Football: Manchester United sack Van Gaal -- reports

May 23, 2016

London, May 23: Louis van Gaal has been sacked as manager of Manchester United , several British media outlets reported Monday, amid speculation he will be replaced by Jose Mourinho.

VanGaalBoth Van Gaal and leading employment lawyer Paul Gilroy were seen entering United's Carrington training ground on Monday.

Gilroy's clients have included David Moyes, whose sacking as United manager paved the way for Van Gaal's appointment.

There has a yet been no official confirmation from United, 20-times English champions, about the position of Van Gaal, who still has a season remaining on his three-year contract.

But James Ducker, the northern football correspondent of Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, tweeted Monday: "Paul Gilroy QC finalising Van Gaal's severance package now...£5m pay off. Expect an announcement lunchtime."

The BBC said that United would make a statement about Van Gaal at 1:00pm local time (1200 GMT) Monday.

British media have been awash with reports of Van Gaal's demise, after a leak from an unknown source spread as Manchester United lifted the FA Cup on Saturday.

The Dutchman cryptically commented, "It's over" as he left the squad's Cup final hotel on Sunday, but it was not clear whether he was referring to his tenure or United's season.

The BBC said Van Gaal had not been informed whether he was staying for next season, although it said Saturday's 2-1 win over Palace at Wembley was believed to have been his last game in charge of United.

Van Gaal himself was defiant after Saturday's Cup final.

"I show you the cup and I don't discuss it with my friends of the media, who already sacked me for six months," the 64-year-old said.

"Which manager can do that, what I have done?"

Despite winning their first trophy since the great Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, Van Gaal's United didn't challenge for the Premier League title and failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Fans were also unhappy with the brand of football their team played under Van Gaal.

United scored just 49 league goals this season, their lowest return for 26 years and many supporters felt Van Gaal's approach ran counter to the club's traditional attacking style.

Mourinho saw his second spell as Chelsea manager end with the sack in December, after last season's champions made a miserable start to the their Premier League title defence.

United captain Wayne Rooney accepted this term's performance had not been good enough by the standards expected at Old Trafford.

"He has been under pressure," Rooney said of Van Gaal. "I think we all have.

"That's part of playing for Manchester United and managing Manchester United -- it is a massive club.

"You have to set standards and we fell below them this season.

"But we have to make sure as players we get back to those standards and make sure we are back challenging for the main trophies."

Meanwhile former United midfielder Ray Wilkins said Mourinho was the man to revitalise the club.

"He (Mourinho) is a winner -- there is no two ways about it," Wilkins, also a former Chelsea assistant manager, told talkSPORT radio on Monday.

"When he goes to a club, normally he wins a big trophy within the first couple of years."

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June 13,2020

New Delhi, Jun 13: West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has said that wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni is the biggest superstar in cricket and is one of the easiest guys to interact with.

Bravo was doing an Instagram live chat with former Zimbabwe pacer Pommie Mbangwa and it was then that the all-rounder was asked to talk about his stint with Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

"I think a lot of credit for CSK's success has to be given to Dhoni and Fleming, obviously the owners, they trust both Fleming and Dhoni, so there is no outside interference when it comes to decision making, both are very big students of the game, players love MS and it's an environment and franchise that allows you to be you," Bravo told Mbangwa during the chat.

"MS Dhoni is the biggest superstar in cricket and in our team. He was one of the easiest people to interact with, outside of the cricket field, he is like playing video games, his door is open at all times, whenever you talk about the biggest superstar and then you think a person like Dhoni is the most humble of them all. CSK is a special team and we have the most loyal fans," he added.

Bravo has been with the CSK since 2011. He has played a total of 104 matches for the franchise, picking up 121 wickets.

The all-rounder has also managed to win the Purple Cap (most wickets in IPL) two times (2013 and 2015).

CSK has won the IPL thrice (2010, 2011 and 2018) and all the titles have come under the leadership of MS Dhoni.

Thirty-eight-year-old Dhoni has been currently enjoying some time away from the game. He last played competitive cricket during the 2019 World Cup.

Dhoni had to face criticism for his slow batting approach during India's matches in the high-profile game.

This year, Dhoni did not find a place for himself in the BCCI's centrally contracted players list.

The board had released the list of central contract list of players for the period from October 2019 to September 2020.

Dhoni is the only captain to win all major ICC trophies (50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy).

Under his leadership, India also managed to attain the number one ranking in Test cricket.

He would have been leading the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) if the Indian Premier League (IPL) had commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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February 18,2020

New Delhi, Feb 18: Skipper Virat Kohli has become the first Indian to reach the 50M followers mark on social media platform Instagram. Kohli, who is breaking cricketing records with each passing match, has a great social media following.

The 31-year old has so far made 930 posts on the platform and his social media posts continue to enthrall fans worldwide. Overall, Instagram's official account has the most number of followers and it is followed by Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 200M followers.

In terms of Indians with most number of followers, Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra is on the second spot with 49.9 followers while Deepika Padukone is on the third place with 44.1 followers.

Last year, Kohli had become the most successful Indian Test captain, surpassing Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Currently, Kohli is in action against New Zealand and his side would take on the hosts in the two-match Test series, slated to commence from February 21.

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January 20,2020

Jan 20: Both Steve Smith and Rohit Sharma made sparkling centuries in Bengaluru, but it was the Indian who finished on the winning side, leading his team to a 2-1 series win.

Smith, having run out his captain Aaron Finch early on, dug in to bring up his ninth ODI century, his 131 off 132 balls setting India a target of 287 on Sunday, 19 January. Continuing the dazzling display of batting at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Rohit struck 119 in 128 balls, and skipper Virat Kohli chipped in with 89, as the hosts chased down the target with seven wickets to spare in 47.3 overs.

With Shikhar Dhawan hurting his shoulder in the fifth over of the day and sidelined for the rest of the match, Rohit was reunited with KL Rahul – who had a chance to open the innings after coming in at No.3 and No.5 in the first two matches, while also standing in as wicket-keeper. The vice-captain was on the ball right away, dominating the scoring as India raced to 61/0 in the first 10 overs.

The introduction of spin gave Australia a vital breakthrough: Ashton Agar trapped Rahul in front on review, and although the new pair of Rohit and Kohli weren't unduly troubled, the run-rate slowed down. Josh Hazlewood, playing his first ODI in India and his first match in the format in 14 months, was especially miserly, conceding just 10 runs in his first five overs.

But, having settled in, the duo built a useful partnership of 137 and gave themselves the chance to hit out with wickets in hand. The part-time bowling of Finch and Marnus Labuschagne was punished, Rohit lapping up the short balls and sending them soaring into the stands. His century, his eighth against Australia, came with a single to third man.

Zampa finally got the breakthrough, having him caught in the deep going for another big one. But with Kohli having loosened his arms with a couple of beautiful fours off Pat Cummins to go past his half-century, India remained on course.

The skipper missed out on a hundred, but with Shreyas Iyer too clearing the ropes, there were no hurdles as India wrapped up an entertaining series win.

Earlier, the Indian bowlers struggled to find their lines after Australia chose to bat, but Australia weren't able to fully capitalise. David Warner was thrown by the movement to nick Mohammed Shami to the wicket-keeper, while Finch was caught short after Smith pulled out of a run, to leave the hosts at 46/2.

Labuschagne and Smith, though, combined for another special partnership, going at a brisk rate and showing delectable timing against spin. They had guided their side to 173 in the 32nd over when the a sharp piece of fielding from the home captain and strong bowling pulled things back.

Kohli, at cover, plucked a drive from Labuschagne soon after the batsman had reached his maiden fifty. Ravindra Jadeja had his second of the over when the experiment to send Mitchell Starc at No.5 lasted just three balls.

Alex Carey gave Smith company as he brought up a well-earned century, having fallen just short the previous game. The former skipper stepped up the scoring once he crossed three figures, a wristy helicopter six over deep square leg the highlight of his innings. But, excellent death bowling by Shami, who finished with four wickets, ensured the tourists were kept to under 300 – a total that proved below par.

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