Conte fires more shots at Spurs

Taking to Twitter, London World reporter Rahman Osman has shared what Antonio Conte has now said at Tottenham Hotspur with some strong words from the Italian.

The Lowdown: Conte sends messages…

The former Chelsea boss has been the subject of animated, headline-grabbing press conferences in recent weeks – most notably after Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Burnley recently.

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Conte openly hinted he could leave the club after his side fell to a narrow loss at Turf Moor, courtesy of defender Ben Mee’s late close-range effort.

After backtracking on those comments, Spurs’ fiery manager now has some strong words for the Lilywhites medical staff as Osman shares news.

The Latest: Conte fires shots at Spurs medical staff…

Taking to Twitter, relaying what Conte has now said at Spurs, Osman shares that the 52-year-old has stated that he wishes Tottenham’s medical team could meet the press and answer questions.

“Antonio really has had it with the medical team at Tottenham already,” Osman explains.

“Says he wished they could meet the press and answer questions about injured players and return dates.”

The Verdict: Impatience growing…

Conte’s frustration stems from the delayed comeback of midfielder Oliver Skipp, who has missed the last seven matches in all competitions with a groin strain.

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The Italian’s desperation to see Spurs’ starlet back in action may have resulted in more shots being fired at the club, this time at their medical team.

Amid Tottenham’s topsy-turvy run of form, it will certainly be interesting to see what Conte comes out with next if his impatience seemingly continues to grow.

In other news: Conte personally green-lights new ‘real star’ target who Spurs could sign for just £21m, find out more here.

Murray could be Celtic’s next Ajer

While Ange Postecoglou has formed a decent partnership in the heart of his Celtic defence this season, there are nevertheless some lingering concerns regarding Carl Starfelt’s ability at the highest level of the game, while Cameron Carter-Vickers is already attracting significant interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

As such, while Celtic will undoubtedly do everything in their power to retain the services of Carter-Vickers at the end of the season, centre-back could still be a position in which the 56-year-old Bhoys boss is once again required to strengthen ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

However, before splashing the cash on a big-money signing this summer, perhaps it would be wise for the Greek-Australian coach to take a closer look at one of the club’s most exciting up and coming players in the position – in the shape of Dane Murray.

Celtic’s next Ajer?

Standing at 6’4 tall, the 18-year-old centre-back already cuts an imposing figure in the heart of the Celtic backline.

However, it is not simply his commanding stature that is noticeable about the youngster, but also his cool-headedness in defence, as well as his ability on the ball – with Kieran Maguire noting in an article for The Athletic that Murray has been regarded as one of Celtic’s most promising players from the 2003 age group.

Indeed, the Scotland U19 international has already made his first-team debut, with Postecoglou bringing the teenager on at half-time in the club’s Champions League qualification tie against FC Midtjylland in July of last year.

And, concerning his performance in this fixture, Martin Miller – one of Celtic’s youth team coaches – said of Murray’s display:

“He’s always been the same laid-back character. When I saw him play for the first team, I had a wee smile — a wee laugh to myself — because that’s exactly how he played with the U10s. He never looks rushed or under pressure at all, either in possession or facing up to a player defensively.”

Indeed, it would appear that Murray’s calmness in possession, as well as his ability to both carry the ball and to execute line-splitting passes through to his teammates, are all big strings to the young defender’s bow.

However, it would seem as if there is another characteristic of Murray’s that puts him in incredibly good stead to go on to break into the Celtic first-team – his leadership, with Miller once again stating of the 18-year-old:

“He was chosen to be a captain [of the U12s] because he is a leader through his actions, a leader in terms of his play. He was always a tough character in his challenge, on the ball, and in that respect, he was the complete leader.”

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As such, considering his height, calmness on the ball, strength in the challenge and ball-playing ability, it would very much seem as if Murray could be something of the perfect heir to Kristoffer Ajer – the Norway international who sealed a £13.5m move to Brentford last summer.

Indeed, despite his tender age, Postecoglou could do a lot worse than promoting Murray to his first-team squad this summer, as Murray’s father’s claim that “nothing fazes” the young defender would appear to not be wide of the mark.

AND in other news: Huge boost: Mark Guidi drops fresh Celtic injury update, Ange will be buzzing

West Ham enter pole for Lacazette

As per TEAMtalk and journalist Graeme Bailey, West Ham United have set their sights on Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette as a pretty promising transfer update comes to light.

The Lowdown: Hammers in striker chase…

The Hammers have been chasing a new striker since club record signing Sebastien Haller left the club for Ajax in January 2021.

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West Ham even lodged marquee bids for some of Europe’s finest, not excluding Benfica sensation Darwin Nunez, but their alleged £40m offer wasn’t enough to sway the Liga NOS giants into a sale.

David Moyes has been linked with moves for forwards since then as the summer window lingers.

TEAMtalk journalist Bailey, sharing some news, has a pretty big development.

The Latest: Bailey shares big Lacazette update…

According to the reporter, West Ham are ‘ready to offer’ Gunners forward Lacazette a deal ahead of the summer window.

The Frenchman’s contract is set to expire in June as things stand with GSB and recruitment chief Rob Newman allegedly looking to take full advantage.

As well as this, Bailey claims the Irons are ‘looking at a multi-year offer’ for Lacazette which ‘puts them in the driving seat for his signature’.

The Verdict: Promising claim…

After a slow start to the 2021/2022 season, Arsenal’s frontman has improved since then, being directly involved in ten goals since mid-November (Transfermarkt).

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When asked how important Lacazette has been for the Gunners, teammate and defender Kieran Tierney claimed he is ‘absolutely massive’ – potentially backing why West Ham are so keen.

Scoring 54 and assisting 30 English top flight goals overall, the 30-year-old could be an astute option for Moyes on a free given he is already proven in the Premier League.

In other news: Journalist says West Ham could now green-light exit for player Moyes called ‘really important’, find out more here.

Andy Carroll a doubt for West Brom

West Bromwich Albion striker Andy Carroll is a doubt for the Baggies’ trip to Bristol City this afternoon as Steve Bruce’s side look to build on Tuesday’s excellent win over Fulham

What’s the story?

According to Birmingham Live, the 33-year-old is a doubt, with Bruce saying prior to the match: “Andy has got a bit of a knock.”

The Englishman joined the West Midlands outfit from Reading in January and recently scored his first goal for the Baggies in the 2-2 draw against Huddersfield Town.

Steve Bruce will be fuming

The start to Bruce’s tenure as West Brom manager has certainly been mixed, with the Baggies winning just two of their eight matches under the 61-year-old. However, one of those came in their most recent match as Albion recorded an impressive 1-0 victory over table-topping Fulham at The Hawthorns on Tuesday night.

Currently in 12th ahead of today’s meeting with Bristol City, finishing in a play-off spot seems to be a big ask for West Brom, but they are six points behind sixth-placed QPR with nine games to go. Moreover, those remaining fixtures should be relatively straightforward on paper, with the Baggies playing just one of the current top six in Bournemouth before the end of the campaign.

Although he has only netted once so far for his new club, the addition of Carroll was a major coup for Bruce’s side given the striker’s experience. The 33-year-old has made 363 appearances during his career, with 248 of those coming in the Premier League, scoring 83 goals in the process.

He has also been impressive in recent matches, with Sofascore ratings of 7.9 against Huddersfield and 7.1 against Swansea. Also, the Baggies could miss his strong aerial presence in attack, with his match average of 6.7 headers won second only to centre-back Kyle Bartley among Bruce’s squad.

Recently, the duo of Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson have been starting up front, with the pair netting a combined 20 goals this term. In fact, the latter ended an 11-match goal drought when scoring the winner against Fulham in midweek.

However, having an alternative with the quality and experience of Carroll would certainly boost the Baggies’ faint play-off hopes, and they will want him to be available for every remaining match if Bruce’s side are to revive their campaign and finish in the top six.

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If the 33-year-old isn’t fit enough to feature today, the manager will be fuming over the absence of the ex-Newcastle striker, especially if Albion fail to secure all three points just as their season appears to be gaining belated momentum.

In other news: Bruce must now unleash “confident” WBA gem who “plays with his heart on his sleeve”

CPFC made a big mistake over Loftus-Cheek

Crystal Palace have been known to dip into the loan market every now and again to bring certain players to the club on a temporary basis, the most recent of which seeing Conor Gallagher arrive until the end of the current season from fellow Premier League side Chelsea.

One previous player that the Eagles brought in on loan from Chelsea was another midfielder in the shape of Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Signed during the 2017 summer transfer window, the 26-year-old made 25 appearances in total for the south London club across the Premier League and Carabao Cup.

In those appearances, the Englishman, who has been likened in his style of play to Yaya Toure by Rio Ferdinand, managed to score two goals and provide five assists along the way, showing just how useful he could be in an attacking sense from midfield.

As well as his prowess in terms of scoring and creating goals, his overall performances earned him a solid season rating of 7.08 from WhoScored, making him the sixth-highest rated player in their squad for the 2017/18 league campaign, showing that he certainly made the most of his time with the Eagles.

In terms of what he offered Palace on the pitch, the Chelsea loanee racked up a pass success percentage of 82.4%, the third-highest of any player that started at least one league game, as well as an average of 1.3 shots per game, three dribbles per game and 1.1 key passes per game, putting him in the top five for each of those statistics in the squad.

Since leaving Selhurst Park, the midfielder had another London loan spell with Fulham during the 2020/21 season before making 27 appearances across all competitions back with Chelsea in this current campaign.

Shortly before he joined Palace on loan, Transfermarkt rated Loftus-Cheek’s market value at £4.5m in June 2017, whereas it now stands at £18m, showing a massive increase of 300% based on what he’s done in his career since then.

Labelled as a “special” player by Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, there will undoubtedly be some regrets from the hierarchy at Selhurst Park that they were not able to secure the midfield talent on a permanent deal after his decent loan spell with them, despite their reported interest in doing so.

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Moving forward, having started just 11 of the 27 games he’s played in for the west London club this season, Palace should definitely explore the possibility of signing him again if Chelsea have the ability to sell him from a business point of view. In doing so, they may just find the next Yaya.

In other news: Parish must avoid Crystal Palace disaster on “popular” £25k-p/w gem as report emerges

Wolves keen on Goncalo Guedes move

Wolves are reportedly interested in making a move for Valencia and Portugal winger Goncalo Guedes in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Guedes excelling at Valencia

The 25-year-old is enjoying an excellent season at Valencia, having joined the Spanish club from Paris Saint-Germain back in 2018.

Guedes has scored an impressive 11 La Liga goals in 26 starts in 2021/22 to date, also chipping in with five assists and proving to be one of his side’s most important players, ranking first in average Whoscored rating at the Mestalla.

The winger’s current Valencia deal expires next year, meaning this summer could be the last chance for them to receive a good amount of money for him.

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The Latest: Wolves keen on move

According to Jornal de Noticias [via Sport Witness], Bruno Lage is personally keen on bringing Guedes to Wolves this summer, with Jose Mourinho also interested in taking him to Roma.

It is claimed that he is ‘on the way out’ of Valencia and Scott Sellars and co. have ‘positioned themselves’ for the winger.

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The Verdict: Exciting summer signing

Guedes could be an exciting summer addition at Molineux this summer, with Lage arguably in need of more firepower, considering his side have scored just 33 goals in 31 league games this season.

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He could provide strong competition for the likes of Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence out wide, coming in as a replacement for Adama Traore, should he move on permanently.

Guedes is valued at £36million by Transfermarkt, so Wolves could have to break the bank to get him, but his 16 goals contributions in the league this season suggest he would be worth it.

In other news, Tim Spiers has dropped a key Wolves injury claim. Read more here.

Man Utd reach crossroads with Rashford

As per ESPN, Manchester United are at a crossroads with out of form forward Marcus Rashford regarding a new contract. 

The lowdown: Rashford’s demise at United

Having burst onto the scene in 2016 with a debut brace against FC Midtjylland, the academy graduate appeared to have the footballing world at his feet. Since then, the England international has accrued 93 times in senior football for his boyhood club, adding 58 assists in 298 matches.

As a remarkable 300th club appearance looms, the 24-year-old has endured a difficult 2021/22 campaign thus far and desperately needs to re-ignite a stalling career at Old Trafford.

However, where Rashford may ply his trade in the long-term remains in question…

The latest: Rashford contract confusion

According to sources who have spoken to ESPN, United ‘want’ the 46-cap England international – whose career is ‘at a crossroads’ – to sign a new deal with the club to replace his current contract, which expires in 2023.

It is claimed that United have an option to trigger a 12-month extension, although Rashford may decide to move on if the Red Devils aren’t ‘delivering’ for the versatile forward.

The report added that any newly-appointed manager could view the out-of-sorts attacker as a ‘problem’ and decide to cash in on him.

The verdict: Is it time to move on?

Whilst his ailing form would suggest that United would be wise to call time on Rashford this summer, it isn’t all that cut-and-dried given the proven track record and the history of the player.

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So far this season, the Manchester-born attacker has scored just five times and provided two assists in 27 appearances, way short of the 36 direct goal contributions from last term.

Once hailed as ‘unplayable’ by ex-United favourite Louis Saha, the £63m-valued star should have enough credit in the bank to stave off talk of a departure, although there is no immediate need for a new deal just yet given the 12-month extension option that the club hold.

In other news, Manchester United are closing in on a managerial target. Find out more here.

Sri Lanka gear up for India's five-bowler challenge

Match facts

Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)

Big Picture

“We’re both young teams,” has been the phrase of the tour so far. “Both teams are rebuilding,” captains, players and team directors have said. All of this is another way of saying neither team is particularly good at present. There is a lot of chatter about potential and talent. Less about Test form and recent record.India are further down the transition track, and so appear the more polished outfit. KL Rahul is the least experienced batsman in the top order, but he already has a ton in Australia. Rohit Sharma is an unproven Test no. 3, but he has sent Sri Lanka bowlers into therapy in other formats. Between Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, there is enough quality in that top order to hurt Sri Lanka, as long as the visitors can overcome their aversion to batting well away from home.After years of seeking a partner for Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka’s opening partnership has emerged as one of the hosts’ strengths. Dimuth Karunaratne still plays the snazzy legside flicks, but has recently discovered the offside, and added a few points to his batting IQ. Kaushal Silva hangs on like a limpet, rarely punishing the opposition, but often annoying them.There are the flakier batsmen – Jehan Mubarak and Upul Tharanga are yet to prove they can be Test performers. But offsetting this uncertainty is Angelo Mathews, who after Kumar Sangakkara is becoming Sri Lanka’s sure thing.The attacks are evenly matched, even if Sri Lanka’s pace stocks are again diminished by injury. Dhammika Prasad and Nuwan Pradeep are improving bowlers, and in Rangana Herath and Tharindu Kaushal Sri Lanka have a varied spin threat. They will hope Sri Lanka stay within reach of India for the first three days, before the Galle surface’s cantankerous mood takes hold on days four and five.It isn’t a Galle match without a late batting collapse, and as India appear intent on fielding five bowlers, Sri Lanka will hope to expose the lower middle order. Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri will feel the opposite. The extra bowler in the side will help put pressure right back on the Sri Lanka’s batsmen.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: LWLLL
India: DDDLL

In the spotlight

A day out from the match, Kumar Sangakkara already smiles down from almost as many hoardings as the politicians contesting in the election, in under a week. Fans in Galle will hope he can give the venue he calls his “favourite ground to play in” a final Test to remember. As big scores are rare at the P Sara, the first three days of this Test present his best chance of matching Don Bradman’s double-century record. It remains to be seen if he will be back to his hungriest in this series, after a lower-intensity outing against Pakistan.Virat Kohli had an outstanding tour of Australia, but has been short of runs across formats since the World Cup. Two failures in the practice match won’t have done him much good. The early stages of this Test should present conditions he is more comfortable in, but with all the talk of leading an aggressive team, and trialing new ploys to fit the new philosophy, will the focus on his own run-making persist?

Team news

Dushmantha Chameera has been bowling in the nets, but it appears as if the selectors would prefer to preserve him for the Tests in more seam-friendly conditions in Colombo. Lahiru Thirimanne has a weak grip on his no. 4 position, and could easily be replaced by Upul Tharanga. Tharindu Kaushal will likely play ahead of Dilruwan Perera.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kaushal Silva, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Upul Tharanga, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 7 Jehan Mubarak, 8 Dhammika Prasad, 9 Tharindu Kaushal, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Nuwan PradeepM Vijay is out with a hamstring injury, which means Rahul will open alongside Shikhar Dhawan. India will likely prefer the pace of Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav to the skill of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The spin attack will probably comprise R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh.India (probable): 1 KL Rahul, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Varun Aaron, 11 Umesh Yadav

Pitch and conditions

There have been intermittent rains in the days preceding the match, so expect a stop-start game. Despite the bad weather, however, the pitch seems to be a typical Galle track, which will dry out considerably over the course of the game.

Stats and trivia

  • The match will be Angelo Mathews’ 50th Test.
  • Once the hosts’ fortress, Sri Lanka have lost two of their last three matches in Galle.
  • India have not won a series in Sri Lanka since 1993.
  • None of India’s top six have played a Test in Sri Lanka.

Quotes

“In the last eight years of my career, Kumar Sangakkara has helped me personally. He is always willing to help the young guys and whenever you play a bad shot he comes up to us and says that we can play it in a better way. He gives confidence to the youngest and not only for the batsmen – for the bowlers as well. We learnt a lot from him and we are thankful for who he has been for the team on and off the field. He is your go-to man. You can always go to him and get an honest opinion.”
“It’s a great opportunity to create some momentum, knowing it’s a three-match series. Even if it’s an off day, you still have time to re-group and think about what went wrong. If it’s a good day you can learn from it.”

Thirimanne eager to score at whatever position he gets

While the old firm of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara made merry in their last few years, unloading big scores on oppositions like they were having a going-out-of-business sale, Sri Lanka had also invested in a few startups. Lahiru Thirimanne was among the promising ventures that impressed in domestic cricket, and made encouraging starts to their international careers.There has been some frustration in the years since, but the investment in Thirimanne has begun to come good in ODIs. His Test average, though, remains in the mid-20s. He hit two centuries in the 2014 Asia Cup, and became Sri Lanka’s youngest World Cup centurion in March, so the selectors feel there is quality there. They will hope that his 44 in Galle and a 62 at the P Sara hint at big Test runs to come, following a lean series against Pakistan.”If you look at the ODIs, I was always in the runs,” Thirimanne said. “In Tests, the shots I played weren’t executed all that well. There was an element of bad luck as well – sometimes the shots went directly to hand. Mentally I never had an issue. I was always ready for the matches I played. But then when you spend a little bit of time at the crease it gets easier. Once you score 20 or 30 runs, you start playing those shots well.”Despite his good returns in ODIs, Thirimanne has largely been a slow mover in Tests, in which his career strike rate is 40.26. He has added attacking strokes to his ODI game, but his approach in Tests could do with some fine-tuning, he said.”When I go to bat, usually there’s a bit of pressure on the team. There are two options – to hit out quickly and try to get some runs with the batsman on the other end, or to stay at the wicket for a while and work through it. I did take the second option quite often. But then sometimes you think that it would have been good to follow a middle path – to score runs without taking too many risks. My low strike rate has often had to do with the situation.”Thirimanne has been a victim of Sri Lanka’s frequent top-order reshuffles. In this series alone, he has batted at Nos. 3, 4, 6 and 7, and has had no more than 13 innings in any particular spot, out of 42 overall.He has been talked about as Kumar Sangakkara’s replacement at No. 3, and even his ODI success has come in the top three. But with Upul Tharanga set to return to the XI, Thirimanne may have to settle for a middle-order position.”You have to bat well wherever you get the opportunity, so there’s no real excuse,” Thirimanne said.  “That’s something I’ve learned since making my debut. You have to play anywhere at this level. That said, I do have good one-day form in the top three, and I hope I can replicate that in Tests.”Thirimanne has been among the left-handed batsmen who have struggled against R Ashwin’s offspin this series. He has fallen to Ashwin three times in four innings.”Even though Ashwin doesn’t have a doosra or too many other variations, he troubles batsmen with those changes of speed,” Thirimanne said. “He doesn’t give many loose balls at all. It’s a big challenge for a left-hander. A right-hander would have two or three options. We’ll talk as a team and work hard in training. We’ll try to counterattack him and win through. It’s important to go in with a clear mind and a clear plan.”

SA hint Miller likely to continue in top order

David Miller did not break his drought of international half-centuries but could still find himself at the top of South Africa’s ODI order more often in the future as part of a new strategy which involves saving the most skilled players to face spin.”He is a very positive player. I like him up the order with new hard ball in India,” AB de Villiers, South Afirca’s captain explained. “It gives myself, Hashim [Amla] and Francois [du Plessis] an opportunity to bat against the spinners in the middle overs. They’ve got 30 overs of spin in the game and I’d like to think Hashim, myself and Faf are the best players of spin in the team so for us to bat 3, 4 and 5 gives India a feeling that they’ve got a lot of work to do to get through our batting line up which worked to the ‘t’ today.”

Morkel bowls two spells with injury

Morne Morkel’s match-winning last two spells, in which he took 3 for 29, were delivered despite an injury that could have ruled him out of action before the death overs. Morkel hurt himself in his sixth over but pushed on through the pain to earn the plaudits and the praise of his captain, AB de Villiers.
 “Morne came to me after he bowled six overs and said had got a bit of a sore leg so I might have to get his overs out of the way but he bowled so well in his return spell that I had to keep him for one at the end there,” de Villiers said. “He showed a lot of guts and determination to get through that spell. It would have been a very easy decision for him to go off and to call it a day but he pulled through for the boys and he bowled exceptionally well with a sore leg. He turned the game on it’s head.”
South Africa’s attack made particularly good use of the short ball and Morkel, with the advantage of added height, could generate added awkwardness, which he is confident he will be fit enough to deliver in the next match too.
“On these sort of wickets, with my height, if I hit the deck hard I get a lot of inconsistent bounce and that’s a strength in the subcontinent,” Morkel said. “I am a little concerned, I pulled up my quad my fourth ball of my sixth over. We have a very good medical team and I am confident I will be ready for the next game.”

India’s spin-heavy attack, which featured a trio of tweakers for the first time in the series, managed to tie South Africa down but not to shut them out. Du Plessis employed his signature uber-patience to survive the strangle and gave South Africa’s finishers a chance to end with a flourish, and it may be the way they look to play in the subcontinent in the future.”Hashim didn’t come off, I also didn’t come off but Faf came off,” de Villiers said. “There’s always one of the three that comes off in the middle overs and gives freedom for Farhaan [Behardien] and JP [Duminy] to enjoy themselves at the end.”The new plan did not entirely answer the questions that have been plaguing Miller, who has looked out of touch and unsure in both his footwork and his strokeplay, but de VIlliers was pleased with the start he had. “David [Miller] and Quinton [de Kock] played exceptionally well, there’s not a lot of turn with the new ball and both left-handers looked very comfortable against the spin on what was a slowish wicket and not easy for us to bat on. They made it look easy so I was very happy with the start today. They laid a foundation.”De Kock went on to build on that foundation to announce his return to the international circuit after months of struggle which started when he was rushed back into the squad following an ankle injury. He was expected to spend months out of the game after he rolled on his ankle last December but made a remarkable recovery to return to action in January, although he appeared out of touch.He was dropped from the South African side in Bangladesh over the winter but worked his way back with centuries for the A side in India, and in Rajkot showed how he refound his form. He batted through difficult periods of heat – in the literal and figurative sense (it was 37 degrees and India’s spinners were making life tough) – to score his first century this year.”I think he answered a lot of questions,” de Villiers said. “He is a unique player, he has an immense amount of talent and I love to have him in the side. It’s very nice to have him back doing his thing with the bat and with the gloves. I thought he played extremely well, against the spin, against the seam, paced his innings well, played a mature knock. A lot of opening batsmen on this kind of wicket would have thought to get too many boundaries upfront. He paced his innings well, he got his ones with the odd boundary in between. Amazing batting.”South Africa are back in the lead and de Villiers hopes they can go for the kill at the earliest opportunity. “We sit here 2-1 up against India and it’s a great position to be in,” he said. “We have a wonderful opportunity to win a series. We won’t touch the money yet but we’ve got a good chance. We have to win one out of the last two, of course we’d love to win both.”

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