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And in the process, he may have taken a step towards solving India’s long-term issue of white-ball batting depth

Saurabh Somani21-Jul-20213:42

Chopra: Chahar’s story is all about belief

“Only one thing was going in my mind: this is the kind of innings you dream of, when you start playing cricket and start batting. One day I’ll bat for India – bat at 7,8 maybe 9 – and finish the match. No better way to win the match for the country.”This was Deepak Chahar after the second ODI against Sri Lanka. Batting at No.8, he had made his highest-ever score in senior cricket, and finished the match.The most remarkable thing about Chahar’s innings was not the quantum of his score. It was not that he went from 2 off 18, to 23 off 45, to his eventual score of 69* off 82. It was not even that he willed a batting dream into reality. It was how he dealt with the 48th over of the chase, when Wanindu Hasaranga was brought back. Chahar faced the last four balls of the over, with 15 required from 16 balls, and didn’t try to score off any of them. With the match in its final stages, the kind of batter who can play out a threatening bowler when practically a run a ball is needed is not often found at No.8. Those kinds of batters usually sit in the top half, secure in their skill and their belief that they can pull off victory against other bowlers, even with a steeper equation.”His presence of mind, his calculation… even the last four overs they knew they don’t want to go against the legspinner,” captain Shikhar Dhawan would say after the match, admiringly.Chahar came in at 160 for 6 and saw it become 193 for 7, but his composure was that of a top-order batter. When in partnership with Krunal Pandya, he played himself in. He let the more pedigreed batter do more of the scoring. In his match-winning stand with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Chahar seamlessly switched to being the senior partner. At the start, he continued to knock the ball around. The scorching pace set by India’s top order meant that Chahar had enough time, without needing to worry about big hits. By the time boundaries became necessary, he was as “in” as he was going to be. With 56 needed in eight overs, he took calculated risks, starting by thumping Lakshan Sandakan over long-off.”When it (the target) came under 50, I thought we could win,” Chahar said of his approach. “I took a risk in between, got two-three boundaries. After the six, I thought I’m batting well.”The only comparable innings Chahar has played on a similar stage was his 20-ball 39 for the Chennai Super Kings against Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2018, when MS Dhoni promoted him to No.6.Deepak Chahar made his highest score in all professional cricket•ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty ImagesFor most people, that IPL innings was the first glimmer of Chahar’s batting ability. Not for the former India batter Hrishikesh Kanitkar. who tweeted this:

Deepak Chahar is not a slogger like most think. He is a talented batsman capable of surprising he best of the bowlers in the #ipl18 @ChennaiIPL @CskIPLTeam https://t.co/52ZrHApQkr

— HRISHIKESH KANITKAR (@hrishikanitkar) May 20, 2018

Kanitkar had observed Chahar more closely than most. It was under Kanitkar’s captaincy that Chahar made his first-class debut for Rajasthan. It began with a record haul of 8 for 10, but while the results waned after that, Kanitkar’s belief and backing didn’t.”I don’t have any political background or powerful backer, so maybe that’s where they thought I could be pushed around,” Chahar told ESPNcricinfo in 2019, when recalling his early years in senior cricket. “Generally people have backers. One person who backed me always was Hrishikesh Kantikar. He had come from outside (as a professional) so he was only concerned with your performances as players. It didn’t matter to him who has come from where. Till he was captain, he backed me fully. Now also he’s always supportive. Even when I had a bad phase in the middle, he was one person who believed I could play for India.”What Kanitkar knew then was in evidence on Tuesday. Chahar didn’t just clinch a series-winning lead for India in the ODIs, he made a massive push for a spot in India’s regular starting XI. The India team playing Sri Lanka is not at full strength, but even when it is, it could do handily with a No.8 who can reel off an under-pressure half-century to turn a seemingly lost cause into victory. Players who can get into the side on their seam bowling and contribute runs are among the few areas India don’t have a whole lot of options to choose from.Chahar’s primary skill remains his bowling, and he didn’t do too badly at that either. There was some amount of waywardness but there was also some bad luck in the form of a dropped catch, and a sixer that could have been a catch had Bhuvneshwar been standing at the rope at fine leg instead of ten yards inside the boundary. There was also precious little for a bowler like Chahar to work with: no swing or seam on offer, and sapping heat that made fast bowling more onerous. And still, there were two skilful knuckle balls that delivered wickets at important moments for his team.”He has good capability, like he showed today. If he continues that, of course, India will have another allrounder,” Bhuvneshwar said at the press conference after the game. “It’s too early to say, but the ability he has… and the way he practices too. He keeps different situations in his mind when practicing, and thinks what he can do, what should be done.”In his brief international career and a longer stint in the IPL, Chahar has grown from a powerplay specialist to a versatile bowler who can operate in every phase. Until now, he was one of several fast bowlers jostling for a place in India’s full-strength attack. His bowling had kept him in contention. Now, with his batting, he has shoulder-barged his way closer to the front of the queue. If he can stay there, India could finally have a solution to their vexing issue of white-ball batting depth.

تحدث الإعلامي أحمد شوبير، عن اهتمام نادي جيرونا بالتعاقد مع نجله مصطفي شوبير، حارس مرمى منتخب مصر والفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي.

وقال شوبير، عبر قناة النهار: “مصطفى يمتلك وكيلا إسبانيا، هو من تواصل مع الحارس واختاره بنفسه وتعاقد معه وتلك المعلومة التي لدي”.

طالع.. حمزة عبد الكريم يتحدث عن العروض الأخيرة.. وسر تواجده في قائمة منتخب مصر

وواصل: “في وقت سابق، كان هناك عرض من نادي فالنسيا من خلال نفس الوكيل، ووقتها الأهلي رفض رحيل مصطفى شوبير عن صفوفه بعد جلسة مع محمد يوسف المدير الرياضي والذي شدد أن رحيل الحارس لا نقاش فيه”.

وأكمل: “حتى الآن لا يوجد أي عروض رسمية من جيرونا، لكنه مجرد اهتمام والأمور تبدأ من الصحف، وهناك أندية أخرى تتابع مصطفى لكنه يرفض اللعب لأندية في أي دوري درجة ثانية”.

واختتم: “حتى الآن مصطفى شوبير ضمن صفوف الأهلي، والنادي سيرى المناسب له في حال وصول عرض جيد، إما الموافقة وينتقل لنادي جديد أو الاستمرار في القلعة الحمراء”.

Liverpool have now reportedly joined the race to sign a rising star who could replace Ibrahima Konate, having already sent their scouts to watch the defender in action.

What next after Salah's explosive rant?

Just when they thought it couldn’t get any worse, Mohamed Salah found himself strolling through the mixed zone towards the first microphone available. And this was no friendly catch-up. The Egyptian unleashed a sensational rant, accusing Liverpool of throwing him “under the bus” and claiming that there is no longer a relationship with manager Arne Slot.

So, where do Liverpool and Salah go next? The Egyptian has trained today and a decision is yet to be made as to whether he travels to face Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

According to The Athletic’s James Pearce, some teammates were expecting his rant and those higher up at Anfield knew it was only inevitable that the chances increased that he’d speak out with every passing week on the bench.

Slot maintains the backing of Anfield chiefs, however, who view his decision to drop Salah as a selection choice which was unlikely to be long-term.

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What’s more, as reported by the BBC’s Sami Mokbel, the relationship between Slot and Salah is genuinely broken at present and the Egyptian simply does not see a future at Liverpool whilst the Dutchman is in charge.

It’s the lowest moment of Liverpool’s season so far and one that they could certainly do without as the fixtures come thick and fast. Alas, business goes on for FSG, who have reportedly joined the race to solve another one of Slot’s glaring problems at Liverpool.

Liverpool join race to sign Jeremy Jacquet

According to Sky Sports’ Sacha Tavolieri, Liverpool have now joined the race to sign Jeremy Jacquet, who has impressed their scouts at Stade Rennais.

The Reds have already made checks on the 20-year-old defender and could welcome his arrival to replace Konate in 2026. The Frenchman is in the worst form of his Liverpool career and has already played himself out of a potential move to Real Madrid. Now, with his contract still on course to expire in the summer, he could still leave as a free agent.

Dubbed “physically imposing” by Como scout Ben Mattinson back in May and as “an insane centre-back in the making” by Jacek Kulig, Jacquet has only come on leaps and bounds ever since. At 20 years old, he’s someone that should be on the radar of several top clubs.

For Liverpool, that physicality would be key. The Reds have been bullied far too often this season with Konate at the scene of the crime all too often.

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Sheffield Wednesday have now reportedly responded to Mike Ashley’s bid to buy the club, with the former Newcastle United man now plotting his next step.

Finance expert reveals extent of interest in Sheffield Wednesday

It’s been a busy month at Hillsborough, with the Owls receiving plenty of takeover interest after entering administration. Setting a soft deadline of December 5, things look destined to accelerate in the coming week in the hope that Sheffield Wednesday finally enter a new era and put Dejphon Chansiri behind them for good.

Football finance expert Stefan Borson recently revealed that there are as many as 11 bidders to buy Sheffield Wednesday, telling talkSPORT: “I’m working with one of the bidders. There are a number of bidders in play, a number of credible players around.

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“Apparently, there’s 11 that have given proof of funds for £50m of liquid assets. That is a serious process, and there is serious interest. The issue is actually that you can’t just look at the headline price here. This is a club that’s not had a lick of paint for quite some time and by the end of this season it will be in League One.

“It will have almost no squad and it will have a stadium that needs significant spending. So anybody that comes in is going to have to have deep pockets. I think the people that are circling do have deep pockets, but it is not going to be a cheap deal for anybody. The challenges are great.

Among those 11 bidders could be John McEvoy, who was one of the first names linked with a move to buy the club, and former Newcastle man Ashley. The 61-year-old is seemingly keen on a return to English football and has already received a response from Wednesday.

Mike Ashley submits bid to buy Sheffield Wednesday

As reported by Sky Sports, Ashley has now submitted a £20m bid to buy Sheffield Wednesday, who have turned that offer down. The former Newcastle owner is now plotting his next step and could yet return with an improved second offer, however.

If he is to return with a second offer, then Ashley will likely have to at least match other bids in the region of £30m to stand a chance of completing a takeover. Whilst it isn’t as simple as accepting the highest bid for the Owls, they won’t sell the club at a cut-price in the face of so much interest.

Of course, if Ashley does match other bids then he could become one of the better options available. He has experience in English football and, financially speaking, he stabilised Newcastle during his time at the club.

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The Toronto Blue Jays had a game to forget on Tuesday, losing to the Boston Red Sox, 10–2.

But while the result was forgettable, the Blue Jays still delivered one play that fans will remember for quite some time.

In the top of the fourth inning, centerfielder Daulton Varsho turned a potential disaster into a career highlight.

After Red Sox leftfielder Jarren Duran smacked a ball to deep center, Varsho was in hot pursuit. So hot that he totally tripped and over himself while trying to position himself to make the catch.

But rather than be defeated by his own feet, Varsho battled to stick with the play, throwing his glove behind his back to reel in the catch while his face was staring at the wall.

The reactions from players on both sides tell the story of just how wild the grab was.

Fans also had plenty of Varsho’s mid-tumble adjustment.

The debate now begins on whether or not Varsho’s grab can be in contention for Catch of the Year. On one side, that is obviously one of the most unexpected, impressive catches we will see this season. On the other, can you really give yourself extra difficulty points by making the play harder on yourself because it started with a goof?

Opinions may vary, but for now, let’s throw it on the list of contenders just in case.

Will Arsenal’s winning streak continue?

On Tuesday night, the Gunners swatted aside Slavia Prague 3-0 in the Champions League, with Bukayo Saka breaking the deadlock from the penalty spot in the Czech capital, before makeshift centre-forward Mikel Merino scored twice to rubber stamp the points.

That made it ten successive victories for Mikel Arteta, as well as being an eighth consecutive clean sheet, equaling Arsenal’s club record set in 1903, a sequence ended by Glossop North End all those years ago.

Only once before has a top-flight English club won eight games in a row all without conceding, this achieved by Liverpool in February 1920, a record the Gunners can break with victory at the Stadium of Light when they take on Sunderland on Saturday evening.

However, if they’re going to leave Wearside victorious, they will need to silence a familiar foe.

Granit Xhaka's roller coaster Arsenal career

Few players in football history have ever enjoyed quite the character arc at one club experienced by Granit Xhaka during his seven seasons at Arsenal.

The Swiss international was a key figure in the team that won the FA Cup under Arsène Wenger in his first season, but was then part of a team in decline, which ultimately led to Wenger’s departure and Unai Emery’s, at best, mixed reign.

This came to a head in October 2019 when Xhaka was infamously jeered off against Crystal Palace but, as someone who was in attendance that afternoon, it was all a massive misunderstanding.

Arsenal had raced into a 2-0 lead inside nine minutes only to, in trademark fashion under Emery, sit back, allowing Palace to grow into the game and equalise shortly after half time.

Thus, Emery decided to introduce a teenager by the name of Bukayo Saka, whatever happened to him?, and as fourth official Tim Robinson raises his board with a red number 34 on it, Xhaka trudged off the pitch at the speed of a naughty schoolboy sent to the head teacher’s office.

Having seen their side relinquish a two goal advantage, at first, supporters began shouting “get off”, meaning get off the pitch so we can resume this match and beat Crystal Palace, but Xhaka interpreted this as a personal attack, thereby emphatically cupping his ear and removing his shirt before angrily storming down the tunnel.

At this point, it appeared as though the midfielder would never play for the club again, but Emery was sacked later that month and everything changed following the appointment of Arteta.

Xhaka would go on to make 297 appearances for the club, only 12 men have made more for Arsenal in the Premier League, departing a hero, having been a key figure in the 2022/23 side that unexpectedly came so close to winning the title, laying the foundations for where the team is now.

After helping Bayer Leverkusen claim a first-ever Meisterschale, winning the unbeaten Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double, Xhaka surprisingly returned to English football this summer, joining newly-promoted Sunderland, playing every minute of every game with the Black Cats flying high, sat fourth in the Premier League table, scoring his first goal for the club against Everton on Monday night.

Barry Glendenning of the Guardian asserts that the Swiss international has been the ‘most influential’ member of Régis Le Bris’ team so far this season, meaning stopping Xhaka will surely be key to Arteta’s game plan, so which current member of the Arsenal team is best equipped to do just that?

Arsenal's "aggressive" star who can silence Granit Xhaka

A concern for Gooners is their growing injury list, given that Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus will all miss this weekend’s trip to Wearside due to injury.

Others, such as Gabriel, William Saliba, Jurriën Timber and Declan Rice are having to take on a high workload while, in contrast, it has been a quiet week for Martín Zubimendi, so he will be raring to go at the Stadium of Light.

Having been booked in each of the first three Champions League matches, the Spaniard did not travel to Prague due to suspension, with Christian Nørgaard deputising at the base of midfield.

Largely because it was finalised right at the start of the window, Zubimendi’s arrival in North London was not met with the fanfare it deserved, but he has pretty inarguably been the Gunners’ most impressive summer recruit so far, with the table below supporting this assertion.

Minutes

1,099

4th

Goals

2

6th

Completed passes

721

3rd

Pass completion %

88.5%

3rd*

Key passes

11

5th

Passes into final 3rd

59

2nd

Progressive passes

79

2nd

Shot-creating actions

30

4th

Tackles

21

2nd

Interceptions

13

1st

Distance covered per 90

11kms

6th

Touches

917

3rd

Average rating

7.31

4th

*minimum 300 passes completed.

As the numbers highlight, Zubimendi ranks highly for pretty much every metric this season, most notably when it comes to passing, defending, distance covered and touches.

The Spaniard opened his account against Nottingham Forest in September, actually scoring twice that afternoon, this jaw-dropping strike named the Premier League’s goal of the month.

His performances have led to Football Transfers believing his estimated market valuation has increased to around £48m.

Meantime, Adam Keys notes that Zubimendi both “positions himself perfectly for second balls” while also orchestrating play when in possession, while Hand of Arsenal adds that he is a “sublime” player who is “deceptively aggressive” and “knows how to control the tempo and when to break lines and progress”

All of this is going to be needed if the Gunners are going to beat Sunderland on Saturday, thereby moving nine points clear of Manchester City, for 23 hours at least.

With the Black Cats likely to set up in a low block to start, while also posing a threat, often through their midfield general Xhaka, Zubimendi’s overall quality will be vital, with Tuesday acting as a timely reminder, without wanting to denigrate Nørgaard, of how important the Spaniard is, this crystallised in his absence.

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