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Leeds United are interested in a move for an “outstanding” £35m player in the summer transfer window, according to a transfer update.

Farke in need of attacking signings for Leeds

The start of the new Premier League season is now less than two weeks away, with the Whites preparing for their return to the top flight after two years away.

Daniel Farke will be pleased with some of Leeds’ summer transfer business, not least midfield additions such as Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff, but he will also know that further attacking signings are important, stressing as much over the weekend.

Everton striker Beto has been linked with a move to Leeds this summer, with the Blues seemingly happy to move him on after completing the signing of Thierno Barry from Villarreal earlier in the window.

Meanwhile, Fulham ace Rodrigo Muniz has also been backed to come in at Elland Read, in what would be a statement of intent signing by the Whites.

He scored eight goals in as many starts in the Premier League last season, including finding the net in a win over eventual champions Liverpool.

Leeds keen on "outstanding" £35m Sara

Now, according to a new report from Caught Offside, Leeds and 49ers Enterprises are one of six clubs who are eyeing Gabriel Sara from Galatasaray this summer.

The £35m-rated midfielder is also being eyed up by the likes of Aston Villa, Manchester City, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Wolves, with the former thought to be the “most advanced” in their efforts to snap him up.

Sara is a top-quality footballer who could be perfect for Leeds, not least because he is capable of taking up both defensive and attacking midfield roles, showcasing his versatility.

The 26-year-old Galatasaray ace has experience of English football already, having played for Norwich City in the past, being praise by David Wagner during their time working together.

“He is an outstanding player. Not only for us but in this division – no one has a doubt about this. It’s crystal clear. All the goals, (barring) the penalty which was lucky, were top class.”

Sara has never beaten Leeds in his career, failing to achieve victory in four attempts, and he was part of the Norwich team that got thumped 4-0 at Elland Road in the Championship playoffs back in 2023/24.

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That’s not to say that he couldn’t be brilliant for the Whites, however, adding so much quality in the middle of the park and providing stiff competition for Stach, Longstaff and others.

Chelsea are continuing their serious progress when it comes to selling players this summer, with talks ongoing to offload another star with Lesley Ugochukwu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka.

"Brave" Chelsea player who Maresca loves now "wants to leave" this summer

The Blues could lose one of their best prospects.

ByTom Cunningham Aug 4, 2025

In the last 72 hours, Enzo Maresca’s side have raised around £65 million in outgoings, starting with Armando Broja, who’s completed a move to Burnley (Fabrizio Romano).

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

Since then, Kieran Dewsbury-Hall has agreed a switch to Premier League rivals Everton and Ugochukwu has agreed to follow Broja to Turf Moor. Once all of those deals are announced, the club are expected to raise their total transfer income to far north of £200 million.

As things stand, Chelsea are around £58 million away from completely balancing their books, which is imperative considering their pact with UEFA.

Their seismic financial windfalls from winning the Club World Cup and qualifying for the Champions League next season have already put Chelsea in solid financial stead when it comes to PSR, but it is an entirely different case when it comes to FFP.

The Blues were fined for breaching FFP rules last month and must produce a ‘positive transfer balance’ if they want to register new signings for the Champions League next season, which explains their impressive hustle in agreeing a host of exit deals recently.

Amid Chelsea’s talks to sign both RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons and Man United’s Alejandro Garnacho, the need to make sales won’t stop here.

Borussia Dortmund are in talks to sign Carney Chukwuemeka again, so there could be yet another opportunity for Chelsea to seal another quick-fire exit this week.

Alongside the aforementioned quartet who have played their last games in Chelsea blue, £195,000-per-week attacker Christopher Nkunku can still leave Stamford Bridge before deadline day.

Chelsea in talks to sell Christopher Nkunku

That is according to Fabrizio Romano, who says Chelsea are in ongoing talks over selling Nkunku after a mixed campaign.

The Frenchman still managed to rack up 15 goals in all competitions, despite not being a key player under Maresca last season, and there is a belief that United are still targeting Nkunku among other interested sides.

Called a “top player” by ex-teammate João Félix, Chelsea have apparently been forced to reduce their asking price for the ex-Leipzig sensation too, so clubs will certainly be tempted to bite the bullet.

Arsenal hold a concrete interest in an “unbelievable” Cristhian Mosquera alternative, and they have now made an approach over a potential deal, according to reporter Sami Mokbel.

Gunners identify Mosquera as main centre-back target

Mikel Arteta is blessed with having a top-quality centre-back duo at his disposal, with Jamie Carragher heaping praise upon William Saliba and Gabriel last season, suggesting the defenders complement each other.

Speaking about Saliba, the Sky Sports pundit said: “I think he is one of the top centre-backs in European football. As a partnership, him and Gabriel is as good as anything in the Premier League.

“I think Saliba is the better player but Gabriel is the better leader, and Saliba needs to bring that to his game if he wants to get to the levels we talk about with Virgil van Dijk.”

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However, with Gabriel absent through injury during the back end of the campaign, Arteta was left a little short on options, with Jakub Kiwior filling in, suggesting it could be savvy to bring in additional strength in depth at centre-back this summer.

Mosquera has emerged as Arteta’s main target to come in as a back-up option for Gabriel and Saliba, with the Gunners expected to make a bid for the 21-year-old, however, they have now made a move for an alternative option.

That is according to Mokbel, in a report for BBC Sport, with the reporter stating Arsenal have now made an approach to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, who is expected to be available for a fee in the region of £40m this summer.

The north Londoners hold a concrete interest in Guehi, having made an initial enquiry, but their interest may have cooled, having now turned their attentions to Mosquera.

Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United also retain an interest in the Palace captain, so it could be difficult to get a deal over the line, should the Gunners decide to launch a move.

Guehi could be better-suited to Arsenal than Mosquera

It remains to be seen whether the England international would be keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium, given that it would be difficult to force his way into the starting XI, but there are signs he could be a more suitable addition to the squad than Mosquera.

Crucially, the Palace star already has experience in the Premier League, having been a key player for the Eagles for a number of years, while he has also outperformed the Valencia defender across some key defensive metrics over the past year.

Average per 90

Cristhian Mosquera

Marc Guehi

Tackles

1.52

1.79

Blocks

1.0

1.62

Clearances

3.47

4.80

Aerials won

1.11

2.0

Lauded as “unbelievable” by members of the media, Guehi could be a fantastic signing for Arsenal, but a move for an established centre-back could cause unrest if it means Gabriel or Saliba receive less game time.

The battle for supremacy in Group C of the T20 World Cup heats up

Sreshth Shah07-Jun-20241:03

Is Kane Williamson’s lack of match practice a worry for NZ?

Match detailsNew Zealand vs Afghanistan
June 7, Providence, 7:30pm localBig picture: NZ face a tricky startSince 2015, no team has been more successful in making it to the knockout stages of a World Cup than New Zealand. They’ve made the semi-finals in each of the six white-ball events since – including three finals – and yet, the trophy cabinet is empty. But if they don’t hit the ground running right away in a group that also includes co-hosts West Indies, their current campaign could very well end early.They take the field for the first time on Friday and a challenge awaits them straightaway. Guyana has been the most spinner-friendly venue of T20 World Cup 2024 and Afghanistan are arguably the strongest spin-bowling outfit in the world. When you take into account New Zealand’s less-than-ideal prep with no official warm-up games played, one wonders if they will turn up undercooked against a unit that has Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi and potentially Noor Ahmad.However, one of the reasons why New Zealand did not play a warm-up was because many of them were at the IPL, and those franchise regulars like Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult could make a difference. They are also boosted by the return of Finn Allen and Devon Conway from injury, and their various right-left batting options gives them various batting strategies.New Zealand have a few spin weapons of their own too. The West Indies is Santner’s favourite place to bowl in, where he averages 16.83 with an economy of 5.50 in T20s. Across the last two T20 World Cups, no bowler has had a higher average release point (2.27m) than Santner. This uniqueness and his ability to vary his release speed and angle will keep all teams on their toes this World Cup.The left-arm spin of Ravindra and the offspin of Phillips gives them flexibility, allowing them to field a strong side without Ish Sodhi in the XI. Factor in the swing of Boult, the pace of Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson, and a string of other seam options, and New Zealand are still very much a threat. For Afghanistan’s batting, that remains the biggest challenge on Friday. They’ll look at the settled opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to put up a strong platform in pursuit of a second win in two games.Form guideNew Zealand LWWLL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Afghanistan WWWLWIn the spotlight – Williamson, Conway and FarooqiKane Williamson and Devon Conway are two of New Zealand’s top-three batters with next-to-zero game time recently. Conway missed the IPL with a finger injury that needed surgery while Williamson got only two games for Gujarat Titans. Neither have played a T20I game since January, but their experience is irreplaceable, especially if conditions are once again tricky for batting. Conway is proficient in scoring against all kinds of spin, however, Williamson could get bogged down by those who turn their stock ball away him, striking at only 106 since the T20 World Cup 2022.1:37

McClenaghan floored by Afghanistan bowling attack

Fazalhaq Farooqi showed against Uganda in Afghanistan’s first game that it’s not all about spinners in their team. In Providence, where this game will be played as well, he found significant deviation off the pitch and swung the ball nearly 2.5 degrees in the powerplay, more than twice that of the other bowlers. His 5 for 9 against Uganda was the fourth-best bowling figures in T20 World Cups, and Afghanistan will look for breakthroughs from him early so that the spinners could apply the squeeze sooner.Related

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Team news: NZ assessing combinationsThere are no injury concerns on either side. Afghanistan are likely to field the same XI while New Zealand will be considering their spin vs seam balance. Their resources are plenty: even if they keep out Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Tim Southee and Sodhi, they still have eight bowling and eight batting options.New Zealand (probable): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Finn Allen (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Mark Chapman/Rachin Ravindra, 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 James Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Lockie FergusonAfghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Najibullah Zadran, 4 Mohammad Nabi, 5 Gulbadin Naib, 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Karim Janat, 9 Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi.Pitch and conditions: Spin and rain on the radarThe pitch in Guyana has been sluggish, making chasing the preferred way to go. Since 2022, teams chasing have won 19 of the 27 games and two of the three games in this World Cup. The average first-innings winning score is around 184, however, chances of a shortened game are high with some rain forecast through the evening in Providence.Stats that matter Spinners have an economy of 5.28 in Guyana at this World Cup and have taken 17 wickets, averaging 17.82 apiece. No other venue has seen more than seven wickets to spinners. Boult has only three T20I wickets in 13 innings across 26 powerplay overs since 2022, averaging a surprising 67.33 in the phase. In matches between Full Members since the last T20 World Cup, Afghanistan’s spinners have the best average (19.45) and economy (6.72).Quotes”I think we saw in the 50-over World Cup we’re able to compete with any side in the world. And that’s our philosophy here. So, every game that we play, we expect to put ourselves in a winning position. Or fight to win every single game. So tomorrow that’s no different.”
“We’ve been predominantly training in the day and there are some large differences between day and night in terms of conditions. But from the couple of matches that have been played, it looks like a reasonable wicket, a good wicket, a fair wicket at the same time. Bit there for the bowlers but equally decent for the batters.”

Arsenal need a striker this summer but with Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko in Andrea Berta’s crosshairs, he’s also directing attention towards signing a new winger.

Real Madrid’s Rodrygo has been a name regularly linked with an Emirates Stadium switch this summer but whether that move happens remains to be seen.

One deal that is certainly unlikely to happen this summer is Nico Williams, with the Spaniard now reportedly closing in on his dream Barcelona move.

Why Arsenal will need a Nico Williams alternative

After a sublime campaign at Euro 2024 last summer, Williams has been the talk of the town with his club, Athletic Bilbao, even heralding him as “one of the best wingers in the world”.

That is certainly the case and it explains why Arsenal have found negotiating a deal difficult.

Last winter, it was reported that Arteta was dreaming of signing the Spain international but at no point has a deal ever looked close.

Indeed, despite fresh interest this summer, it looks though the attacker is heading to Barcelona.

The latest was provided by the Athletic’s David Ornstein on Tuesday morning who claims that both the Gunners and Chelsea have ‘cooled’ their interest in the 22-year-old as ‘Barcelona step up pursuit & Bayern Munich consider move.’

Barca want to do a deal and have already made a contract offer to the young winger.

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So, with that move off the table, where will Arsenal’s attention turn next? Perhaps Anthony Gordon?

According to a report from the Athletic, Arteta and Co have had three names in particular on their shortlist to improve their ranks in the wide positions.

Williams was one of them, Rodrygo is the other and the final name is Newcastle United’s Gordon.

Arsenal are known to be long-term fans of the England international, with this report noting that he is ‘of interest’ to the north Londoners and that they are keen ‘admirers’ of his qualities.

Why Gordon could be even better than Nico Williams

You don’t attract the interest of Barca without being a mighty fine player and in Williams, you have Spain’s next hope alongside Lamine Yamal on the opposite flank.

Williams certainly isn’t as exciting as Yamal but he’s still one of the most promising young forwards on the European scene.

However, his numbers haven’t actually been too impressive in recent seasons. During 2023/24, the Bilbao star scored just eight times in all competitions. Impressively, he did register as many as 18 assists.

This season, he scored 11 goals while registering seven assists in 45 games with only five of those goals coming in LaLiga action.

In comparison, Gordon’s numbers aren’t otherworldly but they are on par and he’s already been producing it in the Premier League.

The 24-year-old scored nine times and posted seven assists in 42 outings during 2024/25, which wasn’t quite as impressive as his return the campaign prior. In what was the best season of his career, the former Everton man scored 12 and assisted 16 goals.

So, over the last two years, there isn’t a huge amount to separate them, but what do the other numbers say?

Goals

0.29

0.21

Assists

0.21

0.34

Shots

2.31

2.33

Key passes

1.82

1.84

Progressive passes

3.36

2.85

Successful take-ons

1.55

3.26

Progressive carries

4.38

5.52

Well, again there isn’t much to separate them. Williams is more carry-heavy, but if Arsenal are looking for goals, and they are, the “unbelievable” Gordon – in the words of teammate Bruno Guimaraes – is the better option.

Over the last few seasons, Arsenal have simply been too reliant on Bukayo Saka on the right flank to come up with the goods. In 2023/24, he was the club’s top scorer with 20 goals and this season, he was right up there again despite missing half of the campaign with a hamstring injury.

He ended the campaign on 12 goals, just three behind leading marksman Kai Havertz. As for Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, they suffered from long periods of inconsistency throughout the campaign.

The latter scored ten in 56, once every 5.6 games, while the former scored ten in 51, once every 5.1 outings. As for Gordon, he scored once every four matches two seasons ago and once every 4.6 appearances in 2024/25.

So, with Arteta clearly on the lookout for goals, Gordon could just be the man they need this summer. It’s just a pity he boasts an asking price of around £100m. That certainly makes it less likely to happen.

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Liverpool are in the market for savvy additions this summer and club officials have come back impressed from a recent scouting trip involving a defender in Europe’s top-five leagues.

Liverpool step up their hunt for reinforcements

The Reds are marching towards the summer window safe in the knowledge that they will be one of the finest Premier League destinations for potential recruits following a successful league campaign. Arne Slot arrived with a vision and delivered with flying colours, which is a theme the Dutchman will be keen to follow up on once the transfer window opens for business.

Mapping out a summer that could see mass changes engulf his squad, Liverpool have lined up Real Madrid sensation Rodrygo as an ambitious venture despite his steep £85 million valuation. On the same token, the Merseyside giants have submitted an enquiry to Monaco involving defender Vanderson amid Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure on a free transfer.

Earning a controversial reception against Arsenal after coming off the bench, the Three Lions international’s successor will have considerable pressure on their shoulders to take on the creative void needing filled once the 26-year-old moves to Real Madrid.

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Truthfully, it will probably take several additions and a tactical rethink to solve the intriguing conundrum, but Slot has already shown his adaptability over the course of the season.

Before anything else, the Dutchman will value flexibility and depth in his mission to dominate English football. Alterations are a necesarry evil of progression, though adequate cover will be needed to replace any outgoing figures.

Now, Liverpool are lining up a swoop for an impressive defender who could be available on a cut-price deal, according to reports.

Liverpool impressed after Jhon Lucumi scouting mission

According to TBR, Liverpool officials have scouted Bologna defender Jhon Lucumi and his intermediaries have been in contact with several clubs to inform them of his situation heading into the summer window. Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Crystal Palace and Leeds United have also watched the 28-cap Colombia centre-back in action as his contract runs into its final 12 months in Italy.

Jhon Lucumi’s statistics in 2024/25 – all competitions

Appearances

41

Goals

1

Assists

1

Juventus and Inter Milan have joined the hunt for his signature, though Liverpool have identified the 26-year-old as an ideal candidate to strengthen their defensive ranks after another solid term at Bologna. Labelled a “phenomenon” by Vincenzo Italiano, Lucumi has been a dominant presence in the Italian top-flight this campaign, winning an average of 3.8 duels per match.

Expectedly, Bologna don’t want to lose one of their star assets on a free transfer next summer, hence why they would be open to a sale in the correct circumstances. Heeding that, Liverpool could now move to complete a bargain transfer to kickstart a trail of exciting recruitment under Slot’s stewardship.

Tottenham Hotspur are still very much in their Europa League quarter-final tie with Eintracht Frankfurt, drawing the first leg 1-1.

It sets up the second leg next week in Germany nicely indeed. A win for Ange Postecoglou’s men and they will reach their first European semi since 2019.

One important thing for the manager is he can rest some players this weekend ahead of the game. Spurs have nothing to aim for domestically, which means a few changes will be made for their visit to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon.

Several first-team stars could be rested and Heung-min Son should be one who is given a breather after his display in midweek.

How Heung-min Son performed against Eintracht Frankfurt

The South Korean dynamo was deployed on the left wing against the Bundesliga side, but he didn’t quite have his finest game of the season.

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He made two key passes, had two shots on goal, delivered three crosses and completed 86% of his passes during his spell on the pitch.

Journalist Alasdair Gold of football.london gave the player a match rating of just 5/10 for his display and perhaps a rest this weekend will do him the world of good ahead of the second leg.

The question is, who comes in for the former Bayer Leverkusen star against the Old Gold today? As Postecoglou looks set to shuffle his pack.

Could this see a January signing come back into the starting XI for just the fifth time in the Premier League since he arrived at the club?

How Spurs can replace Son vs Wolves

Mathys Tel joined the North Londoners on a six-month loan deal during the winter transfer window, notching two goals in ten games for the club so far.

The youngster was hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson in 2023, who described him as a “deadly finisher with the leadership/personality to deliver in big moments”, having scored ten times in 2023/24 for Bayern Munich.

He hasn’t quite lived up to this ‘deadly’ moniker this term, but he does offer plenty of qualities that could come in handy against Wolves.

Goals

1

Assists

0

Big chances created

0

Shots per game

1.8

Key passes per game

0.5

Total duels won per game

1.5

Indeed, when compared to his positional peers across Europe’s big five leagues over the previous 365 days, Tel ranks in the top 8% for progressive carries (2.87) and in the top 6% for successful take-ons (1.79) per 90, proving he can be a big influence in the final third.

Bringing him into the starting XI could give him a chance to follow up on the goal he scored against Southampton last week in the Premier League, that’s for sure.

Resting the important players ahead of the second leg will be crucial for the manager. In Tel, he has someone ready to step in when required and is more than capable of performing well.

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She wasn’t Bangladesh’s only match-winner, but Marufa’s hooping deliveries set the tone for victory

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Oct-2025Imagine having taken almost 18% of the pace-bowling ODI wickets your country has ever got, all by yourself. Imagine having done all that in less than four years in internationals, before you turn 21. Then imagine that, in your first ever World Cup match, your captain throws you the new ball to set the team’s campaign into motion, and in that tone-setting over, you bowl spectacular deliveries back-to-back to dismiss two batters, one of whom is the opposition’s best.Welcome to the life of Marufa Akter. If you are new here (many of us are), there are two internet pages worthy of your consideration. If you are a numbers person, try this link and note her figures in Asia, in particular. If you’re more of a visual learner (and even if you’re not, this one will still electrify you), try this clip of her taking her wickets.Note that she is not merely “swinging” these deliveries. Marufa is them. Sending them around a corner, like a stock car on slick tyres, drifting around a bend. Like a planet falling into orbit having shot too close to a star.Related

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Colombo’s humid conditions are generally good for new-ball swing, and great inswing bowlers have operated here before. But the last time this Khettarama Stadium saw a right-arm bowler send such unplayable bananas down the track, Nuwan Kulasekara was the architect. But Kulasekara played 20 ODIs at this venue. Marufa was doing it in her first ever ODI in the country.”I know my balls swing more, more, more,” Marufa said in English, which is a distant second language for her, roughly six hours after her opening spell. And still “more, more, more” catches the spirit of the amount of swing she was getting. She went on, in English, to try and explain what her last thoughts before she went to bed were: “Always, I’ve been thinking, how to do well in the first match, and be the matchwinner.”Others would take up the mantle and drive home the advantage that Marufa won. Shorna Akter, the only bowler to turn the ball significantly in this match, took three wickets for five runs. Nahida Akter also took two wickets, but for 19 runs, when Marufa gave away 31. There was no doubt as to who had set the tone for this Bangladesh win, however. Those two hooping inswingers should now become articles of excellence in the World Cup lore.Right-arm bowlers bowling inswing to right-arm batters is understood to be one of the oldest hustles in this sport. Many right-armers anyway generate inswing to right-handers, who are taught by coaches from childhood upwards never to keep a gap in between bat an pad.But the best inswing bowlers, like Marufa against Pakistan, upset this paradigm. The best inswing bowlers that gap between bat and pad, starting wide of the stumps, swinging from the hand, but then continuing to swing at increasingly sharp angles.The Marufa ball to Omaima Sohail may perhaps be a life highlight – the cricket ball swerving dramatically past all hard objects until the top of leg stump is found. The next ball was perhaps less impressive, but had more impact. Marufa started this inswinger waaay outside off. Having seen her team-mate’s stumps rattled, Sidra Amin – Pakistan’s best batter this year – maybe felt the need to play. She was good enough to get an inside edge to a ball that was swinging prodigiously; unfortunately for her, it richocheted into her leg stump.After the match, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said that Marufa’s early wickets had suggested that seamers would thrive on this pitch. But Pakistan’s quicks couldn’t quite find the same impact.’We really enjoyed bowling with the new ball as the ball was seaming around,” Sana said. “Danny [Diana Baig] also felt the same. So we were trying to take early wickets but unfortunately we could take only one wicket each. We saw Marufa bowled well, so we knew there would be help for pacers.”How Marufa develops remains to be seen, but at age 20 she is already making matchwinning contributions. And in her first over at a big one-day tournament, she bowled two deliveries this World Cup could be remembered by.

With a side full of young batters, the responsibility on Rohit was more than usual. He did not disappoint

Karthik Krishnaswamy11-Mar-20242:35

How significant is this series win for India?

The World Test Championship final last year was Rohit Sharma’s 50th Test match. He was the fifth-most experienced member of India’s top seven in that game.The Dharamsala Test that ended on Saturday was Rohit’s 59th Test, and India’s top seven had undergone so much of a churn over those nine Tests that he was now its second-most experienced member. It included three players who hadn’t played Test cricket before this series, and one who came in with just four previous caps.For India, from a batting perspective, this series was all about the new and new-ish faces. Yashasvi Jaiswal became the first India batter since Sunil Gavaskar to score more than 700 runs in a series. Shubman Gill came of age. Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Devdutt Padikkal made brilliant first impressions. Even the one debutant who didn’t quite come off, Rajat Patidar, went through a run of luck wretched enough to be worth writing about.With all that youthful energy around him, and with his harnessing of that energy as captain taking up its share of oxygen, it was inevitable that Rohit’s batting would fly under the radar. But the series is done now, giving us space to reflect on his 400 runs – fourth in the series aggregates behind Jaiswal, Gill and Zak Crawley – at 44.44.In a series played in mostly batting-friendly conditions, that average doesn’t demand your attention. But, notably, he went at a strike rate of 64.20 – behind only Jaiswal and Sarfaraz among India’s batters – and at 70.00 in the first ten overs of his innings. That’s not as quick as Ben Duckett (81.10) in that phase, but quicker than both Crawley (68.72) and Jaiswal (63.09).It wasn’t the all-out aggression Rohit had adopted in the first powerplay during last year’s ODI World Cup, but it wasn’t too far from being its red-ball equivalent.Rohit Sharma hits a six•Getty ImagesIt said something about the situations India were in, and Rohit’s instincts in those situations. Go back to India’s failed chase of 231 in Hyderabad. There were times during that fourth innings when India’s batters seemed to retreat into their shells, making little apparent effort to disturb the England spinners’ lengths. According to ESPNcricinfo’s data – – India’s batters scored 28 runs off 172 good-length balls from the spinners during that chase, as against England’s 175 off 306 in the third innings.England’s batters, led by Ollie Pope, had used the sweep and reverse-sweep frequently against good-length balls. Most of India’s batters failed to come up with an equivalent response. The exception was Rohit, whose 58-ball 39 featured frequent forays down the pitch, sweeps, and back-to-back reverse-swept fours off Jack Leach.This was Rohit’s way right through the series. His response to India being 33 for 3 on the first morning in Rajkot was, likewise, to counterattack – on this occasion, luck was on his side and an edged slog off Tom Hartley, when he was on 27, was spilled by Joe Root at slip. He raced to his half-century in 71 balls and eventually made 131 off 196.Related

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India and Australia are still the top dogs in Test cricket

Bowlers win Test matches – the old truth that's still true in cricket's brave new world

India extend lead at No. 1 in the World Test Championship, Australia move up to second

Inventive India learn their lessons quickly to out-Bazball England

Dharamsala was perhaps the one time in this series when a long Rohit innings coincided with India establishing and extending a dominant position. It was, in some ways, his most straightforward innings, an outcome of spending time in good batting conditions and taking toll of an attack that wasn’t particularly challenging. It allowed India fans to sit back and enjoy his batting without worrying about the match situation or conditions. You simply let the Rohit shots – and those from Gill at the other end – wash over you, particularly the ones he hit off Mark Wood: the early back-foot drive through cover point; the hooked six with fine leg, long leg and deep square leg in place; the back-away slap through mid-off when there was no one in front of square on the off side.Before that, Ranchi presented India a fourth-innings chase as tricky as the one in Hyderabad, and Rohit set it up in much the same manner, using his feet constantly to minimise the risk of lbw, in the process messing with the lengths of England’s spinners – this perhaps contributed to the slew of full-tosses they sent down. There were audacious shots against pace too, most memorably a pick-up shot for six over wide long-on off a good-length ball from James Anderson.At one point, the audacity seemed to go to an almost unprecedented extreme, when Rohit took an off-stump guard against Hartley.Right-hand batters often stand on off stump when they face offspinners or right-arm seamers bowling from over the wicket, to try and take lbw out of the equation. But it’s almost unheard of for the off-stump guard to be used against left-arm spinners operating from around the wicket, because they can straighten the ball from a stump-to-stump line. Standing on off stump forces batters to play across the line to this sort of ball, greatly increasing their risk of dismissal. And yet, here Rohit was, daring Hartley to attack his pads and stumps.3:53

Rohit mounts staunch defence of pitches in India

It seemed to have the opposite effect on Hartley, though. Bowlers have two points of reference – the stumps and the batter – and Hartley’s line appeared to shift in reaction to the batter’s position. Rather than attack the stumps, he seemed to shift his line wider, taking lbw and bowled out of the equation on a pitch with low bounce.Until he was stumped for 55, Rohit seemed to have pulled off a psychological masterclass against an inexperienced bowler. He revealed in his post-match press conference, however, that he had done no such thing. He said he hadn’t even been aware he had been batting on off stump until he went back and watched footage of his innings. It’s possible he had simply taken stance on a spot he must have marked for the offspinner Shoaib Bashir when Hartley bowled from the same end.Rohit Sharma celebrates his 12th Test century•Gareth Copley/Getty”I was not aware, honestly,” Rohit said. “I was not aware of it until I went and saw the replay on the screen that I’m batting on off stump, because there was a lot of [foot]marks there, so I didn’t want to bat on off stump.”I wanted to stay a little leg-side [of the ball] and play the left-arm spinner, but against the offie I wanted to just try and move around a little bit in the crease, middle stump, off stump, try and just get him thinking a little bit as well.”If Rohit can make the viewer think he’s pulling off a heist when he’s simply being absentminded, it’s because of the adaptability he’s shown time and again in the past. His home record is as good as it is – his average of 61.58 is the best of all batters with at least 2000 Test runs in India – because he’s found a range of methods for dealing with the various challenges home conditions can present. He trusted his defence and survived two fiery early spells from Kagiso Rabada on his way to 212 in Ranchi in 2019. He used the sweep and slog-sweep extensively when he made 161 against England in Chennai in 2021, but avoided those shots almost entirely when he made 120 against Australia last year in Nagpur.This series presented Rohit with another diverse set of challenges, at a time when he was expected to carry one of the least experienced batting line-ups India have ever named. He came through them in a manner we have come to expect, but don’t let that fool you into thinking what he did was routine.

India become the first side to lose 20 wickets in a Test match as a result of catches

Sampath Bandarupalli13-Jan-20221 Rishabh Pant’s century was the first for India in an all-out total under 200 in Test cricket. Twelve players before Pant have scored a Test hundred in an all-out innings of less than 200, but none while batting at No.6 or lower.58.82 Percentage of team runs contributed by Pant in the second innings. Only one batter made a higher contribution for India while batting at No. 6 or lower in a completed Test innings – 62.32% by Kapil Dev with his 129 against South Africa in 1992.