R Ashwin on dual role as captain and mentor of Dublin Guardians

Former India off-spinner R Ashwin, who will shoulder the dual responsibility of captain and mentor for ex-India captain Rahul Dravid-owned Dublin Guardians in the European T20 Premier League (EPTL), revealed that the former Team India head coach will not be involved in the team's cricketing decisions.

“I think freedom is very important for the people to be on the side [of running] a cricket team on the field. And I don’t think we’ve had too many issues at all so far. Rahul has been very clear that he doesn’t want to involve himself as much in cricketing decisions, which is why I’m at the centre of it. I’ll be taking responsibility for it and I also have to construct the team.

“It is new territory for all of us. We are looking forward to it and hopefully in the long run make a difference. Rahul and I both will have our sincere stamp on whatever we do in this tournament,” Ashwin told mid-day after the ETPL player draft during a virtual interaction with select media on Thursday. realschule-moosburg.de

Ashwin, 39, represented India in 287 matches across all three formats, taking 765 international wickets. Earlier, in the same dual role of captain and coach, Ashwin guided the Dindigul Dragons to the Tamil Nadu Premier League title in 2024.

NewsLionel Messi's FIFA World Cup scoring streak ends; fails to ...Lionel Messi provided a crucial assist for Argentina's opening goal against Switzerland. The defending champions secured a 3-1 extra-time victory in their quarterfinal match. Me...Open →

“I think I’m at that stage of my career where I’d like to contribute more than just as a player. And for whatever it is worth, even if it’s a state-run league, I’ve been a coach-cum-captain for the last couple of years that I’ve played there. So, it was just a straight connection. Rahul had seen me do the job and understands what I do back home in club cricket. So, I think he was pretty confident that I could do it. It’s just a crossover into what I’d like to do next,” Ashwin added.

The inaugural edition of the six-team ETPL will be played in Ireland and the Netherlands from August 26 to September 20.

Just days after watching the Indian women’s cricket team play Australia at Lord’s in the T20 World Cup, former India opener Shikhar Dhawan and his wife Sophie were spotted enjoying some Grand Slam tennis action at Wimbledon. Dhawan Instagrammed this picture alongside Sophie to his 20 million followers on Wednesday and captioned it: “From the cricket field to Centre Court. Sport always finds a way.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shikhar Dhawan (@shikhardofficial)

It’s Time for Africa.

Is world football finally witnessing a shift in the balance of power?

The United States, a country that has so often served as the stage for defining sporting moments, may now be witnessing the beginning of football’s next great story. For decades, the sport has largely been shaped by Europe and South America. One gave us tactical excellence and relentless efficiency, the other artistry and flair. This World Cup, however, has belonged to Africa.

The numbers tell the story. It is not merely that Africa had more representatives after FIFA expanded the tournament. Of the 10 African teams that qualified, nine reached the Round of 32. This was not a case of benefiting from extra places. They earned their place through performances, proving that African football can no longer be viewed as an outsider on football’s biggest stage.

This rise has not happened overnight. It is the result of long-term planning and investment, something many footballing nations, including India, have struggled to implement consistently. African football has steadily climbed the pyramid, and this World Cup has become its biggest statement yet.

The signs have been there for years.

Roger Milla’s iconic corner-flag dance at Italia ’90 first announced Africa’s arrival. Senegal stunned defending champions France in 2002. Then came Morocco’s unforgettable run to the semi-finals in Qatar after beating Spain and Portugal. Those moments were once seen as isolated successes. In the United States, they have become part of a much larger movement.

Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, South Africa, DR Congo, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde and Tunisia represented Africa at this World Cup. Only Tunisia failed to reach the knockout stage. Morocco have already advanced to the Round of 16 after eliminating the Netherlands, while several others remain in the fight. Even tiny Cape Verde, with a population of barely half a million, reached the knockout stage in their debut World Cup and pushed Argentina into a genuine contest. DR Congo may have lost to England, but their fearless display showed just how far African football has come.

For years, African football was stereotyped as relying only on pace and physical strength. This World Cup has challenged that perception. Tactical discipline, structured defending and intelligent game management have become equally important parts of these teams.

African stars have always excelled in Europe. Samuel Eto’o, George Weah, Didier Drogba and Mohamed Salah became global icons, but those achievements were largely individual. The question was always whether African nations could translate that talent into collective success.

This tournament suggests they finally have.

Senegal’s battle with Belgium and Ivory Coast’s fearless display against Norway showed teams that no longer suffer from any inferiority complex. They now believe they belong alongside football’s traditional powers.

Several factors have driven this transformation.

More African players than ever before are regulars in Europe’s biggest leagues, from the Premier League and La Liga to the Bundesliga. Competing against the world’s best every week has erased the psychological gap that once existed when they stepped onto the World Cup stage.

The athleticism was always there. Now it has been complemented by elite tactical education.

Perhaps the biggest factor, however, has been FIFA’s revised eligibility rules on dual nationality.

Six years ago, FIFA relaxed regulations, allowing players under specific conditions to switch national teams if they had not become fully tied to another country. Many players born and raised in Europe, developed through elite academies and professional clubs, have since chosen to represent the countries of their parents or grandparents.

That emotional pull towards their roots has transformed the fortunes of several African nations.

Players like Ayoub Bouaddi are part of that new generation, footballers shaped by Europe’s best academies but choosing to wear the colours of their ancestral homeland.

The balance of power in world football may not have shifted completely just yet. Europe and South America still possess the trophies and the history.

But the gap has never looked smaller.

Perhaps all Africa now needs is one World Cup trophy to complete the story.

Morocco are still standing.

Who knows?

Maybe it really is time for Africa.

Follow RevSportz for latest sports news

The post It’s Time for Africa: A New Football Power Is Rising appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

In pursuit of their 43rd Ranji Trophy title, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) officially launched the 2026-27 season with a central theme, ‘Focus,’ at the MCA-BKC academy on Wednesday.

“For us, the Ranji Trophy is like a World Cup. Our main aim is to win the maximum number of championships and give maximum Mumbai players to the Indian team. We have some legendary senior players on board. Coaches and selectors have been appointed, and today [Wednesday] marks the beginning of our journey towards achieving our goal,” MCA president Ajinkya Naik told mid-day on Wednesday when asked about the significance of the Ranji title which Mumbai last won in 2023-24.

Last season, only Mumbai’s teenagers — U-16 boys and U-15 girls — ended up champions, winning the Vijay Merchant Trophy and the Women’s U-15 One Day Trophy.

MCA’s Cricket Improvement Committee chairman and former India pacer Raju Kulkarni highlighted the importance of the Mumbai U-19 set-up. “U-19 teams are the supply line, but both [men and women] teams have not performed well [last season] and that’s our biggest concern. So, I’ve told the respective coaches to ensure our U-19 teams do well this time,” Kulkarni said.

Former national chief selectors and India’s 1983 World Cup-winning team members Dilip Vengsarkar and Sandeep Patil also offered words of advice. Patil, who is Team Mentor of all Mumbai teams, said: “What is important in the game of cricket is not only to begin [well], but to finish [well] is also very important. Raju [Kulkarni] just said that in the last one, two years Mumbai cricket is lacking somewhere. So, we need to take guard again.”

MCA advisor Vengsarkar ensured a fair selection policy. “I want to make it clear that those who have not been picked as the probables also stand a chance to play for Mumbai. We have started a TRDO [Talent Resource Development Officer Wing] and it will play a very important role. Injustice will not be done to anyone,” said Vengsarkar.