"Don't Need Players Who...": Gavaskar's Stern 'Star Culture' Advice To BCCI

Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to end the 'star culture' present in the Indian cricket team following the series loss against Australia. India's World Test Championship (WTC) Final dreams were completely dashed after they slumped to a heavy loss against Australia in the Sydney Test on Sunday. Gavaskar said on Star Sports that the cricketers need to make themselves available for selection at all times unless there is a medical emergency and even advised the selectors to consider the players who are completely committed to the side.

“I think the next 8–10 days are crucial for Indian cricket to take a good, honest look at itself. Most importantly, the star culture has to end. Total commitment to Indian cricket is non-negotiable. Players must make themselves available every single time unless there's a genuine medical emergency. If someone isn't fully committed, they shouldn't be considered for selection," said Gavaskar.

Gavaskar did not hold back in his criticism of the side and said that it is time to stop 'pampering' the cricketers and the BCCI need to stop 'acting like admirers' and put their foot down in certain matters.

"We don't need players who are partly here and partly elsewhere. It's time to stop pampering anyone. The recent results have been disappointing—we should have been in the World Test Championship final but didn't make it,” said Gavaskar.

"The cricket board needs to stop acting like admirers and put their foot down. They must tell the players that Indian cricket comes first. It's either a full commitment to Indian cricket or other priorities—you can't have it both ways. If Indian cricket is your priority, only then should you be selected," he added.

India's next assignment is the white-ball series against England at home.

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"Role Of Coach...": Amid Kohli's Struggles, Yograj's Blunt Gambhir Message

After India's 3-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy loss to Australia, former cricketer Yograj Singh gave his take on the Indian senior batter's lack of form in the series. Highlighting Virat Kohli's dismissals in the same way throughout the series, he insisted that someone should have told the star batter not to play that shot. In five Tests, Kohli managed to make only 190 runs and was dismissed eight times while chasing balls outside off-stump. On the other hand, Rohit, who missed the Perth Test because of the birth of his second child, managed only 31 runs in three Tests, before opting to rest for the fifth Test in Sydney.

Singh said if a player is representing India, then he might not necessarily need coaching in the traditional sense but rather require man-management to uplift his game.

"The role of a coach becomes a significant question when you are playing for India. When you're an exceptional player representing India, you might not necessarily need coaching in the traditional sense. What you truly need is someone for man management. Sometimes, a player's mind gets blocked; they might not be scoring runs, or they keep getting out. No matter how great a player is, they can't be bigger than the game itself," Singh told IANS.

"Such players need someone to guide them, to say, 'Let's go to the nets and work on this'. For example, Virat Kohli got out many times playing his favourite shot - the right-hand push. That shot works on Indian pitches, in England, and elsewhere. But on certain pitches where the ball bounces and carries more, someone should have told him, 'Virat, don't play this shot'. Just play straight or leave this ball.

"This illustrates the difference between coaching and management. Identifying and pointing out a player's technical fault is coaching. Someone needs to recognise and convey these technical issues to the players. But who will tell Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli? Even they want someone to come and tell them what's going wrong," he added.

"I believe what's needed is proper management - someone who understands when a player's mind is blocked, when they're feeling low, and reassures them, saying, 'Don't worry, we're here for you. You'll do it because you're a great player.' Every player faces a downfall, even the greatest ones. It's part of the game," he continued.

Speaking about head coach Gautam Gambhir's coaching style, Singh said, "Gambhir is a brilliant cricketer with a brilliant mind. He has the ability to guide the team forward. However, where there's a mistake, he points it out - and rightly so. But to hold the younger players together, proper management is essential."

"Someone needs to tell them, 'Virat, it's no big deal; it happens to everyone'. 'Rohit, don't worry, these phases come and go'. 'Bumrah, you're doing great; just stay focused'. The younger players, especially fast bowlers like Siraj, need to be guided and supported. Someone should stand with them, show them the way, and help them understand the nuances of the game," he further said.

"When players are down, struggling to perform, management becomes that magic wand that lifts them up," Singh concluded.

With a six-wicket loss in the Sydney Test, India have missed out on a spot in the 2025 World Test Championship final as Australia will face South Africa in the summit clash at Lord's in pursuit of their second consecutive title.

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Top Cop Injured In Manipur Stood His Ground Against Extortionists: Sources

The police chief of Manipur's Kangpokpi district who was injured in protests by members of the Kuki tribes on Friday had been fighting extortionists and pushing back against a call for a meeting "with all police personnel" by a civil society group, intelligence sources told NDTV.

They cited two flash messages sent by Kangpokpi district Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Prabhakar - a month apart - to all officers in charge of police stations and outposts in the district, asking them not to give in to demands for money by "unlawful groups" and not to attend a meeting of "all police personnel of Kangpokpi district" called by a Kangpokpi-based Kuki group.

Mr Prabhakar, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who suffered a gash on his forehead amid the protest by members of the Kuki tribes on Friday, sent the first flash message on November 19, ordering all police personnel in Kangpokpi district to guard against extortion attempts by "unlawful groups", sources who have access to the message told NDTV.

"It is learnt from sources that some unlawful groups are demanding money from Kpi [Kangpokpi] district police. In this regard, it is ordered to instruct your police personnel not to give money to such groups. Any police personnel found paying to such groups will face disciplinary action," the message sent on November 19 to all officers in charge of police stations and outposts in the district 45 km from the state capital Imphal said.

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Police personnel, especially the junior ranks who live with their families in Kangpokpi, are vulnerable to demand for money by unlawful groups, the sources said, adding the SP was aware of this.

The IPS officer sent the second flash message to all police stations in Kangpokpi on December 19 - a day before a meeting called by a Kuki group - cautioning police personnel against attending the meeting without permission, sources said.

"It is learnt from a msg. being circulated across social media platforms that CoTU (Committee on Tribal Unity) has called all police personnel of Kpi [Kangpokpi] dist. for a meeting on 20th Dec. 2024 at 2:00 PM in Keithelmanbi community hall. In this regard, officers and personnel of all ranks are instructed to not attend the meeting without prior permission. Anyone attending the meeting without prior permission will face disciplinary action," the SP said in the message, referring to the Kangpokpi-based Kuki group CoTU.

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Protesters from the Kuki tribes had clashed with central security forces in Kangpokpi on Friday night, days after they tried to stop the security forces from dismantling bunkers on the hills. The protesters had been looking to stop transport as part of their economic blockade enforced to demand the withdrawal of central forces from the hills in the district.

When the security forces asked them to fall back, they moved towards the office of the Kangpokpi deputy commissioner and the SP. The security forces responded with tear gas and blank firing. Individuals armed with automatic weapons were also seen out in the roads amid the protesters. The militant organisation Kuki National Front (KNF), which signed the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and the state government, is a dominant group in Kangpokpi.

The SP was hit by some projectile thrown by the mob. Visuals showed blood trickling down his forehead, above the left eyebrow.

CoTU on Sunday called off the blockade, marking a temporary pause in over a week of unrest in Kangpokpi district.

Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Saturday ordered the Director General of Police Rajiv Singh to prioritise the safety and security of people. The Governor also told army and paramilitary officers to fully cooperate with the administration in maintaining law and order, officials said.

Extortion In Manipur

The Kangpokpi SP's message to police personnel to guard against demand for money by "unlawful groups", however, is symptomatic of a wider problem that has been spreading in recent months.

There has been numerous extortion threats by groups of armed people in Manipur, especially in urban areas such as Imphal city and the district headquarters in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, sources have said, adding these groups have been taking advantage of the Manipur crisis that have kept the police and the security forces occupied on maintaining peace.

Many shop owners in Imphal, for example, have complained of being forced to pay up by armed people, despite failing businesses due to no economic activity for over a year since ethnic violence began in May 2023 between the valley-dominant Meitei community and the Kuki tribes, who are dominant in the hill areas of southern Manipur bordering Myanmar and some areas in the north.

The news website The Print reported that the Meitei insurgent group United National Liberation Front (UNLF) "reportedly collected lakhs as 'donations' from several politicians, according to documents recovered as 'digital evidence', now part of a chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate."

The Manipur Police frequently post updates on X with arrested members of the Arambai Tenggol and Kangleipak Communist Party (People's War Group), or KCP(PWG), for alleged extortion and threats.

The KCP(PWG) is likely being used as "hired guns" to attack civilians and carry out extortion in the valley areas in order to keep tension simmering, top intelligence sources told NDTV on December 16 based on initial investigation.

They declined to say who hired these insurgents to create terror in the valley areas, citing the investigation is in an early stage.

Manipur Deadlock

Kuki civil society groups such as the Churachandpur-based Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) and the CoTU, and their 10 MLAs have joined the call for a separate administration carved out of Manipur, a demand also made by the nearly two dozen militant groups that have signed the SoO agreement.

This single demand has brought the Kuki militant groups, the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, and the civil society groups on the same page.

There are many villages of the Kuki tribes in the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The clashes between the Meitei community and the Kuki tribes have killed over 250 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.

The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar's Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.

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After Comment On Priyanka Gandhi, BJP Leader's Jibe At Atishi Sparks Row

BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri has raised another controversy with his comments, this time over the name of Delhi Chief Minister Atishi.

Mr Bidhuri is contesting the Delhi assembly election from Kalkaji constituency, which is at present represented by Atishi from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

At a rally in Delhi's Rohini on Sunday, Mr Bidhuri raised the matter of Atishi's surname change - a matter that was also controversial in the past, especially during the campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha election when Atishi contested from East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency.

Atishi lost the 2019 Lok Sabha election to the BJP's Gautam Gambhir by a margin of over 4.7 lakh votes.

Mr Bidhuri had just expressed regret over another "sexist" comment on Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, when the Atishi row hit him this evening.

In an undated video, the BJP leader was heard saying the party would make all the roads in south Delhi's Kalkaji like the "cheeks of Priyanka Gandhi" if it came to power.

Mr Bidhuri later told news agency ANI his comments on Priyanka Gandhi were made in the context of remarks made by former Bihar chief minister Lalu Yadav, who, years ago, reportedly said he would make the roads of Bihar "as smooth as Hema Malini's cheeks".

Though Lalu Yadav's one-liner was repeatedly referenced over the years, in 2010 he denied ever having said it and accused his rivals of attributing the comment falsely to him.

Mr Bidhuri, however, offered to take back his words.

"Such statements have been made before. I have said that in the context of what Lalu Yadav had said. The Congress remained silent on that even when he [Lalu Yadav] was a minister in their government. If anyone is hurt by my remark, I express regret over it and I take my words back," the BJP leader said.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal criticised Mr Bidhuri, saying the BJP and its leaders have crossed all the limits of "shamelessness."

"BJP leaders are hurling abuses at Delhi chief minister Atishi ji. Delhi people will not tolerate the insult of a woman chief minister. All the women in Delhi will take revenge for this," Mr Kejriwal said in a post on X.

BJP नेता रमेश बिधूड़ी ने जिस तरह की भाषा का इस्तेमाल महिला मुख्यमंत्री आतिशी जी को लेकर किया है, वह उनकी मानसिकता को दिखाता है।

ये लोग महिला मुख्यमंत्री को लेकर ऐसी बातें कर सकते हैं तो अगर गलती से भी ये जीत गए तो आम महिलाओं के प्रति इनका क्या व्यवहार होगा।

-@PKakkar_ pic.twitter.com/r3ZNTpOE83

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 5, 2025

The AAP in a statement said Mr Bidhuri's "abusive remarks" against a female chief minister exposed the BJP's "anti-women" mindset.

"If he behaves this way now, imagine the treatment ordinary women would face if he mistakenly becomes an MLA," the AAP said in a statement.

The assembly elections in Delhi are likely to be held in February. The Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 successive years, did not win a single seat in the last two assembly elections in the national capital. The AAP won 62 out of the 70 seats in the 2020 assembly elections and the BJP got eight.

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Gauff, Swiatek To Clash For United Cup As Czech Player Makes Abrupt Exit

Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek will battle for United Cup glory after the USA and Poland won their respective semi-finals on Saturday in Sydney amid bizarre circumstances. Swiatek beat Elena Rybakina to help last year's runners-up Poland see off Kazakhstan and they were joined in Sunday's final of the mixed-teams tournament by the Gauff-led United States. The Americans defeated the Czech Republic, with Gauff beating Karolina Muchova and then an increasingly irate Tomas Machac retiring from his match against Taylor Fritz in an abrupt and bewildering ending. 

"I woke up so late today," said Gauff, 20, after she dismissed Muchova 6-1, 6-4 to underline what a threat she will be at the Australian Open starting next week.

Gauff, the world number three, added: "The whole match I was intense and focused, that made the difference today."

Big-serving Fritz, ranked fourth in the world, lost the first set on a tie break but fought back in the second and looked poised to level up their men's singles match when a hot and bothered Machac shook hands, sending the Americans through.

"Not the way I want to win in the end, but I think we're all happy to be through to the final," said Fritz.

He said that his opponent, who had ranted at the Czech bench and squandered chances to seal the match, told him afterwards he had cramp.

"I didn't expect it to end so abruptly. I did not notice at the time that he was cramping," said Fritz.

'Perfect'

Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek played a starring role for Poland in their semi-final against Kazakhstan as she beat Rybakina 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

"This win makes me really proud," Swiatek said after giving Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie.

"It is perfect preparation for the Australian Open," said the world number two.

Swiatek again played with strapping on her right thigh, having been troubled in her tough three-set win over Britain's Katie Boulter in the quarter-finals.

That clash lasted nearly three hours and Swiatek was slow out of the blocks against Rybakina, who is ranked sixth in the world.

They went to a first-set tie break after Rybakina saved two set points, before the 23-year-old Pole pulled away to take her country into the final.

"I for sure did not start well and had the handbrake on a bit. I knew I had to do something and change the momentum," said Swiatek, who made light of any injury concerns.

She is relishing the prospect of a meeting with Gauff.

"I think at this stage she's developing every month and it's going to be also a nice challenge," she said.

Hubert Hurkacz put Poland on the way when he beat Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-2 in the men's singles.

The 16th-ranked Hurkacz lost both his singles matches in group play but defeated Britain's Billy Harris in the quarter-finals and took that momentum into the meeting with Shevchenko.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Cartoonist Quits Washington Post Over Rejected Sketch Mocking Owner, Trump

An award-winning political cartoonist for The Washington Post has announced her resignation after a cartoon depicting the newspaper's billionaire owner grovelling before Donald Trump was rejected.
Ann Telnaes posted on Substack late Friday that this was the first time she "had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at."

The cartoon -- which she included in her post -- depicts Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, as well as Facebook and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and other media and tech moguls, kneeling and holding up bags of money before a massive Trump.

Also shown is a prostrated Mickey Mouse, the symbol of the Disney Company, which owns ABC News. The television network recently reached a $15 million settlement with Trump after he sued for defamation over reporting on his sexual abuse trial in New York.

Telnaes wrote that while previous sketches of hers had been rejected, this was the first time that had happened because of her "point of view."

"That's a game changer... and dangerous for a free press," she said.

The Washington Post, whose slogan is "democracy dies in darkness," said Telnaes's work had not been rejected due to any "malign force."

"We had just published a column on the same topic as the cartoon and had already scheduled another column -- this one a satire -- for publication," editorial page editor David Shipley said in a statement. "The only bias was against repetition."

The US media aggressively covered Trump's chaotic first term, which included two impeachments and ended with his refusal to recognize defeat in the 2020 election -- culminating with a mob of his supporters storming Congress.

As Trump prepares for his January 20 inauguration, after having defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in November, there are signs that top CEOs, including in the media, are eager to build good relations.

A stream of senior moguls, from Apple CEO Tim Cook to Bezos Zuckerberg, have travelled to meet Trump at his Florida estate.

Elon Musk, owner of influential social media platform X and the world's richest person, is one of the president-elect's closest advisors.

Amazon and Meta have both announced $1 million donations to Trump's inauguration fund, as reportedly has Apple's Cook in a personal capacity.

Bezos caused a stir just ahead of the presidential election when he broke with years of tradition and ruled against the Post endorsing a candidate.

Telnaes, who has won the Pulitzer Prize and other awards for her work, had worked for the Post since 2008.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Barcelona vs Barbastro Live Streaming Copa Del Rey: When And Where To Watch

Barcelona vs Barbastro Live Streaming Copa Del Rey Live Telecast: Barcelona return to action after the New Year's break as they face a trip to take on minnows Barbastro in the Round of 32 tie of the Copa Del Rey. Barcelona are the most successful side in the history of the competition, having won the King's Cup a record 31 times. Hansi Flick's side, however, travel to Barbastro without Pau Victor and Dani Olmo as the Catalan giants have been on hold over a financial and administrative limbo that prevented their registration beyond 2024.

Their opponents, Barbastro, play in the 4th division of Spanish football, Segunda Federacion, and reached the Round of 32 after beating the other LaLiga side from the Catalan capital, Espanyol, 2-0 in December.

Both teams met in the Round of 16 last season with Barcelona winning 3-2 at Barbastro courtesy of goals from Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.

When will the Barcelona vs Barbastro Copa Del Rey Round of 32 match be played?

The Barcelona vs Barbastro Copa Del Rey Round of 32 match will be played on January 4.

Where will the Barcelona vs Barbastro Copa Del Rey Round of 32 match be played?

The Barcelona vs Barbastro Copa Del Rey Round of 32 match will be played at the Municipal de Deportes, Barbastro, Aragon, Spain.

What time will the Barcelona vs Barbastro Copa Del Rey Round of 32 match start?

The Barcelona vs Barbastro Copa Del Rey Round of 32 match will start at 11:30 PM IST.

Which TV channels will broadcast the Barcelona vs Barbastro Copa Del Rey Round of 32 match?

The Barcelona vs Barbastro Copa Del Rey Round of 32 match will not be telecast anywhere in India.

Where to follow the live streaming of Barcelona vs Barbastro Copa Del Rey Round of 32 match?

The Barcelona vs Barbastro Copa Del Rey Round of 32 match will be streamed live on FanCode app and website.

(All the details are as per the information provided by the broadcaster)

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