The Lionel Messi G.O.A.T. India Tour that began in shambolic fashion ended in a blaze of glory as devotional fans joyously gathered to catch a glimpse of a man that does things on the field that are often beyond human comprehension.
Ranchi Royals prevailed over HIL GC in the shootout after the two sides were locked 4-4 at the end of regulation time in the men's Hockey India League (HIL) in Bhubaneswar on Monday.
India had entered the tournament on a high, demolishing the UAE by 234 runs in their opening match, powered by a Suryavanshi century.
Kamalini, Vaishnavi two new faces in India Women's squad for T20Is against Sri Lanka
Vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra's exhilarating stroke-play was well complemented by Aaron George's composure as India set up an Under-19 Asia Cup summit date with arch-rivals Pakistan after crushing Sri Lanka by eight wickets in a rain-curtailed semi-final, in Dubai, on Friday.
Though the second quarter was goalless with Dragons trying their best to equalise with Uttam Singh leading the charge, there was not much they could gain from the attempts.
Temba Bavuma, who led South Africa to their maiden ICC World Test Championship title and a historic 2-0 series sweep in India, also made the cut, while four Australian players were included.
Messi, accompanied by his Inter Miami teammates Luis Surez and Rodrigo De Paul, was accorded a traditional welcome, featuring folk music, floral greetings and a ceremonial 'Aarti'.
Harman's record as captain untouchable, she has another 4-5 years to offer: Jhulan Goswami
Qatar's five-times winner Nasser Al-Attiyah was in second place for the Dacia Sandriders team, 40 seconds behind de Mevius.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Smriti Mandhana on Thursday said the Indian women's cricket team is aiming to be the best across formats and the WPL is going to have a major role in this mission after being a key contributor to their maiden ODI World Cup triumph.
Jitesh Sharma, who has emerged as India's preferred wicketkeeper-batter in T20 format with less than two months left for the World Cup, has played down his 'competition' with Sanju Samson in the squad, saying it only brings out his "A-game" to the fore, strengthening the side.
India's footballing future was discussed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday by Congress member Jose K Mani, as he cited tiny Dutch-Caribbean island Curacao's World Cup qualification to ask Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya about the long-term plan for sport in the country that is on a downward spiral.
New Zealand batter Henry Nicholls on Tuesday said having a limited amount of one-day cricket between global events makes the series such as the ongoing one against India "more important than ever".
New Zealand are not dwelling on the T20 World Cup, which is still a month away, and are instead focused on the immediate challenge of facing the Indian bowlers in the upcoming white-ball series, batter Daryl Mitchell said on Wednesday.
Fighting India beat Belgium in shoot-out to enter FIH Jr WC semifinals
'Myself, Shubman, we could have given a good start because we can't rely on Abhishek all the time.'
Roux, who first worked with India in the early 2000s, says while cricket has changed drastically in two decades, especially the volume of matches, his job remains the same, that is to prepare players physically so their skills can shine.
The 19-year-old looked set for a double century and join the likes of India's Abhigyan Kundu and South Africa's Jorich Van Schalkwyk in the elite 200-plus club.
This will be their first encounter after the controversy-filled the Asia Cup earlier this year, in which India refused to shake hands with the Pakistan players.
Not handing the ball to lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah to start the third day's play on a challenging Eden Gardens surface was "questionable", said the legendary Anil Kumble.
India's staggering, unwanted run of consecutive ODI toss losses extended to 20 matches.
Long before Vaishnavi Sharma picked up a cricket ball, she says her future as a cricketer was known to her astrologer father, Narendra Sharma.
Kaziranga remains a critical stronghold for tiger conservation in India, but the recent deaths underscore the growing challenges of managing a thriving population within a limited landscape.
Batting great Alistair Cook says England's 2-2 home series draw against Shubman Gill-led India was against "not a great Indian side", flagging concerns over the team's preparation for the Ashes.
'We've rectified that and we've got a good series against a strong team getting into the World Cup.'
'I am getting used to managing this side.'
Bangladesh's local media reported on Wednesday, quoting sources in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that Ridhima was axed from the BPL.
The amount involved in banking system frauds surged to Rs 21,515 crore in the first half of FY26, up 30 per cent from the same period last year, even as the number of frauds fell 2.8 times to 5,092.
New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell on Tuesday said it would be "silly to underestimate" Indian batting superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and backed the stalwarts to play next year's ODI World Cup.
Pathan felt the same learning curve now applies to Gill, who has rapidly risen through the ranks and embraced leadership roles across formats.
HIL Women: Shrachi Bengal Tigers edge past Ranchi Royals
'Someone with a strong record against Australia, especially as a coach, is worth considering. Looking ahead to the Ashes in 2027, England might benefit from a different voice -- that extra 1% that helps teams win.'
Team India wasted no time in getting their preparations underway as they kicked off their first training session at Lord's a few hours after their arrival in London on Saturday.
The US Department of State highlighted a mission-defining challenge during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit in November amid the US government shutdown, detailing the security measures taken to ensure his protection.
Lisa Keightley, the new coach of the Mumbai Indians, said Indian domestic players are getting the right amount of competition, which is now reflecting in their performances.
'They're all going to score because they are naturally gifted players but the real high-risk way of playing, I'm afraid it hasn't worked.'
With the T20 World Cup less than two months away, India would want their captain Suryakumar Yadav to rediscover his rhythm sooner rather than later.
'India gave me its heart first. So India will always have mine.'
Bajaj Auto is planning a slow, calibrated push to take the Chetak, its electric scooter, to more than 100 countries on the strength of its distributor network and market-specific localisation rather than an aggressive global rollout, reports Sohini Das.
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