LONDON -- If Novak Djokovic wins the ATP Finals for the sixth time next weekend, he will equal a record held by Roger Federer. Depending on the performances of Rafael Nadal over the coming eight days, it could also secure the year-end world No. 1 ranking for the sixth time, which would equal the record held by Pete Sampras. When he won Wimbledon in the summer to claim his 16th Grand Slam title, Djokovic said his main goal is to chase down and overhaul Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (19) at the top of the list of all-time Grand Slam winners. To Djokovic, just like to all great champions, records matter. Given his record in London, where he has won four of his five ATP Finals titles, Djokovic looks hugely confident and is likely to take some stopping once again. The winner of the Paris Masters last weekend, he kicked off his title bid in London's O2 on Sunday with an ultra-confident 6-2, 6-1 victory over Matteo Berrettini of Italy in his first round-robin match. In an era when Federer and Nadal have achieved as much as they have, it is incredible to think that Djokovic could end up with more Grand Slam titles than them both. At 32, he is healthy and as fit as ever, and if he stays away from injuries, he will surely have many opportunities to add to his Grand Slam total and perhaps overtake the other two.

Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Email 14 Nov, 2019 Simon Cambers LONDON -- It is about half an hour by public transportation from London's O2, the venue for this week's ATP Finals, to Sloane Square in trendy central London. For many years, Andy Murray would have been at the O2 in mid-November, battling it out in the season-ending event, a title he won in 2016. On Tuesday, though, he was in the latter, launching a new range of clothing with one of his sponsors, and seemingly, just fine about it all. "I actually haven't watched a ball," he said with a smile. That might change as the week goes on, for Murray is as much a tennis addict as any of the top players. But while Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal scrap it out to be world No. 1 at the end of the year, the 32-year-old Murray has been focusing on family, fresh from the birth of his third child, and first son, Teddy. "It's been good," he told a small group of reporters. "It's just busy. We've got three [children] under 4 now, and two dogs, so you've got to keep an eye out all the time, but it's been good, sleeping fine. Everyone's healthy." Murray said his wife, Kim, chose the name Teddy, but the middle name is Barron just like Murray himself. "I don't actually love the name," he said. "[But] my Dad's middle name was Barron, his dad was Barron, my granddad's dad [was Barron] so I kept that. But Teddy, my wife liked that so she chose it."

Madrid is hosting the first revamped Davis Cup finals at La Caja Magica, the current venue for the Madrid Open. Francis Tsang/Cover/Getty Images Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Email 8:24 PM Peter BodoESPN.com Staff Writer The year in men's pro tennis will end on a compelling note, as the remade Davis Cup takes place next week in Madrid. We're about to see if the risky makeover will cure the ills of this historic, 119-year-old competition, or if the International Tennis Federation, which owns and promotes the Davis Cup, is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Here are some FAQs for those who aren't sure why this drastic revision happened and those who wonder what to expect next week. Why did the ITF change the competition? Some top players, including John McEnroe, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick, were always prepared to drop everything when asked to play for their country -- especially when their home nation was potentially competitive. Others, who saw no path to winning, were less enamored. The defunct traditional format, which required the two finalist nations to be available for as many as four weeks of play staggered throughout the year on an already loaded calendar, alienated a growing number of elite players. Revenues from the overwhelming majority of ties we

In a recent chat with ESPNcricinfo, Mayank Agarwal said that, at some point a couple of years ago, he had grown tired of getting 20s and 30s. To get better at converting starts, he worked with his coach to break innings down into phases - the start, for instance, or the period once he's settled - and developed patterns for each of them. The transformation into a game suited for huge runs stemmed from that simplistic-sounding solution. But perhaps not even he could have imagined he could, once again, come close to batting as dominantly in Tests as he had during the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season, in which he famously made 1000 runs in a month. After just his fifth Test innings at home, Agarwal has three hundreds, two of them double-hundreds, and 583 runs at 116.60. After three fifties overseas without going past the 70s, he's made centuries each time he's reached 50 in this home season. The hardwired ability to convert starts has resurfaced. "I think it goes down for me at least, to understanding that there have been times where I've not got runs," Agarwal said at his press conference at the end of the second day's play in Indore. "So I must respect the game, that I am batting well. When I am doing that I need to make sure that I make it big and put the team in the driver's seat or put it in such a position that we cannot lose from there. "So I think that becomes key. Knowing that you are batting well, and you've got your hundred, you've got to make sure - it's on you to take the team ahead."

Similarly, Boult earned an extra INR 1 crore in an all-cash deal, since Mumbai Indians paid INR 3.2 crores for him compared to Capitals' original outlay of INR 2.2 crores for him in 2018. Markande, the least experienced of the three, got the biggest raise among them, of INR 1.8 crores. His new franchise Royals paid INR 2 crores for him, after the double-trade from Mumbai, who paid INR 20 lakhs for him in 2018. Mumbai first traded him to Capitals, who then passed him on to Royals. There were a total of 11 trades this time before the upcoming auction. The most high-profile one, apart from Rahane's, was of R Ashwin, who led Kings XI during the last two seasons and moved to the Capitals, who paid his 2018 hammer price of INR 7.6 crore. As part of the exchange, Capitals traded Karnataka spinner J Suchith to Kings XI for just INR 20 lakhs. As part of the Rahane trade, the Royals got a pair of legspinners for a total of INR 5 crores: Rahul Tewatia (3 crores) and Markande (2 crores). During the trade, Markande also became the first player in the IPL to be traded twice between two seasons. He was in fact the first trade after Capitals bought him from defending champions Mumbai. In return, Mumbai bought West Indies allrounder Sherfane Rutherford (INR 2 crore in the 2018 auction) from Capitals.

Opening batsman Shubman Gill talks about the best cricketer he has played against, the music he likes, and what Virat Kohli is like in the dressing room How do you stay cool mentally when preparing for international cricket? You can do that only by keeping those things aside that you cannot control. And try to focus on things that you can control. You look comfortable against fast bowling. How do you prepare for that? It's very important to play one ball at a time, and not think too far ahead. The fastest bowler you've faced so far? Billy Stanlake in the IPL. Who's the best non-Indian cricketer you've played with or against so far? AB de Villiers What is Virat Kohli like in the dressing room, compared to how competitive he is on the field? He is a very fun-loving and light-hearted guy. How will he react if you offer him the Punjabi food you've grown up eating, like chhole bhature? I'm not even going to try. What kind of music do you listen to? I like listening to hip-hop and rap. Bands like The Weeknd. Do you have a favourite sportsperson outside cricket? Yeah, many. I like Neymar Jr a lot. What will you ask him if you find yourself in an elevator with him? I'll just ask him how he trains. One thing you d

Mayank Agarwal is never in two minds. It shows whenever he charges at a bowler. His mind is set on getting a boundary and he will have it no matter what. It was Bangladesh's job to sow doubts into that line of thinking but by the end of the day they were left wondering if they were good enough. The India opener amassed 243 runs all by himself to power India into a commanding lead in Indore. Agarwal has other shots. His drives, for example, are vivid. But nothing showcases his high backlift and a happy-go-lucky approach as well as when he runs at the bowler. He chose to do that nine times through the course of his innings, and failed to find the boundary only once. So confident was he with this tactic that he used it to get to his double-century.

Ajinkya Rahane, Trent Boult and Mayank Markande have all got a raise in the IPL by being traded to other franchises before the 2020 auction next month. Rahane earned an extra INR 1.25 crores as he was picked for INR 5.25 crores by his new franchise Delhi Capitals, compared to the INR 4 crores Rajasthan Royals had paid for him in the 2018 auction. ESPNcricinfo Ltd Similarly, Boult earned an extra INR 1 crore in an all-cash deal, since Mumbai Indians paid INR 3.2 crores for him compared to Capitals' original outlay of INR 2.2 crores for him in 2018. Markande, the least experienced of the three, got the biggest raise among them, of INR 1.8 crores. His new franchise Royals paid INR 2 crores for him, after the double-trade from Mumbai, who paid INR 20 lakhs for him in 2018. Mumbai first traded him to Capitals, who then passed him on to Royals. There were a total of 11 trades this time before the upcoming auction. The most high-profile one, apart from Rahane's, was of R Ashwin, who led Kings XI during the last two seasons and moved to the Capitals, who paid his 2018 hammer price of INR 7.6 crore. As part of the exchange, Capitals traded Karnataka spinner J Suchith to Kings XI for just INR 20 lakhs. As part of the Rahane trade, the Royals got a pair of legspinners for a total of INR 5 crores: Rahul Tewatia (3 crores) and Markande (2 crores). During the trade, Markande also became the first player in the IPL to be traded twice between two seasons. He was in fact the first trade after Capitals bought him from defending champions Mumbai. In return, Mumbai bought West Indies allrounder Sherfane Rutherford (INR 2 crore in the 2018 auction) from Capitals.

play Domingo: We need structural changes to become a strong Test team (4:47) Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Email 10:13 PM Mohammad Isam in Indore Abu Jayed is one wicket away from becoming the first Bangladeshi fast bowler to take a Test-match five-wicket haul more than six years. Should it arrive, that landmark might be the only solace for a team that was bowled out for 150 on the first day, and has conceded 407 runs in 88 overs on the second day. Jayed has already removed Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, and could have completed the five-for had Imrul Kayes held on to a simple catch in the slips off Mayank Agarwal's edge on the first evening. Jayed, though, is no stranger to catches being dropped off his bowling, having struggled with the same problem in New Zealand earlier this year. Slip catching off pace bowlers is just one of the minor issues Bangladesh have to grapple with. The bigger picture is the near-eradication of pace bowlers from their Test cricket. Pace bowling is on the wane in Bangladesh in recent years, especially thanks to former head coach Chandika Hathurusingha's insistence on crumbling, slow and turning pitches at home since the 2016 England series. It has meant that on more than one occasion, the Bangladesh team management has gone for an all-spin attack. Pace bowlers have been continually short-changed in domestic cricket too. Jayed, as a result, is one among a group of pace bowlers who are currently living an endangered life in Bangladesh cricket. They have to sit out long periods in the home season, before being asked to burst through experienced batting line-ups in overseas Tests. The fact that Jayed became only the second bowler to remove Rohit, Kohli and Pujara in the same innings is a testament to his effort and accuracy with the new and semi-new ball, which has come from years spent in the domestic circuit's longer format. In the last five years, he is one of only two pace bowlers to take more than 100 first-class wickets in Bangladesh, and has 140 at 30.89. Farhad Reza, with 137 wickets at 24.63, is the other. Jayed has also revived Sylhet Division's bowling attack, and they are probably the only domestic side in Bangladesh that relies more on pace bowlers than spinners, especially after the recent emergence of Ebadat Hossain and Khaled Ahmed. Jayed is still in his early days in international cricket, but given the dearth of long-format pace bowlers, he has already become a leading bowler in coach Russell Domingo's eyes. "We think he is a really good Test bowler," Domingo said. "He has consistent lines and lengths. He bowled really well in this game. I have read a few articles where it was written that he hasn't picked up wickets in the domestic system, but we think he is one of our leading Test bowlers, and he will have a big role. He is definitely a guy we need to back."

In a recent chat with ESPNcricinfo, Mayank Agarwal said that, at some point a couple of years ago, he had grown tired of getting 20s and 30s. To get better at converting starts, he worked with his coach to break innings down into phases - the start, for instance, or the period once he's settled - and developed patterns for each of them. The transformation into a game suited for huge runs stemmed from that simplistic-sounding solution. But perhaps not even he could have imagined he could, once again, come close to batting as dominantly in Tests as he had during the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season, in which he famously made 1000 runs in a month. After just his fifth Test innings at home, Agarwal has three hundreds, two of them double-hundreds, and 583 runs at 116.60. After three fifties overseas without going past the 70s, he's made centuries each time he's reached 50 in this home season. The hardwired ability to convert starts has resurfaced. "I think it goes down for me at least, to understanding that there have been times where I've not got runs," Agarwal said at his press conference at the end of the second day's play in Indore. "So I must respect the game, that I am batting well. When I am doing that I need to make sure that I make it big and put the team in the driver's seat or put it in such a position that we cannot lose from there. "So I think that becomes key. Knowing that you are batting well, and you've got your hundred, you've got to make sure - it's on you to take the team ahead."

India 493 for 6 (Agarwal 243, Rahane 86, Jadeja 60*, Pujara 54, Jayed 4-108)lead Bangladesh 150 by 343 runs Mayank Agarwal is never in two minds. It shows whenever he charges at a bowler. His mind is set on getting a boundary and he will have it no matter what. It was Bangladesh's job to sow doubts into that line of thinking but by the end of the day they were left wondering if they were good enough. The India opener amassed 243 runs all by himself to power India into a commanding lead in Indore. Agarwal has other shots. His drives, for example, are vivid. But nothing showcases his high backlift and a happy-go-lucky approach as well as when he runs at the bowler. He chose to do that nine times through the course of his innings, and failed to find the boundary only once. So confident was he with this tactic that he used it to get to his double-century.

Chris Lynn (Kolkata Knight Riders), Jaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals) and Varun Chakravarthy (Kings XI Punjab), the three-most expensive buys at the last two IPL auctions, have been released by their respective franchises. Also back on the auction block is South Africa allrounder Chris Morris, who had been retained by Delhi Capitals before the 2018 auction but was released as the IPL trading window closed on Friday evening India time. Royal Challengers Bangalore released the most number of players (12) followed by the Knight Riders and the Royals (11 each), Mumbai Indians (10), the Capitals (nine), Kings XI (seven), Chennai Super Kings (six) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (five). Overall, Kings XI will have the fattest purse walking into the December 19 auction, to be held in Kolkata, with a kitty of INR 42.70 crore which they accumulated by shedding expensive buys from the last auction. This included Chakravarthy, the Tamil Nadu mystery spinner, who was the joint-most expensive pick along with Unadkat, at INR 8.4 cr, in the 2019 auction. Chakravarthy, who played just one game last IPL, was sidelined with an injury for the majority of this year, making it an easy decision for Kings XI to let him go. The Mohali-based franchise also released Australia quick Andre Tye, who recently picked an injury. Tye, one of the best death bowlers a few years ago, had struggled last IPL and had been bought by Kings XI in 2018 for INR 7.2 cr. The other expensive buys offloaded by Kings XI included England allrounder Sam Curran (7.2 cr in 2019) and young Punjab wicketkeeper-batsman Prabh Simran Singh (4.8 cr in 2019). Another significant release by Kings XI was South Africa batsman David Miller (3 cr in 2018), who had spent eight seasons at the franchise since 2012. However, diminishing returns from Miller are likely to have gone against him eventually.

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The adoption of the amendments proposed by the BCCI to its constitution would, if unchallenged, be tantamount to "ridiculing" of the Supreme Court and its endeavour over the past several years to introduce reforms in the richest and most powerful cricket board in the world. That's the opinion of Gopal Sankaranarayanan, secretary of the RM Lodha Committee, whose recommended reforms were approved by the Supreme Court on July 18, 2016. The Lodha Committee, appointed by the court in 2015, was headed by Lodha, a former Chief Justice of India, along with former Supreme Court Justices RV Raveendran and Ashok Bhan. ALSO READ: BCCI plans sweeping changes, Lodha reforms under threat Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Sankaranarayanan said he believed the highest court in the country still "had a role to play" in the issue and that the BCCI's proposed changes, if adopted, could be challenged by any member of the public. He did, however, concede that the court itself was partly to blame for gradually "diluting" the reforms it had first approved three years ago. Sankaranarayanan is the first person closely involved with the drafting of the reforms to react to the BCCI's proposals. Lodha, when contacted by this reporter on Monday, said he had stopped commenting on BCCI matters. The proposals to change the constitution came to light on Saturday, when the BCCI's new secretary, Jay Shah, circulated the agenda for the board's annual general meeting, to be held on December 1. The constitution, which had been registered in August 2018, had been drafted by the Committee of Administrators (CoA). "I would have of course wished the Supreme Court had not just kept changing its views and diluting the reforms more and more every time a new bench came to look at the matter because that is precisely what has happened"Gopal Sankaranarayanan The most radical amendments include altering the rules concerning the cooling-off period for office-bearers, relaxing various disqualification criteria and removing the need for any changes to the constitution to be approved by the Supreme Court. Adopting of the proposals, Sankaranarayanan said, would mean the reforms had ceased to exist. "If this is permitted to be done and if it remains unchallenged in court and the Supreme Court does not either have a challenge before it or it does not take up suo motu, it will mean ridiculing of the Supreme Court and everything that it did over the years," he said. "It will completely mean going back to square one as far as cricket administration and reforms are concerned. Most of the significant changes would have ceased to exist." তিনি উল্লেখ করেছিলেন যে বিসিসিআই তৎকালীন প্রধান বিচারপতি টি এস ঠাকুরের দেওয়া জুলাই মাসে প্রধান বিচারপতির পরে শীর্ষ আদালতের বিভিন্ন বেঞ্চ দ্বারা পুনর্গঠিত সংস্কারগুলিকে আরও ooিলা করার চেষ্টা করছে। "এটি সুপারিশ করে যে সুপ্রিম কোর্ট পদক্ষেপ নেওয়ার পরে তারা সংস্কারের বাকি অংশগুলি প্রায় পুরোপুরি কার্যকর করছে। তারা মনে করে যে সুপ্রিম কোর্ট বেশ কয়েক বছর ধরে স্টাফ দেখছে তার পরে কোনও প্রকার লাকুনা পিছনে থাকতে পারে। "তারা সম্ভবত চেষ্টা করতে পারে এবং তর্ক করতে পারে, 'দেখুন, সুপ্রিম কোর্ট আমাদের নিজস্ব সংবিধান সংশোধন করতে বাধা দেয় নি তাই আমরা এর সংশোধন করতে এবং এতে সব ধরণের পরিবর্তন আনতে সক্ষম হয়েছি।' এটি দেখার সরু পথ তারা এটিকে নিশ্চিত করবে যে সুপ্রিম কোর্ট নিজেই [মূল সংস্কার] অনেকটাই উল্টে দিয়েছে, যাতে পুরানো চক্রগুলি বৃহত্তরভাবে কাজ চালিয়ে যেতে পারে। "

Playing late, and close to the body, is the key to counter the pink ball - that's the early learning India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is taking back with him after training against the pink ball for the first time over the past few days. Rahane was part of a small bunch of players from the Indian Test squad, who practised with the pink ball at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru in the lead up to the Bangladesh Test series, which includes a day-night Test, the first for either team, in Kolkata from November 22. Not many top-drawer Indian players have actually played competitive cricket with the pink ball, which Rahane said was a "different ball game" from the red ball. "We had two good practice sessions, actually three or four but two in pink ball, one during the day and one under lights," Rahane said at a press conference in the lead up to the first Test in Indore. "It was actually exciting. It was the first time I played with pink ball, and definitely it's a different ball game as compared to red ball." ALSO READ: SG pink ball to be used for maiden day-night Test in India Along with Rahane, the others who were present at NCA were Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara among the batsmen, and Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja. The training sessions took place under the stewardship of NCA director of cricket, Rahul Dravid. "Our focus during the practice session was to look into the swing and seam, and also play close to our body," Rahane said. "What we found out after the practice session that the pink ball does a lot (more) than the red ball. We have to play slightly late and close to your body. We had word with Rahul bhai also as he was there. We had a very good practice session. Right now the focus is on the first Test match, the red SG ball." The Kolkata Test will also be the first time SG pink balls will be used at the highest level, making it a trial for the balls as well. Incidentally, the BCCI had preferred the Kookaburra in the Duleep Trophy, which has been played under lights in the last three seasons. Irrespective of the make, it will take some adjusting for the players to do, but Rahane was confident it wouldn't be a problem. "The lateral movement is big, actually a lot than the red ball," he said. "Adjustment-wise, I'm sure everyone will adjust very quickly. We are used to playing different formats - after T20s we play Tests. It's just the mindset, technical skills will play a role. Mentally if you can adjust to the pink ball, then it'll be good." Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in September, more than one prominent Indian domestic player had given the thumbs-down to the pink ball, with Faiz Fazal saying, "There was nothing for bowlers (with the pink ball)."