Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior have generated ‘BMV’ talk at Real Madrid, but a club colleague wants to “add the R of Rodrygo”.

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• Another collection of 'Galacticos' at the Bernabeu
• French, English & Brazilian stars making headlines
• Team-mate wants his efforts to get same recognition

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Blancos have assembled another star-studded attacking unit, with World Cup winner Mbappe the latest ‘Galactico’ to join the ranks at Santiago Bernabeu. There has been plenty of discussion regarding what the France international can achieve in a partnership to rival fabled ‘BBC’ and ‘MSN’ frontlines that once featured Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Madrid’s ‘BMV’ drew a blank in a 2024-25 La Liga opener against Mallorca, with Brazilian forward Rodrygo netting their goal in a 1-1 draw. The 23-year-old has sparked controversy with a WhatsApp post that suggests he is deserving of greater recognition.

• WHAT RODRYGO SAID

  The message in question read: “Hi guys, yesterday the result was not what we wanted. In La Liga every point makes the difference in the end. I'm happy with the goal and with the growth of the team. Last week they talked about the trio of Bellingham, Mbappe and Vini, but they are going to have to add the R of Rodrygo to that acronym. We have a quartet of attackers and the rest of the team. They all have their importance in the games and will show their value in the different competitions in which we participate. The week will be full of hard work until our next match at the Bernabeu.”

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Said post has since been deleted, with it not receiving the response that Rodrygo had hoped for. are among those to confirm that the message was real, with the South American’s representative advising that it be taken down as they are eager to avoid upsetting squad harmony in the Spanish capital.

Earlier, Lasith Embuldeniya picked up 4 for 182 as the hosts could add only 54 to their overnight total of 352 for 6

The Report by Madushka Balasuriya28-Jan-2020A disciplined performance from Zimbabwe’s bowlers ensured that Sri Lanka didn’t run away with the advantage, the visitors remaining 284 behind with eight wickets in hand as bad light brought a premature end to the second day’s play in Harare. At the crease were Angelo Mathews, the double-centurion from the first Test, and Kusal Mendis, on 4 and 19 respectively.Of the Zimbabwe bowlers, the obvious standouts were Sikandar Raza and Donald Tiripano, the pair accounting for the two Sri Lankan wickets to fall on the day, though they will count themselves unlucky not to have had more.After an uneventful post-lunch session, the action picked up after the tea break, with Raza providing the breakthrough. Dimuth Karunaratne, who had been selective with his shot-making up until that point, picked the wrong delivery to utilise the sweep, getting trapped lbw by a fuller delivery.That wicket brought Zimbabwe’s first real threatening period of play in the field. While Tiripano probed from one end, Raza nearly got another, with Mendis edging to short leg only for Prince Masvaure to spill the chance.Later on, Raza could have had Mendis caught at square leg after the batsman swept in the air, but Tiripano on the square leg boundary failed to track the flight of the ball.Tiripano, though, could be granted a little leeway, having accounted for Oshada Fernando a few overs earlier. The Sri Lanka opener had been kept quiet in the preceding overs – much of it owing to Tiripano’s discipline – and, as such, was a little too eager to dispatch a rare pitched up delivery. However, with the ball shaping away late, Fernando’s hard attempt at a drive only managed to slice the ball through to Regis Chakabva behind the stumps.The rest of the session was Mathews and Mendis attempting to consolidate as Sri Lanka were mindful of the importance of not losing another wicket before stumps. Sri Lanka though will be aware of the need to up their scoring rate – currently standing at a touch over two runs an over – on day three, if they are to force a result. Of the nine boundaries scored by Sri Lanka, only one – when Mendis danced down the track to loft a boundary to long-on – was not a result of increasingly rare profligacy on the part of the Zimbabwe bowlers.The day had started better for the visitors when left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya picked up three of the last four Zimbabwe wickets on his way to figures of 4 for 182. While Zimbabwe’s tail had done well to stick around for most of the morning, they would have been disappointed at not having added more than 54 to their overnight total.However, with runs on the board, and still three-and-a-half days’ of cricket remaining, the Zimbabwe bowlers looked patience. Tiripano, in particular, was impressive as he rarely veered from his line outside off and constantly bowled on a probing good length.While the lateral movement was limited, there was enough to keep the Sri Lanka batsmen cautious – at least early on, when keeping wickets intact was more of priority.All this meant the post-lunch session was the least eventful of the day as Sri Lanka’s batsmen took minimal risks, and the bowlers simply waited for a mistake that wasn’t forthcoming. It resulted in the only wicketless session of the match so far.Things, however, picked up after tea, before a brief rain interval and then bad light brought play to a close.

Newcastle United have endured their fair share of injuries this season, with Eddie Howe patching together his squad throughout the campaign. The former boss has at least received a major boost on that front, however, with one star set to return earlier than expected.

Newcastle injury news

The Magpies are already without the likes of Nick Pope, Joelinton and Kieran Trippier as the Premier League season approaches its final stages. And those injury problems have far from helped Newcastle's form, with their European ambitions becoming more and more unlikely every week, especially after their latest defeat against Chelsea.

Sandro Tonali (suspended)

31/08/2024

Callum Wilson

11/05/2024

Joelinton

11/05/2024

Nick Pope

03/04/2024

Kieran Trippier

30/03/2024

Harvey Barnes

30/03/2024

Dan Burn

16/03/2024

With two wins in their last six games and mounting injury problems, Newcastle have been left with it all to do if they are to qualify for some form of European football this season. As their Stamford Bridge defeat showed, however, Howe's task is a difficult one in the coming months and one that could have so easily been worsened by further injury news.

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The Magpies boss initially shared concerns over the extent of Anthony Gordon's injury against Chelsea, saying via Premier Injuries: "Gordon looks like a knee problem and it doesn’t look too good at the moment; it is unclear. Hopefully, we can give him that in the next couple of days, and we can get him seen to."

Since then, those fears have fortunately been eased to finally hand Howe some positive news. According to Jacob Whitehead of The Athletic, Gordon has avoided any serious damage to his knee and could even be back for the Manchester City game as soon as this weekend. Even if it's not the City game, the Newcastle star will reportedly be available for England selection in the upcoming international break.

"Great" Gordon's return will be a welcome boost

In a season to forget, Gordon has been one of the few bright sparks at St James' Park, fully living up to his £40m price tag and £60k per-week salary, which initially raised eyebrows. If the 23-year-old makes his return as soon as the City game, then Newcastle will stand a far greater chance of causing an upset in the FA Cup last eight and making an appearance at Wembley to help salvage their campaign.

Former manager Frank Lampard was well aware of Gordon's quality even during his Everton days, saying after the winger's goal against Brentford in 2022: “It’s what I wanted from him. It was a great run, great timing and a great pass, and his composure was great. I’m delighted for him and thought his all-round performance was great. There’s pressure on him and I thought he handled it brilliantly.”

With ten goals and seven assists to his name so far this season, Gordon has done enough to be considered for a spot in Gareth Southgate's England squad, signalling even more relief that his injury is not as severe as first feared.

Liverpool could be set to lose one of their stars this summer after contact was made to sign him ahead of the upcoming transfer window, it has emerged.

Reds still on track for historic year

Despite being knocked out of the FA Cup at the quarter-final stage courtesy of a late Amad Diallo goal, Liverpool's season could still be an excellent one.

Sat second in the Premier League, they trail Arsenal only on goal difference and are a point ahead of Manchester City. Immediately after the international break, the Gunners travel to the Etihad to take on Pep Guardiola's side, meaning that at least one of Liverpool's title rivals are guaranteed to drop points in their next outing.

The Premier League title race

Team

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goal Difference

Points

Arsenal

28

20

4

4

46

64

Liverpool

28

19

7

2

39

64

Manchester City

28

19

6

3

35

63

Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp's side have also been drawn on the favourable side of the Europa League draw, and will face Italian side Atalanta in the last eight before a sem-final showdown with either Benfica or Marseille. On top of that, they have already bagged the Carabao Cup thanks to a late Virgil van Dijk winner against Chelsea last month.

But there are concerns beyond this season, with Jürgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders both set to leave the club at the end of the campaign, and significant speculation surrounding Mo Salah, who will be down to the final year of his contract at the club and has previously been subject to interest from Saudi Arabia.

Liverpool man holding meetings to pick next club after exit decision made

He is planning to use the two-week international break to weigh up his options.

ByBen Browning Mar 16, 2024 Diaz a 'priority' but not for sale

Now, a concerning report has emerged that another man could leave, with Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna claiming that PSG's Qatar owners have made Luis Diaz their 'priority' this summer as they look to find a way to live without superstar Kylian Mbappe, who is set to join Real Madrid.

It is added that contact has already been made with Diaz's agent, who worked with PSG previously to help them sign Brazilian star Neymar.

However, there is a major sticking point, with FSG dubbing Diaz 'not for sale' amid what is set to be a hectic summer already. Though he has had issues with fitness since his arrival, the Colombian is a firm fan favourite and is loved around the club too.

Speaking last season as Diaz struggled with injuries, the Liverpool boss was effusive in his praise of the Colombian.

"He's a natural player. I love him, absolutely love him. It's unbelievable", Klopp told Liverpool.com. "He's so football smart, moving in the right areas, naturally defending from his position, goal threat, speed, cheeky. Very, very special player, I have to say. We missed him a lot."

Klopp, of course, will no longer be at the helm, but there is little reason to suggest FSG or Liverpool would be willing to let Diaz leave barring an offer that they simply couldn't refuse.

da esport bet： Celtic could sign a new player in a transfer worth around £7m this summer, according to Mark Guidi.

Celtic transfer rumours

da betsson： The Hoops have struggled at points this season under Brendan Rodgers, despite the Northern Irishman bringing in a number of new players across the summer and winter transfer windows.

Celtic 2023/24 signings

Fee

Maik Nawrocki (Legia Warsaw)

£4.3m

Gustaf Lagerbielke (IF Elfsborg)

£3m

Nicolas Kuhn (Rapid Vienna)

£3m

Odin Thiago Holm (Valerenga)

£2.5m

Marco Tilio (Melbourne City)

£2m

Hyun-Jun Yang (Gangwon)

£2m

Hyeokkyu Kwon (Busan I-Park)

£1m

Tomoki Iwata (Yokohama F. Marinos)

Undisc.

Currently, Celtic are top of the Scottish Premiership, however, rivals Rangers have a game in hand and trail by just one point. It promises to be one of the closest title races in recent memory, however, attention behind the scenes at Parkhead appears to be turning towards the upcoming transfer window.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart will retire at the end of the campaign, leaving Celtic on the search for a new first-choice shot-stopper. There have been specific targets mentioned, such as Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher, who the Hoops would love to sign.

The Reds ‘keeper could be tempted to move to Glasgow, whereas Trabzonspor’s Ugurcan Cakir is seen as a potential alternative option. Whoever arrives to replace Hart may require a big transfer fee, and it looks as if Celtic are in a good position to do stump up the cash.

Guidi shares exciting Celtic transfer update

Journalist Guidi, talking to The Go Radio Football Show, relayed by 67 Hail Hail, was speaking about Celtic’s need for a new goalkeeper to replace Hart this summer. He said that the Hoops are “back” in the market to sign a player worth around £6m-£7m, should one emerge on their radar.

“I’ve said many times. I said it last season, if Celtic can find a Jack Butland scenario or another Joe Hart scenario where it’s a free transfer or a £1m quid transfer fee and then a nice fat contract, then go for it.

“But see if you need to spend £6m-£7m then go and do it. And I’ve been told that Celtic are back in that market.

“The days of this £3m almost like a ceiling, has been wiped out. If players become available at £6m-£7m then Celtic are very much back in the market at that level. And that’s the way it should be, particularly for a goalkeeper.”

This is an exciting update for the Hoops, showing that the funds are seemingly there at Parkhead for the club to splash the cash on new signings in the region of £6m-£7m, something that wasn't done this season.

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Alongside a new goalkeeper, a winger and striker are also wanted by Rodgers and Celtic, so it could be a busy and expensive summer transfer window ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, and Jota's big-money exit to Saudi Arabia last year alongside Matt O'Riley's possible departure could fund a number of incomings.

أكد نيكولو باريلا، لاعب إنتر ميلان الإيطالي، أن فريقه على نفس مستوى مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي، متحدثًا بعد مباراة الفريقين في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وحل إنتر ميلان ضيفًا على مانشستر سيتي بملعب “الاتحاد” في أولى مبارياته بدوري أبطال أوروبا، وحسمت المواجهة بالتعادل السلبي بينهما.

وقال باريلا لـ “أمازون برايم فيديو إيطاليا”: “فاز هذا الفريق بالدوري الإيطالي الموسم الماضي ولم يقدم أداءً كافيًا في دوري أبطال أوروبا، لذا نريد هذا العام أن نبذل المزيد من الجهد في أوروبا”.

وأضاف: “نحن ننمو، واكتسبنا الخبرة على طول الطريق وهذا يساعد، لقد وصلنا إلى النهائي قبل عامين، وطموحنا هو القيام بذلك مرة أخرى، ثم في كرة القدم يمكن أن يحدث أي شيء”.

وأصر: “أثبتنا اليوم ضد فريق قوي للغاية أننا نستطيع اللعب على نفس المستوى، في النهاية، الأحداث هي التي تحدد النتائج”. 

وتعادل إنتر ميلان الآن في جميع مبارياته الثلاث خارج أرضه أمام جنوى ومونزا ومانشستر سيتي.

وعلّق باريلا: “لقد أحببت الموقف، لأنه بعد أداء ليس جيدًا جدًا ضد مونزا، كان بإمكاننا أن نأتي إلى هنا بتوتر، ولكن بدلاً من ذلك قدمنا ​​200 % من الجهد وهذه هي العقلية التي نحتاجها للذهاب حتى النهاية”.

وعن مواجهة الديربي أمام ميلان الذي تعرض للهزيمة 3-1 أمام ليفربول في دوري أبطال أوروبا يوم الثلاثاء، اختتم باريلا حديثه قائلاً: “كنا نفكر فقط في هذه المباراة، تمامًا كما كان ميلان يفكر فقط في ليفربول، ولكن من الغد يمكننا الاستعداد للديربي بأفضل طريقة ممكنة”.

Glasgow Rangers made some poor signings during the summer transfer window last year when Michael Beale was in charge at Ibrox.

Big sums of money were spent on the likes of Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers, yet one has missed 20 big chances in the Premiership this season, while the other has been shipped out on loan.

Philippe Clement’s January signings have been positive and, hopefully, this is a sign of things to come from the 49-year-old moving forward.

Although Dessers and Lammers have been poor, were they as bad as some of the signings Pedro Caixinha made when he was in charge of the Light Blues? Eduardo Herrera is a notable example.

How much Rangers paid for Eduardo Herrera

The summer of 2017 was a strange time to be a Rangers supporter. The club had secured promotion the previous year but finished third in the league behind Celtic and Aberdeen.

Caixinha was appointed with the ambition of winning a league title, but the Ibrox side were miles off it, especially considering the players he signed.

UNAM Pumas

189

57

Pumas Morelos

89

20

Santos Leguna

42

6

Necaxa

39

9

Venados

35

7

Rangers

24

2

Tiburones Rojos

13

3

Puebla FC

7

0

New arrivals prior to the 2017/18 campaign included Ryan Jack, Bruno Alves, Carlos Pena and Dalcio, an eclectic mix to say the least.

The Gers spent £1.5m to bring Herrera to Glasgow and, considering their financial situation, it perhaps wasn’t the best idea to splurge on a player who had only played in Mexico prior to his move.

Despite the lavish fee, the club needed another centre-forward to bolster the side and if he was able to get off the ground running, Herrera could endear himself to the supporters.

Eduardo Herrera’s statistics at Rangers

Not only did he cost a lot, but the Mexican was also reportedly earning £20k-per-week at the club, meaning there was pressure to perform straight away. To put that weekly salary into context, it's significantly more than Abdallah Sima's £8.5k. It's more than Nicolas Raskin (£19k) and Kieran Dowell (£16k) too.

He scored his first league goal in just his third match for the Gers, before netting and grabbing an assist in a League Cup tie against Partick Thistle a few weeks later.

This was to be as good as it got for Herrera, however, as he made another 19 scoreless appearances for the club between September and the end of the season.

Steven Gerrard was appointed as the new manager ahead of the 2018/19 season, and he was sent on loan to Santos Laguna once it was clear he wasn’t in the Liverpudlian's future plans, despite having a contract until 2020.

His future was finally settled in January of that year, as his contract was terminated while he went on to join Puebla FC.

Overall, Herrera scored just two goals across 24 matches for the Glasgow side, costing the club £750k-per-goal, a terrible return on investment.

Between leaving Rangers and his retirement in 2022, the former Mexico international scored just 18 goals for a variety of clubs, proving how poor he really was.

Thankfully, the Gers are in a different era now and can look to the future with hope that the manager will make genuinely exciting signings who will not only contribute effectively but who can also be sold for a major profit.

Arsenal are a club on the rise, and while they might not necessarily win the Premier League this season, they are very much in the title race.

There are several factors behind the Gunners' resurgence over the last few years, but one of the most important has been their effectiveness in the transfer market.

While the jury is certainly still out on Kai Havertz, the majority of Mikel Arteta's recent signings have come good, including Declan Rice, the club's most expensive transfer ever.

However, it wasn't always this good for the north Londoners, as they have endured some dreadful transfer failures in the past and while former winger Gervinho might spring to mind for many of you, there is one player who is undoubtedly the club's worst signing ever.

Gervinho's time at Arsenal

The Gunners announced the £11m signing of Ivorian international Gervinho in July 2011, and at the time, as with most signings, there was some genuine excitement among the fans.

After all, here was a tricky forward who had just played an instrumental role in helping LOSC Lille win the league and cup double in France by scoring 18 goals and providing 11 assists in 50 appearances.

However, for whatever reason, his form fell off a cliff in England, and in his first season with Arsenal, he scored four goals and provided seven assists in 37 appearances, and in his second season he managed seven goals and five assists in 26 appearances.

Unsurprisingly, the misfiring forward wasn't given a third season to try and turn things around, as he was sold to AS Roma for £8m in August 2013, with Arsène Wenger later explaining, "I made that decision [to sell Gervinho] because he looked to play with a lack of confidence, especially at the Emirates."

Now, for as poor as Gervinho was during his time in the red and white of Arsenal, there was another uber-talented Ivorian winger who would join the club for a lot more money and end up being much more of a disappointment, Nicolas Pepe.

Arsenal's record-breaker

Arsenal signed the then highly-rated Pepe from Ligue 1 side Lille for a club record fee of £72m, and while there were some raised eyebrows at the time, there was an equal amount of excitement due to his performance in France the season prior, with talent scout Jacek Kulig claiming he "destroyed Ligue 1."

In his 38 league appearances for Les Dogues, the Ivorian international scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.15 games, and some of his highlights were genuinely spectacular to watch.

However, unfortunately for the Arsenal faithful, they never really got to see any of those highlights in real life.

As he failed to adjust to life in the Premier League, his price tag – and wages – soon became the only topic of conversation related to him.

In his first two seasons at the club, he was on a weekly wage of £100k, before then getting £140k-per-week in his third season.

Three weeks into his fourth season as an Arsenal player, he went on loan to Nice, where he took a 25% pay cut, the Gunners paid 25% – £35k a week – and the French side paid the other 50%.

Once he returned to north London, he was back on his full £140k-a-week wage for the six weeks before his contract was terminated, and he finally joined Turkish side Trabzonspor for free.

How much Nicolas Pepe Cost Arsenal
Transfer Fee	£72m
Weekly wage at Arsenal Season 1-2	£100k
Weekly wage at Arsenal Season 3	£140k
Weekly wage at Nice	£35k
Wage total	£21m
Combined cost over four years	£93m
Cost per Goal	£3.4m
Cost per Goal Involvement	£1.9m

In total, his wage packet for the four years he was an Arsenal player ultimately came to around £21m, which, combined with his £72m transfer fee, means he cost the Gunners a grand total of £93m for a return of just 27 goals and 21 assists in 112 appearances.

Essentially, the club paid £3.4m per goal or £1.9m per goal involvement – talk about value for money.

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Ultimately, while there were the odd glimpses of brilliance here and there, the fact that he cost the club such an astronomical amount of money and did very little to leave a lasting impression, he has to be considered the worst transfer in Arsenal history.

Essex 179 for 5 (Browne 61) trail Kent 387 (Kuhn 140, Robinson 78, Porter 4-107) by 208 runs Nick Browne collected the 39th fifty of his first-class career but the Essex opener couldn’t prevent Kent from maintaining their advantage in their Bob Willis Trophy contest.Browne laboured against a consistent Kent bowling attack as he attempted to provide a backbone to the Essex innings.He needed 139 balls to reach his half-century, but was dismissed for 61 – with only Varun Chopra also passing 30 so far in Essex’s first innings of 179 for 5.The visitors ended the day with a lead of 208, having posted a first-innings score of 387, with Marcus O’Riordan claiming his first two first-class wickets and Darren Stevens his 518th and 519th.Kent had begun the day on 344 for 6, following a dominant opening to the newly formed, one-off, competition.Heino Kuhn led the way with an imperious 140 but instead of kicking on in the morning he was lbw to Jamie Porter to the second ball of the day – with Essex taking the second new ball overnight. It was Porter’s fourth wicket, as he ended with figures of 4 for 107.O’Riordan would preface his later bowling efforts with a gutsy unbeaten 42, which along with Matt Milnes’ 19, gave the away side some tail-end runs.Simon Harmer had gone wicketless in 26 overs on the first day – somewhat a of shock for the South African following his haul of 71 scalps last season which had made him the leading wicket-taker in the County Championship and contributed towards him being named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year.He only needed three balls to find his groove on day two, when Milnes top-edged a sweep to Porter at short fine leg, before finding Hamidullah Qadri’s leading edge soon after. Harmer had a helping hand in rounding off the innings, as he pouched a catch at second slip when Ivan Thomas edged Matt Quinn.Kent’s total of 387 was the highest at the Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford, by a county in red-ball cricket since May 2014 – when Leicestershire totted up 433.In reply, Sir Alastair Cook was leg before to Milnes in the ninth over.Stevens, aged 44 and playing in his 24th professional season, used his nous to find Tom Westley pushing to Kuhn at second slip as Essex faltered.Browne and Chopra then started to build the foundations for Essex, although on what had previously been a track easy to score on, they seemed to find scoring quickly difficult.The pair put on 79 for the third wicket in 27 overs, with Browne forced to take his time to reach his 50 in the face of miserly bowling from Milnes, Stevens, O’Riodran, Qadri and Grant Stewart.Chopra appeared on course to join Browne at the landmark, but handed off-spinner O’Riordan, on his second first-class appearance, his maiden professional wicket when he was bowled while attempting a paddle sweep.Feroze Khushi quickly handed O’Riordan his second but it was mainly down to Jordan Cox’s quick reactions at short leg.Browne’s vigil was ended when he slashed at a wide delivery from Stevens outside his off-stump, only to play onto his own stumps.Adam Wheater and Ryan ten Doeschate made sure Essex didn’t lose any further wickets before the close, but the 2019 County Champions remain firmly behind in the match.

India ended the Kenyan fairy tale, Sourav Ganguly leading the way with an unbeaten ton

Anand Vasu14-May-2020India set up a much awaited final against Australia in the 2003 World Cup as it ended the Kenyan dream, brushing aside the minnows in a comprehensive 91-run semi final triumph at Kingsmead, Durban. It was a strong Indian contingent at Durban that held its breath willing away the rain as India scored 271/5 on a wicket that was far from ideal for batting and then dismissed the Kenyans for 179 in 46.2 overs.It was probably not the tough semi-final that the Indian think tank would have liked in the lead up to the big game against the Australians, who are so far unbeaten in this tournament. Sourav Ganguly can however take heart from the fact that the Indian side played strongly as a unit, stuck to the basics and made sure they controlled the flow of play right from the outset.The wide grin on Ganguly’s face when he won the toss was enough indication of the fact that the side winning the toss had an advantage. Quickly electing to bat first, Ganguly’s Indians made sure that they kept the Kenyan opening bowlers at bay.Moisture under the surface and clouds hovering menacingly around the ground meant that conditions did not make for big hitting. Realising this, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag tweaked their style of play. Sehwag left several deliveries alone that he would normally drive at, Tendulkar put his booming drives back in the cup board and the Indian openers put caution ahead of aggression.While the Kenyans did well enough to extract what life they could from the wicket, they still supplied Tendulkar and Sehwag with just enough loose deliveries to keep the run rate from dipping to an alarming low. An opening partnership of 74 ensured that India had the start they wanted. Even the fall of Sehwag (33) did not deter the Indians in undue fashion.Having got a good measure of the wicket, Tendulkar proceeded to milk the bowling, striking the loose balls to the fence, being especially severe on anything short of a length. With the ball not really coming onto the bat, Tendulkar checked his trademark booming drives and concentrated on low risk shots.The fact that he struck just four boundaries and one six in his 83 tells you how hard it was to go after the bowling. When he finally did fall, it was with a century well in his sights, pulling the off-spin off Steve Tikolo straight down the throat of the man on the leg side fence.Ganguly too began in most circumspect fashion. Once he got set however, there were few problems for the Indian captain. The advantage of being able to come down the wicket and loft the ball effortlessly helped Ganguly keep the run rate up at a healthy level.In his unbeaten knock of 111 (114 balls) Ganguly smote five boundaries and five cracking sixes – one of which went clean out of the ground. The spinners and pacemen alike came in for the treatment as the smile re-appeared on Ganguly’s face. The left-hander’s shot selection was spot on, with the exception of one across the line heave to a Collins Obuya googly.That blip apart, Ganguly’s innings was one that flowed well, peaking at the right time. When he walked down the wicket and launched Martin Suji into the stands at long on to reach three figures Ganguly brought up his third century of this World Cup, the 22nd of his career.Mohammad Kaif bustled about for 15 before he was run out and Yuvraj Singh (16) provided the impetus at the end of the innings to take the Indian total on to 270/4.The total was just too much for the Kenyans.With an eye on the clouds and a Duckworth/Lewis print out in his pocket, the Indian skipper urged his troops to get through the overs quickly. It seemed as though the Indians had a clear game plan as they used seam to knock out early wickets and supplemented it with plenty of spin from Harbhajan Singh and part time bowlers to save time.To kick things off the Indian seamers did a great job at the top, removing the first four Kenyan wickets with just 36 runs on the board.Bowling a probing line and length Zaheer Khan trapped Ravindu Shah plumb in front when the opener had scored a painful solitary run off 17 balls.Peter Ongondo, sent in as a pinch hitter hit Ashish Nehra straight to Zaheer Khan fora duck.Kennedy Otieno looked all at sea opening the innings and was struck on the helmet and body more than once as he handled the short stuff very awkwardly. He was finally put out of his misery in the 14th over, caught behind for 15 off a perfectly pitched Javagal Srinath delivery.Thomas Odoyo (7) and Maurice Odumbe (20) also fell as the Indians ran through over after over, reaching the all important 25-over mark with Kenya reeling on 82/5.The rain that was forecast failed to show up, apart from one slight drizzle and India made sure that there were no surprises as they qualified for their first World Cup final since 1983, where they beat the West Indies.Only Steve Tikolo (56) stayed at the wicket long enough to make a sizable score, but his was a case of too little too late. With no one to partner him, Tikolo’s runs bolster his average, but did nothing to change the result of the game.One over off Yuvraj Singh in particular got the Kenyan supporters to their feet as Tikolo smacked two sixes and a boundary in an over that yielded 21 runs.With the bulk of the job done early on however, Ganguly did not want to risk injury to any of his key bowlers and used his part time bowlers generously. While this extended the Kenyan innings to 46.2 overs, it did not get in the way of India registering an easy win.Zaheer Khan with (3/14) and Ashish Nehra (2/11) were the pick of the Indian bowlers.Australia are yet to lose a match this tournament, India have failed just once, against the Aussies. A country of a billion will be hoping that old scores will be settled as India lift the cup at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on the 23rd.