Sports
Messi scores 50th international goal, helps Argentina beat Bolivia 2-0
Cordoba (Argentina):Star striker Lionel Messi scored his 50th international goal to guide Argentina to a 2-0 win over Bolivia in a 2018 World Cup qualifier.
The win helped Argentina jump to the third spot in the South American group with 11 points from six matches. They are two points behind joint leaders Ecuador and Uruguay.
Argentina defender Gabriel Mercado opened the scoring in the 21st minute against Bolivia here on Tuesday.
He also scored the winning goal in their 2-1 away victory over Chile on Thursday.
Argentina won a penalty in the 29th minute when Ronald Eguino fouled midfielder Ever Banega.
Messi converted the penalty to net his 50th goal for Argentina. He is now six behind Gabriel Batistuta’s all-time highest list for Argentina.
The top four teams in the 10-nation group qualify for the 2018 World Cup finals, to be held in Russia, while the fifth-placed side plays an intercontinental playoff.
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.