The current fiasco now completely established that there is no communication between the selectors and senior players, who decide their own schedule. 'Dhoni feels that it would not be fair for him to join us at this stage, given that the team has done so well and reached the quarter-final stage in his absence. He does not want to upset the team balance'
Under-fire Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard may not be enjoying his best spell of form but he is still "a top class player", manager Brendan Rodgers said ahead of their Champions League clash with Bulgarian club Ludogorets.
Paris St Germain substitute Edinson Cavani, criticised by French media lacking composure in front of goal, responded in style to earn a 2-1 home win over Chelsea in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday.
Mumbai get the money-spinning tournament rolling in Chennai on Friday, just four months after claiming their second successive title, with a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by India captain Virat Kohli.
Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has made a surprise return to Chelsea's training ground ahead of Sunday's big London derby after Adidas sent a consignment of gloves to his former club by mistake. Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink, whose misfiring champions travel to Cech's Premier League leaders on Sunday, made light of the situation at a news conference on Friday. "I was here when Petr showed up. It was nice to see him," the Dutchman told reporters at the Cobham facility to the south-west of London. "We had a chat here. Almost everyone was gone already, it was late afternoon....we tried to hide them, which he did not accept. Also we tried to make them a little bit slippery but he discovered that also. "They were wrongly sent here and we gave them back. It was nice. That's the story."
Mercifully the set flashed by in 16 breathtaking minutes as Federer whizzed into the quarter-finals with a 6-0, 7-5, 6-4 win.
Neeraj was all set to defend his title in Birmingham, but pulled out of the multi-sport event after his medical team advised a month's rest after MRI scan showed a minor injury.
A fit-again Neeraj Chopra can create another piece of history when he takes part in the Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne on Friday.
Steve Smith is not expected to return to training until at least Wednesday.
Tasmanian batsman Alex Doolan could be in line for a test debut pending the fitness of all-rounder Shane Watson after being named in Australia's 14-man squad for the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney.
Once in a while, everyone is allowed a bit of slump in form and Steve Smith is no exception, stated David Warner, who can relate to his former skipper's woes against India having endured a similarly wretched run during the 2019 Ashes in England.
India made just one change to their squad as Umesh Yadav replaced Shardul Thakur for the last two Tests of the ongoing four-match series against England.
Australian batsman David Warner is confident he will be fit to face Pakistan in next week's first Test despite suffering a groin injury in the final one-day international in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
A 0-0 Premier League draw against old foes Everton at Goodison Park is not how the Liverpool captain would have dreamt about signing off from the rivals' habitual battle for superiority.
World number one Novak Djokovic produced sublime form to clinch an unprecedented fifth men's title at Indian Wells with a 6-2, 6-0 demolition of big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in the men's final.
Salgaocar FC picked up their first home win of the season today as they breezed past East Bengal by a margin of 3-1 at the Tilak Maidan. The result came as a shocking performance as the Greens had been struggling for a while to get the required results, but an inspiring performance against the Red and Golds gave them much needed three points. There were a plethora of changes in Salgaocar FC lineup from their loss to Mohun Bagan. Calvin Mbarga, Semboi Haokip started in the forward line with Darryl Duffy while Saran Singh started in the back. The game got off the best possible start for Salgaocar FC, as Haokip put the Goan side ahead in the third minute. Darryl Duffy's cross from the right was received by the striker who took one touch and blasted it past Luis Barreto into the back of the net. However, there was an immediate blow to Salgaocar in the 10th minute as the Hero I-League's leading goal scorer, Darryl Duffy, picked up a groin injury, and had to be substituted by Jackichand Singh.
Saini limped off the field due to groin pain and was taken for the scans.
Australia will have to win both Tests in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to go one point clear of South Africa, who displaced them at the top in July, but there is still little clarity about the side who would walk out for the first match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Peaking at the right time and with all their boxes ticked, Sunrisers Hyderabad are certain to hold sway over a dishevelled Delhi Capitals in a virtual semi-final in the second Indian Premier League qualifier, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the tennis courts.
Speedster Umesh Yadav, on Friday, joined the growing list of Indian players who feel 'SG Test' ball was not ideal, saying the bowlers are unable to run through lower-order when it gets old.
Photos from the Premier League matches played on Sunday
With the opening cricket Test delicately poised after two days of intense action, South Africa have suffered a big blow as pace spearhead Dale Steyn is unlikely to take field, on Saturday, due to a groin strain.
England expressed concern over the strength of the bio-secure environment after the positive result, while a South African team investigation has not yet shown how the unnamed player caught the virus.
Dale Steyn said he has made the decision in order to prolong his international career.
Babar's injury came a day after top-order batsman Imam-ul-Haq fractured his left thumb, also during a practice session.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
'We have a quality group of players and we need to be smart about how we use them against opposition. I thought we played a very good game given the fact that what they had to offer. But definitely (Harbhajan was) not dropped in the way that you want me to say it. Just that it was a tactical decision'
Should India try out Shreyas Iyer or Manish Pandey at No 4? Who should be the two spinners in the playing XI? Should India include young pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Navdeep Saini?
Marcus Harris will be the only change to the 11, with opener David Warner cleared to play after struggling with his groin strain in Sydney.
Juan Martin del Potro offered a wailing Nicolas Almagro a shoulder to cry on at Roland Garros on Thursday after the Spaniard's French Open campaign was cut short by a knee injury.
Veteran India seamer Ashish Nehra underwent a surgery to treat a 'high-grade tendon injury' he had suffered on his right knee during an Indian Premier League match earlier this month.
Memories of a path-breaking gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games are still fresh in her mind as Saina Nehwal embarks on a quest to regain the title at the Gold Coast Games starting next week.
Preview and timings of the Premier League matches this weekend
Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's weekend fixtures:
The FIFA 2022 World Cup will kick-off in Qatar on Sunday, November 20. Here is a list of the 26-man squads playing in the quadrennial global football extravaganza.
Rafael Nadal swept into the quarter-finals of the Italian Open on Thursday with a ruthless 6-4, 6-1 victory over Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov. The top seed, who will reclaim the world number one ranking from Roger Federer if he wins his eighth title in Rome, turned in a near-flawless performance, losing only five service points as he honed in on victory in an hour and 22 minutes.
A series win in Australia will certainly put Kohli on a higher pedestal even though the quality of the home team's batting line-up suffered adversely due to the bans of former skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner.
Captain Tom Latham smashed an unbeaten 186 as New Zealand bounced back from their shock defeat in Mount Maunganui to amass 349-1 on the opening day of the second and final Test against Bangladesh on Sunday.
South Africa's status as the top-ranked Test-playing nation has been dented after their crushing defeat in India last month and is in danger of being eroded completely by England over the next month or two.
