Skip to main content

FIFA WC LIVE: Spain's Lamine Yamal On Cusp Of History, Can Join Pele In Record Books

Spain vs Austria LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026 Updates:  The blockbuster FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between Spain and Austria is underway in Los Angeles. Spain and Austria are tied 0-0 in the first half, after 10 minutes. One of the favourites to go all the way, Spain qualified to the Round of 32 as toppers of Group H. They will rely on teenage superstar Lamine Yamal, in-form striker Mikel Oyarzabal, and star midfielders Pedri and Dani Olmo to lead them to victory. If Yamal scores today, he will become the youngest FIFA World Cup knockout goalscorer in the 21st century. On the other hand, Austria made it to the knockouts in dramatic circumstances. Led by David Alaba, Austria boast experienced campaigners like Konrad Laimer, Marcel Sabitzer and Marko Arnautovic. The winner of the match will face Portugal or Croatia in the Round of 16. ( MATCH CENTRE LIVE ) Spain vs Austria LIVE | ESP vs AUT, FIFA World Cup 2026 LIVE Score Updates, straight from Los Angeles S...

Coach Dravid's Team India Journey Culminates With T20 World Cup Title

When Rahul Dravid coached India to an U-19 World Cup win in 2018 - guiding the likes of Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh - it seemed like it was a matter of time till he became the Head Coach of the senior India Men's cricket team. And so it proved to be. Now, as the curtains are drawn on the 2024 T20 World Cup, Rahul Dravid's two-and-a-half-year-long tenure comes to a close. Will he, nay should he, be remembered fondly for guiding India in a transitional phase despite the burning hunger for a major title?

Much like his predecessor Ravi Shastri, Rahul Dravid has possessed a dominant Indian team with very little ICC silverware to show for it. But should it define his legacy?

The undisputed best team in the world

By all stats and figures - and performances - Rahul Dravid's Team India has been the best team in the world. Team India have won 41 out of 56 ODIs, 48 out of 69 T20Is, and lost just one Test series, winning five and drawing two. In all formats, India's form has been dominant and a cut above any other team on earth.

In 2023, India walked to the Asia Cup title. And in 2024, Dravid's India held the No. 1 spot in the teams' rankings in all three formats, an unprecedented first in Indian cricket history.

At home, Australia and England have been no match for India. Away from home, India took the fight to England and South Africa, with two drawn series.

The hurt of lost Finals

2023 proved to be a year of hurt for India, as the World Test championship and ODI World Cup campaigns ended in pain in the Final. The two tournaments remain rare black spots in a shining era of Team India under Rahul Dravid.

In reality, the pain of the lost finals shows the level of dominance that Dravid's India managed to hit. India were nearly unbeaten in the 2023 World Cup and unbeaten in the 2024 T20 World Cup. It says something when a semi-final in the 2022 T20 World Cup is the worst India has done in a major ICC tournament in this period.

If anything, Dravid's era should be celebrated as one of India's finest periods, and not be looked back on with the hurt of lost finals.

Transition to the Rohit Sharma era; and transition in identity

The start of Rahul Dravid's tenure as Head Coach collided with the tumultuous change in captaincy from Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma in all formats. But Dravid didn't look to replicate the boisterous nature of the Kohli-Shastri era. Choosing to stay behind the scenes, Dravid let Rohit Sharma's India become a cohesive unit.

But the calmer it was off the field, the bolder India played on it. Rohit led by example, going hard at the top during the World Cup and showing 'Team Comes First'. Dravid's India then out-Bazballed Baz in India.

With captaincy debuts for Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill, a pathway for the future has also been set in stone.

Final thoughts

Dravid's era as India Head Coach ends with well-deserved silverware; this time an unbeaten tournament coming to fruition. It is a fitting finale to mark the end of another historic legacy for one of India's greatest cricket personalities.

As the famous saying goes, "Ant bhala toh sab bhala" (All's well that ends well).



from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/l60N4DU
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

US Teen Who Slapped Teacher In Classroom Faces Kidnapping, Assault Charges

A US high school student, who attacked two teachers in school premises, has been hit indicted on assault and kidnapping charges, according to a report in Fox News. The outlet said that the attacks took place at Parkland High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A video of 17-year-old Aquavis Hickman hitting one of the teachers in the classroom in April had gone viral on social media, leading to a barrage of comments. Hickman is being tried as an adult and his case has been moved from a juvenile court to a superior court. Watch the video: NEW: North Carolina high school student who went viral for hitting his teacher has been smacked with felony charges & is being charged as an adult. This is how it's done. 17-year-old Aquavis Hickman has been indicted on assault and kidnapping charges for two separate… pic.twitter.com/JOsO0bFiKX — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 5, 2024 "A grand jury was convened last week, last Monday, comprised of members of this community and...

BJP MP Varun Gandhi Files Case Against Man For Comments On His Father

BJP leader Varun Gandhi on Saturday filed a defamation case in a local court here against a Varanasi man for allegedly making derogatory remarks on his father on Twitter. The Pilibhit MP on Saturday came to the court premises with three advocates around 3 pm and filed a defamation case before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (II) Abhinav Tiwari. The court recorded his statement and fixed April 25 as the next date for hearing, an advocate said. Gandhi in the complaint said that his father Late Sanjay Gandhi was a well known politician of the country and he was respected all over the country and still is today. He told the court that on March 29, 2023, Vivek Pandey, a resident of Bhojubir of Varanasi district, had made indecent remarks against Sanjay Gandhi through his social media Twitter @vivekkumar IND. According to Mr Gandhi, the accused identified himself as the General Secretary of Nationalist Hindu and Kisan Morcha. Mr Gandhi also said that he was informed about the twee...

Hollywood Shuts Down As Actors Go On Strike

Hollywood's actors announced Thursday they will go on strike, joining writers in the first industry-wide shutdown in 63 years after last-ditch talks failed, with nearly all film and television production set to grind to a halt. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), which represents 160,000 performers including A-list stars, said negotiations had ended without a deal on their demands over dwindling pay and the threat posed by artificial intelligence. "SAG-AFTRA's national board unanimously voted to issue a strike order against the studios and streamers," said the union's chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. The strike will begin at midnight Thursday (0700 GMT Friday), meaning actors will join writers on picket lines from Friday morning in the first Hollywood "double strike" since 1960. Writers have already spent 11 weeks on the picket line, after their similar demands for better pay and protections against the future use of AI in television and fi...