Ashwin Projects Dhoni as Next CSK Head Coach

Former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin believes there is no better person than MS Dhoni to become the next head coach of CSK if the veteran decides to take up the role. cat-cross.com

CSK on Monday announced that they had parted ways with Stephen Fleming, bringing their 18-year association to an end. Speaking about Fleming’s departure, Ashwin paid tribute to his former coach and explained how the Dhoni-Fleming captain-coach partnership had been hugely successful, while admitting that the franchise needed to look beyond Fleming.

“Fleming really understood what made [MS] Dhoni tick, and Dhoni understood that Fleming was a great lieutenant. That partnership carried on for such a long time. I would say it was about time Chennai Super Kings looked beyond,” Ashwin told Cricinfo.

Since Fleming’s exit, there have been rumours that Dhoni could take over as head coach. If not the franchise’s most successful captain, Ashwin believes CSK should appoint someone who can operate independently and be accountable for the role.

“If Dhoni is willing to do that [take over as coach], there is no better person that Chennai Super Kings can go after. If not, they need to find someone who will be able to operate independently and take accountability for his or her own actions.”

As earlier reported by RevSportz, Dhoni will have a say in deciding the franchise’s next head coach.

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Atlanta [US], July 16 (ANI): Former France striker Thierry Henry hailed Argentina as the deserved winners after their 2-1 victory over England in the FIFA World Cup semifinal, praising Lionel Scaloni’s tactical approach and questioning England’s defensive strategy.

Speaking during Fox Sports’ post-match coverage, Henry said Argentina’s display reflected the qualities of reigning world champions.

“The best team won. Great attitude, mentality. Argentina played very good football, and England went into a back five too early for my liking. They thought they had to defend the lead a tiny bit too early," Henry said.

The Arsenal legend also highlighted Scaloni’s tactical decision to deploy Lionel Messi on the right flank rather than through the middle, saying it allowed the Argentine captain to exploit one-on-one situations.

“Scaloni put the little man (Messi) on the right, not in the middle in traffic, but on the right to give him the ball in one-v-ones. They’re the world champions for a reason," he said during Fox Sports’ post-match coverage.

Argentina defeated England 2-1 to book their place in the FIFA World Cup final, where they will face Spain, while England will take on France in the third-place playoff.

The first half was a tightly contested battle, with both teams fighting for midfield control and creating limited clear chances. England eventually broke the deadlock in the 55th minute when Anthony Gordon finished Morgan Rogers’ cross to put the Three Lions ahead.

After taking the lead, England dropped deeper defensively, allowing Argentina to build pressure. The defending champions responded strongly, with Jordan Pickford making key saves and Alexis Mac Allister hitting the post before Argentina found the equaliser. In the 85th minute, Enzo Fernandez struck after receiving a pass from Lionel Messi to level the match.

Argentina completed their comeback in stoppage time when Messi delivered a cross for Lautaro Martinez, who headed home the winner. Despite England’s late efforts, Argentina held on to reach the final. England will now face France for third place, while Argentina will meet Spain for the title. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Atlanta [US], July 16 (ANI): Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez said the team’s dramatic victory over England in the FIFA World Cup semifinal was a gift to every Argentine, praising his teammates’ determination as the reigning world champions booked their place in a second consecutive World Cup final.

Argentina came from behind to defeat England 2-1, with Enzo Fernandez equalising late in the match before Lautaro Martinez scored the winner in stoppage time to seal a place in Sunday’s final against Spain.

Speaking after the match, Lisandro Martinez said the players were driven by the support of the Argentine people and their desire to create history.

“We are all Argentinians right now, what they go through, what they live, it’s felt here too. We knew the magnitude of this match and from minute zero we went after it. Those who want to win always get the result. What we did today was history and a gift to every Argentine," Martinez said, as quoted by the Argentine Football Association’s X handle.

The Manchester United defender added that the team had given everything on the pitch and wanted supporters to identify with their fighting spirit.

“Let the people feel identified. We leave everything in every contested ball and that’s the most important thing. We’re one step away, but now we’re going to enjoy what we’ve achieved," he said.

Coming to the match, the first half was a tightly contested battle, with both teams fighting for midfield control and creating limited clear chances. England eventually broke the deadlock in the 55th minute when Anthony Gordon finished Morgan Rogers’ cross to put the Three Lions ahead.

After taking the lead, England dropped deeper defensively, allowing Argentina to build pressure. The defending champions responded strongly, with Jordan Pickford making key saves and Alexis Mac Allister hitting the post before Argentina found the equaliser. In the 85th minute, Enzo Fernandez struck after receiving a pass from Lionel Messi to level the match.

Argentina completed their comeback in stoppage time when Messi delivered a cross for Lautaro Martinez, who headed home the winner. Despite England’s late efforts, Argentina held on to reach the final. England will now face France for third place, while Argentina will meet Spain for the title. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has implored the International Cricket Council (ICC) to create stronger pathways for emerging nations following the changes introduced in the formats of the T20 World cup and the ODI World Cup. The global body, in its annual meeting in Edinburgh, decided to tweak the format for the two marquee tournaments. However, the structural changes have very little to offer for the Associate Nations, and this has been called out by Ashwin.

Ashwin wants ICC to host more meaningful matches

Taking to social media platform X, Ashwin noted that the ICC’s changes to the fixture format made sense from a competitive standpoint but called for stronger pathway for emerging nations if the game had to grow. The former Indian cricketer called for associate nations to be included in every bilateral series, noting that teams like the Netherlands, the USA, Scotland, Nepal and Ireland need more meaningful matches. Ashwin pointed out that only the collective growth of the game will make it a spectacle in Olympics.

“The ICC’s changes to the fixture format for the 2027 ODI World Cup and 2028 T20 World Cup make sense from a competitiveness standpoint. But if the final goal is to grow the game, there needs to be a stronger pathway for emerging nations. Teams like the Netherlands, Scotland, Nepal, USA and Ireland need more meaningful matches ( FOR EXAMPLE: getting added as the third team into every bilateral series ), not just qualification tournaments. Let’s not forget, that collective growth will make this sport a spectacle at the olympics,” Ashwin wrote.

In the 2027 ODI World Cup, 14 teams will take part in the tournament, as opposed to reports that earlier claimed that the global body was planning to trim it down to 12 teams. The Super Series and Super 7 rounds have been introduced. On paper, the new structure suggests that the ODI World Cup has expanded from 10 to 14 teams. But in reality, it’s 12 teams.

In the T20 World Cup 2028, the ICC has introduced a new “Super 10” stage and Eliminator matches. While the tournament will continue to feature 20 teams, the road to the semi-finals is set to become much more competitive. One of the biggest changes is the removal of the Super Eights stage. In its place, the ICC has introduced a larger Super 10 round, along with Eliminator matches that will effectively act as quarter-finals.

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