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Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero joins Manchester United

July 27, 2015

London, Jul 27: English Premier League football club Manchester United have signed Argentina national team goalkeeper Sergio Romero on a three-year deal, the club said on Sunday, reuniting United manager Louis van Gaal with a player who helped bring him a Dutch title but also caused him World Cup heartache.

romero

The 28-year-old, who played under Van Gaal at Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, joins United as a free agent after leaving Sampdoria at the end of his contract.

"To play for the biggest club in the world is a dream come true for me," he told United's website.

"Louis van Gaal is a fantastic manager and I cannot wait to get started on this new and exciting challenge in my career."

Romero, who has an option for an additional year on his contract, has joined United on their pre-season tour of the United States, where they beat Barcelona 3-1 on Saturday.

"Sergio is a very talented goalkeeper. He was a young keeper during my time at AZ Alkmaar and I am delighted he is joining Manchester United," said Van Gaal.

Romero and his new manager also crossed paths last summer at the World Cup, where Argentina eliminated the Van Gaal-coached Netherlands side in a semi-final penalty shootout.

"He had a fantastic World Cup last summer in Brazil, although that is something I have put to the back of my mind! He will be a great addition to the team and I am looking forward to working with him once again," added Van Gaal.

Romero's arrival is expected to herald the departure of United's backup Victor Valdes, who was left out of the tour party and told to leave the club due to a row with the manager.

Van Gaal said Valdes had refused to play for United's reserve team, a claim disputed by the Spaniard.

Speculation also continues over the future of first-choice United keeper David De Gea, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, with the La Liga team's defender Sergio Ramos coming to the English side as part of a swap deal.

"I know him (Romero) very well and I think in our situation, if de Gea is going or not going, it is always a threat and we have to take care, make sure that we are prepared and that is why I think it is very good that Sergio Romero is now a Manchester United player," Van Gaal added.

United cap their USA tour on Wednesday against Paris St-Germain, who are reportedly keen on signing the Premier League club's unsettled midfielder Angel Di Maria. The Argentine did not travel with United on their tour, with Van Gaal admitting he "does not know why".

Romero becomes United's fifth pre-season signing following the arrivals of Italy defender Matteo Darmian, Dutch forward Memphis Depay, French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin and German skipper Bastian Schweinsteiger.

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Agencies
July 28,2020

New Delhi, Jul 28: 'Your character stood out for me than the number of runs you scored," said India skipper Virat Kohli while explaining his decision to give opening Mayank Agarwal a Test debut in the 2018-19 Australia series.

Mayank Agarwal had made his Test debut against Australia in the third Test of the four-match series.

Playing the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Agarwal managed to register a half-century in his very first innings in the longest format.

"I had seen you play for RCB, even then you played international bowlers with conviction and you would take them on. You were performing in first-class matches in a dominating way. That is something always stood out with you, I would say your character stood out for me than the number of runs. I knew you would be fearless without having any baggage," Kohli told Mayank Agarwal in a video posted on the official website of BCCI.

In the longest format of the game, Agarwal has managed to score 974 runs from 11 matches at an average of 57.29 with three centuries as an opening batsman.

The Indian skipper also explained as to what makes him notice in a player and added that it is important that guys in the team look to face new challenges and emerge triumphantly.

"For me, the biggest marker is how a person approaches the game, so for example when you opened and we made Vihari open with you. The first opportunity we presented Vihari to open the batting, he said yes to it and that matters me to the most," Kohli said.

"I opened in my first series for India, I said yes to this opportunity and things worked out fine for me. So, a guy who wants to get into tough situations will come out either holding his head high or learning from his mistakes," he added.

Kohli and Mayank would soon be seen in action for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab respectively in the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting from September 19 in the UAE.

The comparisons between Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar keep on growing and many have picked the current Indian skipper to break the records set by Tendulkar.

Tendulkar called time on his career after registering 100 international centuries, while Kohli currently has 70 centuries across all formats.

At present, Kohli is ranked at the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings while he is in the second place in Tests rankings. Kohli has so far played 86 Tests, scoring 7,240 runs with 27 centuries at an average of 53.62.

His knock of 254 against South Africa at Pune in 2019 remains his highest Test score to date. When it comes to ODIs, the current Indian skipper has played 248 matches and has 43 centuries.

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News Network
March 3,2020

Sydney, Mar 3: Former Australia pacer Brett Lee foresees a "different" looking India making their maiden T20 Women's World Cup final and attributed their rise to the emergence of star players like 16-year-old Shafali Verma.

Besides opener Shafali, experienced leg-spinner Poonam Yadav has been the other match-winner for India in the competition. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side topped the group stage with four wins in as many games and play their semifinal here on Thursday.

"They've never reached the final but this is a different India team from the one they’ve seen before. They've combined match-winners in Shafali Verma and Poonam Yadav with consistent players with both bat and ball," Lee was quoted as saying by ICC.

"We've always known they have some of the best players in the world but now Harmanpreet Kaur has a team around her that can support the big players, and fill in the gaps when they have an off day."

Only a special effort from their opponents can stop India from reaching their maiden final, feels Lee.

They'll go into the semi-finals full of confidence and it will take an excellent team to stop them from reaching the Final."

Talking more about Shafali, who has got 47, 46, 39, and 29 so far, Lee backed the teen sensation to make a bigger score in the semifinal.

"Shafali Verma has been excellent at the top of the order, she’s brought a fearless energy to India’s batting and been brilliant to watch.

"You feel she can go even bigger as well – she hasn't reached 50 yet, which is both exciting for those watching and worrying for the bowlers.

"We saw from the opener against Australia just how good India can be, and it’s no surprise they’ve continued that form to top Group A," he added.

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Agencies
June 2,2020

New Delhi, Jun 2: Expressing solidarity with the 'Black Lives Matter' campaign, star West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has alleged that he faced racist remarks during his career and cricket is not free of the menace.

Gayle did not elaborate when he faced racial remarks but hinted it might have been during his stints at global T20 leagues.

"I have travelled the globe and experienced racial remarks towards me because I am black, believe me, the list goes on," he posted on instagram on Monday night.

"Racism is not only in football, it's in cricket too. Even within teams as a black man, I get the end of the stick. Black and powerful. Black and proud," he said.

The big-hitting batsman's comments came in the backdrop of African-American George Floyd's death in the USA after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on the handcuffed man's neck as he gasped for breath.

The incident has sparked violent protests across the USA.

"Black lives matter just like any other life. Black people matter, p***k all racist people, stop taking black people for fools, even our own black people wise the p***k up and stop bringing down your own!," Gayle wrote.

Racism in cricket was drew attention most recently last year when England pacer Jofra Archer was abused by a spectator in New Zealand.

New Zealand's top players and the cricket board had offered apologies for the incident to the Englishman.

Also on Monday night, the England cricket team's official twitter handle posted a message denouncing racism.

"We stand for diversity, We stand against racism," the message read.

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