Before the Ange Postecoglou era, the permanent manager of Tottenham Hotspur was none other than Antonio Conte.

Now, it would be fair to say that for all of his success with other teams, the Italian icon didn’t fare too well in North London, as while he secured Champions League football for the club in his first season, he didn’t even make it to the end of his second one in charge.

The former Chelsea boss was infamous for playing a pragmatic, boarding-on-tedious style of football that couldn’t be any more different to the one Spurs try to play today.

However, while it didn’t quite work out for Conte, he did leave the club with a points per game average of 1.78 and now looks on track to win Serie A with Napoli, so recent news linking the Lilywhites with another manager who could easily be compared to the 55-year-old should excite fans.

Tottenham's manager search

Before getting to the manager in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other managers linked with the Tottenham job in recent weeks, like Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola.

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The former has done an exemplary job in West London, taking the Bees from a Championship side and turning them into one of the most entertaining sides in the Premier League, who still score goals for fun, even in the absence of former star striker Ivan Toney.

In a similar vein, Iraola took charge of the Cherries when they looked destined to return to the second tier last season and has transformed them into a team now fighting for a place in Europe next year.

However, a club like Spurs requires someone who can do more than improve the fortunes of smaller teams, which helps to explain their interest in Simone Inzaghi.

According to reports from Italy, the idea of the Italian coach moving to North London in the summer is ‘gaining traction’ and could soon develop ‘into something concrete.’

The report claims that a combination of a Premier League salary and his project at Inter coming to an end could convince the talented manager to move to N17 at the end of the season.

While it could be a challenging deal to get over the line, Spurs must do all they can to secure Inzaghi’s services. Not only would he be a monumental upgrade on Postecoglou, but he could be a more successful Conte 2.0.

How Inzaghi compares to Postecoglou

Okay, so before we compare Inzaghi to Postecoglou, why could his arrival be described as Conte 2.0?

Well, simply put, he’d be joining Tottenham from Inter Milan, a fellow Italian and, crucially, while he’s not quite as defensively minded as the former Spurs boss, he can be just as pragmatic.

Moreover, and this is one of the big advantages he has over Ange, the 49-year-old is a proven winner in a top-five league, having led Lazio to the Coppa Italia in 18/19 and then winning another two with Inter Milan, as well as leading them to the Scudetto last season.

In contrast, all the Australian’s successes have come in smaller leagues, be that in Scotland, Japan or Australia, and while that is not meant to demean his achievements, it is undeniable that the pressure to succeed in those leagues is far less intense than it is here or in Italy, for example.

Moreover, when we compare the two managers’ records at their current sides, it’s abundantly clear who is doing the better job.

Games

212

96

Wins

138

45

Draws

40

14

Losses

34

37

Points per Game

2.14

1.55

For example, since taking the job at the San Siro, the “phenomenal” Italian, as dubbed by Felipe Salvador Caicedo, has overseen 138 wins, 40 draws and 34 losses, which comes out to an average of 2.14 points per game.

In contrast, the former Celtic boss has overseen 45 wins, 14 draws and 37 losses since taking charge of the North Londoners, which comes out to a rather paltry 1.55 points per game.

Ultimately, Inzaghi has shown himself to be tactically flexible, has won major trophies and has far more experience in a top-five league than Postecoglou, so if Spurs can hire him this summer, they should.

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Manchester City made a statement in the winter transfer window in a bid to strengthen their squad, bringing in the likes of Nico Gonzalez and Omar Marmoush.

In a way, it worked. While the club were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in February, they have lost only three domestic games in 2025.

The FA Cup provides the only chance of silverware, and Pep Guardiola will be hoping that winning the competition for the third time can set his side up for a new era starting this summer.

There is still plenty of work to be done this summer. Could Guardiola be targeting a player from a fellow Premier League side?

Man City eye move for Milos Kerkez

Milos Kerkez has emerged as a transfer target for City and a host of other clubs ahead of the summer window.

The left-back has made 36 appearances for Bournemouth this season, recording nine goal contributions in the process. He has even started every single one of the club’s league matches, indicating how important he is to the team.

Assists

5

Accurate passes per game

27.8

Big chances created

6

Key passes per game

0.9

Tackles per game

1.5

Total duels won per game

4.2

Kerkez ranks in the top 11% for crosses into the opposition penalty area and in the top 15% for carries into the final third when compared to peers in the top flight this term.

These statistics have seen the Cherries place a price tag of around £45m on the defender.

City could certainly afford this fee in the summer. The club have also struck gold on an academy starlet who is worth a lot more than the Hungarian full-back – Rico Lewis.

How Man City have hit gold on Rico Lewis

Despite only turning 20 last November, Lewis has already racked up 90 senior appearances under Guardiola, impressing the Spaniard on the right side of the defence.

Indeed, the manager even hailed the Englishman as “exceptional” back in 2023, and he has gone from strength to strength ever since.

One of his key strengths is his passing ability, and when compared to peers across Europe’s top five leagues, the youngster ranks in the top 1% for pass completion percentage (92.1%) and in the top 6% for progressive passes (6.01) per 90.

This shows that he doesn’t just dictate games with his range of passing, but he is able to begin attacks and set the midfielders and forwards up for success with his attack-minded abilities.

As such, his market valuation has grown year-on-year. According to Football Transfers, the defender is now valued at €62.7m (£53.5m).

This value is nearly £10m more than Kerkez at the time of writing, and it may increase even further as the years progress if he can continue to shine on the pitch.

Of course, he plays on the opposite side of the pitch compared to the Bournemouth sensation, but considering City brought him through the academy, they have struck gold on the left-back.

If and when he departs City, they will make an absolute fortune on the Englishman. That much is certain.

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He said that he decided to go all out for the catch the moment he saw that Rohit Sharma, at long-on, wasn’t going to get to the ball

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2024Suryakumar Yadav knew he “hadn’t touched the rope” and that he’d made the split-second decision of going all out for the catch the moment he saw Rohit Sharma further away from the ball at long-on as compared to him at long-off.The topic of discussion was the catch he took to dismiss David Miller in the final over to tilt the T20 World Cup final in India’s favour, decisively, as it turned out.”Rohit usually never stands at long-on but at that moment he was there,” Suryakumar told the . “So when the ball was coming, for a second I looked at him and he looked at me. I ran and my aim was to catch the ball. Had he [Rohit] been closer, I would have thrown the ball towards him. But he was nowhere close. In those four to five seconds, whatever happened, I can’t explain.”Related

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Was the catch clean? Did Suryakumar’s foot tickle the advertising skirting? Replays have been inconclusive so far.”When I pushed the ball [up and inside the playing area] and took the catch, I knew I hadn’t touched the rope,” he said. “The only thing I was cautious about was that when I pushed the ball back inside, my feet don’t touch the rope. I knew it was a fair catch. In hindsight, anything could have happened. If the ball had gone for six, the equation would have been five balls, ten runs. We might have still won, but the margin would have been closer.”Suryakumar revealed the method behind taking such catches, while also crediting fielding coach T Dilip for motivating the entire group by introducing the fielding medal after every match, which has ensured “everyone wants to do something extra on the ground”.”The catch I took, I have practised it at different grounds, depending on the wind,” he said. “I was standing a bit wide because Hardik [Pandya] and Rohit had put a field for the wide yorker, and Miller had hit straight. My mind was clear that I have to catch it come what may.”A day before the game, we do a quality fielding session where for 10-12 minutes, we have more than ten high catches, flat catches, direct hits, slip catching. It’s not a one-day exercise, I practise these kinds of catches during IPL, during bilateral series. Yesterday’s catch was the reward of the hard work done over the years.”Getty Images

Suryakumar said that such balance and agility wouldn’t have been possible without working on his fitness. He spent four months on the sidelines from November 2023 to March 2024, recovering from a sports hernia and an ankle injury. It was during this period that he worked on slimming down as part of his fitness regimen which also included working with a nutritionist.”I remember last August, I was at around 93kg, maybe because I was having too much local food,” he said. “I got injured and then had a hernia operation. I went to NCA [BCCI’s National Cricket Academy] from January 1 to April 1 [this year]. Even during off days, I used to not go home because I knew Monday morning would be my session. I couldn’t waste time.”I ate proper food prepared by my chef. I used to sleep sharp at 10pm and get up early in the morning. Even now, I have decided on my meals for the next week with the help of the chef and nutritionist; they decide how much protein and fat I will have daily, how much water I need to take with my food. We have a group for it which also has my wife. They decide and I just follow. It helped me here.”How has he soaked that moment in, along with the euphoria of being a world champion?”In those four to five seconds, whatever happened, I can’t explain,” he said. “The amount of reaction I have been getting for that, people have been calling, messaging; there are more than 1000 unread WhatsApp messages on my phone. The catch is all over social media. I’m grateful that I was there in those five seconds of play.”

With Everton now mathematically safe from relegation under David Moyes, you would be forgiven from a Toffees perspective to start peaking at the upcoming transfer window, away from merely focusing on May’s upcoming Premier League action.

A new era at Bramley Moore to come could see the Merseysiders enter into a promising, fresh period, with some deadwood allowed to leave in the form of Michael Keane and other out-of-contract personnel, away from just adding in new signings.

One target reportedly on Everton’s agenda was former striker hero Richarlison, but the dramatic move has now been rubbished by the Scotsman in the Goodison Park dugout.

Still, if rumours are to be believed elsewhere that Beto could be on the move, a switch for the Brazilian might well come back up down the line.

Everton's reported interest in Richarlison

Whilst Moyes was dismissive of the potential of a reunion deal, he was still complimentary of the “really good” attacker, meaning the door hasn’t been fully shut.

The South American menace would fire home an impressive 53 strikes for the Toffees from 152 total appearances, before his career fell to the wayside somewhat when moving onto Tottenham Hotspur.

Therefore, with Everton perhaps waving goodbye to striker stalwart Dominic Calvert-Lewin too, a move to bring back such a former potent ace isn’t the wildest suggestion.

But, the Richarlison that terrorised defences at Anfield once upon a time isn’t quite where the Brazilian is right now, with Everton undoubtedly winning when it comes to the £60m deal to offload the 28-year-old, considering he has just a paltry 20 goals for Spurs from 80 often injury-plagued contests.

Consequently – according to Football Transfers – the Spurs number nine’s value now sits at a far lower £22.5m. Amazingly, one top performer back at Goodison Park is now worth more than Richarlison’s updated price-tag, proving his initial £20m valuation to be worthwhile.

The "magic" Everton star now worth more than Richarlison

Everton don’t quite have a red-hot centre-forward like Richarlison currently at their disposal who is hogging the limelight, with the Toffees two top scorers in league action this season that of Iliman N’Diaye and Beto, with the pair on seven and eight goals respectively.

Dwight McNeil does follow just behind on four strikes to play his part, but the ex-Burnley winger’s continued excellence on Merseyside for many a season now has seen his transfer value sensationally soar above Richarlison’s.

After all, the previous weekend in the Premier League saw McNeil return back to the Everton starting XI with a bang, with this sumptuous long-range effort helping his side clinch a 2-2 draw versus Ipswich Town.

But, what usually gets the Everton masses out of their seats is the “magic” – as he was once lauded by football journalist Joe Thomas – forward’s ability to set up a teammate with a golden opportunity, seen in his seven league assists this campaign so far which bumps up his assist count overall to a sizeable 17 from just over a century of appearances.

Matches played

101

Goals scored

15

Assists

17

Value when joining

£20m

Value now

£22.8m

Price increase

£2.8m

He has been held back this season by injury problems, but that hasn’t stopped his price tag from soaring up to £22.8m regardless, representing a £2.8m increase from when he first entered the building back in 2022.

Whilst McNeil is more of a winger option than his South American counterpart, he could be a better attacking option for the Toffees right now than Richarlison, considering the Spurs flop has just four goals in league action this season, like McNeil, despite being a primary centre-forward.

Moreover, any move for their former number seven would feel redundant if Beto does stay put, with the Portuguese attacker on eight for the campaign himself.

McNeil will just hope next season can be an injury-free one on his end away from any new faces entering, meaning he could become an even more influential figure for the Toffees in their brand new stadium.

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Joao Felix has admitted he wants to return to his boyhood club Benfica to regain his form, but his wage demands and transfer fee may block a transfer.

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Joao Felix wishes for a call back to LisbonPortuguese forward unable to shine in recent spellsBenfica interested in bringing the forward homeFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Felix has struggled to live up to the hype since leaving Benfica in a big-money move to Atletico Madrid, which was followed by an unsuccessful loan spell at Barcelona. Chelsea then snapped him up, but he failed to get going in the Premier League and was loaned to AC Milan last season.

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Although he had a good start at San Siro, the Portugal international was inconsistent in the latter half of the season as he amassed three goals and one assist in 21 games for the Italian club. With his future unclear yet again, Felix now hopes to return to Benfica, but Chelsea's asking fee and the player's wages are out of the Portuguese club's budget.

WHAT JOAO FELIX SAID

Chelsea signed Felix for €52 million (£45m/$61) from Los Colchoneros on a seven-year contract. The club are willing to offload the player, and Benfica coach Bruno Lage has been open about the desire to bring him back, but was clear that he must make a compromise on his salary if he is to re-join the Eagles.

Felix has now spoken about his desire to move to Lisbon, saying: "The whole world knows that Benfica is my favourite team. It's my home. One day I will return. I don't know if it's now or in a few years, but if it were now I would be very happy. There are two options: either I stay in England or I return to Benfica."

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR FELIX?

Felix is not a part of Enzo Maresca's project at Chelsea, with the London club already assigning his shirt number to Dario Essugo, suggesting another summer transfer is on the cards.

Fariha Trisna’s hat-trick gives Bangladesh something to celebrate

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2024Georgia Wareham made the most of her opportunity as part of a reshuffled batting order with an impressive maiden T20I fifty as Australia secured the series with a comprehensive 58-run victory, although Fariha Trisna’s hat-trick gave Bangladesh something to savour.Ahead of the tour, Australia coach Shelley Nitschke had indicated to ESPNcricinfo that some different combinations could be tried during the series with an eye on the T20 World Cup later this year, and so it transpired.Wareham and Grace Harris, the latter opening alongside Phoebe Litchfield, added 91 in 54 balls for the second wicket to form the major stand in Australia’s innings. Wareham, who struck ten boundaries, brought up her half-century from 26 deliveries.Litchfield had missed out at the top of the order when she fell for 2 off 7 balls to continue a lean run of form since the India tour over Christmas. In 18 innings since then, taking in the multi-format series against South Africa, the WPL and this tour, she has a top score of 35.Fariha Trisna leaps in celebration after completing her hat-trick•Getty ImagesAustralia stumbled after Wareham departed, managing just 55 for 7 from the remaining 8.3 overs of their innings of which 39 came in a stand between Tahlia McGrath and Ellyse Perry.Left-armer Trisna gave the innings a dramatic conclusion when she removed Perry, Sophie Molineux and Beth Mooney, who was down at No. 9, in consecutive deliveries.Still, Australia’s total proved well out of reach for Bangladesh although they started promisingly with 22 coming off the first two overs. But once the opening stand of 34 was broken by Megan Schutt, it was one-way traffic.Molineux and Ash Gardner took 6 for 27 from their combined eight overs while Wareham added to her runs by removing top-scorer Dilara Akter for 27.The final match of the series takes place on Thursday.

Jonathan David has told his agent to get his transfer to Juventus over the line after reaching a personal agreement with the Serie A side.

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• David agrees personal terms with Juventus
• Signing bonus and Commissions left to be sorted
• David a free agent after running contract down with Lille

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Canadian striker David agreed on a salary of €6 million (£5m/$7m) plus bonuses and must now sort out his agent's commission, according to

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Juventus received a €7 million (£6m/$8m) boost thanks to their Club World Cup participation. This money should aid their pursuit of David. who is a free agent after running his contract down with Lille.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  David is coming off the back of an impressive season with Lille in which he scored 25 goals in all competitions. Juve are eager to sign him as they are expected to sell Dusan Vlahovic this summer due to his refusal to sign a new contract.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR DAVID AND JUVENTUS ?

  Juventus president Damien Comolli would be hoping to get the deal over the line as quickly as possible to reinforce their attacking department. For David, it would be a step up for his career moving from Lille to a giant club like Juventus, and he hopes he will be able to recreate his form.

Match details

Lucknow Super Giants (fifth) vs Mumbai Indians (ninth)
Lucknow, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)

Big picture – MI let down by overseas seamers

After two defeats in their last two games, MI’s playoff chances have nosedived, and if they lose on Tuesday, they will be in the same boat as Royal Challengers Bengaluru.Before the season started, MI looked one of the stronger sides despite being thin in the spin department. Somehow, that has not translated into performances, and a big reason behind that is their overseas fast bowlers’ struggles.Jason Behrendorff and Dilshan Madushanka were ruled out with injuries even before the tournament started. Their replacements – Luke Wood and Kwena Maphaka – failed to meet the expectations. Nuwan Thushara has gone for 12 an over in the two games he has played, without any wicket to show for it. Gerald Coetzee, who has 12 wickets in eight games, has also run hot and cold, and has an economy of 10.10. All that has left Jasprit Bumrah with too much to do.Related

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While LSG are also coming off a defeat, they are in a much better position on the points table. A win against MI could even propel them to second position. Apart from the advantage of playing at home, they will be boosted by the return of Mayank Yadav, who has passed all his fitness tests.

Form guide

Lucknow Super Giants LWWLL (last five matches, most recent first)
Mumbai Indians LLWLW

Team news and impact player strategy

Lucknow Super Giants
Matt Henry may have to make way for Mayank. That will also allow LSG to bring in Ashton Turner for an out-of-form Devdutt Padikkal.Depending on whether LSG are batting first or bowling, one of Ayush Badoni and Yash Thakur could be the Impact Player.Mayank Yadav’s availability will offer LSG flexibility in their overseas combination•BCCI

Probable XII 1 Quinton de Kock, 2 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 3 Marcus Stoinis, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Ashton Turner, 7 , 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Mayank Yadav, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Mohsin Khan, 12 Mumbai Indians
MI can consider bringing in Kumar Kartikeya for Luke Wood, especially if the pitch is on the slower side. Suryakumar Yadav (if bowling first) and Nuwan Thushara (if batting first) could be their Impact Player options.Probable XII 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 , 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Nehal Wadhera, 7 Tim David, 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Kumar Kartikeya/Luke Wood, 11 Jasprit Bumrah, 12

In the spotlight – Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav

Quinton de Kock started IPL 2024 with a bang, scoring two fifties in the first three games. But since then he has struggled for consistency and has crossed 20 only once in six innings. Given LSG have not been able to score freely in the powerplay – their run rate of 8.38 is the second-worst in that phase this season – they need de Kock to be at his best soon.Suryakumar Yadav was expected to revive MI’s fortunes after his return from the injury. While his 166 in six innings so far, at a strike rate of 171.13, are not bad returns, both the runs per innings and strike rate are down by around 10 compared to last season. He has had two 50-plus scores but has made only 36 runs in the other four innings, including two ducks. As MI fight for survival, Suryakumar will have a key role to play.

Stats that matter

• Rohit Sharma has fallen to Amit Mishra eight times in T20s while scoring only 87 runs in 92 balls. Only Sunil Narine has dismissed Rohit more number of times (nine).
• Jasprit Bumrah has dismissed Marcus Stoinis four times in 44 balls while giving away just 42 runs.
• Mohammad Nabi has managed to keep Nicholas Pooran quiet: 45 runs in 43 balls, one dismissal. Nabi has been equally frugal against de Kock – 32 runs in 28 balls – even though he has never dismissed him.
• Ravi Bishhnoi has troubled Ishan Kishan (21 runs off as many balls, three dismissals) and Tim David (17 off 23, two dismissals). But Hardik Pandya has taken him for 55 runs in 25 balls and Tilak Varma 38 in 20. Neither has got out to him even once.
• Hardik has managed only 14 runs in 23 balls (one dismissal) against his brother Krunal.

Pitch and conditions

In five games so far in Lucknow, no team has been able to breach 200. Given LSG have a better spin attack than Mumbai, it will not be a surprise if the pitch for Tuesday’s game is on the slower side.

Quotes

“If you look at Quinny’s [de Kock’s] season, he has played nine innings and has scored three fifties, which is not a bad thing. But also, he got out sort of in the first or second overs at times. We will know his X factor. He is a guy who on his day can take their game away from you. Do you want to make too many changes? I think with the experience he brings at the top, you don’t want to change that. Just with his history, you need to back him in that position.”
“This is a slightly bigger ground as compared to others, so that will be a relief for the spinners. We want to keep things as simple as possible – restrict runs and try to take wickets.”

هاجم أحمد حسام ميدو، نجم منتخب مصر السابق، مسؤولي استاد القاهرة الدولي بسبب ضغط المباريات على أرضيته قبل ساعات من استضافة مباراة القمة بين الأهلي والزمالك.

وكتب ميدو عبر حسابه الرسمي على منصة “إكس”: “استاد القاهرة أُقيمت عليه 8 مباريات خلال 12 يومًا من 18/9 حتى 29/9: مودرن وإنبي، الأهلي وسيراميكا، زد والاتحاد، الزمالك والجونة، البنك الأهلي ووادي دجلة، زد والحرس، مودرن وفاركو، الأهلي والزمالك”.

وأضاف نجم الزمالك السابق: “والنتيجة أننا ندمر أرضية الملعب، النجيلة لها عدد ساعات معين.. عبث لا يحدث إلا في الدوري المصري”.

استاد القاهرة اتلعب علية ٨ مباريات خلال ١٢ يوم من ٩/١٨ حتى ٩/٢٩
مودرن وانبى
الأهلي وسيراميكا
زد والاتحاد
الزمالك والجونة
البنك الأهلي ووادى دجلة
زد والحرس
مودرن وفاركو
الأهلي والزمالك
والنتيجة ان احنا بندمر أرضية الملعب
النجيلة دي ليها عدد ساعات معين
عبث لا يحدث إلا في… — Mido (@midoahm) September 29, 2025

ويأتي انتقاد ميدو في وقت تتجه فيه أنظار الجماهير إلى استاد القاهرة، حيث يحتضن الليلة “كلاسيكو العرب” بين الأهلي والزمالك في الجولة التاسعة من الدوري الممتاز.

ورغم الهجوم، أكدت مصادر داخل الاستاد أن الساعات الماضية شهدت جهودًا مكثفة لإخراج الملعب في أفضل صورة، حيث جرى تجهيز أرضية اللعب بشكل كامل، فضلًا عن غرف الملابس، المدرجات، ومناطق جلوس الجماهير، مع تنفيذ خطة تنظيمية ومرورية لتأمين الحضور.

وتجدر الإشارة إلى أن القمة النارية المنتظرة بين الأهلي والزمالك، يسعى فيها الفارس الأبيض للفوز من أجل الابتعاد بصدارة ترتيب الدوري، حيث يتواجد في المركز الأول برصيد 17 نقطة.

على الجانب الآخر، يسعى الأهلي لتحقيق الانتصار من أجل العودة من جديد إلى المنافسة على لقب بطولة الدوري للموسم الحالي، بعد البداية السيئة، حيث يحتل المركز السابع برصيد 12 نقطة.

Kaur and Mandhana, two of the team’s leaders, believe this loss will help them become better in the future

Annesha Ghosh at the MCG08-Mar-2020Shafali Verma doesn’t have a reference point for defeat in a World Cup final. Nor does her fellow 16-year-old team-mate Richa Ghosh. This was their first world tournament; this was India’s first T20 World Cup final. The hurt of an 85-run hiding at the hands of a ruthlessly clinical Australian side, therefore, found expression in raw emotions. Tears streamed down the cheeks of the two youngest members of an Indian side whose undefeated run in the tournament snapped in the final.Verma, barely six months into her international career, finished as India’s top-run getter; her four-match streak of brisk 25-plus scores ending with an underwhelming 2. A look of disbelief followed her edge off a short ball from Megan Schutt that the wicketkeeper, Alyssa Healy, gobbled up. Self-chastisement began as she threw her head back on her way off the field. Earlier in the day, she had dropped Healy on 9, who went on to make a match-defining 39-ball 75.Ghosh had had little idea she would be playing any part in the match other than carrying drinks until India’s daunting 185 chase entered its final ten overs. Coming in for the concussed No. 3 Taniya Bhatia, Ghosh came out at No. 8 in the wake of Veda Krishnamurthy’s dismissal in the 12th over. The teenager struck an enterprising run-a-ball 18, but much like the rest of the batters that came after the top five, her resistance proved futile, and her attempts to add respectability to their chase, foiled.”At 16, I had not watched women’s cricket, let alone starting to play myself,” India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur said. “And here they are, playing for India. It’s a big thing. Yes, Shafali took the dropped chance to her heart. On one level, you understand these are kids we’re talking about.”But at some level, they must also realise what their mistake was and take this as a lesson. Such things help you become better, look for motivation within. Shafali has a long way to go, but the sooner you learn from these mistakes, the better.”In Kaur’s view, their runners-up finish at the T20 World Cup in Melbourne wasn’t the same as the Lord’s heartbreak for the Mithali Raj-led side at the 2017 ODI World Cup final.”I guess 2017 was more disappointing because that was so close, but today what we were expecting of ourselves, we didn’t play that cricket,” Kaur, who was part of both teams, said. “But as our team is quite young, we did really well in the league games, and I think at the last T20 World Cup we reached the semis and this year the finals. I think, if we just keep working on ourselves and keep improving, then maybe in the future we can win.”A disappointed Indian team at the presentation ceremony•Getty ImagesAt the MCG, the sound of the record 86, 174 crowd was deafening. By the time the result of the game had been decided, a visibly distraught Verma stood close to vice-captain Smriti Mandhana before they went up on the stage to collect their medal.”I told her she has got to be really proud of the kind of campaign she had,” Mandhana said. “As a 16-year-old, when I first played the World Cup, I couldn’t hit the ball 60% of the way she could. She was really upset the way she got out. But she is that kind of a kid – she keeps thinking about how to get better.”This time she should be left alone. This is the time to introspect. Especially because failure teaches you more than success. I think the whole team should be left alone and just introspect how we can grow as players.Mandhana’s own form at the tournament was far from convincing. In four innings, including the final, she made 49 runs at an average of 12.25, the dearth of a half-century from her or anyone else through the World Cup laid exposed in the final. All shortcomings considered, Mandhana said there were positives in India’s campaign, which she too believed, was unlike the 2017 edition of the 50-over World Cup.

At 16, I had not watched women’s cricket, let alone starting to play myself. And here they are, playing for India. It’s a big thingHarmanpreet Kaur on Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh

“That was a different format,” Mandhana said, “T20 was not one of our strengths. One-day is still our preferred format, and yet the way we have come out of it and played our cricket in the last 8-10 months… But our team performance overall has been quite good. That’s something [coach] Raman sir worked on – to develop this as a team and not just create one or two players.”You get one or two players out and you win a match. Obviously, it didn’t work out the way we thought it would today. That’s a very good thing Raman sir has got into this team. And the way the youngsters have come in and changed the set-up totally.”The pressure of the crowd, Mandhana added, wasn’t a factor in India’s loss. Nor was the buzz in general around the team in the lead-up to the final.”We all are really off everything. We have changed our numbers,” she said. “We are not on Instagram or Twitter for us to think at the moment. The crowd was amazing, but given we play in front of noisy crowds at home, so we are kind of used to playing noisy crowd. We were not much concerned about that; we just wanted to play good cricket.”Shafali Verma was dismissed by Megan Schutt in the first over•Getty ImagesAs for the 16-year-olds, Mandhana called for moderation and fairness from team-mates and fans alike. “She [Verma], for example, got good runs in the last four matches. T20 is a format where, especially as an opener, one day you will go and get 80 runs, another day you will get eight runs. If we can take those innings so well and appreciate them, then I think we will have to be beside her after this innings as well.”Pace spearhead Shikha Pandey echoed Mandhana, adding the emotional heft of their young players’ reaction to the loss was only natural. “They’ve played their first World Cup. They still have a long way to go. So we would just go have a chat with them and tell them we can get back stronger next time. It’s okay for them to emotional express what they are feeling.”Pandey, like Mandhana and Kaur, is among the select few in this T20I side who saw India collapse at Lord’s to squander what looked like a likely maiden world title. Though India have come up short in two finals in four years, she underlined the enormity of the night, and the luminaries who helped make the final a watershed moment in women’s cricket, should not be forgotten.”It’s a privilege to have spoken to her today, and have met her in person,” Pandey said about tennis legend Billie Jean King, who was seen speaking to the Indian side after they lost the game. “She’s someone who’s done so much for women’s sport in general, and someone’s who’s actively working towards equal pay and opportunities for women. She just said we were unlucky to have lost today… we must keep working hard. She said she’s very proud of us.”As India now shift their focus to the ODI World Cup that begins in less than a year in New Zealand, lessons from this T20 world tournament might come in handy, and King’s words in particular could spur them on to overcoming the final frontier soon.