All posts by h716a5.icu

Kalvin Phillips left Leeds United for Manchester City to chase his dreams, but since penning an emotional, two-page letter to his boyhood club to mark his departure from Elland Road, his career has been a living nightmare. There have been multiple runs of bad luck, injuries and humiliation, and when his former club visit the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, the England international is highly unlikely to even be on the bench.

A Leeds native, Phillips knew he wanted to play for his local team from the first time he visited Elland Road as a boy. He had a tough upbringing, raised by his mother after his father was imprisoned for much of his childhood and adult life. Phillips was born a triplet but lost one of his sisters when she was a couple of months old, leading to his mother being left to grieve on her own while fending for herself, sometimes going without food so her children could eat.

Phillips would pass the prison his father was interned in every day on the way to Leeds' Thorp Arch training ground, and when he helped the team win promotion back to the Premier League in 2020 for the first time in 16 years, his dad called him so that Phillips could hear the in-mates chanting the club's anthem, 'Marching on Together'.

Phillips was one of the stars as Leeds finished ninth in their first season back in the big time, earning a call-up to the England team in 2020. He subsequently started all seven games for the Three Lions at the European Championship the following summer. One year later, having helped Leeds avoid relegation on the final day of the season, he moved to City in a deal worth up to £42 million, making him Leeds' record sale (albeit only for two weeks before Raphinha joined Barcelona for £55m).

"I hope you guys understand my decision and will accept that I only want to chase my dreams and test myself against and with the best teams and best players on the planet," Phillips wrote when he left for City. Unfortunately, his result in that test was a resounding failure, and Phillips' career has been on a downward slide since, one so steep that he now faces an almighty fight just to get it going again.

Getty Images SportDoomed from the start

It might have seemed like a small detail at the time, but with hindsight one could say that Phillips' time with City was doomed from the start. He was too ill to attend his presentation in front of fans along with the other new arrivals, including Erling Haaland, in the summer of 2022, and he did not have the best introduction to the coaching staff either. 

According to , Guardiola and his assistants noted that Phillips struggled to understand the role of being City's holding midfielder and they quickly concluded that the recently departed youth academy player Romeo Lavia, then 18, would have been a better fit.

Phillips made his first appearance for City in a pre-season friendly against Club America in the unfamiliar position of centre-back, replacing Nathan Ake at half-time. He got 21 minutes in the next game against Bayern Munich, this time in midfield, and when the season began, he played a grand total of one minute across City's three opening Premier League matches. 

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Overweight'

Phillips made his first City start in an August friendly against Barcelona, but that was when his problems truly began as he injured his shoulder, aggravating a long-running issue. The only solution was to undergo surgery, meaning he missed the next 10 matches, only returning to the matchday squad for the final game before the season paused for the World Cup.

Phillips was still selected by England for the tournament in a call that emphasised how highly he was still regarded by Sir Gareth Southgate, and he made two appearances in Qatar. However, when he returned to Manchester, he was given a shock.

Guardiola didn't pick him for the Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool that kicked-off domestic action following the World Cup, and when asked why in the press conference, the coach gave a surprisingly strong response: "He's not injured, he arrived overweight."

Those comments plagued Phillips for years. "That narrative on social media just grew and grew," he told former Leeds team-mate Patrick Bamford. "Every club that I’d go to, I spoke to, like the manager and the nutritionist and stuff like that, they’d always speak about weight before they’d say anything else. And it got to the point where it peed me off a little bit. I was getting quite frustrated with it."

Getty Images SportNot part of Pep's vision

Phillips was a bystander during City's run to the treble in his first season at the club as he started just two Premier League games, both after they had already wrapped up the title. His second season was even more miserable as he played just 89 minutes of Premier League football across four substitute appearances. 

Again, the writing was on the wall from the start as City signed not one holding midfielder but two, first bringing in Mateo Kovacic and then Matheus Nunes in the summer of 2023. Phillips, who was already struggling to get any game time while competing with the un-droppable Rodri, was now very clearly fourth choice in his position. 

His first start of the campaign in the Carabao Cup against Newcastle ended in a 1-0 defeat, while his only other starts were in meaningless Champions League group games after City had qualified for the knockout stage. He did manage to score his only goal for the club, however, netting from the penalty spot against Red Star Belgrade.

When Guardiola was asked why he used Phillips so sparingly, he gave a damning explanation: "It’s just because I visualise some things and visualise the team and I struggle to see him. I feel so sorry for my decision for him. I’ve said that many times. He doesn’t deserve what has happened to him and I’m so sorry." 

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportNo respite

Having turned down the chance to leave City on loan in the summer of 2023, Phillips took the opportunity to get more game time in January 2024, moving to West Ham. But instead of turning his career around in east London, he plunged to new depths.

On his debut against Bournemouth, he gifted a goal to Dominic Solanke with his second touch of the ball, while in his next home game he was brought on at half-time as West Ham were destroyed 6-0 by Arsenal. At Nottingham Forest he was sent off, he was hauled off at half-time against Burnley, and when he boarded the team bus after a 4-3 defeat at Newcastle, one fan shouted "useless" at him. Phillips raised his middle finger in response.

He played just one more game for West Ham after that incident on Tyneside. His loan spell ended with him making just 10 appearances for the Irons, three of which were starts, while he failed to complete 90 minutes even once. 

Phillips returned to Manchester and went on City's pre-season tour of the United States in 2024, but with it being clear he had no hope of getting regular game time, another loan move beckoned. Newly-promoted Ipswich Town took him on and upon signing Phillips talked of "wanting to enjoy playing football again".

"The main reason I came to Ipswich was to get back playing football," he said. "[To] kind of play football, not stress free, but with less stress and less eyes on me, maybe. When I went to West Ham, I felt like there was quite a lot of eyes on me."

Bryce Harper was forced to leave the Philadelphia Philles' game Tuesday night after getting hit by a pitch.

The 32-year-old was hit on the right elbow by a 95 mph fastball from Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Strider in the bottom of the first inning. Harper immediately dropped his bat and was in a lot of pain. He left the game, with Edmundo Sosa coming in as a pinch runner in his place.

Video is below.

That did not look good. Harper had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in November of 2022. The eight-time All-Star dealt with issues in his right elbow and wrist last season. He also left a spring training game after being hit by a pitch in his right triceps.

So far this season, Harper is slashing .267/.375/.450 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs for the first-place Phillies.

Here's hoping the injury isn't serious.

They might not have got the win, but Sunday evening’s game against Arsenal was a success for Chelsea.

Enzo Maresca’s side utterly outplayed the Premier League leaders in the first half, and despite losing Moises Caicedo for over half the match, came away with a point.

There were sensational performances across the pitch from the hosts, with the most impressive undoubtedly being Reece James’.

The club captain has been unreal all season for Chelsea, and now it looks like Cobham could already be brewing his heir.

James' performance against Arsenal

Now, James putting in a strong performance for Chelsea is really nothing new; he is the captain after all.

However, against Arsenal, the Englishman truly stepped it up to a whole other level and did so from the middle of the park, not right-back.

In a game that was billed as a midfield showdown between Caicedo and Declan Rice, it was the full-back who came out as comfortably the best player on the whole pitch, let alone the middle of it.

That might sound hyperbolic, but his man-of-the-match award would suggest otherwise.

On top of doing all the defensive work you would expect of him, the “gargantuan” presence, as dubbed by presenter Olivia Buzaglo, was a serious attacking threat and provided the assist for his side’s opener.

Moreover, he completed three of his four crosses, played two key passes, was successful in 100% of his dribbles and generally didn’t let up for the entire encounter.

In all, it was perhaps one of James’ best performances in a Chelsea shirt and a shining example of why so many people rate him so highly.

Therefore, fans should be ecstatic about the fact that Cobham may already be producing another version of the international monster.

Chelsea's next James

When it comes to producing top-quality Premier League talent, few academies can match Chelsea’s Cobham.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

As always seems to be the case, there is another cohort of incredible youngsters coming up at the moment, like Reggie Watson and Shim Mhueka.

However, there is another, perhaps slightly lesser-known prospect fans should start taking more notice of, someone who could be the next James: Lewi Richards.

The 17-year-old has been with the Blues since the under-8s level and became a scholar at the start of the season.

However, the youngster has made such an impression this year that he put pen to paper on his first professional paper just a couple of months later, at the end of October.

With that said, what makes him like James?

Well, the first thing is that, like the club captain, he has shown an impressive level of positional versatility, playing at right-back, left-back and centre-back for the u18 and u21 sides.

Right-Back

9

3

0

Centre-Back

5

0

1

Left-Back

2

0

0

Moreover, he even spent time playing in the middle of the park when he was playing for the lower levels of the academy.

On top of this ability to be deployed all over the pitch, the teen phenom has already shown an ability to marry technical quality with physicality.

For example, respected analyst-turned-Como scout Felix Johnston has described him as a “technically strong” prospect who is “monstrous in the tackle” as well as “fearless in the air” and blessed with “bags of pace.”

Ultimately, Richards still has plenty of development to do, but he looks to be an extraordinary academy prospect and one whose versatility, technical ability, and power mean he could be another James in a few years.

Man Utd lining up January move for "powerful" £53m Liverpool & Chelsea target

The Red Devils are looking to sign a 22-year-old, who is being targeted by some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.

ByDominic Lund Dec 2, 2025

McBrine resisted with fifty but it wasn’t enough as Ireland folded for 254 in the second innings

Mohammad Isam14-Nov-2025Bangladesh sealed an innings-and-47-run win over Ireland inside four days in Sylhet, a victory built on Hasan Murad’s four-wicket haul and commanding centuries from Mahmudul Hasan Joy and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. It was a team effort with almost everyone contributing to the win.Ireland’s only solace, perhaps, was keeping the home side waiting until 45 minutes after the lunch break on the fourth day, particularly after having lost half their side on the third evening. Andy McBrine struck a patient half-century, adding 66 runs for the seventh wicket with Andy Balbirnie, who came in at No. 8 due to a finger injury.Nahid Rana gave Bangladesh the breakthrough they wanted with the second ball after lunch. He banged one in slightly short, which McBrine went to pull, only to find Murad at midwicket. The left-hander fell for 52, having struck five fours in his 106-ball stay.Barry McCarthy and Jordan Neill kept the visitors alive briefly with a 54-run ninth-wicket stand. Neill made 36 with seven fours, while McCarthy, the last man out, struck a six and two fours in his 25.Earlier, the first session revolved around reviews that ultimately went Ireland’s way. It began with Matthew Humphreys in the day’s first over, overturning a decision through DRS. Taijul Islam removed him soon after, caught off a top edge at backward square-leg.McBrine survived twice in the same over against Mehidy Hasan Miraz, both by slim margins. Balbirnie enjoyed similar luck, though Murad eventually trapped him lbw for 38, the dismissal upheld on umpire’s call as the ball was projected to partially hit leg stump.McBrine reached his fifty just before lunch, capping off a fine session for the visitors.Ireland began their second innings facing a deficit of 301 runs. They lost five wickets on the third afternoon, although Paul Stirling fought hard for his 43, which included seven boundaries. But when the experienced right-hander was run out following a moment of hesitation, Ireland slipped further in the final hour. Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker were trapped lbw by Taijul and Murad respectively, while Shadman Islam’s excellent catch at cover ended Curtis Campher’s stay. It left Ireland with a mountain to climb on the fourth day.

Everton manager David Moyes has aimed a cheeky dig at Chelsea’s spending power, saying there was a billion pounds worth of difference between the two sides in Saturday’s clash at Stamford Bridge. The Scot made the remark after watching his spirited side fail to make the most of their chances en route to suffering a 2-0 defeat in the Premier League.

Chelsea duo Palmer & Gusto score as Everton's winning run ends

After putting together a fantastic run of results which brought about four wins in six league games, Everton travelled to Chelsea in high spirits at the weekend. Before stepping onto the field in west London, Moyes’ side had recorded impressive victories over Fulham, Manchester United, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, while drawing with Sunderland and suffering a solitary reverse against Newcastle United.

However, in a match which saw in-form midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall forced off with a first-half injury on his return to Stamford Bridge, Everton were then put to the sword by goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto. Moyes’ men created several chances in both halves, with Iliman Ndiaye hitting the post towards the end of the game, but Everton were made to a rue their missed opportunities as they travelled back to Merseyside empty-handed.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMoyes was unable to snap Stamford Bridge hoodoo on Saturday

While Everton’s recent win at Manchester United saw Moyes secure his first league victory as an opposing manager at Old Trafford, he was unable to snap a similar hoodoo at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. 

The 62-year-old was in charge when Everton defeated Chelsea on their patch in the 2011 FA Cup, though he has never won at the same venue in the league, across spells in charge of the Toffees, Sunderland, and West Ham.

And perhaps in a sign of frustration at the end of the match, Moyes fired a cheeky jibe towards Chelsea’s luxury of being able to spend vast sums of money on new players. Since co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital – led by Behdad Eghbali – completed their takeover of the club in May 2022, the six-time champions have spent £2 billion on transfer fees, according to the .

When asked if Everton's defeat simply came down to fine margins, Moyes said in his post-match press conference: "Maybe a billion-pound difference? Possibly, you know what I mean?"

Scot 'disappointed' with Everton's result but not performance

Speaking to before his dig at Chelsea, Moyes said: "Losing Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall] was a blow to us but I thought we adapted quite well. I know we've come away with a disappointing result but it wasn't a disappointing performance. We did a lot of really good things today.

"Maybe we played one of our best games away from home, we've had some very good results away from home. But we couldn't finish it off, we just dropped a couple of runners at times when they showed quality. We pushed them close and that's what we have to try and do. Jack [Grealish] had a great chance to make it one each, then we crossed one right into the goalie's arms, he distributes it quickly and they get the goal from it right on half-time.

"It felt a bit unfair on us because I thought for long periods we did well. I wouldn't say dominated because Chelsea had a lot of the ball as well. We played well, I've no complaints from the players except the final third stuff – if you don't take the chances you don't win the game. We stuck at it, we were never out of the game and were always a threat. We'll go away, look at it and hopefully do better next time."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportChelsea manager Maresca bemoans 'worst 48 hours' in charge of club

Meanwhile, Chelsea counterpart Enzo Maresca also raised eyebrows with his post-match comments. The Italian head coach described the build up to his side’s win over Everton as his "worst 48 hours" in charge of the club, citing a lack of support in that time. It is not clear if the former Leicester City boss was talking about owners Boehly and Eghbali, having also said he "loves" Chelsea supporters in the same tirade.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Maresca said: "This is the reason why I praise the players because with so many problems they are doing very well after a complicated week. Since I joined the club the last 48 hours has been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because many people didn’t support us. So very happy for Malo (Gusto) in that moment that the effort from Malo and the rest showed that they are all there and want to help this club."

Chelsea are back in action when they travel to League One leaders Cardiff City in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. Everton, on the other hand, play host to Arsenal in the league next Saturday.

Thursday's game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles was delayed after pitcher Hunter Bigge was hit in the head by a foul ball while watching from the dugout. Bigge received medical care and gave a thumbs-up as he left the field on a stretcher.

The scary moment happened in the top of the 7th with Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman at the plate. During a nine pitch at-bat, Rutschman fouled off three straight pitches before earning a walk. One of those foul balls was pulled hard into the Tampa Bay dugout down the third baseline and hit Bigge.

You can see the foul ball that hit Bigge here.

Bigge has not pitched since May 1 and was recently on the 15-day IL in May.

Angelo Mathews has never been the kind who seeks out drama, but it seemed to follow him around at many points in his career

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Jun-2025Life isn’t perfect. Sri Lanka cricketers’ careers are even less so. Angelo Mathews knows this better than most.Long cricketing lives, the likes of which Mathews has had, rarely pass without incident. But in Sri Lanka, they are further enlivened by fights with the board, fights with coaching staff, galling accusations from ex-players, invites from sleazy politicians, the meddling incompetence of sports ministers, summary sackings from one group of selectors, and summary reappointments when the selectors themselves get sacked. If you’ve gained a little weight, Sri Lanka fans also do irreverence so casually that they will call you fat right to your face.Mathews has never been the kind who seeks out drama. In fact, he feels like an exceptionally uncomplicated player of 119 Tests and captain of 34. He seethes personally, of course – we all do. But usually, he was the guy who was getting sucked into the gravity well of Sri Lankan cricket controversy against his will. The vibe tended to be “why do I have to deal with this?”Related

Angelo Mathews: 'I lost a lot of hair during my captaincy'

Mathews' best – Rain man in Galle, Hero at Headingley

How Angie and SL took over the world in 2014

Test stats: reliable away from home, unfortunate in the 90s

Sri Lanka salvage draw in Mathews' farewell Test

And yet, occasionally, there were fires that burned through the ice. The most memorable occasion was one that made the context of his farewell Test a little spicy. We are not going to re-litigate the incident today, but the summary is that in a 2023 World Cup match, Mathews became the first international cricketer in history to be timed out, in what he felt were unacceptable circumstances. In response he poured no little scorn on the Bangladesh team, calling their behaviour “disgraceful” and accusing them of stooping low. It was, by his standards, ludicrously incendiary.But time heals, people mature, and life forces you to move on. Though there had been a little fallout over that timed-out incident in last year’s Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh, Mathews already seemed to have got over it.Angelo Mathews and Mushfiqur Rahim had a little bit of banter going•AFP/Getty ImagesAnd in this match, the Bangladesh players could not have been sweeter to him, or more gracious. They didn’t quite form two separate guards of honour – one per innings – as Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan (miss those guys) did for Mahela Jayawardene. But they spent many moments of the past five days patting him on the back, shaking his hand, smiling in his direction, speaking glowingly about his achievements, smiling some more.The vibes peaked on day five, while Mathews was playing his final Test innings, batting for a draw. Off the 43rd ball he faced, Bangladesh raised a big lbw appeal, and while they were reviewing the not-out decision, Mushfiqur Rahim came over to Mathews, and had a long, playful conversation, which ended with Mathews stroking Mushfiqur’s beard. After play, Mathews revealed what had been said.”Mushfiq kept chirping, and he wanted me to go for big shots,” Mathews said. “I said, ‘no, Mushfiq, I’ve played with you since Under-19s and I know you very well – and this is not the time for me to go for big shots; obviously, we want to draw this game’.”The subtext to Mushfiqur’s suggestions was that Mathews should be throwing his bat a little bit as this was his final innings. He should be having fun. In the first innings, Mathews had got down into a one-handed sweep that went all the way for six, which felt like a vintage Mathews moment – the kind of shot he would have nailed ten years ago. But here, Sri Lanka’s chances of victory were so remote after the first two wickets fell, the dressing room had wanted caution, and Mathews – maybe the last Sri Lanka cricketer to retire with more than 100 Tests to his name – spent his final afternoon in the format defending.Angelo Mathews meets and greets fans after his final Test•AFP/Getty ImagesIt was fitting in its own way. Where other batters, particularly the younger ones, had developed their attacking games first, Mathews’ aggression always seemed to stem from having a solid defensive technique. His playing of the bouncer was a case in point. Although he was one of the most natural pullers and hookers of the ball in Sri Lanka’s Test history (behind only Aravinda de Silva, perhaps), Mathews was equally good at ducking, weaving, dead-batting steepling bounce, swivel-pulling away for singles, and fending rib-crushers into space.In fact, one of the great low-key cricket (as opposed to Big Three cricket) battles of the past 15 years was Mathews vs Neil Wagner. That short ball was basically the reason for Wagner’s cricketing existence, particularly when New Zealand were hunting for second-innings wickets on pitches that had lost their juice. Mathews was that rare South Asian batter who enjoyed facing short-pitched bowling. One time, in a Dunedin Test in 2015, Wagner out-thunk him – peppering him with nasty short ones before slipping a full one in at the stumps, which Mathews, incredibly, tried to pad away. He got bowled instead. Three years later, Wagner spent all day trying to break through Mathews’ defence on a Wellington track that offered good bounce, but couldn’t, as Mathews and Kusal Mendis defied them in a 109.1-over unbeaten partnership.On his final day of Test cricket, Mathews did not have much short, fast bowling to defuse but did need to see out some spin. Of the potential 222 balls Sri Lanka had to face, Mathews soaked up 45 – about 20%. No one is about to pretend these are great numbers. But life isn’t perfect, Sri Lankan careers even less so, and Mathews knows this.Still, there were the fans who thronged the banks and stuck around to high-five him when he came around after the presentation, the former greats who have paid him public tribute, plus the long (cobra) kite that went up over Galle fort’s ramparts bearing Mathews’ name and jersey number. A Lankan cricketing life is not without its own delights. For a man as averse to drama as Mathews has been, he has lived out an especially storied one.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy is always prepared.

He went viral last month when he pulled out a pancake from his pocket during an in-game interview with Apple TV's Tricia Whitaker. The moment quickly gained steam and the Brewers even began selling "Murph's Pocket Pancakes" at American Family Field during Sunday home games.

Well, apparently they'll need to prepare a new dish at the ballpark in honor of Murphy, as he decided to eat a quesadilla during his interview with Whitaker Friday night as the team took on the Pirates.

"You caused me a lot of problems last time, you caused me a lot of problems," Murphy said to Whitaker on the broadcast. "You want a bite of this?"

Whitaker obliged and also mentioned they came prepared with a gift for Murphy in the form of maple syrup because the pancake he gave her last time was a little dry. He gladly accepted and had an idea, saying he "might put it on the quesadilla."

She abruptly poured some syrup on the quesadilla as Murphy took a big bite before he walked back into the dugout. Hopefully the Brewers don't decide to serve a potential new quesadilla with a side of syrup.

The food-loving antics seem to be working a bit, as Milwaukee holds the best record in baseball at 86-55. They hold a 4.5 game lead on the Phillies for the National League's top seed with 20 games to go.

Never change, Pat.

SEATTLE — If you could build a player to take the key at-bat of a tied playoff game in the eighth inning, you would summon an extrovert who considers pressure a privilege. You would want someone who has so much fun playing the game that he plays the animated hydroplane color-coded race with teammates as it unfolds on the ballpark videoboard. You would want someone with a power/speed combination at a historic level. You want someone who said “No, thanks” to the All-Star Game because he needed to get his head and stroke right.

You want someone who makes a teammate say, “He comes through because of his mental preparation. He loves the pressure. He rises to the moment. He is made for the big moment.”

Seattle center fielder Julio Rodriguez, as described by teammate Jorge Polanco, is the guy you want. Sunday’s ALDS Game 2 offered the best proof yet.

The Mariners jumped back into the ALDS against Detroit, just when they threatened to gift-wrap the Tigers another win, because at every moment Seattle has the two best players on the field and it’s not even close: Cal Raleigh and Rodriguez.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch got burned by asking reliever Kyle Finnegan to pitch for the fourth time in five days. The righthander was gassed. Finnegan’s trademark splitter lacked its usual sink. Left up in the zone, it begged to be hit. Raleigh and Rodriguez obliged.

Raleigh hit a hanging splitter for a double and Rodriguez hit a hanging splitter for another double. Double, double, toil and trouble for Detroit. Seattle survived blowing a 2–0 lead to win, 3–2.

Getting through Raleigh and Rodriguez has been a chore for the Tigers. In two games they are 8-for-18. During The Summer of Cal, rightly feted for his crazy achievement of hitting 60 home runs while catching more innings than anybody in the league, you may have missed the greatness of Rodriguez. It didn’t start this year until Rodriguez turned down a selection to be an All-Star.

“Man, I didn’t do much during the break,” he said. “I mean, I got more work in, but I just needed time to get my head right. I needed a reset. Just needed to get in the right frame of mind.”

With KL Rahul back, the team management will need to drop an in-form batsman, unless Rahul keeps wickets

Shashank Kishore in Jammu24-Feb-2020KV Siddharth had injured his left shoulder during the Vijay Hazare Trophy and was sidelined for three months. The blow had come at a time when he was trying to nail down a permanent spot in the Karnataka XI across formats. When he returned, the competition was so tough that he did not get a chance to break in immediately.But heading into the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Bengal at Eden Gardens, Siddharth has put himself in a fantastic position to be among the first few on the team sheet. But like it is with every player, the season was far from a smooth sailing for the 27-year-old.Siddharth was out for a duck on his comeback against Saurashtra and managed just 19 in the second innings with Karnataka desperately trying to save the game while battling for one point. Against Railways in cold New Delhi, he managed just 4 on an “up-and-down” wicket at the Karnail Singh Stadium.In Karnataka’s penultimate game, against Madhya Pradesh in Shimoga, he was out for a first-ball duck. And that was the turning point. The bowler had overstepped, and having earned a reprieve, Siddharth fought to make a grinding 62 in their first-innings total of 426. While it was not enough to gain a lead, he showed signs of returning to his best.”It was really frustrating because I felt like I was batting my best when I got injured,” Siddharth said of the untimely injury, after that match. “It’s not easy to come back after not playing a match for almost three months. But I knew somewhere that I would do well because I had worked really hard.”The grinding qualities were to the fore in Jammu too, as Karnataka battled early on the third day – effectively the first of the match – on a slightly damp surface against a competent pace battery. With the top order folding around him, he set himself in for the long haul to make a battling 76, the highest in Karnataka’s sub-par 206.Siddharth is just in his second season, and is a late bloomer of sorts at 27. But his first-class numbers are impressive already. He has 1045 runs in 28 innings at an average of 43.54. He is stylish, has a wide range of strokes, the penchant to make big runs and marries them with the mentality of occupying the crease for long periods. In Jammu, he batted 189 balls in the first innings, ran 30 singles and hit nine fours. The knock helped Karnataka cross the psychological 200-run barrier they wanted dearly after a slump of sorts.Then in the second innings, Karnataka lost two wickets in a clutch but Siddharth gave no further headway to the Jammu & Kashmir bowlers, who were under pressure to keep picking wickets. With the comfort of a lead and the first innings behind him, Siddharth was a touch more flamboyant without being reckless. He particularly played the spinners well and cashed in when the pitch was flat. He fell two short of his third first-class century, but by then, had helped take the game beyond the hosts.”Commendable effort from KV [Siddharth],” the captain Karun Nair said. “He was out with injury for a long time this season, but to come back and continue [with the same hunger] is excellent. He did well last year for us as well. He’s been doing well in most of the innings he has played, convening starts into big scores. Now the next step is for him to get the bigger hundreds.”The coach Yere Goud, too, was impressed with Siddharth’s efforts.”In terms of batting, the aim is to have big scores from the top five. Two batsmen got 80s in this game, so we are making [runs] at the right time.”Siddharth’s innings was crucial; it helped us get to 200, which we felt was needed to then bowl them out for a lead. Even in the Baroda game [the final league game], his 29* in the second innings with Karun [Nair] was very crucial. We knew he will contribute for us in tough situations.”In delivering in key moments, Siddharth has also ensured the selectors and the team management will have a healthy selection dilemma while sitting down to pick the XI for the semi-final against Bengal, especially now with KL Rahul available for the big game.Devdutt Padikkal has had a breakout season, topping the run charts for Karnataka with 583 runs in 17 innings, including six half-centuries. Prior to the first-class season, Padikkal finished as the highest run-getter in Karnataka’s victorious march at the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Mushtaq Ali Trophy. R Samarth is second on the list with 507 runs and Manish Pandey is an automatic shoo-in for being the impact player with international experience while Nair is captain.Nair has had a lean run of sorts, managing just three half-centuries this season, but showed signs of a return to form in the final league game against Baroda when he promoted himself up to No. 3 and struck an unbeaten match-winning 71 in a tricky chase. Goud firmly backed his captain, though.”He is a big-match player. Even in the game we lost against Himachal, he made 81. We’re confident he’ll deliver.”