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Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has been left astounded by new Tottenham Hotspur signing Richarlison so far this season.

The Lowdown: Tottenham move

Having arrived at Hotspur Way earlier this summer in a deal worth £60m, Spurs manager Antonio Conte has eased the Brazil international into the starting XI, with his first four appearances coming off the bench.

However, Richarlison was handed his first start in a Lilywhites shirt at the weekend in Tottenham’s 2-1 victory over Fulham.

As quoted by football.london, the Italian praised the 25-year-old for his ‘amazing’ performance against the Cottagers, in which he played the full 90 minutes.

The Latest: Robinson’s comments

Robinson, who works as a pundit for Sky Sports, has sung Richarlison’s praises for how well he has adapted to life in N17.

Speaking with Football Insider about the Brazil forward, the former Spurs goalkeeper claimed: “Wow, he is looking like a top-class signing.

“I was really impressed with him at the end of last season for Everton. He was playing well in a side that was really struggling. He scored some important goals. When it really mattered, he stood up to be counted.

“Now we are seeing him be better with better players around him. He is getting the service and the interaction. Players are seeing his runs quicker.

“He is looking like a top-class player at the moment. I have no doubt that he is going to prove to be a great signing.”

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The Verdict: Great signing

When looking at Richarlison’s underlying statistics, it is no wonder why Conte wanted to bring him to Hotspur Way this summer.

As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, the 25-year-old ranks in the top 2% for blocks, the top 4% for tackles and the top 5% for pressures.

On Saturday, he achieved the joint-highest Sofascore rating of any Spurs player (7.7), winning nine duels and four tackles while also providing the assist for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s opener and seeing a late goal of his own chalked off by VAR.

Having scored 53 goals in 152 appearances for Everton, Richarlison is certainly a Premier League proven talent who can be relied upon to finish his chances in the final third.

Therefore, with more rotation possibly now expected for Dejan Kulusevski as the Champions League gets underway, the Brazilian could become a crucial player for Spurs as they head into a busy schedule this season.

Shreyas Gopal got them out similarly last year. He’s had the last laugh here too

Sidharth Monga and Gaurav Sundararaman02-Apr-2019These are batsmen of such great stature that their emphatic dismissals stand out in memories. And when it happens so often, even Shreyas Gopal’s reaction of disbelief is not enough to make you look away. In their clashes last IPL, Shreyas removed AB de Villiers twice and Virat Kohli once. In the first match of this IPL, too, he took them out both with wrong’uns. And he might have had Kohli lbw a ball before he bowled him. It is clear neither of them is picking the wrong’un.Here are the numbers. De Villiers averages 5.2 and strikes at 83.87 against the wrong’un in IPL since the last edition. Kohli averages six and strikes at 104.35. Later, in the chase, Ajinkya Rahane, too, fell to a wrong’un from Yuzvendra Chahal.ESPNcricinfo LtdAnd it is not just them: last year MS Dhoni and KL Rahul struggled badly too. You don’t see either Kohli or de Villiers struggling against the wrong’un in Tests. So it is quite possible that they watch it less closely in the shortest format where the focus is on hitting it.Experts on Star Sports’ “Dugout” believe if you are not picking the wrong’un, you can either move your guard across a little to cover the stumps a little, and with some bowlers – such as Shreyas and M Ashwin – play them as offspinners and let the legbreak, which they bowl about as regularly as the wrong’un, beat the outside edge.Another suggestion: just watch for the legbreak and not for the variation because then all variations look different and scramble your mind. Try to read every legbreak first.BCCIParthiv Patel stays alive
Royal Challengers Bangalore is infamous for not giving players a long rope, but one man to benefit from it might be Parthiv Patel. Many believe he is the rare wicketkeeper in this age playing just as a wicketkeeper and not adding much value with the bat.On paper, Parthiv’s role is similar to Sunil Narine’s: just hit big in the Powerplay. His attacking shot percentage keeps up with that role – next only to Narine’s – but his effectiveness doesn’t. Among batsmen who have opened at least 40 times in the IPL, his strike rate is the third-worst. And he has a low average to boot. Parthiv’s average has crossed 25 only once in the past five seasons, with his strike rate hovering in the 110s almost throughout. So despite his intent, Parthiv is neither Narine nor a Shikhar Dhawan.In this game, though, he performed that role perfectly, racing away to 22 off 13 in the Powerplay, allowing Kohli to knock the ball around. However, in this game Kohli and de Villiers fell when they should have capitalised on this start. And once again, now in the second half of the innings, Parthiv’s lack of power hurt him a little. He couldn’t kick on in the latter half of Royal Challengers’ innings, scoring only 19 off the last 16 balls he faced.Parthiv has managed to show there is utility to him, but he will have to keep doing it again and again because he has had a rope the length of which must make every other Royal Challengers player envious.Where is Washington?
As you waited to see some sort of spin in the Powerplay from Royal Challengers, mind went to Washington Sundar, who was acquired by them last year for that precise reason. In 2017, he held the fifth-best Powerplay economy rate for those who had bowled at least 15 overs with the field restrictions on. This was a performance that even got him an India debut.In 2018, Sundar comes to Royal Challengers, and bowls just six overs inside the Powerplay in the whole season. Two of these six overs came in his first match where he happened to be at the receiving end of a Sunil Narine onslaught and conceded 29 runs. He played eight of the 14 matches last season, and is yet to start this year. Have Royal Challengers wasted a player by playing him out of position?

As Mashrafe Mortaza completes 15 years in international cricket, his team-mates and friends recall their favourite stories about him

Interviews by Mohammad Isam08-Nov-2016Tamim Iqbal,
I was really down during the 2015 World Cup. There was a lot of talk about me and it would have been easy to drop me or forget about me, but the way he took care of me was unbelievable. He gave me a lot of time, spoke about everything else other than cricket. He joked with me, and while I knew that he was trying to distract me away from my troubles, I did indeed end up forgetting about them. During team meetings he would start off by saying, “Tamim will be the key.” When I used to hear him speak about me in that way, it gave me a positive mindset. He did it through the tournament. I might play under a better captain than him but I seriously doubt whether if anyone else will take care of me like Mashrafe .Brendan Taylor
In 2006 we were level at one-all in a five-match series. We were chasing 237 to go 2-1 up.I remember Shahadat Hossain getting a hat-trick, and we were under serious pressure. Mash had had some success upfront and at the death. We needed 17 off the last over when he bowled a full toss that I hit for a six. I felt he was now under pressure, but knowing his character, I knew he would bounce back strong.We needed five off the last ball, which I managed to hit for six to win the game. I’ll never forget him pull his jumper over his head in disbelief.One thing was for sure that he put all that behind him and made life very difficult for us when we toured Bangladesh a few months later. Again, it’s his strong mental side that has made him very successful. We have always respected each other and maintain a great friendship.

“‘I believe in you,’ he said. I can’t explain how much it motivated me. I went on to be selected and I did quite well in that series. This is what Mashrafe does to players. He can motivate them in many ways”Shahriar Nafees

Mahmudullah,
On our way to West Indies in 2009, Mashrafe ‘s first series as Bangladesh captain, he handed me an envelope in the airport lounge. “Read it later,” he said.I got on the plane and opened the envelope. The letter I read that day is something that I still remember. He had written some very inspiring words about me, and it seemed like he had taken a lot of time to write it, with lots of personal touches.He is an extraordinary human being who has taken our team to new heights. He is like an older brother, a friend. I pray that he leads Bangladesh into more success, and may he play for many years.Habibul Bashar,
I always found Mashrafe to be a freakishly talented and determined individual. There are many occasions when he was unfit but pulled himself out somehow and managed to perform really well.It happened in Antigua when we were preparing for the 2007 World Cup. He was about to be sent back home with back spasms. The physio was observing him for a couple of days – with Mashrafe, you always wait till the last moment. We went on a day trip and he seemed a bit better, but the next day, when everyone thought he would have to go home, he arrived at the nets. And I was the unfortunate man facing his bowling – which was really fast that day!Shane JurgensenFormer Bangladesh head coach, current New Zealand bowling coach
We were playing T20s in Ireland in 2012, and Mashrafe had just returned from an injury. In the first couple of games he struggled a little while bowling, so he was mentally down about it. During a team dinner before the next game, we spoke for ages, and I remember on the bus ride home he opened up about his numerous operations, most of them with no support to and from the hospitals, and then rehab. I was taken aback by his story. He is truly inspirational and you could tell he was a deep thinker, smart and extremely determined.Tamim Iqbal: “He joked with me, and while I knew that he was trying to distract me away from my troubles, I did indeed end up forgetting about them”•Bangladesh Cricket BoardNext day, in the third T20, he smashed a couple of big sixes and bowled beautifully under pressure to close out the game at the death, and all the self-doubt went out the window. He came into the dressing room, gave me a high five and a hug and said, as he always said, “Bowling Shane!””Bowling Mash,” I replied.It was just one of those things we did.Shahriar Nafees,
I returned from the Indian Cricket League in 2010 and had been in a national team training camp when news came that Tamim Iqbal wouldn’t be available for the series against New Zealand. Mashrafe had returned as captain. One of those days he called me into the dressing room when no one was around and told me that he had spoken to the selectors about me and wanted me to return to the team. “I believe in you,” he said.I can’t explain how much it motivated me. I went on to be selected and I did quite well in that series. This is what Mashrafe does to players. He can motivate them in many ways. I think this is why the team has been doing so well in the last two years.Khaled Mahmud, Former Bangladesh captain and current manager
Fifteen years ago we were in India for an A team tour, just before the Test series against Zimbabwe in which Mashrafe would make his Test debut.We were having dinner on the balcony of the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai when the club’s president, Raj Singh Dungarpur, walked up to us and asked who the captain of the team was. I stood up and shook his hand. He said, “Please play well tomorrow. Don’t lose too badly.”Mashrafe was just a kid back then. He asked me what was being said, and I told him. I think Mr Dungarpur’s words did us a huge favour that day. Mashrafe bowled really fast in that game, and took three wickets. I have seen Taskin bowl, but in those days, Mashrafe was really quick. That day, Mashrafe showed us how good he would be for Bangladesh.

“He might have been one of the most recognisable faces in the country, but he is a human being first – a really good one”Rajib Biswas Raju

Abdur Razzak,
We have known each other most of our lives. We have bowled together plenty of times too, but what most people don’t know is that we also shared a few 50-run stands.Once in Kenya we were in a tight spot chasing 185 runs. We needed another 50 runs when I arrived at the crease, with two wickets in hand. Nobody really believed that we could win that game. All we did was tell each other to stay there till the end. We did, shared a 51-run stand, and Bangladesh won. I didn’t make much but he was unbeaten on 43.Debbabrata Mukherjee
I have known Mashrafe since 2002, but two years ago I went to his home town, Narail, for the first time to research his biography. He usually stays with his maternal grandparents, where he grew up. When I got there, he took out his motorcycle and gestured for me to sit behind him.From the stories I’ve heard, I was a bit apprehensive about the ride, but I went along. A few hundred yards down the road, he headed into the jungle on a makeshift road made of bricks laid down. I asked him where we were going.”You will see,” he replied.The motorcycle skidded and slipped as we tore along. I sat tight.Suddenly he stopped. I could sense that there was a river in front of me but it took me a while to get a good look, since it had become dark by then.Punk’d: Mortaza loves to pull pranks and tease his team-mates•AFPMashrafe looked like he had come to his natural habitat.”This is the Chitra River, the love of my life,” he said.Ariful Islam Roney
Mashrafe had been asking me for a long time to visit Narail, so he could show me his fish farm and his vegetable and sesame fields. Finally, after the BPL in 2015, I was able to take the trip.The plan was to drive from Mirpur to Mawa Ferry Ghat, and then we take a speedboat to cross the Padma River, and then another car from the other side. He drove us to Mawa, seeming like a sprightly kid going back home from hostel.In the speedboat, he kept telling the driver to go faster, and at one point, he managed to get behind the wheel despite our protests. Suddenly the boat spun 180 degrees, tilting dangerously to one side. The boatman managed to get it steady just in the nick of time. While the rest of us were left horrified, Mashrafe laughed uncontrollably.None of us in the boat, except perhaps for the boatman, knew how to swim.Zahid Reza Babu
Mashrafe was playing New Zealand in 2008, and we had a deal that if he took a five-wicket haul, he would pay me Tk 25,000. He had taken four wickets in the first game and was bowling the final over of the innings. Off the fifth ball, Mahmudullah dropped a sitter at deep square leg.I was standing under the press box at the end of the innings. He walked a long way towards me with a smile on his face, and said, “So how are you feeling right now? Your 25,000 just slipped away.”I couldn’t stop laughing that day.Rajib Biswas Raju
This was from a few years ago. Mashrafe’s had come to Narail for a short vacation, but as usual, he rounded us up for a bit of stretching and warm-ups on the local ground. We were on the way from his house when a bus from Dhaka stopped next to us, near the house of someone we knew, whose mother we then saw get off the bus.She was about 65. The bus helper had put her bags, five of them, on the road. The house was close, but she couldn’t have carried those bags on her own. Mashrafe, who had seen all of it, took her bags to the house. For me, it showed what kind of person he is. He might have been one of the most recognisable faces in the country, but he is a human being first – a really good one.Mashrafe Mortaza
When touring England in 2005, we were put up in Lumley Castle in Durham. People said the castle had ghosts, and we had heard a lot of stories about it.One night I asked my friend Rana [the late Manzarul Islam] to record his voice in the spookiest manner he could think of. Then we went to a room where Aftab Ahmed and a few other players were. I tapped on their window and played the recording. Within seconds the lot of them ran out of the room.Then I went to Javed [Omar] ‘s room and played the recording outside it. From inside, I heard him shout, “Mashrafe, we know it’s you. Go away!” But he didn’t come out, and I knew it was because he wasn’t really sure if it was me.Then I went to Sumon ‘s [Habibul Bashar] room. As soon as he opened the door, he saw a figure wrapped in a white sheet. He was there with his wife and naturally they were frightened.The next morning I didn’t dare go to the breakfast room for fear of what they all might do to me.What’s your favourite Mortaza memory?

Video plays from the three-match Test series between Sri Lanka and India

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2015The goodbye
In a way this series was all about Kumar Sangakkara and his farewell. Fittingly, in his last Test, the umpires and the Indian players joined together to give him a guard of honour.The pitch invasion
On the third day of the first Test in Galle, just as Dinesh Chandimal and Jehan Mubarak were building Sri Lanka’s lead, an unexpected long-tailed visitor showed up on the field of play.Record-breaking hands
Ajinkya Rahane started the three-match series in style on the field, claiming eight catches in Galle, setting a world record in the process. Five fielders had previously taken seven catches in a Test.Sangakkara conquered
Sangakkara, in his last series, would have been hopeful of at least one big score but R Ashwin had different ideas. Ashwin took Sangakkara’s edge in his final innings to have him out for the fourth time in four innings.A case of déjà vu
Learning from previous dismissals in Test cricket is imperative to a batsman’s growth but some of the Indian batsmen failed in that regard in the third Test. As many as four batsmen had an uncanny similarity between their first and second-innings dismissals.Incensed Ishant
Ishant Sharma might have been on fire with the ball, but that fire extended to the way he interacted with the Sri Lankans too. Did he go too far? The match referee certainly thought so and handed him a one-match ban.Mishra gets a lift from Rahane
Following India’s memorable 2-1 series win, Rahane and Naman Ojha decided to have some fun with Amit Mishra during a television interview…

An unstable batting order and inconsistent showings with the ball affected Sunrisers’ progress

Kanishkaa Balachandran26-May-201411:04

Isa Guha: Dhawan did not lead from the front

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: consistent across all conditions•BCCI

Where they finished

Sixth, with six wins in 14 games.

What went right

Not much went to plan for Sunrisers Hyderabad as a unit, but there were noteworthy individual performances. David Warner was their best batsman and with 528 runs was the tournament’s fourth-highest run-scorer at the end of the league stage. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the standout Indian bowler, exceeding expectations both in the UAE and in India.

What went wrong

Sunrisers had invested in big names at the auction but failed to get the balance right. A strong top order with the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Warner and Aaron Finch was followed by a weak middle order. Warner’s batting position was not stable. He started out in the top order, but had to be demoted to cover the slack in the middle. Sunrisers experimented by sandwiching a young Indian batsman, KL Rahul, between the openers and Warner and while it was successful in one match, Sunrisers could not apply it on a consistent basis.One of the reasons for the constant shuffling was the indifferent form of the captain Dhawan. In the closing stages, Sunrisers relieved him of the captaincy to help him focus on his batting and Darren Sammy took over. The plan worked in helping Dhawan get his rhythm back but the team had bigger worries. Having lost four games in the halfway stage of their campaign, they had plenty of catching up to do to make the playoffs and hence had to not only sweep their remaining games, but also rely on other results to go their way. Having lost three successive games at home in Hyderabad – where they had a good record in 2013 – the situation got desperate. They recovered lost ground with two successive wins, but it proved to be too little too late.Aside from the batting, another factor in Sunrisers’ underwhelming performance was the ineffectiveness of their best bowler Dale Steyn. Steyn enjoyed better returns in the UAE, but in India he was very expensive – he was hit for more than 20 runs in an over on four different occasions in this tournament, by AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni, George Bailey and Yusuf Pathan – and not as penetrative. Fatigue may have been an issue in his case, having played all 14 matches straight after the World T20. Bhuvneshwar carried the attack but support was not forthcoming from Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma.

Key stat

Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 1943 runs in the season, the smallest aggregate among all the teams. They also hit the fewest boundaries – 239.

Best player

While many Indian bowlers struggled to maintain their rhythm when the IPL shifted from the UAE to more challenging conditions in India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the only consistent one. Bhuvneshwar managed to maintain an economy-rate of under seven in both countries and his average remained more or less the same. Batsmen found it difficult to negotiate his movement with the new ball and yorkers at the death, and with 20 wickets, he was not only the best Indian bowler but also the joint leading wicket-taker with Sunil Narine at the end of the league stage.

Worst player

After an impressive showing at the World T20, Amit Mishra‘s form dipped in the IPL. Having three IPL hat-tricks to his name, he did not meet expectations this time with seven wickets in 10 games. The biggest black mark against him, though, was his economy rate of 9.06. In 2013, it stood at an impressive 6.35. In this edition, he went wicketless in six out of ten games.

Surprise package

With Mishra slipping off the radar, Karn Sharma stepped up and turned in another impressive season for Sunrisers. Karn played all 14 games and took 15 wickets with a best of 4 for 38. He was often brought on to restrict the flow of runs and is among a crop of budding Indian legspinners who have impressed in the tournament.

Memorable moment

Their game against Rajasthan Royals witnessed one of the most comical run-outs. Amit Mishra tried to sneak a bye off James Faulkner but his partner Irfan Pathan wasn’t interested. Mishra was already halfway down the pitch and had to turn back. The wicketkeeper Sanju Samson had plenty of time to affect a run-out but he missed the mark. Faulkner too had his chance and as Mishra’s luck would have it, the fast bowler also failed to knock down the stumps. Third time lucky? No. Mishra showed no urgency whatsoever to get back and casually looked at his partner. That meant there was enough time for Samson, who finally got his aim right to find Mishra short of his crease. All three characters had their moment of embarrassment but among them, Mishra would not want to see that replay ever again.

Unused players

Ashish Reddy, Ricky Bhui, Manpreet Juneja, Chama Milind, Prasanth Parameswaran, Amit Paunikar, Brendan Taylor.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from Auckland v Sialkot at the Champions League T20

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers09-Oct-2012Fans of the day
By the time the evening game came, the Wanderers crowd had swelled to around 500 and most of them were cheering on Sialkot. It was up to Auckland’s most charismatic player, Lou Vincent, to change that. Vincent has been on a mission to attract more fans to his franchise and has taken to carrying a Justin Bieber doll around to convince young people to come to the cricket. Some of them must have listened because they were at the boundary rope to high-five him every time Auckland took a wicket.Start of the day
After Imran Nazir showed glimpses of good form at the World T20, especially against Bangladesh, Sialkot may have expected him to start explosively in the Champions League. But Kyle Mills had something else to say about that. He kept Nazir in check with three consecutive short-of-a-length deliveries that nipped away from him and kept him stuck in his crease. Mills only give away two runs in that over and it was Auckland who made the impressive opening.Release of the day
Auckland had held Sialkot in a vice grip until someone the batsman found familiar came on to bowl. Azhar Mahmood did not just open the tap, he allowed water to gush out too. His over cost 18 runs and was an assortment of short balls, wide deliveries and ones that did not have much wrong with them, except that Haris Sohail could get hold of them.Double strike
Sarfraz Ahmed invited comparisons with Sohail Tanvir because of his unconventional action and almost lived up to the billing with his two wickets in the 14th over. Auckland were sailing to their target when Azhar Mahmood slapped a short and wide ball to short cover where Shoaib Malik took the catch. With the set batsmen gone, Sarfraz turned it on and beat Colin de Grandhomme’s bat twice with deliveries that angled away. He nicked the third one through to Shakeel Ansar to send jitters into the Auckland line-up.

South Africa have a 4-4 win-loss record in India, and the key has been their ability to largely keep the Indian batting line-up in check

S Rajesh05-Feb-2010They haven’t had the best off-pitch preparation for the tour of India, but South Africa go into this two-Test series with a genuine chance of regaining the top spot in the ICC Test rankings. A 1-0 win is what they need to topple India, but that’s easier said than done, as no overseas team has achieved a Test series victory in India in more than five years; the last side to do this was Australia, in October 2004, when they triumphed 2-1. Since then, nine times teams have tried, and failed, to defeat India in India. South Africa have been to India twice during this period for Test series, losing 1-0 in 2004 and drawing 1-1 in 2008. (Click here for India’s results in their last ten home series.)India will feel confident of maintaining their No.1 spot – they are coming off wins in their last five Test series, and their last three at home. Against South Africa, though, their record isn’t as impressive – overall, they’ve lost twice as many as they’ve won, and even at home they only have a 4-4 win-loss record.

India v South Africa in Tests

TestsInd wonSA wonDrawnOverall225107In India10442In fact, South Africa’s ratio of one win per loss is the best that any team has managed in India in the last 14 years. Pakistan have the same ratio as well, but the next-best team has only half that ratio: Australia have won four Tests and lost eight during this period.South Africa are also the only team with a higher batting average than bowling average in India during this period – in other words, they’ve scored more runs per wicket than conceded them. Like South Africa, Pakistan have won as many as they’ve lost too, but South Africa’s wins have been more emphatic – of their four victories, two have been by an innings and one by 329 runs. In fact, South Africa are the only side to inflict innings defeats on India in India in the last 15 years. (Click here for a list of India’s home defeats since 1996.)

Overseas teams in India since Jan 1996

TeamTestsWonLostW/L ratioBat aveBowl aveSouth Africa10441.0034.2629.24Pakistan9331.0034.0039.09Australia15480.5031.3736.65England8130.3332.0335.82New Zealand5010.0037.7348.40Sri Lanka9040.0034.2046.93West Indies3020.0024.7643.15Zimbabwe4030.0033.0164.08Many batsmen from outside the subcontinent have struggled to come to terms with the conditions in India, but South Africa’s current lot have dealt with the challenges pretty well. AB de Villiers scored a magnificent double-century when South Africa last toured, while Jacques Kallis has scored a century in each of his last two series in India. Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith average in the mid-40s as well. The only batsman who has struggled is Ashwell Prince. He had a torrid time against Graeme Swann recently in South Africa, getting out to him three times in five balls, and India’s spinners will be licking their lips in anticipation: he has been dismissed four times in India, and each time to a spinner – twice to Harbhajan Singh, once to Virender Sehwag and once to Anil Kumble.

South African batsmen in India

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sAB de Villiers330476.001/ 0Jacques Kallis755755.702/ 2Hashim Amla433347.571/ 2Graeme Smith540144.550/ 3Mark Boucher518130.160/ 1Ashwell Prince36817.000/ 0The Indian batsmen, on the other hand, have been strangely subdued against South Africa, and even more so at home. Virender Sehwag is an exception with 634 runs in eight innings, which is the highest by an Indian in home Tests against South Africa. Dravid averages marginally less than 40, with only one century in 18 innings, but even that is significantly better than the stats for Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. Between them, they have played 26 innings without a hundred.

Indian batsmenagainst South Africa, in India and overall

BatsmanHome TestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sOverall ave v SAVirender Sehwag563479.252/ 151.29Gautam Gambhir212943.000/ 143.00Rahul Dravid1062839.251/ 336.51MS Dhoni311428.500/ 127.25Sachin Tendulkar836728.230/ 235.35VVS Laxman826722.250/ 230.33In the only previous Test at this venue – against Australia in November 2008 – offspinners from both teams dominated, with Jason Krezja taking 12 and Harbhajan Singh seven. How South Africa tackle the Harbhajan threat could have a huge bearing on the series: in five home Tests against South Africa he has taken 32 wickets at an average of 25.09.Among the South Africans in the current squad, AB de Villiers has done the best against Harbhajan, using his deft footwork to score 107 runs off him for just one dismissal. Against Prince, though, Harbhajan will fancy his chances: in 92 deliveries Prince has managed only 26 runs, and has been dismissed twice.

Harbhajan v South African batsmen in home Tests

BatsmanRunsBallsDismissalsAverageRuns per overAB de Villiers1071921107.003.34Graeme Smith75188237.502.39Hashim Amla106197335.333.22Jacques Kallis131236432.753.33Ashwell Prince2692213.001.69Dale Steyn was South Africa’s leading bowler on their last tour to India, taking 15 wickets at an excellent average of 20.20, but South Africa will want him to inflict more damage against India’s top-order batsmen this time. In 2008, out Steyn’s 15 wickets, nine were specialist bowlers – he was most successful against Harbhajan, dismissing him four times, while RP Singh fell thrice to him.

Sri Lanka have slipped to a new level of incompetence and India are on the rise. For me, the disturbing signals are from seniors

Arjuna Ranatunga29-Oct-2005

Marvan Atapattu will have to lead from the front for a Sri Lankan turnaround © Getty Images

Sri Lanka have slipped to a new level of incompetence and India are on the rise. For me, the disturbing signals are from seniors who have to provide leadership to a touring party. Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan are our favourite sons. A few failures can’t revise their reputations. They now have to dig their heels deep to ensure the team is not redefined if another week, god forbids, of similar intensity is going to rock our boat.A few things have been beyond control. Jayasuriya might be a little out of touch but his injury hasn’t allowed him to be his ebullient self. He alone can answer the charge that he is a bit slow or if his reflexes and eyesight are not how they used to be. Murali has been confronted by a high quality batsman in Sachin Tendulkar after a long time and if there are only hundred-odd runs to defend, it restricts even his options. Mahela Jayawardene then has to attend his wedding and I don’t blame him either for it was arranged before the present schedule was announced.I am concerned about the collective batting failure. It is the batsmen who win you games in our subcontinent conditions. I also don’t approve of Kumara Sangakkara opening the batting. The opening combination was duly tinkered with but Sangakkara isn’t the man for the job. When everyone is gripped with the virus of failure, you don’t put all your worries at the doorstep of your best man. Every individual has to pull his own weight. Upul Tharanga needs to be brought out of the closet as an opener.I also wouldn’t accept the pitch being held up as a reason for our batting mishaps. The one at Mohali was perfect, backed with a lightning quick outfield. I certainly didn’t see it as one where the ball was holding up. Even at Nagpur, one has to revisit the match again to see if spinners really had that huge assistance in the second half of the day. I mean, when the spinning duo of Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag took successive wickets, it was only in the 10th and 11th overs of the innings and the ball was still new!It is easy to over-react to such terrible reverses and I hope such a thing is not happening behind the closed doors of the dressing room. There is nothing wrong with the quality of these batsmen. Most who go out of form suffer because they start believing their best has deserted them. Being uptight will never be a solution, it actually adds to the problem. Sometimes being relaxed is the best option. The best process is to attend to the basics – watch the ball closely as it leaves the bowler’s hands and trust your ability which has brought you thus far. If it is a technical issue, help is available from the support staff.The best man to convey the message is the captain. Actually, Atapattu could cite from his own experience. When he began his career in India, years ago, he was a doddering wreck where even scoring the first run was a matter of celebration. Amid cries for his head, we believed in his ability but more importantly, he believed in himself. He soon turned the corner and a string of centuries and double centuries flowed. That message still has relevance. I have a massive regard for his ability and intelligence. We in Sri Lanka are actually in the process of appointing him as long-term captain, till the 2007 World Cup.It’s a complete contrast with the Indians. Their batsmen are raking up massive totals and their bowlers are dismissing the opponents for less than 200. I am sure Sachin Tendulkar and Irfan Pathan have much to do with this revival as their efforts in the first two games show.Pathan deserves a closer look as a world class allrounder in the making. Even though he, and his captain Rahul Dravid, wouldn’t like this extra weight of expectations to be placed on his shoulders, it is an inescapable offshoot of good performances.As for Tendulkar, he has lifted modern-day mediocrity with his sublime genius. Men like him inspire a generation of youngsters to pick up the game and create a different level of creativity. Ask yourself how many times you have replayed those pick-up shots over the infield in your mind and swooned over it. We are suffused in his genius and watching an immortal in action. Enjoy it for such men grace the game once in a generation!

Scott Boland hopes he has put enough pressure on Australia’s selectors to keep his place for the second Test against India in Delhi despite Mitchell Starc’s imminent return from a finger injury.Starc missed the opening Test in Nagpur because of the finger injury he suffered in late December. He remained at home for the start of the tour but has flown into Delhi and will train today on his own. Australia’s physical performance coach Aaron Kellett has flown to Delhi to oversee Starc’s training while the rest of the team remained in Nagpur to train before travelling to Delhi on Tuesday.Boland wasn’t originally set to play in Nagpur, but Josh Hazlewood’s Achilles issue opened the door for him and he bowled 17 overs for just 34 runs in India’s innings of 400. He bowled one of the best fast-bowling spells of the match on the second morning, delivering three maidens in six overs and conceding just three runs while bowling to the in-form Rohit Sharma. It came after Australia had conceded 40 runs in the first 13 overs of the morning. His ability to slow the scoreboard down helped Todd Murphy pick up two wickets at the other end.Related

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While Starc looks like a lock to return, having played every Test on the tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year as the second quick alongside Pat Cummins when Australia played two spinners, Boland was hopeful of slotting in.”I felt like I bowled well, but when you are bringing in someone like Mitchell Starc, who is a gun in these conditions and has bowled really well in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, hopefully I made the selectors job a little bit tougher than what it originally was,” Boland said. “In places like here, it is tough to judge [how you went] as a fast bowler but I think I contributed to our game plan and I played my role pretty well.”I think I had a pretty good spell in conjunction with Toddy a couple of times so I was happy with how the ball came out.”

Will Mitchell Starc be ready for Delhi Test?

“Obviously I want to play. I enjoyed the challenge of bowling in these different conditions. I’ve just got to make the selectors’ job as hard as I can to bring someone in,” Boland said. “We don’t know. I’m not sure. I haven’t seen Starcy bowl. I’m not sure if he’s going to be right to play. I assume he is if he’s over here. I don’t think we’re going to play three fast bowlers. There’s only going to be two spots up for grabs, I reckon.”4:36

Were Australia a tad too defensive with the ball?

India were 168 for 5 at one stage in their innings in Nagpur, but Boland bowled just eight overs after that point. He found the outside edge of both Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel early in their innings but neither ball went to hand.Coach Andrew McDonald did not think Boland was underbowled in the innings despite appearing to be Australia’s second-best bowler behind Murphy. “I think it was about right,” McDonald said. “I think we wanted to come in with the quicks and use reverse swing. We probably didn’t get as much reverse as we thought and nor did they. There wasn’t as much reverse on offer but definitely Scott did the role we expected him to do.”He allowed the spinners to be well-placed, and we knew that we were going to have combinations where Scotty would bowl with the spinner down the other end and there was going to be other periods where the spinners would bowl together. The question for us, was it too similar with two [off] spinners operating in tandem spinning the ball in?”Starc’s reverse swing threat would be a major temptation for the selectors in Delhi as would his ability to create rough outside the right-hander’s off stump when bowling over the wicket, which will significantly aid Murphy and Nathan Lyon, although it would also help R Ashwin.Boland got a hint of reverse in Nagpur but conceded the ball did not stay hard for long enough for it to be effective. “I felt like we had a little bit of reverse swing but the ball was so soft and the wicket was so slow through the middle, it was hard to beat the inside edge with the bat,” he said. “Maybe if we can get reverse swing a little bit earlier we might be able to beat the inside edge, but with the wicket being so slow it was hard work.”He also noted how difficult it was for Australia’s slip fielders. Alex Carey stood up to the stumps to Boland for periods, while the edges off Jadeja and Axar did not carry to a regulation slip. Steven Smith was standing unusually close at first slip for the Jadeja edge but could not grasp the near-impossible chance.”I felt running in that they looked real close,” Boland said. “I think I bowled a couple of overs from the other end with the second new ball and I asked Pete [Handscomb] to come as close as he could and I was running in and I was like ‘he’s too close’, even if they nick it he’s not going to catch it. He was happy to do that and I just said stand where you’re comfortable. If you do get an edge you want him to have a chance to catch it.”

The shirt number Alejandro Garnacho will wear at Chelsea has been revealed, after he completed a £40 million ($54m) move from Manchester United.

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• Bizarre shirt number revealed

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Chelsea have confirmed Garnacho will wear the No.49 shirt for the Blues following his long-awaited arrival from United. Interestingly, the number is the same one he wore during his first two seasons in the first team at Old Trafford, something the Blues were strangely keen to point out.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  There is no doubt that Garnacho views his breakthrough years as the most memorable of his career so far. Nevertheless, it is a questionable decision to show sentiment towards his past at United so soon after a public falling-out with the club and its head coach Ruben Amorim. Garnacho will hope to invoke the spirit of 2022-23, when he looked to have the world at his feet aged 18, as he settles into life at Stamford Bridge.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Garnacho made 144 appearances for United before his relationship with the club turned sour, scoring 26 goals. Surprisingly, the 2024-25 season was his most productive in front of goal despite the Argentina international falling out of favour under Amorim, as he struck 11 goals in 58 appearances in all competitions.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GARNACHO?

  Garnacho will know as well as anyone that this is a big year for his career. Not only does he have a new club, manager and set of fans to impress, but it is a World Cup year and the new Blues star will dream of representing Argentina on the world stage for the first time in the USA, Canada and Mexico. He will hope to achieve a lot in his new No.49 shirt at Stamford Bridge, playing for a side he proclaims to be the "world's best".