Browsing: claim

Ravichandran Ashwin of India celebrates with Virat Kohli (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/Getty Images) Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has advocated for the establishment of standard Test centres for home matches in India, supporting earlier calls made by Virat Kohli in 2019. Speaking on his YouTube channel “Ash ki Baat,” the 39-year-old off-spinner emphasized the importance of considering player familiarity and pitch conditions, alongside crowd attendance, when selecting Test match venues across the country.Ashwin highlighted that playing conditions vary significantly across different regions in India, which can impact the quality of Test matches. He specifically pointed out the challenges with pitches in certain parts of the country, particularly noting the lack of bounce in eastern regions.The 106-Test veteran stressed that the selection of Test venues should prioritize locations with superior pitch conditions, where the Indian team has experience playing. This familiarity, according to Ashwin, constitutes a legitimate home advantage.”Test centres is not about crowds alone. It is also about familiarity of conditions. If we are playing a Test in Guwahati or Ranchi, I am not against these venues as a possibility. But the problem in India is every surface has a different identity. There is literally no bounce in the Eastern part of the country. It becomes a very ordinary Test match pitch then.”Ashwin expressed concern about hosting matches in venues where even Indian players lack first-class cricket experience. He referenced the recent Test match in Guwahati against South Africa to illustrate his point about unfamiliar venues.”Make sure whichever Test centre you decide has the best pitches. Some venues are better than others only because the pitches are better and the team is used to conditions. That is home advantage. Otherwise the only point is you are playing within that Indian map as home, but is not home.”The discussion aligns with ViratKohli’s previous recommendation from 2019, where he proposed limiting Test matches to five permanent centres in India. Ashwin acknowledged the historical reasons for multiple Test centres but questioned their current relevance.”Eden Gardens, Guwahati – playing against South Africa there, should there be standard Test centres? Virat said years ago they must be fixed. I personally think it’s about time, why did we make Test centres? So more cricketers could emerge, and their associations would get more funding. But Guwahati as a Test match is not a home game for either team, and I don’t think anyone in the Indian team has played a first-class game in Guwahati.”Kohli’s original proposal from 2019 suggested maintaining venue rotation for limited-overs formats while establishing fixed Test centres. His vision aimed to provide visiting teams with clearer expectations regarding playing conditions and crowd atmosphere.”We’ve been discussing this for a long time now, and in my opinion we should have five Test centres, period. I mean, I agree [with] state associations and rotation and giving games and all that, that is fine for T20 and one-day cricket, but Test cricket, teams coming to India should know, ‘we’re going to play at these five centres, these are the pitches we’re going to expect, these are the kind of people that will come to watch, crowds’.”The debate around standardizing Test venues in India continues to highlight the balance between maintaining traditional rotation policies and establishing consistent playing conditions for the longest format of the game.

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Coco Gauff reeled off four straight games to beat Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 and win the Wuhan Open on Sunday in an all-American final.

The 21-year-old Gauff won her second title of the year – her first was the French Open – and she now has 11 career titles.

The world No 3 found herself down 0-3 in the second set, then served to save it at 3-5 down. She held and then broke the Pegula to love for 5-5. Pegulaâ€s forehand volley at the net landed wide to give Gauff a first match point and, with Pegula on second serve, she clinched the contest with a forehand winner following a brief rally.

Pegula had staged a comeback of her own to beat world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals. But this time she lost momentum and missed out on a 10th career title as Gauff became the second American to claim the Wuhan title, after Venus Williams in 2015.

It was their seventh career meeting and first in a final. Pegula leads 4-3 overall against Gauff, with whom she has won several doubles titles. Gauff complimented her opponent after the match.

“When I came on tour, you were one of the first people to be nice to me and welcome me with open arms. And that really goes a long way and still goes a long way,†Gauff said during the trophy presentation. “So I appreciate you. And itâ€s great to finally play in a final against you.â€

Pegulaâ€s last eight matches have all gone the distance, and she has won seven of them.

“Youâ€ve been playing a lot of three-setters – youâ€re a three-set queen,†Gauff said. “Iâ€d like to congratulate you on an incredible tournament. I was determined not to let you get there today because I felt the odds would be in your favour in a third set.â€

Gauff improved to 11-3 in finals; Pegula dropped to 9-11. The win adds to Gauffâ€s WTA 1000 triumphs in Cincinnati (2023) and Beijing (2024) and marks her third final at this level in 2025 after runner-up finishes in Madrid and Rome.

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Lacey Lane made her AEW debut this week, appearing during Dynamite‘s special Title Tuesday episode, but it wasnâ€t without some online controversy.

Laneâ€s debut came in a match against Mercedes Moné, in a losing effort. After the match, though, Lane took to social media to address some criticisms.

Fans were quick to note that Laneâ€s wrestling name closely resembles that of NXT star Jacy Jayne. However, Lane was quick to show a screenshot of her adopting the name in 2018, and joked that the information was for “idiots†who didnâ€t know.

Lacey Lane, who also performed under the name Kayden Carter from 2018 to 2025, appears this week in AEW after being released from WWE in May. During her time in NXT, Lane was the longest-reigning NXT Womenâ€s Tag Team Champion and a one-time WWE Womenâ€s Tag Team Champion. She won both titles with Katana Chance.

While Lane performed for Ring of Honor recently, her contract status with both companies is currently unknown.

READ MORE: AEW Dynamite Results: Review, Grades, Card For October 7

What do you make of Lacey Laneâ€s comments? Did you enjoy her debut on AEW Dynamite this week? Do you think weâ€ll be seeing a lot more of her in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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One former Arsenal player has made the claim that manager Mikel Arteta did not want him to leave the club.

Arsenal spent big across the summer window by bringing in the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze, amongst others, with Arteta thrashing out the size of his squad.

But as most will know, getting new faces in requires the need to get others out, with the 23-year-old in question leaving late in the window and previously explaining how he only learnt of his exit via social media.

Budging duo William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes proved difficult for the now-departed defender, who admitted most of the stuff printed in the press about his exit was completely fabricated.

“I laughed at those stories because it was exactly the opposite,” said Jakub Kiwior when speaking to TVP Sport about how some had reported how Arsenal wanted to keep him.

“The club didn’t want to let me go and it took a long time for them to agree to the transfer. I was valued there; no one wanted to get rid of me. Arteta didn’t want me to leave for Portugal either, so I never felt unwanted. The decision to leave was entirely mine. I wanted to play, but with Gabriel and Saliba ahead of me, the chances were small.”

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“I convinced him myself,” added Kiwior as he detailed conversations with Arteta. “I went to talk to him and explained how I saw everything. He understood my ambitions and my desire to play, and he thanked me for how I behaved as both a person and a player.”

“He accepted my reasoning, spoke with the sporting director, and things moved quickly after that,” the defender added. “It was FC Porto who convinced me. At one point, they were calling every day. They fought hard and never gave up, even after several rejections from Arsenal.

“They showed how much they cared, so I decided to bet on them. I had many offers, but when I saw Jan Bednarek had joined, I told myself: if it works out, it will be great, and it really is.”

Jakub Kiwior in action for FC Porto (Image credit: Getty Images)

FourFourTwo notes that Kiwior was right in understanding that breaking up Saliba and Gabriel’s partnership was going to be tough, and at 25, playing regular first-team football remains a priority.

Given he is only on loan with Porto, there is still a chance he could have a career at the Emirates, should he impress in Portugal this season.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Cole Schwindt was a player the Florida Panthers reluctantly included in the trade that brought them Matthew Tkachuk from Calgary three years ago.

And now, the Panthers brought Schwindt back.

The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions claimed Schwindt off waivers Friday — a move that, somewhat ironically, figures to help them get through playing without Tkachuk for the first few weeks of the season.

“We had him before and we know what he can do,” Florida president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said. “There’s a lot of upside. It’s a great opportunity for him.”

Schwindt — who was in the deal that sent Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar and draft capital to the Flames for Tkachuk in 2022 — spent last season with Vegas, playing in 42 games and finishing with a goal and seven assists. He played in three games with Florida in 2021-22 and four games with Calgary in 2023-24, never registering a point in either of those stops.

But with Tkachuk out until probably December, and with captain Aleksander Barkov expected to miss most if not the entire season with torn knee ligaments, Florida needed to replenish its depth. Schwindt was placed on waivers Thursday by Vegas and the Panthers won the claim.

Schwindt’s brother, Kai Schwindt, is also part of the Panthers organization. Kai Schwindt was in camp with the team this fall and was assigned earlier this week to Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte.

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Michelle McCool and The Undertaker had a humorous response to some of the claims fans have made about her.

The latest episode of the Six Feet Under podcast featured a segment called “Coattail Confessions,†where the couple reacted to fan comments.

McCool came under fire after she replaced Mickie James on WWE LFG. McCool also replaced former co-host Matt Lyda on the podcast when it moved over to WWEâ€s platform. This led to a ton of negative feedback from fans, including many who spammed the YouTube channel with comments criticizing the move.

McCool read some of the comments, which got some hilarious responses from the pair.

“[She reads the comment] ‘Taker please, this take your wife to work day needs to stop.†Itâ€s the only chance I get to see him, people!â€

“Oh my goodness,†Taker replied. “Well, you follow me everywhere.â€

“I canâ€t help it. Those coattails are long,†she quipped.

Michelle read a few more comments, including one fan who said her neck was so weird and bony that she looked like “a failed attempt at someone restoring a corpse.†Michelle and Undertaker both burst out laughing at the dig.

“What the hell does that mean?†Undertaker asked.

In regard to his podcast switching things up, The Undertaker said this was just the direction he wanted to take the show.

“Whether you like it or donâ€t like it, I do this, we do this for fun,†he said.â€

Undertaker said that he hopes fans are entertained, but if they arenâ€t they have the choice to do what they want, or not listen to it. However, he encouraged them to “relax and enjoy the ride.â€

Lyda has commented on leaving the show, telling Maven Huffman that the move naturally caused some disappointment for him. However, he says that he and Undertaker remain close friends and there is no bad blood between them.

“[Undertaker] just looked at me and goes, ‘We good?†I said, ‘Mark, we said something a long time ago… if money ever comes in between us, weâ€re going to shut the whole thing down… And weâ€ll forget about all of it,â€â€ Lyda recently told Maven Huffman (H/T toÂSEScoopsÂfor the transcription). “And I was like, ‘Dude, thereâ€s nothing business-wise that on my end would ever come between you and I. I was like, ‘This is a podcast, man.â€â€

Read More: The Undertaker Shuts Down Longstanding Backstage WWE Rumor

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