England win comfortably against India

England interim boss Lee Carsley has revealed Harry Kane will not be in the starting line-up for Thursday's Nations League clash with Greece as his captain recovers from injury.

Kane suffered the knock in a collision while playing for Bayern Munich in their 3-3 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend.

The 31-year-old striker -- England's record goal-scorer -- has been unable to train with the rest of the squad since linking up on Monday.

Kane was limited to an individual training programme on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Carsley insisting he would not risk his fitness in the Group B2 tie at Wembley.

"Harry's nursing an injury, a small knock. Something that we won't take a chance with," Carsley told reporters on Wednesday.

Asked to clarify whether Kane will be on the bench, Carsley said: "We're not ruling him out yet of the game, but he won't start the game.

"Hopefully he'll be in contention then for Sunday against Finland but, again, time will tell. It's not something I think we should be rushing."

In Kane's absence, Manchester City defender John Stones will captain England for the first time on Thursday.

"It's a brilliant achievement for John. Something that he deserves. The amount of caps he's got, the experience he's got, the level of professionalism that he shows within the squad, the example he is to the younger players," Carsley said.

Ahead of his 82nd cap for England, Stones admitted it was a dream come true to lead his country at Wembley.

'An absolute honour'

"It's definitely everything that I could have dreamed of as a kid," the 30-year-old said.

"For my family to be able to see me walk out as England captain is a special moment and one I can't thank Lee enough for.

"To be walking out with the armband on is an absolute honour and a moment I will cherish forever."

Stones' City team-mate Jack Grealish could be sidelined against Greece after the winger sat out training on Wednesday.

"Jack just picked up a slight knock yesterday but our attitude would be we wouldn't gamble with any of the players," Carsley said.

Chelsea forward Cole Palmer was named England's men's Player of the Year this week in the latest milestone for the emerging 22-year-old, who already has six goals for the Blues this term.

Palmer is expected to continue his remarkable rise by making his first competitive England start on Thursday.

"Cole's in fantastic form," said Carsley, who enjoyed wins over Ireland and Finland in his first two games in charge in September.

"I think he's carried that into this week. He's such an exciting player, a player that I've worked with for four or five years now.

"Cole, along with a lot of the other attacking players, have put themselves into a great position to start the game tomorrow."

Greece boss Ivan Jovanovic said England are a more dynamic outfit than the side that reached the Euro 2024 final under Gareth Southgate, who quit after that painful 2-1 loss to Spain.

"Southgate did a lot for English football. However the style has changed slightly under Lee Carsley," he said.

"He has instilled a bit more of a possession-based style and the players have a bit more creative freedom.

"Wembley is a symbol of world football but the team is not here for tourism."

Deepinder Goyal, CEO of India-based food delivery company Zomato, has sparked a heated debate online by advertising a Chief of Staff position with unconventional terms: no salary in the first year and a 2 million rupee ($23,700) fee to be paid by the successful candidate.

Goyal described the role as an unparalleled learning opportunity, offering more than what a two-year degree from a top management school could provide.

In a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter), Goyal clarified the job offer, stating:

• The candidate must be "hungry, down to earth, and have zero entitlement," with strong communication skills and a "learning mindset."
• The role involves "anything and everything to build the future of Zomato," including its verticals Blinkit, Hyperpure, and Feeding India.
• The 2 million rupee fee would be donated directly to Feeding India, a charitable initiative. Goyal also pledged to donate 5 million rupees ($60,000) to a charity of the candidate's choice.
• From the second year onward, the Chief of Staff would receive a salary of "definitely more than 5 million rupees", though the exact amount would be determined later.

In his post, Goyal emphasised that the unconventional terms were meant to attract candidates motivated by learning rather than a high-paying, prestigious role. "We want learners for this role, not resume builders," he wrote, encouraging applicants to email a 200-word cover letter instead of submitting a resume.

The job listing has drawn mixed reactions online. Critics argue that the high entry cost excludes talented individuals from middle- and lower-income backgrounds, creating barriers to opportunity.

As per a report by Reuters, Deepak Singh, a former Flipkart executive, remarked on LinkedIn that this job offer "automatically excludes ambitious, hungry folks who don't have that kind of money."

Aparna Mittal, an inclusion advocate, called it a privilege-based offer, states the report.

Supporters, however, praised the opportunity for its potential to provide a steep career trajectory. "If you're looking for a career in management consulting/strategy, this is worth way more," tech programmer Arnav Gupta commented, as stated in the Reuters report.

The role has attracted widespread attention, with Goyal's post accumulating over five million views.

Zomato, a leading food delivery company in India, has seen its valuation soar to over $28 billion this year, driven by the rapid growth of its quick-commerce business, as per Reuters. However, this unusual job offer has ignited broader discussions about privilege, opportunity, and innovative hiring practices.

Zomato has yet to comment on the public reaction to the post.

Returning England captain Ben Stokes said on Monday he hopes a reused pitch for the second Test against Pakistan in Multan will play into the tourists' hands rather than the spin-heavy hosts.

Desperate to level the three-match series after an innings and 47-run defeat on Friday, Pakistan named three spinners in four changes from the first Test.

In a rare move, Pakistan -- who have now gone winless in 11 home Tests since February 2021 -- decided to use the same flat surface on which England piled up 823-7 declared in reply to their 556 all out.

"If you look at the way that the first Test played out, if another wicket like that was produced, maybe that gives us more of an advantage," said Stokes, back in the side after missing the first Test with a hamstring injury.

Despite the first-innings run-fest -- with Harry Brook smashing 317 and Joe Root making 262 -- England bowled out Pakistan for 220 in their second innings to secure a remarkable victory.

England left out seamers Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes to bring in Matthew Potts and Stokes, but kept the same spinners in Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir.

"You'd like to think it might be a bit more in favour of the spin, so if it does spin more, or if it does reverse more, there's more options there for both teams," added Stokes.

The all-rounder, who may not yet be fit to bowl, said he has never seen such a strategy before.

"It could be a tactic but I've never seen a pitch before used in back-to-back games. And I've never seen fans that big standing as umpires," he said, referring to two big industrial fans at both ends being used to dry the pitch.

Since Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum took over in May 2022, England have played aggressive cricket, with only one draw.

"I think if we went 1-0 down at home, we would probably be going to our groundsman at the second Test saying 'can we have a bit more of this, bit more of that' to use our home advantage in our favour.

"With me being captain and Baz being coach, that's how we both view cricket, that there should be a winner."

Pakistan's assistant coach Azhar Mahmood believes the pitch will help his team.

"The strategy behind the used pitch is to take 20 wickets," said Mahmood.

"We want to get 20 England wickets and going with spinners will help us dominate."

Zahid Mahmood, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali make up Pakistan's spin trio, with Aamer Jamal the only frontline pace bowler.

Mahmood defended the decision to leave out struggling star batter Babar Azam.

"There is no question that Babar Azam is our best batter," said Mahmood of Azam, who is without a half-century in 18 innings.

"He is not dropped, we have given him rest considering the coming hectic cricket schedule and we thought it would be best for him to come refreshed for the three away tours coming."

England's Declan Rice and Jack Grealish shrugged off their hostile reception in Dublin by scoring both goals in England's Nations League win over Ireland on Saturday and said they have nothing but respect for the opponents they once represented.

Rice played for Ireland at youth level and made three senior appearances for the country before changing his allegiance, a decision which many Irish fans still find hard to accept.

As his every touch was booed by sections of the home support, Rice paid little attention and gave England the lead but chose not to celebrate, and not only because of his time playing for the opposition.

"My nan and granddad on my dad's side of the family are all Irish, they've passed away and are not here anymore so I think to have celebrated would have been disrespectful, I didn't want to do that," Rice told Sky Sports.

"I had such an amazing time playing for Ireland, in the first team, Under 19s, Under 21s, they were great memories that live with me.

"I don't have a bad word to say and I wish them all the best like I do with anyone."

Jack Grealish, who scored England's second goal of the 2-0 win, also represented Ireland at youth level and the atmosphere in the ground came as no surprise.

"It was what me and Declan expected. We have nothing bad to say, we both enjoyed our time (playing for Ireland)," Grealish said to ITV.

"I certainly did, and I have a lot of Irish in my family, so there's no bad blood whatsoever from my side."

Grealish was left out of Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad, but made the most of his recall by interim manager Lee Carsley.

"The summer was one of the worst of my life because you can't not see what is happening in front of you," Grealish said.

"It was difficult but it has given me more resolve to bounce back.

"It meant everything, just going to the fans at the end and hearing them cheer my name."

Carsley, himself a former Ireland international, proved that old habits die hard when he went to sit in the home dugout before realising his mistake.

"I did go down the tunnel and turn right," Carsley said with a smile to RTE.

"As you know, I spent a lot of time on the bench so I know exactly where that is."