CATEGORIES

Mcgrath Spells Out What the Aussies Can Expect

“Anywhere you play, any sport you play, YOU GOT TO BELIEVE you are good enough to compete. And believe you are good enough to win. You got to be good enough to adjust to the conditions. Play better than the opposition,” Glenn McGrath tells S. DINAKAR in this chat.

Upbeat About Bottas

It would be unfair to assume that Valtteri Bottas’s role in his new team, Mercedes, would only be to keep team-mate Lewis Hamilton on his toes. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if Bottas does to Hamilton what the latter did to Fernando Alonso 10 years ago at McLaren. It is not for nothing that they say in motorsport, ‘When you want to win

Theatre of Dreams or an Arena of Nightmares?

The PROBLEM that Jose Mourinho is facing at Manchester United is he does not have the players required to execute his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation — a strategy that more and more football managers are ditching due to its demand for discipline.

Did Lewis Hamilton play by the rules

The Briton REFUSED to drive faster at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, much to the anger of the Mercedes team.

Young And Inspiring

Rashid Khan has turned heads with his performance in the IPL and also for the Afghanistan national side. He, however, wants to STAY GROUNDED and focus on his game. During a visit to Greater Noida — which is the ‘home’ base for the Afghanistan cricket team — Rashid spoke exclusively to SHAYAN ACHARYA on the road ahead.

Rules Still Bat-Heavy!

The latest changes in ICC’s playing conditions do very little to REDRESS the balance between bat and ball. By ABHISHEK MUKHERJEE.

Fledglings Becoming Full-fledged Faster!

Making Sense Of The Parisians' Splurge

The astronomical transfer fee paid for Neymar, which is in a realm beyond our comprehension, might soon REPRESENT AN ASTUTE PIECE OF BUSINESS, as the transfer market spending spirals out of control.

Expect A Heavyweight Slugfest

Expect the fight for the Premier League crown to go the distance. There are no new managers — in these TOP CLUBS — acclimatising to the rigours of the Premier League. No major overhauls of playing squads, requiring large numbers of recently acquired players to bed in. There will also be no excuses for failure.

Football Has Oddballs!

Sport is not just about heroes. It is also about GREAT CHARACTERS; they add spice to the riveting theatre that sport is. Over the last quarter of a century, the English Premier League has seen many of them. Like these gentlemen, whom P. K. AJITH KUMAR lists below.

Premier League: A World Of Its Own

The best of players, top-drawer performances and competition and record viewership... That’s the Premier League for you. And one cannot discount its RICH HISTORY too. AMITABHA DAS SHARMA sheds light on the various editions of the league and the winners.

indian football's bellwether

ever since it was formed in 2013, bengaluru fc has been india’s leading light. with the run to the afc cup final, it has proved that it continues to be so. if even such an enormous achievement doesn’t open the eyes of clubs and authorities alike, probably nothing will.

setting higher goals

india has widened the gap with teams like korea, pakistan and malaysia so much that it is currently the only asian side in the top-10 of the world rankings and within striking distance of other top-five teams like england and argentina. india’s aim now is to go past them and challenge the likes of australia, germany and holland consistently.

can rosberg ace the test?

though lewis hamilton won the last two races (the united states grand prix and the mexican grand prix), history favours rosberg in brazil, as he had won at interlagos the last two years. and more importantly, it is a venue where hamilton has never won.

A 100 Per Cent Performance In '96!

The triumph in 1996 is Sri Lanka’s greatest achievement in sports. No one had given it a chance to win the cricket World Cup, but Arjuna Ranatunga’s side took the world by storm.

Politics Not Yet For This Superstar Cricketer

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who will be playing his fourth World Cup, stresses on the cricket culture in his nation that helped the national team dream big.

A Loose Cannon Trying To Become A Sharpshooter!

What makes Virat Kohli tick is the palpable and total commitment to the task and team. Popular appeal and money earnings, after all, are only byproducts and incumbent on how a player fares in his primary vocation.

A First Taste Of Gold

Qatar’s Asian Cup win has not only put the country in the spotlight, but has also created a consensus that it won’t merely be a participating nation when it hosts the 2022 World Cup.

A Ronaldo In Valladolid!

“I have always wanted to manage a club and I have been preparing myself since I quit professional football.”

Dakar Conquered!

It was a big relief and a lot of weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was a surreal experience that I couldn’t believe.

Indian Coach Packs His Bags

Stephen Constantine’s influence on the Indian national team has been quite noteworthy considering the country’s journey in the international arena, where the achievements have remained few and far between in the last three decades.

Novak The Great Reigns Again In Australia

Where did this match rank among Djokovic’s greatest? “Right at the top,” he said, after destroying Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final to move ahead of Pete Sampras on the all­-time Grand Slam titles list.

Mayank Aggarwal- The New Star Of Indian Cricket

Sportstar caught up with the new star of Indian cricket, Mayank Agarwal, who is back to the domestic grind after an impressive debut in Australia as an opener.

An Evening That Glittered With Champions!

The Awards, which were previously held between 1994 and 2003 in their first avatar, were revived as Sportstar completed 40 years in 2018.

‘It Is Also Your World Cup'

Qatar World Cup 2022 CEO Nasser Al Khater who was present at the Sportstar Aces Awards, supported by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, in association with MRF, briefed the audience about his nation’s sporting journey. Here’s the transcript of his speech.

Perfect Role Models

Both Gundappa Viswanath and Prakash Padukone have conducted themselves well during their playing days and after their retirements — unassuming, unfailingly polite, respectful and modest to the core.

A Giant In Turin

Juventus and Ronaldo will likely win many trophies together, perhaps even break the Old Lady’s drought in the Champions League — but he is unlikely to touch the heights he did in Spain and England.

Two Meaty Imbroglios!

A couple of deliveries in two different matches caused the biggest controversies in the first week of this year’s IPL.

CSK's Jaipur Connection

Dressed in yellow T-shirts and armed with yellow flags, they stand out from the other spectators patiently waiting outside the main gate at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, a couple of hours before the start of the match.

'There's No Shortcut To The Top'

The day when the victorious World Cup skipper reached his home city, Chandigarh, The Sportstar met Kapil Dev at his residence.