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Leeds United are in the latter stages of their manager search this summer and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source about a potential late contender.

What's the latest on Leeds' interest in Patrick Vieira?

According to The Athletic's Leeds reporter Phil Hay, Patrick Vieira is the latest to be considered for the highly-anticipated managerial role at Elland Road.

As per an article written for the publication, Hay claims that the former Crystal Palace manager is on the radar and was, in fact, interested in taking over at Leeds when Jesse Marsch was sacked in February.

What is Patrick Vieira's manager style?

With every day passing the pressure will be mounting on the 49ers and the club's hierarchy to make a decision on their next appointment to lead the squad in their Championship campaign next season.

The fixture lists will be released tomorrow for the EFL and players remaining will return for pre-season in just a few weeks, so employing a manager who can get to work with planning ahead of the challenging 46-game campaign and start to develop a relationship with the team as soon as possible will be vital.

Vieira's latest inclusion in the considerations for the important appointment could be a great opportunity for Leeds to bring in a manager who has a keen eye for developing and nurturing young talent, something that the West Yorkshire based squad has plenty of.

Joe Gelhardt, Cody Drameh, Charlie Cresswell, Wilfried Gnonto, Crysencio Summerville and Luis Sinisterra are just some of the incredible young talent Leeds boast who are all under the age of 23, demonstrating an opportunity for the right manager to promote a youth revolution at Elland Road next season.

Whilst the Arsenal legend struggled in the final few months of his most recent job at Selhurst Park, Vieira is renowned for building the next generation of the Crystal Palace team with Michael Olise, Marc Guehi and Odsonne Edouard all acquired by the 46-year-old in his first transfer window and all of these players have gone on to thrive and become key players.

Indeed, Guehi has become a regular in the England squad and has seen his game improve so much that he is now valued at a huge £50m. Olise, meanwhile, fired home two goals and registered 11 assists last term.

Not only that, the attacking-minded manager – who has commonly deployed a 4-3-3 formation over his career on the touchline so far – could significantly improve their presence in front of goal with his possession-based philosophy that earned him 22 victories and 24 draws over his 74 games in charge of Palace. That would surely be music to the ears of the likes of Gnonto and Summerville.

As a result, the appointment of Vieira – hailed a "natural-born winner" by Ian Wright – would be a statement of the club's intent to build a squad for the future at Elland Road, instead of just adopting the short-sighted view of gaining instant promotion back to the Premier League next season.

Najam Sethi, the PSL chairman, has spoken to the overseas players taking part in the tournament about the security measures in place for the final to take place in Lahore

Umar Farooq07-Feb-2017The PSL chairman Najam Sethi met all the overseas players in the Pakistan Super League in Dubai on Tuesday to brief them about the exhaustive security arrangements put in place to host the final of the tournament in Lahore. The PCB has also drawn contingency plans in case some of the participants do not want to make the trip. In the last week of February, a player draft will be held so that the five franchises can top up their rosters, albeit with local talent.At the launch of the second season of the tournament in Dubai on Monday, Sethi confirmed the final will be at the Gaddafi stadium. The PCB has received assurances from the Punjab government and other security agencies and is confident they can conduct the match without trouble.The PCB has been trying to persuade foreign players to travel to Pakistan for a while now, having invested in four bulletproof buses, and have also been mulling the idea of flying the players in for the PSL final on March 5, the day of the match, and flying them out immediately the end of it. The teams going through to the final are expected to stay at the National Cricket Academy.Sethi was confident the security arrangements for the PSL final will be “endorsed” by the ICC and player associations even though the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association, in January, reported that “an accepted level of participant safety cannot be expected or guaranteed”.As opposed to last year, when all the franchise captains were Pakistani, three of the five – Kumar Sangakarra (Karachi Kings), Darren Sammy (Peshawar Zalmi) and Brendon McCullum (Lahore Qalandars) – are foreign players.PSL ambassadors Ramiz Raja and Wasim Akram – who was born in Lahore – implored the overseas contingent to stay on and play the final.”Lahore is a beautiful city, the perceptions about the place might be muddled, but I can assure you that the players who will travel will be making a priceless contribution to Pakistan cricket,” Raja said. “Once you taste the flavour of cricket in the country you will come to realise how welcoming the crowds are. I am hoping that cricket can be brought back to Pakistan, it will be a huge contribution to the emotions of the cricket fans in the country.”Akram said: “Growing up I saw legends like Michael Holding and Sunil Gavaskar play in the stadiums, which was hugely inspiring. It is imperative that cricket returns to the country, Pakistanis are passionate about the game, my wife who is an Australian is staying in Karachi for the last four years and she is having a great time. Let me also remind you all that the government will do everything possible to ensure the safety of the players.”Akram explained the importance of bringing cricket back to Pakistan by recalling an incident from the 1996 World Cup, when the security situation in Sri Lanka was dire enough that Australia and West Indies did not travel to Colombo and forfeited their matches instead.”A team comprising of six star players each from Pakistan and India travelled to the country to play a solidarity match and change perceptions,” he said. “We played a positive role in 1996 that was warmly welcomed in Sri Lanka. Trust me, the foreigners who travel to Lahore for the final will be given heroic status in the country and their contribution will be remembered by Pakistanis for a long time, the passionate followers of the game will be hugely welcoming and thankful.”Another thing that may reduce the players’ perception of risk could be Giles Clarke’s comments about the situation in Lahore. He had visited the city in January as head of a Task Force to see if international cricket can be brought back to the country. Clarke is understood to have shared details of his trips to the member boards at the ICC meetings in Dubai over the weekend.

India coach Anil Kumble confirmed that Ajinkya Rahane will bat in the top order, a slot he is likely to vacate when India’s first-choice openers are available, in the ODI series against England

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-20172:05

‘This series the only preparation for Champions Trophy’ – Kumble

Ajinkya Rahane, arguably India’s most versatile Test batsman, will bat at an ODI slot he is likely to vacate when India’s first-choice openers are available. On a day when his 83-ball 91 led India A to a win over the touring England side in a practice match in Mumbai, coach Anil Kumble confirmed in Pune that Rahane will bat in the top order in the ODI series.Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have been India’s third-most prolific opening partnership in ODIs. They came together in the previous Champions Trophy, in 2013 in England, and did a good job in the 2015 World Cup in Australia too. Rahane, who hadn’t laid an emphatic claim to a place in the middle order, has been getting chances to open thanks to injuries to either both or one of the openers. Now, dropped from the India T20 side, Rahane gets another chance, this time with Dhawan, as Rohit recovers from surgery on his right thigh.With KL Rahul present in the squad, Rahane will have to do something sensational to retain his place in a fully fit squad. He won’t get more than three ODIs to do so, against England, although the IPL performances are not entirely insignificant when it comes to changing minds of India selectors and captains.”At this point of time, he [Rahane] is [being looked at as a top-order option only],” Kumble said, two days before the start of the three-match ODI series against England. “In the one-day format, I don’t think there’s a set batting order, so at this point in time, he’s still batting at the top of the order.”At any rate, the middle order is quite crowded. If Rohit and Dhawan are fit to take their take places in the Champions Trophy, with Virat Kohli a certainty at No. 3, India already have MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, KL Rahul, Kedar Jadhav and Manish Pandey for the three middle-order slots. It could be a tall task for Rahane – or for that matter Suresh Raina, who is making his T20I comeback against England – to break in there.Without giving away what the team is thinking in terms of final composition, Kumble said he was happy with the resources available. “It’s a good choice that we have in the squad, with Yuvraj coming back into the team,” Kumble said. “We all know what he’s capable of, both as a batsman and a bowler. But, having said that, both Manish and Kedar in that slot have really done well.”It’s nice to have these choices and there is competition for places in the team. And that’s what you want in a team. You want healthy competition for all places. It all depends on the pitch and the surface and what we believe is the ideal combination.”One thing Kumble promised was that India will think of winning the ODI series first rather than experiment with the Champions Trophy selection in mind. “At any given point in time, we would like to put together the best team on the park,” Kumble said. “We would like to do that considering that each game is like a knockout in the Champions Trophy as well. So that’s the kind of mindset the players have. That’s the intent that the team will also have.”With no tournament can you say that this is the ideal preparation you would want, so whatever we have, we will try and get the most out of it. Results are important, so we will certainly be looking for the result.”In going for wins in the current series, one of the challenges will be to deal with the dew, should India lose the toss. It will be offset to a degree by the 1.30pm starts, as opposed to the traditional 2.30pm ones in India, but Kumble said dew cannot be an excuse even if India have to encounter it at any point. To stay prepared for that, India have been bowling with wet balls in the nets.”Yesterday, we practised till about 7.30,” Kumble said. “There was not much dew. The games are starting one hour earlier than what it used to be before, so even if the dew comes into effect, it will come in the last one hour. But this has been there for a long time, so it’s important that we adapt to whatever conditions are there. We can’t change that. So I can’t really say if there’s going to be dew on match day. Generally, at this time of the year, you have dew across India, and that’s why we prepare our bowlers to bowl with a wet ball. And that’s all we can do. As a coach, you can prepare the team for all eventualities, and then you try and adapt to those conditions.”I think spinners find it difficult. For fingerspinners, it is probably a lot easier than a wristspinner. But it is all about adapting and getting used to and practising. At this level, you can’t really say that I can’t do this. You have to. Because there’s no choice, and that’s what we prepare everyone for.”

Glasgow Rangers boss Michael Beale has used the summer transfer window to great effect so far in his efforts to improve the playing squad at Ibrox.

The Gers have already secured four first-team signings ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, despite there still being over two months left of the window, as Dujon Sterling, Jack Butland, Kieran Dowell, and Sam Lammers have all agreed to join.

Whilst the head coach will be looking for players who can come to make an immediate impact in the starting XI, as Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell did in January, the 42-year-old could also be in the market for younger players with potential.

Football League World recently reported that the Light Blues have had an offer rejected by Championship side Leeds United for defender Charlie Cresswell and he would fall into that category, at the age of 20.

Beale is said to be interested in a deal to sign the England U21 international and the talented youngster could be the dream long-term heir to Connor Goldson at Ibrox.

How did Charlie Cresswell perform last season?

The central defender spent the 22/23 campaign on loan at Millwall in the English Championship and enjoyed a strong year at the back in his first full season of first-team football.

Cresswell, whose heading ability was described as "powerful" by journalist Josh Bunting, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.13 across 28 league appearances and made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game for the Lions.

He also proved himself to be a dominant enforcer at the heart of the defence with a 60% duel success rate, which shows that the 6 foot 3 English colossus was able to get the better of the opposition attackers more often than not.

The aforementioned Bunting hailed Cresswell as an "excellent defender with a big future ahead of him in the game" last year and the statistics back that up as the youngster produced consistently superb displays and showed strength beyond his age whilst competing against experienced forwards week-in-week-out.

Goldson, meanwhile, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.29 across 25 Scottish Premiership matches and made 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game for his side, whilst coming out on top in 67% of his battles.

These statistics indicate that the current 6 foot 3 Rangers star is a step ahead of Cresswell in terms of his current performance levels and dominance at the back, but that is to be expected at his age.

The Light Blues enforcer is ten years older than the Leeds prospect and could take the youngster under his wing with a view to him being the dream long-term heir to his position in the team.

Indeed, the former Millwall loanee has shown plenty of promise as a strong and consistent performer in defence during his time in the Championship.

ESPNcricinfo previews the first Test between New Zealand and South Africa in Dunedin

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan07-Mar-2017Match FactsMarch 8-12 2017
Start time 11.00am local (2200GMT)1:37

Moonda: South Africa’s quicks could heat up Dunedin

The Big PictureThis match-up has a one-sided history. New Zealand have only won four Tests against South Africa and two of those came in 1962 when they shared a rare five-Test series 2-2. Since then, they won the first meeting after readmission, at Johannesburg in 1994, and their only home victory was inspired by Chris Martin at Eden Park in 2004.South Africa also plunged New Zealand towards their most recent nadir. At Newlands in early 2013, they were bowled out before lunch on the opening day. Nothing so one-sided is expected this time. Since South Africa last visited for a Test in 2012, New Zealand have only lost one series on home soil, against Australia last year.For their part, South Africa have been one of finest touring sides in the last decade with last year’s defeat in India being their first overseas since Sri Lanka in 2006. They overcame Australia late last year (although given subsequent events that feels a lifetime ago) and despite New Zealand’s strength on home soil, start the series as favourites.The key will be whether New Zealand can put enough runs on the board because in Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner they have the bowlers to put pressure on South Africa. It should be a series of quality pace bowling with Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander leading the opposite line.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WWWWL
South Africa WWWLWIn the spotlightTom Latham and Jeet Raval will face one of their toughest challenges: seeing off Rabada, Philander and Morne Morkel. Latham’s confidence has to have taken a knock after his horror run in ODIs which saw him lose his place. Raval has played just four Tests, although showed impressive composure against Pakistan before giving away a few starts against Bangladesh. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor are the key to New Zealand’s batting, but they have a better chance if not exposed to the new ball too soon.Two of South Africa’s batting engine room, JP Duminy and Temba Bavuma come into the series under a little scrutiny but for different reasons. Duminy regressed during the one-day series, scratching around and wasting starts when he made them, but elevated his Test game against Australia and Sri Lanka. Bavuma, meanwhile, made just 21 runs in five innings against Sri Lanka so he could do with reviving memories of England at Cape Town and Australia in Hobart. The latter, given likely conditions, could be relevant.Team newsWilliamson kept the door open for two spinners, but it is also Colin de Grandhomme verses James Neesham so it would be a major surprise if they omitted one of the three frontline quicks.New Zealand (probable): 1 Tom Latham, 2 Jeet Raval, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Colin de Grandhomme/James Neesham, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent BoultFaf du Plessis confirmed that Morne Morkel will play his first Test in more than a year, being preferred ahead of Duanne Olivier. They will also play a specialist spinner in Keshav Maharaj.South Africa (probable): 1 Stephen Cook, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Temba Bavuma, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Kagiso RabadaPitch and conditionsThis is the first Test surface for a new University Oval groundsman, but New Zealand don’t expect much different to normal. Dean Elgar termed the pitch “juicy” two days out but local knowledge from Neil Wagner indicated that the temperature was as important to the amount of movement on offer. The forecast for the first three days is good, but the weekend isn’t too promising at the moment.Stats and trivia Excluding series involving Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, the New Zealand win-loss ratio against South Africa is the joint lowest in history alongside West Indies against South Africa.University Oval is New Zealand’s only unbeaten home venue. They have won three and drawn four at the ground. The final day of the 2012 Test against South Africa was washed out. Williamson’s average as captain of 55 is the best by a New Zealand skipper, fractionally ahead of Martin Crowe. The captain winning the toss has bowled first in New Zealand on 22 consecutive occasions. The last time a captain batted first was Daniel Vettori against Pakistan, at the Basin Reserve, in 2011.Quotes”I don’t get ahead of myself with silly ideas like that. We want to have a look at the surface, it can change. We don’t want to delve into that before we have any outrageous thoughts.”
Kane Williamson isn’t getting ahead of himself about what to do at the toss“With slower conditions here, our strongest team is the balance of three seamers and a spinner. If the wicket is slow, your spinner does become important.”

Manchester United are still keen on signing African striker Adama Bojang, who will cost just €5m (£4.3m) this summer.

What’s the latest Man United transfer news?

The Red Devils appear to be on the hunt for a new marquee striker this summer after Wout Wegorst’s loan spell came to an end, whereas Anthony Martial has also been put up for sale by Erik ten Hag.

A number of well-known forwards have been linked with a move to Old Trafford, including Tottenham’s Harry Kane. A move for the England captain looks unlikely, though, which has led to the Red Devils looking abroad.

Reports previously claimed that Man United are in pole position to sign Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos, while recent speculation suggested contact was made over a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani.

However, a lesser-known forward in Bojang, who plies his trade for Steve Biko FC in Gambia, has also been catching the eye of Man United chiefs, and a further transfer update has emerged in the last 48 hours.

Sky Sports Germany provided an update regarding Bojang, claiming that the “miracle striker” will be transferred to Europe quite quickly – in the next ten to 14 days to be exact.

The 19-year-old is wanted by Man United, Eintracht Frankfurt and RC Strasbourg, with the report adding that his next club will have to pay just €5m (£4.3m) for his services.

Who is Adama Bojang?

As well as being hailed as a “miracle striker” in the media, Bojang’s advisor Sascha Empacher has also waxed lyrical over the forward, believing he can go on to become one of the African forwards, name-checking some from past and present.

"Adama is the best African player I've seen in the last decade. He has the potential to become one of Africa's great forwards. Along with Drogba, Eto'o, Salah and Osimhen."

Standing at 6ft 2, Bojang has been nicknamed “The Gambian Hurricane” and an absolute physical specimen in the media, already being compared to Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

He is thought to be strong with both feet and a player who has high speed, so it could be worth United taking a gamble on Bojang, who appears to be a star in the making.

A transfer won’t break the bank either, and by the looks of it, the Red Devils will need to be quick if they are to pip clubs in Germany and France to the African forward over the coming days.

As the 2023/24 Premier League season nears, Football FanCast continues to preview the opening weekend, which includes AFC Bournemouth's clash against West Ham United in a game featuring two sides looking to avoid relegation and more in the coming campaign.

When is the match and is it on UK TV?

Unfortunately, due to the blackout for 3pm games in English football, Bournemouth's fixture against West Ham on Saturday, August 12 will not be televised on UK TV.

Of course, the last time these sides met saw a total of four unanswered West Ham goals, including a stunning Pablo Fornals scorpion kick.

Fans will be forced to catch the highlights of this one, however, as the two relegation contenders do battle once more to kick off the new season in style.

Premier League: Every Opening Day Fixture

Who is Bournemouth's key player?

When it comes to key players at Bournemouth, there's no player more important than Dominic Solanke. The forward finally made his mark on the Premier League last season, scoring six goals and assisting a further seven as the Cherries comfortably survived.

There's no doubt that the former Chelsea and Liverpool man will be looking to pick up where he left off in the new season, too, starting on the opening day against West Ham.

Who is West Ham's key player?

It doesn't get more important than the man who scored the winner to clinch the Europa Conference League for West Ham, does it?

Jarrod Bowen, even after a difficult spell at the start of last season, remains West Ham's key player – the player they turn to when it matters most.

With a hand in 21 goals in all competitions, with 13 goals and eight assists to his name, Bowen will only be looking to improve those numbers next season, as the Hammers look to enjoy more than just survival in the Premier League.

How will Bournemouth line up?

Yet to make any new signings so far this summer, Bournemouth could get their business underway now that they've welcomed new manager Andoni Iraola in what was an unexpected twist at the Vitality Stadium.

The Cherries have already suffered a significant loss, however, with Jefferson Lerma completing a move to Crystal Palace, potentially opening the door for a new central midfielder this summer.

As of right now, though, here's how Iraola's side could line up on the manager's debut:

Neto; Lloyd Kelly; Marcos Senesi; Adam Smith; Matias Vina; Philip Billing; Joe Rothwell; Dango Ouattara; David Brooks; Ryan Christie; Dominic Solanke

How will West Ham line up?

Like Bournemouth, West Ham are yet to complete any signings this summer. But, that has not stopped the transfer rumours.

According to Dean Jones, the Hammers will make a bid for Southampton's James Ward-Prowse.

If new faces arrive before the opening day, we may well see them thrown straight into David Moyes' side, who will otherwise have the simple task of picking from player who have just won a European trophy.

With that said, here's how West Ham could line up:

Alphonse Areola; Valdimir Coufal; Kurt Zouma; Nayef Aguerd; Emerson; James Ward-Prowse; Tomas Soucek; Jarrod Bowen; Lucas Paqueta; Said Benrahma; Michail Antonio

What were the last five meetings between the two sides?

West Ham have enjoyed their last five meetings with Bournemouth, it's fair to say, having lost just once against the Cherries.

It is a record that new manager Iraola will be looking to put to an end right away in what would be an incredibly impressive start to life on the south coast.

Last time out, of course, Bournemouth suffered a 4-0 defeat, with goals from Antonio, Paqueta, Rice, and Fornals securing the points for West Ham.

With that said, here's how the last five games went:

April 2023: Bournemouth 0-4 West Ham October 2022: West Ham 2-0 Bournemouth January 2020: West Ham 4-0 Bournemouth September 2019: Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham January 2019: Bournemouth 2-0 West Ham Who is going to win?

Given West Ham's recent record against Bournemouth, it's hard to look past a win for Moyes' side.

It must be said, however, that an added intrigue to the game will be how Iraola tactically sets his side up in his first-ever Premier League game.

FFC predicts: West Ham United win

AB de Villiers will lead Royal Challengers Bangalore if Virat Kohli fails to recover, from his shoulder injury, in time for the start of the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2017AB de Villiers will lead Royal Challengers Bangalore if Virat Kohli fails to recover from a shoulder injury for the IPL opener next week against Sunrisers Hyderabad. According to Daniel Vettori, Royal Challengers’ head coach, Kohli will join the squad on April 2 and then reassess a date of return with the team’s medical staff.There has been no definitive update on Kohli’s right shoulder, which he hurt during the third Test of the series against Australia in Ranchi. After India won the series 2-1 in Dharamasala, Kohli had said he was not 100% fit yet, and was waiting for a final word from the Indian team physiotherapist.Vettori said there was no “clear picture” on Kohli’s return date. “He [Kohli] will come in on April 2. Between now and then, the BCCI doctors and physio will speak to us (on his condition) and our medical staff will get a clearer picture,” Vettori said as RCB assembled for the season’s first training session in Bangalore. ” Right now, we don’t have a clear picture on his availability. We’ll know in the next few days.”According to Vettori, de Villiers would be on standby if Kohli is unavailable. De Villiers, who will play for Titans in the Momentum One Day Cup final on Friday, will arrive in Bangalore on April 2. “The likely scenario is that de Villiers will take over the duties but we’ll answer that once we find out if Virat is out,” Vettori said.Kohli played a pivotal role in Royal Challengers reaching the final last year, but his absence would offer an opportunity for youngsters like Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan to take on more responsibility. “”Fortunately, we have a number of exceptional batsmen who haven’t got many playing chances like Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh. It’s a huge asset for us that someone else can fill in those gaps.”

Rohit Sharma had to change his tactics to play against spin after he was dismissed for four single-digit scores early in the tournament

Arun Venugopal in Mumbai16-Apr-2017A counter-intuitive approach to tackling spin at the start of the innings has helped Rohit Sharma overcome his recent poor run. His unbeaten 29-ball 40 against Gujarat Lions at Wankhede Stadium not only broke a streak of four single-digit scores, but was also instrumental in Mumbai Indians acing a chase of 177 with six wickets in hand and moving to top of the table with their fourth win in five games.Kaif rues Rana’s drop by Roy

Gujarat Lions assistant coach Mohammad Kaif rued Jason Roy’s drop that reprieved Nitish Rana, saying it hurt the team badly. Rana was dropped at midwicket on 9 and went on to smash 53 off 36 balls before being dismissed in the 10th over.
“That catch would have made a big difference because Rana has been in good form, and had we taken that catch…especially in IPL or any T20 match, if you can get back-to-back wickets you are always going to be on top,” Kaif said after the match. “That’s going to hurt quite badly, the catch.”
Lions’ tactic to send Ishan Kishan at No. 4 ahead of Roy also raised eyebrows. Kishan walked in at the fall of captain Suresh Raina in the 12th over, and laboured to a 14-ball 11. When Roy came out to bat after Kishan was dismissed, there were only 14 balls remaining in the innings. Kaif, though, defended the move and said Roy was held back for a late assault.
“Since [Aaron] Finch missed out this game, we had to have someone who can strike the ball in the last couple of overs,” he said. “So that was the plan – to have one experienced guy just for back-up if we lose couple of wickets in the middle overs. I thought we were probably 15 runs short. We had a good start. [But] Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh) bowled really well today and gave away nothing. After six overs, we needed to get more [runs].”

Coming into the game, Rohit had scores of 0, 4, 2 and 3 and each of his dismissals was against spin bowling. He was bowled and lbw twice each, with three legspinners – Imran Tahir, Rashid Khan and Samuel Badree – and Sunil Narine accounting for him. Incidentally, on Sunday, Lions’ team sheet featured no legspinner and had only one specialist spinner in Ravindra Jadeja. Rohit wasn’t complaining one bit.”I thought you will ask me about the win,” a visibly happy Rohit joked after the first question in the post-match press conference. He then went on to expand on where he felt he had gone wrong in the earlier matches. “It was just a simple mistake. I was trying to play with the spin, which is what we’re taught, but these guys (legspinners) were bowling googlies, so I had to play against it.”The first ball, you never play against the spin. That’s something which I was supposed to do there but I didn’t because, when you go in…yes, it’s a challenging tournament, bowlers will keep challenging you every now and then. You have to be prepared for it.”I went back to the drawing board and analysed what went wrong and today, I decided to play straight; I decided to not play in the ‘V’. I know it sounds stupid to not to play in the ‘V’ but that’s how it is now. These days games have changed so much. And luckily, they had only one spinner (laughs).”Yeah, it is good to get some runs. I have been a little let down at the start of the tournament. That is not the standard I expect of myself. Nevertheless, what is gone is gone. I’m not thinking too much about it. As long as we win, everything is good. Today was again a great win.”As a regular opener for India in ODIs and T20s, the decision to bat himself at the top must have been tempting, but Rohit felt his promotion would hinder Mumbai’s balance. This was particularly relevant because Nitish Rana has played some impactful knocks at No. 3. He has racked up scores of 53, 11, 45, 50 and 34 and is currently the leading run-scorer in the tournament.”I would love to open, but certain things you got to think from the team’s perspective as well. Being the captain of the team, you have to think about the right balance,” Rohit said.”Batting at [No.] 4, 3 gives us the balance we want. Last year, we felt that we wanted someone to just bat till the end and it wasn’t happening and we weren’t able to finish games. This is probably one of the reasons I have to take that decision to come down at 3, 4. I am open to anything the team requires. If we see, where I have to go and open, I will go and open also. I am not closing my options. Right now probably 3, 4 is the best position.”I also don’t want to change too much of the batting as well because the guy at 3 [Rana] just got an orange cap, so I don’t want to change his position. He is a brilliant batsman and we’re going to see more and more of them throughout the tournament. He is a fearless cricketer and he likes to take on the bowlers straight away. That’s the ideal position for him to bat.”Rohit also lauded his team for coping well with the conditions in two back-to-back afternoon games. “Every win is important against whichever team. We don’t play the opposition, we play the team,” he said. “A lot of credit to the players – each and everybody. To have four consecutive wins is never easy. We were challenged a little bit in terms of conditions – we played a 4pm game in Bangalore and we played a 4pm game in Mumbai here. It’s not easy with the humidity and the heat. So hats off to all the guys for putting their hands up and taking the responsibility.”

Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move for Khephren Thuram over the summer so far and now a new update has emerged on the club's pursuit of the player.

What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Khephren Thuram?

According to French news outlet L'Equipe, the Reds and Bayern Munich are keen to secure the services of the OGC Nice midfielder this summer.

As per the report, it's thought that the Ligue 1 club believe they can hold onto their prized asset for another year with the player content where he is at the moment, however, with his contract running down and due to expire in 2025, Nice are aware they may be unlikely to command a lucrative fee in 12 months time.

In that case, Les Bleus would be willing to part ways with Thuram this summer for a fee of around €40m (£34m) should Liverpool or Bayern make a concrete move before the transfer window closes.

What kind of player is Khephren Thuram?

The Liverpool squad have now returned to pre-season training with two new additions in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai joining the Merseyside giants in their preparations for next season.

A much-needed midfield rebuild has started to take shape following the departures of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer, however, the outgoings could continue as The Athletic's David Ornstein dropped a huge bombshell on the Anfield faithful this week.

He revealed on Twitter that club captain Jordan Henderson could become the latest player tempted by a move to the Saudi Pro League this summer, and he isn't the only Liverpool mainstay attracting interest with new reports claiming Barcelona are interested in signing Thiago Alcantara.

As a result, whilst Jurgen Klopp will have much to consider whether it is viable to sell more of his most experienced leaders in the squad, it would present an opportunity to further reinvest for the future of his midfield and comfortably fund a move for Khephren Thuram.

Alongside Henderson, Thiago is one of the highest-earning players at the club, earning a whopping £200k-per-week salary, and although the talented midfielder is a great asset when on the pitch, his decline in fitness and injury record over the last two seasons has made it difficult for him to be relied upon when it matters most.

If selling Thiago could open up the door to secure the services of Thuram it would be a worthwhile endeavour for Liverpool, as another injection of youth and energy into the centre of the pitch would be massively advantageous ahead of next season.

The 25-year-old Frenchman – once hailed as "elite" by journalist Zach Lowy – ranks in the top 30% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for progressive carries (top 6%), successful take-ons (top 9%), touches in the opposition box, shot-creating actions and pass completion per 90, demonstrating a wide range of strengths that make him both potent in attack and a capable defensive presence.

The 6 foot 2 box-to-box midfielder's work-rate would be an incredible asset to Klopp next season and whilst he is a much more progressive player than Thiago, the remaining presence of Fabinho and Stefan Bajcetic allows for the German coach to secure a young talent who offers a fresh perspective instead of a like-for-like replacement.

With that being said, aside from the ongoing speculation about potential outgoings, the signing of Thuram is definitely one to watch as it is clear that the Nice star would bring something new to the current Liverpool midfield and continue to bolster the youth revolution that Klopp is aiming to complete at Anfield.