Nair’s triple ton puts India in command against England
CHENNAI: Karun Nair cracked a brilliant triple century as India took total control against England in Chennai on Monday, posting their highest-ever Test score.
BERLIN: FIFA President Gianni Infantino has ruled out taking the 2018 World Cup from Russia in the wake of the latest findings of the McLaren report.
“FIFA is not the world police and certainly not the world doping police,” the head of world football’s governing body told German magazine Der Spiegel.
“Our disciplinary bodies will take care of anything in the McLaren report which has anything to do with football.
“Boycotts and bans have never solved any problems,” Infantino added as he ruled out stripping Russia of the 2018 World Cup finals.
The McLaren report, the second part of which was announced ten days ago, revealed systematic doping in Russia between 2011 and 2015, which involved more than 1,000 athletes in several sports, including football.
Infantino says FIFA are still waiting for the ‘relevant information’ from the McLaren reports, which mentions 31 tampered doping samples from footballers.
The Swiss says, “if measures need to be taken, they will be,” but he pointed to the work FIFA is already doing to combat doping.
“Testing was not implemented by Brazil in 2014 or by South Africa in 2010 and won’t be carried out by Russia in 2018, but by FIFA,” he added.
If something goes wrong, “that will be our responsibility, our fault,” said Infantino, “but we are confident our anti-doping measures will work.”
When asked about the recent “Football Leaks,” reported by several publications including Der Spiegel, which alleged tax evasion by high-profile stars including Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho, Infantino said it’s a matter for individual national federations.
“It is naive to believe that FIFA can know everything from Zurich which goes on during every transfer in the world,” said Infantino.
Right-hander Nair, who finished on 303 not out, reached the landmark with a boundary before India declared their first innings on a huge 759-7 for a lead of 282 in the fifth and final Test.
England ended the day on 12
“So it makes sense to give the responsibility to the unions and federations.
“They should check the transfers, which take place in their own country.”
He added “when someone hasn’t paid their taxes, drives too fast or is drunk behind the wheel, then FIFA is not responsible for that.”
Infantino also said FIFA will lead a meeting of football representative bodies early next year to discuss transfers in the wake of last week’s Football Leaks revelations.
“We need to start a huge job of reflection including all parties: players, clubs, intermediaries, but also the authorities, notably the European Commission,” Infantino said in the same interview to a group of European media, including France’s Mediapart.
“With that in mind we have, at FIFA, put in place a committee to gather all those interested parties. They will meet for the first time at the beginning of next year.”
Last week Mediapart published a report without loss, with skipper Alastair Cook (three) and Keaton Jennings (nine) at the crease, and a day’s play still to survive to secure a draw.
The day belonged to 25-year-old Nair, who had previously never scored a century for India but batted through three sessions to frustrate England’s bowlers on a flat pitch.
Nair was playing in just the third Test match of his career. He recorded his maiden century in the morning session before expertly converting it into a double and then a triple in the evening.
He became only the third batsman to covert a maiden Test hundred into a triple century, joining the elite company of West Indies’ Garry Sobers (365 not out) and Australia’s Bob Simpson (311).
Nair’s knock came off 381 balls and was laced with 32 fours and four sixes. He reached the feat with a cut shot off Adil Rashid and raised his helmet to a standing ovation.
The triple ton came a day after teammate Lokesh Rahul missed 200 by a single run after getting out to Rashid on 199 in the final moments of play on Sunday.
Nair, who started the day on 71, shared three hundred-plus partnerships with Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin (67) and then Ravindra Jadeja (51).
His 181-run sixth-wicket partnership with Ashwin stood out as India registered their highest-ever innings score of 759, surpassing their 726 against Sri Lanka in December 2009.
Earlier in the day debutant England all-rounder Liam Dawson, who ended with two scalps, got his first Test wicket with his left-arm spin.
Dawson, who scored an unbeaten 66 in England’s first innings, pinned Murali Vijay in front of his stumps and he was given out lbw.
India have already secured the series with a 3-0 lead. alleging that Doyen Sports, s, a major transfer market dealer, had plowed d funds into prostitution, kickbacks and tax evasion schemes.
“I generally believe that hat the majority of people, and therefore also so those involved in the transfer system, are re honest,” added Infantino. “In any case, I hope that’s the case. That being said, it’s not a reason not to try, incessantly, to increase and improve the control mechanisms we have in place.
“But we are not an authoritythority charged with enforcing the e law... Although we must do more.” e.”
The Football Leaks report eport claimed that Doyen Sports ports had attempted to facilitate tate the transfer of Frenchman an Geoffrey Kondogbia to Real al Madrid by offering sexx workers.