The top story: India retain winning combination

The Board of Control for Cricket in India have retained the squad that played the one-off Test against Bangladesh at Hyderabad for the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia.

Mohammed Shami and Rohit Sharma will continue their road to recovery from injury, while Tamil Nadu skipper Abhinav Mukund, who did not take part in India’s 208-run win against Bangladesh, has been retained.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra will continue to be on the sidelines after picking up an injury earlier this month. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav has also retained his place. The first Test between the No. 1 ranked side and Australia will be at Pune which will make its debut as a Test venue. The second Test begins in Bengaluru on March 4.

Other top stories

Cricket:

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  • Australian captain Steven Smith stated that winning in India would rank as “the best time of his life”. While admitting that the tour would be difficult, Smith insisted that his side’s preparations going into the series has been “good” in Dubai, and are “ready to go”.
  • The Indian Premier League governing body today confirmed that 351 players will go under the hammer during the auctions. The list has been trimmed from the 799 players who had registered their names. There are 122 international cricketers who are a part of the auctions, including six associate players, reported PTI.
  • Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar will be adopting another village – Maharashtra’s Donja – under the Sansar Adarsh Gram Yojna. Tendulkar has sanctioned over Rs. 4 crore for developing Donja. The 43-year-old had previously adopted the village of Puttamraju Kandriga in Andhra Pradesh.   
  • New Zealand Cricket has moved the One-Day International between the Kiwis and South Africa from Napier to Hamilton. The McLean Park came under the scanner during the recently concluded Chappell-Hadlee series for its lack of drainage facilities.
  • Australian batsman Adam Voges has decided to call it quits from international cricket. The 36-year-old is scheduled to lead the Prime Minister’s XI against Sri Lanka in Canberra, “I’ve had an amazing couple of years with Australia with the Test team and I’ve loved every minute of it. I see this as a last opportunity to play against an international team and I’m certainly looking forward to that,” Voges said. 
  • Discarded India pacer Irfan Pathan stated that it was “unfair” to label him as a Twenty20 specialist, reportedTimes of India. The 32-year-old also revealed that he had “some issues” with the Baroda Cricket Association in the past, and that he has struggled with injuries in recent years.

Cycling “

  • Tainted cycling legend Lance Armstrong lost his bid to stop a $100 million lawsuit. Armstrong will be on trail for his use of performance enhancing drugs. 

Basketball:

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  • Washington Wizards continued their fine run of form, thumping Oklahoma City Thunder 120-98 with Markieff Morris starring the show by netting 23 points.  
  • San Antonio Spurs rallied hard to post a 110-106 win against Indiana Pacers with Kawhi Leonard tallying a whopping 32 points.

Football:

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  • Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson stated that his players have let down manager Jurgen Klopp and the fans as the Reds fell off the Premier League race in January with a string of losses. 
  • Former Barcelona director Marc Ingla revealed that there was “friction” between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi when the pair played for the Blaugrana back in 2009-’10. 
  • Despite Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho’s criticsim in recent times, Red Devils legend Gary Neville has tipped Anthony Martial to become a star at Old Trafford, “The manager has given him a chance. Go for it. It can be the best club in the world for you to play at and make you into a star,” Neville said.   
  • Arsenal defender Per Mertersacker criticised the Gunners’ lack of “defensive discipline” going into the business end of the season. The North London side have conceded 28 goals in 25 league games this season.