Arsenal owners have no plans to sell after backlash
DEVDUTT Padikkal seems to have impressed two of the most important figures in Indian cricket after the opener's whirlwind century powered Royal Challengers Bangalore to their fourth successive win in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.
Virat Kohli, captain of both India and Bangalore, and national coach Ravi Shastri were blown away by the lanky opener as he stroked an unbeaten 101 off 52 balls to fire his side to a 10-wicket victory against former champions Rajasthan Royals.
The left-hander dominated his unbeaten 181-run stand with Kohli, who made 72 not out and marvelled at the "outstanding innings" of his opening partner.
"The pitch was great to bat on but he did pick the right areas to hit and once he got going it was almost impossible to stop him," Kohli said at the presentation ceremony.
"Great talent, great one to watch out for in the future ... I had the best seat in the house and thoroughly enjoyed his innings.
"I want him to build from here, build further on and really help the team.
“The way he batted, strike-rate of almost 200, it was a flawless innings."
Padikkal, who stands 1.9m tall, made full use of his height and reach, belting six sixes as Bangalore romped home with 21 deliveries to spare.
India coach Shastri was impressed by how the 20-year-old held his own during the partnership with his captain.
"The student and the master at work. Fabulous viewing. These southpaws
Devputt Padikkal.
| Backpagepix make it look easy," tweeted Shastri. Padikkal, who had missed the tournament opener as he recovered from Covid-19, called it a "special" knock but said getting the win was the most important thing.
"I just wanted the team to win at the end of the day.
“So that's what I was looking to do," he said after collecting the playerof-the-match award. | Reuters
ARSENAL’S owners do not plan to sell the Premier League club despite the intense backlash following their involvement in the breakaway European Super League, director Josh Kroenke said.
Arsenal were one of six English clubs who signed up for the project before withdrawing amid a storm of protest from fans, players and the British government, alongside threats of bans and sanctions from the game's European and world governing bodies.
Kroenke, whose father Stan Kroenke struck a deal to take full control of Arsenal in 2018, said they had "no intention of selling" and that they believed they were fit to "carry on in our position as custodians" of the club.
"I might be met with mistrust and scepticism, but over time I hope to establish some sort of relationship with our supporter groups and show them we are capable of taking our club forward," he added.
The decision to sign up for the controversial venture was taken to safeguard the future of the club, said Kroenke.
"The first question we asked was: what is worse, a Super League or a Super League without Arsenal? We decided a Super League without Arsenal was the worst," he added.
Kroenke said the question of what the fans wanted was one that demanded a "much more complicated answer" than they had time to contemplate.
"From an English fan's perspective ... they want to see more big matches," he added. "But as one Chelsea supporter wrote on a sign that I saw online the other day, you still want your cold nights in Stoke."
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said on Thursday Stan Kroenke, chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and other figures at the London club involved in the Super League plan had apologised to the players and himself. | Reuters