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Five things we learned as Manchester United's unbeaten run ends
Our Correspondent : 12 Jan. 2014
Manchester United's 11-match unbeaten run came to an end when Dusan Tadic hit a second-half winner for Southampton at Old Trafford. The defeat means the Saints overtake United in third, and there are several factors Louis van Gaal needs to assess moving forward. Angel Di Maria made a welcome return to the starting XI after a hamstring injury, but he struggled in a new role against Southampton.
The Argentine found himself in a more central attacking position alongside Robin van Persie, but he failed to have the desired impact and was eventually replaced with United searching for an equaliser.
Di Maria was full of running and chased every ball but his end product was surprisingly lacking and it might take a few weeks for the former Real Madrid man to work his way back to fitness and form. United struggled for creativity throughout the game and needed that little bit of magic to break down a resolute Southampton defense.
Di Maria has been the man to provide that in the past, with a piece of individual skill or moment of brilliance and United will need the South American back to his best as soon as possible to help get Louis van Gaal's side back on track. Wayne Rooney was inspirational for Manchester United in their 11-game unbeaten run, but he struggled against Southampton.
The United captain found himself smothered by the Saints' hard-working midfield of Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama with the visitor coming out on top in the engine room to set the platform for their its ever Premier League win at Old Trafford.
It seemed Louis van Gaal had found the perfect position for Rooney in midfield as he looked to fit all his attacking players into the team, but he did not enjoy his best day at the office and was later moved further forward, to no avail, as United searched for an equalizer.
Despite failing to have any major influence on the game, Rooney never hid from the action and always made himself available as he looked to get on the ball. But his passing was not at its clinical best, and he failed to carry United forward against a resolute Southampton who were set up to defend.
The England skipper was pushed forward in the closing stages as United looked to rescue the game but, like Robin van Persie and Angel Di Maria, he failed to find a way through with the hosts not even registering a shot on target.

Kohli will grow into captaincy role: Sourav Ganguly
Our Correspondent : 12 Jan. 2015

"There will be a strong urge compare Kohli and Dhoni. I don't think the two can be compared and it would be unfair to do so as well," Ganguly said.
"Kohli has got the job now and it is his for the near foreseeable future. He has got has got all the attributes for leadership and I think he will do well because he is aggressive and wants to win all the time. He will lead with passion and it will show on the field. And he will get better with experience and grow into this role."
Kohli took over the Test captaincy after Dhoni retired midway through the series against Australia which India eventually lost 0-2 Ganguly said Kohli was impressive in his short captaincy stint. Kohli led India in the first Test in Adelaide as Dhoni was out injured and then again in the fourth Test in Sydney after the latter took a shock retirement after the third Test in Melbourne.
India lost the series but they competed aggressively in three out of the four Tests and could have registered wins in at least two of them if they had latched on to pivotal moments.
Kohli himself shrugged off his failure in England and scored four hundreds during this series, accumulating 692 runs, a record for an Indian batsman against Australia in any one encounter. The problem for India throughout the series was the simple fact that their bowling was too inconsistent.
"Length and line bowling is a basic at this international level and is very important. Look at what Josh Hazlewood did on the fifth day. He bowled 8 overs for just 3 runs. He kept bowling one line and length and that's just basic bowling," said Ganguly.
"Indian bowlers simply have to find a way to do it. The talent is there. They are consistently bowling at 140-plus and you cannot be ordinary bowlers if you keep bowling at that speed. But discipline in Test cricket is always important and a key factor. Hopefully someone will be around to tell them that and they will learn it from this tour," he added.

Sydney Test, Day 4: Australia reach 251/6 at stumps
Our Correspondent : 9 Jan. 2014
Australia were 251 for six in their second innings at close on the fourth day of the fourth and final cricket Test against India in Sydney on Friday.
Earlier, In a gritty rearguard action, R. Ashwin scored a half-century in India’s first innings which folded for 475 and then the off-spinner returned to remove Australia opener David Warner before tea was taken. India conceded a 97-run lead and then Australia reached 38 for one six overs to take the over-all lead to 135 runs at the tea break.
At the break, Chris Rogers (21) and Shane Watson (13) were at the crease, the latter lucky to be there as Wriddhiman Saha missed a run-out chance in the fourth over. Ashwin (1/21) had Warner (4) caught in slips after being handed the new ball along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0/17).
Earlier, in the post-lunch session, Ashwin (50) and Kumar (30) playing aggressively, especially the latter as he moved from 3 at the break to quickly score 27 more runs as the 50-partnership for the eighth wicket came about quickly.
Just as they had started eating into the lead, Kumar was given out caught at first slip off Nathan Lyon (2/123) by third umpire Steven Fry even as it appeared that the ball may have hit the ground after taking a bottom-edge. Five overs later Ashwin was caught behind off Mitchell Starc (3/106) but not before completing his 4th Test half-century off 110 balls.
Mohammad Shami (16 not out) and Umesh Yadav (4) threw their bats around to reduce the deficit below 100-runs but the latter skied a catch to keeper Brad Haddin off Ryan Harris (2/96). For Australia, Shane Watson (2/58) and Josh Hazlewood (1/64) were the other wicket-takers while Steve Smith too rolled his arm over.
India lost skipper Virat Kohli (147) in the morning session after resuming at overnight score of 342 for 5. Kohli and Wriddhiman Saha (35), who had already put on 50 runs for the sixth wicket began the proceedings and Kohli held the key for India but Australia got rid of him quickly.
The Indian captain had added only seven runs to his overnight score when, in the fifth over of the morning, he clipped Ryan Harris (1/71) to mid-wicket only for Chris Rogers to take a low catch.
Only 10 runs had been added to the total and his partnership with Saha was worth 60 only, with the follow-on target still 21 runs away. Ashwin walked out to the middle and batted with solidity as he and Saha put on 31 runs for the seventh wicket. They made sure that Australia will have to bat again to force a result.
Saha batted extremely well, showing a good temperament in his short but very useful innings. He was undone by Josh Hazlewood (1/58), a short delivery taking his glove on its way to Steve Smith in the slips, who didn’t make any mistake this time around after two drops on day three.
It exposed the Indian tail but Kumar showed what his team was missing in the last three Tests as he added 24 runs for the eighth wicket with Ashwin until the break.
However he was lucky to be still at the crease as Joe Burns failed to latch on to a lobbed up ball off his bat-pad off Nathan Lyon (1/102). He had not opened his account at that time. But he avoided any further hairy moments and helped India cross the 400-mark as the tail started eating away into Australia’s lead.

Cricket under terror threat: Pakistan spinner Ajmal forced to shut down his academy
Our Correspondent : 9 Jan. 2015

Karachi: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has been forced to close his international cricket academy in his hometown Faisalabad after it received threats from extremist elements.
Ajmal confirmed to PTI that he had closed down his academy temporarily after he met with the deputy commissioner of Faisalabad and the vice chancellor of Faisalabad Agriculture University on whose land the academy is located.
"I was told that the Punjab government has sent advice to close down the academy temporarily because threats have been received against the academy that it may be attacked," Ajmal, who could not make the final cut in the 15-man Pakistan squad for the upcoming World Cup because of his questionable 'doosra' that is under ICC review, said on Wednesday. "The administration had apprehensions and security concerns and said it should be closed down until proper security arrangements made to run it," the off-spinner added.
The government has issued warnings about possible terrorist threats to educational institutions in the country after the terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar on December 16 in which around 132 schoolchildren were killed in cold blood by attacking militants.
Ajmal said that presently there were around 198 boys and girls and even disabled cricketers attending the academy regularly while there were another 80 who came on and off for coaching classes.
"I didn't want to take a risk with these youngsters and right now the government is helping us prepare a comprehensive security plan for the academy including issuance of computerised identity cards for all the participants, coaches and workers at the academy," he said.
"It is disappointing to close down the academy for the time being in such conditions but it is a sensible move right now," he added. Ajmal said the academy represented a big dream for him as he has already spent around 30 million rupees on it and provides free coaching to the youngsters.
The bowler has also been embroiled in a dispute with the University over the lease period of the land on which he has built the international standard academy but said it was close to being resolved after he met with the Punjab government officials.
Since the Army Public School tragedy the government in all four provinces has been telling private institutions to first set up their own security cover before reopening their institutions after the extended winter vacations.

From victorious class of 2011, only Dhoni, Kohli, Raina and Ashwin survive
Our Correspondent : 7 Jan. 2014
In a clear sign of looking for the future, the national cricket selection panel led by Sandeep Patil today dashed the frail comeback hopes of 'Player of 2011 World Cup' Yuvraj Singh for the mega event starting next month in Australia and New Zealand.
There was a chance that Yuvraj's current form with the bat in Ranji Trophy in which he has scored three back-to-back hundreds could sway the selectors to include the Punjab dasher after keeping him in cold storage since December 2013.
However, the selectors did not think it wise to recall a person who played a stellar role in India winning cricket's showpiece title in April 2011, but has gone off the boil in ODIs since then.
While dashing the hopes of 33-year-old Yuvraj, the selectors also decided to ignore his 2011 teammates like Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir by excluding all of them from the 15-member Cup squad.
The selectors picked only from among those in the preliminary list of 30 they had shortlisted on December 4.
"Not only Yuvraj Singh but other names were also discussed apart from the 30 probables. There were deliberations between the five selectors and captain Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher were on the conference call," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said after announcing the squad.
Only four members of the 2011 squad - captain Dhoni, new Test captain Virat Kohli, left-handed batsman Suresh Raina and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin - will now have a chance to make it a World Cup double.
Of the quartet, Ashwin was not part of the playing 11 that defeated Sri Lanka in the final at the Wankhede Stadium here on April 2, 2011.

4th Test: India consolidate in reply to Australia's 572
Our Correspondent : 7 Jan. 2015

Hello and welcome to the coverage from day two of the fourth Test between Australia and India in Sydney. Scorecard
India (1st innings):
Stumps: India did well after losing Vijay in the first over as the visitors reached 71 for 1 at stumps on day two in Sydney. Rohit Sharma was unbeaten on 40 and KL Rahul batting on 31. Australia declared their first innings on 572 for 7.
20.6 overs: Four. KL Rahul opening up now and playing more fluently, cover drives Ryan Harris. Brilliant shot. India 59 for 1.
18.3 overs: KL Rahul sneaks in a quick single, which made Rohit dive to make his ground. Both batsmen have put up a 50-run stand.
14.1 overs: Four. Short from Hazlewood and Rahul does well by pulling it to square leg.
13.6 overs: Six. Rohit doesn't want Lyon to settle down as he hits a second six off him to long on. India 35 for 1.
9.2 overs: Six. Second ball of Lyon's first over, Rohit comes down the track and hits him straight down the ground. India 24 for 1.
Josh Hazlewood comes on to bowl his first over.
4.4 overs: Four. Starc digs in short again and Rohit gets on top of it to tuck it to deep square leg. India 14 for 1.
2.5 overs: Four. Mitchell Starc digs it short but a prepared Rohit Sharma pulls it well. India 7 for 1.
0.3 overs: Out. Mitchell Starc strikes in first over by getting the big wicket of Murali Vijay for duck. Vijay gets a thick outside edge chasing an away going delivery. India 0 for 1.
Australia (1st innings) 572 for 7 decl: Steven Smith and David Warner scored hundreds and down the order Shaun Marsh and Joe Burns contributed with crucial fifties as Australia declared their first innings on 572 for 7.
The intentions are clear looking at Ryan Harris bat as he plunders 19 runs from Bhuvneshwar's last over, which included four hits to the fence. Australia 565 for 6.
150.2 overs: Out. Shami claims his fourth wicket by dismissing Joe Burns for 58. KL Rahul does well at long to complete a brilliant catch going back.
No declaration from Australia as third and final session of the day gets underway. India will have to spend some more time in the middle. Tea: Joe Burns was unbeaten on 52 as Australia reached 538 for 5. Will they declare now and put India in?
146.5 overs: Six. Out of the blues and quite brave. Haddin comes down the track and launches Haddin over long-on. Australia 535 for 5.
146.4 overs: Out. Mohammad Shami gets his third wicket by getting Marsh caught behind for 73.
Joe Burns brings up his maiden Test half-century as Australia reach 529 for 4. Australia go past 500 for the fourth time in the series and in Test history this is also the fifth time that a team has crossed 500 four times in a series.
141.1 overs: Four. Marsh looking to score quickly as he cuts Bhuvneshwar to deep point. All timing in that shot. Australia 496 for 4.
Virat Kohli is off the field and Ashwin is doing the job of stand-in-skipper. Australia 488 for 4 with Marsh batting on 52 and Burns on 30.
136.6 overs: Marsh plays to long-off for a single and brings up his third Test fifty. This was also his successive half-centuries. Australia 486 for 4.
133.4 overs: Four. Length delivery wide and on off from Bhuvneshwar, Marsh drives it between the bowler and mid-on. Australia 484 for 4.
131.4 overs: Four. Pitched short by Bhuvneshwar and Burns pulls it well to midwicket.
Marsh has moved on to 40 off 71 balls and at the other end Burns doing well with a 51-ball 22. Both have also stitched together a 50-run stand and looks like India going to have a long day on the field today.
127.1 overs: Four. Great shot fro Marsh as he drives Mohammad Shami straight down the ground.
126.1 overs: Four. Ashwin pulls the length back but Shaun Marsh standing tall plays it on the onside. Australia 450 for 4.
125.2 overs: Four. Short and wide from Raina and Joe Burns cuts it to backward point. Runs coming at ease for Australia.
Lunch: Steven Smith scored yet another Test century before getting dismissed for 117 as Australia reached 420 for 4 at lunch on day two. Shane Watson was unfortunate to miss out on his hundred and got out playing straight to the deep midwicket fielder.
Day 1 round-up: David Warner scored an emotional century and shared a 200-run opening stand with Chris Rogers as Australia blunted India's bowling attack on the first day of the fourth Test.
Warner smashed 101 following a tribute to late team-mate Phillip Hughes, and Rogers compiled an eventful 95 as the openers went on the attack after captain Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bat first at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
India received no respite later in the day as Smith and Shane Watson combined for a 144-run partnership to guide Australia to 348 for 2. The skipper continued his good form with an effortless 82 not out, including 10 boundaries. Smith leads the scoring this series with 663 runs, including two 50s and three centuries.

Saina Nehwal's dad asks: Rules were relaxed for Sushil Kumar, why not for my daughter
Our Correspondent : 5 Jan. 2014
Saina Nehwal’s father Dr Harvir Singh Nehwal is disgusted with reports suggesting that the badminton champ is not being considered for the Padma Bhushan award this year because she’s probably not a "deserving" candidate or possibly less deserving than wrestler Sushil Kumar, who has been chosen for the prestigious award, out of turn. A source in the sports ministry was recently quoted in a daily saying that "... we picked Sushil as we felt he was a deserving candidate."
Reports suggest that the Badminton Association of India (BAI) had reportedly recommended Saina’s name for the award to the Sports Ministry of India in August 2014 but the ministry apparently sent only wrestler Sushil Kumar’s name to the Ministry Of Home Affairs that takes the final call. "We have nothing against Sushil, he is like a son but on what basis are they saying that my daughter is not a deserving candidate. This is extremely insulting and belittling," Dr
Nehwal told us on phone from his Hyderabad home. "Saina is all alone in Bangalore, and my poor girl was in tears after reading such a ridiculous thing. She has won such tough world championships for the country, and this is how they treat her?" asks the doting dad, adding that since the official list is not issued by the ministry yet, it was unethical for inside sources to reveal only a few names including Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Mithali Raj, who are reportedly being considered, too.
"What were they trying to do by listing out all these names, and then saying Saina’s not being considered because she is not deserving. Why create such unnecessary bitterness within the sports fraternity with such unfair comparison? My daughter is not begging for the Padma Bhushan but atleast don’t break her heart and weaken her morale by such insensitive and baseless comparisons ... this will affect her game," he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Nehwal also clarifies that the 24-year-old ace shuttler applied for the civilian award as per the rules of the ministry. "Saina got the Padma Shri in 2010. In 2013 when she sent her file (for the Padma Bhushan for 2014), we got a letter where it was written in big fat words that she can only apply when the five year gap is complete, which is this year — 2015. Sushil, on the other hand, got the Padma Shri in 2011 so his five year gap only completes next year in 2016 so how can they relax rules for him, and not even consider my daughter even though it’s her valid turn?" wonders Dr Singh.
Saina tweets her disappointment
On Saturday, an aghast Saina Nehwal lashed out on Twitter clearly showing her disappointment over the government’s decision to overlook her candidature for the Padma Bhushan award. In a slew of tweets she wrote:
"... I was really sad to see that my name was not sent to Ministry of home affairs by sports ministry of India. I got the Padma Shri in 2010 and there is a policy that you can get the next Padma award only after five years and this year I completed my five years."
"When I sent my file in 2014 for the Padma Bhushan award the ministry said you have to follow the rules and submit the application after five years so my file got rejected last year and I again applied this year for the award. I read that Sushil Kumar’s name is recommended by the Sports ministry and he has not completed five years, as a special case ... but even I won the Olympic bronze medal in 2012 and won many titles in 2014.
I won the commonwealth Games gold in 2010 and I’m world Number 4. As a player we feel good when we get such a great award and it motivates. I hope sports ministry look up to this and I will be more than happy if both me and Sushil gets the award as we both won medals in 2012 Olympics. But I think rule is rule for me they said u have to wait for five years to get the award. Friends I am not demanding for the award ... my question was why my name was not sent to the home ministry (sic)."

Australia skipper Steve Smith relishing duel with 'emotional' Virat Kohli at Sydney test
Our Correspondent : 5 Jan. 2015

Relishing the challenge of squaring off against new India captain Virat Kohli in the fourth test at Sydney, Australian skipper Steve Smith on Monday described his rival number as an 'emotional character'.
"MS Dhoni has been a terrific leader for India for a long period of time. There's no doubt about that," Smith told reporters in the pre-match press conference. "We saw Virat Kohli take over the reins in that first Test and he did a pretty good job for them. He's quite an emotional character and likes to get involved in a lot of decisions.
I'm looking forward to this week again with India with another captain and hopefully we can close out the series well. It's going to be a pretty big moment for me as well. It is a home Test and my favourite cricket ground in the world. I am really looking forward to leading the boys out at the SCG" - Steve Smith on India skipper Virat Kohli
Australia have already won the series and reclaimed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the drawn third Test in Melbourne. They have made one change to their playing eleven, with Mitchell Starc coming in for Mitchell Johnson, who sits out as a precaution owing to a hamstring strain.
Asked if Johnson would have played had the series still been undecided, Smith said, 'Probably'.
"He has got a little hamstring strain. There's no secret that there's a pretty big summer coming up and we want him to be fresh for the ODIs and the World Cup coming up. We don't want to risk him and hopefully he'll be right for those," added Smith.
Johnson had been critical this past week of the pitches rolled out for the Test series, alleging that they didn't 'support the bowlers too much' as wickets usually do Down Under. Smith though didn't see it as an issue.
"It looks pretty good at this stage. There's a lot less grass than there was on the wicket last year which seamed around a bit and played a few tricks. It looks a good wicket at this stage so hopefully it will be another good Test match," signed off Smith.

Steven Gerrard to leave Liverpool at end of season
Our Correspondent : 2 Jan. 2014
Former England skipper Steven Gerrard is set to announce that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, according to media reports.
The BBC and Sky Sports were among several media outlets that suggested the 34-year-old midfielder would be moving to a US Major League Soccer club.
Manager Brendan Rodgers said last month that Gerrard, who is out of contract at the end of the season, had been offered a new deal by Liverpool.
"He has been here for 16 years and he is a man who deserves the utmost respect and should be given the time to consider it," added Rodgers.
"One thing is clear, I love working with Steven Gerrard. He is arguably the best player that's ever played in the Premier League and I have enjoyed every single minute of working with him."
Gerrard, who stood down as England skipper after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, has played nearly 700 games for Liverpool and captained the Anfield club to a memorable Champions League final victory over AC Milan in 2005.
The midfielder featured in Liverpool's 2-2 home draw with Leicester City in the Premier League on Thursday.

Mourinho guilty of scapegoating officials as Chelsea suffer meltdown
Our Correspondent : 2 Jan. 2015

As the Tottenham supporters chanted "we want six" Jose Mourinho wore a grim look on the touchline, probably planning his predictable post-match referee rant after the 5-3 defeat at Tottenham on New Year’s Day.
When Chelsea were 1-0 up Mourinho believed his side should have been awarded a penalty for a handball by Jan Vertonghen. He used that perceived injustice as further evidence of the "campaign" against Chelsea this season, a conspiracy the Blues boss first suggested the previous weekend.
Nobody should be fooled by Mourinho’s attention-deflecting tactics after a humiliating defeat that has left Chelsea top of the Premier League table only on alphabetical order. They are level with Manchester City on points, goal difference and goals scored and the title race is likely to remain neck-and-neck for the remainder of the campaign.
Hours after Chelsea legend Frank Lampard scored City’s winner in their 3-2 victory over Sunderland, the Londoners were torn apart by a rampant Tottenham team inspired by Harry Kane.
Kane will likely haunt the dreams of John Terry and Gary Cahill for the foreseeable future after scoring twice and tormenting the visitors with his strength, technical quality and clinical finishing.
But what on earth happened to Chelsea? Ahead of their trip across London, they had only conceded three times in their previous eight games, but everything fell apart here. "I’m more shocked with other things than conceding five goals. That can happen but you can have a bad game, it can happen," Mourinho said in his post-match press conference.
"What I am shocked about is that is that in three days we had two incredible decisions that punished us in a very hard way. "The one in the first half, which is clear, is the one that is difficult to accept. Managers and players win and lose. Mr Dowd didn’t lose."
Mourinho is scraping the barrel if he thinks referee Phil Dowd is to blame, especially given the incident in question was nothing like the clear kick on Cesc Fabregas in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Southampton.
Mourinho likes to create a siege mentality when his side are under pressure, to act as a lightning rod for his players. That appeared to be the case after the Saints match, but this time he needs to look at his own team's failings.
The Portuguese should be working out how a team managed by him conceded five goals for only the second time in his career, why Tottenham were so much sharper to the ball and able to slice open Chelsea’s defence.
Now they have City – and Lampard – at their side, jostling for position ahead of the title run-in.
Chelsea were brilliant in the first half of the season and Mourinho will want to mark this down as a freak result. In that case, he will have to stop blaming the officials and make sure that there is no repeat of this woeful defensive display.