout the tournament and I won’t change it in the finals. The last nine games we have played have been finals as we have had to win pretty much every game. We have lost one along the way but the build up for us has been positive. We have tried to take the game forward and be nice and aggressive. I like to be well organised and look into the opposition teams tactically and see their keys to success which we can try to break.I’m a hands-on coach and I like talking to the boys to give them focus. Shane Bond has been terrific with the bowlers and Robin Singh has been around for a long time and knows the players well and understands how we work. As a group of coaches, we have worked very well. The biggest challenge is yet to come.Can your experience of having played in and succeeded in big finals be passed on or is it something that the players have to experience themselves?
I can help with certain things that I say and what they can expect when they go out there in a big final. Having been there and done that along with some individual success as well, I think I have good little points that I can pass on to the team. The players have a good idea already as I have said a lot of things along the way about facing challenges and playing in big games. At the end of the day, it is not rocket science. You prefer to have players in your team that have done that before as that experience is undeniable and we have got some of those players. There are some really experienced players in this line up as well as in the Chennai line up. They are full of experience and it is going to be a good contest.

“It is more about tactics and mindset rather than the skills”

Did you find it difficult to assert yourself as head coach given the amount of big names in the support staff?
I found it easy as it was a matter of talking to the entire support staff and not just the coaches. I met them individually and told them about their roles and how I wanted them to operate. I have got complete trust in those guys and so far they have done really well. Shane Bond is in charge of the bowlers and I don’t interfere with his work. If he needs any help, I’m always there to provide suggestions.Jonty Rhodes is an experienced coach and you can’t fault Robin Singh as a coach having coached in the IPL and the Caribbean Premier League. I don’t interfere in their work but I keep an eye on everything that is going on. If I feel that they are being a little lazy and not preparing the guys as well as they should, I will let them know.Is it about letting everybody know that Ricky Ponting is the boss?
I don’t think so. Everybody is reporting to me and the final responsibility lies with me. It was the same when I was the captain of Australia. I tried to make sure that I had a good understanding with everybody that was operating around the team. I think it has worked out well and we have great respect for each other and we haven’t let each other down even for a minute.”Full credit to Anil [Kumble] and Sachin for knowing when to take a step back and waiting to be spoken to rather than trying to impose themselves on the group”•PTI What has your equation been with Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble and what is their role in the team?
It is hard to define their roles. They are mentors and help out the guys if required. Sachin has been to a few of our team meetings and so has Anil but they have not been a constant around the team. We want to make sure that there are not too many voices going around and one message is passed to the team and individual players. It is important that the younger guys do not have too many messages going into their minds. They have enough going on in their minds as it is and it is important that they have a clear mind. The fewer voices, the better it is. Full credit to Anil and Sachin for knowing when to take a step back and waiting to be spoken to rather than trying to impose themselves on the group.Have you found it difficult to ask them to take a step back and let you run the team?
Not at all because if they have got the best interests of the team at heart, they will take a backward step rather than being too far forward. I have got no doubt that they have our best interests at heart. I have not found it difficult as that is one of the jobs I have as a coach to make sure that things are happening the way that I want them to happen around the team. It was a slow start and it took us a while to find the winning way and the winning attitude but all in all the last month has been very enjoyable.Has getting your marquee overseas players perform at their best been one of your more pleasing achievements?
You need that from your senior players in this tournament. I have been telling the group that the bigger the game the more important it is for the senior players to stand up. You will get a couple of big performances from the younger guys but you can’t expect them to be consistently good. You expect your senior players to be consistently good. Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel have been excellent at the top. Kieron Pollard is having his best IPL and his work ethic is terrific. His game sense has been better than before. Malinga started a bit slowly but he has put his hand up in the big games and McClenaghan has been a real find. I went really hard for him with the owners at the auction table.I knew what I was going to get with him and I had also spoken to Bond before the auctions. It is really funny how things have worked out for us because Aaron Finch and Corey Anderson were our first choice players and we were waiting on Cricket Australia to see if Josh Hazlewood would be joining us.Three of our four first choice overseas players are not with us but we have got good replacements. After the first four games, Rohit Sharma felt that we needed to strengthen our bowling and McClenaghan came in. He has been terrific since then though his last game against Chennai was not his best.I watched him closely at training yesterday and I’m sure he will have a big impact in the finals. I wanted to have a left armer who can extract pace and bounce out of the Mumbai wicket which is why we went for him. Mitchell Johnson had great success for us a couple of years back and I think that the left arm variation is crucial. He gives his hundred per cent every single time irrespective of the game situation and that is something that I love about him. He gives his all and has got us key breakthroughs. He has had a lot of catches put down off his bowling, 6 or 7 in a row. The balance in any cricket team is maintained by having good opening batsmen and good opening bowlers and we have had that.Do you think Indian cricket can invest in Rohit Sharma as a leader on the evidence of what you have seen in this tournament?
I do. He has gotten better as the tournament has gone along. We have had a lot of discussions and chats and we both are still learning as captain and coach. All of our players are also learning. You can see the growth in Rohit, especially in the second half of this tournament where he has had to make crucial decisions with the bowling changes and the strike bowlers. He has done well under pressure. He has played at different positions for the team, be it opening the batting or batting at number three and four. He has not had the smoothest of years but you would not know because he is quiet but he has the steely determination to be the best that he can be. If he continues to grow and keeps learning the way he is, I have no doubt that he captain at a higher level.Ricky Ponting and Harbhajan Singh share a laugh: who would have thought it possible in 2008?•Mumbai IndiansHow has the experience of working with Harbhajan Singh been, another player who you had a history with?
I think when I first came as captain in 2013 there was some animosity. It was upto both of us to stand up as men and break down that barrier. We wanted the best for the team and we did that. We had to put our differences behind us. At the end of the day, we are two really competitive people and I did not hold any grudges away from the field. Those sorts of battles are still going on with the modern players. I took a catch off his bowling in 2013 and we were embracing and hugging each other.I think that is one of the great things about the IPL; an Aussie having great faith in a Kiwi and two great on field rivals working together as coach and number one spin bowler. I think I was the first one to congratulate him on his selection to the Indian test squad for Bangladesh. There is healthy respect between the two of us.Would you look to get into coaching full-time in the future?
I have had a great time. I love the game and I love working with other people – trying to make them better technically or the way they think about the game. I think I have seen that through this tournament already. Some of the time that I’ve spent with the younger guys and then to see them go out and do it on the field, there is nothing better than that. You never say never as far as these big jobs are concerned. If the team starts winning a few IPL’s, people might start thinking of me as an international coach.The cricket runs in my blood and I want to do the best that I can do to enjoy that competitive feeling. You can’t go from being a high level of competitor to nothing and you need to have something in your life. Coaching in a tournament like this gets the competitive juices flowing again.

وصف جابري فيجا، لاعب فريق بورتو، ما حدث في مباراة الأهلي فجر يوم الثلاثاء، في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية، نسخة 2025، بـ”الجنون”.

وتلاقى الفريقان في خضم منافسات الجولة الثالثة والأخيرة من دور مجموعات كأس العالم للأندية، لحساب المجموعة الأولى.

وشهدت المباراة غزارة تهديفية من كلا الفريقين، حيث تعادلا بأربعة أهداف لمثلها، ولكنهم ودعا البطولة سويًا.

وقال فيجا، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “أبولا” البرتغالية: “أعتقد أننا أولًا وقبل كل شيء بذلنا قصارى جهدنا على أرض الملعب، ولكن الأمور لم تسر كما أردنا في تلك البطولة”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تحديد أول مواجهتين في دور الـ16 من كأس العالم للأندية

وأضاف: “كنا قريبين، ولكن الظروف في المباراة الأخرى (إنتر ميامي وبالميراس) لم تسر على ما يرام بالنسبة لنا، هذه هي كرة القدم”.

وواصل: “كانت مباراتنا ضد الأهلي عبارة عن أخذ وعطاء، في النهاية مع الكثير من الأهداف ذهبنا إلى حد الجنون، مع الكثير من الهجمات المرتدة والتنقلات، افتقرنا إلى الهدوء”.

وأردف: “في الشوط الثاني أردنا أن نحقق ما نرغب به (التأهل) ولكننا لم نتمكن من ذلك، كنا متفوقين عندما كانت النتيجة 3/3، وبعد ذلك شعرنا بالسوء، نحن نشعر بحالة من الحزن”.

da jogodeouro： There’s no way to sugarcoat it; the last few weeks have been abysmal for Tottenham Hotspur.

da betway： Ange Postecoglou’s side recovered from their shock loss to Ipswich Town by hammering Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad, but instead of going on a run after such an incredible result, the North Londoners have seemingly fallen off a cliff.

They’ve drawn at home to AS Roma and Fulham, lost to Bournemouth and Chelsea and then last night, they drew away to Rangers in a game they really should have lost.

Bar Dejan Kulusevski and Fraser Forster, the whole team were dire, but one player in particular stood out for all the wrong reasons and could be Postecoglou’s own Roberto Soldado.

Soldado's Spurs career

When it comes to transfer flops at Spurs in the last 20 years or so, one name that will always pop up, rightly or wrongly, is striker Roberto Soldado.

The Spaniard joined the North Londoners in the summer of 2013 for a then-club-record fee of £26m, and while that was a lot of money, it seemed reasonable at the time as he’d just scored 57 goals and provided 11 assists in 97 appearances across the prior two campaigns for Valencia.

However, while there were certainly glimpses of brilliance during his time in N17, like a couple of hat-tricks, the Valencia-born poacher just couldn’t get to grips with life in the Premier League and went from one of the most dangerous forwards in Europe to below-average at best.

Soldado before and after joining Spurs

Season

11/12

12/13

13/14

14/15

Appearances

51

46

36

40

Goals

27

30

11

5

Assists

6

5

5

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.64

0.76

0.44

0.27

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Moreover, due to the disconnect between expectation and reality, the Spaniard became something of a scapegoat for the team’s troubles, with journalist Sam Tighe describing him as the “flop of the season.”

This simply put more pressure on him to perform, and as every mistake was magnified it became something of a spiral until he lost his place in the team and was eventually sold to Villarreal two years after joining the club.

It would be hard to describe his time at the club and transfer as anything other than a failure, and now it looks like Postecoglou could have his own Soldado in the current squad.

Postecoglou's own Soldado

So, to get straight to the point, the player in question is Timo Werner.

The first thing to say is that due to him being on loan and not a club-record signing, the pressure on the German to perform for the Lilywhites isn’t exactly the same as the pressure on Sodaldo.

However, unlike the Spaniard, the winger has shown very little quality at all during his time at the club, and is earning a whopping £165k-per-week, so he has received just as much criticism from fans and pundits alike.

Werner’s Spurs record

Appearances

33

Minutes

1616′

Goals

3

Assists

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.27

Minutes per Goal Involvement

179.55′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

This criticism, based primarily around his simply abysmal finishing, is the crux of the reason why he’s become the club’s new scapegoat and, therefore, arguably Postecoglou’s version of the former Valencia ace.

However, the manager is the man who made or agreed to the “astonishing” decision, per talkSPORT pundit Andy Townsend, to re-sign him in the summer, so the criticism of the 28-year-old is partly on him as well.

However, the former Chelsea ace was so dismal against Rangers that even the Australian couldn’t ignore it.

He ruthlessly took him off at half-time and doubled down in his post-match press conference, telling the media that the German’s performance “wasn’t acceptable,” which could be the most scathing he’s been about a particular player since taking the job last year.

Ultimately, while Werner doesn’t have a hefty price tag hanging over his head, he is on mega money and has been even more woeful in front of goal, which has seen him become the team’s current scapegoat, akin to what eventually happened to the Spaniard at Spurs.

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Match referee Andy Pycroft ruled that the surface provided “almost no assistance to any type of bowler”

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2022

England scored 506 for 4 on day one of the Rawalpindi Test•Getty Images

The Rawalpindi pitch has earned a “below average” rating for the second time in 2022. The latest rating follows the first Test between Pakistan and England earlier this month, in which England racked up a record 506 runs on day one to set up an eventual 74-run win.Though the match ended in a decisive result, there was little joy for the bowlers particularly in the first two innings, which produced seven centuries and totals of 657 and 579. England scored at well above a run a ball in both their innings.On day two of the Test match, PCB chairman Ramiz Raja had termed the pitch “embarrassing”, and suggested that the contest it produced was “not a good advert for Test cricket”.Related

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ICC match referee Andy Pycroft seemed to agree with him while handing out a “below average” rating and a demerit point on Tuesday.”It was a very flat pitch which gave almost no assistance to any type of bowler,” Pycroft said. “That was the main reason why batters scored very fast and both sides posted huge totals.”The pitch hardly deteriorated during the course of the match. Since there was very little in it for the bowlers, I found the pitch to be ‘below average’ as per the ICC guidelines.”In March, when Rawalpindi hosted the first Test of Australia’s tour of Pakistan, bat dominated ball to the extent that 1187 runs were scored for the loss of only 14 wickets over five days. That pitch had earned a “below average” rating too, with match referee Ranjan Madugalle noting that the Test match did not “represent an even contest between bat and ball”.Rawalpindi has now received demerit points in successive Test matches. Demerit points remain active for a five-year rolling period, and a venue stands to be suspended from hosting international cricket for a period of five years if it accumulates five demerit points. A “below average” rating earns a venue one demerit point, while “poor” and “unfit” ratings earn three and five demerit points, respectively.

As it was last year, this season has already been something of a roller coaster for Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lilywhites looked somewhat off the pace in their opening games, but in the last month or so, Ange Postecoglou’s men have looked like a seriously threatening side, even if there are still some issues to be resolved, as the loss to Brighton & Hove Albion made clear.

In fact, the North Londoners’ haul of 18 league goals is currently the second-best return in the competition and only one behind Manchester City, who have the frankly inhuman Erling Haaland leading the line.

Yet, it would appear that Daniel Levy and Co are looking to strengthen their already magnificent attack in the upcoming January transfer window, as according to recent reports, the club are keen on a Premier League striker who has won comparisons to Haaland and is currently outscoring Dominic Solanke.

Spurs transfer news

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Tottenham are leading the race for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap ahead of the January transfer window.

The report claims that while the Lilywhites are ahead at the moment, the Englishman’s fine form has seen the likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Arsenal and his former club, Manchester City, all take notice ahead of what could be an intense battle for his services.

While this level of interest is far from ideal for the North Londoners, the good news is that 21-year-old shouldn’t cost a fortune. The report has revealed that an offer in the region of €40m, £33m, should tempt the Tractor Boys into selling.

Now, this is still a sizeable fee, but given his fine form this season, the comparison to Haaland, and the fact that he’s outscoring Solanke, it could prove to be a long-term bargain.

Delap's comparisons to Haaland and Solanke

Okay, so let’s start with the comparison to Haaland, and while some may deem it ever so slightly outrageous, it was first made by AP correspondent James Robson in September 2020, who said of the then 17-year-old forward that he had “a look of Haaland about him.”

Now, Robson based this opinion on the physical stature and goalscoring ability of the teenager at the time and considering he racked up an imposing tally of 46 goals and 16 assists in 55 appearances for City’s various youth sides, it’s not hard to see where he was coming from.

Moreover, while the Winchester-born poacher only made six first-team appearances for the club, this season has shown that he can be an effective Premier League goalscorer when given the opportunity to consistently start games.

Delap vs Solanke in 24/25
Player	Delap	Solanke
Appearances	9	9
Minutes	634′	685′
Goals	4	3
Goals per Game	0.44	0.33
Minutes per Goal	158′	228′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

For example, in his nine appearances so far this year, eight of which have come in the league, the England U21 star has scored four goals, which is one more than Soalnke has managed in as many games and in a far more dangerous team.

With that said, even if Levy and Co were able to get their hands on Ipswich’s “exceptional” talent in January, as dubbed by former professional Glenn Murray, he would likely come in as a backup for the £65m man at least for now, and given his age, that could be the best option for all involved.

It would allow Postecoglou to keep playing the former Bournemouth star while having a young, hungry, talented and reliable striker to come off the bench when needed and start in cup games, thus keeping the spotlight off of him and improving the overall quality of the squad.

Ultimately, while fans shouldn’t expect Delap to immediately come into the starting lineup and displace the talented Solanke, bringing him to N17 seems like a no-brainer if Levy and Co want to ensure Postecoglou has the best tools at his disposal – and the comparisons to Haaland are certainly a nice bonus.

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