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Euro 2020 kicks off on June 11 and there is genuine excitement about fans congregating for a full-fledged international competition after more than a year of action in empty, soulless stadia. But will the standard of football reverberate with the same energy, especially with players mentally drained and physically jaded after a long, bruising season in the sequestered world of bio-bubbles?

In this issue

26-06-202122 STORIES

Joao Felix is likely to play in tandem with one of the greatest forwards of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo, in a Portugal team that boasts of a host of stars.

Euro 2020: Europe’s young brigade

Here is a look at some of the likely top contenders for the Young Player of the Tournament honour at the European Championships.

Amitabha Das Sharma

Food For Thought

Tokyo Olympics: Food hacks for the athlete

Some nutrition hacks that Tokyo-bound athletes should consider to follow to enhance their performance and recovery.

Ryan Fernando

Virat Kohli of India and Kane Williamson of New Zealand will be in action in the WTC final.

World Test Championship (WTC) in numbers: leading run-scorers, most wickets, hat-tricks and more

Despite Covid-19 issues, 58 Test matches were played over 23 series, at the end of which India and New Zealand, with the highest points percentages of

Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper, shouldn’t have any problem in choosing the fast bowlers; the pace attack picks itself with Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma hoping to make the most of the usually bowler-friendly conditions of England.

WTC final preview: Kohli's well-balanced India takes on Williamson's spirited New Zealand

With the top two sides in the world about to cross swords, it’s time to savour Test cricket once again as it reclaims centre stage.

Ayan Acharya

File picture of Mithali Raj with Harmanpreet Kaur, Jhulan Goswami and Smriti Mandhana.

Lack of experience not a concern for Indian women ahead of England Test

India has featured in 36 Tests, the last of which came in 2014. Seven years later, India will play another Test, against England, in Bristol from June

P. K. Ajith Kumar

An aerial view of the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. CONMEBOL announced that Brazil will host the Copa America, initially scheduled to be played in Colombia and Argentina. Due to an ongoing social crisis, Colombia was removed as co-host earlier and Argentina was pulled out at the last minute as the country faces a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Copa America 2020: It’s samba time without spectators!

New host Brazil enters as the favourite. The powerhouse unit dominated the previous edition in 2019, going on an unbeaten run to win the title.

At 33, time is running out for Lionel Messi.

Copa America’s sure shots: Stars to watch out for

From Argentine legend Lionel Messi to Brazil's charismatic play-maker Neymar and Uruguay's workhorse Luis Suarez, here are the stars to watch out for

P. K. Ajith Kumar,Ashwin Achal

It will be a pity if another Euro passes by lacking in incident and without arresting the trend of tired, laboured football.

Will Euro 2020 bring back the old thrill and excitement of international football?

International coaches have very limited time to define attacking structures and synchronise moves, and COVID-19 has only exacerbated this. Teams that

The young and very talented Gianluigi Donnarumma has taken over the reins from his illustrious predecessor Gianluigi Buffon in goal for Italy.

Euro 2020, Group A preview: Advantage Italy, Turkey promises to deliver

EURO 2020: A new-look Italian team looks the favourite to top a fairly balanced Group A, which also has Turkey, Switzerland and Wales.

Amitabha Das Sharma

Belgium’s is a squad brimming with quality, with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne (right), Romelu Lukaku (second from right) and Eden Hazard (centre) leading the way.

Euro 2020, Group B preview: Belgium’s time to shine

Belgium, the world's top-ranked men’s football team, is primed to go the distance at the European Championships (Euro 2020) this year. The nation is g

Spain, gunning for its first major trophy since the 2012 Euros, will miss the experience, leadership and big-game mentality of Sergio Ramos.

The absentees: Ramos, Zlatan among players who will miss Euro 2020

Euro 2020 in 2021 will be a frustrating watch from their homes for several footballers. The Covid-19-hit tournament saw several key names miss out on

Aashin Prasad

There will be more than one mediaperson who will want to provoke Naomi Osaka with some awkward questions the next time she decides to play. How she handles that will be interesting to see.

On The Write Line

Sunil Gavaskar: An opportunity lost for Naomi Osaka

The media, whether electronic or print, is one of the pillars of every sport. The other three are the players, the fans and the administrators – and n

Sunil Gavaskar

Forward Memphis Depay will be key in attack for the Netherlands.

Euro 2020, Group C preview: Netherlands set to dominate, Ukraine a force

Had Euro 2020 gone ahead according to schedule last year, the Netherlands would have been among the clear favourites. A year on, the world has changed

P. K. Ajith Kumar

The Bangladesh and Sri Lanka pose for a group photo after the third ODI in Dhaka on May 28.

Bangladesh’s moment of history against Sri Lanka

The 2-1 triumph in the ODI series over Sri Lanka will hold Bangladesh in good stead as it prepares to compete against England and Australia later this

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

Captain Harry Kane, who recently claimed his third Premier League Golden Boot with Tottenham, was the top scorer at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

EURO 2020, Group D preview: England & Croatia in a group of dark horses

Euro 2020 has an entire group of dark horses – Group D, featuring England, Croatia, the Czech Republic (which won the title in 1976 as Czechoslovakia)

Spain's Gerard Moreno celebrates after scoring against Romania on Monday.

Euro 2020, Group E preview: Not so straightforward for Spain; Poland, Sweden, Slovakia in the mix

EURO 2020: The three-time champion Spain is grouped with Poland, Sweden and Slovenia in what could be a competitive setting for the teams involved.

Aashin Prasad

Thomas Tuchel, evidently, is hungry for more: “Nobody wants to rest, I want the next one, the next title. I want to be a part of it and I demand to be a part of it,” he says.

Nineteen wins, six draws, five losses, one Champions League trophy: Thomas Tuchel leads Chelsea to first title

Chelsea was languishing in ninth spot in the Premier League when Thomas Tuchel took over. In a little over a hundred days, the German marshalled the c

Shyam Vasudevan

Shyam Vasudevan

Amit Panghal in action during his final bout against Uzbekistan’s Shakobhidin Zoirov at the ASBC Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai. “I honestly felt I had won the bout,” said Panghal after the final.

Panghal takes lessons from Zoirov loss

Though disappointed and aggrieved at being denied a gold medal at the recently concluded Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai, Amit Panghal has vowed t

Shyam Vasudevan

Shyam Vasudevan

France forwards Kylian Mbappe (left) and Karim Benzema have been in great goal-scoring form for their clubs.

EURO 2020, Group F preview: France, Portugal, Germany and the group of death

EURO 2020: This is the European Championship’s group of death, with 2018 World Cup winner France, reigning Euro champion Portugal and heavyweight Germ

Portugal defender Pepe's understanding of the game and defensive solidity remain unquestionable.

Euro 2020: Ronaldo, Lewandowski & co... A last hurrah for these veteran stars?

EURO 2020: Here are a few veteran stars who could be playing in their final Euro campaigns.

Shyam Vasudevan

Shyam Vasudevan

Voicing her views: By skipping the mandatory press conference and then pulling out of the French Open, world No. 1 Naomi Osaka has said she gets stressed at press conferences and sees no reason why she should be served up as a sacrificial lamb when her primary responsibility is to play tennis, not explain herself to (and through) the media.

Naomi Osaka: The power balance has shifted between the athlete and the press

Earlier, the press and the athlete had a symbiotic relationship. It was believed that the athlete needed the press more than the press needed the athl

Suresh Menon

India's Aditi Ashok featured in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Aditi Ashok: Qualifying for Tokyo Olympics not on my mind

Aditi Ashok is currently ranked 165th in the world. She last competed at the Los Angeles Open in April where she finished tied for 39th place with a s

Shankar Narayan

Archive

+ READ THIS ISSUE 11-05-2024

+ READ THIS ISSUE 27-04-2024

+ READ THIS ISSUE 13-04-2024

+ READ THIS ISSUE 30-03-2024

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