“Rotation of spinners good move,” Sourav

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has backed the selectors’ decision of resting the country’s premier spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and picking the younger crop instead ahead of the Australia series. “It’s the selectors’ decision. It is good to test youngsters ahead of the World Cup,“ Ganguly told reporters on the sidelines of a music launch.

UEFA CHARGE CELTIC OVER PITCH INVASION

European football’s governing body UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Celtic following a pitch invasion during their Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain.A supporter raced onto the Parkhead pitch late in the first half on Tuesday with the hosts 3-0 down and darted towards 18-year-old superstar Kylian Mbappe. He aimed a fresh-air kick at the former Monaco striker but failed to make contact before being whisked away by stewards.Celtic have been charged with a count of “field invasion“ and will have their case heard by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body on October 19, a UEFA statement said.

REAL EXTEND MARCELO’S CONTRACT

Spanish and European champions Real Madrid announced a two-year contract extension for Brazilian left back Marcelo on Wednesday, hours after the player’s appeal against a domestic suspension was rejected. Now in his 12th season at Real, Marcelo is the second longest serving player after captain Sergio Ramos.Real said on their website (http:www.realmadrid.com) that they had agreed to extend the player’s contract, originally due to expire in 2020, by two years.

LA Lakers set to retire Bryant’s jerseys

The Los Angeles Lakers will retire both jersey numbers worn by club legend Kobe Bryant before a December 18 game against NBA champions Golden State, US media reported. Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won five NBA titles with the Lakers before retiring after the 2015-16 season, wore both number 8 and number 24 during his 20 seasons with the team. He sported No. 8 in his first 10 seasons, before switching to No. 24.