Messi Gives Barca a Lifeline

The Argentine was instrumental in Barcelona’s 3-2 victory over Real Madrid. The win opens up La Liga title race with five matches left in the season.

Kohli, the Man Who Makes Things Happen

Sport in general is moving towards a culture which despises defensive attributes.Cricket is no different. In a nut-shell, the India-Sri Lanka series will be a clash between two teams struggling to NEGOTIATE THEIR SPACE in the broader cricketing universe. But there is a thin line between bravado and foolhardiness, defensiveness and pragmatism.Only the best can draw the line.

Gelling Well and That's Good News!

In the true guru-sishya (coach-disciple) tradition, Virat Kohli has struck a WONDERFUL TANDEM with team director Ravi Shastri. They rate each other highly and the compliments have flown thick and fast in their respective interviews to various publications. If the two can revive the very best of the times gifted to us by Wright-Ganguly and Kirsten-Dhoni, Indian cricket will be well served.

Stand-in, Stand Out

In a series of runs, runs and more runs, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli STOOD THE TALLEST with an amalgam of focus and technique. They are also young Test captains, but different personalities with the same intent, unburdened by responsibility.

M.S.Dhoni: Still A Lot of Cricket Left In Him

Ever since his retirement from Test cricket, the questions around Dhoni’s presence in the limited-overs sides have grown louder. It is true Dhoni is not the batsman he once was. However, the 35-year-old demonstrated in Mohali that he still had plenty to offer with the bat. And Ranchi’s favourite son is unspeakably brilliant behind the stumps.

A Different Team; A Different Ball Game

It’s advantage India in the heat and dust of the sub-continent, but do not count the Englishmen out. Having played two Tests in similar conditions, against a combative Bangladesh, England will have a FAIR IDEA of what to expect in India.

Carlos And The Goal That Shook The World

It came AS A SURPRISE when Carlos Alberto was not chosen for the Brazilian squad, which so catastrophically contested the 1966 World Cup in England. But in 1970, he was not only properly chosen, but given the captaincy, writes BRAIN GLANVILLE in his tribute to the great footballer.

Padding up for a New Innings

After years in the wilderness, Abhinav Mukund (in pic) has MADE A COMEBACK to the Indian Test team. Speaking to S. DINAKAR, the Tamil Nadu opening batsman says, “I thought all my chances of playing for India were gone. There wasn’t anything to look forward to, and I thought of giving up the game.”

Misbah & Younis: A Lasting Legacy

Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have carried the torch for Pakistan for long. However, they have not quite GOT THE RECOGNITION they deserved.

Browne, Bradshaw Blight Blighty!

A THRILLING CLIMAX it was with West Indies snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. By VIJAY LOKAPALLY.

Australia Breaks Through

Australia, which had not reached the final of the previous four competitions, won the title for the first time and skipper Ricky Ponting attributed it to TEAM EFFORT.

'Good Thing That The Monkey Is Off My Back'

This is a most-wanted list of a different kind. It’s the list that all bowlers want to be on. And two fast bowlers currently occupy the top two slots.

A Strategic Thriller That Hamilton Won

It was mano-a-mano between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel in the Spanish Grand Prix and the BRIT CAME OUT ON TOP, but only by a small margin.

IPL: 10 Years Of Cricketing Extravaganza

The Indian Premier League is here to stay with its massive sixes, bank-busting crores, hyperventilating commentators, the rags-to-riches cricketers and its general air of ‘all is well with the world.’ Whether it will EVENTUALLY SOUND the death knell for cricket’s longer formats only time will tell, writes K. C. Vijay Kumar.

'I Really Felt Like I Belonged At The International Level'

The 2009 ICC Champions Trophy was a breakthrough tournament for Shane Watson. He scored two remarkable hundreds in the semifinal and the final, and made SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS with the ball through the competition, as Australia defended its title.

Edging England In Edgbaston

India defeated England by five runs in Edgbaston in June 2013 to claim its second ICC Champions Trophy (having shared the title with Sri Lanka in 2002) and assert its status as the WORLD’S BEST ODI side. The win helped Dhoni complete his collection of ICC silverware as captain, after having won the 2007 WT20 and the 2011 World Cup.

Caution Is Donald's Watchword

“In the Champions Trophy, YOU HAVE TO PEAK WITHIN THREE WEEKS. One mistake here could see you packing the bags,” says the legendary South African pace bowler Allan Donald, who is now Sri Lanka’s fast bowling coach. 

IPL: Decoding The Winning Formula

From a distance, the IPL comes across as a never-ending party where everyone gets high and nobody passes out. You don’t see effigies burning or police lathi-charging fans after a tense finish. Derek Abraham digs deeper to realise that a lot of planning, strategising and back-end work goes into masterminding a win. Incredibly, the challenges vary from game to game…

Bayern Munich Wins Bundesliga Crown

Bayern Munich clinched its 25th Bundesliga title and is line for a double as its German Cup final against Borussia Dortmund is scheduled for May 21.

Who Should Go To Rio?

Who should board the flight to Rio? Two-time Olympic medallist and former World champion Sushil Kumar or Olympic quota place winner and current Asia and World championship medallist Narsingh Yadav? This is the biggest riddle in the Indian sports circles at present.

A Fi ghter On And Off The Fi eld

Yuvraj Singh excelled in junior cricket, before extending his artistry to the international arena where he came to clobber the best of bowlers with rare flamboyance.

Check Errors With Technology

The TV umpire should check every delivery for a ‘no-ball’ to avoid heartburns.

Jasprit Bumrah - The Indian Bombardier

A crafty fast bowler hurling thunderbolts on the turf, off it Jasprit Bumrah is as gentle as they come. His progress as a cricketer will shape the way India performs and travels not just in this World Cup but even beyond that.

A Real Show Of Money

Manchester United seemed to have brought its prodigal son Paul Pogbaback for good when it paid a then-record transfer fee of £90 million to Juventus in 2016.

Playing At Another Level

Shakib Al Hasan has been around long enough to comprehend the vicissitudes of form and fortunes.

A Real, Rare Bird!

Having witnessed the evolution of umpiring, Dickie Bird believes that with technology taking the front seat, on-field umpires will soon lose their relevance.

Proving A Point, Yet Again

The much-hyped game between India and Pakistan was once again nothing but a damp squib.

Eritrea And Bollywood

An Eritrean who speaks fluent Hindi, political posturing from a plane, India’s loss over two days and more from our World Cup diary.

Brittania... No Brexit This Time!

Muscular batting, probing bowling, sharp fielding and above all the can-do spirit embellished England. The world is its oyster now and this momentum has to be maintained.

Eoin Morgan - 'We'll Celebrate As Hard As We Can'

Captain Eoin Mogan, still coming to terms with the magnitude of England’s achievement, was ready to admit that the home team got the rub of the green — which many attributed to the “Irishman’s Luck” — in the summit clash.