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“To Put Responsibility On Gautam Gambhir…”: Ex India Star On ‘Coach Factor’ Behind Series Loss

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Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar refused to put the blame on head coach Gautam Gambhir after the Test series loss New Zealand on Saturday. India suffered a first series loss at home after 12 years as New Zealand took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after winning the Pune Test by 113 runs. India captain Rohit Sharma‘s approach was heavily criticised by fans and experts, while head coach Gambhir also faced flak on social media. However, Sanjay Manjrekar also opined that the blame of this loss cannot be put on the shoulders of Gambhir as the coach has a “minimal influence on the team”.

“I will still maintain that the coach has the minimal influence on a team. He does not set foot on the ground, the captain is in-charge out there. But you have to applaud him for Washington Sundar‘s selection, which was an immediate hit. But the move to send him ahead of Sarfaraz Khan or maybe four spinners here would have made more sense. But to put any kind of responsibility on the door of Gautam Gambhir would be terribly unfair because until now we can’t do it because in cricket, a coach has minimal influence on performances,” Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.

Meanwhile, former wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik believes the onus for the Test series loss to New Zealand rests with the senior Indian players.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggled with the bat, while the formidable spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja also failed to make a significant impact.

“Yeah. Why shouldn’t it (the onus of the series loss) be the senior players? They will look at themselves and say, ‘What could we have done better?’ I don’t think they have run away from it,” Karthik said on ‘Cricbuzz’.

“If you can celebrate the highs and the fans enjoy how important they are, when the team wins, then when the losses happen, and the brick bats are thrown at you I think they will have the courage to face it,” he added.

“If you go and ask each one of them personally, what they think of the series I don’t think they’ll have great things to say about how the whole team played, and it is only but fair to ask them questions about what can be done better for future of Test cricket in India and for Indian Test cricket.

“So, knowing them personally, and I do know each one of them personally. They will say that they didn’t have the best series. The question then becomes what do they need to do to get better and it is a very very current question to ask,” he detailed.

(With PTI Inputs)

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Who Is Allah Ghazanfar: 18-Year-Old Ex-Kolkata Knight Riders Spinner Creating History For Afghanistan

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Afghanistan cricket team spinner Allah Ghazanfar© X (Twitter)




Afghanistan cricket team spinner Allah Ghazanfar scripted history with a brilliant six-wicket haul to guide his side to a convincing 92-run victory over Bangladesh in the first ODI encounter in Sharjah on Wednesday. The 18-year-old finished with figures of 6 for 26 in 6.3 overs as Bangladesh went from 132/3 to 143 all out while chasing a target of 236 runs. These were the best bowling figures in an Afghanistan-Bangladesh ODI match, bettering Shakib Al Hasan‘s 5-29 at Southampton in 2019.

Ghazanfar started his cricketing journey as a fast bowler before former Afghanistan skipper Dawlat Ahmadzai turned him into a mystery spinner. He grabbed headlines with his brilliant showing during the 2024 U-19 World Cup where he finished with eight wickets in four matches.

That was enough to earn him a senior team call-up as he made his ODI debut against Ireland. He continued to impress and even won the Player of the Match award in the Emerging Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka A as Afghanistan went on to clinch the title.

The young spinner was also part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side that went on to win the IPL 2024 title. He was added to the squad as a replacement for Mujeeb Ur Rahman but did not play any matches for the franchise in the campaign.

“He is a special talent and has a good future for Afghanistan. He bowled well in the first spell, but he bowled that no-ball and I asked him why did he bowl a no-ball (laughs). I am very happy with the options we have on the bench,” said Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi on the young spinner.

Najmul Hossain rued Bangladesh’s batting slump and placed part of the blame on himself.

“I think my wicket turned the match,” said Najmul. “I was the set batsman so when I got out we needed to bat longer but credit to Afghanistan spinners for the way they bowled.”

(With AFP inputs)

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Australian Breakdancer “Raygun”, Who Got Trolled In Paris Olympics, Takes Huge Step

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Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has announced her retirement from competition, citing a “really upsetting” backlash following her performance at the Paris Olympics.  Raygun, 37, became something of a global laughing stock after her unorthodox routine, including kangaroo hops and imitating a sprinkler, failed to impress the judges at the Games.  Her moves were copied on late-night talk shows and her unfashionable green tracksuit was mercilessly parodied online. Conspiracy theories abounded to explain how the university lecturer had even made it on to the Australia Olympic team. Gunn said the intense scrutiny had been “really upsetting”, and she had decided to pull the plug on her breakdancing career.  

“I’m not going to compete any more,” she told Australian radio station 2DayFM on Wednesday. 

“I was going to keep competing for sure, but that seems like a really difficult thing for me to do now. 

“The level of scrutiny that’s going to be there. People will be filming it, it will be going online, it’s just not going to be the same experience.”

Gunn had previously spoken out against the “pretty devastating” hatred unleashed towards her after the Olympics. 

“I went out there and I had fun. I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all,” she said in a video message after the Games. 

While many lampooned her performance on social media, Gunn won support from others, including her fellow Australian Olympians and even the country’s prime minister.

Raygun said she would continue to dance, just not in competition. 

“I mean I still dance, and I still break. But, you know, that’s like in my living room with my partner,” she said.

“Dancing is so much fun, and it makes you feel good. I don’t think people should feel crap about the way that they dance.

“If you get out there, and you have fun on the dance floor then just own it.” 

Raygun did have the last laugh in September when she was briefly elevated to the top of the World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) rankings.

The WDSF named her the number one women’s breakdancer based on winning the Oceania Championship, one of only a few events held that counted towards the rankings in the run-up to the Olympics.

The sport of breaking made its Olympics debut in Paris, but will not feature at the next Games at Los Angeles in 2028.  

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

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Jamal Musiala Gets Bayern Munich Back On Champions League Track Against Benfica

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A second-half Jamal Musiala goal got Bayern Munich back on track in the Champions League with a 1-0 home win over Benfica on Wednesday. Struggling in Europe after back-to-back losses left them outside the knockout places, Musiala broke through the stubborn Benfica defence, heading in a Harry Kane assist. Bayern were dominant in possession but carved out few clear-cut chances, lacking fluency in front of a silent home crowd who refused to sing out of respect for a hospitalised fan.  

Despite the win, Bayern still have work to do in Europe, with this season’s Champions League final on home soil. 

The German giants sit 17th, one behind Dinamo Zagreb who they beat 9-2 in their opener. Bayern face French champions Paris Saint-Germain next in the competition.

“We had good moments. The opponent defended well. It was very important to get three points today,” Musiala said after the match. 

“We don’t have to win every game by four or five goals. Sometimes 1-0 is enough. We had to be patient. Now we carry on and look to the next game.”

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said: “Sometimes it’s good to win like this — even though we of course prefer to win by three or four. 

“I knew we needed to stay patient and calm. We did that well. It was a good game and a good win.”

Unbeaten at the top of Bundesliga table under Kompany, Bayern have struggled in the Champions League this season despite the barnstorming opener against Zagreb.

A 1-0 loss at Aston Villa and a 4-1 thrashing by a supercharged Barcelona under former Bayern boss Hansi Flick had the six-time European champions flagging in the Champions League’s new single-league format.

With the match delayed by 15 minutes due to public transport issues and with their home fans silent due to a medical emergency in the stands, Bayern struggled. 

Bayern captain Manuel Neuer told reporters the side “didn’t celebrate in the cabin like we normally would” due to the incident. 

Musiala and Michael Olise dribbled in from either flank but were unable to break through a Benfica side looking to sit deep and take advantage of Bayern’s risky high line on the counter.

The best chance of the opening half fell to Serge Gnabry, who forced a strong save out of Anatoliy Trubin on the half-volley after 38 minutes. 

As the game wore on Bayern grew nervous, even if Benfica had few genuine chances as they looked for a first win in their 11th match against the hosts.

Leroy Sane added speed after his substitution and the former Manchester City winger would prove crucial, finding Kane who in turn set up Musiala to break the deadlock with just over 20 minutes remaining.

Bayern’s final match before the international break comes on Saturday in Hamburg against St Pauli.

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

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