MS Dhoni would readily step aside as the Indiacaptain if there was a suitable replacement available, the under-fire wicketkeeper-batsman said yesterday.
"It's not something I want to hold on to or stick on to. If there's a better replacement, it's a very open thing, he can come in," Dhoni told a news conference on the eve of India's first Twenty20 international against Australia today.
"At the end of the day, you want India to perform. If there is someone who can do a better job, then it's a place that should be given to him. It's not something you have to cling on to," he said.
Under Dhoni, India won the Twenty20 and 50-over World Cups in 2007 and 2011 respectively and became the top-ranked Test nation before the team's spectacular decline started in England last year.
The team lost the Test series 4-0, and further humiliation awaited them in Australia, where they succumbed to their second successive whitewash abroad.
Dhoni missed the last Test in Adelaide, having incurred a one-match ban for the team's slow over rate in Perth, but his leadership was criticised in the 4-0 series loss in Australia.
Dhoni did not endear himself to the fans and former cricketers either by hinting he might quit Tests to focus on the 2015 World Cup.
"I definitely feel that Dhoni does not enjoy Test cricket," his former captain Sourav Ganguly recently told Aaj Tak channel.
"His performance in Test and one-day cricket are poles apart and by making such a statement, he has also perhaps explained his complete disinterest in the longer format of the game," Ganguly added.
While one wicketkeeper says he would be prepared to relinquish the captaincy, another, Brad Haddin, claims he has been dropped by Australia, not rested.
Haddin was omitted from Australia's one-day squad in favour of Matthew Wade for the first three matches of the limited-overs tri-series against India and Sri Lanka, with John Inverarity, the chairman of selectors, saying the Test stumper was being rested after a heavy Test schedule.
But Haddin told Sky Sports Radio yesterday that he had been dropped and may never get his spot back.
The 34 year old said if Wade takes his chance in the opening matches of the tri-series, which starts on Sunday, he could be kept out of the team for good.
"I think any time you're out of the Australian cricket team I think you're dropped," Haddin said.
"You give another guy an opportunity to take your spot and you've got to look if they do well, you could find it hard to get back in the team. But that's the way it is and I've just got to deal with that and make sure I'm ready to play."
Haddin has been under pressure all summer over his performances at Test level and Wade has been touted as his likely replacement.
Wade will also play in the two Twenty20s against India, and Haddin said he understood the need to give his deputy a proper taste of international cricket.
But he said: "If you give your spot up and someone does well you've got no right just to walk straight back in."
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FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
The Two Popes
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Four out of five stars
Key facilities
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- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
