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The New York Mets are in a prolonged slide, having dropped 13 of their last 16 games on the heels of a torrid 45-24 start. This has moved them out of the top of the National League East and caused much frustration for fans. Owner Steve Cohen, the highest-profile of these supporters, acknowledged that things aren't going well in a Monday morning post on X.

"Tough stretch," Cohen wrote. "No sugarcoating it. I didn’t see this coming. I’m as frustrated as everybody else. We will get through this period. Our injured pitching will come back over the next few weeks. It is unlikely the team’s hitting with RISP will continue at this weak pace. Keep the faith!"

These seem like fairly reasonable points. Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill and Sean Manaea are all on the injured list with hopes to return in July. Losing this many starting pitchers at once is not a good recipe for success. As for the clutch hitting, New York is 29th in baseball with runners in scoring position and the season is past the midway point. So that might actually be a problem.

With the highest payroll in MLB, big things are expected for the Mets. Optimism at the highest level remains.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have entered a high-stakes battle for Anderlecht’s 17-year-old prodigy Nathan De Cat. The Belgian youth international has risen rapidly from academy standout to first-team regular, attracting top clubs with his tactical intelligence and dominant performances. With his contract running until 2027, De Cat has become the centre of a transfer race between the two Bundesliga giants.

• Bayern and Dortmund move for Nathan De Cat

  Few teenagers in Europe have generated as much momentum as De Cat, and both Bayern and Dortmund see him as a midfielder worth acting early for. According to , both clubs have formally intensified their monitoring, sending scouts to multiple matches this season as the 17-year-old has grown into a permanent starter at Anderlecht. However, they are just two of a number of top teams keeping track of him.

  Bayern transfer bosses Max Eberl and Christoph Freund are leading the charge. They admire De Cat’s tactical maturity, his ability to dictate tempo from deep and his imposing frame, a combination they believe could make him a long-term successor to Leon Goretzka or a future anchor in Vincent Kompany’s midfield. Bayern’s interest is not casual; they have already placed him near the top of their long-term recruitment list.

  Dortmund, known for identifying elite young talent before their peak, view De Cat with equal urgency. Aware of Bayern’s push, they consider the Belgian a perfect fit for their tradition of developing high-ceiling midfielders who can thrive in a fast, transitional system. Their scouting department has followed De Cat since his Europa League debut at 16, and the club is prepared to compete aggressively for his signature.

  Neither club has made a formal bid yet as Anderlecht’s stance remains strong. But both Bayern and Dortmund have moved beyond preliminary monitoring and into serious evaluation, convinced they are chasing one of Europe’s next top midfielders.

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  From Mechelen to Anderlecht: The rise of Nathan De Cat

  De Cat’s journey began at KV Mechelen, but Anderlecht quickly spotted his potential and at just 10 years old he entered one of Europe’s most respected academies.

  He progressed through the system at exceptional speed. By February 2024, only 15 years old, he made his professional debut for RSCA Futures, becoming one of the youngest players ever to appear in Belgian professional football. Months earlier, in October 2023, he had already signed his first senior contract. And in February 2025, at 16 years and seven months, he stepped onto the pitch in the Europa League, displaying a calmness and maturity that belied his age.

  During his time with Anderlecht's youth academy, the Belgian midfielder played 33 games in which he scored three goals and registered four assists. His defensive recovery numbers and positional discipline are unusually advanced for a teenager, underpinning his reputation as a deep-lying playmaker with exceptional tactical instincts.

  His breakthrough moment arrived in May 2025, when he scored his first professional goal during the Belgian Pro League Champions’ Playoff against Royal Antwerp.

  Now a full member of Anderlecht’s first team, he has already made 14 league appearances this season, adding one goal and one assist to his name. With a U-17 World Cup call-up reinforcing his upward trajectory, De Cat enters the next phase of his development with major opportunities opening around him and Europe’s top clubs watching closely.

• How De Cat fits in Bayern and Dortmund squad

  The 17-year-old brings a blend of qualities that both Bayern and Dortmund rarely find in one teenager which includes tactical intelligence, composure, physicality, and elite ball circulation. His profile allows him to slot naturally into either system.

  At Bayern, Kompany’s philosophy revolves around dominant possession, vertical progression and structured build-up. The coach has already demonstrated his ability to elevate young talents, with Lennart Karl a recent example of a youth player transformed into a reliable contributor under his watch. For De Cat, working under Kompany, a coach proven at guiding young defenders and midfielders, would offer a clear developmental pathway.

  At Dortmund, the appeal lies in their high-tempo, vertical, pressing-heavy style. De Cat’s strong ball-winning instincts, sharp passing under pressure and quick decision-making may make him an ideal fit as the tempo-controller behind Dortmund’s attacking midfielders. 

  In both environments, De Cat would not just be another academy signing, he would be viewed as a long-term starting midfielder. That is precisely why Bayern and Dortmund have accelerated their pursuit.

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  Anderlecht’s season and De Cat’s path to prominence

  Anderlecht’s 2025-26 campaign has given De Cat an ideal stage. Sitting third in the Belgian Pro League, with seven wins and four draws, the club are well-placed in the championship playoffs.

  To cement his prominence this season, De Cat must continue refining the aspects that define elite midfielders: maintaining high passing accuracy, dictating tempo more consistently, and adding more verticality to his play. Anderlecht want him to evolve into a central figure capable of leading both defensive structure and offensive build-up.

  The club’s long-term plan is clear with De Cat viewed as a future cornerstone of Anderlecht’s midfield. They resisted releasing him initially for the U-17 World Cup because of his importance to their domestic campaign which further points to how much responsibility they already place on his shoulders.

New Zealand’s opening batter looks to put the disappointment of a group-stage exit at the home ODI World Cup in 2022 behind her

Valkerie Baynes19-Oct-2024While a T20 World Cup final represents a prime opportunity to inspire young children to start playing cricket, this one in particular carries important meaning for another group – women in their mid-to-late 30s who are not ready to give up on sport. And nor should they, says Suzie Bates.Bates, New Zealand’s 37-year-old opening batter – and sometimes closing bowler, says she is proud to fly the flag for women against “ageist” attitudes.”I probably take it for granted, but the fact that I’m over 35 and still competing and that I’ve never given up on my dream, I think as females you do feel societal pressure to give up on pursuing your dreams,” Bates said. “People expect you to do other things at a certain age, and that is what is so exciting about women’s sport, it is just growing and growing and we are breaking down barriers every single day.Related

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“It’s not just the young players, it’s players in our team coming back after having children. I’ve even been in the team with two parents [Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu] who are able to have a career and have children. I just think we can be a little bit ageist and even more so with females in terms of what they can and can’t do. So I’m happy to wave that flag.”I keep myself young by hanging out with people who are a lot younger. When I hang out with people my same age, I’m like, ‘oh yeah, that’s right, grow up!’ But there’s a lot of potential to challenge those notions. At the end of the day, age becomes a factor, but as long as you can keep contributing, it shouldn’t matter.”She was speaking on the eve of Sunday’s T20 World Cup title clash in Dubai, where New Zealand will play last year’s runners-up South Africa, guaranteeing a new champion.But throughout almost three weeks of competition, many stories involving players approaching the age of 40 and performing at the highest level have come up.New Zealand have Bates, 35-year-old captain Sophie Devine, and seam bowler Tahuhu, who just turned 34 but whom Bates jokingly considers a fellow “grandma” of the team.Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu all have been playing international cricket for over 15 years now•ICC/Getty ImagesLegspinner Afy Fletcher, who was part of the West Indies side knocked out in the semi-finals by New Zealand, is a 37-year-old mother to a toddler. She ended the tournament with ten wickets, which before the final was equal to Nonkululeko Mlaba of South Africa and just two behind leading wicket-taker Amelia Kerr of New Zealand, drawing praise from coach Shane Deitz for her ability to reinvent herself as a bowler at this point in her career.”Age is just a number for Afy, so we don’t worry about her age,” Deitz said. “Our bowling coach, Ryan Austin, has done a really good job with her. They sat down and had a chat early in the year… he challenged her to be the highest wicket-taker for this year in the team.”She really took that on board and got more variations and she’s worked really, really hard on her fitness and all aspects of her game and batting as well. And now she’s got a few more years left in her, I hope.”Pakistan’s Nida Dar will turn 38 in January, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur is 35 and Sri Lanka have three bowlers – Inoshi Priyadharshani, Inoka Ranaweera and Udeshika Prabodhani – aged 37, 38 and 39 respectively.But age and experience has done nothing to dampen the excitement of taking her team into a first World Cup final in 14 years for Bates, at least not once the tension of an eight-run win over West Indies had eased.

“I keep myself young by hanging out with people who are a lot younger. When I hang out with people my same age, I’m like, ‘oh yeah, that’s right, grow up!’ But there’s a lot of potential to challenge those notions”Suzie Bates

“It wasn’t actually until today when I went and had a swim in the beach that it hit me and I got a bit teary-eyed,” Bates said. “With the adrenaline and everything that’s going on, you’re in a bit of shock.”If you’ve been a White Ferns fan while I’ve been in the team, there’s been a lot of ups and downs, highs and lows, and they’ve ridden that rollercoaster with you. So we’re carrying those emotions, that they’ve got something to celebrate as well as us.”The celebrations are all the sweeter now, not only because New Zealand came into this tournament on a ten-game losing streak, but the fact that they failed to get out of the group stages in their home ODI World Cup in 2022.”When you get one opportunity in a career to have a home World Cup and you don’t quite nail it, that comes with a lot of disappointment,” Bates said. “We had a really great fan base during that World Cup and we had some really tight matches and we were so close to getting through to that semi-final stage, so personally that’s really motivating.Suzie Bates is happy to fly the flag against “ageist” attitudes•ICC/Getty Images”Especially from where we’ve come from, when a team’s been able to bounce back after ten losses in a row, the pride and the resilience that we have as a group makes it so special and we’ve never given up on each other.”And that’s the support staff, [head coach] Ben Sawyer, he’s been through the wringer trying to get this team believing in themselves, and a huge credit has to go to him for just keeping on backing that same group when results weren’t coming our way.”As this will certainly be Devine’s last T20I as captain following her decision to hand over the team to the next generation of leaders, New Zealand’s desire for her to sign off with a title burns bright.”When you play team sport, your goal, your ultimate goal is to be a world champion,” Bates said. “It’s been all those tournaments that have motivated me, and I know Sophie as well. It feels like it’s just all built to this moment and we get one more opportunity tomorrow to have a good dig. The most overwhelming thing about it was it has felt like a really long journey to get back to this point.”New Zealand cricket and women’s sport is all the richer for the fact that players like Bates have stuck around for so long.

Southampton are now eyeing Russell Martin as a replacement for Will Still, who was dismissed on Sunday night, but there could be competition for his signature from their Championship rivals.

After being relegated from the Premier League last season, the Saints were expected to mount a promotion push, but it has been nothing short of a terrible start to the campaign, having taken just 12 points from their opening 13 matches.

The 2-0 defeat at home to Preston North End was the final straw for Sport Republic, who relieved Still of his duties on Saturday, and Under-21s head coach Tonda Eckert has now emerged as a contender for the first-team manager’s job.

It would be a gamble to appoint Eckert, however, given that he is just 32-years-old and yet to prove himself at senior level, and an external appointment is also being considered…

Southampton eyeing Russell Martin to replace Will Still

According to journalist Alan Nixon (via GiveMeSport) Southampton are now eyeing former manager Martin as a replacement for Still, with the 39-year-old on standby for a swift return to management, having recently been dismissed by Scottish giants Rangers.

The Saints are not the only Championship club that hold an interest, however, with it being revealed that Norwich City are also considering the Englishman, given that there are doubts over Liam Manning’s future.

The Brighton-born manager is available without any compensation, which means he is an appealing option for the two Championship clubs, who could do battle for his services.

In truth, the former Rangers manager’s spell at Ibrox was a complete disaster, being sacked after just 17 games in charge, making him the shortest-serving permanent boss in the Scottish side’s history.

That said, the “exciting” manager, as hailed by analyst John Walker, could still be a good appointment for Southampton, considering the work he did at St. Mary’s previously, guiding them to promotion in the play-off final in the 2023-24 campaign.

The ex-Swansea City boss, who prefers to implement a 4-3-3 system, is also very experienced at Championship level, having taken charge of 138 second tier matches.

That said, it would arguably be a backwards step to appoint Martin, given that he was sacked by the Saints less than one year ago, after being unable to make the step-up to the Premier League, with his side losing 13 of their opening 16 Premier League games.

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The Saints could pull off an impressive move.

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Meg Lanning hits another half-century but home side stumble short of the line

ECB Media09-Aug-2025Manchester Originals held their nerve to claim a nail-biting two-run victory over Oval Invincibles in a dramatic clash at the Kia Oval, leaving Invincibles still searching for their first win of their 2025 campaign in the Hundred women’s competition.After being sent in to bat, Originals captain Beth Mooney showed her class, anchoring the innings with 70 off 45 balls. She combined early with Kathryn Bryce, before the latter was bowled by South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp, who impressed with figures of 2 for 22.Amelia Kerr added 15 before falling to a stunning diving catch from the returning Tash Farrant, off the bowling of Phoebe Franklin (1 for 17). Despite losing wickets in the latter stages, Mooney’s efforts saw the Originals post a competitive 139 for 6.In response, Invincibles came out firing, racing to 42 without loss in the powerplay. Skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill contributed 33 off 25, while Australian great Meg Lanning held strong in the chase with a well-paced 56 off 42 balls.The match swung late when Sophie Ecclestone dismissed Alice Capsey for 17. With 26 needed off the final 12 balls, pressure mounted. A crucial moment came when Fi Morris spilled a catch on the boundary – only for Lanning to fall shortly after, caught by Alice Monaghan with five balls to go and 13 still needed.Paige Scholfield briefly reignited hopes with a boundary and single, but with four required off the final delivery, Kapp was unable to find the rope leaving Originals to take the win.Mooney, the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “You can’t really get too high or too low in this format. It can change pretty quickly. But I was really pleased that [Kathryn] Bryce came out and hit the ball like she did. She’s an excellent player and can match it with the best in the world – so to see a take on Kapp like that was awesome.”I thought they bowled well up front; the ball was doing enough to make you second-guess yourself, but when I’m at my best, I’m not really thinking about it and hopefully can hit some out of the middle, and there are a few more in me for the rest of the tournament.”

Zinedine Zidane’s long-awaited comeback to management is finally taking shape with France preparing to appoint the former Real Madrid boss as their next head coach after Didier Deschamps steps down following the 2026 World Cup. The move is poised to end months of speculation and ignite fresh excitement around Les Bleus, who have recently faced criticism for lacking innovation.

• Zidane’s return takes shape as France prepare for a new era

  Zidane’s anticipated return to the sidelines may finally become reality. As reported by AS, France intend to appoint him as their next national team manager once Deschamps completes his final tournament at the 2026 World Cup. For months Zidane has hinted that he is ready to coach again, and France have been waiting for the right moment to bring him home.

  The timing aligns with France’s need for renewal. Critics have increasingly lamented Deschamps’ recent handling of the squad, arguing that his approach has turned predictable, conservative and overly dependent on earlier experiments. Many felt the team had stopped evolving in key areas such as tactical flexibility, attacking variety and squad rotation.

  Zidane’s arrival is therefore viewed as a chance to inject new flavour into a team rich with talent but in need of a fresh tactical lens. 

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  Deschamps’ era

  Deschamps’ contract is nearing its end, closing a monumental chapter in French football. Appointed in 2012 after Laurent Blanc, Deschamps took France to heights that cemented his legacy. He guided the nation to the Euro 2016 final, delivered World Cup glory in 2018, reached another World Cup final in 2022, and maintained consistent competitiveness throughout more than a decade in charge.

  But his reign was not without low points. The round-of-16 exit at Euro 2020, tactical rigidity at times, selection decisions that raised eyebrows, and an increasingly repetitive approach left the impression that France were not fully maximising their extraordinary talent pool. 

• Zidane’s resume signals a new direction for Les Blues

  Recent years have seen a growing consensus among critics: France under Deschamps had become predictable. Analysts repeatedly pointed to the same issues — conservative game plans, slow in-game adjustments, and a reliance on ideas that once worked but no longer fit a squad bursting with dynamic, attack-minded talent. In several matches, France looked like a team playing within themselves, constrained rather than liberated.

  Commentators argued that even with Kylian Mbappe, and emerging talents like Eduardo Camavinga and Warren Zaire-Emery, France often played with unnecessary caution, absorbing pressure instead of dictating games.

  That is where Zidane’s profile stands in sharp contrast, as he won three Champions League titles in three seasons and a La Liga crown in Madrid.

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  Why France will still miss Didier Deschamps

  Even with the excitement surrounding Zidane’s expected arrival, France will deeply miss Deschamps. France will miss the unique personal bond Deschamps built inside the dressing room, a connection rooted in trust, continuity, and genuine care for his players. He wasn’t just a tactician; he was a stabilising force who understood how to manage personalities across generations. His reliance on experienced leaders like Hugo Lloris created a mentoring culture that helped young players settle quickly under the pressure of international football. 

Glasgow Rangers underwent a squad overhaul during the summer transfer window after a change in ownership and a change in the coaching department with Russell Martin’s arrival.

Kevin Thelwell also joined as the team’s new sporting director and the former Everton chief was given plenty of money to play with to bolster the squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Unfortunately, as shown in the graphic above, that ended with Martin winning five of his 17 matches in charge of the Ibrox giants before being relieved of his duties last month.

Thelwell’s attacking signings, in particular, have to be placed under the microscope as he signed Youssef Chermiti from his former club for a fee of £8m, the most money spent on a Rangers signing since Tore Andre Flo for £12m in 2000.

So far, the Portugal U21 international has only scored one goal in all competitions for the Light Blues, which shows that they have not received value for money on that £8m yet.

Chermiti was brought in after the club sold centre-forward Hamza Igamane to Lille for a fee of £10.4m, and it is fair to say that they have not replaced him very well on current evidence.

Where Hamza Igamane ranks in the most expensive Rangers sales

The Morocco international only went for a fee of £10.4m because of a reported release clause in his contract, which would have been in place before Thelwell took over as sporting director, which means that he cannot be blamed for that situation.

Igamane ended his only season with the Ibrox giants with a return of 16 goals and three assists in 49 appearances in all competitions, which included 12 goals in 33 outings in the Scottish Premiership, per Transfermarkt.

The 23-year-old attacker also showcased his quality in the biggest matches, scoring the winner against Celtic in the clip above and scoring four goals in the Europa League.

As you can see in the table above, the Morocco international does still rank as the third-most expensive sale in the club’s history, behind Nathan Patterson and Calvin Bassey, but the release clause possibly stopped him from climbing higher up that list.

His departure has been a big loss for the Gers, on top of that, as Chermiti and fellow summer signing Bojan Miovski have combined for two Premiership goals after coming in to replace him and Cyriel Dessers.

Whilst Igamane was a big loss in the summer, there is a Rangers star attracting interest whose departure from Ibrox would be an even bigger loss for Danny Rohl.

Rangers star attracting interest ahead of January

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has revealed that there are clubs circling around Light Blues central midfielder Nicolas Raskin ahead of the January transfer window.

O’Rourke told Football Insider: “There was interest in Raskin in the summer window from a number of clubs in the Premier League and across Europe as well. There is still interest in the Belgium international and that’s not going to go away.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

“I’m sure clubs are keeping tabs on the situation at Rangers. I don’t think Rangers ideally would want to lose him midway through the season. It would have to be a big, big fee for Rangers to even consider selling him, that’s what I think it would take for them to let him go in January.”

Football Insider adds that the Belgium international is ‘tempted’ by the prospect of a move to the Premier League in January, amid interest from Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur.

However, as O’Rourke outlined in those comments, it would take a significant fee for the Scottish giants to consider parting ways with the midfield star, whose contract expires at the end of next season.

Why Rangers must keep hold of Nicolas Raskin

The Light Blues must resist any attempts to prise the Belgian star away from Ibrox in January because losing him would be an even bigger blow than it was to sell Igamane in the summer.

Of course, the Morocco international’s goals were important and his absence has been felt, mainly because of Chermiti and Miovski’s struggles, but he mainly impacted games in possession with his attacking play.

Raskin, however, is an exceptional box-to-box midfielder who can influence matches with his play in and out of possession, which means that he is even more important than Igamane to the overall structure of the side.

The 24-year-old star, who scored against Dundee in the Premiership before the international break, produced four goals and ten assists in the Premiership during the 2024/25 campaign, whilst also winning 57% of his duels, per Sofascore.

In the current campaign, the midfielder has delivered one goal and two assists along with 6.7 duels won per game at a success rate of 54%, per Sofascore, which shows that he is impacting matches at both ends.

As you can see in the table above, the Belgium international ranks highly among his teammates in a host of key metrics both in and out of possession in the league this season.

In fact, Raskin ranks within the top 11% of midfielders in the division for duels won (60) and the top 18% for tackles won (20) in the Premiership this season, which shows that he has been a standout defensively both by Rangers and Premiership standards.

The former Standard Liege ace, who was once dubbed “sensational” by former teammate Scott Arfield, is clearly crucial to what the Gers do at both ends of the pitch, with his contributions offensively and defensively.

That is why losing him would be an even bigger blow than when they lost Igamane in the summer, as the Moroccan forward only won 39% of his defensive duels and made 23 tackles over the entire season in the Premiership last term, per FotMob.

Rohl can unearth bigger talent than Gassama in £3.5m Rangers flop

Danny Rohl could unearth a bigger talent than Djeidi Gassama in this Rangers flop.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 15, 2025

Therefore, even if a ‘big’ offer comes over the desk in the January window, the club should look to keep hold of him until they have the summer window to take their time to replace the midfield star.

He did it all with the bat on Saturday, leaving observers salivating over what he had already done and what he can still do

Alagappan Muthu28-Dec-2024Nitish Kumar Reddy was horrified. He was 85 off 119 when a spell of rain forced the players off the field. When they came back on, the ball started decking around a bit. So he decided he would start again. Pretend he was on 0. He took 48 deliveries to score his next 12 runs and then, with a maiden Test century just one hit away, he saw one land right in his hitting arc and he just couldn’t resist. The ball went straight up in the air.This was the MCG. More than 80,000 people were watching. Millions more back home. All of them were waiting. He might have been as well. Not just through the course of this innings or this tour. The fact that he’s here in an India shirt means he’s been going to bed almost every night dreaming of this moment. Some mistakes help people grow, but this one…The leading edge spiralled off over cover and landed just beyond Pat Cummins’ reach. Reddy went from 97 to 99 with his hand clutching the top of his helmet.Related

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A scoop shot inside the first hour of play on day three had brought him out to the middle. It felt like that shot would define the play; possibly even the whole Test. As Rishabh Pant walked off the field, he flipped his bat around and stared at the toe-end. That’s where he’d made contact with the ball. The argument in favour of these shots, usually, is . Okay. Sure. He would have got four, maybe six runs. That still would have left Australia with 279 more in the bank.That’s why the risk wasn’t worth it. Not because of the shot. Not because it backfired. But because, at that time, India would have gained little with its success but they would lose a lot with its failure.”He should not be going into that dressing room,” Sunil Gavaskar said on . “He should be going into the other dressing room.”Reddy walked into this tumult and restored order. But on 99, he was stuck at the non-strikers’ end, watching India lose their ninth wicket and dark clouds gathering out in the west.2:10

Washington: Nitish’s hundred ‘will be remembered forever’

? It almost didn’t. Cummins beat his outside edge the very first ball. ? It had been the first spanner in the works; until that shower that prompted an early tea, Reddy was going at a strike rate of 71. After the intrusion, it dropped to 35. It was a necessary adjustment, but now…Siraj ducked under a Cummins bouncer and immediately Reddy brought his bat up and with one hand and punched it with the other. One more ball till he would be back on strike. Siraj defended it and held the pose.Reddy’s father was at the MCG. In 2016, he had left his job because it would have taken him and his family out of station at the wrong time. His 13-year-old son had just been picked by the Andhra Cricket Association for the district-level trials. Mutyalu couldn’t bring himself to go. He couldn’t do that to his son. He could never have known that the sacrifice would pay off this handsomely. He was in tears when the hundred finally came, falling back into the crowd behind him, clutching his hands together in prayer.Nitish Kumar Reddy’s century had his father in tears•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesReddy, meanwhile, went down on one knee on the same turf that Shane Warne had picked up his 700th Test wicket. He planted his bat down into the same outfield where India had piled into Ravi Shastri’s Audi and ridden around to celebrate winning the 1985 Benson and Hedges World Championship of Cricket final. He plonked his helmet on top of the handle, and went down on one knee to recreate the hero’s pose from the movie .”It’s a celebration. He’s killed it, honestly,” Washington Sundar said at the end of the day’s play. “I’m sure he’s got many more up his sleeve and it’s just a matter of him getting many more hundreds.”

The Reddy family has been a bundle of emotions today. Witness the magical moment as they embrace Nitish after he wowed the world with his extraordinary maiden Test century at the MCG.

A day etched in memories… pic.twitter.com/uz9mrASuRm

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 28, 2024