The India keeper-batter talks about the work she has put into her batting and what she has learned from the WPL

Hemant Brar28-Apr-2025When Richa Ghosh walked in to bat for Bengal in the rain-affected Senior Women’s T20 Trophy semi-final in November 2022, Himachal needed to bowl only five more balls to force a result. Bengal had to get 14 runs without losing a wicket. A washout would take them into the final.Through a steady drizzle, Ghosh slog-swept the fourth ball of the over into the vacant deep-midwicket stands. Her six did two things: in the time it took the fielder to retrieve the ball, the drizzle got heavier, and with Bengal now needing six off two, Himachal panicked into making some fielding changes. More time wasted.Just when the bowler was ready to deliver the final ball, with Bengal needing five, the umpires decided to call off the game, sealing Bengal’s qualification for the final.Until a few years ago, a six was a rare event in women’s cricket. But the game has undergone a revolution in recent times, and 21-year-old Ghosh is one of the young faces representing that change in India.Since making her T20I debut in 2020, she has hit a six every 20th ball. Among those who have hit at least 20 sixes in T20Is in this period, only Deandra Dottin of West Indies has cleared the boundary more frequently. It is this skill that has got Ghosh contracts in the WBBL and the Hundred.Related

• Tri-series final: Batting-heavy India strong favourites against inconsistent SL

• One-drop Ghosh has a big role in India's build-up to 2025 ODI World Cup

• India's No. 3 conundrum: Four players in contention for one spot

• Stats – Ghosh breaks batting speed limits in India's first 200 in women's T20Is

• Blow by brutal blow, Ghosh slays Giants on WPL opening night

“It comes naturally to me,” Ghosh, who is currently part of the India side playing an ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka and South Africa in Colombo, says about her power-hitting skills. “Maybe I got it from Papa, because he too liked hitting sixes. And my idol is MS Dhoni, who is known for his sixes and finishing skills.”Her father, Manabendra, was a club-level cricketer and later a part-time umpire in Siliguri. He would take his daughter along to matches but had no inkling that she was interested in playing the game.”He pushed me into table tennis but I did not like it,” Ghosh says. “When I told him I wanted to play cricket, he got me into to the Baghajatin Athletic Club [in Siliguri]. From there, my cricketing journey started.”Ghosh often travelled to play matches in Kolkata, and to make sure he could accompany her and be available for her all the time, her father closed his business.”When I was first selected for the district tournament, I didn’t have the English willow bat. I had a Kashmir willow and a normal tennis bat. The English willow bat was quite expensive, and Papa had to borrow money to buy one for me.”People would taunt him about what he was doing, but he kept me insulated from all that. Had those things reached me, I don’t think I would have played for India.”At 13, she was playing for Bengal’s Under-19 team, and at 16, she became the second-youngest debutant for India in T20Is.Ghosh, playing for London Spirit, takes a catch to dismiss Northern Superchargers’ Alice Davidson-Richards in the 2023 Hundred•Alex Davidson/ECB/Getty ImagesIn her early days Ghosh dabbled in all three departments: batting, bowling and wicketkeeping. “In fact, I have bowled alongside Jhulu [Jhulan Goswami] when I was young,” she says. “I was a medium-fast bowler and would get lots of wickets lbw or bowled. At the state level, I was told many times to give up keeping and focus more on bowling. But Papa said, ‘Do whatever you want to, but never give up keeping.'”When Ghosh didn’t get to keep or bowl in her first few T20Is, she realised that her ground fielding was well below par.”Only when you play international cricket, you realise how much improvement you need and what’s best for you. When I played for India, I had to decide whether I wanted to bowl or keep. I was confused. So I talked to my coaches, who told me to pursue keeping.”That particular skill remains a work in progress for her. There have been glaring mistakes at times, but also moments of brilliance. While playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2025 WPL, she reminded everyone of Dhoni’s quick glovework, dashing to the stumps to run-out Sophie Ecclestone when UP Warriorz needed one run to win off the final ball at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Dhoni had run-out Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman off the last ball in the same manner at the ground in the 2016 T20 World Cup.At the WPL, Ghosh also had a chance to share the dressing room with another idol of hers: Ellyse Perry. When she made her T20I debut in Australia in 2020, one of the first things she did was take a photograph with Perry.”In Australia, I never spoke to her,” Ghosh says. “But now I can have a proper chat with her. When you see a legend from such close quarters, you also learn a lot. You see how professional she is about her game and her fitness.”The WPL has given Ghosh the opportunity to play alongside her idol Ellyse Perry•Pankaj Nangia/Getty ImagesFitness is an area where Ghosh has been under scrutiny. In 2022, when she was dropped from the ODI squad and for the T20Is in the Commonwealth Games, she actively trained to get fitter.”One thing I worked on was staying at the crease for longer periods. My natural instinct is to see the ball, hit the ball. But if I go in early, say the 12th over of a T20I, I should be able to bat till the end.”That focus also helped her develop her ODI game. Her highest score in the format – 96 against Australia at the Wankhede in 2023 – came from No. 3. After the match, India’s head coach, Amol Muzumdar, said, “No. 3 is the best spot for her.”But after only one more game in that position, Ghosh was back in the middle order – maybe because she can do down the order what no one else in the country has been able to so far. Since the start of 2021, she has the most sixes and the highest strike rate for any batter between Nos. 5 and 7 for India in ODIs.What makes Ghosh unique is her ability to clear the boundary from the get-go. She jointly holds the world record for the fastest T20I fifty (off 18 balls), and has made India’s fastest ODI fifty. Even Harmanpreet Kaur, destructive as she can be, likes to take her time before playing the big shots.Ghosh has won the U-19 Women’s World Cup with India and the WPL with RCB•Matthew Lewis/ICC/Getty ImagesLast year, when asked which player’s style resembled hers the most, Harmanpreet said: “I think the one who can be even better than me is Richa, because her game sense is very good. Even when she was new in the side, she had something special in her.”Like Harmanpreet, Ghosh is equally destructive against pace and spin. Against fast bowlers, she primarily targets straight boundaries, while against spinners, she relies on the slog sweep to clear deep midwicket. Of late she has expanded her range by adding the scoop, the reverse scoop and the reverse sweep to her game, making herself a 360-degree player.Perry was as effusive as Harmanpreet in her praise of Ghosh’s talent during the WPL. “She works so hard on her game, but she is such a natural striker of the ball as well. [It feels] so nice to stand at the other end and see how clean her swing is. The way she accesses different parts of the ground – the paddle shots as well as the brute force down the ground – is so impressive.”In all this, it is easy to forget how young Ghosh is. Last October, she missed the New Zealand ODI series to take her class 12 exams. In five months, she will have an even bigger test: the ODI World Cup at home. Unlike most players in the Indian team, Ghosh has tasted success in an ICC event. In 2023, she was part of the side, led by Shafali Verma, that won the U-19 World Cup in South Africa.”At the U-19 World Cup we got to know what winning a trophy feels like,” she says. “Now the goal is to win a World Cup with the senior team. We always prepare with that in mind, but somewhere we have been lacking a bit. Hopefully we can do it this time.”

Little League World Series legend Mo’ne Davis is no stranger to throwing out the first pitch on MLB bumps. She threw out the ceremonial pitch in Game 4 of the 2014 World Series after she became the first female to pitch a shutout in LLWS history.

She also tossed the first pitch for the Nationals on Thursday, and this one may have been even more special. Behind the plate was Nats outfielder Robert Hassell III, who Davis competed against in Williamsport, Pa.

Hassell, 23, made his major league debut this season. He was drafted with the No. 8 pick by the Padres in the '20 MLB draft.

Davis struck out eight batters and gave up just two hits in her complete-game shutout for the Philadelphia Little League team, which gave them the win over a group from Nashville: Hassell's team. A true full-circle moment on a major league diamond Thursday.

She got the call to throw out the first pitch as part of the Nationals' ladies night celebrations. The timing worked out well, as she's set to return to Nationals Park next week to participate in the historic Women's Pro Baseball League tryouts. The moment came just one day after this year's LLWS kicked off in Williamsport, too.

This time, I'm sure Hassell was happy he was behind the plate and not in the batter's box.

تحدث علي ماهر، المدير الفني لفريق الكرة الأول بنادي سيراميكا كليوباترا، عن المنافسة على لقب بطولة الدوري المصري، في ظل تصدر جدول الترتيب.

ويتصدر سيراميكا كليوباترا جدول الترتيب ببطولة الدوري المصري برصيد 29 نقطة بعد مرور 14 جولة على المسابقة.

وقال علي ماهر، ضيف برنامج الناظر مع أحمد شوبير على قناة النهار: “أنا أحب عملي جدًا ودائمًا اتمسك بجهاز الفني في كل مكان”.

طالع|فيديو | عمرو السولية يهدر ركلة جزاء في مباراة مصر والكويت

وبسؤاله هل تنافس على لقب الدوري؟، تابع: “الفريق أصبح في وضع ومكان جديد لم يعتادوا عليه، واللاعبين بدأت تصدق ذلك، حققنا عدة انتصارات، أكثر فريق محقق فوز في الدوري”.

وتابع: “الفريق أصبح سعيدا بذلك، ويساعدني على ذلك على اللاعبين الكبار مثل سعد سمير وهو من اللاعبين المهمين كأنه فرد من الجهاز الفني”.

وواصل: “تعاقدنا مع عمرو السولية وهو لاعب حر، انضم لمنتخب مصر الثاني كأنه يبدأ حياته من أول وجديد ويظهر بشكل جيد، وهو لاعب نموذج ولم أتخيل أنه بهذه الشخصية وأنه يعمل فقط، ولا تسمع صوته، لدينا ملعب جيد ولاعبين جيدين وستشاهد أداء عالميا”.

وكشف: “كريم نيدفيد لعب معي كل المباريات في فيوتشر وكان له تأثير كبير جدًا وكان من أجمد اللاعبين معي في الفريق، وأنا مربيه في النادي الأهلي هو وناصر ماهر ورمضان صبحي، رمضان صبحي بمثابة ابني وقريب من قلبي ومتعاطف معه، وأتمنى له يخرج من الأزمة الحالية”.

وتابع: “تريزيجيه كان متواجدا في النادي الأهلي وتوليت القيادة الفنية لفريق 1993 ومكتوب فيه تقرير أنه لا يصلح للعب للنادي الأهلي، وظل لمدة سنتين مع المدرب لا يشارك في المباريات نهائيًا”. وأكمل: “اتعرض على تريزيجيه أن يسافر إلى قطر ويتم تجنسيه، إمام محمدين كنت منتظر رحيله من الأهلي لكي يضمه إلى نادي إنبي، تحدثت مع مانويل جوزيه عن تريزيجيه وهو في عمر 15 سنة وجوزيه وقتها قال عليه أفضل ناشئ شاهده”. وواصل: “تربيت في النادي الأهلي وعلاقتي بمجلس إدارة النادي والخطيب قوية، هدف من أهدافي تدريب الأهلي كمدير فني، وسعيد جدًا أن يكون اسمي وسط الترشحيات”. وأردف: “كنت حزين بعد مباراة الأهلي الأخيرة في كأس السوبر لأني أريد حقي فقط، الكرة كان يوجد فيها سوء تقدير من البنا المشكلة أنها اتت مرتين، كنت أشاهد اللعبة، لو هذه الكرة للنادي الأهلي كنت ستحسب من أول مرة”.

 وأشار: “حظي سيء ان بطولة الدوري توقفت لأن كنت أسير بشكل جيد، أول ما الدوري يعود كل ثلاثة أيام مباراة كان الحرب هتقوم”.

 وعن أفضل لاعب في مصر؟، قال تريزيجيه، بينما افضل مدافع في مصر؟، أوضح: “ممكن الناس تستغرب ولكن بالنسبة لي سعد سمير”، بينما أفضل حارس مرمى في مصر؟ أحب مصطفى شوبير لأنه يجيد اللعب بقدمه، واحب بسام ومحمد الشناوي.

 وبسؤاله هل أحمد رمضان بيكهام لاعب الأهلي يرحل في يناير لسيراميكا؟رد: “تحدثت عن عودته لسيراميكا لو عاد لنا فهو لاعب مهم جدًا وهو يريد العودة من اجل المشاركة”.

وبسؤاله هل تدريب بيرامديز ضمن أهدافك؟: نعم بيراميدز نادي كبير ويضم لاعبين كبار نادي مهم في إفريقيا،وسيراميكا يحتاج إلى صفقات قوية في يناير لضمان استمرار سباق المنافسة على الدوري”.      

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras não tem pressa para negociar o garoto Estevão, grande joia do clube e que tem tido cada vez mais chances entre os profissionais. O atleta desperta o interesse de, pelo menos, seis clubes da Europa, em especial do Chelsea, da Inglaterra, que tem conversas avançadas com o estafe do jogador.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalpites de HojePalpite: Liverpool-URU x Palmeiras – Copa Libertadores – 9/5/2024Palpites de Hoje09/05/2024NotíciasPode secar! Com R$100, você leva mais de R$1.500 com as derrotas de Palmeiras e Fluminense na LibertadoresNotícias08/05/2024Fora de CampoEx-atacante da Seleção compara joias do Palmeiras: ‘Estevão é melhor que Endrick’Fora de Campo07/05/2024

➡️ Faça as suas apostas na Libertadores 2024: quem será o campeão? Vem pro Lance! Betting!

Para o Palmeiras, no entanto, duas questões são inegociáveis: o valor a ser recebido e a presença de Estevão no elenco da próxima temporada.

No planejamento do Palmeiras, é imprescindível ter Estevão no Mundial de Clubes que será realizado no meio do ano que vem. Será a primeira vez que o torneio será disputado com 32 equipes, e a presença palestrina está confirmada por conta do título da Libertadores de 2021

➡️ Siga o Lance! Palmeiras no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Verdão

A ideia do Palmeiras é manter o jogador até o fim da próxima temporada, mas isso já é considerado muito difícil internamente. O meia-atacante tem 17 anos, o que impossibilita ele de se transferir para fora do Brasil até completar 18 anos, o que acontecerá em abril de 2025, dois meses antes do início da competição internacional. Ainda assim, o Palmeiras só aceitará negociar o jogador se o clube interessado topar mantê-lo no elenco do torneio.

continua após a publicidade

Além disso, a ideia dos alviverdes é receber o valor líquido da multa rescisória de Estevão, que é 45 milhões de euros (R$ 245,2 mi, na cotação atual). O modelo de negócio foi embasado na venda do atacante Endrick ao Real Madrid, da Espanha. Na situação, o valor total do negócio, incluindo o resultado de bonificações e cumprimentos de metas, é 72 milhões de euros (R$ 393,45 mi), mas 12 milhões de euros (R$ 65,41 mi) são referentes a pagamentos de impostos arcados pelo time merengue.

Ainda que o Chelsea esteja bem próximo dos representantes de Estêvão, o Verdão quer ouvir outras propostas. O Paris Saint-Germain, da França, já sinalizou o interesse. O Barcelona inicialmente se retirou da disputa por divergências com o estafe do jogador palmeirense, que também cuida da carreira de Vitor Roque, atacante brasileiro que está em baixa no clube catalão.

continua após a publicidade

Mesmo assim, os culés nunca saíram do radar do jovem palestrino, que na base tinha o apelido de Messinho. A alcunha, inclusive, se deve à relação afetiva que o jogador possui com o Barça. Ele sempre teve um carinho pela equipe espanhola, que observa o atleta desde as categorias de base. Neste momento, no entanto, a equipe do Camp Nou é a “última da fila” entre os interessados.

➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários de todos os jogos da Sul-Americana

Arsenal, da Inglaterra, Bayern de Munique, da Alemanha, e o Real Madrid, da Espanha, foram outros clubes que em algum momento manifestaram interesse em Estêvão, mas, até o momento, não estão figurando na disputa da nova joia palmeirense.

Tudo sobre

ChelseaEstevãoPalmeiras

Clayton Kershaw is certainly enjoying his last go-round with the Dodgers.

L.A. clinched the NL West on Thursday with an 8-0 win over the Diamondbacks. While other champagne celebrations may be ahead for last year's World Series champions, Kershaw made sure to enjoy this one. Last week, he announced that this season would be his last after 18 years in Dodger blue.

He made his last start on Friday, which the Dodgers won although he recorded a no-decision after throwing 4 1/3 innings and striking out six batters while letting up two earned runs. L.A. has won six of their last eight games and officially clinched the division Thursday with their lead on the Padres.

A shirtless Kershaw was absolutely joyous in the locker room, relishing every moment as he gave an epic interview to AM 570 LA's David Vassegh, who asked the veteran lefthander if he wanted his shirt back.

"No, I don't want my shirt back. I don't want goggles, I don't want a shirt. I hardly want pants, Dave!" Kershaw responded via SportsNet LA.

He made sure to enjoy a victory cigar, too:

You can watch the full celebratory interview below which Vassagh somehow conducted with Kershaw's shirt draped over his head.

The Dodgers wrap up their regular-season schedule with a three-game series in Seattle against the Mariners this weekend where Kershaw is scheduled to pitch the finale Sunday. We'll see what he has in store if more champagne celebrations are in L.A.'s future.

Manchester United have an exciting production line of stars for the future, and now appear to be interested in adding to that by capturing a gem that shone at the Under-17 World Cup.

The Red Devils will have enjoyed taking some time over the international break to digest what has been a credible start to the Premier League campaign, even if Ruben Amorim came under pressure during the early stages at Old Trafford.

Sitting tenth with a game in hand, Manchester United could move as high as fourth position with three points against Everton on Monday night, albeit they could be without Matheus Cunha due to a surprise injury concern.

Ben Jacobs confirmed on X that the Brazilian had suffered a head knock during training, forcing him to miss Altrincham’s Christmas light switch-on as a result, sparking attention on social media.

Nevertheless, the nature of his injury looks only to be minor, so there may still be a chance that he features against the Toffees if deemed fit to do so by the Red Devils’ medical staff.

As ever, Manchester United will hope to avoid a mounting list of absentees over the festive period. However, that is bound to affect everyone, especially with a heavy fixture schedule.

The January window could prove pivotal at Old Trafford, and the Red Devils are now favourites to sign Ajax prodigy Jorthy Mokio ​​​​​​amid concerns over Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo.

Now, they also have eyes on a gem who performed at his best during the Under-17 World Cup, which has garnered attention from clubs around Europe.

Man Utd make approach to sign Mohamed Zongo

According to Africa Foot, Manchester United have made an approach to sign Tenakourou Academy star Mohamed Zongo, who they are now keen to hold discussions over signing on a permanent basis.

At only 15 years of age, the Burkina Faso youth international shone at the Under-17 World Cup with two goals and three assists to his name, leading to him being dubbed a “revelation” in some quarters.

Earning man of the match awards several times during the competition, his highlight came in a 1-0 victory over Germany where he was the only scorer in a famous victory for his country.

An attacking midfielder by trade and capable of featuring across the forward areas, Zongo is also on the radar of Manchester City, Villarreal and Anderlecht, illustrating how high his ceiling could potentially be with the correct development path.

Ultimately, he still has a tonne of growth left before coming into contention at first-team level overseas. However, Manchester United may be the best environment to earn his stripes.

Mainoo 2.0: Man Utd can axe Ugarte for one of England's "best young players"

Already an England great, Joe Root is still hungry for more – and Sachin Tendulkar’s record may not be safe

Matt Roller25-Jul-20254:14

Manjrekar: ‘Serious chance’ for Root to break Tendulkar’s record

“Just the one more to go now,” Ricky Ponting declared, as Joe Root jogged a single to overtake him as Test cricket’s second-highest run-scorer. Root has never paid much attention to personal milestones but after this innings, only Sachin Tendulkar is ahead of his 13,409 Test runs; Tendulkar is still a long way off, but nobody has ever come closer.This was a rare day, as Manchester basked in the greatness of a Yorkshireman. The 6000 fans in Old Trafford’s Party Stand rose to their feet when Root glided Anshul Kamboj to deep point to reach 120 and surpass Ponting, then serenaded him by singing his name to the tune of “Hey Jude”. Root grinned sheepishly, then waved his hand as though knocking their applause back.Root was met by another standing ovation when he was finally dismissed for 150, which he turned to acknowledge as he walked off. But first, with his left hand, he briefly imagined a shot that he could have played instead, shaping to work the ball into the leg side. It was a moment that epitomised the hunger and attitude that will keep him going for some time yet.Related

Bazball has lit a fire under Joe Root. Will he overtake Tendulkar in about 27 Tests?

Root revels in 'pinch-yourself moment' after moving to No. 2

Stats – Root second only to Tendulkar for most Test runs

Record-breaking Root arms England with control of Manchester Test

Root surpasses Ponting to become the second-highest run-getter in Tests

Ponting’s arrival in the Sky Sports commentary box was perfectly timed: he witnessed what he described as “a magnificent moment in history” on only his third day of work in the series. He will not lose sleep over slipping down to third: when the golf brand Callaway sent him a putter inscribed with 13,378 at the end of his career, he was oblivious that it was his final run tally.It is a trait that Root shares: he has long insisted that he is motivated only by team success and has constantly played down his individual achievements. “I’ve never really been one to have goals because I just feel like if you miss them, then you’ve failed – and this game is full of failure anyway,” he explained in Multan last year, when he became England’s leading Test run-scorer.Alastair Cook, the man he overtook, obsessed over becoming the first Englishman to reach 10,000 runs but struggled to find another motivation thereafter and called time on his Test career two years later. At 34, Root is already a year older than Cook was then, but has expressed his ambitions to play in the 2027 World Cup – and may not stop there.His success has relied upon a hunger to keep improving: in his 40 Tests since stepping down as captain, Root has averaged 57.70, with 13 hundreds. “It’s just about wanting to keep the enjoyment element of it, to keep finding ways of improving and getting better, to make sure you don’t stand still and get stuck in playing one way,” he has said.Joe Root walks off after scoring 150•Getty ImagesWhere some batters – Cook and Ponting among them – struggle when they relinquish the captaincy, Root has attained new heights since he returned to the ranks. He scored heavily in his final years in the role, often shouldering the burden of run-scoring almost single-handedly in a poor side, but has been even better under Ben Stokes’ leadership.His innings in Manchester underlined why. It has often seemed as though Root has spent his entire Test career walking in with England 30 for 2, but their top three – if still imperfect – are far more dependable than they once were. This time, he came out at 197 for 2 and picked off runs against an underwhelming Indian attack, and ticked off landmarks like items on a shopping list.Even if Tendulkar’s record is unlikely to be a major source of motivation for him, Root still has a genuine chance to break it: he is 2,512 runs behind but, for context, has scored 2,556 in his last 50 innings dating back to February 2023. Since England play an average of 12-14 Tests per year, Root could feasibly overtake him by the end of 2027.”I wouldn’t be surprised if he can chase him down,” Ollie Pope said after the third day. “He loves playing for England in Test cricket more than anything… I think he just wants to keep playing as long as he can. The excitement he still has to play Test cricket [is huge]. Whenever we rock up at the start of a series, he’s always got the biggest smile on his face.”The most remarkable, yet least remarked upon, aspect of Root’s sustained brilliance is his fitness. England have played 159 Tests since Root’s debut at Nagpur in 2012 and he has only missed two, once when dropped, the other on paternity leave; despite his occasional back issues, he has never missed a match through injury across a 13-year Test career.Root avoided media duties on Friday evening citing cramp but in truth, his batting has already said more than enough. He has already secured his status as one of England’s all-time greats, and that position will become undisputed if he scores his first hundred in Australia this winter. If he can achieve that, then it would be brave to bet against him catching Tendulkar.

Rajat Patidar has been handed Madhya Pradesh’s all-format captaincy ahead of the 2025-26 domestic season that begins with the Ranji Trophy on October 15.Patidar got the job to replace Shubham Sharma after getting from MP director of cricket Chandrakant Pandit. It’s understood that the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association was keen on an expanded role for Patidar following his recent success.The 32-year-old Patidar was first trialled as captain during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last season after he had spoken to Pandit over a similar possibility arising in the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He was given the job and repaid the faith by leading MP to the final, where they lost to Mumbai.Related

• Tireless Bawne will 'put the body on the line' again to try and win the Ranji Trophy

• Flower: 'Tremendous respect' for how Patidar remained calm despite all the scrutiny

• Patidar hails spinners Kartikeya and Jain in Duleep Trophy victory

Patidar has since led RCB to their maiden IPL title and recently helmed Central Zone to a title win in the Duleep Trophy, for the first time since 2014-15.Last week, Patidar led a strong Rest of India (RoI) squad, comprising big names like Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhimanyu Easwaran – all state captains – at the Irani Cup in Nagpur, where they lost to Vidarbha by 93 runs.He made 529 runs in 11 innings at an average of 48.09 in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, with one hundred and two half-centuries. This was the second-highest runs tally for MP that season, behind Shubham’s 943 runs at 104.77.Patidar has been in excellent form already this season, hitting two centuries and three half-centuries in seven innings. One of his hundreds was in the final of the Duleep Trophy that helped Central Zone set up a massive first-innings lead, and eventually a six-wicket win, over South Zone.MP open their Ranji Trophy campaign with a home game against Punjab in Indore. The Ranji season will be played across two phases – the first will be played from October 15 to November 19, before the season takes a break for the white-ball tournaments. The second leg will be played from January 22 to February 1 next year, with the knockouts from February 6 to 28.

West Ham chiefs are looking to back new manager Nuno Espírito Santo with key additions in January as they attempt to stave off the looming threat of relegation.

The Hammers were gifted a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dismal start to the Premier League season just before this international break, winning back-to-back home games for the first time since October last year against Newcastle and Burnley.

While the two wins provide plenty of encouragement for Nuno after inheriting a squad bereft of confidence and form, reports suggest that the east Londoners will look to January for much-needed reinforcements to bolster their head coach’s squad.

West Ham’s results in the Premier League so far

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

West Ham 3-2 Burnley

According to Sky Sports, Nuno has been told that funds will be available for West Ham to spend when the window reopens, and it is believed they’d ideally like a new defender, midfielder and forward.

With Niclas Fullkrug poised to leave West Ham in January, following a lacklustre spell marred by injuries and underwhelming form when available, it is more likely than not that a striker will be arriving at Rush Green, with Fabrizio Romano confirming their intention to sign one.

Romano also said recently that West Ham are in the mix to sign Man United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo amid his links to Napoli, so a new midfielder remains on the cards, but there are now suggestions that a winger could come in too.

West Ham could strike 'cut-price' January move for Adama Traoré

Indeed, according to Football Insider and journalist Pete O’Rourke, West Ham have been handed the opportunity to secure Adama Traoré on a bargain deal in January, with Fulham willing to accept a cut-price offer rather than lose the winger for free next summer.

Traore is in the final year of his contract and is not going to agree a new deal at Fulham, meaning January is their last chance to cash in if they sell him. The 29-year-old’s contract situation leaves the Cottagers vulnerable to low-ball bids, with Nuno apparently keen to reunite with a player he previously transformed at Wolves.

Before Nuno joined the Hammers, he tried to reunite with Traore at Nottingham Forest too, highlighting his long-standing admiration for the Spain international.

That being said, the forward has never quite reached the same heights he once hit under Nuno’s tutelage at Molineux, which included a failed spell at Barcelona.

During his best Premier League campaign to date, Traore bagged 13 goal contributions in 37 appearances for Wolves back in 2019/2020, finishing that campaign as their best-performing player on average whilst completing a seismic five successful take-ons per 90 (WhoScored).

Traore has enjoyed flashes of brilliant form at Craven Cottage too, with Marco Silva calling him an “almost unstoppable” player on his day.

Ben Austin was struck while facing throwdowns in Tuesday and died on Thursday morning

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2025A 17-year-old club cricketer in Melbourne has died after being struck on the neck by a ball at training on Tuesday.Ben Austin was taken to hospital in critical condition after the incident at Ferntree Gully in Melbourne’s outer east where he had been facing balls in the nets, thrown by a sidearm, or ‘wanger’, ahead of a T20 match. He was wearing a helmet but it did not include a stem guard.He was placed on life support at Monash Children’s Hospital but died on Thursday morningIn a statement Jace Austin, Ben’s father, said: “We are utterly devastated by the passing of our beautiful Ben, who died earlier on Thursday morning.”For Tracey and I, Ben was an adored son, deeply loved brother to Cooper and Zach and a shining light in the lives of our family and friends.”This tragedy has taken Ben from us, but we find some comfort that he was doing something he did for so many summers – going down to the nets with mates to play cricket. He loved cricket and it was one of the joys of his life.”We would also like to support his team-mate who was bowling in the nets – this accident has impacted two young men and our thoughts are with he and his family as well.”Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria are providing assistance to the family and those impacted by the tragedy.”The tragic circumstances of Ben and Ferntree Gully are…going to be felt across the country,” CA chair Mike Baird told reporters in Melbourne. “Cricket is a sport that brings people together, communities together. It’s also one that feels very deeply an incident such as we’ve seen.”[It’s] hard to put words on it. What we want to say is that we are doing everything we can to support the family, the club, and all those impacted by this tragic news. Clearly, there are things that we have to learn from this, but right now, we are concerned about the family and trying to support them in every way.”Nick Cummins, the Cricket Victoria chief executive, said: “We’re absolutely devastated on behalf of the family, on behalf of the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club, and more broadly, the Victorian cricket community.”We are doing everything we can to support not just the family of young Ben, but also those at the club, and Ben played for a number of clubs, to ensure that they have the counselling and the support, not just today, but well into the future, as this is something that will stay with our community for some time.”