Ishant, Gambhir boost for DelhiDelhi are set to welcome Ishant Sharma back into their line-up for the Ranji Trophy game against Karnataka at Eden Gardens on Thursday. It would be his first competitive match after a bout of chickengunya, which sidelined him for over two months. Gautam Gambhir, who was on India duty when Delhi played their first two matches of the season on October 6 and 13, will also return to captain the team.Gambhir sceptical about neutral venuesThe BCCI decided to play this seasons Ranji matches in neutral venues to make domestic cricket more competitive. But Gambhir wasnt sold on the idea.Just because couple of teams made under-prepared tracks last season, all the other teams are made to suffer, he told the Hindu. Playing at home always gives you a positive feel. The domestic season should have been played like it always has been - home and away. Under the current set-up, Delhi will never play at the Feroze Shah Kotla. That, in my opinion is sad.Gambhir was open to a different kind of change, though. I am a firm believer that you should have five-day games in Ranji cricket. That will give teams a more realistic chance of enforcing a result. If you can play five-day Tests, why not have it in Ranji games as well?Nairs captaincy debutWith Vinay Kumar ruled out of the match with a calf-strain, Karun Nair, who was appointed vice-captain at the start of the season, will lead Karnataka for the first time.The management took the decision considering the future of the Karnataka cricket, batting coach J Arunkumar told Deccan Herald. In the next seven-eight years, we know who will be around and we felt Nair is a good choice. He has the potential to be a good captain. The seniors like Robin (Uthappa), Stuart (Binny) and Gautam (CM) were happy with the decision and they all offered to guide Nair in his new role, which is a positive sign.Pujara return buoys SaurashtraCheteshwar Pujara, who was the highest scorer in the three-Test series against New Zealand with 373 runs at 74.60, is set to play for Saurashtra in the third-round match against Maharashtra in Vizianagaram. Ravindra Jadeja, however, isnt part of the 18-man squad.Having both Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja will be great, but even one of them, [this time Pujara], would be a boost for us, Saurashtra coach Sitanshu Kotak told SportstarSaurashtra are placed sixth on the Group B table after a 32-run loss in a low-scoring match against Odisha last week.Custom Charlotte Hornets Jerseys .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Custom Milwaukee Bucks Jerseys . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. http://www.customjerseysbasketball.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Custom Orlando Magic Jerseys . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. Custom Cleveland Cavaliers Jerseys . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night.No. 4 Washington might still have critics because of its strength of schedule. USC has doubters, too, unable to break into the Associated Press poll, despite a five-game winning streak.Each team will have its chance for a major statement Saturday in Seattle.In what looks to be the biggest game of the week in college football -- ESPNs College GameDay will be there to preview the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff -- the matchup will have big implications for the national and Pac-12 races.The Huskies (9-0 overall, 6-0 Pac-12) enter the weekend coming off a 66-27 victory at Cal. USC (6-3, 5-2 Pac-12) handled Oregon 45-20, holding the Ducks to 288 total yards, their lowest total since 2009. The Trojans are No. 20 in the College Football Playoff rankings.USC is right back to USC, said Washington coach Chris Petersen. You just watch the tape.Two of the best young quarterbacks in the country will face off for the first time.Washington sophomore Jake Browning, with his six-touchdown performance against the Bears, boosted his passer rating to a national-best 202.79.That puts him on track to break the 5-year-old FBS record of 191.78, set by Wisconsins Russell Wilson in 2011. Browning has thrown 34 touchdown passes and only three interceptions. He has 2,273 passing yards and a 67.7 completion percentage.Browning already owns Washingtons single-season record for touchdown passes and is on pace to break Jared Goffs Pac-12 record of 43, set last season.Great quarterbacks always have great decision-making, timing and accuracy, said USC coach Clay Helton. Thats what you see from the kid. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is incredible.USCs season turned when Helton inserted redshirt freshman Sam Darnold as his starting quarterback in the fourth game. That was a 31-27 loss to the Utes, who scored in the final minute, but the Trojans have ripped off five in a row since then, winning four by at least 21 points.Darnold is ranked seventh nationally -- and first among freshmen -- in passer rating with a mark of 168.1. He has completed 146 of 215 passes for 1,874 yards, with 20 touchdowns and four interceptions. Like Browning, his mobility keeps defenses honest and opens up the field for a great supporting cast.Hes not really a freshman when you look at how many games hes played now and the things hes seen, Petersen saiid.ddddddddddddHes doing a really good job. You couple that with the receivers, and its like, Whos that? Whos that? Whos that? Youve got five or six guys, and I think their hard decision is trying to figure out who should get the ball the most, the tailback or receivers.The quarterbacks arent even eligible for the 2017 draft, and neither are the two main tailbacks -- Washingtons Myles Gaskin (952 yards, eight touchdowns) and USCs Ronald Jones II (393 yards in the past two games). They are second-year sophomores.These teams are so loaded otherwise that they combine for 12 of the top 136 prospects for the 2017 NFL Draft, according to NFLDraftScout.com.Here are two big-time matchups in the passing game: Washington receiver John Ross III (14 touchdown receptions) vs. USC cornerback Adoree Jackson, and, on the other side, USC receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. Washington corners Sidney Jones and Kevin King.Ross and Jackson are dynamic in the return game, too.Up front, USC tackles Chad Wheeler and Zach Banner -- deemed to be top 100 prospects -- have to handle a pair of top 100 defensive line prospects in Vita Vea and Elijah Qualls, among other Husky standouts the line.For the fifth game in a row, I thought the offensive line set the tone, Helton said after his offense gashed the Ducks for 270 rushing yards. The holes they were creating, a good running back can go a long way.Said Petersen: This (USC) offensive line is really, really good. Really good. And I dont say that a lot.The true strength of Washingtons defense -- which is 11th nationally in points allowed at 17.0 points per game -- is its secondary, led by Budda Baker. The Huskies allow just 5.6 yards per pass attempt, the fifth-best mark in the country.While Washington is playing for a spot in the College Football Playoff, USC needs a win to stay competitive in the Pac-12 South. They are a half-game behind Colorado (5-1) and a half-game ahead of Utah (4-2). USC holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Buffaloes. The Trojans likely would need too much help to win the division if they lost to Washington or UCLA to end the conference season.Im glad were playing at home, Petersen said. Itll be a heck of a game. ' ' '