A formidable Indian team ticked all the boxes with ease as it completed a 3-0 rout of an out-of-sorts South Africa with an innings and 202 runs victory in the third and final Test here on Tuesday.
With another 120 points in the ongoing World Test Championship, India now sit pretty on top of the table with 240 points as the formalities were completed within the first two overs of the fourth day.
This was Virat Kohli's 11th series win as captain and the first clean sweep over the Proteas who were no match for the hosts. This was India's 11th successive series triumph on home soil.
The scoreline was not only an indicator of India's absolute dominance but also the decline in standard of South African cricket as the visitors couldn't handle the might of India's batting and the fiery pace attack led by Mohammed Shami (13 wickets in the series).
Debutant left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem (2/18 in 6 overs) wrapped it up in the second over of the day as South Africa were all out for 133 in their 

India complete formalities, blow away South Africa for 3-0 clean sweep

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The intent has always been honest and that precisely is the reason for the stupendous results that the Indian cricket team is currently delivering, skipper Virat Kohli said on Tuesday after a thumping 3-0 whitewash of South Africa.
India had two innings wins in three Test matches and have now won 11 successive series at home under Kohli's leadership.
"As long as we keep working with honest intent, those things will follow. We have wanted to be the best team in Test cricket, and as long as we compete, things will work out well for us," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
The best part about the win was taking the conditions out of equation, said Kohli.
"Amazing. You guys have seen how we're playing. Making things happen on pitches that don't seem to offer too much, is something we're very proud of," the skipper said.
While spinners got 34 wickets, the pacers, in conditions which were not exactly bowler-friendly, snared 26 scalps with Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami doing 

Till we work with honest intent, results will follow: Kohli

An exultant India coach Ravi Shastri on Tuesday said Rohit Sharma has shown himself to be of different class in the newly-acquired role of a Test opener, acclimatising exceptionally well to the challenges posed by the position.
India wrapped a 3-0 whitewash of South Africa by winning the third and final Test by an innings and 202 runs on the morning of day four here.
"Ajinkya Rahane was always there in the middle order, he only needed to rediscover, which he did himself. Rohit is different class. As an opener he needed to have a different mindset, he acclimatised. It was a difficult pitch to start with but usne jhela," Shastri told official broadcaster 'Star Sports' at the end of the match.
"He has it in him to be unfazed by difficult conditions. What he has done in this series is tremendous," he added.
Shastri lauded the mindset of the team, which he said, is never perturbed by the conditions it encounters whether at home or abroad.
"Our philosophy has been bhaad mein gaya pitch (to .

Shastri likens Indian batting to Ferrari, calls Rohit different class

India completed a 3-0 whitewash of South Africa with yet another comprehensive innings and 202 runs in the third and final Test here on Tuesday.
South Africa were all out for 132 in their second innings as the final two wickets taken by Shahbaz Nadeem fell without adding any runs to the overnight total.
South Africa were all out for 162 in the first innings after India declared at 497 for 9 in their first essay.
Mohammed Shami took 3 for 10 while Umesh Yadav and Nadeem finished with two wickets each.
Brief Scores: India 497/9 decl. South Africa 162 and 132 all-out.

India beat South Africa by an innings and 202 runs, complete 3-0 Whitewash

Cristiano Ronaldo reassured Juventus supporters and his legions of fans worldwide that at 34 he's not ready for retirement yet.
"Age is just a number. It does not mean that at 34, 35, 36 you are at the end of your career," Ronaldo said at a news conference ahead of Juventus' Champions League match against Lokomotiv Moscow on Tuesday.
"I can show that with my performances, how I play, the way I play, the way I still feel good, sharp, thinking about the game, more mature. This makes the difference."
In the second season of a four-year deal at Juventus, Ronaldo had sparked concern among his fans when he said in an interview published a few weeks ago that he was starting to enjoy seeing himself "outside of football, so who knows what will happen in the next year or two?"
Ronaldo recently scored his 700th goal as a professional while on international duty with Portugal and has been nominated for a record sixth Ballon d'Or award  which would break his tie of five with Lionel Messi.  But ...

Ronaldo not ready for retirement: 'Age is just a number'

Lionel Messi will have Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk as rivals for the 2019 Ballon d'Or award. But not Neymar.
When the long list of 30 candidates was announced Monday  in the city where Neymar has played for more than two years at Paris Saint-Germain  the Brazil star's name was missing from the nominations by a global voting panel of journalists.
Messi and Ronaldo's 10-year grip on the individual award organized by France Football magazine was broken by Luka Modric last December.
Modric is also absent one year after he swept the Ballon d'Or and FIFA best player awards after a stellar 2018 with Real Madrid and Croatia.
World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe is favored to add a Ballon d'Or to her FIFA award won last month.
The United States star is joined on a 20-woman list by teammates Tobin Heath and Alex Morgan. Defending her title is Ada Hegerberg, winner of the inaugural women's award, from Europe's dominant club team Lyon which has six nominees.
Neymar has twice placed third in ..

Messi faces Ronaldo, Van Dijk but no Neymar for Ballon d'Or

Italian coach Antonio Conte has made his "gentle giant" Romelu Lukaku the focus of Inter Milan's attack this season where the striker has found his scoring touch again after leaving Manchester United.
The Belgian got off the mark in his first league match against Lecce and has since scored five goals in eight Serie A games since departing Old Trafford under a cloud last summer.
The 26-year-old scored a brace last weekend against Sassuolo to keep Inter second in Serie A, one point behind defending champions Juventus, after eight games.
It followed his double as Belgium sealed their Euro 2020 ticket, extending his national all-time record to 51 goals in 83 appearances.
Conte's side host Group F leaders Borussia Dortmund in their third Champions League game on Wednesday having been held 1-1 to Slavia Prague and losing 2-1 to Barcelona, with Lukaku missing the trip to Spain with a thigh injury.
Inter gambled big by investing around 80 million euros (USD 89 million) in Lukaku to restore ...

'Gentle giant' Lukaku thriving at Inter Milan after Man United flop

Chelsea's young guns will test their run of form at one of the homes of youth development on Wednesday as they attempt to stop an Ajax team on course to replicate last season's thrilling Champions League run.
The Blues are on a five-match winning streak in all-competitions after beating Newcastle United 1-0 at the weekend but come up against the Group H leaders in Amsterdam Ajax are averaging over three goals a game at home and abroad and are hungry for European success after semi-final heartache last season.
Fikayo Tomori, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham all started Saturday's win at Stamford Bridge, the first time since 2013 five English players made the London club's starting XI.
They second on three points in Group H after a wobbly opening two games in the Champions League, with a pair of matches coming up against on-fire Ajax that could decide their European destiny.
"These two games against Ajax are really big because they're such a strong team ...

Rising Chelsea stars face acid test against youth kings Ajax

Barcelona will be looking to extend their five-game winning streak when they take on Champions League underdogs Slavia Prague in the teams' first-ever encounter in Prague on Wednesday.
Brushing aside political turmoil around them, Ernesto Valverde's men eased past Eibar 3-0 away on Saturday with goals from Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann.
Their fifth straight competitive win -- including a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in their last Champions League game -- took them to the top of La Liga a point ahead of Real Madrid.
Last week the two giants agreed to postpone the Clasico, which would have been a showdown for the top league spot, from next Saturday to December because of the protests in Catalonia.
In a much calmer Prague, reigning Czech champions Slavia came back from a goal down to see off minnows Pribram 3-1 on Saturday to secure a six-point lead in the Czech top flight.
With two games played, Barcelona are second in the Champions League Group F with four points ...

Barca seek sixth straight win at spirited Slavia

While Liverpool hope to have Mohamed Salah back alongside Sadio Mane in attack in time for Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Genk in Belgium, their opponents have their own African forward who is a superstar in his home country.
Mbwana Ally Samatta's 23 league goals last season helped fire the unfashionable club from an old mining hub in the Dutch-speaking north of Belgium to the league title and a return to Europe's leading club competition.
The 26-year-old then became the first Tanzanian to play in the Champions League and marked the occasion by scoring on an otherwise miserable night for Genk as they lost 6-2 in Salzburg in their Group E opener.
Since then they have held Napoli to a 0-0 draw at home, a result which gives an unfancied side hope they can spring a surprise against the reigning European champions.
"Some people thought it might be very difficult for us against Napoli but we could have won that game so we will see. We will give everything at home," said Genk ...

Tanzanian star Samatta has sights set on Liverpool as Salah fights for fitness

Arsenal slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United as Lys Mousset condemned the Gunners to their latest away-day flop on Monday.
Unai Emery's side are without an away Premier League win since the opening weekend of the season after failing to rise to the challenge posed by fired up United at Bramall Lane.
French forward Mousset, making his first Premier League start for United, punished poor Arsenal defending in the first half to score his second goal since signing from Bournemouth.
That was enough to send Arsenal crashing to just their second defeat of the season, ending an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
The north Londoners sit fifth in the league after a powder-puff performance that showed Emery's rebuilding job is still a work in progress.
Under Emery, Arsenal have kept just two clean sheets in 24 away league matches and once again they wilted too easily in a hostile environment.
This was a signature win for the Blades after last season's promotion and they sit 

Blades burst Arsenal bubble as Mousset strikes

Roger Federer opened his bid for a 10th title at the ATP Swiss indoors in Basel on Monday, crushing German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk in what was the Swiss legend's 1,500th career match.
This landmark 6-2 6-1 success in his hometown set the 38-year-old up for his tilt at a 103rd title.
"I thought the match was good," Federer said. "I felt a nice spring in my step. I was quick to the ball and it didn't take me long to get used to the conditions, that's positive. There is a danger in playing Peter indoors since he's already had two solid qualifying matches. He also serves great indoors. But I was able to control things."
Federer is defending the 2018 title at his hometown event. The victory improved his career record at the tournament to 72-9 and increased his Basel win streak to 21 straight matches.
Federer, who has made the Basel final on all of his last 12 visits, owns ATP titles this season in Dubai, Miami and Halle
The Monday rout took just 54 minutes with Federer forced to break ...

Federer celebrates 1,500th match with Basel breeze

Roger Federer praised Andy Murray's weekend Antwerp title just 10 months after the former number one underwent a hip resurfacing.
"Andy's achievement was great," Federer said after rolling through into the second round of the ATP Swiss Indoors in Basel.
"I was a little bit torn, since he beat (fellow Swiss) Stan (Wawrinka) in the final, but it was a great way for him to come back."
Federer said that Murray's perseverance to regain match fitness after his major surgery was admirable.
"He's been playing to try and get close to his old level," the 20-time Grand Slam winner added of Murray, who competed on the circuit for four straight weeks ending in Antwerp on Sunday.
"It's nice to see Andy healthy again. I remember in the locker room of the Australian Open (when a tearful Murray played in pain and lost in a five-set first round match in January). It was very confusing for him and for all of us. I'm extremely happy for him," Federer said.

Federer praises Murray's Antwerp comeback success

Legendary India opener Sunil Gavaskar praised India's speedsters Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav's lethal spells during the ongoing third Test which left the South African batsmen struggled to negotiate.
While Dean Elgar suffered from concussion, unable to evade an Umesh Yadav bouncer, the likes of Zubayr Hamza, Temba Bavuma wee beaten by sheer pace and the length that they bowled.
"Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav both had kept the situation under pressure with their bowling which meant the cricketers weren't getting runs easily," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
"Another thing, between the fifth and sixth wicket the playing they have done from a little ahead of good length because from there you can trick the cricketers as they don't know where to play  forward or backward."
VVS Laxman on his part was impressed with the speed that pacers generated.
"This match was happening in Ranchi, where fast bowlers cannot catch speed easily but yet their performance was commendable. The Indian team ..

SA batsmen didn't know whether to go forward or bckward against India pacers: Gavaskar

Sourav Ganguly has decided to felicitate the members of the Bangladesh squad that played their country's first-ever Test match against India in 2000, a game where the BCCI president-elect made his debut as Test captain.
The match that was held at Dhaka's Bangabandhu Stadium in November 2000, was start of a new era in Indian cricket with Ganguly taking charge of the Test team, having already led the team in the ODIs.
India won that match by nine wickets against Naimur Rahman Durjoy's team. The team had prominent players like future Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar, left-arm spinner Mohammed Rafique, pacer Hasibul Hossain Shanto, Akram Khan, Aminul Islam Bulbul.
The felicitation will happen during India's World Test Championship match against Bangaldesh at the Eden Gardens from November 22-26.
"We will invite all the players of that first Test match that Bangladesh played, it was against India. I will write to the Bangladesh Cricket Board and personally as BCCI president to the players 

Ganguly to invite members of Bangladesh's first-ever Test squad, PM Hasina to ring Eden Bell

Holders Bengaluru FC began their title defence with a goalless draw against a spirited NorthEast United FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Monday.
Debuts were handed out to several new signings, including Asamoah Gyan, Raphael Augusto and Ashique Kuruniyan but the teams couldn't be separated at the end the riveting contest.
Bengaluru got off the blocks quickly and pressed NorthEast high up the field.
Ashique announced his arrival with a trademark solo run from the left-back position in the 15th minute. The former FC Pune City player beat three players on his way into the box but shot wide of the mark.
NorthEast United were pinned to their own half in the early stages but were the first to have a shot on target. Collecting a layoff from Asamoah Gyan, Uruguayan Martin Chaves dribbled past Juanan and forced a diving save from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in the 21st minute.
A few minutes later, Raphael Augusto split the Highlanders' defence with an exquisite pass that released Udanta ..

Defending champs Bengaluru play goalless draw with NorthEast in ISL opener

Andy Murray has been selected for Britain's Davis Cup squad 24 hours after winning his first tournament since 2017.
Former world number one Murray clinched his first ATP Tour title for over two years on Sunday when he beat Stan Wawrinka in the European Open final in Antwerp.
It was only the sixth singles event the 32-year-old Scot has competed in since returning from the hip resurfacing operation he had in January.
GB captain Leon Smith on Monday named four of his five-man team, with two-time Wimbledon champion Murray alongside his brother Jamie, Dan Evans and Neal Skupski.
The group will compete in the new-format Davis Cup in Madrid next month as Murray looks to emulate his star role in Britain's 2015 victory in the competition.
"I'm delighted to name our first four players to represent GB for the Davis Cup Finals," Smith said.
"Dan is playing some of the best tennis of his career and firmly deserves his place back inside the world's Top 50.
"It's been absolutely fantastic to see ...

Murray in Britain's squad for Davis Cup

World number two Rafael Nadal has been named in the Spain squad for the Davis Cup finals in Madrid next month.
Nadal was included in a list of five Spanish players, with Roberto Bautista, Pablo Carreno, Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers also picked by coach Sergi Bruguera.
A wrist injury forced Nadal to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters three weeks ago and it remains to be seen whether the 19-time grand slam champion is fit enough to play.
World number 40 Fernando Verdasco said he was "very disappointed" to be left out.
"Very sad and disappointed not to be in the team of @CopaDavis and that the captain #SergiBruguera doesn't count on me," Verdasco wrote on Twitter.
"I was very excited to possibly play my last Davis Cup in my city (#Madrid). Thanks to all those that do believe in me!" The Davis Cup starts on November 18 at the Caja Magica and Spain have been draw alongside Russia and Croatia in Group B.
Controversial changes to the format of the 119-year-old tournament mean 18 ...

Nadal named in Spain squad for Davis Cup

Ashfaq Ahmed on Monday became the fourth United Arab Emirates cricketer suspended as part of an anti-corruption investigation.
Ahmed opened the batting in their first two matches at the T20 World Cup qualifying tournament. He scored four as UAE lost to Oman on Friday and three as they beat Ireland on Saturday.
He was not in the team on Monday as UAE beat Hong Kong by eight wickets.
"Further to the ongoing investigations led by the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit, Emirates Cricket Board has today provisionally suspended Ashfaq Ahmed with immediate effect," the UAE Cricket Board said in a statement.
They added that "no formal charges have been laid against the player, and the Board will wait for the conclusion of proceedings before making any further comment." Last Wednesday, captain Mohammed Naveed, batsman Shaiman Anwar and right-arm pace bowler Qadeer Ahmed were charged with corruption by the International Cricket Council.
The three players face a total of 12 counts of breaching the ...

Fourth UAE cricketer suspended for corruption

Two men have been arrested over alleged racist abuse that forced Saturday's FA Cup qualifier between Haringey Borough and Yeovil Town to be abandoned.
Haringey manager Tom Loizou said defender Coby Rowe suffered racial abuse while Cameroonian goalkeeper Douglas Pajetat was also spat at.
Metropolitan Police said on Monday that two men, aged 23 and 26, have been detained on suspicion of racially aggravated common assault.
Both sides left the field after 64 minutes when Rowe and Pajetat were abused shortly after Yeovil took a 1-0 lead.
The Football Association (FA) decided on Monday that the tie will be replayed on October 29.
"I was angry and upset, so wasn't really paying attention to what else was going on around me, then I felt someone pull me and it was my manager," Rowe told the Daily Mail.
"He said, 'We are all going off, we are not playing any more'. Yeovil agreed and we left the pitch as one."
Haringey, who play in the seventh tier Isthmian League Premier Division, and Yeovil, ..

Two arrested over racism that forced FA Cup match abandonment

World Championships silver medallist boxer Amit Panghal reached the quarterfinals at the 7th CISM World Military Games here on Monday.
Panghal beat Tunisia's Boughanmi Bilel 4-1 in the men's 52kg category as the boxers continued to impress.
Deepak beat Vietnam's Nguyen Linh Phung 5-0 in the men's 49 kg bout to make the last-eight stage.
Chirag won his bout 5-0 against Venezuela's Bonilla Jhoinen 5-0 in the 56 kg bout.
However, Sanjeet suffered a 0-5 defeat at the hands of China's Wang Zhibao in the 91kg super heavyweight round of 32 bout.
Earlier, Panghal had beaten Douglas Andrade of Brazil, while Chirag defeated Zambia's Katanga Christopher in their opening bouts.
India have sent a contingent of 54 participants across nine sports  archery, boxing, diving, modern pentathlon, shooting, track and field, gymnastics and tennis  in the competition.
India won six medals in the 2015 edition which was held in South Korea.
A total of 9,308 military personnel from 109 countries are competing ..

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