LIVERPOOL READY FOR PSG, NAPOLI BATTLES: KLOPP
LIVERPOOL:
Liverpool are looking forward to facing off against Paris St Germain and Napoli in the group stage of the Champions League, with manager Jurgen Klopp anticipating a tough run in the tournament. Liverpool were drawn in Group C alongside French champions PSG, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade, and Klopp is up for the challenge. “Facing Neymar will be, for our Brazilian guys, like meeting a friend again and all that stuff. It’s a big challenge, but for all the others it is a big challenge to face us,” Klopp said. “Napoli, we beat them in pre-season but it goes without saying these two games will be completely a different challenge.”
Kohli capped his grand turnaround in England by becoming the second fastest Indian batsman to score 6,000 Tests as the visiting batsmen built a solid response after brilliant work by their pacers in the fourth Test against England at the Ageas Bowl on Friday.
The India skipper, needing six runs to reach the milestone when he came in to bat on the second morning, edged a four off England spearhead James Anderson to cross the mark. Sunil Gavaskar is the fastest to reach 6,000 runs (117 innings). Kohli took 119 innings, one less than Sachin Tendulkar (120).
The 29-year-old is the 10th Indian, and 66th overall, to reach the milestone. Don Bradman’s 68 innings stands as the all-time record.
Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara rebuilt in a solid 92-run partnership for the third wicket after Stuart Broad had removed openers KL Rahul (19) and Shikhar Dhawan (23) to reduce India to 50/2, replying to England’s 246 all out, in the morning.
The India skipper fell for 46, edging left-arm seamer Sam Curran to first slip Alastair Cook into the post-lunch session. Pujara completed his second successive half-century, edging Ben Stokes through slip for four as he and Ajinkya Rahane looked to rebuild.
Kohli and Pujara, who reached his 19th Test fifty after scoring 72 in the Trent Bridge Test win (104 balls, 7x4), guided India to 100/2 at lunch. There was wear and tear on the pitch as off-spinner Moeen Ali got the ball to grip and turn, but Pujara used his feet to keep him from pitching on the rough at the pavilion end.
SOUTHAMPTON:Virat