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The 37-year old called time on a two-decade long career, which brought 7081 first-class runs at an average of 40.93, with 17 centuries and 30 half-centuries

Shashank Kishore31-Jul-2019Earning Greg Chappell’s praise and being in the same dressing room as his batting idol Sachin Tendulkar are two of Venugopal Rao’s fondest memories as an India cricketer. On Tuesday, the 37-year old middle-order batsman called time on a two-decade long career, which effectively ended in 2017.Over the last two years, while he has continued playing corporate cricket for MRF, retirement has been a constant thought. He took a final call during his World Cup assignment as a commentator for a regional sports channel. A formal announcement came through the Andhra Cricket Association, the team he represented for a majority of 121 first-class matches that brought 7081 runs at an average of 40.93, with 17 centuries and 30 half-centuries.For now, he has no T20 offers in the pipeline. He is looking forward to his future in Telugu commentary and perhaps some coaching too “if something comes up”.”In the early 1990s, they used to laugh whenever someone from Andhra desired to play for India. To be one of only two cricketers from the region (MSK Prasad being the other) to play for the country proved that you can achieve your goal,” Venugopal told ESPNcricinfo. “To come from a fishing village near Visakhapatnam, where my father worked for a modest salary of INR 7000 to support five children, and play was a big thing. All credit to my parents.”It is nearly fourteen years to the day when Venugopal made his India debut. Tendulkar was still recovering from a tennis elbow, Sourav Ganguly had been suspended for an over-rate offence, VVS Laxman was not an automatic pick and MS Dhoni was asked to open the batting. India needed a middle-order batsman and Venugopal was one of two debutants alongside Suresh Raina.”Playing Muttiah Muralitharan on debut was an unforgettable experience,” he said. “As batsmen, we grew up playing spin, but I felt nothing quite prepared you to face him. He was an exceptional bowler. I have fond memories of that game [even though India lost].”

To come from a fishing village near Visakhapatnam, where my father worked for a modest salary of INR 7000 to support five children, and play was a big thing

In the season that preceded his debut, Venugopal announced himself by smashing a career-best 228 not out in a chase of 501 for South Zone against England Lions in the Duleep Trophy. It was the fifth-highest chase in first-class history at the time, against a competent attack featuring Simon Jones, Sajid Mahmood and James Tredwell, all of whom went on to play for England. Yet, Venugopal believes it was a practice match that turned out to be the difference between an India cap and being on the fringes.”Before the Sri Lanka tour, we had a conditioning camp followed by a match between the 30 probables. The seniors played against the second XI. I made a 90 against the seniors, whose bowling included Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan. That knock convinced [then India coach] Greg Chappell. After the game, he had a long chat with me and the next day, I was informed of my India selection for the Sri Lanka tour.”I was very jittery, I always felt as a cricketer growing up, if someone from Tamil Nadu or Mumbai made 120 runs, I had to make 200 to be noticed,” Venugopal said. “Ahead of my India debut, I was a little nervous. Many thoughts ran through my mind. Greg had just taken up as coach, and he told me ‘Look, for me, where you come from doesn’t matter. I know you are good enough to be here, and that is why you are here.’ Those words gave me a lot of belief.”Venugopal was used as a floater between 2005 and 2006, but his career could not quite take off. He played the last of his 16 ODIs in the West Indies in 2006, with his highest of 61 not out coming against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. He was also India’s first ever super sub. Post his short India career, Venugopal battled injuries and inconsistency to play for Andhra and Gujarat in domestic cricket. He was also part of the IPL title-winning Deccan Chargers in 2009. His last IPL appearance was with Delhi Daredevils in 2014.

Australia opener Nicole Bolton has spoken about her battle with mental health following her return to action after a five-month break and said if it hadn’t been for stepping away from the game she may have been forced to retire.When Bolton started her indefinite break in the middle of the fourth edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in January, citing personal reasons, an air of concern hung over her withdrawal. It wasn’t, after all, a drop in form that had triggered the decision; she had just smashed a fifty for the Scorchers against Sydney Thunder and picked up 2 for 26. However, that Player-of-the-Match performance also brought the curtain down on Bolton’s season.More than five months on from the start of that hiatus from competitive cricket – she was unavailable for selection for the three-match home ODI series against New Zealand in February – which ended with a recall to Australia’s Ashes squad, Bolton revealed that her pull-out had been down to “alarm bells” around her mental well-being that nearly forced her to consider retirement.ALSO READ: Nicole Bolton relieved after bouncing back from first-baller ahead of Ashes“Personally a few things happened to me away from cricket which was a bit of a challenge in itself,” Bolton told . “There is still a lot of stigma around mental health, depression and anxiety. I don’t think I’d be sitting here talking to you if I didn’t take a break. I potentially would have retired to be honest.””It was what people couldn’t see behind closed doors where I was really struggling. Physically my body started to fail me in a sense. It was like alarm bells because I was like ‘this isn’t normal’.”A battle that has been faced by some of Bolton’s top-flight competitors such as England’s Sarah Taylor and Kate Cross, posed her a similar challenge: to speak up. And Bolton admitted she “wasn’t completely honest” with the Perth Scorchers team doctor, to whom she had only described symptoms of potential burnout.”I was almost covering up how I was really feeling,” Bolton said. “I didn’t want to rush it. It was something I knew that if I was going to take the time off, I had to do it properly. If that meant never coming back to play for Australia, then that’s what it meant.”During her time away from the game, Bolton found a confidant in the Australia and New South Wales men’s allrounder Moises Henriques, who had taken leave from the Big Bash League in late-December 2017 due to mental-health reasons.”He doesn’t know the role that he’s played, but it’s unbelievable really,” Bolton said of Henriques, who would try to lift her with words of encouragement on WhatsApp.Nicole Bolton gets set to play a sweep•Getty Images

At the time, Bolton’s decision to step away from the game was met with support by her club and national team-mates, including the likes of Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry.”You speak to anyone around the country in women’s cricket and she would have had an impact on them in some way or another,” Perry, the Sydney Sixers captain had said. “She’s a great mate of mine and I know she’s got a huge amount of support from everyone. She won’t be a stranger, that’s for sure.”Bolton’s Scorchers and Australia captain, Lanning, echoed Perry. “It’s a family at the Scorchers and we’re right behind her,” Lanning said. “She knows that so hopefully she can get into a good spot and we’ll see what happens from there.”The support from her colleagues has been palpable since her return to the Australia squad for the multi-format seven-match Ashes, which starts next month and will kick off a busy international season that includes a tour of Sri Lanka in September, a tri-series involving England and India in January next year, leading up to the home T20 World Cup in February-March. There’s also the first standalone WBBL, running from October to December, on the domestic calendar.”Coming back into the squad, they were just rapt and even the staff were pumped,” Bolton said. “I never once felt alone, I knew I had the support I just needed a bit of help to get there. To be picked to play for Australia again I think is a massive achievement.”You get so caught up in the pressure and expectations and it can just grind away at you. Now I feel like I’ve got other things going on in my life that if cricket is not going well, well it’s okay. In time, I hope I can share my experience and maybe help someone else. It was an important time in my life and I’m glad I’ve been able to come through it.”

The Mumbai Indians captain also said the team was open to resting Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya if needed, but the players preferred to keep playing

Deivarayan Muthu in Hyderabad12-May-2019With the World Cup starting on May 30, 18 days after the IPL final, workload management has been a major talking point throughout the season. Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma reckons that the demands of the IPL will help players build towards the showpiece event in England and Wales, rather than lead to burnout.Rohit cited the example of India winning the Champions Trophy in June 2013, which started about ten days after the end of the IPL that year. Rohit was in top form across both tournaments, following up his 538 runs in 19 innings for Mumbai Indians in their maiden run to the IPL title with 177 runs in five innings in the UK, helping India secure that title as well.”Once the IPL started, we knew this was the window – March and April or April and May – because of the elections,” Rohit said. “In 2013, we played the IPL and went on to play the Champions Trophy and in fact we went on to win the Champions Trophy. I feel the guys who play IPL and go play big tournaments right after that, they’re very much in touch with their game.”Rohit also said that Mumbai were open to resting key India players – fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and allrounder Hardik Pandya, who had just recovered from a back injury ahead of the IPL – at various points during the league, but the players opted against it and were instead keen to keep playing.Bumrah and Hardik are among six players to have featured in all of Mumbai’s 15 games so far this season. While Bumrah is their leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 6.84, Hardik found form – both with bat and ball – after being sidelined from the India side with multiple injuries and off-field troubles earlier this year.Hardik had missed India’s most recent ODI series against Australia, but hit the ground running this IPL. He has been Mumbai’s premier power-hitter, making 386 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 193. And he has smashed 28 sixes – only Kolkata Knight Riders’ Andre Russell (52) and Kings XI Punjab’s Chris Gayle (34) have hit more sixes this season. He has elevated his batting to an all-new plane, so much so that he can now hit yorkers – or near-yorkers – for sixes by deploying the helicopter shot.Hardik has also been at it with the ball and in the field, claiming 14 wickets and taking 11 catches.”We spoke at the start of the tournament that we will assess each one of players, see where they are at and what they feel about their bodies,” Rohit said. “It’s more an individual thing than [what] we decide for them.”In the case of Jasprit, he’s someone who likes to play games to make sure he’s in good rhythm. At the start of the tournament, we spoke that at any given stage if he feels he needs to rest, we were open to that. But our physios and trainers have monitored him quite well and there was constant feedback from Jasprit as well about he’s feeling. So far, we haven’t had issues with Jasprit and Hardik, so we continued to play them.”Before the IPL if they weren’t in great form, this is the time they can get back to form. Hardik is the best example. Before the IPL, he didn’t have a good time, was injured, and missed a few games as well. But he has been tremendous for us – both in batting and bowling. So, yeah it’s [IPL’s] a big tournament and you can judge yourself where you’re at before a big tournament like the World Cup.”

A slice of luck – a dropped catch to be exact – could well have saved, and extended, Rahul Dravid’s career, the man himself reckoned at the launch of ESPNcricinfo’s Superstats, a set of new-age metrics for a more nuanced understanding of the modern game.Dravid spoke about how a top-edge off Stuart Broad fell in no-man’s land in the Mohali Test of England’s tour of India in 2008, and allowed him to score a career-saving hundred, leading to a “couple of good years (in international cricket)” thereafter.Dravid was on 1 when the chance was missed, and went on to make 136. ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball commentary wondered if “that’s a bit of luck for Dravid”, something Luck Index – one of three elements that make up Superstats, Smart Stats and Forecaster being the others – attempts to quantify for T20 cricket.Dravid was part of a panel that also featured Sanjay Manjrekar and ESPNcricinfo’s editor-in-chief Sambit Bal, along with Dr Raghunathan Rengaswamy of IIT Madras, whose team collaborated with ESPNcricinfo’s team of statisticians to develop Superstats. The new stats language, available for T20 cricket to start with, has been derived by putting our rich ball-by-ball data through complex algorithms developed by Gyan Data, an IIT-M incubated company founded by Raghunathan.In the words of ESPN India head Ramesh Kumar, these Superstats “offer a final point of view to settle water-cooler debates and discussions on cricket” and “will validate cricketing wisdom”.Bal said that while traditional numbers would continue to be around, Superstats added a “layer of quality and value to them”, and explained how it would mean “batsmen and bowlers are equalised” and measurable on a common metric that gauges their impact in a match.The panel discussion at the launch of ESPNcricinfo’s Superstats in Mumbai – [L to R] Raunak Kapoor, Sambit Bal, Rahul Dravid, Sanjay Manjrekar and Dr Raghunathan Rengaswamy•Annesha Ghosh/ESPNcricinfo

Manjrekar, a well-travelled broadcaster, spoke about how such enhanced statistics would benefit commentators and fans watching live telecasts, especially in T20 tournaments like the IPL, which is followed by scores of data-savvy fans who are “fascinated by numbers”, than those who have grown up watching the longer formats.Should these metrics have been available during his playing career, Manjrekar argued that “an Ajay Jadeja might have won Man of the Match in the 1996 World Cup quarterfinal” against Pakistan in Bengaluru, for the impact his innings had on the game’s result, and not Navjot Singh Sidhu, who ended up getting the award.When asked if insights of the sort had helped him make informed decisions in his playing and coaching career, Dravid mentioned acquiring the services of Brad Hodge for Rajasthan Royals in the 2012 auction despite his middling returns in past editions of the tournament with other teams.Royals, “pretty much a budget team at that stage”, went with Hodge to fill a middle-order spot despite the fact that on pitches such as in Jaipur – the Royals’ home ground – his “averages weren’t good, numbers weren’t great”. Dravid and Co picked Hodge as a death-overs finisher based on his compelling past record against pace bowling. His past failures were attributed to “playing in spin-friendly tracks in Kolkata and Kochi, falling often to left-arm spinners”.Hodge, who put in a few match-winning performances in that role, had reportedly insisted that he bat at No. 3, only to be told by Dravid that “I don’t want your 450 runs at three, give me 200 runs at strike rate 160 facing the Mitchell Johnsons and Dale Steyns”.Dravid spoke about how the conversation around T20 cricket based on conventional metrics “sometimes frustrated me as a player and a coach”, and how it was “fantastic to see people have finally recognised over the past few years” that the T20 game was a different beast.Dravid and Manjrekar agreed that, with Superstats and other new-age metrics around, the critical thing was to “make the best use of these numbers” and arrive at meaningful conclusions.The two former India batsmen did, however, debate at length about whether “geeks and nerds are taking over the game”, observing that while the likes of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli would no doubt be better captains with such insights, there was “an emotional element to cricket, a human element to it”, which can never fully be explained by numbers.Dravid argued that cricket would “never fully be taken over by the geeks, because while the numbers might tell you ‘bowl X on that day’, the captain knows better if he’s up for it, because numbers can’t quantify whether he’s carrying a niggle. As a coach, sometimes if captains take a gut call on the field, you tend to back them, as long as you know he’s not doing it blindly. I think a guy like Dhoni gets the feel of that (the game), better than most captains”.

Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul have been suspended from all forms of cricket pending an inquiry into their controversial comments on a recently aired TV show. The Committee of Administrators (CoA) that is overseeing the functioning of the BCCI has sent fresh show-cause notices to the players, asking them for a response within seven days “as to why they should not be proceeded against for misconduct and indiscipline under Rule 41 of the BCCI Constitution”.The pair will return to India and miss the remainder of the Australia tour and the upcoming limited-overs tour of New Zealand. The selectors are expected to name their replacements in due course.”You are aware that the enquiry and proceedings against you for misconduct and indiscipline have been initiated under Rule 41 of the BCCI Constitution and the same are presently pending,” the show-cause notice, which ESPNcricinfo has accessed, read.”In terms of Rule 41(6) of the BCCI Constitution, you are hereby suspended with immediate effect from participating in any matter whatsoever in any match or function or event or activity that is authorized, organized, sanctioned, recognized or supported in any way by the BCCI, the ICC or any State Association, until final adjudication of the matter.”The CoA has taken on board the recommendation of the BCCI’s legal team that Pandya and Rahul be suspended pending an inquiry. This was the procedure the BCCI followed when its CEO Rahul Johri faced sexual harassment allegations last October.The recommendation has the support of the CoA member Diana Edulji, a former India women captain, and the BCCI’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary,”Based on the legal opinion and till the time the final procedure is laid down to address this issue, will recommend that a communication be sent to the concerned players and the team immediately,” Edulji said in response to the legal team’s email on Friday morning, which has been accessed by ESPNcricinfo.”It will be imperative that the players be put under suspension till a further course of action is decided for this misconduct as was done in the case of CEO when he was sent on leave in the sexual harassment matter.”Choudhary agreed with Edulji’s view in a separate email.In reply to the first show-cause notice issued by the BCCI earlier this week, both Pandya and Rahul had apologised for their conduct.Both Pandya and Rahul have been part of India’s practice sessions in Sydney leading up to Saturday’s first ODI. On Friday, India captain Virat Kohli said their comments were not acceptable.This latest controversy, coming immediately in the wake of India’s triumph in the Test series in Australia, has once again split the BCCI and the CoA. Vinod Rai, the CoA chairman, had initially recommended a two-match suspension for the players, while Anirudh Chaudhry, the BCCI treasurer, had called for stricter sanctions. Acting secretary Choudhary wanted the pair suspended “immediately”.At Edulji’s behest, the BCCI’s legal team gave its inputs as to the way forward, and whether and how the players could be charged under the board’s new constitution, which came into effect in August 2018. The legal team ruled out charging Pandya and Rahul for violating the BCCI’s Code of Conduct, which applies strictly to on-field actions.As per the new BCCI constitution, the power to sanction players for indiscipline or misconduct is to rest with the BCCI’s Apex Council. The constitution specifies that the BCCI CEO seek an explanation from the players through an initial show-cause notice and the CEO’s report is to be forwarded by the Apex Council to an Ombudsman, who determines what sanctions are binding.The BCCI, pending fresh elections, does not have either an Apex Council or an Ombudsman. The legal team has suggested that the CoA, as the authorised head of the BCCI currently, could substitute for the Apex Council. The legal team also pointed out that CEO Rahul Johri’s initial show-cause notices to Pandya and Rahul had not included specific rules under which the pair could be charged subject to an inquiry.The legal team suggested that Johri send fresh show-cause notices to both players and that he submit his final report within 15 days. The team also recommended that an ad-hoc Ombudsman, meeting the criteria set by the BCCI constitution, be appointed to adjudicate on the matter within the maximum prescribed period of 6 months from the date the player is charged.”Considering that the inquiry process against the concerned players has commenced and is pending, it is open for the COA to suspend the concerned players (along with their privileges and benefits) pending enquiry and proceeding into the charges of misconduct until final adjudication,” the legal team said in its email to the CoA, the office bearers and the BCCI’s professional management.

Jos Buttler braced to step in as No.3, but unchanged XI could be on the cards for second Test

George Dobell in Pallekele13-Nov-2018England have confirmed that Ben Foakes will keep in the second Test in Pallekele with Jos Buttler admitting the standards he set had been “a wake-up call”.Foakes enjoyed what Buttler described as “probably the best debut ever in Test cricket” in Galle. After becoming the first England keeper to score a century in Asia (and only the second from any nation to make one on debut), Foakes equalled the record for the quickest dismissal by a keeper on debut – he claimed a catch from the second delivery of the innings – and soon afterwards completed a stumping, too.It left Buttler accepting that he had been set an “example” of the “level you need to get to” as a keeper.”Ben had a fantastic game in Galle,” Buttler said. “Probably the best debut ever in Test cricket. By the second afternoon, he had a hundred, a stumping and a catch.”He is a fantastic gloveman. It’s a good reminder and a little wake-up call that he’s the level you need to get to. Just looking personally, he’s a great example to someone like myself as to where I need to get to.”While Buttler accepted there were times when his role as keeper helped him relax as a batsman, he also argued that giving up the gloves had allowed him more time to work on his batting.”If I look back to the Ashes in 2015, I didn’t get the balance right between practising my batting and wicketkeeping,” Buttler said. “I was very wicketkeeping-orientated. My batting faltered. I’ve read Matt Prior saying in the past that as a wicketkeeper-batsman, you’re going to train harder and longer than most.”There are days when being an all-rounder is an advantage to you. It makes you more relaxed. If you don’t have a good day with one discipline, you can affect the game with the other. Or if you do one really well in one, you can take that confidence into the other.Jos Buttler bats during training in Pallekele•Getty Images

“But with the summer just gone, I’ve really enjoyed the role in the side [as a specialist batsman]. With more emphasis on my batting, I’ve really enjoyed the improvements there.”Meanwhile Joe Root hinted that Jonny Bairstow might have to sit out the second Test as his ankle injury heals. While Bairstow batted and fielded in training on Monday, England want to ensure there is no chance of a setback.”It’s quite a serious injury,” Root said. “I think he’s still a week or so off being 100 percent.”He’s mad keen to get back out there and play. He is pretty much close to flat out as he can be at the moment in the fielding and with his batting. It’s a good sign.”Root also explained the reasoning behind confirming Foakes as keeper for the second Test.”Ben is going to keep,” he said. “We’ve come to Sri Lanka to win this tour. And in these conditions, I think Ben is the best option behind the stumps.”Jonny is a fine keeper and what he’s done over the last couple of years has been exceptional. He’s pretty much been faultless and, long-term, I see him as a focal part of the Test team.”But this is a great opportunity for Ben to show his ability and I think you’ve got to reward a performance like last week.”

Dylan Cease could be on the move before the 2025 MLB trade deadline.

That shocking news hit on Wednesday, as ESPN's Buster Olney reported the San Diego Padres might try to get creative as they attempt to compete down the stretch. The Padres have a number of pressing needs as the deadline approaches, with left field and catcher at the top of the list. Given their financial situation, moving some salary while making additions makes a lot of sense.

Cease has ace-level stuff, but has struggled this season. After finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2024, he has been a different pitcher in 2025. Through 21 starts, the 29-year-old is 3-10 with a 4.59 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP and 144 strikeouts against 42 walks in 113 2/3 innings. The one thing to note here is that Cease's xFIP is 3.30, meaning he's gotten pretty unlucky this year.

The Padres are set to lose Cease at the end of the season as he'll hit free agency. They could, instead, leverage his value given the lack of available starting pitching at this year's deadline and hope a team will bank on Cease's bad luck turning around, or their staff making minor tweaks. San Diego could then use assets acquired to help improve their roster for the stretch run.

What follows is a look at the best fits for Cease as we approach the trade deadline.

Chicago Cubs

Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd have been excellent for the Cubs this season, but there remains a Justin Steele-sized hole in the rotation. As a group, the team's starters rank 13th leaguewide in ERA (3.93) and have allowed the third-most home runs (87). Chicago needs to add juice to the starting rotation, and the organization knows Cease intimately. The Cubs selected him in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB draft and Cease wound up being a top prospect before the club dealt him to the Chicago White Sox as part of the ill-fated Jose Quintana trade.

This would be a chance for the Cubs to land Cease back on the North Side to help the team's starting pitching depth as they make a push for an NL Central crown.

New York Yankees

The Yankees' focus is sure to be finding a third baseman, but the pitching also needs help. Max Fried and Carlos Rodon have carried the starting rotation this season with Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt out after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Luis Gil is close to a return, but the rest of the team's starters have been shaky at best and awful at worst. As a group, New York's starters rank seventh in ERA (3.74) but they don't have the rotation depth to win a World Series.

Cease has the kind of elite stuff that can show up in October. While he struggled in the 2024 postseason, his average fastball velocity (97.1 mph) ranks fifth in MLB among starting pitchers and his slider was one of the best pitches in baseball in 2024. A few tweaks could have him dominating hitters again.

New York Mets

The Mets have a really good rotation, led by Kadai Sengal and David Peterson with Sean Manaea healthy again to back them up. But they also have a ticking time bomb on their hands. Converted reliever Clay Holmes has already thrown 108 2/3 innings, which is 38 2/3 more than his previous career high of 70. He has been really good this season, posting an 8-5 record with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. But so far in July he has an ERA of 5.66, and has surrendered 13 earned runs on 21 hits in 20 2/3 innings. He could be hitting a wall.

If Holmes continues to struggle, New York needs to find another option for the stretch run. Frankie Montas is back, but he has a 4.62 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP this season through five starts. His last two starts have been better but he's risky. Adding another starter feels like a must for the Mets.

Toronto Blue Jays

Like the Mets, the Blue Jays look solid on the surface, with Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman leading the rotation. But if you look under the hood, the team's starters rank 24th in ERA (4.53). Max Scherzer (5.14 ERA) was sidelined for months thanks to a thumb injury and has yet to look ready for primetime, and Eric Lauer (2.80 ERA) is a low-ceiling lefty who has had some success this season but his 3.82 xFIP says he's getting incredibly lucky.

Cease would be a high-ceiling arm that could add the depth to the rotation Toronto has struggled to find a year.

Alisha Lehmann insists she "only drank non-alcoholic beer" when her and her Como team-mates headed to Oktoberfest in Germany. The entire squad were bedecked in traditional Bavarian clothing, and Lehmann was seen downing a huge stein, although she insists the liquid inside it was not liable to leave her tipsy.

Lehmann's wild night out

Lehmann headed with her Como team-mates to Oktoberfest in Munich, ahead of the start of the 2025/26 season. The former Aston Villa and Juventus star now plays for Como and she enjoyed some team bonding at the world-famous beer festival. She was even spotted downing a huge stein of amber liquid, although she has now insisted that it was not an alcoholic beverage. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLehmann's explanation

Lehmann said at a press conference: "I only drank non-alcoholic beer! But it was really nice. I had never been to Oktoberfest."

Earlier this month, Lehmann's new employers played her former employers, Juventus, and won 1-0. 

She added: “Como will grow again in the coming years. The win against my old club, Juve, was amazing and really did me good. I'll never say anything wrong. I had a good year. I am now a regular starter (editor’s note, three times in the league since the beginning of the exercise), and playing is the main reason why we play football. Como also has a really interesting project in women’s football.”

She added: “I feel good in Como. This is the perfect place for me and, certainly, the most beautiful place I have ever lived. I live right by the lake, and it's absolutely beautiful. I even met a few celebrities, because we go to the same restaurants. But it’s nice here, because everyone respects each other enormously.”

Lehmann's off-pitch fun

Como have allowed Lehmann to head out on multiple extracurricular activities and she even represented Como at Milan Fashion Week. 

Como said in a social media post alongside images of Lehmann and Co modelling new threads: “F.C Como Women steps into Prada World at Milan Fashion Week. After a styling session at Nike’s headquarters, @alexckerr, @alishalehmann7, @ramona__ramirez stepped into the Prada event wearing pieces from our FC Como Women essentials line, our @art_of capsule collection and our 25/26 away jersey. We’d like to thank Prada and Nike for this incredible experience. A moment that highlighted women in football who feel free to express themselves on and off the pitch.”

InstagramWhat comes next?

Como play Genoa on Saturday in Serie A. While they did beat Juventus, they have lost their other two league fixtures thus far this season, going down 2-1 to Lazio and 1-0 to Sassuolo. They will be out to get three more points on the board, and Lehmann will hope to prove her freshness with a fine performance.

The USWNT veteran made her first appearance for club or country in six months after returning from injury

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• Lavelle returns to the field for Gotham after six-month layoff
• USWNT midfielder underwent ankle surgery in December
• lose to KC Current 2-1

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  U.S. women's national team midfielder Rose Lavelle played her first match in six months, as NJ/NY Gotham FC lost 2-1 loss to the Kansas City Current on Saturday. It marked her return to the pitch following a lengthy injury layoff.

  Lavelle, who underwent ankle surgery in December, played her first minutes since appearing in an international friendly on Dec. 3, 2024.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  "It was the first time I had to get surgery, which is a blessing, but I definitely was a little naïve to what that entailed," Lavelle said after Saturday's match. "So, it was definitely a lot harder than I anticipated."

  The 30-year-old added that her recovery timeline was what she expected, and that she's glad to be back on the pitch.

  "I'm healthy," Lavelle said. "I feel good, I feel really strong. I think it's more just it will be a little bit for my ankle to be at 100%, but the rest of me is feeling good."

  Five minutes into her return to the pitch, Lavelle nearly found the back of the net off a shot from just outside the penalty area, with it going just wide. The lone goal of the day was credited as an own-goal from the Current's Vanessa DiBernardo, but Lavelle was around the ball when it was forced into the net.

  "I think the profile of Rose Lavelle is probably the most rare to find when it's a player that can basically do everything at such a high level," Gotham manager Juan Carlos Amoros said. "And then on top of that she does the special things on the ball that create – why we all watch he sport.

  "Obviously, you want to see goals, but those actions that she produces and how she understands the game is something very different to everyone else and that's what makes her special."

• WHAT LAVELLE ADDED

  Speaking about her six-month absence, the USWNT veteran added: "Any time you spend time away from the game I always find some silver lining in it. I think I've found a lot of silver lining during this time away. I think [some] of that is learning how to be a good teammate when I can't be on the field with them, staying present, still having a voice and helping people where I can. Being out for so long really forced me to do that 10-fold."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR LAVELLE?

  The return to the pitch on Friday when they take on Utah Royals.

Both batsmen fell cheaply in the first innings in Bengaluru but after some minor technical adjustments they put on the only wicketless session of the series so far and helped India draw level in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Ranchi15-Mar-20170:54

Kohli applauds quick-thinking Pujara, Rahane

Opposite the practice area at the JSCA International Stadium is a staircase leading up to one of the stands. Ascending one level gives you a terrific view of the nets, with an elevated, square-on view of the batsmen. Imagine standing atop a watch tower at cover point.It is a view you hardly see on TV and the one restricted to the cheaper seats in most stadiums because from here it is near impossible to judge the line of the ball and the extent of swing, seam or turn accurately. But it gives you such insights into a batsman’s technique.India’s net sessions on the two days leading up to the third Test against Australia offered an excellent opportunity to watch Ajinkya Rahane’s footwork against the spinners. Cat-like, nimble, fully forward or fully back. As has mostly been the case since he lowered his stance – a move that contributed to his twin hundreds in the Delhi Test against South Africa in 2015. His head was right on top of the ball when he stretched forward to defend.When Cheteshwar Pujara batted against seam, it was possible to observe how his hands never once strayed even six inches in front of his body when he defended the ball. He grips his bat in an unusual manner, his top hand turned so far around the handle that the back of his hand – rather than his knuckles as is the norm – faces the bowler. While this can hamper his freedom while driving, it ensures he plays closer to his body, and later than most batsmen on the planet. His defensive bat is a cushion that invariably drops the ball by his feet.Just over a week ago, these skills played their part in steering India through what has so far been the only wicketless session of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Through the course of their 118-run fifth-wicket partnership, Rahane and Pujara turned the Bengaluru Test around, slowly, calmly, with growing authority.The partnership also showcased two batsmen coming to grips with a bowler who had caused them and their team all kinds of problems the last time they had faced him. Nathan Lyon had dismissed both Pujara and Rahane while taking eight wickets in the first innings, and while there were moments of discomfort in the second innings too – Pujara was dropped on 4 – both men grew increasingly at ease, eventually keeping Lyon out for a combined 131 wicketless balls.On Wednesday, the eve of the Ranchi Test, India captain Virat Kohli revealed the technical adjustments the two batsmen had made to overcome Lyon.”I saw Pujara opening up his stance, which was an apt adjustment for him to give himself more space to play the ball,” Kohli said. “Ajinkya, again, getting inside the line of the ball and not playing through the covers. I think those are the small adjustments. KL [Rahul, who made fifties in both innings] is batting well anyway but I think those two guys stepped up their game and found a way to score runs on a difficult wicket.”And as I mentioned, that was the difference between winning a game and probably not winning it because there could have been only two results, the draw wasn’t there on the cards anyway. Such minor things can make massive differences in the game. We saw that and credit to those two guys to get runs on that sort of wicket.”Armed with Kohli’s insights, it was rewarding to re-watch Pujara’s 92 and Rahane’s 52 in Bengaluru.A slightly open stance helped Cheteshwar Pujara handle Nathan Lyon and his extra bounce•Associated PressRahane had been stumped in the first innings, while looking to step out and drive Lyon inside-out. It is a shot he plays well, but on this occasion, looking for non-existent turn, he had simply swished at thin air. In the second innings, he changed his guard: his back toe was in line with off stump rather than between middle and off. This brought him closer to the line of the ball, and ensured he was playing with the spin more often than not.It also made the sweep an easier option: from his original guard, he would have had to plant his front leg a fair way across to get his pad outside the line of off stump, thereby cramping him up and minimising the arc into which he could hit the ball. From his new off-stump guard, he did not have to stretch as far across to get close to the ball get his front pad outside the line of off stump. He could be better balanced and sweep the same delivery square or fine, depending on the field.The sweeps played their part in forcing Lyon to bowl wider, returning to Rahane the scoring option he had initially denied himself – the push or drive into the covers. At one point, the ease with which Rahane was handling him made Lyon switch to bowling around the wicket. This, for India, represented a small victory over a bowler who had tasted so much success bowling into the footmarks outside the right-handers’ off stump.A ball that spat out of these footmarks had led to Pujara’s first-innings dismissal, caught bat-pad. In his stance, Pujara’s feet had been aligned to point straight down the pitch, but a front-and-across trigger movement then left him closed-off and cramped up when the ball turned and bounced more than expected.By opening his stance, Pujara gave himself a better chance of negotiating Lyon’s extra bounce out of the rough. There were at least two occasions when this adjustment proved useful. Coupled with his usual ability to play the ball late and close to his body, the offbreaks that jumped at him now hit the part of the glove facing the bowler rather than that facing the fielders at short leg or leg gully.Being chest-on also made it easier for Pujara to play the pull should Lyon drop the ball marginally short. From the five times he played the shot, he collected three singles, a boundary and inside-edged a ball that kept low onto his pads.It wasn’t all plain sailing, of course. The slightly open stance may well have been a factor in Pujara, twice, playing inside the line of the ball and therefore outside-edging Lyon. It is possible that due to the change in his alignment, Pujara’s bat came down at an angle – from wide slip towards mid-on – on both occasions leaving him vulnerable. Had Smith snaffled up the slip catch he offered, Pujara’s open stance may well have come in for criticism rather than praise. Every little technical adjustment solves one problem while potentially creating another.On a difficult pitch, bowlers were always likely to create chances, no matter how ingenious a batsman’s plans might be. Smith, a beneficiary of multiple dropped catches while scoring a second-innings hundred in the Pune Test, knew this well. He had compiled the technical masterclass of the first Test, by playing for Ravindra Jadeja’s straighter one, minimising the risk of bowled and lbw, and not worrying about getting beaten on the outside edge.Pujara and Rahane had matched him with their own masterclass in Bengaluru. With spin likely to remain the dominant theme of the series, who will follow them up in Ranchi?