Abhishek Sharma (AFP Photo)

CHENNAI: It’s finally firing just when it matters. The Indian top-order, which left a lot to be desired until now, came into its own on a batting beauty at the MA Chidambaram Stadium against a pedestrian Zimbabwe attack on Thursday. With West Indies looming next at Eden Gardens on Sunday, there is bound to be a sense of relief in the camp.To start with, Abhishek Sharma got going, and the recycled opening partnership with Sanju Samson smashed 48 off 22 balls, which set the tone for the massive total of 256 for 4. Abhishek, during the course of his 30-ball 55, got his runs at a strike rate of 183.3, but he seemed to cut down on his recklessness. The lefthander’s bat swing is one of the best in the business, so it is not always necessary for him to try and generate extra power. On Thursday, he looked to time the ball more than strive for power and played the ball a lot straighter, making run-scoring look easy and relatively risk-free.

Explaining his unhurried approach, the southpaw said: “I just wanted to spend some time on the pitch. So far, I haven’t batted 10-12 balls. I want to thank my team; they backed me and reminded me that my time will come,” Abhishek said.While Abhishek getting runs was a good sign before the must-win West Indies game, Sanju’s 24-run cameo, too, came in for praise. Firstly, the left-right combination was a welcome shift, and Zimbabwe couldn’t use one of their off-spinners right at the beginning of the Powerplay. Tilak Varma, who had to come down to No 6 because Ishan Kishan took his place at No 3, felt Sanju’s innings was important in India’s batting resurgence.“It’s important that openers give a good start; Nos 3, 4 and 5 can come out with confidence when it happens. Sanju did that brilliantly today, and it was followed by others,” the southpaw said.Tilak spoke about a change in approach by the batters ahead of the game that made a difference. According to the 23-year-old, it was coach Gautam Gambhir who sat with the batters and told them to go in with the mindset that helped them play so well in T20Is over the last year-and-a-half.“We wanted to put fear in the mind of the opposition; we wanted them to realise that we’re coming for them, even if we lost a wicket… Gautam sir reminded us of the brand of cricket we played last year and against New Zealand and South Africa prior to the World Cup. So, whatever the situation, as individuals, our plan was to go out there, smile and enjoy the game,” Tilak said.No. 6 is a position where Tilak hasn’t batted too much recently. He always enjoys a little bit of time in the middle, but following an indifferent patch at No 3, the team wanted him to take up the finisher’s role. More so, with Rinku Singh looking unlikely for the rest of the tournament following the death of his father. Tilak said he didn’t mind it at all, because “it’s all about the team’s cause”.“I played that role for India as well as Mumbai Indians a few times. So, I’m up for it. This game is about adjusting according to the situation… I was just waiting for one good innings, and it came at the right time. I am pretty confident going forward that I can win games for the team,” Tilak said about his 16-ball 44.Another player who batted with flourish was Hardik Pandya. His 23-ball 50 and economical three-over spell earned him the Player-of-TheMatch award.“It was an innings where I had to reassess my style. Initially, I was trying to hit the ball too hard. Then I realised I could time the ball and did that. Now it’s about keeping our skillset and putting our best foot forward,” Pandya said.

Quite often in this modern era of college football, it feels like the NCAA has lost the plot.

So many of the recent changes to the sport — such as the transfer portal, NIL and revenue sharing — are long overdue modern updates which have helped put some well-deserved power back in the players’ hands.

The NCAA, though, has refused to enforce or take a stand on issues that have arisen from these changes — things like tampering, exceeding the roster salary cap and the like — insisting that it is the government’s job to establish these guardrails.

Thankfully, the NCAA hasn’t totally given up on what really matters in college football: the first word in the sport’s name.

The NCAA secured a big win in court last week with the ruling that Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar would not be receiving an extra year of eligibility.

Thankfully, logic won out and Aguilar, who turns 25 this summer, won’t be back for his eighth season in college football.

His argument for one more year was an extension of Diego Pavia’s case last season which got him an additional year of eligibility. Pavia argued, with Aguilar and a host of other college football players joining the lawsuit, that years played at junior college shouldn’t count against Division I eligibility.

There’s many reasons why this argument doesn’t hold water but probably the biggest is…the second word in junior college.

The injunction that allowed Pavia to play last season was a net positive because of what he brought to the 2025 season as a Heisman finalist who led Vanderbilt to its first 10-win season in program history.

It also set a dangerous precedent, one which clearly made Aguilar think he could similarly get an extra year.

In theory, I’m ok with the occasional additional year of eligibility. When granted, they are basically always connected to players who have missed extensive time to injuries throughout their careers and whose pro prospects are low because of their injury history and age.

That doesn’t track with Aguilar’s path. He redshirted in 2019 at City College of San Francisco before the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He then transferred to another JUCO program, Diablo Valley, playing in 16 games over the 2021-22 seasons.

After that, he hopped to the FBS level with a transfer to App State, where he started 25 games over two seasons there, missing minimal time.

The Pavia injunction made Aguilar eligible for the 2025 season so he landed at Tennessee after originally transferring to UCLA for what was essentially his bonus year.

It was an extremely successful season. He started all 14 games, racking up 3,565 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. He led the Southeastern Conference in passing yards during the regular season.

But once again, it was a full season competition — Aguilar’s fourth at the collegiate level with 10-plus games and fifth with six or more. That’s a full career and then some.

So it’s a relief the NCAA fought the case in court and even more that the Tennessee state judge sided with the organization over the local athlete.

Don’t get my point twisted: Player empowerment is good for college sports.

But with that power comes responsibilities. Among them, the responsibility of realizing when it’s time to move on to the next stage of football and/or life.

Kelsey Plum hit the game-winning shot for Phantom in a 72-68 win over Rose in Unrivaled on Friday night. The victory clinched the top seed for Phantom in the Unrivaled playoffs, who finish the regular season 11-3.

With the target score set at 72 after Phantom finished the third quarter with a 60-56 lead, Rose cut its deficit to 64-63 on a layup by Sug Sutton. Plum and Angel Reese then traded 3-pointers to keep it a one-point game at 67-66. But Plum then followed with another 3 to put Phantom one basket away from the win.

Advertisement

A Lexie Hull layup made it a 70-68 game, but Rose couldn’t get the defensive stop it needed on Phantom’s next possession. Dribbling off a screen by Kiki Iriafen at the left wing, Plum drove into the lane and hit a short jumper over Hull for the win.

Wolves boss Rob Edwards understands the significance of his side moving past Derby’s record-low Premier League points tally after a 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Molineux.

It had looked for much of the season that Wolves would struggle to match the meagre 11 points the Rams posted in the 2007/08 season.

But second-half goals from Joao Gomes and Rodrigo Gomes gave them just a second win in 29 games, which takes them to 13 and beyond the possible notoriety of being the worst-ever Premier League team.

Asked if it means a lot to lose that tag, he said: “It does. It’s not something I’ve been focusing on, but being aware of it.

“Of course, I know it means a lot to the supporters. You don’t want that tag. Clearly we don’t. No one wants that.

“That’s just obvious. But it’s not something that’s been weighing me down or I’ve been thinking about too much, but if that releases a little bit more tension or whatever, and helps you more, then great.

“I know it’s important to the supporters. I know it’s important to the football club. It’s not something that I’ve been really focusing on or talking about too much all of the time.”

Wolves opened the scoring with their first shot on target when Joao Gomes thrashed home but Rodrigo Gomes’ last-gasp second sparked mass scenes of celebration, with Edwards sprinting down the touchline.

Edwards added: “At the end, that was incredible. It was a special moment in a really difficult season. It’s nice to be able to show some emotion and build that connection that we’re desperate to do that.

“That’s why I came here. Nights like that. Really special moments and that’s a moment that will live with me forever.”

Villa boss Unai Emery did not enjoy it as much and stormed straight down the tunnel when the second goal went in and was not around to shake Edwards’ hand at full-time.

Edwards added: “I get it. The two games that we have won in the league this year, both managers have disappeared.

“I think everyone expects just to turn up and win, which is understandable the way the season’s gone. So two guys have not been that happy.”

Emery was not happy with what he saw from his side after a dire performance, which saw their Champions League qualification hopes suffer a blow.

They have now won just one of their last five games and are now looking over their shoulders at the chasing pack.

But Emery called for perspective.

He said: “Of course, it’s getting balance. We are doing a great season, a great season, and this is the moment I want to tell our supporters, now we need the supporters.

“We need the energy, we are grateful for them being with us, but again playing in Villa Park on Wednesday, we need again their help, and we need to be together.

“The players, coaches, supporters, everybody, because the season is being fantastic, and we can remind ourselves now how we were in in September, how we are now.

“Maybe now we are a little worse than two months ago. We are losing the opportunity to compete for the title in the Premier League, two months ago you were asking about it.

“Some supporters maybe they were dreaming it. Now we are not with the possibility to fight for the Premier League, some can feel frustrated, even myself because I have my dreams.”

With speculation around Pep Guardiola’s future continuing to do the rounds, one Manchester City icon has urged the club to make one certain decision

Former Manchester City ace Stuart Pearce has urged the club to keep Pep Guardiola for as long as possible. Guardiola, 55, has repeatedly insisted he will stay at City until the end of his contract.

In November 2024, Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2027. Nevertheless, there has still been speculation around Guardiola’s time at the club coming to an end, particularly after Erling Haaland appeared to hint the end may be nigh for the ex-Barcelona manager.

A few months previously, it also came to light that ex-Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca had held talks with City, which proved to be part of the reason why the west Londoners chose to sack the Italian. However, despite all the rumours, Pearce has insisted City should do whatever they can to keep Guardiola.

FOLLOW OUR MAN CITY FB PAGE! Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester City Facebook page

Speaking to Betway, the ex-City manager said: “When you look at all football clubs around the world and look at how stable certain clubs are, Manchester City are one of the most stable of the lot. With the manager, you don’t see the owners clamouring for headlines.

“But it’s going to be a big, big ask to replace him when he leaves. Whether you look at a like-for-like replacement potentially, they’ve got feeder clubs around the world, but have they got managers around the world that might come in from their other clubs?

“That might be something going forward. A total change of style might set them back slightly. Can you replicate what he’s achieved already? It’s been absolutely incredible.

“Obviously, I was at City prior to the wealth and the riches arriving. So you can see the impact he’s had. I would try and hang on to him as long as humanly possible.

“There’s been talk over the last few years about him packing it in. Personally, if I was City, I would just keep him there – you might even want to keep him there as a director of football afterwards.”

In a recent interview, Haaland appeared to suggest he and his City team-mates are bracing themselves for Guardiola to depart the club in the near future. The Norwegian goal machine said: “When I talk about good people around me, it’s not just my friends but the people at the club.

“I’m lucky to be at a club with so many good people, and with Pep, who pushes us every single day. I’m lucky to have worked with Pep for three-and-a-half years.

“It’s been an amazing time, as we all know, and no matter what happens in the future, we still need to keep pushing. I need to keep pushing myself and others around me to get better.”

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings

Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£49

£35

Sky

Get Sky Sports here

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Advertisement

Sky shows at least 215 live Premier League games each season, an increase of up to 100, plus Formula 1, darts, golf and more.

USA Rugby, the nation’s governing body for the sport of rugby, announced Friday it will be introducing a new “open” gender division to accommodate trans athletes.

The new rule comes more than a year after President Donald Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order and nearly seven months after the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s (USOPC) new requirement for all governing bodies to comply with it.

“USA Rugby will now have three competition categories; Men’s Division, Women’s Division and Open Division. The Open Division will permit any athlete, regardless of gender assigned at birth and gender identity, to compete in USA Rugby-sanctioned events, whether full contact or non-contact,” the organization said in a statement. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Cassidy Bargell of the United States passes the ball during a women’s rugby World Cup 2025 match against Samoa at LNER Community Stadium in Monks Cross, York, Sept. 6, 2025. (Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto)

The organization’s policy also seemingly allows any hopeful competitors to simply select their gender when registering, with potential vetting by officials.

“Division status will be determined during the membership application and registration process, when an athlete selects the ‘gender’ option in Rugby Xplorer. When applying for membership or registering as ‘Female’ or registering for an event in the Women’s Division, an athlete represents and warrants to USA Rugby that they are Female.”

“This representation creates a rebuttable presumption that the individual’s sex identified at birth was female,” the organization’s member policy states. 

Gabriella Cantorna, Ilona Maher and Emily Henrich of the U.S. before a women’s rugby World Cup 2025 match against Samoa at York Community Stadium Sept. 6, 2025, in York, England.  (Molly Darlington/World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

“The determination of whether an individual is Female may be established through records from authoritative sources. Only USA Rugby shall have the right to contest the individual’s Women’s Division status or challenge the presumption of an athlete registered as ‘Female.’”

In July, the USOPC updated its athlete safety policy to indicate compliance with Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. 

However, Trump has also pushed for mandatory genetic testing of athletes to protect the women’s category at the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics amid concerns over forged birth certificates allowing biological males to gain access to women’s sports.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The USA Rugby goal line flag before a match between the United States and Scotland at Audi Field July 12, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images for Scottish Rugby)

USOPC Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Finnoff said at the USOPC media summit in October the SRY gene tests being used by World Athletics and World Boxing are “not common” in the U.S. but suggested the USOPC is exploring options to employ sex testing options for its own teams and that he expects other world governing bodies to “follow suit.” 

“It’s not necessarily very common to get this specific test in the United States, and, so, our goal in that was helping to identify labs and options for the athletes to be able to get that testing. And (it was) based on that experience and knowing that some other international federations likely will be following suit,” Finnoff said. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Related Article