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Bayer Leverkusen Back Main Man Florian Wirtz To ‘Shine’ On European Stage

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Bayer Leverkusen host AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday, hoping for a sparkling performance from star midfielder Florian Wirtz. Still just 21, Wirtz will make his home debut in the competition, having missed Leverkusen’s most recent Champions League campaign with an ACL injury. That he will do so against seven-time champions Milan feels appropriate for a player tipped for a long career on the European stage. Leverkusen’s squad is deep in quality and Xabi Alonso‘s coaching is rightly praised, but Wirtz’s spark is central to everything the team does. 

Known primarily for his midfield creativity, he is also a goal threat; Wirtz has four goals in five league games this season. 

In a team featuring Granit Xhaka, Victor Boniface, Patrik Schick, Alex Grimaldo and Exequiel Palacios, Wirtz is trusted enough to be Leverkusen’s designated penalty taker.

‘Allow Flo to shine’

Wirtz’s talent is undeniable and despite playing a crucial role as Leverkusen broke through for a debut Bundesliga title, he still has a point to prove in European competition.

He was muscled out in last year’s Europa League final, won 3-0 by Atalanta in Leverkusen’s only loss of a 53-game season. 

Bayern Munich adopted a similar approach in Saturday’s 1-1 Bundesliga draw, successfully denting Leverkusen’s creativity by heavily marking the star midfielder. 

When Wirtz can free himself from the heavy attention, he is among the most dangerous players in the game. 

In Leverkusen’s Champions League opener at Feyenoord — Wirtz’s first match in the competition — he scored a first-half double in a dominant 4-0 win.

At 1.77-metres tall, Wirtz will never be the most physical player, something Alonso knows from personal experience as a similarly proportioned midfielder.

Speaking on Friday, Alonso said the whole team had the responsibility for unleashing “the best Flo.”

He can’t “go it alone,” Alonso said, adding “we need the whole team on their best level to allow Flo to shine.”

The 150 million euro man 

As expected for a starlet at a club of Leverkusen’s stature, rumours have already linked Wirtz, who has a contract until 2027, with an exit from the club perhaps as early as next summer.

Earlier in 2024, Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro said he would “never let Wirtz go for less than 150 million euros ($167 million)”. 

Known for shooting from the hip, Carro later apologised, saying he “made a mistake” and explaining “we want to keep Florian Wirtz with us for as long as possible… he doesn’t have a price tag.”

Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal are reportedly among the interested parties, but German giants Bayern are also set to push hard to sign Wirtz.

Bayern are long-term admirers of the midfielder and want to have him line up alongside Germany teammate Jamal Musiala as they do so well at international level.

Wearing a bright smile, Bayern’s goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer told Sky Germany he would “prefer to play with both together in the same team.”

A star showing on the international stage will continue to enhance the demand for Wirtz’s services — and magnify the sum Leverkusen could receive in return.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Here Is How India Can Qualify For Women’s T20 World Cup Semi-Finals

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October 12, 2024

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File photo of Indian women’s cricket team.© X/@BCCI




India are set to take on Australia in their final group game at the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 on October 13. Australia are all but through to the semi-finals but the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side has its fate hanging on its own hands. Apart from these two teams, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Pakistan form the Group A. The top two sides will make it to the knockouts. Sri Lanka are already eliminated from the tournament after losing their first three matches but the rest four teams are still in contention for two semi-final spots from the group.

Here is how India can make it to the semi-finals –

Scnenario 1: India beat Australia by a huge margin

India need to beat Australia by such a massive margin in the game that their Net Run Rate goes past that of the six-time champions. Such a case will confirm India of a semi-final entry with 6 points.

Scnenario 2: India beat Australia by a small margin

If India beat Australia but fail to surpass their NRR, they would need New Zealand to either lose one of their matches. If New Zealand win both their games, India would need both of New Zealand’s victories to come by such small margins that the White Ferns’ NRR remains less than that of Harmanpreet Kaur and co.

Scnenario 3: India vs Australia gets abandoned

In this case, India will reach to 5 points while Australia will make it to the semi-finals with 7 points to their credit. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side would then want New Zealand to lose one of its remaining two matches. If the White Ferns win a game and their other match gets abandoned, India’s NRR needs to be more than that of New Zealand to enter the semi-finals.

Scenario 4: India lose to Australia

If India lose to Australia, the latter team will advance to the semi-finals. In this case, the Harmanpreet-led side would want New Zealand to lose to Sri Lanka by a huge margin, and then beat Pakistan by a small gap. Such a case will see India advance to the semi-final on the basis of a better NRR than New Zealand’s.

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Rishabh Pant Breaks Silence On Rohit Sharma’s ‘Fake Injury’ Claim from T20 World Cup 2024 Final

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40 mins ago

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October 12, 2024

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File photo of Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant© X (Twitter)




Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma recently revealed that wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant came up with a brilliant ploy that disrupted South Africa’s rhythm during the T20 World Cup 2024 final. The match was headed towards a close finish with South Africa needing 30 runs off 30 balls and it looked like India will need something to turn the momentum in their favour. Pant stopped the game as he had a knee injury and the physio came inside the ground to tap up his knee. Rohit claimed that the whole incident helped slow down the game and India went on to clinch the title with a brilliant win. Pant broke silence on Rohit’s claim and said that he asked the physio to take his time on the field.

“I was thinking about this. Because suddenly the momentum shifted. There were a lot of runs in 2-3 overs. So, I was thinking, when will this moment come again when you are playing in a World Cup final. So, I was telling the physio, that you take your time, keep wasting the time.”

“He was asking me if I was okay. I told him I’m just acting. Sometimes in such a match situation, I am not saying that it works every time, But sometimes it works. And if it works in such a moment, you want nothing else,” Rishabh Pant said in the viral video.

Earlier, Rohit recalled the entire incident during an episode of ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’.

“When South Africa needed 30 runs off 30 balls, just before that, there was a small break. Pant used his intelligence to pause the game – he had a knee injury, so he had his knee taped, which helped slow down the game – because the game was fast-paced, and at that moment, all a batter wants is the ball to be bowled quickly. But we had to break the rhythm. As I was setting the field and talking to bowlers, suddenly I saw Pant fall on the ground. The physiotherapist had arrived and was taping his knee. Klassen was waiting for the match to start again. I am not saying it’s the only reason, but it could be one of them – Pant Sahab used his smarts and things worked out in our favour,” he said.

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Rohit Sharma To Miss Part Of Australia Tour: 3 Captaincy Candidates To Replace Him

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October 12, 2024

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India could miss the services of skipper Rohit Sharma during one of the first two Test matches in Australia due to personal reasons which have communicated to the BCCI. The Indian team will embark on tough five-Test series in Australia starting November 22 in Perth and there is a possibility that Rohit could give either the first or the second game in Adelaide (December 6-10) a miss. “There isn’t any complete clarity about the situation. It is understood that Rohit has intimated to the BCCI that there is a possibility that due to a pressing personal matter, he might have to skip one of the two Tests at the beginning of the series,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

“In case, the personal issue is sorted before the start of the series, he might play all five Tests. We will get to know more in coming days,” he said.

The 37-year-old Rohit played both the home Tests against Bangladesh. India will next host New Zealand for a three-Test rubber starting October 16.

In case Rohit misses a Test match in Australia, the in-form Abhimanyu Easwaran is likely to be his cover although Shubman Gill and KL Rahul are also players with enough experience in the opening slot.

Easwaran will also be in Australia with the India A team which he is supposed to lead.

However, there is no word who the vice-captain of the Test team will be as there was no official deputy for Rohit during the recent home series against Bangladesh.

“I think we need to understand that we have got a lot of IPL captains in this team. When you talk about the likes of Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, hopefully a Yashasvi (Jaiswal) going forward.

“There are a lot of players who have led their franchises,” Abhishek Nayar told the media on the eve of the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur.

There are three candidates for the role — Rohit’s white ball deputy Gill, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has led India in a Test in England, and keeper-batter Rishabh Pant.

“I wouldn’t look at them as youngsters anymore. Yes, they are youngsters in terms of age and the amount of cricket they have played. But, I think overall, mentally and in their development as a cricketer, I think they have the leadership qualities that are required. You don’t need to have a vice-captain that should be designated,” Nayar had stated when asked about the red-ball vice-captaincy.

“I think overall, the thought process of these youngsters is of a senior player. It’s of someone who has played a lot of cricket.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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