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On this week of Just Sports, our hosts Rahul Puri and Samar Khan are back with their weekly round of sporting reviews and trivia. The podcast begins with the duo appreciating the spectacular performance given by the Indian team in its latest test-match series, and talk about how the Blues have evolved into “something different and better.” Rahul emphasises that a lot of credit had to be given to Shastri and Kohli for “not allowing their heads to drop, and not allowing the team to feel that they were out of the scenes.” They talk about how Samar had predicted the meltdown of the Indian cricket team owing to its dependence on Virat Kohli as the sole chief scorer, but were pleasantly surprised by the perseverance of the other players in the test match that led to its victory despite two previous defeats in the series. Both of them expect the team to come back stronger in the upcoming matches. Moving on to football, both our hosts believe that Manchester United put up a decent enough show in spite of tailgating on its defeat to London-based club Tottenham. The Reds missed a lot of good chances, but this does not necessarily spell doom and gloom. The hosts added that the outcome of the match would have been different had Belgian Romelu Lukaku scored a goal. They discuss the drawbacks of Manchester United by remarking upon its need for a settled starting XI and a solid defence, among other things. The conversation then moves to the controversy surrounding Serena William’s catsuit which she wore at the French open claiming that it helped her with the issue of blood clots. Both our hosts found the decision to ban the outfit, pointless. The episode ends with the dup’s excitement about the US open which just recently kicked off, and which they are looking forward to discussing in upcoming podcasts.

On the occasion of India’s 72nd Independence Day, our host Rahul Puri and Samar khan cherish freedom—and talk about all the action that went down in the first week of the Barclay’s Premier League—on this episode of Just Sport. Diving head-first into conversation, the duo go on to discuss how ‘the now’ is an extremely early and premeditative time to draw any sort of conclusions regarding standings and performances in the league, but at the same time, indulge in healthy debate as to which of the two London super clubs—Chelsea or Tottenham—would make it to the top four. The two then move on to discuss the third India vs England Test match. Both Rahul and Samar are visibly disappointed with the Blues’ performance and despite their collective appreciation of Virat Kohli, they agree on how he should really work on improving and strengthening his captaincy. They also discuss the future of this Indian cricket team, as well as the return of Ben Stoke and what it means. Tune in for more.

With EPL and other European leagues just around the corner, Samar Khan and Rahul Purie begin on an optimistic note in this edition of Just Sports. Capturing the early enthusiasm, Rahul says that “this is the time when all football fans should be optimistic; we’re all starting off on zero points, so everybody can have some amount of optimism, even Manchester United.” Discussing player transfers before the English Premier League, Samar points out that the transfer window this year did not witness the ‘flurry of business’ that has been the norm. Rahul agrees, noting that “It’s been a strange one, but it’s also a function of where those big 5 or 6 English clubs are, where realistically, they all have very good squads and they really only need to add 1 or 2 players.” Changing track, both move on to talk about Manchester United’s prospects in the upcoming EPL. Samar asks Rahul whether he shares his doubt about the team’s manager, José Mourinho. “As a Manchested United fan, I’m really worried about the United season, purely because of the manager,” he says. Rahul agrees, observing that “If you look at the United squad, there’s nothing wrong with the squad…you’ve got magnificent options upfront, it’s just that the manager needs to know how to deploy them.” For more, listen in!

In this episode of Just Sports, Rahul Puri and Samar Khan discuss German player Mesut Ozil’s racism claims, the upcoming test series in England, India’s middle and top order, and the EPL transfer window. Rahul and Samar disagree slightly on whether there was weight behind Ozil’s claims of racism and disrespect. While both feel that the politics of Europe had a role to play here, Samar feels that Ozil was being somewhat of a “crybaby”, while Rahul thinks there were problems in the German squad as a whole, with Ozil being used as a “scapegoat”. They then give a recap of the transfer window, which is experiencing a bit of a lull currently, going into detail about the Eden Hazard deal. Next is a preview of the ongoing test series, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s injuries and what it means for India’s bowling, Virat Kohli as an X factor, and the batting order. For more, listen in!

Rahul Puri and Samar Khan are back after a short hiatus to discuss this week’s round-up of sports featuring everything from the recently-concluded World Cup to the new Wimbledon champion. Rahul and Samar open with a chat on the French football team. “If you objectively look at the squads even at the start of the tournament, theirs was the best squad out there," remarks Rahul. “In the game against Argentina and against Croatia, you saw all the attacking flair France has. When they needed to be very strong and very solid, they were absolutely that, in the quarter-finals and the semi-finals. We saw two sides of France, and that really makes them the deserved winners of the World Cup," he adds. They also discuss VARs, the first free-kick of the final, and the referee’s calls during the match. “At the end of the day, a bad decision like that can change the course of the match, and it changed the course of the match," feels Samar. Over to tennis, Rahul believes winning the Wimbledon title was like redemption for Novak Djokovic. “He’s also got age on his side, more than Federer and Nadal, so if he comes back, he could dominate for the next two or three years," comments Samar. For more, listen in!

Rahul Puri and Samar Khan discuss once again the vagaries of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2018. Speaking from London, Rahul reflects upon how the underdogs have broken into the quarter-finals in this edition of the World Cup after vanquishing their stronger opponents through extraordinary football and athletic grit. He thinks that even though the big players are expected to make it into the advanced stages, “it is the other side of the draw that I think has got a lot of the mystery about it.”  Samar observes that World Cups differ because they demonstrate “defensive mindsets” across teams: “There is not the attacking, free-flowing football that we’re used to seeing -- the kind of football people pay to see. Teams are actually slugging it out.” Rahul says that even though that might be true for the first two rounds of the group stage, he points out that “the second round has been full of goals, I think the last stages of the group stage was also full of goals.”  The two discuss questions surrounding the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) again with Rahul confronting Samar’s criticism that the technology is obstructive to the flow of the game. He argues that it has affected teams, who no longer get away with foul play. However, he says, “My only problem with VAR is: what about the times when it doesn’t seem like a very consistent system?” The big players are discussed at length in the podcast with the duo remarking how each of them can clinch the much-coveted trophy. “If I was a betting man,” Rahul says “I’d probably put my semi-finals as France-Belgium and Croatia-England. And I’m looking at France-England final.” “Well, I am a betting man, so that’s where the money is,” Samar shoots back.

Rahul Puri and Samar Khan bring you the first podcast since the FIFA World Cup 2018 kick-off. Samar begins with a remark, “It has been a crazy kind of a World Cup. It has been different from the others, it has been a li'l bit of a wake-up time for the big boys?!” Rahul agrees, “I don’t think anybody would’ve even picked the results that happened in the first round of matches. Argentina being held to a draw. Brazil being held to a draw. Germany losing to Mexico being the big shock in the World Cup...” Rahul observes that it has been a World Cup of penalties (fouls). Samar says, “The amount of penalties that have been given -- in a way it’s a good thing...in a way it’s a bad cup.” Rahul says, “It has been a fairly clean World Cup. The referees have been reluctant to hand out cards. We’ve only had one red card. Let’s face it, it was a stone-cold red.” The duo debates the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system that has seen differing opinions across the football spectrum. Comparing with the review system in cricket, Samar says, “In cricket, the team can ask for a review. Over here, the VAR is still pretty much in the grey area.” Rahul replies, “I, at the moment, can’t see how the system does anything to help the match.” He says, “The big problem with VAR is that I don’t think anybody quite knows how VAR can be used.” He also questions the use of VAR as the lack in clarity of assessing a situation whether it qualifies for it or not. Samar says, “The people who are monitoring the VAR are supposed to be referees. Now, if they are referees, then they should have the same rights as the on-field referee.” The duo proceeds to examine the performances of various teams and their key players.

This week’s Just Sports is all about the World Cup and football madness. Both Samar Khan and Rahul Puri feel this World Cup is quite different because don’t have Netherlands, US, Chile and Italy playing. Rahul thinks the “number of countries in the category of 'can win it' has been reduced by two”. Clearly, this World Cup is not about the old favourites. Samar says: “It’s quite an open World Cup with many teams. The bookmakers favourite is Brazil with Neymar, Coutinho and Gabriel Jesus. Brazil is the perennial favourite. But you cannot write off anyone this time. There is Germany, there is France.” Rahul agrees. He thinks the World Cup is quite open. Talking about Brazil, Rahul thinks it’s a “great offensive force” but he is sceptical that they would “play the most exciting football”. He thinks France is the most balanced side to watch out for. Rahul seems to agree: “They are a superb side, they have got goals, they have defensive solidity, midfield organisation and quality.”  But Rahul seems a little more sceptical than Samar since he thinks France can get “too defensive”. Both of them talk about critics view about “ageing players” in Germany’s team. Rahul thinks they have got the “temperament, they know how to grind off games, and they are in a crucial group”. Talking about England, Samar feels they are “a perennial hyped-up group” who have the players but don’t make it. Rahul differs from Samir’s assessment of talent in England’s team. He thinks this England team is not the best one compared to the ones they have sent for previous World Cups. Rahul strongly feels they won’t make it beyond quarterfinals. Talking of the “underdogs”, both think that Belgium is a strong challenger. Listen up.

Samar Khan and Rahul Puri discuss the latest happening from the world of sports. The discussion kicks-off with recently concluded Champions League finale in which Real Madrid beat Liverpool. Samar says, “The one thing that we have to give them is the fact that they are the three-time champions and that takes some doing.” Rahul says, “Especially in the second half, they were far away from the better side.” He adds, “Liverpool without Salah is just not the same attacking threat.” The duo also talks about Sergio Ramos’ charge on Salah that injured him and sent him off, retired hurt. Samar says, “Big moment in the game was actually Ramos’ challenge on Salah. Even though it was a mercenary challenge to try to bring a player down. It’s like Madrid will do anything to win!” Rahul answers, “The morning after I wanted somebody to kill Sergio Ramos frankly. But that’s the player he is.” “Sergio Ramos is a thug!" he says. “It was a completely professional foul. There was no doubt about it. He certainly wanted to bring Salah down. In a football match, when you bring somebody down, there is a chance that you can hurt them," he adds. Rahul says that the challenge that Zidane, the Real Madrid manager, faces now is that this isn’t a great Real Madrid side. He says, “Zidane knows that he has to make big changes.” The duo agrees that Zidane has achieved a phenomenal feat by winning the Champions League three times in a row. Rahul says, “There are only 3 or 4 managers that have ever won three European Cups. Period. Zidane has done it three times in a row!” Samar and Rahul speak about the Indian Premier League in which Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lifted the trophy after beating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Samar gives the maximum credit of CSK’s victory to its captain, MS Dhoni, to which Rahul replies, “If you’re looking for limited overs captain, you don’t look any further than Dhoni.” Samar argues that this season some teams have shown that you don’t need a team of superstars to wi

Samar Khan and Rahul Puri are back this week to bring you the latest from the sports world. The discussion begins with the Indian Premier League, where Samar observes that not tinkering much with the team has worked to the advantage of Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. “You don’t tinker with the team too much. Once you get it right, you play the same guys,” he says. The duo discusses the importance of bowling and how IPL is not only about explosive batting. Samar compares Royal Challengers Bangalore with Sunrisers Hyderabad, where good bowling by the Sunrisers helped them find the top spot. He says that RCB couldn’t qualify despite having a great batting line-up. Rahul comments: “What makes the difference is to be able to either control that batting with good line and length bowling or take wickets.” Rahul and Samar would like to bet on the Chennai Super Kings as they remain the favourites, but Kolkata Knight Riders might prove otherwise. Rahul says: “I think Dinesh Karthik who this season is out-doing Dhoni at finishing matches… He’s just being this guy who comes in and wins KKR matches through his batting.” Rahul is satisfied with the newly appointed Arsenal manager, Unai Emery, who has a proven track record. Samar says, “The one thing that also goes in favour of Emery is that he’s kind of a low-profile guy.” Rahul comments: “I think so much of the Arsenal conundrum is not necessarily the manager, it’s the board.” Rahul adds, “Arsenal needs some major surgery. And the fans too… I don’t think they can expect instant success. I think they might have to give in two or maybe three years to try get this right.” “That’s a long time in modern day football,” comments Samar. Rahul looks at the history of the Champions League, and observes that it has witnessed changes when it comes to expected winners of the trophy. He says: “When you look back at the season, maybe 10 years from now, you’d probably put your finger on a particular season, as a season where thin

This week’s Just Sports comes to a full package of cricket and football trivia. With the English Premier League and the IPL on, Samar and Rahul just cannot seem to stop talking about anything else! “Few unusual choices made” by the Indian cricket team that’s been selected for England. Samar says “Ambati Rayudu is a strange choice because it’s just been the IPL, he has performed… you dropped Rahane because he has not performed in the IPL”. Rahul expresses his skepticism and says, “It’s where he has come back, what I find strange… Having the IPL of his life but he is not in the T20s”.  Rahul seems not very happy about Rayudu’s absence from the Indian team. Samar particularly thinks “if it’s a T20 team, players that play well in the IPL should be there”. Virat Kohli not playing the Afghanistan test series is another bone of contention in the sports world. Rahul feels: “It’s a tough one, you feel bad for Afghanistan” for not playing with the best that the Indian cricket team has to offer. Samar points out his disappointment over Kohli and adds, “He has not performed well in England”. With the IPL coming closer to its end, Samar remains unsurprised by Mumbai gaining sudden resurgence. He feels CSK and Sunrisers are “pretty much assured in the top four”. The relegation battles at the English Premier League grounds take the spotlight. Samar says, “Swansea might just get relegated, South Hampton can still go down”. Rahul feels that South Hampton remains “effectively safe”. More conversation on the teams that are being pulled in the relegation battle and “big clubs gown down”. Rahul dwells more on “there is no such thing as ‘safe manager’”. Samar celebrates the “invincible” FC Barcelona in the Spanish Premier League. Rahul feels, “They’re not particularly a great Barcelona side”. He mentions how the results of this year are a reflection of how poorly the other teams have played, “particularly Real Madrid”. Samar feels, “They’re not the best Barcelona team”. Rahul brush

This week on Just Sports, Samar Khan and Rahul Puri discuss the impending 2018 UEFA Champions League final and the IPL. The duo starts off by talking about Liverpool’s unexpected ascent to the finals. Samar disagrees with the general opinion on how Liverpool got there - “I don’t think it was a favourable draw…. they played good football. You don’t reach the finals because you’re lucky, you reach the finals because you deserve to.” Although Rahul admits Liverpool had a relatively easier group this time, he says, “There are no pushovers in the Champions League anymore.” They go on to discuss what changed about the Liverpool team this year, both asserting that with the average age of the team being 18, the younger crowd has definitely had an effect on the performance of the team as a whole. “Liverpool is building up to an elite force in Europe,” says Rahul, when discussing that Liverpool does certainly stand a chance against Real Madrid after having emerged from being the underdogs in the League. They end by both agreeing it will be a defensive final, while also lamenting the sorry state of refereeing in world football. Moving on to the IPL, Samar begins on a sceptical note - “the big bucks have always been kind of a curse to people in the IPL,” and they both agree that big money does not necessarily guarantee good results.” They go on to try and decipher why the cricketers who are being paid enormous amounts are the ones who are not performing well on the field - like Ben Stokes on the Rajasthan team “who doesn’t look like he has any confidence,” says Rahul. They also appreciate Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant for their exceptional performance. The conversation moves forward as Samar and Rahul both express their confusion over why the Indian Board has set the ultimatum of a year-and-a-half before they start playing day and night cricket - to which the Australian Board has written back saying the Indian team is afraid that the night-time conditions won’t be favour

Samar Khan and Rahul Puri are back with their weekly roundup of sports. They share their views on the legacy left behind by Arsene Wenger, Gautam Gambhir stepping down from captaincy, the rediscovery of MS Dhoni and more. On Arsene Wenger, Rahul says: “I think he is the last of the managers that you will see have a role like that. That's for the clubs today, they limit the managers' authority.” Adding to it, Samar feels, “It's a lot to do with the new owners. People who are coming with new money, they need far more control.” On the ownership model, Samar points out that previously people who had a passion for football owned clubs. In agreement, Rahul says now they are just corporations. Furthermore, Rahul calls Wenger a "complete control freak" and that he had so much power at Arsenal, the only way in which he would leave was by somebody taking a harsh call. Samar recalls the famous Wenger and Alex Ferguson rivalry. Rahul mentions that Manchester United fans are struggling with the fact that Ferguson is no more the manager. Talking about instant success, Samar points out that it has been a while since Liverpool tasted instant success. Rahul appreciates the kind of football being played by Liverpool. The duo then discusses the ongoing Indian Premier League. On Gautam Gambhir stepping down as the captain of Delhi Daredevils, Samar calls it "pretty much the end of the road for him." Regarding the CSK versus RCB match, Samar says, “At 36 or 37, Dhoni has rediscovered his form.” To which, Rahul calls Dhoni a “phenomenal finisher of a match.” He adds that Dhoni might not be a consistent player, but “if he scores 10 runs in one over, he is capable of getting 30 in the other over.” Apart from Dhoni, the duo feels Ashwin is another one to surprise with his captaincy skills in the Punjab team. One interesting fact that they notice is that in this IPL season, young Indian boys and lesser-known names are doing well. All this and more on this week’s podcast.

Samar Khan and Rahul Puri are back this week with their latest round-up of sports. And they have a lot in store -- Manchester City winning the Premier League, Indian Premier League (and Virat Kohli’s fate), the Formula One races and more. For Puri, Manchester City’s win was something that was just bound to happen sometime, and the title was, indeed, well deserved. The part that money might have had a play in giving the team an upper hand is undeniable, but both agree that money cannot be enough. The problems, however, that the money factor brings into the game are pointed out by Puri when he says, “What worries me about this money thing is that it won't surprise me at all if all these teams including Liverpool, increase their squads. And I don’t think that is good for football -- that all the elite players should congregate at just a few clubs. That’s not how the English game has ever been.” Regardless, whether Manchester City will be able to retain the title was a question both Khan and Puri seemed to have answered in the negative. Puri says, “Winning back-to-back titles in England is not a joke. And nobody’s won back to back since ten years.” Moving on, the duo discusses IPL and Royal Challengers Bangalore’s unwise decisions in the game. As Khan says, “Virat Kohli and the IPL just do not seem to get together. He makes unquestionable decisions about team selection. Bangalore has always struggled with the bowling attack. It just seems to be like a jinx that Kohli cannot get together for the IPL.” Partially agreeing with this view, Puri adds, “But I think that we all need to understand that IPLs and tournaments like IPL, you cannot win with two men. You need a team. Bangalore’s problem throughout is that it is not about teams.” What is it about, then? For Khan, it is more about ‘big flashy individuals.' Further, about the IPL, Khan and Puri make it a point to give a special mention to Kolkata Knight Riders -- the team that is pretty much coming together. It has

Samar Khan and Rahul Puri are back with their weekly roundup of sports. They discuss the Champions League, and share their analysis of teams playing in the Indian Premier League. Also, there is much talk about the controversy surrounding Harry Kane and performance of Indian athletes at the Commonwealth Games. Samar expresses his views on Liverpool's victory against Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. “Hats off to Liverpool because they went out there, defended pretty well. They kind of mentally destroyed Manchester City.” Rahul calls Manchester City “arrogant” as Pep Guardiola kept mentioning how they need referees to protect them, referees to look after their players. “If you are going to be a really great team you have to take the smooth with the rough.” The duo feels Barcelona is evidently an ageing team. There is over-reliance on Lionel Messi.  “He had to come in the 80th minute to score the equaliser and then the winner,” says Samar. Moving on, they discuss how Harry Kane went on swearing on his daughter's life for one goal. They feel Harry was being desperate and question the importance of a goal and a trophy. Talking about IPL, while Rahul mentions how impressed he is with CSK, Samar appreciates KKR’s performance. They point out key features that were witnessed in this season -- how the team that is winning the toss is choosing to bowl first and then trying to chase down the score, bowlers winning the matches, teams other than Mumbai Indians winning at home. A look at the Commonwealth Games has Indians athletes, especially women, applauded by the duo. They discuss how “heartening” it is to see India winning in a variety of games. All this and more on this week's Just Sports.