The big story: MS Dhoni tips Kohli’s side for glory

Former India skipper MS Dhoni expects Virat Kohli’s side to be the “most successful Indian team ever”. Dhoni also added that the concept of dual captaincy did not work for India, “I feel it will be the most successful Indian cricket team ever,” Dhoni said.

“This team has the potential and then the experience to win in all formats. They are all young but they have played a lot of matches in different conditions. They’ve played under pressure, and [on] different pitches. We have got pacers who can bowl in any conditions. Even if one is injured there is always someone capable of replacing him,” the 35-year-old added.

Other top stories:

Cricket:

  • Mumbai were bowled out for 411 in their second innings in the Ranji Trophy final on the fourth day with Abhishek Nayar rallying with the tail and scoring 91. Gujarat face a chase of 312 on the last day but have the advantage of the first innings lead. 
  • West Indies have rejected the chance to visit Pakistan later in the year citing security reasons. Zimbabwe were the last country to visit Pakistan, when they played a limited-overs series. Earlier in the week, the Federation of International Cricketers Association had submitted an unfavourable report of the security situation in Pakistan.
  • Australian spinner Nathan Lyon stated that his side might have to “play ugly” to get the better of India in the four-match Test series, which begins in March.
  • Pakistan continued to search for their first win against Australia in Australia as the hosts cruised to a 92-run win in the first One-day International at Brisbane. Led by Matthew Wade’s century, Australia reached 268/9. Pakistan were skittled out for just 176. Left-armer James Faulkjner finished with figures of 4/32.
  • Bangladesh ended the second day of the first Test at Wellington at a humongous 542/7. Shakib Al Hasan scored a record-breaking 217, the highest Test score by a Bangladeshi player.

Tennis:

  • Britain’s Johanna Konta registered a 6-4, 6-2 win in the final of the Sydney International against Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska. This was Konta’s first win against Radwanska, with the match lasting 82 minutes.
  • In the upcoming Australian Open, Swiss legend Roger Federer and world No. 1 Andy Murray face off in the same quarter. World No. 2 Novak Djokovic faces a tough opening game, as he is pitted against Fernando Verdasco. In the women’s draw, six-time champion Serena Williams has her task cut out as she has heavyweights like Johanna Konta, Caroline Wozniacki and Dominika Cibulkova in the same quarter.
  • Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller registered a 6-3, 7-6 (6) win against Victor Troicki, ending the Serbian’s bid for three consecutive Sydney International titles. 

Football:

  • Aizwal FC registered a hard-fought 1-0 win against newcomers Minerva Punjab at home with Ashutosh Mehta heading in an injury-time winner. 
  • Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has scored 18 goals in all competitions for the Red Devils claimed that he had “conquered England within three months”.
  • United playmaker Juan Mata observed that coach Jose Mourinho has changed from his Chelsea days, “Everyone can see the players are playing with more confidence. He is the same person, has the same staff almost, but what has changed is the environment,” the 28-year-old Spaniard said.

Hockey:

  • Former India captain Sardar Singh stated that he will use the upcoming Hockey India League to assess his form and fitness and singled out Australian legend Jamie Dwyer for inspiration, “This year’s HIL will be crucial for me as I can assess where I stand and what I need to do to improve my game further. I am inspired by players like Jamie Dwyer who stayed on top of his game till he was 35-36. So, I don’t think age is a concern,” Sardar Singh said.

Olympics

  • China faces one-year ban in weightlifting after three of their athletes who won gold medal in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 – Cao Lei, Chen Xiexia and Liu Chunhong – tested positive for banned substances.