Brutal Mo hunts number one spot
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

World Champion Nour El Sherbini put on a masterclass of attacking squash earlier today at New York’s Grand Central Terminal to end a three-match losing streak against England’s Sarah-Jane Perry and book her place in the semi-finals of the 2020 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions.

It was also the end of the line for Welsh star Joel Makin, his straight-games defeat to a brutally effective Mohamed ElShorbagy ending British involvement in the tournament.

El Sherbini is appearing at just her second PSA event of the 2019-20 season after a knee injury, with her previous event seeing her capture a fourth World Championship triumph. The 24-year-old is also on the hunt for a fourth Tournament of Champions title, and she is now just one win away from a third successive ‘ToC’ final after beating Perry 11-7, 11-3, 11-8 in just 33 minutes.

The World No.2 has struggled against Perry in the past, with the English player winning four of the previous five matches, but it was all about El Sherbini at Grand Central today as the Egyptian attacked with gusto and dragged Perry into all four corners of the court to set up a semi-final fixture against New Zealand’s Joelle King.

“Losing once against any player is always hard, but losing three times is harder,” said El Sherbini. “Last season I wasn’t happy with the way I was playing and I played her three times and I lost three times. This time I was prepared well and I just wanted to come on and play good, enjoy more and I think I did a good plan with my coaches. I’m really glad it worked and happy that I won in three.

“SJ is very skilful and you can see that she can kill any shot from anywhere on the court. I was trying to take a step forward and be prepared for any shot she played and I’m happy that I’m playing loads better than yesterday and that gives me a huge push for tomorrow.”

King was in similarly impressive form as she overcame Egypt’s World No.14 Salma Hany, with the 31-year-old winning 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 to reach her second successive Tournament of Champions semi-final.

Hany caused one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far when she overcame World No.4 Nour El Tayeb in round three, but King executed her game plan to perfection as she nullified Hany’s attacking intent to secure her last four berth.

“It just feels really good to be on court and playing close to back to my best,” King said. “I just want to keep playing and what better way than to keep playing here in Grand Central, it’s one of the most amazing events in the whole world.”

Men’s World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy continued his 100 per cent record at this year’s tournament, with an 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 victory over World No.12 Joel Makin meaning he stays in with a chance of reclaiming the World No.1 spot, a year on from surrendering it to current incumbent Ali Farag.

If Farag loses in today’s semi-finals and ElShorbagy wins the tournament, ElShorbagy will claim top spot in the February PSA Men’s World Rankings and he moved to one win of a fourth Tournament of Champions final after a powerhouse performance against his Welsh opponent.

“Joel, for me, is the most improved player every year,” ElShorbagy said. “Every match he plays there is something new that he brings to his game and for me he is a top five player. He is one of the most hungry players that I have come across in my career.

“He’s actually the first training partner I’ve had, beside my brother, in my career. We get on really well and he has had a fantastic tournament.”

The men’s semi-finals will be an all-Egyptian affair for a second year in a row, with Gawad joining ElShorbagy, defending champion Farag and World Champion Tarek Momen in a last four in which every player has had their hands on the prestigious World Championship trophy.

Gawad and ElShorbagy will go head-to-head for a place in the title decider, with Gawad overcoming 2018 winner Simon Rösner in a scrappy 3-2 victory.

“I’m really happy to be through,” said Gawad, the 2017 ‘ToC’ champion. “Simon played really great squash today. He hit amazing winners from all corners today, I was under pressure for the whole match, and I really wanted to push and win today to reach the semi-finals. I’m glad I did and I’m glad I’m in the semi-finals and get to play in front of such a great crowd.”

The semi-finals begin today at 17:00 (GMT-5) and action will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only), the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour and mainstream broadcasters around the world including BT Sport and Sky Sport New Zealand.

2020 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, Grand Central Terminal, New York, USA.

Men’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half):
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [6] Simon Rösner (GER) 3-2: 6-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 (89m)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Joel Makin (WAL) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 (51m)

Men’s Semi-Finals:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [4] Tarek Momen (EGY)
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)

Women’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half):
[6] Joelle King (NZL) bt [14] Salma Hany (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (33m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [8] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-8 (33m)

Women’s Semi-Finals:
[5] Camille Serme (FRA) v [3] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
[6] Joelle King (NZL) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)  

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Wales centre Jamie Roberts has left Bath with immediate effect to join Super Rugby side Stormers.

Roberts was in his second season with Bath after joining from Harlequins, but will leave the Gallagher Premiership club to join the South African side, based in Cape Town.

The 33-year-old won the last of his 94 Wales caps in November 2017 against New Zealand.

Roberts also played three Tests on two British and Irish Lions tours.

Bath have signed Fiji centre Josh Matavesi from Newcastle Falcons to help plug the gap created by Roberts' departure.

Stormers say Roberts will also act as a mentor and has joined the side through the financial support of a corporate partner.

"While I am looking forward to wearing the shirt, my key drive is to perform on the pitch, win week, in week out and to help to drive success," said Roberts.

"[I have] toured South Africa with my school, sevens, club and Wales national team, then played in the 2009 British and Irish Lions series as a young player, which was a highlight in my career.

"It has long been a goal of mine to play in the southern hemisphere and I can not think of a better place to do so.

"This will also be a fantastic opportunity for me to help impart some knowledge and insight to the many talented youngsters that we have here."

The centre was named Lions man-of-the-series in South Africa in 2009 and scored a try in the victorious series decider against Australia in Sydney four years later.

Roberts had hoped to be selected by new Wales coach Wayne Pivac, but was not named in the 38-man squad for the 2020 Six Nations.

Stormers open their Super Rugby campaign on 1 February with a home match against Hurricanes. The South African side are captained by Springbok World Cup winning skipper Siya Kolisi.

WARRNAMBOOL, Australia – Giovanni Scelzi will not compete in the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic at Australia’s Premier Speedway as originally planned.

Scelzi, 18, was scheduled to compete in the event thanks to a partnership between American team owner and Indy Race Parts proprietor Bernie Stubegen and Australian Domain Ramsay.

However, in the wake of the announcement that Scelzi would drive in select sprint car events in America for Guy Forbrook, the deal for Scelzi to race in Australia fell through.

The upcoming season is expected to be a busy one for Scelzi. In addition to competing in between 20 to 25 410 sprint car races for Forbrook, Scelzi is also scheduled to compete for the ARCA Menards Series West title while driving for Bill McAnally Racing.

Despite Scelzi’s withdrawal from the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic, there are still a number of Americans on the entry list. Kyle Larson, Tim Shaffer, Tim Kaeding, Shane Stewart, Buddy Kofoid, Kalib Henry, Cory Eliason, Carson Macedo and McKenna Haase have all filed entries to compete.

Brooks Koepka’s rehabilitated left knee looked healthy Thursday at the Abu HSBC Championship.

So, too, did his game.

Playing his first event since October, the world No. 1 shot 6-under 66 and is two shots off the 18-hole lead at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

"It feels good to be back,"Koepka said after his round. "I drove it really well. Controlled the ball flight, controlled distances really well, and that's what you gotta to do out here."

Plagued by a bad knee last year, Koepka had stem cell treatment following the Tour Championship in August. He returned to competition two months later at the CJ Cup only to re-injure his patella tendon while slipping on concrete.

"In Korea I re-tore it, and the kneecap had moved into the fat pad," Koepka said prior to the start of this week’s event. "That's excruciating. It's a lot of pain. It's not fun."

His return to competition, however, was quite enjoyable. Beginning on the back nine, Koepka birdied his first hole of the year, the par-5 10^th. He then tallied three more over the final four holes of his outward half, including a chip-in at No. 17, to turn in 4-under 32.

Koepka added two more birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 to reach 6 under par through 12 holes. He then parred his final six holes, as the day wore on, for a 66.

"Usually, in the afternoon the wind picks up, and you kind of know that going in so when you do have a morning tee time you have to take advantage of it. And I did that today," Koepka said. "Hopefully tomorrow, the wind stays down. This golf course, with the wind, can be very difficult."

Koepka is tied for third place, alongside Australian Jason Scrivener. Italy’s Renato Paratore and South African Shaun Norris lead the way after a pair of 8-under 64s.

As for the knee Thursday and beyond?

"It feels fine. A little sore last night – just do some treatment on it. That's expected," Koepka said. "This is the first week I've walked 18 holes and I've done it three times already [including practice rounds]. It's a little tired."

Sporting CP coach Silas has said only a "catastrophe" would prevent Manchester United target Bruno Fernandes from missing Friday's league derby against Benfica.

Fernandes has agreed personal terms with United but the two clubs have yet to reach an agreement for the Sporting captain to move to Old Trafford.

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"The only certainty I have is that Bruno will be present," Silas said in Thursday's news conference when asked about Fridays game at the Jose Alvalade stadium. "We have prepared the game with him, he has trained very well, he is an extraordinary player, the best in the league.

"Only a catastrophe would see him miss this. He will be [there] as he always is."

Reports in Portugal suggest United will make a €70 million bid to Sporting for the Portugal international, who scored 31 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions for the Lisbon club last season.

"Bruno is not worth the money that is being said, he is worth a lot more," Silas said. "It's not just going forward but he also kills himself defending.

"I have no player that does what he does. When you have a player like him, it's normal that many people want him."

Asked what player Sporting would need to replace Fernandes, Silas said: "We would not need one player but three. One that scores goals, another one that organises the play and another who defends like he does.

"We would need to find alternative systems [tactics] in order to minimise losing Bruno. There is no player in Portugal that can replace him."

AMSTERDAM -- In the end, Sergino Dest's decision to represent the U.S. came down to two things: trust and loyalty. The sparkling Ajax right-back shut himself away from the noise as he weighed whether to play for the U.S., whom he'd represented through the various youth levels, or the Netherlands, the country of his birth. Amid the social media frenzy, Dest knew he'd made the right call.

"A lot of people only want you when it's going well," Dest told ESPN while sitting in the heart of Ajax's De Toekomst training base. "The USMNT helped me when it didn't go well, and I'm thankful for that. They helped me through hard times, and if they hadn't given me a chance, maybe I wouldn't be here now with Ajax. Maybe I'd never have reached this level."

But "this level" is only the beginning. The 19-year-old wants to make history with this promising generation of American players, including Christian Pulisic, and achieve a level of collective greatness never before seen in U.S. soccer.

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Dest is from the Snapchat generation that already sees email addresses as a relic. He uses his mother's account if he absolutely has to send anything. He lives with his parents -- his mother is Dutch, his father Surinamese-American -- and there are no signs of his young fame changing him. "I keep focused. I'm not a person who talks bulls--- to other guys," Dest said. "I don't look at others. I just focus on improving."

While weighing his decision, he transported himself back to his younger self, playing on the streets in Almere, a small, nature-filled city 23 miles from Amsterdam. He remembered a piece of advice that he has followed since he was a kid.

"There was this guy I played street soccer with, and one time he said to me, 'You never have to get stressed because if you get stressed, you're going to do weird things in soccer.' And that's what I always think about," he said. "Even now, if someone's trying to press me or run in behind me, I just think about it and have it in the back of my mind."

Dest's lack of stress is evident in his play. He brings a wonderful, youthful exuberance from the right-back position, but anchoring him is a combination of self-confidence, which leads him to try the remarkable over the rudimentary, and self-awareness, which helps him learn from his mistakes.

These "mistakes" are the memories he offers when talking about his 22 career appearances for Ajax. Playing in the Champions League and scoring his first goals for Ajax were great, of course, but when looking back at the whirlwind year, he remembers how he gave away a penalty against Willem II -- "I felt like it was the only option. I was running at a high speed, but I will be smarter in those situations in the future" -- and how against Heracles, he lost the ball on the halfway line, and Cyriel Dessers ran off to score. (Luckily, it didn't matter: The error came in the 90th minute, with Ajax 4-0 up.)

Dest also remembers those who laughed at him when he told them he was going to be in the 2% of prospects who make it into Ajax's first team. "Now I'm here, now everybody who laughed at me will say, 'Yeah, you're good bro ... how are you?' Everybody wants to be my friend again," he said. "But I know who were there in the hard times, and I keep them safe."

One such time came when the Netherlands turned their back on the young Dest.

"Every time I got to the [last round of selection] for the Netherlands youth team, I didn't make it," he said. "I was like 's---, s---, s---,' but my dad reminded me I also have an American passport."

Given that Dest visited America for the first time in 2014, that meant a step into the relative unknown.

Word of Dest reached U.S. Soccer via former U.S. Under-20 coach and Ajax player Dave van den Bergh, and the U.S. soon capped Dest at Under-17 level. He remembers fondly how he had limited English when he turned up to training camp at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, but the team helped him and encouraged him both on and off the field. Dest played his first minutes in October 2016 against Costa Rica but again came off despondent, convinced that he had ruined his only opportunity to progress with the U.S. But the coaches stuck by him and encouraged him.

"That's why I'm so thankful to the U.S.," he said. "They helped me in hard times."

Dest went on to represent the U.S. in the Under-17 World Cup and played a key role in last May's Under-20 World Cup. It was his early introduction to performing in front of big crowds, and he thinks it helped him bury any nerves ahead of his eventual Ajax first-team debut in the Johan Cruyff Shield win against PSV in front of 51,837 at Ajax's stadium.

The first two of Dest's three U.S. senior caps came in September 2019 against Mexico and Uruguay, but they were considered "friendlies," which meant Dest was still eligible for Netherlands selection had he wanted to switch. In October, he took a break from international football to make his long-term decision, and despite the flurry of rumours and counter-rumours, he trusted his instincts.

"My heart told me the U.S. was the best option for me," he said. "I was raised in the Netherlands. I love it here. But in life, you have to make difficult decisions. I felt the U.S. was the best option. I had played in their youth teams, and I feel at home there.

"It's not as if the U.S. is bad at soccer, either. They play in World Cups -- and against a lot of the same teams as the Netherlands."

Dest confirmed his decision on Oct. 28 and received some happy messages on Snapchat from U.S. teammates eager to congratulate him on his choice. He remembers that he later bumped into Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman after Ajax were knocked out of the Champions League to Valencia. Koeman smiled at Dest and wished him well. The young defender took it as a nod of approval, a message from an Ajax legend of the past to someone trying to emulate those who decorate the walls of the academy.

Ajax teach their academy players to attack space, play out from the back and trust both the system and the ethos instilled in the club dating to Johan Cruyff's time in the 1970s and '80s. Last season saw Ajax reach the Champions League semifinal and then lose their two brightest talents, Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong, to European powerhouses Juventus and Barcelona, respectively. As players leave, the club seeks to replace them from within their system, but such is their depth of promising talent that only roughly 2% transition from the academy to the first team. When Dest's summer holiday was cut short by Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag -- he had a 10-day break between the Under-20 World Cup and reporting for first-team training -- he grasped the opportunity.

"I had to stay focused -- I know I have potential -- but I needed that focus to achieve what I have. I believed in myself," Dest said. "When I got my chance with the first team, I knew it was all or nothing."

Life at Ajax moves quickly, with trust put in players sooner than at other top European teams. That might explain why no one bats an eye at Dest's career trajectory, having seen him sign his first professional contract in December 2018, make his first-team debut in August 2019, be at the centre of a tug-of-war between two countries and play in the Champions League at just 19 years old. They also encourage players to take ownership of decisions; when Dest wanted to leave their midseason training camp in Qatar due to the political tensions between Iran and the U.S., Ten Hag and Edwin Van der Sar respected his wish.

"I don't think it matters how old you are: I think it comes down to how many games you have played," Dest said.

Last year, Dest benefited from the wisdom of Winston Bogarde, the former Netherlands centre-back who is the Ajax reserve team's assistant manager. Now with the first team, it is Michael Reiziger, a 72-cap Netherlands defender who was part of Ajax's 1995 Champions League-winning team, keeping a close eye on Dest. Together, the pair have worked to hone his defensive positioning.

"All the faults in my career have made me who I am," Dest said. "You have to make mistakes to succeed, and that's the reason why I'm not scared to do anything or try anything, as if I make a mistake, I will learn from it. If I'm scared, I will never be able to improve or aim for something better."

Both Reiziger and Bogarde told Dest, "We don't have to help you a lot with attacking," and a quick glance across YouTube finds the Dest highlight reels glittering with darts down the right wing, ambitious passes and intentions to take on the man in front rather than choosing the safer pass around him. Dest joined Ajax as a winger but was shifted to right-back; his versatility is heaven-sent for the U.S. and their long-term aspirations.

The day after we spoke, Dest was crowned U.S. Soccer's Young Male Player of the Year for 2019. If he stays injury-free, he can comfortably play in three World Cups for the U.S., though their failure to qualify for the 2018 edition in Russia means he isn't looking any further ahead than booking a spot at Qatar 2022.

Again, Dest isn't concerned. He wants this generation of players with Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Josh Sargent (among others) to aim big. "I want us to write history. I want to do something with the U.S. team that nobody's ever done or achieved," he said.

"But nobody knows where I'm gonna stand in 10 years. Maybe it's down. Maybe it's up. You don't know, but it's nice to follow the path."

Adam Zampa wouldn't have imagined dismissing Virat Kohli in Mumbai - for the fourth time in ODIs - would be the talk of the town even in Rajkot. As he arrived for the pre-match press conference on Thursday, everyone wanted to know his approach and mindset while bowling to the top-ranked Test and ODI batsman.

"It's got to be an attacking approach," Zampa said. "I think if you're on the back foot and have a defensive mindset, then that's when he can get on top of you. The most important thing playing in places like India against these guys is to have a little bit of character. You probably know you're going to get hit for boundaries but it can really get worse if you make that affect you.

"Virat, I have got him a few times now but I don't think there is anything in it. He still scores at over 100 against me, he is a very hard guy to bowl to. There have been a couple of occasions where I have dismissed him. If you bowl a bad ball to him he can get on top of you but if you let that affect you it gets on top of you even more. He's one of the toughest guys I've ever had to bowl to. I think he will be even more switched on [Friday]. It's a big challenge."

Zampa had just been taken out of the attack in Mumbai when Kohli walked out at No. 4, but was brought back almost immediately to bowl along with Pat Cummins. After getting smashed for a six, Zampa took a sharp return catch with a tossed-up delivery and dismissed Kohli for the fourth time in 11 innings, joint-best with Suraj Randiv among spinners in ODIs. Zampa explained it was a part of Australia's plans to make Kohli face legspin early.

"We basically just find that Virat finds legspinners hard to line up early in his innings, to be honest," Zampa said. "He's such a great starter, even the other day he was 16 off 14 or whatever it was, how much energy he brought to the crease, his running between the wickets, some of the cover drives he played off the quicks. I think it's important to try and have a game plan to him, so we figured out for that last game that it would be good to start with legspin to him. It might be different next game."

The numbers back Zampa's statement. The perception of Kohli's apparent early weakness against legspin may have stemmed from the IPL in which he has been dismissed by googlies from Rashid Khan and Shreyas Gopal in the last couple of seasons.

Across white-ball cricket, IPL included, Kohli scores briskly against legspinners but is also most susceptible to them in his first 15 deliveries. Not only does his average dip against legspinners (34.3) compared to other spinners (70.30) and fast bowlers (47.60), his balls per dismissals ratio (27.30) is also the lowest against legspinners.

Kohli himself had praised Zampa prior to the series opener. He was asked about the threat Zampa could pose having done well during the course of Australia's 3-2 series win last year. At the time, Kohli said Zampa's "mindset" had impressed him.

"He was pretty good last time, when Australia played here," Kohli had said on Monday. "He was probably one bowler who had more belief than others. Throughout the game, even when he was hit for boundaries, he kept coming at the batsmen and try and get them out, which I think is important for a wristspinner. And his mindset was a standout for them in the last series. And he made those important breakthroughs in the games that they won after having lost two."

Zampa has gained much respect with his consistency in the BBL and for Australia in the last few years. He has expanded his repertoire and is Glenn Maxwell's "go to man" for the Melbourne Stars. With the delivery that got Kohli, Zampa showed he does not hold back to flight the ball even on smaller grounds in India, and he mixes things with pace variations that vary from 60 to 90-plus kmh in one over.

He often attacks the stumps to not give batsmen much room, throws in the odd wrong'un, and goes wide of the crease with his quicker deliveries to surprise batsmen further. Zampa said it was not easy to be a wristspinner in the middle overs, compared to T20s, which give you an extra fielder in the deep.

"One of the most important things I have always tried to do is have strong character," he said. "To be a wristspinner in one-day cricket in the middle overs is not easy at all. It's probably one of the hardest formats. At least in T20 cricket you have five guys out the whole time and you know that guys are going to attack you. That's fine. But one-day cricket is a whole different beast. From my point of view character is important."

Until now it was believed India had to mainly face a strong pace attack led by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, and now there is the added threat of a legspinner the hosts need to also take seriously.

Despite the discussion over reducing Test cricket from five days to four, Anil Kumble, former India captain and ICC cricket committee chairman, believes that the longest form of the game will continue to enjoy support in the playing community for lot longer than is being predicted.

Kumble was talking about the demands of the T20 age and the shifting of player priorities at an event in Bengaluru to launch former India Test opener and women's coach WV Raman's book The Winning Sixer: Leadership Lessons To Master.

Talking about leadership on a panel with Raman and TVS executive vice- president P Madhavan, Kumble said he did not believe player priorities had shifted dramatically despite the success of T20 franchise cricket.

"I don't think so. I think everybody wants to play Test cricket, that's very clear." The generation of cricketers, Kumble said, "certainly want five-day cricket and that's something very obvious… there is some challenge in keeping everyone focused and pushed towards playing domestic competition specially Ranji Trophy." He commended players returning to first-class cricket to find their feet in the game again, a practice he said needed to be encouraged.

A marked change in Indian cricket today he said was the palpable separation of the teams between formats, with very few being dead certainties across formats. In India, only captain Virat Kohli and in the recent past, opener Rohit Sharma and bowlers Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah have belonged to that list.

"Very few players are common to formats and it's getting lesser and lesser," Kumble said. "But I don't think there is any dearth of people wanting to play the longer format. I think everybody wants to, they realise that's the biggest challenge and I'm sure that's going to be the case for a long time."

Kumble's advice to the Gen Z cricketer was simple: to be aware that they cannot let their guard down at any time. "You just need to be at it. There are a lot more opportunities for you to come back so that's the one thing that is an advantage. To not look for anyone else to chart their careers out for them.

"One thing I would tell any youngster is don't look at somebody… Selectors are there to actually drop you, not pick you. Because you pick yourself. At the end of it, your performances count and then you certainly pick yourself. The selector or whoever is picking you is there to drop you not really to pick you… that I think one must be aware of."

Asked to name the single quality they look for in youngsters to judge whether they were in for the long haul, Raman said apart from talent itself, "a good indication is the pace at which a young player improves. Everything else is secondary." To Kumble it was, "I'd like to look at how he bounces back after failure. How he comes back from a bad game, how he comes out of it."

Kumble accepted that the demand on the modern player in India was both in terms of tougher competition and more intense scrutiny. "One failure and heavens come down on you, that's the part you need to be mature about handling. But you currently also have more opportunities to come back and show case your talent - in IPL or Ranji Trophy or any other format. It's understanding what roles you play." As for distractions Kumble said, while each era had its own share, dealing with it was the job of the player.

"Yes there is social media now, but even when we were playing you had everyone else who was an expert- of what I should be bowling and how I should be bowling and when I should be bowling, and per se on whether India should bat first or bowl first or which bowlers should bowl at what time, those comments were always there."

Despite the 24X7 visibility of social media he said, the player's response needed to be identical across generations, "Every generation just has to make sure that you stay away from all that and focus on all that you need to do, on that particular day and what your goal needs to be."

As for the heightened criticism from social media, Raman said players needed to adapt a "convenient memory." The players' job was "to try and be better than can, next time around. You don't sulk or get absolutely overjoyed. It's a case of having a convenient memory. Don't moan keep going, that's what happens in sport."

Mithali Raj, India women's ODI captain, has been downgraded to a Grade B central contract, while 15-year old Shafali Verma has become the youngest woman cricketer to break into BCCI's central contracts pool, for the 2019-20 season.

Mithali now joins fellow senior-member Jhulan Goswami in the 30-lakh retainer bracket after announcing her T20I retirement. However, both remain in the frame for the 50-over format with the next World Cup in New Zealand exactly 12 months away.

The annual retainers remain the same as in 2018-19, with those in Grade A - Harmanpreet Kaur, the T20I captain, Smriti Mandhana, T20I vice-captain, and Poonam Yadav - set to get INR 50 lakh.

Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav and wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia, who were given a Grade C contract (10 lakhs INR) for the previous year, earned a promotion to Grade B (worth INR 30 lakhs). Meanwhile, top-order batters Harleen Deol, Priya Punia and Verma were handed first-time contracts in Grade C. The only one missing out from the previous list altogether was Mona Meshram.

Verma's elevation to a BCCI central contract comes following a swift rise up the ranks. Having impressed with her ball-striking ability during the Women's T20 Challenge in May, she was handed an international debut during South Africa's tour of India in September.

She has since gone on to play in nine T20Is, hitting 222 runs including two half-centuries at a strike rate of 142.30. Verma recently impressed for India A during the tour of Australia, and remains in frame to be a regular opener, along with Mandhana, at the T20 World Cup in February-March.

Contracts list:

Grade A (INR 50 lakhs): Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Poonam Yadav

Grade B (INR 30 lakhs): Mithali Raj, Ekta Bisht, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Taniya Bhatia, Radha Yadav

Grade C (INR 10 lakhs): D Hemalatha, Anuja Patil, Veda Krishnamurthy, Mansi Joshi, Arundhati Reddy, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar, Harleen Deol, Priya Punia, Punam Raut, Shafali Verma

Sometimes you wonder if MS Dhoni just sits in his bat cave and lets out an evil smile watching fans discuss his future based on precious little information. If there is a cryptic throwaway line at a promotional event one day, there is the selectors writing him off on another day. If there is an interviewer quoting him from an off-the-record chat one day, it is the BCCI dropping him from the central contracts list another day.

This removal - from earning INR 5 crore a year to nothing - led to fresh speculation around Dhoni's playing future, making "#ThankYouDhoni" and "#MSDhoni" trend on Twitter in India. As if to tease them a little more, he trained with the Jharkhand Ranji Trophy team the same day in Ranchi. Expectedly, it was news that Dhoni was formally denied a retainer with the BCCI, but it really doesn't change where Dhoni stands vis-à-vis Indian cricket.

Coach Ravi Shastri's explanation in two interviews is as clear as it gets: Dhoni is done with Tests and ODIs, he is taking a well-earned break from competitive cricket, and if he does well in the IPL and feels he is fit enough to not be a burden on the Indian team, he can put his hat in the ring for the T20 World Cup in Australia in October. There are two filters here: Dhoni's internal one, and then the selectors and team management. Nothing about that changes with his name dropping out of the contracts list.

In fact - apart from missing communication to the fans - this is the best way the BCCI could have handled the situation. MSK Prasad, chairman of selectors, has maintained his committee has been looking beyond Dhoni post the World Cup. Nor has Dhoni forced them to look at him by playing domestic cricket. In these circumstances, it would actually have been controversial if Dhoni had indeed been given a contract, which is based on players' performance in the last year and the role they are expected to play in the coming year.

"In these circumstances, it would actually have been controversial if Dhoni had indeed been given a contract, which is based on players' performance in the last year and the role they are expected to play in the coming year."

The "year" for these purposes starts in October and ends in September. So even if Dhoni were to turn up straight for the World Cup, that will only have an impact on next year's contracts. However, if India do intend to pick Dhoni - and they value the experience, the match awareness, the on-field assistance he brings to the captain - for the World Cup, they might try him out in the Asia Cup before that. And if he does play there, he will get a contract just like how a debutant gets one.

From Dhoni's side, there hasn't been any suggestive interview or press conference or a planted story about any special training. Of course there is a question of what impact his shadow has on the youngsters trying to fill his boots. Would crowds still be chanting Dhoni's name at every keeping mistake and putting their own keeper Rishabh Pant under pressure if Dhoni had retired or made a public statement about his intent of deciding on his future after the IPL? From having been misunderstood early on in his career, Dhoni has learnt that silence is golden. When forced to speak, he has taken the piss with non-committal, self-contradictory statements so you can't pin him down to one particular stance.

From whatever coach Shastri, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and captain Virat Kohli have said on the record, this situation has been handled in a mature way. The team is preparing for the World Cup without keeping Dhoni in mind. If Dhoni has a great IPL, he makes himself available for selection and does so by fulfilling the criteria of having played competitive domestic cricket. It is up to the team management and the selectors then to decide if Pant or KL Rahul or Sanju Samson has already sealed that position. It will not be an easy decision, mind, knowing what high regard the team management holds Dhoni in. All you need is a selection committee that doesn't get swayed by the weight of the name or the team management.

(Not) knowing Dhoni, though, he might just go ahead and make an announcement the moment you begin to fully understand this situation.