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As the season reaches its halfway point across the continent, Goal puts together an XI of the best the top leagues have to offer

The first half of the 2017-18 campaign has consisted of some incredible performances from Europe's top stars.

As competition among the continent's leagues heats up, the best players are making themselves known as they battle for silverware.

Now around the halfway mark of the campaign, Goal has put together an XI of the best performers across the top divisions so far.

Playing Surface1The full XIAnd here's how they line up…AdvertisementGetty2Kylian Mbappe

The 19-year-old's impact at Paris Saint-Germain since making the big move from Monaco in the close season has been incredible and he has further established himself as the brightest young player around. Neymar may be the big star in Parc des Princes at the moment, but Mbappe looks even better at times with his classy performances in Ligue 1 and the Champions League. Mbappe has eight goals and as many assists in the French top flight with another four and three respectively in Europe.

Ian MacNicol3Harry KaneThe Tottenham striker is in the middle of yet another incredible season. He continues to break records and, with 18 goals from 19 games in the English top flight along with a further six in five Champions League appearances, his stature is constantly increasing. Speculation of a £200 million move to Real Madrid will not be dying down any time soon at this rate.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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4Mohamed SalahThe Egypt international has been sensational since joining from Roma in the summer. The 22 goals he has directly contributed to – 17 goals and five assists – is more than almost half of the league's teams have scored in total. The 25-year-old has been the perfect addition to play alongside Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane and will have a huge say in the conclusion to their domestic Premier and Champions League campaign.

Morocco are gearing up for a battle with Real Madrid for the rights to host the 2030 World Cup final, it has been reported.

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Spain, Portugal & Morocco to hostFinal venue yet to be announcedMadrid and Morocco both candidatesWHAT HAPPENED?

The 2030 edition of the tournament will be held across Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu has been regarded as the most likely destination for the final, but reports the African nation has made a bid to pip the Spanish capital to it.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The trio of host nations were announced earlier this month. It is the first time that three countries from two continents have hosted the tournament.

However, the competition will spill over to another continent and three more countries, as commemorative matches will take place in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark the 100th anniversary of the World Cup.

WHAT THEY SAID

FIFA has not yet made a decision on where the final will be held, but it had been expected that Madrid's stadium would win out. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti backed the plan, saying earlier this month: "The World Cup final has to be in Madrid, because it’s the capital of Spain, and in the Bernabeu because it will be the best stadium in the world. I think it’s very good for Spanish football and for this country. The happiness of this news isn’t going to be affected by some games being played in South America, Portugal or Morocco, it’s very good news."

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GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

FIFA still has to declare where the final for the 2026 World Cup final will be held, too. That competition will be stretched across Canada, United States and Mexico.

Bruno Fernandes' behaviour as Manchester United captain has again been questioned, with ex-forward Andy Cole labelling his actions "disrespectful".

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Fernandes' captaincy often questionedCole labels actions "disrespectful"But feels there is no better options to leadWHAT HAPPENED?

Erik ten Hag's side have thus far endured a 2023-24 campaign to forget, with their sixth-placed standing papering over many cracks both on and off the pitch. Fernandes has been one of many United players denigrated, not least for his petulant actions as club captain. Red Devils legend Andy Cole believes such behaviour shows "disrespect" towards his team-mates – although he also pointed towards a lack of captaincy options beyond the Portugal star.

AdvertisementWHAT COLE SAID

Speaking in an interview with Betfred, the ex-United forward said: "There’s talk about Bruno Fernandes not being the right choice for captain, but if you look around the Manchester United dressing room currently, then who else would you give the captaincy to instead? There’s not four or five standout contenders. Bruno leads in a different way and I understand it. I can also understand that people don’t want to see a captain waving his arms about in frustration, which I personally believe is disrespectful to his teammates, but at this moment in time, he’s the man and he will captain the side in a way which he believes is beneficial to himself and his teammates.”

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Fernandes' weaknesses as a leader were clear to see while on recent international duty, as he was met with some bemused responses from Portugal team-mates Cristiano Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva following a half-time discussion. Fernandes did, however, provide a vital spark against Iceland on the pitch, and United fans will be hopeful he can transfer this form to club level and turn around what has been a disappointing start to the campaign.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR FERNANDES?

After completing a perfect World Cup qualifying campaign under Roberto Martinez, the United skipper will return to work under Ten Hag as his United side prepare to take on Everton on Sunday. The Dutchman will be hoping to make it three straight victories in the league against a side who will be rallied by their severe points deduction.

The Supreme Court has turned down N Srinivasan’s reinstatement request, and has revealed that he is one of the 13 named in the sealed envelope submitted to it by the Justice Mudgal committee

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Apr-20145:44

Ugra: Precedent set for BCCI to be questioned in public

The Supreme Court has turned down N Srinivasan’s reinstatement request, and has revealed that he is one of the 13 named in the sealed envelope submitted to it by the Justice Mudgal committee. In response to the BCCI counsel CA Sundaram’s argument that the court was responding only to prima facie evidence and not secondary evidence, Justice AK Patnaik for the first time revealed details about the sealed envelope. He said that there were 13 names of “very important personalities in cricket” in the sealed envelope, with Srinivasan’s name being the 13th. There were 12 allegations against Srinivasan with annexures to each of them. “It seems that Mr Srinivasan has not taken the allegations seriously,” he said.Patnaik said Srinivasan “could not come back as BCCI president as long as the probe is on.” A day before the court hearing on Wednesday, Srinivasan had filed an affidavit, asking the court to reconsider its interim order that removed him as the BCCI president while the probe into the alleged corruption in the IPL was on. The court, though, reiterated that a fair probe would not be possible with him discharging any duties inside the BCCI.It further asked the BCCI to come back to the next hearing, on April 22, with constructive corrective measures with regard to how it can ensure a free and fair probe into the IPL corruption scandal. The measures could involve a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe or selecting its own other independent investigators, but it stipulated that the probe had to be conducted by a credible team. If the BCCI was to be given the power to investigate the matter, it had to be done without prejudice and the mandatory condition that “Srinivasan cannot come back.”The court said that “we cannot close our eyes,” but did not impose an independent probe in the matter. “We are not considering a SIT because we don’t want the CBI or the police or the media to throw mud on cricketers,” Patnaik said. “Reputations of cricketers and great names are at stake. What happens to the reputation of the players who are representing the country and Indian cricketers of the future. Cricket has to be clean but institutional autonomy has to be maintained.”There was some relief for the BCCI. Sundar Raman, the chief operating officer (COO) of the IPL, whose future was to be decided by acting BCCI president Sunil Gavaskar, was allowed to continue in his role. Gavaskar stated that he was not in a position to take a decision on Sundar as he knew him in a personal capacity and was unaware of the details of the information that investigating agencies had against Sundar.N Srinivasan’s is one of the 13 names in the sealed envelope, Justice Patnaik said•AFPThe hearing on April 22 will also look into several matters related to the many ramifications of the IPL corruption scandal. Patnaik said the court will look into the amended clause in the BCCI constitution that allowed Srinivasan to own a team in the IPL as well as him being sent as a board nominee to ICC meetings. There is also a possibility that G Sampath Kumar, the Chennai police officer whose deposition formed part of the Mudgal committee’s report, will be asked to depose before the court on April 22. The details of his deposition were found in Mudgal committee member Nilay Dutta’s additional comments to the main report. Dutta is a member of the Assam Cricket Association. Deccan Chargers may also be introduced as part of the arbitration pertaining to the matter of their resurrection.The court will also appoint an , a lawyer who is not part of the case, to report to them about the existence or otherwise of transcripts and recordings of the depositions to the Mudgal committee. So far it is understood that the court has been provided with minutes of the 52 interviews conducted by the panel in the course of its investigation. The BCCI’s counsel had previously contested the Mudgal committee’s findings and had requested for the tapes the findings were based on.The case dates back to June 2013 when the Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma raised charges of conflict of interest in the formation of BCCI’s two-member inquiry panel into the IPL corruption issue. A Bombay High Court ruling later termed the probe panel “illegal”. The BCCI and the CAB filed petitions in the Supreme Court against this order, with the CAB contending that the Bombay High Court could have suggested a fresh mechanism to look into the corruption allegations.The Supreme Court then appointed a three-member committee, headed by former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal and comprising additional solicitor general L Nageswara Rao and Dutta, in October 2013, to conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption against Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals team owner Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Ltd, as well as with the larger mandate of allegations around betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches and the involvement of players. The committee had submitted its findings to the court on February 10.

Full text of Lou Vincent’s statement

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2014″My name is Lou Vincent and I am a cheat.”I have abused my position as a professional sportsman on a number of occasions by choosing to accept money in fixing.”I have lived with this dark secret for so many years, but months ago I reached the point where I decided I had to come forward and tell the truth.”It’s a truth that has rightly caused uproar and controversy in New Zealand and around the world. I have shamed my country, I have shamed my sport, I have shamed those close to me. And for that, I am not proud.”I lost faith in myself, in the game, I abused the game I loved. I had to put things right.”Speaking out, exposing the truth, laying bare the things I have done wrong, is the only way I could find to begin to put things right.”The time has come for me now to face them like a man and accept the consequences – whatever they may be.”I could not live with my wrongdoings any longer and after meeting my future wife Susie, after learning what unconditional love really is, I felt strong enough to tell her what I’d done and she has helped me take the painful steps in telling my parents, my wider family and then the authorities.”I am proud of the ones I love, especially my immediate family and friends. Their strength, support and forgiveness has enabled me to address some of the deepest, most uncomfortable issues one can face.”I can finally look my children in the eyes and tell them that honesty is the best policy – even if it feels like the hardest thing to do at times.”I now believe in myself as a person again and I don’t wake up every morning hating myself.”Today is the day I offer my deepest, deepest apologies to the public and the cricketing world, to the loyal fans, to the dedicated coaches, staff, players past and present.”I apologise to and thank the ACSU for the help and support that is out there for all players, that has helped me a great deal, Chris Morris and his legal team and all the associations that have handled the sensitive situation with professionalism and respect.”The people who know me know I’m vulnerable, but they also know that I am not stupid. And I know what is right and what is wrong.”I do suffer from depression – that is absolutely no excuse for all I’ve done wrong.”I used to think mistakes were made by bad people, but now I even know that good people can make the worst of mistakes.”My actions I will regret for the rest of my life.”For sport to prosper, it is up to players to police the game, because they are the ones that will ultimately lose out and allow themselves to be used as pawns to make money.”No one should ever be put in a position and no one should ever allow themselves to forget what sport is about and let money rule their decisions.”The decisions I made were wrong. Players must be better than that; above reproach, for the fans, for the sport.”For the first time in a very long time I feel positive about my future, I am finally becoming the man I want to be. I have to face up to my wrongs and make them right.”I have kept my head down for too long now and it’s time to man up to my mistakes and today, I can stand with a better conscience because I know I am doing the right thing.”It is entirely my fault and I’ll never be able to stand in front of a game again, it’s entirely my fault that I will not be able to apply my skills in a positive way to help future cricketers, but it is entirely possible that I can use this moment to convince others not to be tempted by wrongdoing.”To do the right thing for themselves, for family and friends and for the sport they love.”I accept my punishment.”

Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd has said that West Indies cricket has been “messed up” by T20 cricket, creating a situation where playing Tests for the country did not seem to be a paramount goal for players

Firdose Moonda03-Jan-2015Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd has said that West Indies cricket has been “messed up” by the T20 format, creating a situation where playing Tests for the country did not seem to be a paramount goal for players.Speaking at the Annual New Year’s lecture in Cape Town, which is also hosting the third Test between South Africa and West Indies, Lloyd said that the ICC needed to be stronger and that the game could not be ruled by only three countries – a reference to the governance and financial restructuring of the ICC cricket’s governing body, which took place last year and was based on changes devised by the BCCI, Cricket Australia and the ECB.”They [the players] earn a good wage and that’s the situation that they have. They have the choice to play Test cricket or T20,” Lloyd, who is head of the West Indies selection panel, said. “We are small islands and if you get a whole host of money, you are a king. This T20 competition has messed our cricket up.”Someone like Andre Russell, I spoke to him only a month ago and said you can get into our Test side because you are one of the best allrounders in the world. A couple of weeks later he told me he has got a bad knee and could only play one-dayers. It’s such a waste that we have a guy who could be a great cricketer who is now not thinking of playing both formats. We have contracts, probably not as exorbitant as others, but they are getting good money. It doesn’t seem playing for our country is paramount where these players are concerned.Lloyd to SA: Don’t take dominance for granted

As one of the most successful captains in cricket and a leader of a side that dominated their era, Clive Lloyd offered a few words of advice for South Africa, who are the No. 1 ranked Test team in the world. Lloyd said that South Africa will need to maintain a high standard of domestic cricket and that administrators should ensure that the game benefits from all new forms of technology and innovation.
“I am hesitant to offer advice to a nation that sits atop world cricket. My first bit of advice is not to take one’s dominance for granted the continued success of a team is to plan for the future,” Lloyd said. “The West Indies made the mistake of believing we had an endless supply of cricketers and fast bowlers. A high standard of domestic cricket needs to be maintained to ensure continued success at this level.
“The administrators and managers are absolutely necessary. The administration must ensure the cricket being played benefits from all the new innovations and technology, and nothing is done to undermine the administration of cricket.
“There has been a concept that cricket should be left to people with managerial skills. I believe strongly the involvement of cricketers is necessary.
“It is my dream that West Indies recover and beat South Africa here and recover its glory. In the future, I see a South Africa that remains strong, competitive and contributing to the development of the game. I also see a strong West Indies, bringing its particular genius to a part of the world.”

“I don’t think there is any cricketer who should strike for money now because they are well paid. We have to impart to our young people the importance of playing for your country. Money is a subsidiary of success.”Lloyd, who has had stints as an international match referee and as chairman of the ICC’s cricket committee, said that the ICC should be running the game and it was important for the governing body to work out a better system of revenue distribution for all countries. The revamp of the ICC last year, based on changes devised by the Indian, Australia and English boards, gave more influence to the three boards. Lloyd also stated that policies like the use of Decision Review System (DRS) should be unanimously followed.”I agree that the ICC must be stronger. It should be like the FIFA or the IOC [International Olympic Committee] – very strong in the things they do. FIFA said when you kick the ball back to the goalkeeper he has got to kick it out. I don’t see Italy and England and France saying we are not playing. We have one team playing without DRS. If we have something it has got to be globally done. Everybody has got to work together.”We can’t have three countries ruling cricket. It can’t be done. It comes back to money. I hope one day everything will come back to normal. I think the ICC should be running cricket. They should say to the highest bidder, television company to send out a tender – saying we want 5 million for so many Test matches for the next couple of years. That money should be distributed either on rankings or equally. That money can be used to run cricket properly. Players can be paid better. If we are saying Test cricket is the highest cricket you can play, you should be paid better. We all have to sit down and work out a better system for all countries.”Lloyd gave the example of West Indies, who could benefit from the distribution of TV revenues: “Where West Indies is concerned, we have a special case. We have to fly everywhere. We can’t drive anywhere. you can’t go by boat either. It’s expensive for West Indies to hold Test series. It’s in high season and we have to compete with that. We can’t fill the stadium. We don’t have the amount of people to do so. Television would help us out in that respect. We would just play cricket and we wouldn’t have any wranglings. We have a system.”Lloyd said that the establishment of a national cricket fund, to aid retired cricketers, is imperative and the fund could be built through proceeds from one game of a Test series, or a percentage of television deals.”In spite of the big contracts a few of our players receive for various T20 tournaments, we must recognise that these are only a few players and it is imperative that a national cricket fund be established,” he said. “We should play a game in every Test series and those proceeds should go to a fund for retired cricketers. When we have television deals, a percentage of that should go to the fund. There are quite a few people who played for their country and I think they should have some remuneration.”

North Zone trounced East Zone by seven wickets on the third day of their Bangladesh Cricket League match at the BKSP-2 ground in Savar

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2014North Zone trounced East Zone by seven wickets on the third day of their Bangladesh Cricket League match at the BKSP-2 ground in Savar. Taijul Islam, the left-arm spinner, turned the match around with his first ten-wicket haul in first-class cricket, earning him the Player-of-the-Match award.Taijul took seven first-innings wickets as East Zone were bowled out for 270 on the first day. On the third day, he picked up another five-wicket haul to help bowl out East Zone for 139 runs. It left North Zone to score162 with a day and a half to spare. Naeem Islam scored an unbeaten 69 alongside captain Mushfiqur Rahim who was also not out on 29.After East Zone made 270 with Mominul Haque top-scoring with 94, North Zone replied with 248 in their first innings. Farhad Reza and Suhrawadi Shuvo struck fifties to rescue the side after they were reduced to 99 for 6 on the second day. Nabil Samad took 6 for 69 for East Zone but they couldn’t capitalise on the 22-run first innings lead. Apart from Taijul’s 5 for 51, Subashis Roy took four wickets for North Zone.North Zone now lead the table with 30 points while East Zone are on second place with 15 points.

Celtic take on St. Johnstone in the SPL tomorrow at home as they look to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Before then, however, manager Brendan Rodgers would like to see some more signings arrive with transfer deadline day fast approaching, though there is still a lot of work that needs to be done if that is to happen.

The Breakdown

According to the Daily Record, the Celtic boss is desperate to add at least one new full-back to his squad with Borussia Dortmund’s Jeremy Toljan one player he hopes his superiors can land ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

With Mikael Lustig’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, Celtic definitely need to start looking at names for that position with Toljan being a great one.

However, even if the Bhoys fail to sign the German right-back or any other player for that matter before Thursday, they can still be pleased with the work that has been done this month.

The additions of Timothy Weah and Oliver Burke are quickly proving to be very good ones, while the Glasgow club still have Vakoun Issouf Bayo to come into the team.

Ultimately, Celtic now look to have the necessary firepower to win yet another SPL title, and thus can afford to be patient in their pursuit of a new right-back.

West Indies were sluggish after rain, almost resigned, whereas Pakistan chased with intent, and took an unassailable 2-1 lead with only the final game to go

The Report by Sidharth Monga21-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Samuels scored the first century of the series, but was brought down to earth as Pakistan won the shortened match•AFPWhen the rain finally subsided to revise Pakistan’s target to 189 in 31 overs, leaving them 121 to get in 14 remaining overs, West Indies’ captain Dwayne Bravo was clearly not happy. He looked at the sheet of paper given by the umpire in disgust, and handed it over to a team-mate. Pakistan, who had eight wickets in hand, had to give up further Powerplay overs, but all of West Indies’ main bowlers had bowled by then and didn’t have many overs left. West Indies were sluggish, almost resigned, whereas Pakistan chased with intent, and took an unassailable 2-1 lead with only the final game to go.During the chase, Misbah-ul-Haq went past Wasim Akram’s record of most ODI runs without a century, but saw Pakistan home with a cool unbeaten 53 off 43, which complemented Mohammad Hafeez’s 59 off 62. The stand the two put together meant that Marlon Samuel’s century earlier in the day, scored in what was then a 49-over game, and instrumental in setting up the biggest total of the series, went in vain.Until rain arrived, though, West Indies were doing it just right. They had weathered a quickish start from Pakistan, dried up the runs, eked out two wickets, but because only two batsmen had been dismissed, Pakistan’s revised target was not out of reach. In hindsight, Misbah’s decision to bowl in a series that no side had won chasing until then, and despite no forecast of rain, ended up giving them the advantage.The grumpy West Indies came out, and resumed with part-time bowlers at each end. Bravo himself began with a wide first ball after rain. Hafeez and Misbah, the unbeaten batsmen, seized the momentum, taking 17 off the first two overs. West Indies knew they could have given one of Sunil Narine, Kemar Roach and Jason Holder two overs, and the other two just an over each.Hafeez went after Holder, pulling him for two sixes in the 21st over. Even as Bravo continued to go for runs, bowling ahead of Darren Sammy who went for just 10 in three overs, West Indies turned to Narine at the other end. Pakistan played that over out peacefully, which brought the target down to 62 from 48.In the next over, Roach got slightly lucky with Hafeez’s wicket, who played a square-drive straight to point. Shahid Afridi was closer to the miss on his hit-or-miss spectrum. When He fell, Pakistan needed 45 off 34.Misbah had quietly made 38 off 33 by then. And for company, he had Umar Akmal, who might have missed a stumping earlier in the day but was in good touch with the bat. The third ball he faced, he square-drove for four. After that, they calculated the chase well, choosing to sit back in Narine’s final over, the 29th. However, towards the end of that over, Narine provided Misbah with a log hop, which he duly dispatched for six, bringing the equation down to 15 off 13. Seven of those 13 deliveries were not bowled as Akmal ran through the target in the 30th over.West Indies were left dazed, and it was not hard to see why. Earlier in the day, they had put up the best batting performance of the series, by either side, to break free from the middling range of 220-235. They were led by the return to form of the best batsman in recent times, Samuels, who converted a slow start – 19 off 33 – into the first century of the series – 106 off 104.The day began with rain, which reduced the game to 49 overs, and dampening news for Chris Gayle, whose recent poor form pushed him down to No. 5. Turned out it didn’t save him from the new ball. The balls were only eight overs old when West Indies lost three wickets. Devon Smith, the man brought in as opening replacement for Gayle, managed to score his first run in three innings, but soon bottom-edged Mohammad Irfan through to the keeper.Gayle walked in at 63 for 3 to face the big test of having been demoted at this stage of his career. Like the rest of the series, Gayle was unsure again, and had two left-arm quicks, a variety that has troubled him of late, bowling at him. It should have become 64 for 4 immediately as Gayle followed Riaz outside off, but Hafeez spilled it. Gayle looked determined after that, and along with Samuels began to rebuild the innings.Samuels lost Gayle in the 30th over, after a 57-run stand, but the signs of a Samuels special had been there. The next 20 overs were all Samuels, although Lendl Simmons, Sammy and Dwayne Bravo were worthy support acts. Samuels either danced down to spin or sat back to set up base for big hitting off the quicks. Simmons continued his form at the other end, helped of course by a missed stumping.Ninety runs came off the last 10 overs with Samuels’ century coming up with just one ball to go. He celebrated elaborately, letting out a scream and taking three bows. At the end of the day, when named the Man of the Match, he was bitterly disappointed.

Ajinkya Rahane displayed how versatile his batting is during his innings of 96 in Durban, and is possibly India’s biggest gain of the tour

Sidharth Monga in Durban30-Dec-20130:00

Dravid: Rahane, a huge plus for India

On this trip to South Africa, Ajinkya Rahane has taken blows from Dale Steyn bouncers that have not got up as expected, making his ducking technique look ungainly. He has also shown too much deference to a senior bowler who has shown scant respect for the specialist batsmen batting at the other end. He has paid for it, being stranded on 51, and possibly with a series defeat.Rahane also got India two run-outs to save the team in Johannesburg. He also cut Vernon Philander for a six in Durban. For a man who had spent many a tour and series warming up the bench, carrying drinks, wondering when his opportunity will come, he has taken his chance with both hands, even though it arrived in the most difficult of conditions to bat in. Over the past 10 days of cricket, you can see Rahane has grown as a batsman. India knew they had Virat kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara; Rahane might just be their biggest gain from this Test series.Rahane has gone about his work in a quiet unassuming fashion. Much like his batting. Most importantly, though, he has shown ticker. Even when he was taking those blows in the first innings from Steyn, and the verbals that came with it, Rahane didn’t play a soft shot. He battled on, though it was questionable to give Zaheer Khan the strike with five deliveries to go in a Steyn over. Sure enough, two wickets fell in those five balls, including a dreadful swipe from Zaheer first up. It made you wonder if No. 6, a position which requires a strong personality and big-hitting when batting with the tail, was the place for him.Ajinkya Rahane was resolute when needed, but also hit out when required•Associated PressIn the second innings, Rahane showed it was. He was clear in raising his hand to Zaheer, who wanted to the singles, sending him back to the non-striker’s end. When the need arose for the big hits, Rahane got them successfully away even with eight fielders back. That cut for six, which took Rahane from 90 to 96, is not what many have seen in a Test in Durban. Rahane might have missed out on the hundred, but he showed versatility: resolute defence, concentration, firmness to farm strikes with seniors, willingness to look ugly in the pursuit of scoring runs, and big hitting when needed.Rahane was India’s only highlight on a bleak final day of what had otherwise been a decent series for them. “Rahane batted really well,” captain MS Dhoni said. “[While] he was with us on bench, he kept working hard on fitness and technique, and how he wanted to approach his game. So when he got his chance, the most important thing was to accept it and do well. In this Test series has batted really well. Looked quite compact in all the innings. That’s a big positive for us.”Rahane finished as India’s third-highest run-getter in the series, but he was in the most precarious position of all before the series began. He is not picked for ODIs, which gives him no buffer if he fails in the Tests. He has had no soft launching pad. Like Kohli in the West Indies and Australia, he has had his first real series in testing conditions. Kohli was dropped after that West Indies tour in 2011 after he had some trouble with the short ball. Kohli has previously said that axing was a big lesson for him.This 96 has made sure Rahane will not have to bounce back like Kohli had to. Especially not if he keeps wearing those blows as medals and keeps coming back up for more.