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India will have at least seven this year. A look at some other teams that had half a dozen

Abhijato Sensarma21-Jul-2022Shikhar Dhawan will be the seventh captain to lead India this year when they take on West Indies on July 22 for the first of three ODIs in Port-of-Spain. Over the last two decades, there have been several instances of teams forced to chop and change their leadership groups because of packed calendars, poor form, and sometimes even administrative turmoil. Here are five men’s international teams that have used a large roster of captains during a calendar year.Seven captains: India in 2022
India had to go with a stand-in captain, KL Rahul, for their first assignment this year after Virat Kohli was ruled out of the Johannesburg Test with back spasms. They went on to lose the series 1-2 and Kohli stepped down from the Test captaincy, handing over the reins to Rohit Sharma in all three formats. However, Rahul had to sub for Rohit, who was injured, in the ODIs in South Africa.Rohit returned for home series against West Indies and Sri Lanka – winning all 11 matches he led in between February and March – but after the IPL, India had to look for another captain when both Rohit and Rahul were out of commission. Rishabh Pant got his first chance at the top, in a home T20I series, which India drew 2-2 with South Africa.They had near-simultaneous assignments next – a T20I series in Ireland, where Hardik Pandya led, and the rescheduled fifth Test of their 2021 tour of England, where Jasprit Bumrah captained in place of the injured Rohit.Rohit was back for the limited-overs series against England, but has been rested for India’s tour of West Indies, where Dhawan is to lead. It will be his second stint at the helm of the white-ball side, having led a young team on their tour of Sri Lanka last July.Seven captains: Sri Lanka, 2017
India’s leadership shuffle is only the second time that an international men’s team has had seven captains in a calendar year. The first instance was Sri Lanka, five years ago, during a particularly chaotic period for the side.Their year began with a tour in South Africa. Angelo Mathews, their regular captain, led for two Tests and two T20Is before a hamstring injury ruled him out of the game for five months. Dinesh Chandimal captained for one T20I and secured a 2-1 series win, but was replaced by Upul Tharanga for the ODIs that followed, where Sri Lanka lost all five games.Sri Lanka persisted with Tharanga in limited overs, while Rangana Herath captained them in three Tests that year. When Tharanga was suspended for Sri Lanka’s slow over rate during the Champions Trophy in England, Mathews returned to lead the side, but he stepped down from all three formats after Sri Lanka lost a home ODI series 2-3 to Zimbabwe. Chandimal was appointed the new Test captain and Tharanga in limited overs, but Lasith Malinga and Chamara Kapugedera also led in one-off ODIs.In October, Thisara Perera became Sri Lanka’s seventh captain for the year after several first-choice players were not considered for a T20I series against Pakistan in the UAE because of their reluctance to play the third match, which was to be held in Lahore.Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann both led England in T20Is in 2011•Getty ImagesSix captains: Zimbabwe, 2001
Zimbabwe had some leadership turmoil when they were at their peak in the game. Heath Streak led them for the first six months of 2001, a period that included an ODI series victory against New Zealand and a historic Test win against India.But he quit the role after disagreements with the board over pay and quotas. Because of the controversial circumstances of Streak’s sudden resignation, Guy Whittall initially refused to lead the team for a home tri-series against India and West Indies. Grant Flower stepped in for their opening match, but Streak returned to the captaincy for the second, and Whittall eventually became the third captain in three matches for Zimbabwe.Streak was reappointed the captain in July, but he resigned again three months later to focus on his bowling. Legspinner Brian Murphy replaced him for a tri-series in Sharjah, while Alistair Campbell and Stuart Carlisle also captained the side through to the end of the year. Six captains: England, 2011
England began the year with an innings victory to wrap up a historic away Ashes win 3-2 under the leadership of Andrew Strauss. Paul Collingwood, who had led England to the T20 World Cup title the year before, led them in the two T20Is against Australia that followed, before Strauss came back for the ODIs.Strauss gave up the ODI captaincy altogether after England failed to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup later in the year, choosing to focus on his Test career instead. The England selectors used this as an opportunity to usher in a new era of split captaincy, which is now the norm for many teams. Strauss remained in charge of the Test team, while Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad were made the ODI and T20I captains respectively.When Cook was rested for an ODI against Ireland, Dublin-born Eoin Morgan became England’s fifth captain of the year. And Graeme Swann got a chance to lead in three T20Is as a replacement to the injured Broad and Morgan.Pat Cummins (right) and Steven Smith led Australia to a 4-0 Ashes win last season•Getty ImagesSix captains: Australia, 2021
In January last year, Australia conceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home to an India side missing many of their first-choice players. It turned out to be Tim Paine’s final series as captain – he resigned on the eve of the Ashes later in the year, when sexually explicit messages he had sent to a colleague came to surface in the media. Pat Cummins made a seamless transition into the Test captaincy, leading a 4-0 rout of England, but he missed one of the Tests after being identified as a close contact of a Covid case. That gave Steven Smith an opportunity to captain Australia after a gap of three years, and he led them to a 275-run victory in the Adelaide Test.On the white-ball side, a knee injury to regular captain Aaron Finch in July meant keeper-batter Alex Carey led them to a 2-1 ODI series win in West Indies. In August, Matthew Wade got a chance as captain when many first-choice players were rested for a T20I series in Bangladesh. Finch eventually returned to take Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup title, in the UAE in October-November.

The Blue Jays are one game away from winning the 2025 World Series after beating the Dodgers in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Following a brutal loss in Game 3's marathon thriller, Toronto quickly rebounded with a win in Game 4 to even up the series at two games apiece. Heading into Game 5, each team knew that the result could heavily tip the scales in one side's favor—as Dodgers minority owner Magic Johnson so astutely put it before first pitch.

On Wednesday, the Blue Jays played spoiler for the second straight time during the Dodgers' homestand with rookie pitcher Trey Yesavage's historic start and Toronto's big-time bats helping to secure a pivotal 6-1 win, and now they stand on the precipice of their first World Series title since 1993. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are teetering on the brink of elimination, their first taste of do-or-die baseball since the 2024 NLDS.

If history is any indication, the odds are very much in Toronto's favor.

In a best-of-seven series tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has won the series 46 of 68 times (67.6%), according to MLB's Sarah Langs.

In series which have a 2-3-2 format (like this one), teams who take a 3-2 lead by winning Game 5 on the road before returning home for Game 6 and 7 have gone on to to win the series 20 of 27 times (74.1%).

The Last Time Winner of Game 5 Clinched the World Series

The last two World Series were decided in five games, so they don't apply in this situation. In the 2022 Fall Classic between the Astros and Phillies, with the series tied 2-2, the Astros took Game 5 in Philadelphia before going on to clinch the title two days later at home in Game 6's 4-1 win.

With Game 6 at Rogers Centre on Friday night, the Blue Jays own the clear advantage and will also get to hear their home fans cheering them on in the same building they won their repeat championship in '93. Facing a Dodgers team that doesn't seem to have any answers at the plate this series, the Blue Jays will have sole control of their destiny.

Well, that was about as perfect a weekend as Mikel Arteta and Arsenal could have hoped for.

Granted, Manchester City picked up another win, but Liverpool lost their fourth game on the bounce, and their first at home to Manchester United in nine years.

On top of that, the Gunners did their job, beating Fulham 1-0 away from home to extend their lead over the Reds to four points and put themselves in the driving seat for the Premier League title.

1

Arsenal

12

19

2

Man City

11

16

3

Bournemouth

3

15

4

Liverpool

3

15

5

Chelsea

7

14

6

Spurs

7

14

7

Sunderland

3

14

Moreover, while it wasn’t a vintage performance from Arsenal, they were ultimately comfortable against the West Londoners, and it was another stellar showing from Bukayo Saka, and another starter who’s starting to become a Saka-type star.

Saka's performance vs Fulham

Even though Arsenal were not at their best against Fulham, they never looked in any real danger of losing the game.

In fact, what should terrify their title rivals is that, for the second time in as many games, Arteta’s side managed to prevent their opposition from taking a single shot on target.

The last time the Gunners were able to do that was back in the 03/04 season, when they went on to win the league undefeated and on 90 points.

With that said, while Viktor Gyokeres continued to struggle up top, and Leandro Trossard didn’t do an awful lot aside from scoring, it was another strong showing from Saka on the right.

The Hale End legend was lively from the first minute, and while he didn’t get on the scoresheet himself, he was far and away the Gunners’ most dangerous forward.

For example, in his 99 minutes of action, he amassed an expected assists figure of 0.55, took two shots, took 86 touches, completed six of seven dribbles, created one big chance, recovered the ball nine times and even won 13 of 20 ground duels.

It was an excellent showing from the stand-in captain, and one that once again showed that, when fit, he is the biggest and most important star in Arteta’s side.

Minutes

99′

Expected Assists

0.55

Total Shots

2

Key Passes

7

Dribbles (Successful)

7 (6)

Big Chances Created

1

Touches

86

Fouls Won

5

Ball Recoveries

9

Ground Duels (Won)

20 (13)

However, there were a few other starters who stood out, including one who is starting to become something of a Saka-type player.

Arsenal's new Saka-type star

It almost goes without saying at this point that William Saliba, David Raya, Declan Rice and Gabriel Magaehelse were once again excellent for Arsenal on the weekend.

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However, when it comes to someone starting to become something of a Saka-type player, they do not fall into that category.

Riccardo Calafiori, on the other hand, could.

Now, this comparison is obviously not based on their starting positions or output, as while the Italian has a goal and an assist in him, he is never going to match the numbers of the Englishman – few players can.

Instead, it’s primarily based on the fact that, as one analyst puts it, he ends up “everywhere” on the pitch and adds “pure chaos” to a system many labelled boring at points last season.

For example, the former Bologna star may well start games at left-back, but he spends much of his time roaming around the pitch, picking up space here and there, dragging opponents out of their positions and freeing up areas for his teammates to operate in.

This is the key reason he could be seen as a Saka-type player in the making, as opposition defenders and midfielders are starting to realise that he cannot be left alone to roam, as he will punish them.

This was on full display on Saturday, as not only was he marginally offside for his wonderful strike in the first half, but he was also consistently all over the place, popping up at right-wing, in the middle of the park, and up top.

As one analyst put it in the summer, “his positional IQ, carrying and overall technical quality are literally game-breaking.”

Finally, while this maverick approach to games helps create space for his teammates, it also makes matches more entertaining for fans, with journalist James Benge going as far as calling the Italian “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment” on Saturday night.

Ultimately, they have their clear differences, but Calafiori’s mercurial ability to roam, pull opponents out of position and entertain the fans makes it rather easy to describe him as a Saka-type star.

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Tottenham Hotspur have identified a “fantastic” forward as their top target ahead of the January transfer window, with Thomas Frank personally an admirer.

Spurs keen on strengthening attack in January

Tottenham brought their five-game winless run to an end on Saturday afternoon, with Frank getting one over his former club by securing a 2-0 win against Brentford, and the manager was happy with his side’s performance on the front foot.

The Dane said: “I think it was a very good performance overall. A quite complete performance. Offensively we looked a big threat going forward. We were much more dynamic and producing good chances and good moments. I really like that.”

That said, it is still too early to suggest Spurs have turned a corner, considering just how poor they have looked going forward at times this season, recording an xG of just 0.1 in the home defeat against Chelsea at the beginning of last month.

Some of Frank’s summer additions have also struggled, including Randal Kolo Muani, who received a SofaScore match rating of just 6.1 against Brentford, the lowest of any Tottenham player, and the Frenchman is still searching for his first Premier League goal.

As such, the north Londoners may look to bring in some more attacking firepower in the upcoming transfer window, and a report from TEAMtalk has now revealed that AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo has been identified as their top target.

Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause in his contract, is being targeted by a whole host of Premier League clubs, with Manchester United and Manchester City also keen, so Spurs may have to fend off interest from elsewhere to get a deal over the line.

At this point, it is unclear who the Ghanaian would prefer to sign for, but national team manager Otto Addo has suggested he needs to take the ‘next step’ in his career soon.

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1 ByDominic Lund Dec 7, 2025 "Fantastic" Semenyo lauded by Frank

The Bournemouth star has been catching the eye in the Premier League for quite some time now, with Frank saying last season: “Semenyo can play wherever he wants to play – he’s a fantastic player. I think he’s been the best individual player for Bournemouth this season.”

The 25-year-old then went on to make a flying start to the current campaign, although he hasn’t been at his best of late, having failed to register a goal or an assist in his last six outings in the Premier League.

That said, the former Bristol City man is still on course to record a better combined goal and assist tally than last season, having displayed year-on-year improvement since first becoming a key player in the 2023-24 campaign.

Season

Premier League appearances

Goal contributions

2023-24

33

11

2024-25

37

17

2025-26

14

9

Semenyo has proven that he is now ready to make the move to a bigger club, and Tottenham should trigger the £65m release clause when the January transfer window opens, in light of their attacking woes.

Manchester United are now preparing a huge bid for a “sensational” midfielder, who is now their priority target, with Ruben Amorim personally keen.

Man Utd readying move for midfielder after Scholes' Mainoo comments

Paul Scholes has recently made it clear he believes Kobbie Mainoo needs to leave his boyhood club, given a lack of game time this season, saying: “For his football career he has to leave Man United. He has lost 18 months of development.

“I hope he goes abroad, it is embarrassing if he goes to Chelsea. They might go and get him, as they are putting together a very good young squad. They keep buying young players and the right good young players.”

Mainoo is still yet to start a Premier League game, although he did impress after coming on as a second-half substitute in the 4-1 rout of Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.

The Englishman’s most recent display may give Amorim something to think about, but with his future up in the air, the Red Devils have now set their sights on a new central midfielder.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states Man United are now preparing a €100m (£87m) bid for Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton, who has been identified as their ‘absolute priority’ target in the middle of the park.

Amorim is personally keen on signing the England international, with bringing in a new central midfielder deemed essential, given that Casemiro is likely to leave upon the expiration of his contract next summer.

Crystal Palace are reluctant to sell one of their prized assets, but there is now growing interest, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur also keen.

Signing "sensational" Wharton would soften blow of Mainoo leaving

It is always bitterly disappointing when an academy graduate leaves, especially one as talented as Mainoo, with the 20-year-old playing a major role in United winning the 2024 FA Cup, scoring against Manchester City in the final.

That said, it would be understandable if the youngster wanted to leave, amid interest from reigning Serie A champions Napoli, given that his development is being stifled by a lack of game time, featuring for just 183 minutes in the Premier League this season.

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Signing Wharton could soften the blow of losing Mainoo, however, with the Palace star a similar age to the Stockport-born midfielder at 21, and he has put in some top-quality performances this season.

Most recently, the Englishman chipped in with an assist as Palace won 2-1 away at Fulham, while he has also impressed at international level, making three key passes and maintaining a 91% pass-completion rate in the Three Lions’ 2-0 win against Albania last month.

Having proven himself for club and country, Wharton could be an excellent addition for Man United, and it is exciting news that a bid is being prepared.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski hit his first home run of the season during the club's 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

But Yastrzemski's home run, a three-run blast in the bottom of the fourth inning that gave the Giants their first lead of the game, was also a special long ball for another reason.

Yastrzemski's home run was also a father delivering on a promise to his daughter, in what may be one of the cutest called shots in baseball history.

"Today I gotta give a shoutout to my daughter Quinley, honestly," Yastrzemski said in a postgame interview with NBC Sports Bay Area and California. "Because she asked for a home run—so I promised her I'd get a home run so Quinny, I love you, miss you…"

But in an amusing turn of events, Yastrzemski revealed to reporters after the game that his daughter actually asked for more than just a home run.

"Quinley asked me for a home run—Well, she asked me specifically for a triple, a home run and a splash hit," Yastrzemski said with a laugh. "So, she was trying to cover all the bases—But yeah, I told her that I'd hit a home run for her. I can't say no to her so I had to do what I could."

Did Quinley get to see her dad deliver the home run?

"They're home—hopefully she was watching. I think Paige [his wife] said she was. It's just nice to feel connected to them even when we're kind of far away from each other."

The Giants host the Cincinnati Reds for three home games beginning on Monday night, so Yastrzemski will have a few chances to grab the triple and splash hit off of his daughter's checklist.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl will be fully aware of the size of the task at hand after his team were beaten 3-0 by Brann on Thursday night in the Europa League.

Calling it ‘his team’ may be unfair at this stage, though, as he has not been in the building for a full week, yet, and has not had a chance to make any of his own signings.

Instead, the former Sheffield Wednesday manager is dealing with the fallout of Russell Martin’s 17-game tenure in charge of the Scottish Premiership giants.

Rohl has to attempt to stop the rot and get the team back to winning ways to climb up the Premiership table and the league phase of the Europa League.

The ex-Bayern Munich assistant manager will surely be using his first few games to assess the squad and decide what he needs ahead of the January transfer window in a couple of months.

One player who may need to improve his performance on the pitch to avoid being replaced in January is loanee left-back Jayden Meghoma.

Why Rangers may need to replace Jayden Meghoma

The left-back situation was an odd one during the summer transfer window. Martin allowed Jefte and Ridvan Yilmaz, two fairly experienced left-backs with plenty of games under their belts for Rangers, to depart on permanent deals, whilst only bringing in Meghoma on loan.

Max Aarons, a right-footed right-back, was trialled at left-back at the start of the season, but the former England U21 international has not started a game since he was sent off in the 6-0 loss to Club Brugge in August.

Meghoma, who worked with Martin at Southampton, was an interesting signing because he arrived on loan with very limited experience in his career to date. Per Transfermarkt, he had played four games for the Saints, four games for Brentford, and 14 games on loan at Preston.

Unfortunately, the 19-year-old left-back’s inexperience has shown at times in matches, as it did in the loss to Brann, as he failed to mark Jacob Lungi Sorensen for the host’s second goal.

TNT Sports commentator and former Rangers striker Ally McCoist noted that it was “remarkable” that the defender allowed Sorensen to get goalside of him with such ease.

McCoist also described Meghoma and Rangers’ marking for the goal as “diabolical” in the clip above, before later going on to analyse how easily and remarkably the full-back got eased out of the way.

It is not just the Europa League in which the teenage loanee has struggled, though, as he has also failed to excel in the Premiership for the Light Blues.

As you can see in the table above, the Englishman has lost the majority of his aerial duels and made multiple errors that have led to shots for the opposition.

Heart & Hand podcaster David Edgar noted “that entire back four needs replaced in January” after the 3-0 loss to Brann, which, of course, includes Meghoma.

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With this in mind, Rohl may need to push for the club to bring in another left-back to, at the very least, compete with Meghoma, or to come in and take his place in the starting XI.

In August, it was reported that Rangers had made contact with Monaco to secure a deal for 21-year-old left-back Kassoum Ouattara, and the club should reignite that interest.

Why Rangers should swoop for Kassoum Ouattara

As aforementioned, Meghoma, who has less than 50 club appearances in his career, is the only senior and natural left-back option in the Rangers squad, which is why the club need to add another player in that position.

Ouattara has played 63 times for Monaco and Amiens, per Transfermarkt, and has played 31 matches in Ligue 1, which shows that he has more experience, and more experience at the top level, than Meghoma.

The French full-back showed a great threat at the top end of the pitch in Ligue 1 across 12 appearances for Monaco in the 2024/25 campaign, which suggests that he could offer quality in the final third from a left-back position for Rangers.

Ouattara, who has been described as a “very offensive” defender by writer Kai Watson, carries a threat with his ability to cross the ball as an overlapping left-back, as evidenced by the statistics in the table above.

He created three ‘big chances’ in five starts in Ligue 1, one of Europe’s major leagues, whilst Meghoma has only created one ‘big chance’ in five starts in the Premiership this term, per Sofascore.

On top of potentially providing an upgrade on the Rangers left-back from an offensive perspective, Ouattara is also more reliable defensively in aerial situations.

The 21-year-old defender has won 2.0 aerial duels per game and won 63% of his battles in the air, per Sofascore, across five appearances in Ligue 1, whilst Meghoma has won 0.6 per game in the Premiership, winning just 33% of his aerial duels.

This suggests that Ouattara may have handled the situation against Brann more effectively, as he is not as easy to beat in aerial contests, which could improve the team’s defending from set pieces.

Therefore, the Monaco youngster is a player who could arrive at Ibrox as an immediate upgrade on Meghoma with his play both in and out of possession at full-back.

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This is why Rohl should be pushing for the club to bring the left-back to Ibrox as his first signing when the January transfer window opens for business, if they can convince Monaco to part ways with the promising youngster.