Dodgers Troll Blue Jays Fans With Savage Line After Shohei Ohtani Chant

Shohei Ohtani continues to make history.

In Game 3 of the World Series Monday, the Dodgers' two-way superstar hit two home runs and two doubles, becoming the first player with four extra-base hits in a World Series game since 1906. He now has eight homers over the postseason, which ties Corey Seager for a franchise record as Ohtani continues his tear at Dodger Stadium.

Monday brought the first game of this year's Fall Classic in L.A. after the Blue Jays and Dodgers split the first two games in Toronto. During the Blue Jays' Game 1 win, the fans at Rogers Centre perfectly chanted "we don't need you" toward Ohtani after their franchise's infamous failed attempts to successfully court the superstar in free agency.

Well, Game 3 gave the Dodgers the chance to fire back, which their social team did ever so perfectly.

"Don't need Shohei? Don't worry, he's ours," the Dodgers wrote on X after Ohtani's second homer of the game.

Breaking out the chant in Game 1 after Ohtani put together one of the greatest performances ever in his previous game was certainly a choice. You have to take opportunities when they present themself, though.

Dodgers fans, and their social media team, certainly won't forget the chant any time soon. Especially as Ohtani continues his incredible postseason. Sure, you don't need him, Toronto. If only he was on any other team besides your opponent in the World Series.

Steven Matz Agrees to Two-Year Contract With Rays

Veteran pitcher Steven Matz has agreed to a two-year contract with the Rays, according to multiple reports.

Matz, 34, will be pitching in his 12th MLB season in 2026. Last year, he started the season with the Cardinals but was traded to the Red Sox in a mid-season deal. In all, he made 53 appearances and owned a 3.05 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 76 2/3 innings.

The veteran righthander started his career in 2015 with the Mets. He was a starting pitcher for the first decade of his career, but converted to a reliever last season. In all, he’s made 172 starts and pitched in 246 games. His stint in Tampa Bay will be his third time playing for a team in the AL East. In addition to the Red Sox and the Rays, Matz previously pitched for the Blue Jays in 2021.

Matz was excellent down the stretch of last season in Boston. In 21 games for the Red Sox, he had a 2.08 ERA and walked just two batters. The Rays will certainly be hoping he can replicate that level of play as a late-innings option for the team.

فيديو | شيكا يسجل هدفي كهرباء الإسماعيلية الثاني والثالث أمام الزمالك

سجل نادي كهرباء الإسماعيلية، هدفين الثاني والثالث في مرمي نادي الزمالك، خلال المباراة المقامة بينهما، الآن، ضمن منافسات كأس الرابطة المصرية، لتصبح النتيجة 3-3 في مواجهة مثيرة بين الفريقين.

ويتواجه فريقا الزمالك وكهرباء الإسماعيلية، ضمن مواجهات الجولة الأولى من مباريات دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس الرابطة المصرية، على ملعب استاد المقاولون العرب.

وأحرز محمد السيد شيكا هدف كهرباء الإسماعيلية الثاني أمام الزمالك في الدقيقة 72 من عمر اللقاء، برأسية من داخل منطقة الجزاء. هدف كهرباء الإسماعيلية الثاني أمام الزمالك

طالع.. فيديو | الزمالك يتقدم بالهدفين الثاني والثالث.. وكهرباء الإسماعيلية يقلص الفارق

كما أضاف هدف كهرباء الإسماعيلية الثالث والتعادل أمام الزمالك، اللاعب نفسه محمد السيد شيكا، في الدقيقة 78. هدف كهرباء الإسماعيلية الثالث أمام الزمالك

وكان الزمالك تقدم بثلاثة أهداف عن طريق عمرو ناصر وأحمد شريف وآدم كايد، بينما جاء سجل هدف كهرباء الإسماعيلية الأول عن طريق اللاعب محمد السيد شيكا أيضًا.

فريق الزمالك يقع في المجموعة الثالثة من بطولة كأس الرابطة المصرية والتي تضم المصري وحرس الحدود وزد والاتحاد السكندري وسموحة وكهرباء الإسماعيلية.

Web critica escalação de Dorival Jr: 'Seleção de dancinha'

MatériaMais Notícias

A Seleção Brasileira vai enfrentar o México na noite deste sábado (8) e a web criticou a escalação feita por Dorival Jr. Para os torcedores, “o futebol acabou”. Confira algumas reações abaixo.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSeleção BrasileiraAlisson e Bento disputam a titularidade da Seleção BrasileiraSeleção Brasileira08/06/2024Seleção BrasileiraBrasil x México: como foi o último encontro entre as seleções?Seleção Brasileira08/06/2024Seleção BrasileiraDorival Jr mantém mistério sobre escalação da Seleção: ‘Vamos segurar mais’Seleção Brasileira07/06/2024

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Abhishek Nayar appointed KKR head coach ahead of IPL 2026

Abhishek Nayar is also the head coach of UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2025Abhishek Nayar has been appointed head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of IPL 2026. It is a step-up from being an assistant to Chandrakant Pandit last season, when he was brought back by the franchise after a year’s gap, during which he assisted Gautam Gambhir in India’s national men’s side.Most recently, Nayar was appointed head coach by Women’s Premier League team UP Warriorz.”Abhishek has been a vital part of the Knight Riders setup since 2018, shaping our players both on and off the field,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore said. “His understanding of the game and connection with players have been key to our growth. We’re thrilled to see him take over as Head Coach and lead KKR into its next chapter.”Related

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Nayar, now 42, was an allrounder who played for years with Mumbai and also three ODIs for India in 2009, but has a solid CV when it comes to coaching. Before retiring as a player in 2019, Nayar was appointed lead coach of the KKR academy in 2018, and then joined the main team’s support staff as an assistant coach; he also served as Trinbago Knight Riders’ head coach in CPL 2022.While with KKR, Nayar and team mentor Gambhir formed a strong rapport, and when Gambhir was appointed head coach of the national side, Nayar joined as assistant coach. But his contract was terminated less than a year into the job following a BCCI review into the team’s performances, and he returned to KKR ahead of IPL 2025.KKR and Pandit parted ways after a three-season association, during which the team won the IPL title (in 2024) after a ten-year gap. A rejig at the end of a disappointing IPL 2025, where KKR finished eighth on the points table with just five wins, led to Pandit’s exit. Since then, he has returned to Madhya Pradesh in the Indian domestic circuit, taking over as the director of cricket at Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association.The overhaul of the KKR backroom is expected to continue over the coming months, with replacements required for bowling consultant Bharat Arun and spin-bowling consultant Carl Crowe, who have both moved to Lucknow Super Giants.

£282k-a-week star expressing wish to join Arsenal as agents open talks

Arsenal are well-stocked all over the pitch and boast one of the finest squad depths in England, yet they continue to be linked with high-profile transfers ahead of January.

Arsenal overcome Brentford to go five points clear

On the pitch, Mikel Arteta’s side maintained their commanding lead at the Premier League summit with a professional 2-0 victory over Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

The victory extended their unbeaten streak to an incredible 18 matches across all competitions, with Arteta seriously rotating his squad following a recent demanding triple-header against Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Brentford

Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Eberechi Eze were all rested from the starting lineup, but the Gunners’ strength in depth showed with Ben White and Noni Madueke combining brilliantly down the right throughout.

The opener arrived early on when White delivered an inviting cross that found Mikel Merino, who powered a header past Caoimhin Kelleher for his fifth goal of the campaign.

The Spaniard, who Arteta never expected to be the proficient going forward, has now netted 21 times in 2025 for club and country, showcasing his remarkable goalscoring form.

Arsenal suffered a blow before the interval when Cristhian Mosquera limped off with an ankle injury, compounding their defensive concerns with both Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba already sidelined. Timber then replaced the injured defender as Arteta juggled his limited centre-back options.

Brentford manager Keith Andrews introduced Igor Thiago, Mikkel Damsgaard and Jordan Henderson from the bench after an hour, while Arteta countered by bringing on Saka and Eze.

Arsenal controlled proceedings but missed several opportunities to seal the contest earlier.

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To add further injury worry after Mosquera, Arsenal’s arguable player of the season, Declan Rice, departed late with a calf problem, with Arteta now sweating over his fitness ahead of a hectic Christmas schedule and the clash with Aston Villa.

Saka finally made the points safe in stoppage time, latching onto Merino’s perfectly weighted pass before finishing past Kelleher despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the effort.

Given Arsenal’s injury curse which has plagued them since last season, sporting director Andrea Berta will be attentive to any unmissable transfer market opportunities.

Enter Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, who is reportedly up for sale this winter after playing a bit-part role under Xabi Alonso.

Rodrygo expresses wish to join Arsenal as agents open talks

Arsenal have already been linked with a move for the Brazil international heading into January, following exploratory talks over a deal last summer.

The 24-year-old has managed just three La Liga starts this term, making the vast majority of his appearances off the bench, with Rodrygo believed to be in the process of finding a new club.

That is according to TEAMtalk and reporter Graeme Bailey, who also state that Rodrygo has ‘expressed a wish’ to join Arsenal among four other Premier League sides he’s also interested in.

Crucially, though, the ex-Santos star’s agents have apparently reopened talks with Arteta’s side, who also ‘pushed hardest’ to sign him in the summer window.

However, Arsenal will need a minimum £70 million to strike a deal, with a loan appearing unlikely as things stand.

Berta and co, meanwhile, are believed to be monitoring his situation closely, which isn’t hard to see why given their bad luck with injuries, not to mention the uncertainty surrounding Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

The latter wingers are both out of contract in under two years, and with no sign of an extension for either, Arsenal need to think about long-term succession planning.

Rodrygo’s £282,000-per-week salary would put him in line with Arsenal’s highest earners, so it is an expensive transfer to pull off beyond just his club fee.

That being said, Rodrygo is also a player of proven quality, having racked up 68 goals and 53 assists in under 300 appearances for Los Blancos.

Deepti, Wolvaardt, Ecclestone, Healy in marquee set to kick off WPL 2026 mega auction

A total of 277 players (83 overseas) will vie for a maximum of 73 slots (23 overseas) in the auction in Delhi on November 27

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2025

Deepti Sharma is one of the two India players in the marquee set•ICC/Getty Images

Allrounder Deepti Sharma and fast bowler Renuka Singh are the two Indian players among the eight listed in the marquee set that will open the bidding at the WPL 2026 auction. Sophie Devine, Sophie Ecclestone, Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr and Laura Wolvaardt are the others in the marquee set.Among the players in the marquee set, only Renuka (INR 40 lakh) and Wolvaardt (INR 30 lakh) have listed their base price lower than the maximum of INR 50 lakh.A total of 277 players have registered for the WPL 2026 auction for a maximum of 73 available slots. A total of 83 overseas players will vie for the 23 slots available for them in the auction that will be held on November 27 in Delhi.Three players in the marquee sets – Deepti, Ecclestone and Healy – have played for UP Warriorz (UPW), who have four right to match (RTM) options available. UPW retained just one uncapped player in Shweta Sehrawat.Related

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Tahlia McGrath, who played for UPW, and Sophie Molineux, who represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), are not part of the 23 players from Australia. That aside, there are 22 players from England, 13 from New Zealand and 11 from South Africa in the auction pool. Chamari Athapaththu, batter Harshitha Samarawickrama and left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera are the three from Sri Lanka. Athapaththu was part of UPW last season. Three players from Bangladesh – Marufa Akter, Shorna Akter and Rabeya Khan – have listed themselves at INR 30 lakh.India batter Harleen Deol, who played for Gujarat Giants (GG) for the first three seasons, has listed her base price in the highest bracket of INR 50 lakh and in the capped allrounders’ list. Her GG team-mate, Australia’s Phoebe Litchfield also has a base price of INR 50 lakh. But since GG have retained two overseas players, Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner, they cannot exercise their RTM for Litchfield.Alyssa Healy and Sophie Devine are part of the marquee set for the WPL 2026 auction•ICC/Getty Images

Radha Yadav, Sneh Rana, Grace Harris, Chinelle Henry and N Shree Charani are among those in the set of capped allrounders. In that set all players except Deol have a base price of INR 30 lakh.Assam’s Uma Chetry, who was the back-up wicketkeeper in India’s World Cup-winning squad, and allrounder Kranti Gaud, who has represented UPW, both have listed themselves in the highest bracket of INR 50 lakh. Australia legspinner Alana King (INR 40 lakh), India’s Asha Sobhana and Priya Mishra (both INR 30 lakh) as well as Saika Ishaque (INR 30 lakh), who was part of Mumbai Indians (MI) for the first three seasons, are all part of the first set of spinners, which is the sixth set.Left-arm spinner Thipatcha Putthawong is the only Thailand player listed, while Tara Norris, who played for Delhi Capitals (DC) in WPL 2023 and is the first player to pick up a five-wicket haul in the competition, is the only player from USA.UAE captain Esha Oza and wicketkeeper Theertha Satish round-off the four players from Associate teams. No players from Ireland or Scotland are in the list; Scotland wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce was part of DC last season.UPW and GG will enter the auction for WPL 2026 with the highest purse – INR 14.50 crore and INR 9 crore respectively – followed by RCB (INR 6.15 crore), MI (INR 5.75 crore) and DC (5.70 crore). MI and DC, who retained five players each, will not have any RTM option available.

Declan Rice makes Cristhian Mosquera statement as Arsenal sweat over injury scare

Arsenal star Declan Rice has had his say on summer signing Cristhian Mosquera as Mikel Arteta waits to discover the extent of his injury problem.

Arsenal defeat Brentford 2-0 to maintain 18-game unbeaten run

The Gunners restored their five-point advantage at the Premier League summit with a straightforward victory over Brentford on Wednesday evening.

Mikel Merino’s early header and Bukayo Saka’s stoppage-time finish secured all three points to extend the Gunners’ unbeaten streak to 18 matches, but Arteta faces mounting injury concerns ahead of Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa.

The manager watched Mosquera hobble off just before halftime after landing awkwardly during an aerial challenge with Kevin Schade.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Brentford

The defender immediately signalled discomfort and was unable to continue, with Jurrien Timber entering as his replacement to partner Piero Hincapie in central defence.

Arsenal’s defensive problems have now intensified with both regular starters William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes already sidelined through injury, leaving Arteta with severely limited options at the back during a congested festive fixture schedule.

That being said, the good news is that Saliba is expected to be back in a ‘matter of days’, according to Arteta in his pre-Brentford press conference.

If the Frenchman is fit and available for Villa, Arsenal will have little choice but to thrust Saliba right back into the starting eleven to partner Hincapie, with Gabriel still weeks away from returning.

Mikel Arteta says "very powerful" Arsenal star has took him completely by surprise

He wasn’t expecting it.

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The situation worsened against Brentford when Rice gestured toward his right calf before receiving treatment and departing in the 83rd minute. Viktor Gyokeres replaced the influential midfielder as concerns grew about the England international’s availability for crucial upcoming fixtures.

Luckily for Arteta, Rice has managed to avoid a serious injury and is expected to be fit for their upcoming Premier League clash against Unai Emery’s men in-form Villa side.

Supporters can breathe a massive sigh of relief after this news, but they’re still waiting to find out about Mosquera’s condition.

Declan Rice praises Cristhian Mosquera amid Arsenal injury scare

Speaking to Sky Sports before Arsenal’s win over Brentford, Rice explained exactly why the Spaniard could end up being a sore miss — especially with Saliba currently absent and a doubt for this weekend.

The England international, who has been their arguable player of the season so far, told Sky that Mosquera is an “incredible” player with “immense” qualities alongside Hincapie.

This high praise comes as further evidence of what many already know — Mosquera has proved to be one of the bargains of the summer.

Signed for just £13 million from Valencia, the 21-year-old has done exactly what has been required of him whilst barely ever faltering.

Mosquera was handed his Premier League debut in a testing 1-0 defeat at Anfield in August, the club’s last defeat in all competitions, and he performed admirably at a very difficult ground after replacing the injured Saliba.

The youngster has attracted major praise whenever he’s been asked to fill in for one of Arsenal’s first choice pairing, with Martin Keown claiming that Mosquera has ‘the same DNA’ as both Saliba and Gabriel.

Arsenal will now be praying that his development isn’t stifled by a serious long-term injury, and the club are reportedly convinced that Mosquera could become one of the best centre-backs in world football.

Grassy Dubai pitch leaves India with tricky selection calls against UAE

While Jitesh Sharma and Shubman Gill seem set to take over from Samson, the choice at No. 8 seems a lot less clear-cut

Shashank Kishore08-Sep-20252:54

Morkel: ‘Kuldeep knows how to get himself ready for T20 cricket’

Dubai presents teams with a unique challenge, in that no one is always certain of what the surface will throw up.The main venue has been off-limits for training sessions, so India have had to train at the nearby ICC Academy to acclimatise in the energy-sapping heat. On Monday, after completing a two-hour nets session, they made a quick hop over to the Dubai International Stadium to get a feel of the conditions for the first time. And to hit the ground running, they had their fielding session there, just to be able to get used to the outfield and the stadium’s trademark ring-of-fire floodlights, and to have a look at the pitch, which bowling coach Morne Morkel had heard “had a greenish tinge”.This unique prospect of not training at the ground they will play at has led India to explore all possibilities as far as their combination goes ahead of their Asia Cup opener against UAE on Wednesday. Morkel wasn’t going to spell out the plans, of course, but the training session threw up a few hints.Related

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First up, it seems somewhat clear that Jitesh Sharma is winning the race to be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter. And that means vice-captain Shubman Gill, who celebrated his 26th birthday on Monday, and who last played a T20I in July 2024, is set to slot back in at the top of the order alongside Abhishek Sharma.Sanju Samson, whose roles Jitesh and Gill appear set to take over, auditioned for a middle-order role during a short stint in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL), perhaps to show he can fit in wherever the team needs him to. But he was largely a bystander during Monday’s session. Across three stints since India started training on September 5, he probably donned the keeping gloves for all of five minutes, and mostly batted towards the end of each session.The other slot India are pondering is the No. 8. Do they strengthen their batting by playing an allrounder like Shivam Dube, who has bowled a fair bit in the nets, or do they get Arshdeep Singh or Harshit Rana to partner Jasprit Bumrah with the new ball and have Hardik Pandya as their third seamer? Over the course of the past few days, the work the team management has put into their sixth-bowler options, including Abhishek, has been noticeable.

“In terms of planning at the moment, we will be covering all bases and then we’ll make a decision obviously on match day”Morne Morkel

“I’m always pushing for allrounders to work hard on both skills,” Morkel said. “Sometimes guys can get a little bit naughty and practice or focus just on one skill. But here, in this environment, we want to leave no stone unturned.”On the day, we’re going to need somebody to do the work for us and conditions might favour him [Dube] more than somebody else. So, for us, it’s about being professional. It’s about taking that responsibility of putting quality work in there.”The more guys that can give the captain options, that is obviously a great position to have. Yes, we will have our frontline guys that we can attack [with]. But if we can keep on developing guys, part-time guys to do a job, it gives us so many more options in terms of combinations for selection.”With the No. 8 slot up for debate, Harshit Rana (R) is a candidate to partner Hardik Pandya (L) and Jasprit Bumrah in the seam attack•AFP/Getty ImagesDuring the Champions Trophy in March, when they played all their matches in Dubai, India weren’t averse to playing four spinners, with Mohammed Shami as the lone specialist seamer and Hardik as the all-round option. This allowed India to play both Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav in their XI. That was in ODIs, of course, where India had a failsafe in Ravindra Jadeja at No. 8. Jadeja is retired from T20Is, leaving India with no such luxuries.”I think when the Champions Trophy was played at that time, there was a lot of cricket on the surfaces here and they looked a little bit tired,” Morkel said. “Tonight [Monday] we will have a first look at the surface. And I believe there’s quite a bit of a grass covering on the square.”So we’ll have a good idea going into the first game in terms of what is sort of a better way to go. But in terms of planning at the moment, we will be covering all bases and then we’ll make a decision obviously on match day.”Given the heat factor, the team will likely have an optional session on Tuesday. India will have the chance to train once more after the UAE game, in the lead-up to their match against Pakistan on September 14.

Gill set to miss Guwahati Test against South Africa; Pant to stand in as captain

Shubman Gill is set to miss India’s second Test against South Africa starting on Saturday after failing to recover sufficiently from the neck injury he suffered last week. Vice captain Rishabh Pant will stand in as captain in Guwahati.It is understood that, according to medical advice, Gill is at risk of further neck spasms if he plays so soon. He has been advised more rest. The development could also impact his selection in the ODI squad for the three matches against South Africa starting on November 30. The squad for that series is expected to be picked on November 23.With Gill set to miss out, India may have to choose one of B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal and Nitish Kumar Reddy as his replacement.Related

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Gill was admitted to hospital after the second day of the Kolkata Test, following the decision to retire hurt after facing only three balls in India’s first innings. On the morning of the third day, the BCCI said he would take no further part in the Test. India went on to lose the match by 30 runs, after getting dismissed for 93 in a chase of 124 on a pitch with uneven bounce. Gill had missed a Test against New Zealand in October 2024 due to a neck spasm too.On Thursday, before ESPNcricinfo learned that Gill is set to miss the match, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had said in a press conference that the team would not risk playing him if there was any chance of the spasm recurring.”He is definitely recovering really well,” Kotak said. “Now, the decision [whether to play him or not] will be taken tomorrow evening. The physios, doctors, they will have to take a call that, [even] if he is fully recovered, [during the] game, he should not get that spasm again.”[…] If we have a, guarantee that, very likely, he won’t have this issue again, then he will play. If there is a doubt, then I am sure, he will take rest [for] one more game, because it won’t be helpful to the team [if he plays].”Nitish Kumar Reddy put in the hard yards at the nets in Guwahati•AFP/Getty Images

One of the concerns for India as they figure out Gill’s replacement is the surfeit of left-hand batters in their squad. They had six in their XI in Kolkata – five in their top eight – and Sai Sudharsan and Padikkal, the two specialist batters vying to come into the line-up, also bat left-handed. The left-hander-heavy nature of India’s line-up had advantaged offspinner Simon Harmer, the Player of the Match in Kolkata, significantly.Kotak suggested there had been undue focus on the offspinner-vs-left-hander match-up, and pointed out that South Africa also played Keshav Maharaj, a left-arm spinner, at Eden Gardens, which should have advantaged India’s line-up.”You tell me one thing, they had a left-arm spinner also. If we had seven right-handed batsmen, then? They had a left-arm spinner also, and an offspinner also. I believe that you have to play well. Offspinner bowling to left-hander does not mean left-hander has to get out. We had two left-arm spinners [in the first Test], they had nine right-handers; did they get out? So maybe that thing is a little overrated.”Overrated or not, India will still likely mull over the match-ups even as they prepare for a Guwahati track that is set to be more forgiving to the batters than Kolkata was.India’s mandatory practice session two days out from the match gave some indication of who might come in for Gill. The first four batters who came out to bat in the nets were Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar and Dhruv Jurel. The first three had been India’s top three in Kolkata, and Jurel had batted at No. 4 in the second innings, in Gill’s absence. Sai Sudharsan was next into the nets.Padikkal, meanwhile, did not bat in the early part of the practice session, but was seen bowling part-time offspin in the spinners’ net.Seam-bowling allrounder Reddy, who was released from the squad in Kolkata so he could play in India A’s limited-overs series against South Africa A, was back in training, and bowled alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep in the fast bowlers’ net.Axar did not bowl initially, and only joined his team-mates some 45 minutes or so into the session.None of this necessarily points to India’s possible selection. Players have their own individual preferences for what kind of training they do, and how much, leading into games.But with a more balanced pitch than Kolkata expected on Saturday, India may not feel the need for a fourth spin bowler and a second left-arm orthodox spinner. If Sai Sudharsan replaces Gill, Reddy coming in for Axar would help India maintain the same balance of left- and right-hand batters they had in Kolkata. With a decent amount of grass on the pitch two days out from the Test, there is a chance Reddy could be a useful option with the ball too.

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