World Cup 2018: David De Gea, trolled and humiliated, promises to bounce back
David De Gea is a bruised soldier after Spain’s shocking exit from the 2018 FIFA World Cup at the hands of Russia on Sunday but he promises to not give up and fight for himself and his country again.De Gea, who has been brutally trolled for his ‘disastrous’ performance in Russia, posted a message on his facebook page, thanking the fans for their support and promising to come back stronger.”For those who supported, criticized with respect and suffered with us, thank you. We are screwed but we will get up and we will not stop trying,” the Spain No.1 said.2018 FIFA WORLD CUP: FULL COVERAGEThe Manchester United goalkeeper, who is regarded as the best in the world, came into the World Cup with a big reputation but after their 4-3 loss to Russia on penalties in the Round of 16, he has been taken apart on social media for failing to save a single penalty and giving away goals in the tournament. David De Gea didn’t save a single penalty in the World Cup (Reuters Photo)Overall, he has had a World Cup to forget in Russia as he managed to keep just one clean sheet in the four matches that Spain played in this edition while conceding 6 goals apart from the shootout.David De Gea trolled mercilessly after Spain crash outThe Manchester United stalwart made one save in the entire World Cup out of the 11 shots which came his way (including penalties), and none Sunday when Artyom Dzyuba’s 41st-minute penalty was Russia’s only shot on target. Russia then scored all four spot-kicks in the shootout.advertisementIt was a shocking elimination for Spain, joining former champions Germany and Argentina. Still, World Cup history was on Russia’s side after its well-organized team survived two hours of barely having the ball.Andres Iniesta announces Spain retirement after World Cup 2018 exitDespite the 74 percent possession, 1137 passes and utter territorial domination, the only statistic that counted in the end for Spain was the two penalties they missed after they strangled themselves out of the World Cup.Following the match, Anders Iniesta announced his retirement and Gerard Pique followed suit.Lowest ranked team of World Cup 2018 shocks former world championsFor De Gea however, things are about to get better. He is going to return to Spain and then go to Manchester for their pre-season tour to the United States. After a bad World Cup, he will hope to receive support from the Manchester United fans, who love and adore the Spaniard.
Harbhajan Singh has backed Kuldeep Yadav ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin for the first Test at Edgbaston against England, starting August 1.The 38-year-old feels that Kuldeep has troubled the English batsmen in the limited-overs format and playing him will give India an edge.Kuldeep picked up nine wickets from the three ODIs, which included a 6/25 in the first ODI and 3/68 in the second at Lord’s. The chinaman went wicketless in the last ODI at Headingley.Kuldeep also picked up 5/24 in the first T20I at Manchester but England have played him well in the last two ODIs.But, Harbhajan feels that India should persist with the wrist-spinner ahead of the seasoned R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.”If it comes to one spinner that I have to choose, I’ll pick Kuldeep Yadav. In these conditions, he is someone, who has bowled a lot in last six games or so and he has been one of the pick of the bowlers from Indian point of view.”Yes! England have managed to play him well in the last two games or so but I still think that Kuldeep will be the key man for India going forward in this Test series. If at all I have to pick one spinner, I’ll pick Kuldeep ahead of Ashwin,” Harbhajan said.Rishabh Pant named in India squad for first 3 Tests vs EnglandKuldeep made his his Test debut against Australia in Dharamsala and ran through the Aussie batting, picking up 4/68 and giving India the edge in the series decider.advertisementHe went wicketless in the second innings and played his next Test match at Pallekele, where he picked up five wickets from two innings. His career-best figures of 4/40 came in the first innings of the Pallekele Test against Sri Lanka. Since then, he has not played in a Test and was left out of the playing XI for the one-off Test against Afghanistan as well. R Ashwin is likely to play the first Test against England at Edgbaston (Reuters Photo)However, Ashwin’s chances of making the XI ahead of Jadeja and Kuldeep remain likely for at least the first Test at Edgbaston. The conditions in England are likely to change in August and the chances of India playing three seamers apart from Hardik Pandya is more likely with Ashwin being the only spinner.The first Test will be followed by Test matches at Lord’s (August 9 to August 13), Trent Bridge (August 18 to August 22), The Rose Bowl (August 30 to September 3) and Kennington Oval (September 7 to September 11).With India winning the T20I series and England bagging the ODI series, the Test series will decide who comes out on top between the two sides after two-and-a-half months of cricket.
Asian Games 2018 gold medallist Swapna Barman made the nation proud when she braved pain to bag India’s first ever gold medal in heptathlon at the Games.Swapna, who was suffering from toothache and had her jaw strapped with a tape to nullify it, scored 1003 points in high jump, 872 points in javelin throw and finished second-best in shot put and long jump with 707 and 865 points respectively to bag the top prize.Since then, Swapna, 21, has been a household name and deservingly getting loads of attention for her sensational effort at the Jakarta and Palembang Games.Another reason barring the toothache, that makes Swapna’s achievement really special, is the fact that she didn’t have customised shoes during the event for her 12 toes. She went in like a warrior and conquered the Games in her category.Speaking to India Today, she says that she didn’t have time to think about pain and anything else because she wanted to give her best.Also read – Swapna Barman’s Asian Games 2018 gold treads a new path for homecoming”I just wanted to give my best no matter what and that was the only thing I was thinking about. This pain, injury…I didn’t have the time to think about all this. Swapna Barman had no customised shoes made for her 12 toes (AP Photo)Nobody ever told me that I can’t compete. Especially my parents, they never said anything of that sort. My parents asked me to do it and were hoping that I get jobs,” said Swapna after her Asiad glory despite the lack of special gear.Also read – Asian Games 2018: Swapna Barman wins India’s first ever gold in heptathlonadvertisementSwapna, a resident of Jalpaiguri, also stressed on the fact that she got immense support from her parents and for her, their wish, will always be her command.”They never said anything about my feet and I also never told them that it is paining. I never complained that ‘I’m feeling a lot of pain or like you are sending me to sports. So I need this and that’…never asked for anything. I just wanted to do what they wanted because we are four brothers and sisters and I’m the youngest.So, whatever my parents think, I will do it…no matter what that is,” Swapna said.Swapna’s success in Indonesia has brought upon a lot of attention and that is not only benefitting her but also her native village.Also read – Poverty-stricken Barmans look at bright future after Swapna’s Asiad goldFor decades, the narrow stretch leading to the Barman residence on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri town has been a dirt road. The gravel laden narrow lane between the paddy fields that led to the Ghoshpara village was the first track Swapna ever ran on in her life.But now, as the town gets ready to welcome their daughter, a dozen labourers are busy pouring concrete on to the stretch as villagers eagerly anticipate the return of their golden girl after her Asiad victory. The district administration is converting it into a concrete road as VIP’s have constantly made their presence felt at the doorstep of the poor rickshaw puller’s family.On Saturday, Darjeeling BJP MP SS Ahluwalia visited the Barmans and congratulated the family after state minister Gautam Deb had visited them a day before. Deb made the family speak to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over phone, who in turn announced a Rs 10 lakh reward and a government job for Swapna.
KL Rahul faced just four deliveries in the second innings of the Perth Test before getting bowled out on a duck off a Mitchell Starc delivery as the Indian opener was uncertain to go after the ball and it swing inside just in time to clip the top of his stumps. In the first innings as well, Rahul had scored just two runs in 17 deliveries before getting bowled out by Hazlewood. Earlier, Rahul was even spotted giving Tim Paine a little send off when the Australia captain fell for 37.Since the start of 2018, Rahul has played nine Test matches away from home and has scored only 377 runs, which includes just one hundred at the Oval in the fifth and inconsequential Test against England. Also, he has recorded three duck dismissals this year – Johannesburg vs South Africa, Southampton vs England and on Monday, Perth vs Australia.Here is a list of all of Rahul’s scores in the year 2018 away from home:FIRST INNINGSSECOND INNINGSVENUEOPPOSITION104CenturionSouth Africa016JohannesburgSouth Africa413BirminghamEngland810Lord’sEngland2336NottinghamEngland190SouthamptonEngland37149The OvalEngland244AdelaideAustralia20PerthAustraliaDespite all the support from captain Virat Kohli, Rahul has been unable to seal his spot in the team and has not been able to bat convincingly or contribute comprehensively to the team’s cause.Now it seems even Indian cricket fans have run out of patience with the boy from Bengaluru and after his dismissal on Monday, the Indian opener was brutally trolled on social media.advertisementI can hold my breath longer than the time KL Rahul spends on pitch batting.#AUSvIND #INDvAUS #KLRahulAditya (@two_pie_r) December 17, 2018Thank You KL Rahul for Promoting #Zero#ZERO Fan (@NextToSRK) December 17, 2018KL Rahul: My job is to see off the new ball.New Ball: My job is to see off KL Rahul.Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) December 17, 2018Thank you KL Rahul and Prithvi Shaw pads up for boxing day Test…Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) December 17, 2018Still Better opener then murli vijay and kl rahul ????#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/01JemHqRk3Sanjana Sharma (@sanjana_SharmaS) December 15, 2018No words for gr8 kl Rahul ..now even Virat Kohli can’t save him.still commentrators defending this guy…still if this guy choosen I will stop watching India’s matches….#AUSvIND #INDvAUS @bhogleharsha @virendersehwag pic.twitter.com/TrBK87PaMzVaibhav (@TharVaibhav) December 17, 2018Indian cricket fans to kl rahul#AusvInd #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/q9UY7bVakABittu singha?? (@Frustratedladk) December 17, 20181894 runs in his small test career,149 vs England in England is my favourite one!Tell your favourite KL Rahul knock on his unofficial retirement today. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/6Ufc5fPq9IMufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 17, 2018Thats just shittttt. I hope KL Rahul never plays international cricket again.Desi Gooner (@Sahil_Adhikaari) December 17, 2018Ban KL Rahul for a couple of years from test cricket.Achintya Seshadrinathan (@achgunners) December 17, 2018Absolutely criminal to keep KL Rahul in the playing 11. Not only he failed himself but also the country in numerous occasions. If we loose Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli should be held responsible #INDvAUSAngryRavi (@ravikiran248) December 15, 2018I beg please just don’t give chances to people like KL Rahul just on the basis of IPL. There are so many good players sitting outside. Enough chances given to this guy. Let him play domestic cricket properly first.@BCCI #AUSvsINDRahul Mandal (@prem16151510) December 15, 2018India had a humongous task of chasing 287 runs in the second innings to win on a pitch that started doing quite a bit after lunch on Day 4 of the Perth Test.Australia resumed the day at 132/4 with a lead of 175 runs over India’s first innings tally of 283 and dominated the first session to take control of a fluctuating match.In the morning session, the Indian fast bowlers put in a spirited effort but were unable to get a breakthrough as Australia reached 190 for 4 at lunch in their second innings, 233 runs ahead of the visitors, with Khawaja 67 not out and skipper Paine unbeaten on 37.However in the post-lunch session, Mohammed Shami wrecked havoc on the Australian batting line-up eventually recording his career best figures of 6 for 56. With his performance, he also created a couple of new records.However, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood managed to add 36 runs to Australia’s total before Jasprit Bumrah managed to pick the last wicket of Starc.After adding those precious 36 runs to the total, Starc and Hazlewood combined once more within the first four overs to pick the early wickets of Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara (4) to leave India reeling with two wickets down.advertisementThe onus once again rested at Kohli’s shoulders but this time around the Indian captain failed to bear the burden of the entire team and fell to the combination of Nathan Lyon and Usman Khawaja.Thereafter, Murali Vijay (20) and Ajinkya Rahane (30) also departed leaving Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant on the crease at stumps.At the end of the day’s play, India were 112/5, needing 175 runs to win while Australia needed just 5 wickets to level the four-Test series at 1-1.Also Read | You seriously cannot like Virat Kohli as a bloke: Tim Paine tells Murali VijayAlso Read | Perth Test: Tensions flare up on Day 4 as Virat Kohli sledges Tim PaineAlso Read | Sanjay Manjrekar slams Virat Kohli’s on-field behaviour after spat with Paine
Sergio Aguero’s hat-trick led Manchester City to a 3-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday and back into second place in the Premier League, two points behind leaders Liverpool.The victory put the pressure on Liverpool ahead off their trip to West Ham United on Monday. Juergen Klopp’s side have 61 points with champions City on 59 and Tottenham Hotspur on 57.Aguero gave City the lead after 48 seconds with a stooping header after Aymeric Laporte had robbed Alex Iwobi and whipped in a cross.City were dominant but the Gunners got back on level terms in the 11th minute when Nacho Monreal flicked on a Lucas Torreira corner and defender Laurent Koscielny headed in from two yards out.Aguero struck again just before the break, tapping in a low cross from Raheem Sterling, who had combined well with Ilkay Gundogan in the build-up.City’s record scorer wrapped up the win with Sterling again the provider but as Aguero slid in to meet his low cross, the ball appeared to go in off his arm.It was Aguero’s 10th hat-trick in the Premier League, a record bettered only by Alan Shearer who scored 11. The Argentine striker has netted 20 goals in all competitions this season — the sixth straight campaign he has reached that tally.Also Watch:
Brief scores – India (162/3) beat New Zealand (158/8) by 7 wickets to level 3-match series 1-1. Rohit (50), Pant (40*), Dhawan (30). ScorecardIndia all-rounder Krunal Pandya proved that he is a quick learner as he turned his performance around in just two days time to return match-winning figures for the team in the second T20 international against New Zealand on Friday.Krunal’s 3 for 28 in four overs helped India register their first win in a T20I match in New Zealand as the hosts were restricted to 158 for 8 which the visitors chased down with ease in 18.5 overs.Krunal was hammered for 37 runs for just 1 wicket in the last match which India lost by a record margin. But the left-arm spinner pulled up his socks and used all his variations to bamboozle the Kiwi batsmen.”It felt really nice to contribute for the team. It’s always special when you contribute to a win. The dimensions are quite different from Wellington, the straight boundaries were short and I had to adjust my length to it. Looking forward to the decider in two days’ time,” Krunal said after receiving his man-of-the-match award.Krunal had picked up two wickets in his very first over of the match as he sent back the dangerous Colin Munro and Daryl Mitchell within four deliveries.The 27-year-old then returned in the next over to snare the wicket of captain Kane Williamson to leave New Zealand tottering at 50 for 4 in 7.5 overs before Colin de Grandhomme made a quickfire 28-ball 50 to rescue the innings..@krunalpandya24 strikes again! The arm ball skids on, Williamson looks to pull through square leg, goes under the bat and he’s in front.New Zealand 50/4 after 8 overs https://t.co/QLAqM4Yzf5 #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/DKmEJ2rgPFadvertisementBCCI (@BCCI) February 8, 2019De Grandhomme and Ross Taylor (42) added 77 runs for the fifth wicket to propel the Black Caps to 158 for 8. Apart from Krunal, Khaleel Ahmed (2/27), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/29) and Hardik Pandya (1/36) were among the wickets for India.In reply the tourists rode on Rohit Sharma’s 29-ball 50 while Rishabh Pant made an unbeaten 40 to chase down the total with 7 wickets and 7 balls to spare. Shikhar Dhawan (30) and MS Dhoni (20 not out) also made significant contributions.India’s win sets up the series nicely as both teams now stand level at one-win each. The third and final match will now be a decider and will be played in Hamilton on February 10 (Sunday).Also Read | Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant power India to their 1st T20I victory in New ZealandAlso Read | We learnt from our mistakes: Rohit Sharma after historic T20I win over New ZealandAlso Read | Rohit Sharma trolled with Mumbai Indians quota jibe, Krunal Pandya responds in style
The Indian selection committee will meet in Mumbai to pick the Indian squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup but MSK Prasad said his men will not consider IPL performances as any kind of marker. India captain Virat Kohli, who will be in Mumbai for Royal Challengers Bangalore’s game against Mumbai Indians, is also expected to attend the meeting next Monday.Before the 2019 Indian Premier League got underway, Virat Kohli had said IPL performances would not matter when it came to World Cup selection. MSK Prasad has now echoed the captain’s views.In fact, the selectors had another week to name the squad. Instead, the committee decided to meet on April 15 to send out a message that the selectors were not going to be influenced by IPL stats.”No I don’t think we are looking at IPL showing,” MSK Prasad, the chairman of the selection committee told India Today.But would a strong performance in the IPL help the selectors fix any undecided slots? “No, not really. We are quite clear,” Prasad said.It is now clear the Indian team management is adamant IPL performances would have no bearing on the final squad for the World Cup. Earlier, India vice-captain Rohit Sharma had also said the World Cup team should be not be picked on the basis of performances in a T20 tournament.”I feel IPL should not be the criteria for team selection. You can’t select a team for the 50-over format from a 20-over event, it’s my personal opinion. IPL is a different ball game. Its franchise cricket and yes, form matters a lot. But in the last four years we have played enough odi matches, enough T20 cricket. That should be enough to understand these are the players that we want,” Sharma said.advertisementAlso Read | IPL performances shouldn’t influence World Cup squad selection: Rohit SharmaMSK Prasad is confident of picking a strong team but there are several concerns which need to be addressed. For starters, who is the final choice for the No.4 slot?Ambati Rayudu has been the recent favourite but he flopped against Australia in the recent ODI series and was dropped for the final two matches.Former India opener Aakash Chopra backed Rayudu to make the cut for the World Cup because of his performances in New Zealand.”In my opinion Rayudu should be in that team. Simply because a couple of months back in New Zealand when conditions were tough, he was the highest run scorer in a team which also had Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan. So our people and experts are trigger happy and there is a perception created that he is the weak link. It would be unfair on him if he is dropped after a few failures and we have to look at his IPL form to judge him,” he said.Vijay Shankar is also in the running to be picked as the No.4 batsman — he did well for India in New Zealand and is being looked upon as a specialist batsman now after being called in as a replacement for Hardik Pandya.There’s another debate the selectors will need to address: Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik as the back-up wicketkeeper?Karthik was not selected for the ODI series against Australia at home. Pant, who played the last two matches, did little with the bat and was poor with the gloves.However, Sanjay Manjrekar felt Pant could edge out Karthik because of the former’s X-factor.”With Pant I am not as excited like when Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were in the middle order. There is no one in the same class in terms of consistency.”But Pant is in my squad because there is something about him. I generally get a little disappointed because of the way he gets out. But there is something about him that he is able to get the kind of numbers does,” he said.Also Read | IPL not ideal yardstick, but little choice left for India selectors ahead of World CupThe selectors will also need to figure out whether Ravindra Jadeja has a place in the squad. Do they need an extra spinner? Or will the committee look for a back-up pace option to accompany Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Bhuveneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya.The likes of Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav failed to grab their opportunities and since the selectors have decided not to consider IPL performances, this will be another interesting call.Also Read | Jason Behrendorff wants to impress World Cup selectors with his IPL performanceadvertisementAlso Watch | Great to have someone like Chris Gayle in KXIP: KL Rahul
Romanian Doru Isac has been named as the technical director of All India Football Federation for a three-year tenure, technical committee chairman Shyam Thapa said Friday.The 56-year-old Isac was one of the three candidates interviewed by the AIFF’s technical committee, headed by Thapa, on Monday. The technical committee had sent its recommendations to the executive committee of the AIFF to take a final decision.Gaioz Darsadze of Georgia and Jorge Castelo of Portugal were the other two candidates interviewed by the technical committee.The post of technical director remained vacant since Australian Scott O’Donnell decided to quit in 2017. Former India player and coach Savio Medeira was looking after the post as interim TD since then.The well-travelled Isac has worked in various managerial capacities as well as technical director in many European and Asian countries. He is widely known as assistant to Arsene Wenger at Japanese side Nagoya Grampus Eight from 1997 to 2002. He also has worked with former Portugal and Real Madrid manager Carlos Queiros as well as under the widely travelled manager Bora Milutinovic.”The AIFF has decided to name Isac as technical director. Based on what we have recommended the executive committee of the AIFF has taken a decision. We are happy with his appointment as we found him a suitable candidate,” Thapa told PTI on Friday.”His tenure will be of three years initially and there will be a review of his performance after that and decide whether his term will be extended or not. His profile is impressive, he is a FIFA Diploma degree holder and held managerial positions and as technical director in various countries, including in Asia,” he added.advertisementIsac was only one of the three candidates who decided to come to India and face the technical committee in person, but interestingly, due to visa issues, he could not come out of the New Delhi airport. He was interviewed via skype from the Indira Gandhi International Airport.The other two candidates did not come to India and they were interviewed via skype.It was also learnt that the Romanian was the first preference of the panel for the post.”We have been told by AIFF to mark number one, two and three among the three names and we did that. We left it to the AIFF to make the final appointment. The salary and perks of the person to be appointed was a consideration. The AIFF must have found him (Isac) suitable in this aspect also,” the former India international said.Isac began as manager of AS Nancy Academy in France in 1990-91 before switching to youth level managership in Japan. After a five-year stint at Nagoya Grampus Eight, his profile included working as assistant manager at his country’s top side, Rapid Bucharest, and in some clubs in Qatar.Before he appeared for the interview, Isac was serving as sports director of Yokohama F Marinos in Japan.Thapa said Isac’s main focus should be on youth development, coach education, local coach development and scouting of talent.”He should not focus on the national teams only. Youth development is one he should focus on. Then coach development is another big issue, we need qualified Indian coaches in large numbers,” he said.”Then, scouting of talent from all over the country is another important job he will be tasked for. The coaches cannot do that. He will have to visit all over the country, visit the academies, districts and states to scout talent,” Thapa signed off.Also Read | Honoured by kind gesture of Football Delhi: Sunil Chhetri on receiving 1st-ever Football RatnaAlso Read | Indian football needs actively involved Chhetri even after retirement, says Luis GarciaAlso Watch | Love the energy of the Indian players in the IPL before World Cup: Virat Kohli
Soccer star Neymar has responded to a woman’s allegation he raped her in Paris by issuing social media posts meant to show the accuser sent friendly messages following the alleged attack, and police turned up at a training session on Sunday to investigate.The Paris Saint-Germain forward arrived by helicopter in Teresopolis, Brazil, where he joined the national team in training for the Copa America tournament that starts June 14 in Brazil, but he made no comment to the news media.Police agents from the Rio de Janeiro state cyber-crimes unit visited the training ground and the police communications department confirmed by email they would “investigate the supposed disclosure of a video on the part of Neymar.” But it gave no further details.According to a Brazilian police report obtained Saturday by The Associated Press, the Brazilian woman, who was not identified, told officers the incident took place May 15 at 8:20 p.m. at the Sofitel Paris Arc De Triomphe hotel. The woman went to police in Sao Paulo on Friday.Sao Paulo state’s Public Security Secretariat, which oversees police, confirmed that the complaint was registered, but said the investigation is confidential.The woman told police she had exchanged Instagram messages with Neymar, was invited to Paris by one of his representatives and was booked into a hotel. There, she said, they “touched each other, but in a given moment Neymar became aggressive and, with violence, had sexual intercourse against the victim’s will.”She said she left Paris two days later and said she did not file her complaint in Paris because she was shaken.Neymar, 27, strongly denied the allegation.”There was a relationship between a man and a woman between four walls. On the next day, nothing happened,” the striker said. “I hope investigators read the messages and see what happened.”He posted an Instagram video Saturday showing messages and photos he said he received from the woman in a move to bolster his assertion the encounter was consensual. The messages include at least one dated May 16, with no reference to the alleged assault.The Associated Press could not confirm that the woman mentioned in the Instagram post was the person who filed the police complaint.Earlier his father and agent, Neymar da Silva Santos, told Brazil’s TV Band that his son had been blackmailed by her lawyer.The Paris police and the city’s prosecutors’ office said through spokesmen that they were unaware of any complaint.During a post-training news conference, Brazil midfielder Fernandinho said he had heard about the allegation against Neymar “with great sadness and surprise.””I am convinced that the case will be cleared up as quickly as possible. I believe in Neymar’s innocence,” the Manchester City player said.Neymar has had problems on and off the pitch recently. One week before the accusation of rape became known, he lost the Brazil national team’s captaincy for the Copa America to veteran Dani Alves. Coach Tite did not lay out the reasons for the move, but he was under pressure to punish Neymar for his disciplinary problems at Paris Saint-Germain.After PSG lost the French Cup final to tiny Rennes on April 27, Neymar had an altercation with a fan and publicly criticized teammates he didn’t name for not listening to him enough.That was one of his first matches since January when he once more picked up a fifth metatarsal injury in his right-foot the same sort of injury that affected his performances in the last World Cup.Also Read | Brazil football star Neymar denies rape accusations in ParisAlso Read | ‘You’ll never walk alone,’ Twitter celebrates Liverpool’s Champions League victoryAlso See
England’s 31-run win over India in Match 38 of ICC Cricket World Cup at Edgbaston has made the entire race for the semi-finals interesting. England stay in contention for a berth in the semi-finals of the 2019 Cricket World Cup after handing India their first defeat of this World Cup.With this win, England upstaged Pakistan to return to No. 4 in the points table with 10 points in 8 matches. On Saturday, Australia had crushed New Zealand by 86 runs to remain on top of the ICC World Cup 2019 Points table with 7 wins in 8 matches.Australia have already qualified to the World Cup 2019 semi-finals whereas New Zealand and India are just one win away from a spot in the knockout stages.Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh are in a must-win situation and can still into the last-four of the competition with a few results going their way.West Indies, South Africa and Afghanistan have already been knocked after a dismal run of performances in their group matches. India Today PhotoAUSTRALIA – 14 points (P8, W7, L1, NR0)The defending champions’ have already qualified into the semi-finals of World Cup 2019 with seven wins in their 8 matches and only one loss came against India.INDIA-11 points (P7, W5, L1, NR1)India are at the 2nd spot with 11 points from 7 matches. Their chances of making the semi-finals remain bright even after a 31-run defeat to England at Edgbaston.Virat Kohli’s men just need to win one more from their next 2 matches to qualify. However, if India lose all 3 matches, then they have to depend on net run rate to seal their progress.advertisementNEW ZEALAND – 11 points (P8, W5, L2, NR1)New Zealand were crushed by Australia as they faced their successive defeat of the tournament. New Zealand, who are sitting 3rd with 11 points from 8 matches, can get knocked out if they lose to England by a big margin on Wednesday. They need to beat hosts in the must-win clash on July 3.ENGLAND – 10 points (P8, W5, L3, NR0)England have returned into the top-four with 10 points from 8 matches and push Pakistan to the 5th spot. England received a huge boost as now they are just 1 win away from making the last-four stage of World Cup 2019. And if England beat New Zealand in their final match, they will seal their progress.PAKISTAN- 9 points (P8, W4, L3, NR1)England’s win over India removed Pakistan from the top four. Now, Men in green will not only have to beat Bangladesh in their final group-stage match on July 5 but also hope that England lose to New Zealand on July 3. Pakistan can get knocked out if England beat New Zealand.If England beat New Zealand, they will reach the semi-final.New Zealand will also be through even if they lose by 200 runs & Pak beat Ban by 200 runs!For Pakistan to reach semi-final, England must lose to NZ or India lose both their games by very huge margins.#INDvENG #CWC19Rajneesh Gupta (@rgcricket) June 30, 2019Also Read | World Cup 2019: England beat India to spice up race for semi-finalsAlso Read | India vs England: Nasser Hussain, Sourav Ganguly slam MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav over lack of intentAlso Read | India vs England: Virat Kohli defends MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav after bizarre go-slow approachAlso See:
India defeated Bangladesh by 28 runs at Edgbaston on Tuesday to enter the semi-finals of the 2019 Cricket World Cup. India have now reached the semi-finals in 3 successive World Cups. They won the tournament in 2011, lost to Australia in the semi-finals in 2015 and now have the chance to win their 3rd World Cup.Rohit Sharma did the star turn for India yet again. He became only the 2nd batsman after Kumar Sangakkara to hit 4 hundreds in a single World Cup and in the process became the leading run-scorer in this World Cup.KL Rahul hit 66 while Rishabh Pant smashed an enterprising 48 before Hardik Pandya starred with the ball to ensure India reached the last-four with one game still left to play.Chasing 315, Bangladesh were in the hunt till the 34th over but all their hopes were dashed when Shakib Al Hasan fell to Hardik Pandya.Shakib is now the second highest run-scorer in the 2019 World Cup. He held the key to a historic run chase for Bangladesh and even as wickets fell at the other end, Shakib led a spirited fight against India. But it wasn’t enough after Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das failed to make useful contributions.Bangladesh made a promising enough start but Mohammed Shami made the first breakthrough to remove the dangerous Tamim Iqbal. Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah picked key wickets at key moments as well but Hardik Pandya’s variations and clever change in pace worked wonders for India.Sabbir Rahman, who replaced Mahmudullah in the Bangladesh playing XI on Tuesday, played a few sterling shots to give his team a ray of hope.advertisementSabbir found good support in Mohammad Saifuddin and the duo brought up a 50-run stand off 43 balls in the 41st over. Bangladesh needed 86 off the last 9 overs but it was always going to be difficult from thereon with 3 overs left for each of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.Sabbir Rahman kept Bangladesh on course but Jasprit Bumrah returned for his final spell and removed him with his first ball. From thereon, there was only one winner: India.Bangladesh had qualified for the quarterfinals of the 2015 World Cup and they were in the hunt for a berth in the semi-finals before running into a top quality Indian bowling attack.Earlier after winning the toss, India opted to bat and showed much better intent. Rohit Sharma has been one of the most dangerous batsmen in the World Cup so far and on Tuesday, he showed exactly why he has scored so many runs at the top over the last 4 years.Rohit Sharma was fluent and classy. He pierced the gaps with ease, hit 5 sixes and ran hard. At the other end, KL Rahul took his time but got into a nice rhythm to hit his second half-century of the World Cup.Rohit and Rahul added 180 for the first wicket – India’s highest opening stand in World Cup history. This was also the higehst opening stand for any team in the 2019 World Cup.Rohit Sharma looked in breathtaking touch and brought up his 3rd successive hundred against Bangladesh in an ICC tournament. He was primed for a big innings but fell to Soumya Sarkar in the 30th over. His wicket set India back for the remainder of the innings.KL Rahul fell for 77 in the 33rd over while Virat Kohli perished to Mustafizur Rahman in the 39th over. Rishabh Pant, playing only his 2nd World Cup match, showed far more intent than some other senior colleagues. He raced away to 48 but fell within touching distance of his maiden ODI fifty.MS Dhoni, who was booed by the crowd and criticised by two former international captains for his go-slow approach against England, did not do much better against Bangladesh. He scored only 35 off 33 balls on a pitch where batsmen have thrived. In a telling stat, India managed only 63 runs for the last of 5 wickets in the last 10 overs.On Tuesday, India dropped Kedar Jadhav and Kuldeep Yadav and brought in Dinesh Karthik and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Kedar, along with Dhoni, drew severe critcism for his lack of intent in the defeat to England.Bangladesh will next take on Pakistan on July 5 while India finish their group stage with a game against Sri Lanka at Leeds on July 6.Also Read | India vs Bangladesh: Virat Kohli in furious argument with umpires after losing reviewAlso Read | India vs Bangladesh: Fans slam MS Dhoni over another disappointing batting show in World Cup 2019
Rain stopped play in the first semifinal between India and New Zealand at the Old Trafford on Tuesday with the Kiwi scoreboard reading 211/5 after 46.1 overs. New Zealand will resume their innings on Wednesday on the same score with 23 balls of their innings still remaining.Ross Taylor was unbeaten on 67 off 85 balls when the umpires decided the players needed to head back to the pavilion.As per the rain rules of the International Cricket Council for the semifinals and the final, the umpires must try to complete the match on the scheduled match day by using the available extra time (120 minutes) and by reducing the number of overs down to a minimum of 20 overs per team in order to achieve a result.If there is still no result on the scheduled match day, play will continue on the reserve day, using the same start time and hours of play as the scheduled match day. The reserve day will be a continuation, not a restart. Any advantage earned on the scheduled day will be carried through to the reserve day.A tied match will use a super over to determine the winner. If the semifinal doesn’t reach a result even after the scheduled day and the reserve day, the higher placed team from the league stage will progress to the final, which in this case will be India.What TV channel is the World Cup 2019 semi-final match India vs New Zealand on?All World Cup 2019 matches can be viewed on – Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 3, Star Sports 1 in Hindi, Star Sports HD and DD Sports.advertisementWhere will the World Cup 2019 semi-final match India vs New Zealand played?The World Cup 2019 match India vs New Zealand will resume at Old Trafford in Manchester from 3 PM IST on Wednesday, July 9.Where can I watch the World Cup 2019 semi-final match India vs New Zealand live?The match will be shown on the Star Sports TV network and DD Sports.Where can I check the online live updates of the World Cup 2019 semi-final match between India and New Zealand?You can follow our coverage here – https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket-world-cup-2019What are the playing 11s for the World Cup 2019 semi-final match India vs New Zealand?India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra ChahalNew Zealand: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Trent BoultAlso See:
At every Saravana Bhavan restaurant that you visit you will see a copy of Vetri Meedhu Aasai Veithen (I set my heart on victory) the autobiography of P Rajagopal, the promoter of the restaurant chain.Rajagopal, 72, the famous founder-owner of Saravana Bhavan set his heart on victory and astrology that he so believed in made him the king of dosas as well as a murderer.On Tuesday, Rajagopal surrendered at the Madras High Court after the Supreme Court refused his plea of more time to surrender on medical grounds.Son of an onion farmer in Tuticorin, Rajagopal came to Chennai to fulfil his dream of becoming successful. Having started off as a grocery store owner, Rajagopal entered the restaurant business knowing how few eateries were active.He was also following his astrologer’s advice in 1981 to start a business associated with fire.Even despite business advisers telling him to compromise on the quality or increase in the prices, Rajagopal stuck to his policy of providing wholesome food at Re 1. Though the initial few months saw Rajagopal incurring loses very soon his restaurant became famous.Soon after he opened other outlets and his chain spread across the country. In 2000, he opened his first international outlet in Dubai which was followed by other restaurants in various countries.Big Brother is watchingRajagopal who started his eatery business at a loss was sure about two things — one, no compromise on the quality of the food and two that his workers will be well taken care of.advertisementSaravana Bhavan employees are paid well and they enjoy benefits like pension, free health care, housing loans, a marriage fund for their daughters and magazine subscription among others.For most employees of Saravana Bhavan, the 72-year-old man is their “annachi” — elder brother. As the restaurant chain grew, the perks for these employees grew too. And through the highs and lows that Rajagopal has witnessed these employees have stuck with him as loyal as ever.Star-crossed religious manRajagopal is an ardent devotee of Lord Muruga (Shanmuga). It is no surprise then that traditional lamps and huge portraits of Lord Muruga were part of the decor in the Saravana Bhavan restaurants.He contributed generously to temples, especially to Muruga temples.As he says in his autobiography, Vetri Meedhu Aasai Veithen, he started his restaurants based on the advice of his astrologer. His downfall and the current conviction also can be attributed to the advice of an astrologer who told him to marry one Jeevajothi to become one of the richest in the country. Rajagopal then was already married with two wives.Kidnap and murder Jeevajothi was the daughter of an assistant manager at one of Saravana Bhavan’s Chennai branches. Despite Rajagopal’s advances and threats, Jeevajothi went on to marry one Prince Santhakumar, a man she loved.In October 2001, the couple was kidnapped and Santhakumar was murdered. His body was found by the forest department officials from inside the Tiger Chola forests in Kodaikanal on October 31.His post-mortem report had said the cause of death was asphyxia due to throttling. Soon after, police found the cloth used for the murder.In 2004, a sessions court in Chennai convicted Rajagopal and eight others for culpable homicide with 10 years rigours imprisonment. Rajagopal appealed to the Madras High Court. The high court convicted him for a life in prison in 2009.Rajagopal then appealed to the Supreme Court, and in March this year, the SC upheld the high court’s order. Though Rajagopal had pleaded for more time to surrender stating his poor health, the Supreme Court rejected his plea.On July 9, Rajagopal made a dramatic entry in the high court arriving in an ambulance with oxygen mask attached to his face. Rajagopal is now admitted to the prison ward of the Stanley Hospital in Chennai. He has been officially handed over to the Puzhal prison officials.Saravana Bhavan has over 39 restaurants in India and over 43 restaurants abroad. According to report, in 2017, Saravana Bhavan had a revenue of over Rs 29 billion.READ | Saravana Bhavan founder Rajagopal sports oxygen mask to surrender in murder caseWATCH | Blast from the past: When dosa king P Rajagopal was convicted of murder
Romania’s presidency and the Orthodox Church awarded Wimbledon tennis champion Simona Halep their highest distinctions on Monday while hundreds of fans cheered her home after she blitzed American legend Serena Williams at the weekend.Halep, 27, became the first Romanian to win a Wimbledon singles title after stunning seven-times champion Serena Williams 6-2 6-2 in the 56-minute match final on Saturday.”I played my chance. I did the best I could and that’s why I managed to win,” a beaming Halep told reporters at Bucharest international airport, clutching her trophy and flowers as fans shouted “Bravo, Simona!”.”I’ve been staying focused on my tactics … Serena is the best player of all times.”It was Halep’s second Grand Slam title following her triumph at Roland Garros in Paris last year.The presidency awarded her the Star of Romania while the church gave her the Patriarchal Cross.”I always make the sign of the cross and believe in God because nothing can be done without the help of God,” Halep said last year after winning in Paris.Also Read | WTA rankings: Simona Halep returns to top 5 as 15-year-old Coco Gauff soarsAlso Read | It was the best match I’ve ever played: Simona Halep after maiden Wimbledon winAlso Read | Simona Halep downs Serena Williams in one-sided final for maiden Wimbledon title
In the last few years, we have probably created more data digitally than in the rest of human history. Think about the millions of Internet searches and social media posts that are made every minute, and the resultant data that corporations and governments are collecting on consumers and stakeholders.What do,In the last few years, we have probably created more data digitally than in the rest of human history. Think about the millions of Internet searches and social media posts that are made every minute, and the resultant data that corporations and governments are collecting on consumers and stakeholders.What do we do with this information?This sea of data can overwhelm us; we must learn to tame the data deluge to our advantage. Our key challenge is to filter out the signal from the noise and make sense of the data that is being accumulated every second in this digital era. The discipline of data science is a blend of statistical and computational tools, algorithms and machine learning principles with an aim to uncover hidden and relevant patterns in raw data, which are then used to drive informed and better decisions.Career of the futureData scientists can help their organisation make better decisions in several respects reducing downside risk and adding value. Data science skills are likely to give graduates an increasingly competitive edge for employment in the years ahead. Organisations across sectors are starting to change the way they use data to develop new solutions by investing, not only in data science talent, but also in people who can build big data infrastructure, data curators, data translators and subject matter experts. With data science becoming an imperative area of work for almost any organisation, in any sector, and of any scale, it is a very exciting time to study and master the discipline.advertisementSkills needed for data scienceThe primary skill that a person will need is a quantitative mindset- an affinity with numbers and the ability to understand them to derive rational conclusions. Some specific skills that a data science aspirant should start building on at a young age include data visualisation, business intelligence, data modelling, and business analytics. As a discipline, data science cuts across domains, and is at the intersection of mathematics, computing, statistics and knowledge of the domain of application. One might be a lawyer, a marketer, a healthcare professional, or a public policy expert, but valuation in their respective industries will increase manifold if one applies knowledge of data science to drive better decision making.Job openings after data scienceThe number of jobs in data science and related fields is expected to explode in the coming years. By 2020, an estimate of about 2.7 million positions will be on the market, while the size of the analytics, data science and big data industry in India is expected to grow seven-fold and reach about 20 million by 2025. There are a number of opportunities as data scientists, data analysts, data architects, statisticians or business analysts across industries including e-commerce, healthcare, financial services, sports, journalism and public policy. GlaxoSmithKline, for instance, is using data science to improve their success rates and help bring medicines to patients. At the same time, Amazon (and almost every other e-retailer) is employing data scientists by the dozen to understand consumer behaviour trends and improve the shopping experience. This also makes data science the most useful skill for anyone in a managerial position in a corporate sector firm.Inclusion in higher educationA lot of higher education institutions and e-learning platforms have launched degree, diploma and certificate courses in data science and business analytics. However, most of these programmes focus on imparting technical knowhow of software such as tableau and stata. What the majority of courses lack in their curricula is the application of this knowledge in solving real-time problems. A professional who only knows how to crunch numbers without knowing how to apply those inferences in terms of decision making will remain a pure technician, severely limiting growth prospects even within the realm of data science. The ideal course will, therefore, equip students with the technical know-how as well as guide them to draw better insights to improve decision making for businesses.In India, while engineering institutes such as Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) have launched executive programmes in data science, social science and management schools have also begun to add data science to their portfolio of offerings, examples being Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, and Indian School of Business and Finance (ISBF), Delhi. The inclusion of data science in these social science programmes means that students receive training in not just the quantitative, statistical and programming aspects, but also understand the application of data science to become better decision makers. Internationally, one of the most exciting places to study data science would be LSE (London School of Economics), UK, which now offers an M Sc data science programme. Across the Atlantic, some prominent institutions offering these programmes include Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University and Georgia Institute of Technology.advertisement(By James Abdey and Chiraag Mehta) JAMES ABDEY: Associate Academic Director of the University of London programmes at the London School of Economics (LSE), UK. CHIRAAG MEHTA: Associate Director, Indian School of Business and Finance (ISBF), Delhi
You saw all 39 of the Weeden2Blackmon TDs yesterday in the bullets, but here’s a little additional information on how those break down by yardage, where they were caught on the field, how many 81 ran in and how many he caught in the endzone, and how many times they went to the fade. Hope you enjoy!Here’s a look at this infographic enlarged on Flickr if you’re having trouble seeing it on here.
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Photo Attribution: USATSIBOX SCORENot quite as satisfying as the 2011 thriller in Boone Pickens Stadium against K-State, was it?Let’s jump right into the 10 thoughts…1. First, a win is a win is a win[1. Unless it’s Bedlam, then it’s something bigger, usually.] but that wasn’t exactly the answer OSU fans wanted to the question “wait, is this team even close to as bad as it played at West Virginia?” The answer, apparently, is yes.Kansas State turned it over five times (to your one) and had 12 penalties (to your one) and played the majority of the game without, by far, its best player and, finally, played a quarterback who had four passing attempts on the season and you beat that team by four points.Is that something you’re excited about?Because I am not.2. I tweeted before JW’s game-winning drive that Gundy should go with Chelf for that drive.[1. Which, maybe I need to go back to hate-tweeting Walsh more often? He seems to play better like that.] OSU had zero first downs in the second half (through 24 minutes) and Walsh had looked just putrid throughout.So naturally he rolled out there and went 75 yards in six plays and tossed the game-winner. I still think Gundy should have gone with Chelf there — the end result of a decision is not a good determinant of whether or not that decision was the right one — just because of how bad Walsh had looked for most of the second half.I still think Walsh should be the starter but that leash is getting short, in my mind, not so much in Gundy’s.3. Three other notes on Walsh: his receivers give him zero help. The ball to Stewart in the first half was the best ball I’ve ever seen him throw (it could pretty easily be the best ball he’s ever thrown in his life) and Stewart just made a mess of it.On the flip side of that, I’ve never seen a QB at OSU consistently throw behind his targets like Walsh does. This, to me, is more disconcerting than his arm strength. He threw multiple balls today that could have easily been tipped and picked and one on the goal line that hid one of Kansas State’s defenders in the throat.Also, if you don’t think teams are stacking the box on Walsh, go back and watch his third-down run right before OSU kicked the field goal to go up 34-31. There’s just zero respect for Walsh beating teams with his arm and that handcuffs Yurcich’s ability to call plays in a big way.4. The worst part about these last two games is not how poorly OSU has played. The worst part is how poorly West Virginia and Kansas State — two of the five worst teams in the Big 12 (I think?) — have played and nearly defeated OSU twice. That should worry a team that has TCU, Texas, Tech, OU, and Baylor coming up.5. Leaving Chelf in at the goal line today was interesting. Walsh had to come out for a play because his helmet popped off but Gundy left #10 out there for an extra play and let him throw it into the endzone. It was almost like Gundy wanted him to throw a strike TD and Wally Pipp Walsh.My question is “what if he had thrown a TD?” Do you leave him out there for the next drive? Pull an Eddie Sutton and leave him out there until he makes one mistake (or perceived mistake)? Tell both of them to go to the locker room and just let Daxx go deep to Stewart over and over again until the game’s over? I really wish Chelf would have tossed one for six because there would have been a lot of questions afterwards.6. Gundy said this after the game:Gundy: “Two really good teams, a lot of fun to watch.” Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…….— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) October 5, 2013Gonna probably disagree on that one, coach. Maybe two really average (maybe bad?) teams and it was sort of mandatory to watch. But fun? No.7. With your season on the line with a four-point lead at home against a team that lost to a FCS team earlier this season, is this how you want your second-half drive chart to look?
8. Good comp for this game? How about the 2009 Mizzou game at home? OSU put up 351 yards of offense but picked Sunshine Gabbert three times (including a pick six). Zac threw one TD and Dan Bailey had four FGs. OSU scored 33 points. Today: Walsh had one passing TD, Grogan had four FGs, and OSU intercepted Sams three times and scored 33 points. Eerie. And that game for OSU (they were ranked No. 16 at the time) wasn’t exactly a harbinger of future success. Went 4-3 the rest of the way.9. Then there’s this… We like to make fun of the Horns’ struggles but they beat K-State by 10— Matt Amilian (@mattamilian) October 6, 201310. The bottom line is that this is not a very good team — probably an average one, maybe above average at best. It’s going to have to win, like it did today, with a great defense (seriously, a really, really good defense), multiple turnovers, and good special teams. That’s a bizarre thought as an OSU fan but it’s true. OSU’s ceiling continues to close in. Winning the Big 12 title, eight days ago they were the favorite, looks about 2,000 Brandon Weeden deep balls away right now. And if they continue to play like this offensively, they’ll be fighting to just somehow sneak into the Alamo Bowl.OSU is 4-1 and will likely rise in the polls next week (LOL) but if you think this is anywhere close to a good team, you would, unfortunately for us all, be wildly incorrect.If you’re looking for the comments section, it has moved to our forum, The Chamber. You can go there to comment and holler about these articles, specifically in these threads. You can register for a free account right here and will need one to comment.If you’re wondering why we decided to do this, we wrote about that here. Thank you and cheers!
The Big 12 title odds are out — well, the offshore ones anyway — and I’m just sitting here scratching my head looking at them. Let’s roll through them from the top.OU: 2-5So you win one game against Alabama and you become the 2-5 favorite to win the Big 12 the next season? I mean, they were a thicker pinkie finger from Justin Gilbert from playing in the Alamo Bowl! I don’t mind them being the favorite, but 2-5 is ridiculous.Baylor: 2.5-1This is what OU should be. Baylor is going to be a tough out next year. I’ll never take another Art Briles team lightly again. He’s too Josh Holliday-like. I don’t think they’ll win it just because of how much luck you need to go back-to-back, but 5-1 is more than fair.Texas: 5-1Lol.Oklahoma State: 6.5-1More bad value. I just don’t see it happening. I’m not as down on OSU as some folks but I don’t think this is a Big 12 title-winning team, either. A top four finish in the conference would be a great season, I think.Kansas State: 8-1I sort of like this bet at 8-1. While we’re here, how little does Bill Snyder care about preseason offshore odds to win the Big 12? More or less than Kendrick Perkins cares about his offensive game?TCU: 10-1Not bad. Are they going to have an offense?Texas Tech: 25-1Okay, now we’re talking about some value. They get Texas and OU at home and don’t have to play at Baylor. OSU and KSU are their toughest true road games and Kingsbury Year 2 should be just as fun as Year 1. They won’t win it (I don’t think) but at least you’re getting some run on your dough.Iowa State: 100-1West Virginia: 100-1I actually don’t hate either of these at 100-1. At least both squads will be competitive, unlike…..Kansas: 125-1Did they miss a zero?Photo Attribution: USATSIIf you’re looking for the comments section, it has moved to our forum, The Chamber. You can go there to comment and holler about these articles, specifically in these threads. You can register for a free account right here and will need one to comment.If you’re wondering why we decided to do this, we wrote about that here. Thank you and cheers!
It’s Bedlam and the Sooners are in the lead!! #ClashofOkies #Bedlam #BoomerSooner #Big12 pic.twitter.com/2HxoftcBKC— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) November 29, 2015 Somewhere, Ray Finkle disapproves. #LacesOut pic.twitter.com/e3KFVFbfdA— CBS Sports CFB (@CBSSportsCFB) November 29, 2015 When you’re getting blown out by OU… pic.twitter.com/ReJjtAfZQb— McKenna Terrell (@mckennaterrell) November 29, 2015 OU paying respect to the OSU homecoming families with this helmet decal. pic.twitter.com/3Unz1DeWRY— Anthony West (@antdwest) November 29, 2015 If you’re looking for the comments section, it has moved to our forum, The Chamber. You can go there to comment and holler about these articles, specifically in these threads. You can register for a free account right here and will need one to comment.If you’re wondering why we decided to do this, we wrote about that here. Thank you and cheers! Yo Heather, ask Gundy if he’s worried about his hair gel freezing in these frigid conditions. Could impact game.— Travis Haney (@travhaney) November 29, 2015
Oklahoma State current status pic.twitter.com/YBIvpiUiUw— Pete Scantlebury (@PeteScantlebury) November 29, 2015 5-wide with J.W. Walsh at QB. Things I did not expect.— Carson Cunningham (@KOCOCarson) November 29, 2015 Oklahoma State fell short of victory on Saturday night, but social media was still alive and entertaining most of the night. Here’s a look at the best of social media from the evening:https://twitter.com/barstooltweets/status/670783347820535809Suit game on point. #okstate pic.twitter.com/fGLePQUqNe— Oklahoma State (@OSUAthletics) November 29, 2015 Ou is attempting to set Guinness Book of World Record for fight song played in a single game. #Bedlam— Brayden Stringer (@BraydenStringer) November 29, 2015
Juventus Higuain challenged by Juventus boss Allegri following Argentina snub Matt Dorman Last updated 2 years ago 06:51 17/9/2017 FacebookTwitterRedditcopy Comments(0) 
Getty Images Juventus Sassuolo v Juventus Sassuolo Serie A The experienced striker should view his omission from the international fold as motivation to improve, according to his manager at club level Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has urged Gonzalo Higuain to prove a point to Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli by rediscovering top form at club level.The 68-time international was left out of the Albiceleste’s squad for next month’s final round of World Cup qualifiers despite the uncertainty surrounding their qualification chances.Sassuolo 6/1 to beat Juventus Article continues below Editors’ Picks ‘I’m getting better’ – Can Man Utd flop Fred save his Old Trafford career? Why Barcelona god Messi will never be worshipped in the same way in Argentina Lyon treble & England heartbreak: The full story behind Lucy Bronze’s dramatic 2019 Liverpool v Man City is now the league’s biggest rivalry and the bitterness is growing Higuain, who has netted twice in three Serie A matches this term, came in for criticism from Allegri for letting “his head drop” in the midweek Champions League loss at Barcelona.And the Bianconeri boss wants his star striker to prove his mettle against Sassuolo on Sunday.”He needs to be calm and play the way he knows how,” Allegri said at his pre-match press conference.”Not being called up by Argentina is a strong incentive for him to repeat last season’s performances and to improve, like all of us.”He played a very good first half at Camp Nou and I am expecting a great game from him [on Sunday].”RT if you can’t wait for the weekend’s action #SassuoloJuve #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/XneLqwVB8H— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) September 15, 2017Higuain will be joined in attack by compatriot Paulo Dybala, who is set to play his 100th match for the club at the Citta del Tricolore.Allegri also confirmed rugged defender Giorgio Chiellini will return from an ankle injury as Juve look to continue their perfect start to the league season.