Let BCCI decide on captaincy, says Dhoni

Dhoni believes his challenge on Zimbabwe tour will be identifying the strengths of his young side in a short span of time. © Getty

Successive defeats in One-Day International series against Bangladesh, South Africa and Australia, followed by an unsuccessful 2016 ICC World Twenty20 campaign at home, coupled with his own lack of form has recently sparked a debate on whether it is time for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to step down and let Virat Kohli, India's Test captain, take over the reigns across all three formats of the game.

Dhoni, who quit Test cricket after the drawn Melbourne game against Australia in December 2014, was replaced by Kohli at the helm in the longest format. The wicketkeeper-batsman, however, continued to lead the team in the shorter formats of the game. He has, by far, been India's most successful skipper - leading India to both the 50-over and Twenty20 world titles and was also in charge when India climbed to the top spot in the Test rankings. His form, however, has deserted him in recent past.

Ravi Shastri, team's outgoing director, too, advocated for the change last week, suggesting that it was time for the selectors to take a call in the 'interest of Indian cricket'.

Quite naturally, Dhoni had to face the tricky question before India's departure for the short limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe. The Indian skipper, however, decided to play it safe. "It is a decision that BCCI will take, it is not up to me to decide that," Dhoni retorted at the pre-departure press meet in Mumbai on Tuesday (June 7).

        Free Download App : News World

Dhoni, however, was more forthcoming when his opinion on the ongoing hunt for the new head coach of the team was asked for. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) called for a Hindi-speaking candidate as one of its nine-point criteria for the selection, the captain believes, more than language it is the understanding of the country's culture that will help the new man gel well with the team.

Read More...

What we learned at French Open?

Garbine Muguruza of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

French Open women’s champion Garbine Muguruza moves up to a career-best No. 2 in the rankings and Djokovic finally capture the trophy that had eluded him

It would be hard to blame Novak Djokovic for not exactly being thrilled, as he began his ascension to tennis’ upper reaches, about having to deal with a couple of all-time greats such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

“At the beginning,” Djokovic said, “I was not glad to be part of their era.”

That eventually changed. He rose to the challenge.

“Later on, I realized that in life, everything happens for a reason. You’re put in this position with a purpose, a purpose to learn and to grow and to evolve,” Djokovic continued. “Fortunately for me, I realized that I need to get stronger, and that I need to accept the fact that I’m competing with these two tremendous champions.”

Djokovic said this Sunday evening, after beating Andy Murray 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in the French Open final to finally capture the trophy that had eluded him. With it, he completed a career Grand Slam, joining a group of seven other men, including Federer and Nadal. But Djokovic also now has done something neither Federer nor Nadal, for all of their accomplishments, ever managed- win four Grand Slam titles in a row, a feat last pulled off by Rod Laver in 1969.

Djokovic’s major trophy count is now up to 12, trailing only three men Federer (who has 17), Nadal (14) and Pete Sampras (14).

Just as tennis rivalries of the past served to boost all parties Sampras vs. Andre Agassi, say, or Bjorn Borg vs. John McEnroe Djokovic credits his two key contemporaries (and Murray, too) with forcing him to figure out ways to get better.

That includes certain strokes, sure, but also changes to his diet and physical preparation.

Djokovic is the unquestioned No. 1 in the game right now, and at an age, 29, where more titles should be attainable.

“He’s the best player now,” said Marian Vajda, who co-coaches Djokovic with Boris Becker, “and (getting) the French will give him a boost.”

Raise the roof

The clay-court major tournament needs a roof, but it’s not going to get one anytime soon. Everyone was thankful the 15-day event did not require 16 or more to complete, after one full washout of a day and only 2 hours of play on another. The Australian Open and Wimbledon are able to get matches in under the protection of a roof in case of wet weather, and the U.S. Open will have a retractable cover this year. Alas, the French Open’s will not be ready until 2020, at the earliest.

So close, so far

For Murray, born a week before Djokovic, it can’t be easy to keep coming so close to Grand Slam titles. Yes, Murray has won two, but he also now has lost in eight major finals, five against Djokovic, three against Federer.

Star is born

French Open women’s champion Garbine Muguruza moves up to a career-best No. 2 in the rankings Monday and appears to be a real star-in-the-making. She’s 22, equipped with flat and furious groundstrokes, is fearless on court witness the way she kept attacking during a 7-5, 6-4 victory over No. 1 Serena Williams in Saturday’s final and quite confident off it. Plenty of folks, including the Spaniard herself, expect this to be the first of many major trophies. “I’m ambitious,” she declared.

What now for Serena?

After collecting four consecutive Grand Slam trophies through Wimbledon last year to raise her career count to 21, one short of Steffi Graf’s Open-era record, Williams has stalled, losing in the semifinals at the U.S. Open and in the finals at the last two majors. So, at 34, is she done? “No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” replied Muguruza’s coach, Sam Sumyk.

Roger and Rafa

For the first time in a long time, Federer, 34, and Nadal, who turned 30 on Friday, were not factors at Roland Garros. Federer sat out a major for the first time since 1999, and Nadal withdrew before the third round; both cited injuries. Who knows how much longer each will be around in the latter stages of Slams? Eventually, new faces will come along. One promising newcomer who could be part of the next generation of contenders is Dominic Thiem, a 22-year-old Austrian who reached his first major semifinal before losing to Djokovic in Paris.

Read More...

Muhammad Ali Was The Essence Of Greatness, And His Voice Will Never Be SilentMuhammad Ali Was The Essence Of Greatness, And His Voice Will Never Be Silent

Nicknamed "The Greatest," Muhammad Ali retired from boxing in 1981 with a record of 56 wins, 37 by knockout, and five losses.

Muhammad Ali, the legend of all sports legends, is gone. His quiet, excruciating, decades-long descent into Parkinson's disease is over. If there is a championship ring in heaven, may he stand peacefully in the middle of it, arms raised, and speak with audacity and wit once more, this time about a life well lived.

"I am the greatest," Ali used to say repeatedly. "I said that even before I knew I was. I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest."

In 74 incomparable years of life, Ali did more than talk his way into greatness. He was the very essence of great. There was an intrinsic majesty about the man that helped him transcend his brash beginnings and become the most respected, then beloved, sports figure in the world. The mere sight of Ali could induce tears, and while the wet stuff was tinged with sadness about his illness, it was hard to feel sorry for an icon who deserved so much admiration.

Do you know how much charisma you must possess to remain charismatic when it seems like you're lost inside yourself? For more than 30 years, Ali managed to be subdued by a wicked disease but never minimized. Never. He could dominate a room when he was the loudest, fastest and funniest heavyweight champion ever. But even in painful silence, he made the air change in public. He did it with a mumble or a grin or with the Olympic torch in hand to start the 1996 Atlanta Games. Mostly, he did it with heart, which was evident in the way he fought epic battle after epic battle in the boxing ring, in the way he didn't use celebrity as an excuse to ignore his beliefs and in the way he simply cared about people.

The last time I was in the same space as Ali: four years ago, during a 2012 NCAA tournament game in Phoenix. Ali, who was born in Louisville as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., had come with his wife, Lonnie, to watch a Sweet 16 game between Louisville and Michigan State. He wore a rosy dress shirt, black slacks and sunglasses. When he arrived, fans in the arena cheered and stared, never mind the marquee event happening. Ali didn't do much to acknowledge them, couldn't do much. But it felt like a special moment, even though it was impossible to be certain whether Ali knew exactly where he was.

Before Ali, sports hadn't seen a star on this level. And now it's safe to proclaim there will never be another star like him. There will never be an athlete talented enough to captivate with his ability while also being brave enough to remain principled and authentic enough to overcome the controversy he created by expressing his views on divisive topics such as race, war and religion.

There have been athletes with comparable awe-inspiring talent; Michael Jordan is among them. There have been athletes who meant as much to social progress; Jackie Robinson is on that level, without question. There have been athletes with the personality to extinguish fires they started; Kobe Bryant is the latest. But Ali had all three traits, and his redeeming qualities were natural, almost accidental, not the product of any premeditated bid to alter his personal narrative.

Parkinson's disease robbed Ali and the world of his voice as he aged. But he never really went silent. If you listen closely, you still can hear him. His influence is louder and more endearing than his archive of quips.

There are millions of Ali admirers like me. I was alive for only his last four fights, three of which he lost as he clung to boxing for too long. Yet I feel more connected to him than many of the sports stars who define my lifetime.

I've had to look at old footage to understand the speed, skill and fighting intelligence that Ali used. I've had to read old newspaper stories and books and watch old interviews to grasp how clever and funny and insightful he was. But when I last saw him in Phoenix four years ago, I froze, on deadline, and nearly forgot I was covering a basketball game.

Right now, we mourn the champion who we lost and the humanitarian who disappeared into his body before we really knew how to honor him. He felt the love, but he didn't experience it fully, not when he was lucid and able to respond the way he wanted. But Ali being Ali, he already had envisioned it long ago.

He is the greatest, now and forever. No more convincing required.

Read More...

Fifa: Sepp Blatter, Jerome Valcke & Markus Kattner 'awarded themselves £55m'

Fifa has been under intense scrutiny since the investigations began last year

Former high-ranking Fifa officials Sepp Blatter, Jerome Valcke and Markus Kattner awarded themselves pay rises and bonuses worth $80m (£55m) over five years, say Fifa lawyers.

Football's governing body revealed the contracts of ex-president Blatter, fired ex-secretary general Valcke and sacked former finance director Kattner one day after a Swiss police raid.

Its lawyers said there was evidence that the trio made "a coordinated effort" to "enrich themselves" between 2011 and 2015.

Documents and electronic data were seized during Thursday's operation, which relates to investigations into Blatter and Valcke.

Suspected of criminal mismanagement of Fifa money, Blatter and Valcke were banned for six and 12 years respectively by the governing body's ethics committee in February. Both deny wrongdoing.

A statement for the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG), which carried out the investigations, read: "Documents and electronic data were seized and will now be examined to determine their relevance to the ongoing proceedings."

Fifa said the evidence uncovered by its own internal investigation would be shared with the Swiss Attorney General's office and the US Department of Justice.

Richard Cullen, Blatter's lawyer, said: "We look forward to showing Fifa that Mr Blatter's compensation payments were proper, fair and in line with the heads of major professional sports leagues around the world."

Meanwhile, Blatter's long-time public relations advisor Klaus Stoehlker told BBC Sport he would be ending their professional relationship, adding: "The Fifa volcano is exploding now."

Fifa has been in turmoil since May 2015, when a US investigation exposed widespread corruption at the top of the organisation.

Read More...