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Everything you need to know about France and AC Milan defender Theo Hernandez!

Theo Hernandez is a professional footballer who currently plays as a left-back for Italian club AC Milan and the French national team. Born on October 6, 1997, in Marseille, France, Hernandez comes from a family of footballers. His father, Jean-Francois Hernandez, was also a professional footballer, who played as a defender.

Hernandez began his youth career at Atletico Madrid in 2007. He spent many years at the club, honing his skills and developing his game. In 2016, he was promoted to Atletico's first team but did not make any appearances for them and was subsequently loaned out to Alaves in the summer of that year.

At Alaves, Hernandez made 38 appearances and was one of the season's standout performers. His impressive performances caught the attention of several top European clubs, including Real Madrid. In July 2017, Hernandez signed for Real Madrid for a reported fee of €24 million.

While Hernandez won many trophies with Real Madrid, including a Champions League and a Club World Cup, he could not replicate his performances from his time at Alaves and was mostly on the bench making occasional appearances off it. He was sent on loan to fellow La Liga club Real Sociedad, where he spent the entirety of the 2018-19 season, making 28 appearances and scoring one goal in the process.

In July 2019, he signed for AC Milan for a reported fee of €20 million. At AC Milan, Hernandez has been a revelation. He has established himself as one of the best left-backs in Europe, contributing both defensively and offensively. In his first season at the club, he made 36 appearances, scoring seven goals and providing five assists.

In the 2020-21 season, Hernandez continued his impressive form, making 45 appearances, scoring eight goals and providing eight assists. He helped AC Milan qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 2013-14 season. He was also named in the Serie A Team of the Year.

It was the next season when Hernandez's career reached its highest point so far. During the 2022-23 season, the French left-back helped AC Milan win their first Serie A title in 11 years. He contributed with five goals and six assists in 32 league appearances. Hernandez's most notable contribution was his goal in the penultimate game of the season against Atalanta where he picked up the ball from his own half, dribbled through multiple players, and scored Milan's second goal to confirm the victory, bringing them one point away from clinching the title.

Hernandez has also represented the French national team. He made his debut in September 2021, in a World Cup qualifier against Finland, with his side getting a 2-0 victory. Since then he has been selected as a part of the 2022 World Cup squad, where he scored the opening goal in France's semi-final win against Morocco. He has made 15 appearances for them, scoring two goals in that time.

In conclusion, Theo Hernandez is a talented and versatile left-back who has established himself as one of the best in Europe. He has had a successful career so far, winning several major trophies and establishing himself as a key player for AC Milan. With his pace, dribbling ability, and defensive skills, he is a valuable asset to any team, and he is likely to continue his success in the coming years.

Here are 13 fun facts about Theo Hernandez you need to know.

Early beginnings at Atletico Madrid

Hernandez is mostly known as being a former Real Madrid player and now an AC Milan legend in the making. However, he began his career with Los Blancos' rival Atletico Madrid. However, he never broke through for them, failing to make an appearance for their senior side, before he finally left in 2017 after a season out on loan with Alaves.

AdvertisementA mother's boy

Theo and his brother Lucas had a tough childhood with their father abandoning them when they were both young children. It's their mother who brought up the two of them along with her parents and is someone both brothers are extremely close to even today.

When Theo joined AC Milan in 2019, the first person he told about the move was his mother. Then he informed Lucas that he is moving to Italy.

GettyFootballing heritage

Hernandez comes from a family of footballers. His father Jean-Francois, as already mentioned above was a defender who played for Atletico Madrid. Additionally, Hernandez's elder brother Lucas Hernandez is also a famous footballer, who plays for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

Both Theo and Lucas began their playing careers at Atletico Madrid before the former joined Real Madrid in 2017. In 2019, Lucas would join Bayern Munich for a club-record fee of €80m.

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Lucky no.19

Since his loan move to Real Sociedad in 2018, Hernandez has donned the number 19 on his jersey. When asked in an interview why he chose this number, the AC Milan left-back said the number gives him good luck.

And Hernandez's words have come true as since he changed his jersey number his career has improved tenfold, with the French defender winning the league with AC Milan and representing France at the 2022 World Cup, on the way to becoming one of the best left-backs in football right now.

The Gunners looked slick away at Liverpool while Chelsea overcame Brighton during another dramatic round of WSL action.

Arsenal are top of the Women's Super League table and one victory away from an historic feat after they beat Liverpool on Sunday, though they have Manchester United and Chelsea hot on their heels.

Victory over West Ham next weekend would make it a record-breaking 13th consecutive victory for the high-flying Gunners.

Head coach Jonas Eidevall isn't too bothered about his side's remarkable run but he's aware of what maintaining that kind of form could lead to, with Arsenal pursuing a first trophy in three years.

However, it's worth noting that Manchester United have an identical record to the leaders, having maintained their own perfect start to the season with victory at Leicester.

Chelsea also have 12 points on the board, albeit having played a game more, thanks to a 2-0 win over bogey team Brighton.

So, we could be in for an epic title race and a close fight for Champions League spots, while the battle to beat the drop will also be intense.

Below, GOAL picks out the winners and losers from this latest round of Women's Super League action…

GettyWINNER: Chelsea

Things could have easily gone against Chelsea on Sunday.

The Blues rotated heavily after a big midweek win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Women's Champions League, benching captain Magdalena Eriksson and Sam Kerr among others.

They did so against a Brighton side that have become something of a bogey team for them, too. The Seagulls have taken points off the reigning champions in each of the last three seasons, after being promoted in 2019.

With the game goalless at the break, the possibility of dropped points was even more of a threat, a pitch heavily affected by the torrential rain stopping the visitors from creating much in open play.

However, in their third game without manager Emma Hayes, who is recovering from surgery, Chelsea picked up all three points.

It was a win that showed the strength in depth at the club. Beth England, who has almost become a back-up to Kerr, broke the deadlock on a rare start, while assistant coach Denise Reddy steered the team to victory, subbing on Pernille Harder to score the second late on.

There were signs that this wouldn't be a happy outing at all for Chelsea, but champions always find a way to win.

AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Rachel Daly

Only Manchester City's Bunny Shaw has more goals in the WSL this season than Rachel Daly, the England international who returned home after a six-year spell in the United States this summer.

She's been the main outlet for an Aston Villa side that struggled massively for goals last year, with no team scoring fewer in the 2021-22 campaign.

To watch her leave the pitch with injury in Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Everton, then, will be of big concern. Daly jumped with Toffees goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan to challenge for a cross, collided with her and then saw her opponent land on top of her as both fell to the ground.

We'll find out in the coming days what the impact of that incident is, with Villa – and Daly – hoping that it isn't as bad as it seems ahead of an extremely difficult away trip to Chelsea.

GettyWINNER: Nikita Parris

It's been a difficult start to life at Manchester United for Nikita Parris, in keeping with a difficult past year or so.

The forward struggled for game time with Arsenal last season, played a bit-part role in England's Euro campaign despite emerging a European champion and hasn't hit the ground running for her new club, having moved to Manchester in the summer.

However, Sunday might prove a turning point.

The 28-year-old started as United travelled to bottom club Leicester in what proved to be a trying assignment for the club joint-top of the WSL table. It was a poor performance, which came as a surprise given the great form the team is in.

The reason they left with three points, though, was thanks to Parris' first league goal for the club – a wonderful first-half header.

It will have done her the world of good not just to get on the scoresheet, but to have contributed such an important goal, too, and might be just what she needs to kick on in United red.

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GettyLOSER: Reading

With Manchester United and Arsenal making up two of Reading's opening three WSL fixtures, it was always going to be a tricky start to the season for the Royals. After losing to Brighton in between those two games, it became four defeats in a row in the league on Sunday when they were beaten at West Ham.

Given the tough matches Kelly Chambers' side have started with, it felt like this one against an opponent not in that 'top four' was even more important. Sadly, they gave themselves a mountain to climb when they fell three goals behind with less than half an hour on the clock.

Reading showed character to bring it back to 3-2 but this was an opportunity missed, with a red card for Hawa Cissokho last week adding to injury woes for West Ham in defence to deplete them further.

Instead, the Royals remain without a point on the board and next week they will take on the only other team in the league who have also lost all of their games so far: Leicester. It already feels like an early season six-pointer.

UEFA's premier club competition has been the stage for some of the greatest players of all time, but who has played there most?

In order to make over 100 Champions League appearances, you need something special about you.

A relatively small number of footballers have managed to achieve the feat, with only the most talented and physically capable doing so.

So which players have made the most Champions League appearances? Goal takes a look at the most enduring stars in the history of the competition.

Getty1Clarence Seedorf | 125 appearances

Clarence Seedorf won the Champions League with three different clubs: Ajax (1995), Real Madrid (1998) and AC Milan (2003, 2007).

The legendary Netherlands midfielder made his competition debut as a substitute for Ajax in a 2-0 victory against Milan on September 14, 1994 and his last-ever appearance was a 3-1 defeat to Barcelona on April 3, 2012.

AdvertisementGetty Images2Thomas Muller | 126 appearances

Thomas Muller scored on his Champions League debut, when he came on as a second-half substitute for Bastian Schweinsteiger in Bayern Munich's 7-1 demolition of Sporting on March 10, 2009. Since then, he has made over 120 appearances and lifted the trophy twice.

The Germany legend has featured for Bayern Munich in 14 consecutive Champions League seasons and counting.

Getty Images3Sergio Ramos | 129 appearances

When Real Madrid were the dominant force in the Champions League between 2014 and 2018, Sergio Ramos was the beating heart of their efforts. His first taste of the competition came in a 3-0 defeat to Lyon in 2005, but Ramos has gone on to win four Champions League titles, surpassing a century of appearances in the process.

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Getty4Andres Iniesta | 130 appearances

Like his Barcelona partner-in-crime Xavi, Andres Iniesta made all of his 130 Champions League appearances for a single club. The four-time winner made his first appearance in the competition during the 2002-03 season before pulling the curtain down in 2017-18.

Australia’s assistant coach Craig McDermott has opted not to renew his contract, which expires in May 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2016Australia’s assistant coach Craig McDermott has opted not to renew his contract, which expires in May 2016. Instead, he will focus on his cricket academy, which has centres throughout Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. This means that the World T20 in India, starting on March 8, will be McDermott’s last assignment with Australia.”Looking ahead I’ve decided that the time is right to really focus on my academy business which is continuing to grow, as well as pursuing some other business opportunities I have away from the game,” McDermott explained. “And if time permits, I’ll also look at some coaching consultancy work in various competitions around the world.”I will certainly miss the Australian team, and wish the players and coaches every success in the future.”McDermott’s exit follows that of batting coach Michael Di Venuto, who recently joined Surrey as their new head coach. McDermott’s first stint with Australia began in May 2011, when he replaced Troy Cooley as Australia’s bowling coach, following their 3-1 Ashes defeat at home. Citing heavy workload and packed schedules, however, McDermott stepped down from the post after 12 months. He was later roped in for the same role on the eve of the home Ashes in 2013-14, which Australia swept 5-0.Later, in May 2014, he signed a two-year deal as the assistant coach in a role that increased his remit to cover major tours across formats. McDermott was instrumental in the ascent of Australia’s pace battery, including Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson.McDermott, who guided the bowling attack to Ashes glory, a Test series win in South Africa and a World Cup title, hoped that he would sign off by helping Australia clinch their maiden World T20 title.”I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time working for Cricket Australia, starting at what was then the Centre of Excellence many years ago, then working with the Australian men’s team,” McDermott said.”It’s been a thrill to have been able to help the players reach their potential, and to see them achieve such feats as the 5-0 Ashes win at home, defeating South Africa in South Africa and winning last year’s World Cup. I’d love nothing more than to finish this stint with victory in the World T20 in India.”Australia coach Darren Lehmann paid tribute to his right-hand man McDermott. “Craig has made a fantastic contribution to the success of the Australian team,” Lehmann said.”Our bowlers have benefited enormously from his experience and insight and they are all better cricketers thanks to his coaching and hard work. In particular he has played a key role in developing our young group of fast bowlers including Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson, Pat Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile. While he leaves big shoes to fill, we respect his decision to spend more time working with his academy which he has a great passion for. We wish him the best of luck and thank him for his contribution to the Australian team.”

England’s transformation to a swashbuckling, attacking band of cricketers has been described as “the most uplifting story in international cricket” in the 2016 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, which is published this week

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2016England’s transformation from the timid, safety-first team who bombed out of the group stages of the 2015 World Cup to the swashbuckling, attacking band of cricketers who earlier this month reached the final of the World T20 has been described as “the most uplifting story in international cricket” in the 2016 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, which is published this week.Their impressive year, which culminated in a fourth-consecutive home Ashes win as well as a 2-1 overseas victory in South Africa, is reflected in the Five Cricketers of the Year with Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow both named.Reflecting on a year which began in ignominy but ended with England knocking South Africa off their No. 1 Test ranking and included a host of national record-breaking performances in white-ball cricket, Wisden’s editor, Lawrence Booth, welcomed the change of personnel at the ECB that had made such results possible.”Forget leather on willow,” he wrote. “The sound of the English game in early 2015 was palm on forehead.” However, the appointment of Andrew Strauss as director of cricket brought a sense of direction: Eoin Morgan was retained as limited-overs captain, Trevor Bayliss came in as coach, and the white-ball formats received care and attention like never before.”In a delightful turn-up for the form guide, the ECB – having spent the previous year losing touch with reality – were making some smart decisions,” Booth added. “Victory at the Wanderers in January 2016, to knock South Africa off the top of the Test rankings, confirmed that a different kind of hope had taken hold. It was the most uplifting story in international cricket all year, the more so for being utterly unexpected.””Records fell like confetti,” he continued. “England passed 400 for the first time in a one-day international, and knocked off 350 in another. They made their highest one-day score overseas, in Dubai (355 for 5), then smashed it a few weeks later, in Bloemfontein (399 for 9). Jos Buttler scored a hundred off 66 balls, then – as if to make up for his tardiness – off 46.Stokes is the cover star of the 2016 Wisden•Wisden”Stuart Broad took 8 for 15 as Australia were demolished for 60 at Trent Bridge, then 6 for 17 to skittle South Africa for 83 at Johannesburg. The two most resonant national records fell one after the other: in Antigua, Jimmy Anderson overtook Ian Botham’s Test-wickets haul, and went on past 400; at Leeds, Alastair Cook surpassed Graham Gooch’s Test-runs tally, and approached 10,000.”A major factor in the transformation was the arrival, in May, of the touring New Zealand team – World Cup finalists in Australia two months earlier. Led by Brendon McCullum, their no-consequences attitude to the game brought out the best in England’s new-look team, and as a consequence, there is a strong Kiwi theme to Wisden’s annual awards.Both McCullum and his team-mate and successor as captain, Kane Williamson, are named among Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year as well as Australia’s Test captain, Steven Smith. Williamson is also named as the leading cricketer in the world for 2015, while his compatriot, Suzie Bates, takes the women’s award.”An English summer has rarely witnessed a more popular touring captain,” says Booth of McCullum, who ended his international career with a flourish in February, signing off with a 54-ball century against Australia the fastest in Test history. Of Williamson’s award, Booth adds: “in an era of highly gifted young batsmen [this] reflects the measured brilliance he brings to every format of the game. McCullum reckons he is going to be one of the best batsmen the game has ever seen, and it’s hard to disagree.”Though Smith finished on the wrong end of a 3-2 Ashes scoreline, his double-century at Lord’s and match-shaping 143 at The Oval ensured he finished the series as the leading run-scorer on either side, with 508.Meanwhile Stokes, who becomes the latest player to adorn the cover of the book, put in a string of match-changing performances, not least his 258 from 198 balls against South Africa at Cape Town, an innings Booth calls “the longest act of wanton violence by an England batsman in any format”.Bairstow, who scored an emotional maiden Test hundred while batting alongside Stokes in that same Cape Town innings, completes the quintet after contributing five Championship centuries and 1,108 runs at 92 to help Yorkshire complete back-to-back Championship titles.Elsewhere in his Notes by the Editor, Booth reflects on the improbable end of the so-called “big three takeover”, stating that “cricket breathed a little more freely” following the departures from their posts of Dean Kino, Giles Clarke, Wally Edwards and N Srinivasan, the “masterminds” behind England’s, India’s and Australia’s seizure of the ICC finances.”There are reasons to be cheerful,” Booth wrote. “They are fragile, it’s true. But the age of the Big [Three], as murky an episode as any in the annals of cricket administration, may be over before it has properly begun.”In addition, he argues the case for the ECB to follow the experiment conducted by Australia in their recent Test series against New Zealand, and give day/night Test cricket a chance in England.”If English crowds can sit through chilly floodlit one-dayers in September, why can’t they cope in June, July and August? The ECB chairman Colin Graves is open to the idea, and so are the Test-match counties. And if it takes off everywhere, boards can use the extra revenue to prove to their stars that they needn’t become soulless freelancers, forever scouring the globe for their next fix.”

Michael Vaughan believes it is time to replace Moeen Ali with Adil Rashid in the England Test side and for Gary Ballance and Ian Bell to swap the places in the batting order as England prepare for the start of the Investec Ashes

George Dobell30-Jun-20151:00

‘England should throw Rashid in for something different’ – Vaughan

Michael Vaughan believes it is time to replace Moeen Ali with Adil Rashid in the England Test side and for Gary Ballance and Ian Bell to swap the places in the batting order as England prepare for the start of the Investec Ashes.Vaughan, England captain when they won the 2005 Ashes, feels that Rashid’s legspin can help England cut through Australia’s tail and fears Moeen is not bowling with the confidence required to withstand the likely assault he will face. While Vaughan accepted that Australia would also target Rashid, he feels he is bowling with such confidence following the ODI series against New Zealand that he can come through such a challenge.”I certainly would have Rashid in the squad and I’d be looking to play him,” Vaughan said. “I just think it would be something that Australia wouldn’t expect. I think they’re expecting to face Moeen. “If England can surprise them and play just a little bit above the level they did against New Zealand, I think it will surprise Australia.”I just look at Rashid the other day flicking them out at Durham. If he does well in the four-day game at Durham as well, I’d just throw him straight in as a young chap who’s confident. He is on the crest of that one-day wave, so I’d just play him.”With the way that he bowls and the way England have really struggled to get rid of tails, it is something different that England might surprise Australia with.”Moeen Ali is the incumbent spinner in England’s Test side•Getty ImagesVaughan admitted that Rashid is not the finished article, though. He cautioned against too much expectation in him and suggested that Alastair Cook, as captain, would have to find a way to assist him, in first innings especially.”I wouldn’t expect him to whip through the Smiths and Clarkes in the first innings,” Vaughan said. “Any top-order player will probably attack him. And in the first innings, on good pitches, you would have to manage him very well. But with careful management and careful field settings he certainly can play a big part.”Vaughan suggested Moeen can still perform an important role for England in the future. “I think Moeen is terrific, I really do,” Vaughan said. “I think he’s going to have years and years with the England side. But he has had a difficult time of it of late. He has not quite been as consistent and he has not been having the long spells as he has not been taking wickets.”When you go into an Ashes series you have to be so confident in your own ability and you have to be on top of that confidence level to compete. I just don’t know if he’s got the confidence level. He’s not bowling enough overs for me to suggest that he’s bowling with that fizz like he did last year.”He bowled great against India. But you don’t pick someone for what was happening last year. And if they go one-nil down it’s going be a long series.”Vaughan believes Bell would benefit from the demonstration of confidence a promotion to No. 3 in the batting order would provide. Bell currently bats at No. 4, with Vaughan suggesting he could swap places with Ballance.”The way Ballance played against New Zealand was a concern but he’s tough,” Vaughan said. “He got good balls, but his feet weren’t moving as well as he can. So I’d make the change. I’d put Gary at No. 4 and Bell at No. 3. I just think that every now and again Bell needs a prod and a poke. He should gain a lot of confidence by someone telling him he’s No. 3.”That could knock Gary’s confidence, but I just think he’s better suited at four. I look at the whole order and you can have left hand, right hand down the order. At the moment, we have three lefties at the top of the order. If you have three of one suit in any position of the order, you can get used to captaining against it.”Hardys of Australia are proud sponsors of England cricket. Show your support this summer with #HardysENG or #HardysAUS to win prizes

Wicketkeeper batsman Dane Vilas will lead South Africa A’s four-day squad while left-hand batsman Dean Elgar will captain the 50-overs team on the tour of India

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2015Wicketkeeper batsman Dane Vilas will lead South Africa A’s four-day squad while left-hand batsman Dean Elgar will captain the 50-overs team on the tour of India.While Elgar and Vilas are also part of South Africa’s Test squad for the tour of Bangladesh in July, the A team includes Omphile Ramela, Keshav Maharaj and Dane Paterson, who were rewarded for their good showing in the domestic season.South Africa A will play a triangular limited-overs series against India A and Australia A. The limited-overs series will be followed by two four-day unofficial Test matches against India A.”A number of relative newcomers to the Proteas have been included in the South Africa A squads and, with the Proteas due to tour India later this year, this tour will give them invaluable experience of Indian playing conditions,” South Africa A coach Vinnie Barnes said.Four-day squad: Dane Vilas (capt), Temba Bavuma, Gihahn Cloete, Theunis de Bruyn, Marchant de Lange, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Keshav Maharaj, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Omphile Ramela, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Stiaan van Zyl, Hardus Viljoen, David Wiese50-overs squad: Dean Elgar (capt), Cody Chetty, Theunis de Bruyn, Marchant de Lange, Cameron Delport, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Eddie Leie, Keshav Maharaj, Omphile Ramela, Mthokozisi Shezi, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Dane Vilas, David Wiese, Khaya Zondo

Delhi’s seamers dominated day one in Cuttack, bowling a troubled Mumbai line-up out for 156

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2015
ScorecardFile photo – Nikhil Patil’s unbeaten 54 was the lone bright spot in Mumbai’s innings•PTI Delhi’s seamers dominated day one in Cuttack, bowling a troubled Mumbai line-up out for 156. It could have been worse for Mumbai had it not been for Nikhil Patil, who made an unbeaten half-century and added 54 runs to their score in the company of numbers 10 and 11. Delhi, who had seven overs to bat out at the end of the day, made 20 before losing Unmukt Chand with two balls left to see out.Having sent Mumbai in, Delhi tasted immediate success, Sumit Narwal dismissing Akhil Herwadkar in the fifth over of the morning. Wickets fell regularly after that, even as the opener Aditya Tare batted out 121 balls. Tare was fourth out for 39, the first wicket in a mini-collapse that saw Mumbai lose five wickets for 31 runs.Patil, who had come in at No. 7, then added 20 with Harmeet Singh for the ninth wicket and 34 with Balwinder Sandhu for the tenth. Between them, Harmeet and Sandhu faced 78 balls and scored 14 runs, as Mumbai’s last two wickets extended their innings by 24.4 overs. Patil remained not out on 54 off 116 balls, with a four and two sixes. Narwal was Delhi’s most successful bowler with three wickets, while Awana and left-arm spinner Manan Sharma picked up two each.

Karnataka enter the Irani Trophy as massive favourites, eager to become the first Indian domestic team to complete back to back trebles

The Preview by Arun Venugopal16-Mar-2015Match FactsMarch 17-21, 2015
Start time 0930 ISTAfter achieving a historic treble last season, defending champions Karnataka will look for an encore•PTI Big PictureThe Irani Cup at the end of the season resembles a hurriedly assembled reception after an exhausting wedding. It is a tough ask for any team nursing the hangover of a victorious Ranji campaign, to reset the clock for another championship match.However, the advantage for defending champions Karnataka could well be the knowhow, having done it once last season during the course of their historic treble – they registered a massive innings win over Rest of India at the same venue – and the relentless quest to perpetuate their legacy.As Karnataka’s captain Vinay Kumar said in the pre-match press conference, Karnataka “want to win every game, and don’t really think about the tournaments.” One of their biggest strengths is the presence of a young, united bunch that has shared the same dressing room for a few years now. Robin Uthappa gave a glimpse of the mindset when he said: “You will have 16-17 guys after your life if you say one thing to us.”At the other end of the spectrum are the Rest of India side, usually an ensemble of the best players in the country. There are a few questionable inclusions in the team, though. Both Jiwanjot Singh and B Aparajith, tallying 553 at 29.10, didn’t have a great Ranji season. Neither did their captain, Manoj Tiwary, but in his defence he led from the front with two match-winning performances, as East Zone lifted the Deodhar Trophy title.Tiwary, while acknowledging there was “very little time to gel together”, said he personally knew most of the players, and was confident they knew what was expected of them.Pitch and conditionsThe wicket has a good coverage of grass, and the bounce and carry will help the seamers. There is also likely to be some assistance for the spinners by the end of the second day as the pitch dries up.In the spotlightEven as Karnataka’s top-order batsmen were busy tending to 50-plus averages, Manish Pandey had a middling run in the Ranji Trophy, scoring only a hundred and a fifty at 35.62. With home advantage on his side, the Karnataka vice-captain would be keen to make amends.Jiwanjot Singh remained unaffected by the ‘second-season curse’ after topping the run-charts in his debut season. But he had a below-par outing this season, managing only 386 runs at 23.73. He would look to correct the anomaly against a first-rate bowling attack.SquadsKarnataka: Vinay Kumar(capt), Manish Pandey (vice-capt), Robin Uthappa, R Samarth, Karun Nair, Shreyas Gopal, Kunal Kapoor, Udit Patel, A Mithun, S Aravind, HS Sharath, J Suchith, KC Avinash, Abhishek Reddy, Mayank Agarwal
Rest of India: Manoj Tiwary (capt), Unmukt Chand, Jiwanjot Singh, Paras Dogra, Kedar Jadhav, Naman Ojha, Rishi Dhawan, Jayant Yadav, Pragyan Ojha, Shardul Thakur, Varun Aaron, Rush Kalaria, Baba Aparajith, Jalaj Saxena, Vijay ShankarTeam newsVinay confirmed that KL Rahul and CM Gautam have both been ruled out with hamstring injuries. Robin Uthappa will keep wickets and likely open the batting with R Samarth, who batted at the same position in the Ranji Trophy final against Tamil Nadu. Abishek Reddy is likely to make his debut.Tiwary said Rest of India were likely to field an attack comprising three seamers and a spinner. Pragyan Ojha will play as the lead spinner.Stats and triviaVinay Kumar will be playing his 100th first-class match. If Karnataka beat Rest of India, they will be only the second State team to win the Irani Cup two years in succession since its inception in 1959-60. Mumbai have bagged the title twice in succession on four occasions. Robin Uthappa is 88 short of scoring 1000 runs in the season. No other batsman has managed the feat in 2014-15.Quotes”In the domestic circuit, now Karnataka stand one step ahead of other teams. With the kind of players we have, yes, the opposition looks at us differently. This game will be big for all the players, as the selectors will be watching this game. So, we won’t take any team or match lightly.””The important thing in their side in the balance. They have a lot of variations. I have been following their matches on the television. I have identified areas where to attack them and make strategies. We have to now execute that on the field.”

Any margin of victory over West Indies will keep South Africa at No.1 in the Test rankings

The Preview by Firdose Moonda in Centurion16-Dec-2014Match factsDecember 17-21, 2014, Centurion
Start time 1030 local (0830 GMT)
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Moonda: SA’s chance to extend lead as No. 1

Big pictureLast summer was South Africa’s season of significant loss, as far as Test cricket was concerned. They were confronted with the retirements of two of their most experienced players – Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith – and they were defeated for the first time in a series since claiming the Test mace, by Australia. This summer, they plan on it being a season of significant gain.Any margin of victory over West Indies will keep South Africa at No.1 but it is not just rankings points that they hope to gain. A new batsman, likely to be Stiaan van Zyl, will be blooded while JP Duminy recovers from a knee injury; a relatively new opener, Dean Elgar, will have the chance to cement his spot; and two new squad members, Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada, will have the opportunity to be integrated into the national set-up. It is a time of personal growth for South Africa, which they believe they can afford to have against the No.8-ranked side.West Indies are in a similar situation, with a squad that contains the experienced and the unknown. The stalwarts, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin, have to usher the youngsters – most of whom are bowlers – through a transitional phase. That task will be made all the more difficult because of whom they are up against.There is a clear distinction between the favourites and the underdogs and an expectation that this series will be one-sided. Neither team has been able to shy away from that build-up but both know that strange things happen in cricket and this series could spring a few surprises.Stiaan van Zyl is likely to make his debut for South Africa in Centurion•Getty ImagesForm guide (most recent first) South Africa WDWLW
West Indies WWLWL
In the spotlightAlviro Petersen does not need to pick up a newspaper, glance at a website or listen to the sports news on radio or television to know that his form is the most scrutinised aspect of South Africa’s current Test squad. The 23 months and 23 innings he has gone without a century are enough to remind him of that. But Petersen has been known to up his game when there is increased heat on him, and his coach and team-mates are tipping him to do exactly that in this series. Russell Domingo and Elgar said they could sense a big score was “just around the corner,” for the senior opener and he will want to deliver on those predictions.West Indies’ batting is thought to be their soft spot in this series, which is why they will need a strong showing from their heavyweights, particularly Marlon Samuels. He has both history – he was the overall highest run-scorer in their previous Test series here in 2007-08 – and form – with two centuries from his last three international innings and a double-hundred in the tour match – on his side. As one of the senior-most members in the squad, Samuels is expected to step up.Team newsJP Duminy is unlikely to feature in the series, which will mean an opportunity for Cobras No. 3 van Zyl. Hashim Amla said there was a “very good chance,” van Zyl will debut in Centurion but that he probably would not bat in Duminy’s No. 7 spot. That may mean a jump up to No.6, with wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock moving into the more traditional gloveman’s position, or a radical decision to promote van Zyl to open ahead of the out-of-form Petersen. That would leave South Africa with six specialist batsmen and would allow them to play four seamers and a spinner. If van Zyl bats lower down and they make use of seven batsmen, the debate is whether to throw the full force of their pace pack against West Indies, or include a spinner to do a containing job.South Africa (probable) 1 Alviro Petersen, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Hashim Amla (capt), 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Stiaan van Zyl, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Kyle Abbott/Robin PetersonWest Indies’ major concern is their batting because they are without Chris Gayle (back injury) and Darren Bravo (withdrew for personal reasons.) Devon Smith will make a return to the top two, while Leon Johnson will likely slot into the spot Bravo may have occupied at No.3. Like South Africa, West Indies are debating whether to field an all-pace attack or include their spinner, Sulieman Benn. Either way, left-armer Sheldon Cottrell seems certain to play after taking five-wickets in the warm-up game, perhaps ahead of Shannon Gabriel.West Indies 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Leon Johnson, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 7 Denesh Ramdin (capt & wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Sulieman Benn/Shannon GabrielPitch and conditionsCenturion will present the spiciest surface of the series, despite a significant amount of green grass being stripped from the pitch on Monday. Known to offer bounce and carry, fast bowlers will look to feast, especially as atmospheric conditions will also be in their favour. Wet weather hung over the Highveld on Tuesday and could have a say on the amount of game time the teams get. Rain is forecast for every day of the match, except Saturday. Although it appears set, it may dissipate into afternoon thundershowers only.Stats and trivia West Indies have only won one of the 12 Tests they have played in South Africa. That was in December 2007, in Port Elizabeth. AB de Villiers is three away from registering 100 Test catches. Shivnarine Chanderpaul needs 229 runs to surpass Brian Lara’s record as West Indies’ highest run-scorer in Test cricket.Quotes”We felt like we’ve been away for a long time so it’s really nice to be back. We want to give the home fans some cricket and hopefully some victories.”
“We’re trying to make it as enjoyable as possible for the young guys, which is most important. It doesn’t make sense if you are doing something and not enjoying it. So far we are in the right stead.”