Lionel Messi’s bid to end his international career like a fairy tale ended in bitter disappointment as the Argentina captain dropped a disappointing score of points during the FIFA World Cup 2025 final. Where he failed to take even a single shot on goal.

Argentina’s reign as world champions ended not with a dignified surrender of their crown, but under a cloud of enormous bitterness and international condemnation. are following them 0-1 extra-time defeat to Spain in New York The South American giants faced intense criticism for a number of unsportsmanlike activities, culminating in an ugly pitch brawl after the match in which midfielder Leandro Paredes was sent off.

In a tightly contested final, Argentina were already reduced to ten men in second-half stoppage time when Enzo Fernández received a second yellow card for a reckless challenge on Spain’s Pau Cuber. However, as the match slipped out of control, the disciplinary collapse deepened, starting with an uncharacteristic flashpoint involving captain Lionel Messi.

During late stoppage time in normal time, television cameras captured Spain defender Marc Cucurella approaching Messi while covering his mouth with his hand. In response, Messi approached Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić, and aggressively gestured that Cucurella should be dismissed. FIFA’s new applicable rules Regarding players obscuring their mouths during confrontational exchanges.

The frustration was visible at the time of Messi’s appeal as Argentina were reduced to just 10 players after Enzo Fernandez was sent off.

Many fans and pundits came to Cucurella’s defense and argued that the Spanish star was not using offensive language when he covered his mouth. Instead, he said he was pointing out that his teammate, Pau Cubers, had taken a blow to the face after a heavy challenge.

The referee rejected the appeal, but there was a scathing rebuke from TV pundits and fans alike.

Speaking on ITV, former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon described the strategy as “ridiculous”.

He said, “You shouldn’t be so childish as to try to send someone for this.”

Former England captain Wayne Rooney agreed.

“That’s how Argentina plays, we know they do. The one thing you want is good sportsmanship. It was sad to see Lionel Messi do that.”

fraud from argentina

Any remaining vestiges of discipline completely vanished when the referee blew the final whistle to confirm Spain’s second World Cup title, courtesy of an extra-time volley from substitute Ferran Torres.

As the Spanish substitute players and staff arrived on the pitch to celebrate, the area near the technical boxes descended into immediate chaos. A Spanish substitute was reportedly hit in the stomach by defender Nahuel Molina during the initial confusion. Additionally, Paredes, who had spent much of the match playing on the sidelines after being cautioned for pushing Danny Olmo, clashed violently with Eric García. Television replays showed the midfielder placing his hands on García’s neck and pushing him backwards.

The situation worsened when Spain’s Gavi intervened to separate the pair. Paredes stepped forward and wrestled the young midfielder.and hit his substitute in the face before ripping off his training bib.

The ensuing melee required the direct intervention of Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, who ran onto the pitch to physically restrain his players and pull them away from the confrontation. Once order was restored, the referee issued Paredes a straight red card for his actions.

The defeat marks a bitter conclusion to what was widely expected to be 39-year-old Messi’s final appearance on the World Cup stage. While Spain celebrated a historic tournament victory, the deposed champions’ behavior has left a significant stain on the final match, with FIFA expected to review pitch footage before determining whether additional retroactive sanctions will be issued.

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To a team management that refused to talk about individual achievements, a 39-year-old man Rohit Sharma Played an inning that thrilled every cricket fan. Chasing an impossible target of 388 in the series decider and looking to extend his career beyond this match, Rohit on Sunday became the first Indian to score an ODI century at Lord’s. Rohit’s innings of 138 runs in 110 balls is sure to spark a heated debate over his place in India’s ODI World Cup plans. But the caretakers of Indian cricket should not be sad about the fact that India has lost three of the last four ODI series and India lost by 27 runs on a pitch that was closest to the Indian surfaces. head coach Gautam Gambhir They will fly out of London having won just one match on the white-ball tour, which included a T20I whitewash at the hands of Ireland. Shubman Gill has not won any series since taking over the captaincy from Rohit last October. The talk about India’s preparations for next year’s World Cup has largely revolved around Rohit at the top of the order. As he has been doing for some time now, Rohit performed aggressively in the final days of the series. And as India have been doing for quite some time now, their batting is consistently coming second to their opponents in high-scoring matches. Most importantly, it is well established by now that the bowling attack always suffers without Jasprit Bumrah, who sat out the last ODI in Cardiff due to an injury. England’s batting provided ample support to the young Indian bowling attack with Ben Duckett scoring 141 runs off 135 balls and Jacob Bethell scoring 91 runs off 93 balls, followed by Joe Root’s unbeaten 74 off 48 balls and Jos Buttler’s 41 not out off 13 balls. Rohit did what he had to tell the team management and selectors that he did not feel like playing for India. This innings may not have had the flow and series of strokes that Rohit associates with, but it shows his resilience and mental strength of a champion. The start given by Gill and Rohit was strange, with the pair scoring at around 5-5.5 runs per over in the first 20 overs of the chase, with a required run rate close to 7.5 runs per over. Once India were 147 and lost Gill for 77 off 84 balls, Rohit was cut loose and Virat Kohli was intent on chasing this score. Rohit’s struggle against a good length ball on the off stump was evident as he waited for the shorter balls to hit his old pull shot. Once he was fully settled, his first boundary on the field came around 30 overs. It felt like he was in familiar territory with Kohli at the other end. The chase actually started after 25 overs and failed due to Rohit getting injured in the 39th over. With a partnership of 103 runs in about 14 overs, Kohli and Rohit took the time back, but hopes of a miracle were dashed as Kohli was out for 74 off 60.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni struggled to control his emotions as he thought about his team’s heartbreaking defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup final, breaking down in tears during the post-match press conference as the reality of losing the trophy began to sink in.

Scaloni had led Argentina to World Cup glory four years earlier and led them back to another final in New Jersey in the hopes of defending the title. Instead, Ferran Torres’s extra-time winner gave Spain a 1–0 victory, ending Argentina’s reign as world champions and denying Lionel Messi the chance to exit the tournament with consecutive titles.

The defeat capped a physically demanding campaign for Argentina, who struggled with injuries to key players and were forced to make several changes during the knockout rounds. While Scaloni acknowledged that the defeat would hurt in the long run, he insisted he could not have asked for more from a team that once again reached football’s biggest stage.

The Argentina coach also paid special praise to Messi, calling the 39-year-old the greatest player ever to grace the game and expressing hope that the country would remember the team’s remarkable journey rather than just the final result.

Spain vs Argentina, World Cup Final: : highlight

‘It hurts our soul’

A visibly emotional Scaloni said the World Cup campaign had taken a huge physical toll on his team, with injuries forcing Argentina to constantly change their plans throughout the tournament.

Scaloni said, “We got hit in key places that we weren’t expecting. The wear and tear was so great, they made their last effort.”

The Argentina boss praised the character shown by his players despite the setbacks and insisted that every member of the team had given everything they had to achieve another World Cup victory.

“I’m proud of the way they competed. We had to make a lot of changes because of the obstacles we faced.”

Scaloni acknowledged that the defeat would stay with them, saying that the players had left everything on the field.

“It hurts our souls that we couldn’t bring home the cup. This coach is satisfied with his players.”

He also revealed Argentina still believe they can take the final to penalties Ferran Torres broke the deadlock in extra time.

“The moment they scored against us, we thought we would go to the end and have some chances.”

Despite the disappointment, Scaloni had no hesitation in acknowledging Spain’s superiority during the night.

“We have to give credit to the opponent.”

Special words for Messi

Scaloni also paid tribute to captain Lionel Messi, whose latest World Cup campaign ended in disappointment Spain successfully limited their influence throughout the final.

“Leo is 39 years old, it’s an incredible thing. I was absolutely clear that he will play as long as he wants. I hope people are proud of him and the team.”

The Argentina coach went a step further, calling Messi the greatest footballer of all time and insisting his legacy extends far beyond trophies and statistics.

Scaloni also highlighted the commitment of experienced defender Nicolas Tagliafico, revealing that the full-back refused to leave the pitch despite struggling physically during the final.

“Tagliafico played very poorly, he didn’t want to lose.”

proud of our warriors

Although the defeat ended Argentina’s hopes of retaining the World Cup, Scaloni repeatedly thanked his players for their commitment, describing them as “true warriors” who had overcome many obstacles to reach another final.

He also expressed his gratitude to Argentine Football Association President Claudio Tapia for giving him the opportunity to lead the national team, calling it a privilege to work with a group that has given so many unforgettable moments over the years.

Argentina ultimately fell to a Spain team that dominated and made the final, but Scaloni made it clear that the result would not diminish his praise for the team. While the pain of surrendering the World Cup was evident in his emotional press conference, the coach’s key message was one of gratitude and pride after another memorable performance on football’s biggest stage.

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With our backs to the wall and an illustrious career at stake, Rohit Sharma He silenced his critics by smashing one of his most famous centuries in recent memory, although it was not enough to prevent a 27-run defeat in the third ODI against England as India won the series 1-2 at Lord’s on Sunday. Despite Rohit’s brilliant 138, Shubman Gill’s 77 and Virat Kohli’s 74, India could only manage 360 ​​for 7 while chasing the mammoth target of 388 runs, aided by Ben Duckett’s career-best 142 and Jacob Bettel’s 91 runs. Jos Buttler’s knock of 41 off 13 balls proved decisive as England scored 82 runs in their last five overs. With speculations that the selectors and head coach were ready to move on from Rohit, the 39-year-old former skipper faced immense pressure in the third and final game. Rohit took to the hallowed grounds of Lord’s with a dual goal: to win the series for India and save his legacy, which was being tarnished by constant speculation from a section of the media. He did not raise his bat after completing his 34th ODI century – the first by an Indian batsman at Lord’s. Nor did he stand up from his suit in the members’ balcony and applaud after an innings of 110 balls filled with heart, hurt and sweat. It was the last time he played an ODI in England, and people have long talked about how an aging star showed determination when the powers that be made him feel unwanted. A partnership of 147 runs with captain Gill and 113 runs with his old friend Kohli raised the imagination of an impossible victory. For Rohit, there were 17 fours and five sixes – three off Josh Tongue – a pull, one down the ground, and one outside long-on. A pull six was hit off the ball of Sam Curran (4/75 in 10 overs), who proved to be the bowling hero for England. Curran’s fast deliveries in the death overs saw Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Kohli end India’s hopes in the space of seven balls. Curran got capable support from left-arm spinner Jacob Bethel (1/49 in 7 overs), which India never got with Axar Patel playing a lone spinner. While India lost the series, one thing is certain: neither Rohit nor Kohli will be going anywhere until the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. That day, Gambhir and Gill’s plan went awry and playing four fast bowlers with a combined experience of 51 matches failed miserably. Jasprit Bumrah’s absence due to a left knee injury was a blow for India. The four-pronged pace attack of Prasidh Krishna (2/69 in 10 overs), Arshdeep Singh (0/72 in 10 overs), Prince Yadav (1/79 in 10 overs) and Gurnoor Brar (0/97 in 10 overs) lacked both skill and experience against an in-form batting line-up. Duckett and Bethel were brilliant in terms of planning and execution. The first 10 overs of batting powerplay resulted in 58 runs, but the wheels came off between overs 11 to 30 when they really troubled the bowlers. With head coach Gambhir using Kuldeep Yadav in only 38 out of a total of 103 matches (across three formats) since his appointment in 2024, the lack of a second spinner apart from Axar Patel (0/61 in 10 overs) hurt India. While Duckett hit a total of 18 fours apart from one six, Bethel, who looked comparatively more fluent early on, hit 11 fours and a six before being out in the deep off Prasidh Krishna. Joe Root (74 not out off 48 balls) continued his golden form with another half-century – his third in three matches – taking the total past 350 runs. Jos Buttler (41 off 13 balls) also joined in the fun as Brar got a tough lesson in international cricket, getting out after scoring almost 100 runs. Early on, it didn’t help that rookie Prince, bowling on the famous Lord’s slope, was struggling with his length as Bethel pulled him for a six over deep mid-wicket and then hit him for a four in the gap between deep mid-wicket and mid-on. The rusty Arshdeep Singh did not hold his line, while Prasidh Krishna, despite beating Bethel’s bat on several occasions, bowled the odd loose ball.However, Bethel did well to bring up his half-century off 51 balls as England took their team total to 100 by the 16th over. By that time, the Indian bowlers had already hit 15 fours and the lines were extremely inaccurate, leaving the opening pair well into the groove. Overall, he hit 42 fours and six sixes.It also established the fact that when the brilliant Bumrah is working at one end all other Indian fast bowlers look good and the effectiveness disappears when he is absent. One saw it in T20Is and now in ODIs too.

Brief Scores: England (387/3) beat India (360/7) by 27 runs in the Lord’s ODI to win the three-match ODI series 2-1.

There are days when a man stands up and applauds, bows his head, does everything he is asked, and still loses in the end. Sunday was in the name of Rohit Sharma for a long time at Lord’s. However, by the time the last ball was bowled, it was England’s side.

India vs England, Lord’s ODI: highlighted | Achievement:

Chasing a mammoth target of 388, India were given hope by an opening partnership of 147 between Rohit and Shubman Gill, and then Rohit kept it alive by partnering with Virat Kohli. However, in the end, the gap created during the first 30 overs of England’s innings proved too wide to bridge and the hosts won by 27 runs and took the series 2–1 in the 50-over format after a 4–0 defeat in the T20Is. For the Indian team, which arrived in England as the world No. 1 ranked ODI team, it has been a tough tour.

If this was the last time Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli played together in England, Lord’s provided a suitable platform. Those who packed the ground for the series decider saw two of India’s finest ODI batsmen show that they are still in top form.

Rohit scored a brilliant 138 runsThis is his 34th ODI century, while Kohli’s innings of 74 runs is his 133rd score of fifty or more in this format. Between them, they pulled India back in a chase that seemed beyond reach. The only thing they could not deliver was victory.

He was from England. The hosts scored 387 runs for 3 wickets thanks to Ben Duckett’s career-best 141 runs and Jacob Bethel’s 91 runs, but Jos Buttler’s explosive inning of 41 not out in 13 balls took them to a challenging score. India responded by scoring 360 for 7 despite Rohit’s 138, Gill’s 77 and Kohli’s 74 as England won the series 2–1, their first ODI series win over India since 2018 and only their eighth win in 22 bilateral encounters.

With his back up and his illustrious career in the spotlight, Rohit put retirement rumors to rest in the only way possible, with one of his most memorable ODI centuries. This was an innings worth winning the match. Instead, it became the decisive performance in defeat.

Duckett, Bethel Lay Platform

This damage was done within the first two-thirds of England’s innings. Ben Duckett scored a brilliant 141 runs and, with the formidable Jacob Bethell, added 192 runs for the first wicket, taking England to 387 for 3. This was genocide of the most clinical kind. 58 runs came in the powerplay alone and between overs 11 and 30, the innings went away from India’s attack.

Duckett crossed the boundary with eighteen fours and a six, while Bethel performed fluently from the very first over, hitting eleven fours and a maximum and finally dismissed Prasidh Krishna. Bethel completed his half-century in just 51 balls and by the time England crossed 100 runs in the 16th over, India had badly lost their lines and hit fifteen boundaries.

There was no relief even after the stage makers left. Joe Root, in the form of his life, scored an unbeaten 74 off 48 balls, his third half-century in as many matches on this tour, taking the total past 350. Jos Buttler then scored an unbeaten 41 off just 13 balls, particularly hitting out at Gurnoor Brar, who took 0 for 97. Between them, England hit 42 fours and six sixes.

no boomerang, no magic

There was no answer to India’s bowling and that had a lot to do with who was not there. Jasprit Bumrah’s absence ruled out due to knee problemIt was a blow from which India never really recovered. Prasidh Krishna took 2 for 69 in his ten overs, Arshdeep Singh conceded 72 runs without reward, Prince Yadav took one wicket but conceded 79 runs, and Axar Patel, the only spinner in the XI, was out for 61 runs. There was barely fifty ODI matches of collective experience between the four seamers, and it showed against a fearless batting line-up that never allowed them to settle.

Young fast bowler Prince, who was still finding his feet on the Lord’s slope, was taken to deep midwicket for a six and then sent through the gap at mid-on inside his first spell. This set the tone. Arshdeep struggled for discipline with his lines, and even with Prasidh beating Bethel’s bat more than once, he mixed his good balls with too many loose ones. By the time the innings ended it was clear that this was one of those days when nothing went right for the bowlers.

Rohit stands tall

If the first innings had an unbalanced quality, there was real drama in the chase. Rohit and Gill gave India exactly the start they needed by making a partnership of 147 runs for the first wicket, giving England parity. Gill scored a fluent 77 before falling, but Rohit kept going until he scored a brilliant century, his first at Lord’s, putting to rest every question asked about his form on this tour. With speculation about the selectors’ long-term plans and the head coach ready to move on from him, the 39-year-old former skipper heads into the series decider under immense pressure.

Rohit descended upon the sacred ground of Lord’s with a dual goal: to win a series for India and protect a legacy that had come under increasing scrutiny. He did not raise his bat after completing his 34th ODI century, the first by an Indian batsman at Lord’s. Nor did he stand and applaud from the members’ balcony after an innings of 110 balls filled with heart, hurt and sweat.

For Rohit, there were 17 fours and five sixes, three of them off Josh Tongue, including one at pull, one straight down the ground and one over long-on. He also pulled Sam Curran into the stands, but the final decision rested with the left-arm fast bowler. Rohit and Kohli added 113 runs for the third wicket and for a long time it looked like India might do the impossible. Kohli played one of his most assured innings of the series, his 74 being his highest international score at Lord’s.

But cricket has a habit of taking turn on a single ball and this game turned to Jacob Bethel. Bethel worked the magic of its life after the 30th over, conceding just 49 runs in seven overs. Within that spell came the wicket that mattered most, Rohit on 138 runs. It broke a partnership that had threatened to take the game away from England and changed the complexion of the chase.

From there, Bethel and Sam Curran closed out the game. Mixing their pace wisely and refusing to give India any slack, the pair stopped the flow of runs when India desperately needed the pace. Curran ended India’s hopes by dismissing Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Kohli in seven balls.

Even after the game was over, India refused to go quietly. Jofra Archer got the edge of Arshdeep Singh’s bat, but Jos Buttler could not hold on. Adil Rashid kept his composure in the final over, before Gurnoor Brar reduced the gap with a six and a four, although the result was long beyond doubt.

This became the first ODI in which all four opening batsmen scored 75 or more. Nevertheless, Duckett’s 141 made Rohit’s 138 the highest score of the day, which was perhaps fitting for a match in which England controlled from the first ball to the last, while India did not concede until the very end.

big picture

Apart from the scorecard, there was much more to the afternoon. If this turns out to be the last time we see Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bat together at Lord’s, in England or anywhere in the world, then it was a fitting platform on which to bow. Two veteran preachers persevered long after many had written them off, and pulled one effort back from the brink before failing miserably.

For India, the questions on this tour run deep, about the bowling attack’s over-dependence on one bowler, team balance and the way forward. But none of these questions have anything to do with the form of Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli, both of whom leave English shores with their reputations, if anything, enhanced.

For England, under Harry Brook, the job is well and truly accomplished. A 4-0 T20I whitewash followed by a 2-1 ODI series win over the world No. 1 ranked team was sealed in front of a Lord’s crowd that came, saw and left convinced.

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Joe Root has continued his excellent Test form in the ODI series and produced another masterclass against India. The mainstay of England’s batting remained unbeaten in all three innings of the July 2026 ODI series, scoring 249 runs without being out, becoming the first England batsman to score six consecutive ODI half-centuries.Root’s remarkable consistency made him the batsman with the most runs without losing his wicket in a bilateral ODI series, surpassing Jos Buttler’s 248* against Netherlands in 2022 and Ricky Ponting’s 241* against New Zealand in 2007.

Most runs without being out in a bilateral ODI series

Root’s unbeaten performance throughout the series:

1st ODI: Stepped forward during a top-order collapse and rescued England from 107/6 and took the hosts to a competitive 258.2nd ODI: Slipping to 125/5, England’s successful chase of 234 began when Gus Atkinson scored the winning run, just short of a century. 3rd ODI: Changing gears brilliantly in the death overs, he stitched an 82-run partnership with Jos Buttler in the final five overs to take England to 387/3, a new highest ODI score at Lord’s, breaking a 51-year-old record.

Playing XI for India vs England at Lord’s

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.England: Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethel, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tong.

Stepping onto a football pitch is, in many ways, an analogy of entering a courtroom. Both the field and the courtroom are ritual-driven arenas where conflict is freed from chaos and disorder to live and die by a strict web of rules. In both, the final, unshakable authority – barring appeal – is entrusted to a neutral arbiter (be they in the referee’s kit, or on the bench) with the sole responsibility of ensuring that due process triumphs over bias. A trial is built on the foundation of procedure and sacred rules of evidence to uncover the truth and deliver justice.

Similarly, a football match depends on the sacred laws of the game to ensure fairness. Both systems depend entirely on a fragile, hope-filled assumption: that the rules apply equally to everyone, and that the process is immune to outside influence. Both are based on a simple basic principle to understand: may the best win.

shared ritual

Nevertheless, as of 2026 FIFA World Cup As the United States, Canada and Mexico reach their final resolutions, that vision is beginning to disintegrate in real time. The tournament is defined as much by administrative and legal friction, or, well, rules and regulations, as it is by sheer sporting talent. For example, when the chairman of FIFA’s disciplinary committee bypassed the process on his own volition American striker Folarin Balogun’s red card overturned suspension, or when the organization took advantage of Article 27 of its code to overturn Cristiano Ronaldo’s competitive ban so as to allow him to compete in his final World Cup, the decisions did not merely serve the role of promoting debate and discussion. They seem akin to a slow creep familiar to any qualified legal scholar, and certainly to any constitutional scholar: the erosion of due process protections to protect the powerful and profitable.

Where the rules are bent to preserve the interests of the elite, whether on the field or in the court, the entire system quickly loses its legitimacy. Remove the foundation, and you’ll very soon find that you have nothing of value left.

For decades, the field was considered a strange, crude mix of crude contracts and the internal bylaws of voluntary associations. This was the law of private clubs, each his own, then organized into disorganized leagues and federations. However, today, the rules of the game have become entirely formal, redundantly specific in some cases, and excessively rigid in others.

corporate creep

The 2026 tournament perfectly demonstrates the shift from quirkiness to commercialism. To protect market value and broadcast revenue, FIFA implemented a tennis-style seeding system that guaranteed that the top-ranked teams would be spared early elimination. Even more worrying is the introduction of mobility Pricing pushed ticket prices to last To the tune of over US$11,000, effectively locking the public out of the game initially intended for the public, and in the process, triggering consumer protection investigations in New York, New Jersey, Texas, and California.

If the evolution of sports law from quixotic to corporate represents the triumph of sovereignty over greed above all else, this tournament exposes to the world the rot of the domestic policies of host countries. Herein lies the nuance of modern sports: sporting events, indeed, mega-sporting events like the FIFA World Cup, do not exist in a vacuum. They are a lens magnifying the existing flaws in the system.

Take, for example, the (essentially Zionist) reaction before the World Cup Lamin Yamal Celebrating by waving the Palestinian flag; A Spanish player, waving the flag of the nation that is recognized by Spain, was praised for this act by the leaders of his own country, he was harassed by individuals and politicians from half the world away and demanded that his club (FC Barcelona) and his country strip him of his right to play for daring to speak out publicly. Through the lens of sport, his work becomes magnified, and cracks become visible.

human cost

Further, consider the civil liberties warnings issued by organizations such as the ACLU and Amnesty International during the tournament’s conduct. The World Cup coincides with an aggressive increase in domestic crackdowns on immigration in the United States, evidenced by mass detentions, increased border enforcement, and aggressive social media screening of incoming travelers, overshadowed by the curtain of celebrity due to the FIFA World Cup. The tournament, promoted under its 2026 logo as a celebration of unity, is held against a backdrop of restricted public spaces and unreasonably accelerated deportations. Under the guise of the World Cup there has been an abundance of security, surveillance and increasingly stringent police measures.

Obviously, this friction also extends to municipal administration, and, on a more broad level, to human rights. In many host cities, local governments have taken to demolishing camps, displacing homeless populations to present a sanitized, commercially plastic-perfect image to broadcasters – not unlike what our government in India does every time we host a global event, as seen during the G20 meeting in recent times, with hasty reconstruction, wall construction and poverty denial.

Sports law is no longer just about regulating the functioning of sport, or arbitrating contractual disputes in relation to sport. This, especially in recent years, has become a major arena where greed, pride and human rights openly collide.

For those of us at home, studying law and enthralled by the World Cup season, the modern, if somewhat nihilistic, message is crystal clear: the pitch can no longer serve as a useless escape from reality. Nor, indeed, can sport be considered a meaningless pastime. Even looking beyond the fortunes earned in sport, we must recognize its wider impact, not just in the moment the ball hits the back of the net, but in our daily lives, and in some ways, in the politics we live by.

(Neil Binoy is a Delhi-based law student and columnist on legal issues and policy.)

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India’s Jasprit Bumrah (ANI photo)

India have suffered a major blow ahead of the ODI series decider against England at Lord’s, with fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah ruled out with a knee injury. Captain Shubman Gill confirmed the news after England won the toss and decided to bat first.“We would have bowled. Boom didn’t play due to a knee injury. KL, Prince and Arshdeep came in. We were looking to play four fast bowlers. We were in a good position and had lost a lot of wickets,” Gill said during the toss. While Bumrah’s absence is a big blow for the visitors, KL Rahul returns to the playing eleven after missing the last ODI due to illness. India have also brought back Prince Yadav and Arshdeep Singh as they opted for a four-man pace attack in the winner-take-all contest.England have made one change and included Josh Tong in place of Saqib Mahmood. Captain Harry Brook said after electing to bat first that Joe Root’s match-winning innings in the last ODI provided the ideal template for his team.“Today we will have a bat. Looks like a good surface. Tongues come back for Saqib Mahmood. The way Rooty batted, he sets a great template. “Hopefully we will assess the conditions quickly,” Harry Brook said during the toss.

playing eleven

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.England: Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethel, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tong.