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Liverpool are now reportedly racing to sign a £100m star who’s already been the subject of several enquiries in the January transfer window.

Slot admits Liverpool's attacking struggles "obvious"

After breaking their transfer record twice to welcome Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, Liverpool’s attacking problems are now “obvious” for all to see, according to Arne Slot.

The Reds have gone from free-flowing but extremely vulnerable to defensively compact, yet incredibly slow going the other way. They’re simply yet to find the perfect middle ground which saw them lift the Premier League title last season.

Having his say on his side’s current form, which has seen them go seven games unbeaten, Slot told reporters: “Yeah, although the margins are small so that could have influenced us having three, four, five, six more points maybe.

“But from open play, from where we are, when I look at Arsenal, I look at City and I look at us, it’s fair that we are not above them.

“That we are so many points behind them, there are reasons for that but it wouldn’t be fair if we were above them for the way we have played.

“I think it is clear and obvious that we hardly concede chances any more… but for me it is also clear and obvious that we find it quite hard to generate enough chances for all the ball possession we have and that is not new for us this season.”

The truth of Liverpool’s recent run was exposed against Leeds United last time out, when they struggled to create and settled for a 0-0 draw at Anfield. It was a contrast of the days of old in Merseyside and Slot must find a solution, be it internally or through the transfer market.

Liverpool racing to sign Baleba with Brighton response given

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool have now joined the race to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton & Hove Albion this month.

The midfield star has already been the subject of several enquiries this month, but it seems as though the Seagulls are ready to turn down any potential approaches midway through the campaign.

Related Edwards sends Liverpool officials to join race for "fantastic" starlet this week

He’s a wanted man.

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Reportedly valued at around £100m by those in Sussex, Liverpool would have to splash out another hefty fee if they were to step up their chase to sign Baleba. The question, therefore, is whether the 21-year-old would be worth what could be a hectic chase.

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After Alan Shearer dubbed him “wonderful” last season, it would be easy to assume that Liverpool should go all out for Baleba. But his form has complicated things this season.

Baleba in the Premier League per 90

24/25

25/26

Minutes

2,661

896

Progressive Passes

3.99

2.4

Tackles Won

1.55

1

Ball Recoveries

6.66

5.10

Whilst there’s still a long season ahead, Baleba’s numbers have plummeted in every department in the current campaign and that’s something Liverpool should be wary of. The last thing they need is for another big-money signing to struggle.

‘If you just look to survive there will be a ball that gets you out’ © Getty Images

Apart from a lot of sweating and snake-spotting, England weren’t ableto ascertain too much from their opening warm-up match at the ColomboCricket Club. The bowlers toiled with little reward on a dead pitchwhile the batsmen enjoyed a succession of misleadingly unchallenginginnings. Nevertheless, for Alastair Cook, who top-scored with 63before retiring at the lunch break, the chance to build an inningsover the course of two-and-a-half hours was not to be sniffed at.For Cook, however, the more significant cricket took place not inColombo, but in Brisbane and Hobart, where he watched with interestthe success enjoyed by Australia’s domineering batsmen, not least hisfellow left-hander, Mike Hussey, who racked up hundreds in the firstinnings of each Test. Australia lost only 11 wickets out of a possible40 en route to a 2-0 series victory, and Cook believes that thepositive mindset they demonstrated – and the knock-on effect it willhave on Sri Lanka’s morale – is something that England have tocapitalise on in the course of the next month.”Obviously we don’t know what these wickets will be like, but we sawhow aggressively [Australia] played, and we know that you’ve got to bepositive and look to score,” said Cook. “On those wickets you couldprobably hit through the ball more, but if you just look to survivethere will be a ball that gets you out.” With that in mind, he’sdetermined to master the sweep – a shot that was his undoing onseveral occasions in the summer. “I’ve been working quite hard on thatas a gameplan B, and if I have to resort to it, I will.”Muttiah Muralitharan, who needs just five more wickets to overhaulShane Warne’s record tally of 708, is likely to be the target of thatstrategy. Few people, Cook included, doubt that the record will fallat some stage this series, but in Australia Murali managed just fourwickets at exactly 100 apiece. It’s proof that the man is notinvincible, and Cook believes that the experience he gained fromfacing Sri Lanka in 2006 will help him go some way towards emulatingthat success.”He’s a good bowler but picking him is the key,” said Cook. “Towardsthe end of the series in England I was picking him more and more, andif you can pick him and survive defensively, rather than defending andthinking you’re going to get out, it gives you a base to work from. Icertainly can’t score as quickly as the Aussies did, but we’ll just dothe normal stuff like rotating the strike and playing from the other end.”The strike rotation will be especially important now that England havesettled on their new left-hand right-hand combination – the firstthey’ve used since Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick were aregular partnership from 2002 to 2004. There is more than a decade’sdifference between the ages of Cook (22) and Vaughan (33), but theyounger man is more than happy to have acquired such an experiencedsidekick – even if it means he’ll have to take first strike for thefirst time in his career.

‘Icertainly can’t score as quickly as the Aussies did, but we’ll just dothe normal stuff like rotating the strike’

“Vaughany’s a good man to bat with,” said Cook, after the pair had puton 77 in their first outing of the tour. “He’s a serious player who’sseen a lot in his career. He’s been here [to Sri Lanka] twice and heis quite good technically at picking out something that you’re notquite doing right – just one word and he reminds you of your basicskills. It worked well yesterday, and hopefully that’s just a goodstart.”He looks after a lot of the players in his own way,” said Cook.”He’ll wander over for a chat, and make sure everyone’s alright. Andwhen he’s playing he just checks up on you, because his game is quitebasic in terms of how he thinks about batting, and he relates that tothe way we bat. If your head’s falling over, for instance – simplethings that when you’re in the heat of the battle you forget about.That’s what I picked up from batting with him.”Vaughan’s batting looked to be back to its sublime best during thehome series against India, most notably during his century at TrentBridge, and he was once again full of attacking intent during hisbrisk innings of 38 on Thursday. By and large, however, Cook is awarethat he and his new partner tend to bat at the same tempo – much as heand the out-of-favour Andrew Strauss did during their summerpartnerships.”We’ll just look to get the side off to a good start in the mostnatural way we can,” said Cook. “It’s vital that we bat well togetherbecause we want to keep as many wickets as we can against the newball. That means it’s more overs that Murali has to bowl. The lastthing we want is to be four or five-down when he comes on.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Muttiah Muralitharan spun Sri Lanka to a big win © Getty Images

Muttiah Muralitharan was the ringmaster, claiming his ninth ten-wicket haul of the year, as Sri Lanka wrapped a series-levelling 217-run victory just before tea on day four at the Basin Reserve. Only Daniel Vettori (51) and James Franklin (44) provided substantial resistance as New Zealand, set a towering 504 run target, were bowled out for 286 in 85.1 overs.Muralitharan wrapped up an incredible year with 6 for 87, completing a match analysis of 10 for 118, the fifth time he has taken ten-fors in his last six Test matches. His latest haul, achieved on a slow and drying pitch, left him with 90 wickets from 11 Tests during the calendar year: an amazing performance even by Muralitharan’s prolific standards. Murali now has a 10-wicket match-haul against each of the Test playing nations,Sri Lanka’s discovery of the series, Chamara Silva, was rightly adjudged the Man of the Match for his superb comeback from a pair in Christchurch, scoring 61 and 152 not out. Mahela Jayawardene hailed his performance afterwards: “There were some brilliant performances, including Sanga’s hundred, Malinga’s bowling in the first innings and Murali, but Chamara’s batting in this game was magnificent. He showed immense character to comeback in the way he did after a pair in the first Test.” Stephen Fleming admitted that his team had been thoroughly outplayed, identifying “the unorthodox nature of the Sri Lanka attack” as the key problem for his team.New Zealand, starting the day on 75 for 2, survived the best part of an hour without losing a wicket as Stephen Fleming (27) and Matthew Sinclair (37) played themselves in diligently against Chaminda Vaas and Muralitharan. But the first change in the bowling brought instant success as Fleming was sucked into a loose drive to Lasith Malinga’s second ball of the day and was caught behind.Thereafter, the wickets fell in a slow drip. No New Zealand top order batsman passed fifty in the match and there were no substantial partnerships. Sri Lanka’s ground fielding was a little ragged, but their bowling was gun-barrel accurate and Jayawardene was always asking different questions with his innovative fields. Behind the stumps, Kumar Sangakkara chirped away happily.Sinclair was the next to go and the first of Muralitharan’s scalps, deceived by a perfectly pitched doosra that caught the outside edge and carried low to Jayawardene’s left at slip. After 33 balls of defiance, Nathan Astle was trapped lbw to Muralitharan for the third time in the series, pinned to his back foot by a quick 95kmh delivery that still spun sharply.The Sri Lankans were now in full chorus, sensing the start of New Zealand’s final slide. Vaas returned to the attack – with Sangakkara standing up to the stumps – and Jacob Oram, handicapped by his thigh injury, was somewhat predictably trapped lbw, stumbling across his stumps. Sri Lanka then rounded off a good morning’s work with the wicket of Brendon McCullum, who chopped on having been surprised by Muralitharan’s extravagant turn from around the wicket.Sri Lanka were frustrated after the interval by a 96-run stand between Vettori and Franklin. Both players had moments of good fortune, most notably Vettori who was bowled by a glorious Malinga yorker that was harshly called a no ball and later cracked on the wrist by a brutish lifter, but they battled hard and showed the kind of application that was missing in New Zealand’s top order.But Muralitharan, shortly after Vettori became the first New Zealander to pass fifty in the match, finally broke through in the second hour of the afternoon with a doosra. Vettori missed the change in action and padded away only to see the ball pitch and straighten. Franklin then tried to raise the tempo, lofting one huge six off Muralitharan over mid-wicket, but the innings was soon wrapped up with Shane Bond nicking behind and Franklin hoisting a catch into the deep.

David Shepherd: honorary life member © Pinnacle Photo Agency

David Shepherd, who last season retired from international umpiring, has been awarded Honorary Life Membership of MCC – the guardian of the Lawsof the game.Shepherd made an immense contribution to cricket, first as a player with Gloucestershire and, more recently, as an umpire who stood in 92 Test matches and172 one-day internationals – including three successive World Cup Finals between 1996 and 2003.”I am honoured and delighted to have been given lifetime membership of MCC,” said Shepherd. “It has capped a truly memorable year for me. I have many cherished memories from my career as both a player and umpire, and standing in a World Cup Final at Lord’s – the `home of cricket’ – is right up thereamongst them.”Lord’s is a wonderful ground and I look forward to returning there, as an MCC LifeMember, for many seasons to come.”Roger Knight, MCC’s secretary & chief executive, said: “It is fitting that MCC, as the guardian of the Laws of the game, should recognise David Shepherd’s immense contribution to cricket. No one could have done more to uphold the Laws and Spirit of Cricket than `Shep’ – a much respected umpire whose levels of performance and consistency were of the very highest class.”We are delighted that David has accepted our offer of Honorary Life Membership ofthe Club and I look forward to welcoming him back to Lord’s once the new seasonhas started.” Other Honorary Life Members of MCC include Sir Garfield Sobers, Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Botham, Henry Olonga and Dickie Bird.David Shepherd began his 40-year cricketing career in 1965, as a middle-order batsman with Gloucestershire, and became a first-class umpire in 1981. He retired from the elite panel of international umpires almost 25 years later – in July 2005 – after the England v Australia NatWest Challenge match at The Oval.

Shoaib Akhtar and Justin Langer in the heat of the battle at Melbourne. Who will win the next round at Sydney?© Getty Images

Bob Woolmer has suggested that Ricky Ponting’s unfavourable remarks against Shoaib Akhtar might just backfire on Australia in the third Test, which starts at Sydney on January 2.Responding to Ponting’s comments that Akhtar should have shown more aggression in the Australian second innings, Woolmer told : “He [Akhtar] is the one bowler that the Australian batsmen know can decimate them by his pace. We have to remember that, and I’m happy that Ricky is stirring him up. I think it’s good.”Shoaib showed a lot of guts during the game and at a particular stage he was just shattered, basically. He bowled more than he normally does because there were so few bowlers available. He gave it his all for a little bit, and then I think he was probably just tired. To criticise Shoaib is a little bit unfair, but Ponting is entitled to his opinion.”Woolmer reckoned that Akhtar was suffering from a lack of support at the other end. “Most fast bowlers hunt in pairs and when one part of the pair is gone it’s very difficult to expect one person to shoulder everything," Woolmer said, referring to Sami’s heel injury which severely hampered him during the second innings. "That’s why I think Shoaib should develop a short run-up and generate the same sort of pace. Running in so far, you are not going to be able to come back easily unless you’re a triathlete and you have that sort of fitness. Shoaib has been working very hard on this trip, and he needs a partner.”Akhtar bowled at only around 137 kmph as Australia easily chased the 126 they needed for victory, and Ponting later questioned his half-hearted attitude, saying: "I would have been very disappointed if I was the captain and that was my bowler running in and bowling like that."Justin Langer then joined in the debate, hinting that Akhtar didn’t go full pelt in that innings: “I don’t know whether he had niggles or was still tired from the first innings or they would save him up for Sydney. But Sydney comes and the series is over.”If we had got into a similar situation we would have had a red-hot dip to make it as hard as possible for them to score 125,” Langer stated, adding, “I am not saying they did not do that, but just by looking at Shoaib’s body language, it was different to every time I had played against him. From that point of view I am really surprised.”

When you approached the Chinnaswamy Stadium from the south in the afternoon, you saw a sea of people dressed in white – sporting bright green scarves – milling around Mahatma Gandhi Park. They were farmers protesting against the SM Krishna government’s “anti-farmer” policies, though you could also glimpse the odd billboard that said, very dramatically, “Kill the WTO”. While the fat cats in their Saville Row suits divide up the world-trade pie in Cancun, the little man’s voice continues to be heard above the din the world over.One or two of the younger ones seemed a little bored, glancing wistfully in the direction of the stadium. The older bunch contented themselves with peanuts and snoozing, interrupted by the sporadic slogan. In any event, the atmosphere there was a great deal more lively than what you found inside the stadium itself.The smattering of supporters were spread over three stands, and they roused themselves only when a certain Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar started putting bat to ball after a hesitant start. There was also applause for Wasim Jaffer, who started off-driving like a dream, and then went for one too many. The main topic of discussion in the stands then was the “no-ball” with which Lakshmipathy Balaji had made a mess of Tendulkar’s stumps. More than the five wickets he took, bowling with great verve, accuracy and discipline, it was that delivery that made the spectators sit up and take notice of Balaji – who is a far better bowler than his one-day debut against West Indies suggested.Zaheer Khan, by contrast, was all over the place. It should surprise no-one that the key performers in this match were all part of the India A team that toured England. While their senior colleagues appeared woefully short of match practice – even Tendulkar was a pale shadow of his usually authoritative self – the likes of Balaji, Rohan Gavaskar, Sridharan Sriram and Irfan Pathan were in fine fettle. So much for those who write off the Challenger as a waste of time. Imagine India’s plight if its finest had gone into the series against New Zealand on the back of just one Irani Trophy game.The other welcome thing about today was the absence of the M word, Munaf to those of you that have been deprived of news over the past fortnight. If you read some of the reports, you might have been convinced that Munaf Patel was a combination of Dennis Lillee, Jesus Christ, Moses and Harry Houdini, the “secret weapon” who would irreparably scar the Australian psyche this winter.Did we miss something? Munaf has yet to play a first-class game, and already the hype machine suggests that he’s the man to stymie Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist, who only comprise the best batting line-up on the planet. Figures like 150 kmph – only Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar clock that with any consistency – are freely bandied about. But who has put a radar gun on him? The media?To add some weight to flimsy arguments, they quote his coaches at MRF, who are hardly likely to give him anything but favourable press, come to think of it. You can almost understand why Sourav Ganguly, who knows a thing or two about earning the India cap, brushed off the hullabaloo by saying that it would be best to wait until he had actually shown his stuff in the middle. Like some of us, he can remember names like Iqbal Siddiqui and Tinu Yohannan, who aren’t even Challengers anymore. Munaf should forget about the elevator and take the stairs just like everyone else. The thing is, men like Aavishkar Salvi, Balaji and Pathan are already a couple of flights ahead.
Munaf Patel – The whirlwind from Gujarat

Queensland’s bowlers have continued to maintain an advantage for their team through the second session of play of today’s National Under-19 Championship Final against New South Wales in Newcastle. By tea on the match’s opening day, the Blues have been reduced to a score of 7/155 at the Number 1 Sportsground.The New South Welshmen had resumed after lunch at a score of 4/57 and matters weren’t quick to improve.Only another 12 runs had been added to the total when Brett Eriksson (2) brushed at a ball aimed at his hip by paceman John Loader (2/27) to feather a low, leg side catch to wicketkeeper Murray Bragg.Steve Karam (29) had been playing a brave innings in the circumstances but was soon forced to join the growing list of casualties in the pavilion when he outside edged a delivery of excellent length from Loader to present Bragg with his third dismissal of the innings.All-rounder Brad Roworth (37) opted upon a different approach, sensibly interspersing defence with some terrific attacking strokes whenever the bowlers erred in line. Several meaty shots featured in a 40-ball innings which yielded the top individual score of the day, none better than a gloriously struck six over square leg shortly after the drinks break.But the counter-attack came to a disappointing end as well, when he was deceived by a flighted delivery from off spinner Aaron Maynard and drove a catch to Queensland captain Craig Phillipson at extra cover.The Queenslanders were cock-a-hoop by this stage and visions of back-to-back titles were coming sharply into focus.It was only when Daniel Christian (24*) and Gary Geise (12*) combined in a gritty unbroken stand for the eighth wicket in the lead-up to tea that the Blues’ fortunes genuinely took a turn for the better.

ScorecardFile photo – Rahul Shukla took his second five-for in first-class cricket•BCCI

Seamer Rahul Shukla’s six-wicket haul helped Jharkhand shoot out Tripura for 166 in 55 overs.Electing to field in Agartala, Jharkhand reduced Tripura to 46 for 3, Shukla bowling Arindam Das and Udiyan Bose. There was hardly any partnership of significance, as Shukla & co. kept striking at regular intervals; the hosts slumped ot 81 for 6 and 130 for 8 before Parvinder Singh, who top-scored with 66, put on 31 runs with Tushar Saha.Parvinder was the ninth batsman to be dismissed, as he was caught behind, off Shukla, by Sumit Kumar, who finished with five catches.Jharkhand replied solidly, despite losing opener Sumit Kumar in the sixth over.
ScorecardOpener Prashant Chopra’s second century in three matches helped Himachal Pradesh reach a strong position at the end of the first day in Rajkot.The visitors got off to a strong start after opting to bat, as Chopra and Ankush Bains, who made 47, raised 120 for the opening wicket. After Jaydev Unadkat bowled Bains, Chopra, along with Ankit Kalsi, added 81 runs. Saurashtra sent back Kalsi and Paras Dogra to have the visitors three down for 237, but Chopra, who remained unbeaten, shared an unbroken 73-run alliance with Robin Bist to take Himachal Pradesh’s total past 300.The hosts’ bowlers had a tough time, with four of them conceding more than four runs an over.
ScorecardSoumik Chatterjee’s fifth first-class century put Services in a strong position after they were inserted by Hyderabad at the Palam A Ground in Delhi.Openers Chatterjee and Anshul Gupta put on 108 before Gupta was caught behind by Sumanth off left-arm seamer Chama Milind. Milind then removed Amit Pachhara and Rajat Paliwal in quick succession to reduce Services to 134 for 3, but Chatterjee and Yashpal then shared an unbroken 110-run partnership to consolidate the hosts’ good start.
ScorecardHalf-centuries from VA Jagadeesh and Robert Fernandez helped Kerala finish the opening day on 224 for 5 against Goa in Porvorim.Opting to bat, Kerala enjoyed a decent start with openers Jagadeesh and debutant Mohammed Azharuddeen, who made 31, adding 57 before former Kerala seamer Prasanth Parameswaran trapped Azharuddeen lbw.After Shadab Jakati bowled Rohan Prem, Jagadeesh and Sachin Baby steadied things. But, the visitors slumped from 139 for 2 to 147 for 5 in the space of five overs, with offspinner Amit Yadav accounting for Jagadeesh and captain Sanju Samson.Kerala, however, were rescued by Robert Fernandez, who remained unbeaten on 51, and Akshay Kodoth, who shared an unbroken 77-run stand.

Antonio Conte will be wanting to see his Tottenham Hotspur side build on their triumph at the weekend when they head north to face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fifth round this evening.

It presents the final opportunity for the Italian stalwart to seal some instant silverware on his long-awaited return to England after he replaced Nuno Santo in the Spurs dugout back in November.

Indeed, the Lilywhites have suffered a trophy drought since 2008, whilst Conte picked up his last piece of glory only last season, where he led Inter Milan to their first Scudetto in over a decade.

Daniel Levy and co will be hoping he can make a similar sort of impact at Hotspur Way and a trip to the Riverside to face a Championship outfit presents the perfect opportunity to move one step closer with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

As such, it will be interesting to see what sort of side Conte will name against Boro as several of Spurs’ key stars have been ever-presence since his arrival and some could ultimately do with a rest – a place in the top four is still a target and there are tricky games on the horizon, including one against a direct rival in Manchester United.

One player who has been handed a lifeline under the 52-year-old is Harry Winks, who was once one of Mauricio Pochettino’s most trusted lieutenants in the engine room.

Under former manager Jose Mourinho and then Nuno, the England international sunk down the pecking order and as such, his involvement with Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions also dwindled.

And whilst he has looked shades of his former self with Conte at the helm, the 26-year-old maestro isn’t the sort of player that will last long-term, so it could prove to be a pretty pointless experiment to continue to play him.

“Harry has the profile of the perfect midfield player,” once claimed Pochettino (via the Evening Standard). “His characteristics are perfect. When we talk about midfielders like Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta, he’s like this type of player.”

Well, since those comments in September 2018, that just hasn’t been the case. Take this season, for instance, only two players to have started eight or more league games have averaged a worse seasonal rating than him, as per WhoScored.

Evidently a good passer of the ball (89.7% career passing accuracy), the £15.3m-rated midfielder does little else in the engine room, averaging only 0.9 tackles and 0.8 key passes per game this term, so he’s rarely having an influence at either end of the pitch.

If Rodrigo Bentancur or Oliver Skipp are fit, then he’d have no place in the starting XI anyway.

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Meanwhile, this sort of encounter could be a good chance for Conte to take a look at alternatives and perhaps players who are likely to be here for the longer term, such as Alfie Devine or Harvey White, both of whom have impressed in the U23 ranks.

Therefore, the Spurs head coach must be ruthless and axe the £91k-per-week star, starting with tonight’s FA Cup clash against Boro.

AND in other news, Paratici can kickstart Spurs summer rebuild with £30m “machine”, Conte badly needs him…

In a jovial press conference in his hometown of Ranchi, MS Dhoni joked about retirement questions, the absence of the helicopter shot, and perceived lack of batting opportunities for Yuvraj Singh, but on a serious note promised more of batting experiments like the promotion of Hardik Pandya. India beat Sri Lanka comfortably by 69 runs to square the three-match series, and Pandya hit 27 off 12 balls when sent in to bat at the score of 127 for 3 in the 15th over.Dhoni was at his best when trying to explain the absence of the helicopter shot through analogies. First, he said a helicopter cannot fly in a submarine under water. The point was he was not getting the ball to hit that helicopter shot.”If they bowl me bouncers, the only way I can play the helicopter shot is if I stand on a stool,” Dhoni said.Dhoni was more serious with Pandya’s batting slot in this match. “It was an opportunity for him to see international cricket closely,” Dhoni said. “This is what he is known for. He can go in and play the big shots straightaway. So in the coming games whenever we give some opportunity, we would like to give every player some kind of batting so that going into the T20 World Cup, everyone has some kind of exposure when it comes to batting.”Bowling, everyone gets a chance to bowl. A lot of times you always experiment with bowling. What happens with batting is that you want to win games and you also want to give an individual a fair amount of time in the middle. It does not always go with the plan. Definitely in the coming games, if there is a chance of exposing someone to this kind of an exposure so that going into the T20 World Cup they know what their roles and responsibilities are.”Dhoni was back to joking momentarily when asked why Yuvraj was not getting a permanent slot. “Nobody thinks about me,” he said. “I also keep going up and down.”It is a sensitive topic with Indian fans so Dhoni immediately went back to being serious. “But yes you are right,” he said. “When a match starts, Yuvi is slotted in at No 5. It is difficult to get him to bat at a higher position than that. Because the top four – the openers, No. 3 is Virat Kohli, No. 4 is Suresh Raina. If you look at these four, their record in India and overseas is extraordinary. It becomes slightly difficult.”Yes Yuvraj Singh is back in the team. We wish to give him more batting. But at the same time, since I have played with Yuvi a lot, I know it is difficult for him to go and straightaway start hitting in the 17th or 18th over. He’s like a proper batsman who can hit.”Okay, he can start early. Whenever he bats in the slog, he has found it difficult. We’ll see how it goes. I will try to give him more opportunity in the upcoming games. But again we want to win games. That will also be our priority. We will see how it goes.”