Virat Kohli – The future star of Indian cricket.

HOBART, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 28: Virat Kohli of India celebrates after reaching his century during the One Day International match between India and Sri Lanka at Bellerive Oval on February 28, 2012 in Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

“A master class batsmen for India at number three”

India’s majority of the victories in the recent past were achieved single-handedly by the young man called Virat Kohli, who has shown great maturity towards his innings at this young age itself. He has once again offered a master class on how to construct an innings against Sri Lanka in the concluded 4th ODI at Colombo. It is because of Kohli majorly that India has managed to seal the deal against the Lankans.

Till he is in the center, one would think India’s hopes of winning a game are alive, particularly while chasing a big target. So, has Virat replaced Sachin today? Normally, between 2003-08 whenever India chased, fans would be relieved if Sachin is out in the middle. However, nowadays Virat is being put in the same mold. Since the 2011 World Cup, he has performed for India on a consistent basis, thereby seeking a permanent place in the Indian squad. His footwork is as good as that of a belly dancer. In such a short span, Kohli has notched up 13 hundreds, out of which 5 have come this year. Be it chasing or piling up a score, Kohli shows a lot of character towards his game.

What is unique about him is the way he approaches his innings according to the circumstances which separates him from other players; especially while chasing 300 plus runs, he has a different mindset than what he typically shows. For instance, taking the case of the fourth ODI after India lost an early wicket, Kohli still took on the attack to the Sri Lankan bowlers, given that Sehwag was still at the crease. This shows that he plays his innings depending on the batsmen he has on the other side, the circumstances that he comes into bat etc. are the factors he generally takes into account. That’s the trait of a good batsman.

Also, on the disastrous 2011/12 India tour of Australia, in which India’s senior batsmen struggled throughout, Kohli stood out, scoring his first Test hundred in Adelaide. Virat Kohli is currently regarded as one of India’s potential number three batman in Tests, after the retirement of Rahul Dravid following the Australian tour. When senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar was rested for the tri-nations tournament in Bangladesh in January 2010, Kohli got to play in all of India’s five matches. After making nine in the opening loss to Sri Lanka, he top-scored with 91 to help secure a win  in their next match after India collapsed early in their run chase against Bangladesh. He ended the match unbeaten to help win the match for India with a bonus point after they chased down their target quickly. The next match, he scored his second ODI century against Bangladesh, bringing up the mark with the winning runs.

This is what an in-form batsman can do and be dangerous to the opposition.

He showed wonderful powers of concentration to go with the skills that he’s got. He didn’t break a sweat and posed a challenge to the bowlers whether or not they have the ability to get him out – given that he has the capability of playing all kinds of deliveries, be it in-swing, yorkers etc.

Yes, he has the tools and I don’t think there’s much difference in class, but the question is whether he would able to maintain the consistency until 2015 World Cup, since he has become a more reliable batsman nowadays. Somewhere down the line, much to everyone’s relief, I think Virat Kohli managed to strike the right balance. He seems to have toned down his mistakes and the obsession over his game and his technique.

So I think Virat Kohli is the right candidate for the number three spot. If his success continues to flows, then there’s no doubt that he would be playing non-stop cricket for many years, like Dhoni and Raina, who had played two and half years of continuous cricket.

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The curse of being Sachin’s fans

He debuted in international cricket when he was just 16 years of age. Little did anyone expect by then that he would be custodian of most of the batting records in two decades’ time. An unprecedented tons of tons was completed by him, not long ago, taking into account the number of centuries he scored in Tests and ODI cricket, put together. The whole of India goes crazy when he enters the cricket field with English Willow in his hand.

That’s how this little man from Mumbai called Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar created a name for himself. He owns every batting record possible in cricket. No one in the world of Cricket, leave alone India, could prove to be a crowd puller like him. He has the largest fan following, as a sportsman, in India. The fans of cricket simply wanted him to create records after records. Even after playing for years together, he is still active as a player in all forms of the game. As much as the inner desire in him to score runs grows, so is the passion of his fans to see their hero amassing as much runs as possible, whenever he takes guard.

Now, as it stands, in both tests and ODI version, Sachin looks to be miles ahead of the rest of the cricketers in terms of statistics, not to mention much more ahead of his contemporaries as far as technique and ability. As this universally loved Mumbaikar is still not showing any signs of retiring, the gap between him and the rest as regards to the runs scored is going to widen further, leaving him untouchable in so many ways.

Though we cannot foresee any immediate threat which could obliterate Sachin’s present records, there is no guarantee of such a thing not happening in the later future. In fact clouds of such an imminent threat have started to gather slowly and look very much promising to overhaul the records of Cricket’s eternal master. In fact the threat I am referring to, looks more vibrant on many counts. Let me reveal the threat which looks exceedingly ominous to outclass Sachin’s exploits.

The person who I reckon would go on to break Sachin’s records, atleast in ODIs is Virat Kohli, the man who comes to bat at No.3 for India nowadays. Strictly speaking, it is not fair to call him a threat to Sachin or for that matter to anyone because, after all the former belongs to the Indian team. We must, on the other hand, be proud that only an Indian was able to break another Indian’s records, of course, if it happens.

But, on the contrary each and every die hard fan of Sachin think otherwise. They feel that Virat Kohli, every time as he hits a century in limited overs international, is inching closer to the great man which is not acceptable. In fact, Kohli has now made 13 centuries in just 86 ODIs which is the fastest by any other individual who has played this game. Besides, Kohli is just 23 years of age and could still play for another fifteen years, if he stays fit. And with the amount of one day cricket now being played, as compared to yesteryears, it looks not that much difficult for the Delhi Cricketer to surpass whatever Sachin sets as benchmark.

Now that puts Sachin fans in a big fix. Many fans of this great Indian batsman have already started feeling hard to digest whenever media tries to draw a parallel between him and Kohli, based on the runs the latter has scored till date and that too very consistently. Even some of the fans of the little master reacted widely in social networking sites when the comparisons were drawn between the two in terms of number of centuries and runs scored by both after 85 ODIs. They simply could not stand such talks. They do not want anyone, even if it is an Indian, to overtake Sachin.

This is what I feel is the curse being a Sachin fan. This attitude of the fans will attain drastic proportions when the great man retires. They may even want to see Kohli getting out early every match so that their hero’s records remain intact. Instead of eulogizing the efforts of the young Kohli, the fanaticism of the fans of Sachin will push them to root against the Delhi batsman. Of all, Kohli looks to be batting with a greater determination more than anyone in the Indian team. He is making use of his talent to the maximum extent possible on the cricket field and as a result he is able to score runs with ease. With every possibility of Sachin’s status as the top run getter in ODIs getting dismantled in fifteen years’ time, the crazy fans of the Mumbai batsman have started demeaning the achievements of Kohli till date, failing to give him his due which he thoroughly deserves till now.

Even one of my friends who is a Sachinist in every sense, was telling me Sachin’s records would not be outclassed by Virat because his fitness would not hold him long for so many years. I could understand by the way he talked it was not the fitness of Kohli which was bothering him but rather it was his wish that the young batsman should not continue playing for long. Sachin fans would look to sacrifice their country over an individual. If it goes on like this, they would stop supporting India to win matches in the end.

On one way, though we feel that such a fanaticism over an individual is preposterous, we have to analyse as to what made Indian fans so “Sachin Crazy”. Sachin has started as a kid in international cricket and saw many stalwarts in his team. Since he was so young, cricket fans loved him from day one. Now he has completed more than 23 years of international cricket. Within these 23 years, the fans of cricket would have experienced many highs and lows in their personal lives itself.

In more than two decades of his illustrious career, so many things would have happened. A new member would have been added in many of the families. Many marriages would have happened in many families. The Sons and Daughters in many families would have got seats to pursue Engineering or Medicine. A few would have seen their grandsons or granddaughters born to their children. May be a few families would have lost their near and dear ones within these 23 years. All such things would have happened in every family as two decades is so longer a time.

So, the cricket followers of those families, if they are the fans of Sachin, would associate more such happenings (either good or bad) with the little master, as they have been watching him growing up as a player from the time when he was jut 16. They may well say such and such things have happened in their personal lives when Sachin scored a century in “So and So” place. That is one of the ways to recall the past happenings whatever happened in these 23 years of time. Many Indian families have grown with Sachin in this manner and for most of them he is one of their family members.

Sachin has been such a big name in India and people love him unconditionally. This is the reason now many of his fans could not digest or accept someone going ahead of him. I remember one lady in Chennai of more than 80 years of age considers Sachin as her grandson and the master blaster paid a visit to her house as a mark of respect to get her blessing when an article on her was published in newspapers.

For such fans, even the country comes next only to Sachin. So, be it Kohli or any other young cricketer who aspires to become a great player, it would take nothing but more than a herculean task to get a place in anyone’s heart. It is simply not going to be an easy task for them. They have to find a way to do it or else the fans of Sachin will not accept any one else as their hero. They would probably pray clandestinely that the younger players retire soon or fair badly in all matches they play. They may not be enjoying the game in the end as they would continue to fear facing the situation of someone surpassing Sachin.

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El Clasico: Barcelona v Real Madrid by Ayaz – review A history of the hatred between Spain's two great clubs is a riveting read.

El Clasico: Barcelona v Real Madrid by Richard Fitzpatrick – review

A history of the hatred between Spain's two great clubs is a riveting read.

'The greatest show on earth': Real Madrid's Marcelo fouls Barcelona's Lionel Messi in a 2011 Champions League semi-final. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images

In August 1973, the Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, then at the peak of his considerable powers, signed for Barcelona. He had been pursued byReal Madrid too, but spurned their advances by saying he would never play for a team "associated with Franco". To cement his hero-rebel status, Cruyff led his new club to a 5-0 away victory against Real Madrid and a few days afterwards, in February 1974, he named his newborn son Jordi. Sant Jordi is the patron saint of Catalonia and it was a pointed move as General Franco had not only banned the Catalan language but also outlawed Catalan names (Jorge being the preferred Spanish iteration of George).

Cruyff formed an immediate bond with Barcelona – he still lives in the city – but his decision also reflected a prevailing wisdom that Real Madrid were the team of the regime. They enjoyed favoured status and preferential treatment from Spanish administrators and referees, at least until General Franco died in his bed in late 1975 – or that was how the story went. Barcelona were oppressed and beaten It is hard to think of Barcelona as underdogs any more. They have won the Spanish league three out of the last four years, and the Champions League twice in the same period. Their players dominate the Spain side that has lifted the last two European championships and the 2010 World Cup. It is often debated whether they are the greatest team ever to play the game.

And yet, when it comes to matches against Real Madrid, Barcelona still manage to remain the little guy, the neutral's favourite. Real Madrid are the galácticos, the name given to their annual raid of the world's greatest talent. Barcelona, meanwhile, are a hotchpotch down.

assembled from home-grown, local kids inculcated at their vaunted youth academy, La Masia. The Spanish have a neat expression for the difference in philosophy: cantera versus cartera (youth system against wallet).

The idea of a David and Goliath struggle has a physical basis too. Barcelona's famous five frontline, led by La Masia-trained Lionel Messi, averages just 5ft 7in; a 2012 study by the Professional Football Players Observatory measured top-flight teams from 33 leagues and found that Barcelona's squad was the smallest. Real Madrid, revealingly, had the tallest players in La Liga. Throw in the fact that, in recent years, Barca forfeited millions to carry Unicef as their main shirt sponsor and the lines between good and evil are clearly drawn.

The fractious relationship between Real Madrid and Barcelona is picked apart and often challenged by Richard Fitzpatrick in his comprehensive, enlightening, though occasionally scattergun El Clásico (the name given to matches between the two teams). He calls it "football's greatest rivalry", and while that might not win him too many friends in Manchester or Glasgow, it will not be too contentious to non-partisan fans. As Sid Lowe, a Guardian and Observer writer, observes, the pair appear to spur each other to further excellence every season. "They are McEnroe and Borg, Coe and Ovett," he tells Fitzpatrick. "They are producing unbelievable statistics, partly because they have to."

The secret to any rivalry – as those examples from tennis and athletics remind us – is a clash of styles and ideologies. Although Real Madrid (signified by a raging bull) and Barcelona (represented by a Catalan donkey) have been playing each other for more than a century, Fitzpatrick observes that the intense competition is a relatively recent phenomenon. Real Madrid – the "royal" status was conferred in 1920 by King Alfonso XIII – have mostly been preoccupied with their el derbiclashes with cross-town rivals Atlético Madrid. Barcelona only established themselves as pretenders in the 1990s, when Cruyff had returned to manage the club and created a dream team that won the league six times in the decade.

Part of the reason the fixture has taken so long to become established is Spain's distinctive approach to fandom. Barcelona have around 173,000 members, but only a few hundred will travel to away games. "In England, people have really only got their football," explains John Carlin, an author and El Pais journalist who lives in Barcelona. "Here, they've got namby-pamby stuff like going to lunch with their grandmothers or going for a walk by the sea." One Barca fan tells Fitzpatrick that at el clásico matches fighting is more likely to break out between rightwing and leftwing factions of the same club than it is between rival sets of supporters.

Fitzpatrick's book is invaluable for the context that it gives a match that you might have watched superficially for years. It makes perfect sense, for example, that Real Madrid – the current home of José Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo – are historically known for their chuleria, a Spanish word for "arrogance" or "swagger" (contrast with Barca's star pairing, Messi and Pep Guardiola, who recently stepped down as manager, typically compared to seminarians). On the other side, the author, a Barcelona resident, neatly links the team's intricate play with the invention of Catalan chef Ferran Adrià, and with the phrase seny i rauxa: "common sense and madness".

Increasingly, however, the two behemoths have more in common than differences. Despite their ground-breaking academy, Barcelona actually spent more on transfers during the summer of 2011 than Real Madrid; they also now have a shirt-sponsorship deal with the Qatar Foundationthat pays £25m a year for five years. La Liga is fast becoming an undesirable two-horse race: in 2011, the team that finished third, Valencia, were almost as close to the relegation zone as they were to Barcelona and Real Madrid out front. Both teams have a distressing rap sheet of racist incidents.

El clásico is the greatest show on Earth right now, but the fate of Glasgow's Rangers is a timely reminder that these rivalries do not always remain inviolable for ever.

Mourinho hopes Kaka stay Real Madrid playmaker is on AC Milan's radar.

Mourinho hopes Kaka stay

Real Madrid playmaker is on AC Milan's radar

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has said that he would be happy if Kaka were to remain in his team for the 2012/13 season.

Kaka: Real Madrid playmaker has been linked with a move back to AC Milan

The Brazilian playmaker has been strongly linked with a move back to AC Milan this summer after failing to impress consistently over the last three seasons.Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has said that he would be happy if Kaka were to remain in his team for the 2012/13 season.

Mourinho has remained coy on the future of the 30-year-old whenever he has been asked to comment on the matter, and following Real's 5-1 victory over LA Galaxy on their US tour maintained the same stance.

"For me there is no problem," the Portuguese told Real's official website.

"We will try to get the best out of him. He is a good player. He played well last season and helped us win games.

"Our hope is that he stays. As a coach I would be happy because he is serious, hardworking and contributes to the group.

"In some matches he is a great player, with quality and the ability to help us win. We know him well and have worked together for two years.

"He contributed well last season and I know what he has in his head. We do not need to send messages. The important thing is that he decides on his future that is ideal for himself."

Former Brazil defender Roberto Carlos retires

Roberto Carlos (right) during his time at Real Madrid.

Rio de Janeiro, Aug 2 (IANS)Former Brazil and Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos has announced his retirement from football.

The 39-year-old will assume an ambassador’s role for Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, where he played the last of his 22 professional seasons, reports Xinhua.

“Roberto was a world class player and it’s sad that we’re not going to see him play again,” Anzhi coach Guus Hiddink said Wednesday.

“Thankfully Roberto has agreed to take on a role with the club to help develop football in the region and throughout Russia.”

Carlos began his professional career in 1991 at Uniao Sao Joao, going on to play for Palmeiras before a move to Europe with Inter Milan in 1995. He signed for Real Madrid the following year, staying at the Spanish giants until 2007.

Before joining Anzhi, he had spells at Turkish side Fenerbahce and Corinthians in Brazil.

Carlos, a member of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup winning squad, revealed Anzhi was planning a testimonial match against Real Madrid, the club he represented 370 times between 1996 and 2007.

“We have sat down with (Real president) Florentino Perez and discussed the possibility of a match,” Carlos said.

“We need to establish a date that suits both clubs. I’d like it to be played here in Russia.”

Carlos played 125 games for Brazil and was a member of the team’ s 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cup squads. Known for his turn of pace and ability at free-kicks, Carlos will especially be remembered for his stunning “banana shot” against France in 1997, in which he curled in a left-foot free-kick which seemed to be going yards (metres) wide.

For More Info Visit:-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Carlos_(footballer)

Five players who are first choice for country but not for club

We Next takes a look at some of the bizarre cases in football where a footballer isn’t /wasn’t first choice for his domestic club, however, is/was a first choice for their country:

Miroslav Klose – Bayern Munich and Germany (2010)

Klose celebrates a goal for Germany in the 2010 World Cup.

Miroslav Klose wasn’t a starter for Bayern Munich in the 2009/2010 season – in fact, he was the 3rd choice striker at times. Finishing the season with 38 appearances – albeit, most of them off the bench – compared to Ivica Olic and Mario Gomez’s respective 41 and 45 appearances, the 2010 World Cup was approaching and his teammate and compatriot, Gomez had scored more goals (14) than him (6.)

However, Germany coach, Joachim Low still chose to opt for the intelligence, link-up play, technique, work rate and experience of Klose rather than the instinct, aerial ability and poaching ability of Gomez and it proved to be a success as Klose scored 4 goals in 5 games as Germany finished 3rd.

Gonzalo Higuain – Real Madrid and Argentina (2011 – )

Higuain (left) on the bench for Real Madrid.

Plagued with injuries and a change of fortune for his competitor, Karim Benzema in the 2010/2011 season, had resigned Gonzalo Higuain to the bench for Real Madrid. The French born, Argentine has since played second fiddle to Benzema for Los Blancos, though he still plays a lot of games and scores goals, majority of his appearances are off the bench.

Despite being a second choice for the club, Higuain still hasn’t lost his place as first choice striker for Argentina, one of the strongest nations in the world where he has directly contributed to 10 goals in 12 games since 2011. Quite a feat.

Antonio Cassano – AC Milan and Italy (2011 – )

Cassano.

Italian bad boy, Antonio Cassano had joined AC Milan in the 2011 January transfer window where he made many cameos, helping the Rossoneri win Serie A that season. However, he never really staked a claim in the first team and was behind Pato, Ibrahimovic and Robinho in the pecking order. The same order was followed in the 2011/2012 season and heart surgery cut short Cassano’s season midway.

However, he was still crucial for Italy, making 15 appearances for the Azzurri since 2011, playing a key role in EURO 2012 qualifiers and the tournament itself, as Italy finished 2nd with Cassano leaving the tournament with a goal to his name.

Nigel De Jong – Manchester City and Holland (2011 – )

Nigel De Jong.

To accommodate the arrivals of Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri last season, Yaya Toure was dropped deep in midfield by Roberto Mancini and Nigel De Jong was promptly dropped to the bench. The 2011/2012 season was a season to forget for the Dutchman, individually as he only made 11 league starts. He understood his manager’s decision though:

“It is part of the job that I sometimes sit on the bench. We have a rotation system. Ideally I would play in every game, but the team comes first and we won the title, so it was all worth it.” – De Jong.

However, De Jong still kept his place in the Holland side regardless, and started all three EURO 2012 group stage games for Oranje before they were eliminated.

Javier Mascherano – Barcelona and Argentina (2010 – )

Mascherano.

Javier Mascherano established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, let alone England, while at Liverpool. He soon opted to move to La Liga champions, Barcelona in 2010, where he played second fiddle to rising star, Sergio Busquets. Mascherano however, was converted into a central defender by Pep Guardiola to cover the absense of injury prone captain, Carles Puyol and it proved to be a great success, but the Argentine was soon resigned to the bench again once Puyol was fit.

“I have to accept my place [on the bench.] Piqué and Puyol are the first choice centre backs and if they’re fit, they play.” – Mascherano.

Even though majority of his career as a Barcelona player has been on the bench, Mascherano is still one of the first members on the teamsheet for Argentina, being a key player for La Albiceleste, making 17 appearances since 2011.

Notable mentions: Nani, Coentrao, Dzeko, Perisic and Chicharito. If you have some suggestions, comment below!

Daily Transfer Updates – 3rd August

Manchester United face PSG competition for Lucas ? Nani to leave for Real Madrid ?

Manchester United could face yet another roadblock in their quest to sign Brazilian youngster Lucas Moura. It is being claimed that cash-rich PSG, who would face no trouble meeting the $49 million asking price set by Sao Paulo, have also entered the race. Inter Milan are also said to have bid $39 million for the player, which was promptly turned down by the Brazilian club.

Reports have also emerged of a surprise Real Madrid bid for United winger Nani. The Galacticos have reportedly made an offer in the region of $30 million for the player, whose recent contract talks have reached an impasse. However, with Sir Alex keen on retaining Nani, it is hard to see this deal going through.

Van Persie rules out Juventus deal

Arsenal’s want-away striker Robin van Persie has ruled out a move to Juventus. His agent, Fabio Parisi had earlier claimed that a deal with the Italian giants had already been signed.

However, with coach Antonio Conte embroiled in a match-fixing controversy, the Italians are out of the running and Manchester United are back in the race as firm favourites for the Dutch international.

Arsenal’s Song set for Barcelona move

Barcelona are set to make a move for Alex Song of Arsenal as a replacement for Seydou Keita, who left the Catalonian club earlier this summer.

Arsenal are also happy to let the midfielder move, provided Barcelona meet the club’s asking price of $25 million.

Neymar staying put at Santos

Santos forward Neymar, who La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have been actively pursuing for over a year now, will be staying at Santos till his contract ends at 2014, club president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro has claimed.

The 20 year old was earlier linked with a $73 million switch to Barcelona.