A charming first half and two winning lead performances are undone by an overlong, predictable second half that loses sight of what made Chennai Love Story special.
France's World Cup campaign ended in a 'devastating' 2-0 semi-final defeat to Spain, with coach Didier Deschamps admitting his team was 'technically, second best' and star players like Michael Olise failing to perform.
Punjab Kings have been setting themselves up to win the Indian Premier League and not settle for third place, asserted bowling coach James Hopes.
Ousmane Dembele scored a first-half hat-trick as France made sure of top spot in World Cup Group I with a ruthless 4-1 win on Friday over a second-string Norway who like the French had already qualified for the next round of the tournament.
National record holder Tejas Shirse made history by becoming the first Indian to qualify for the men's 110m hurdles final at the Commonwealth Games.
TRAU FC and NEROCA FC played out a goalless draw in a high-intensity Imphal Derby during the Durand Cup. Both teams created numerous scoring opportunities, with goalkeepers making crucial saves. TRAU FC finished the match with ten men after Adriko Rogers received a red card, but NEROCA FC failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage.
McLaren's Lando Norris secured pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix, narrowly beating Lewis Hamilton, who is now under investigation for potentially impeding another driver during qualifying.
Gurindervir Singh, India's fastest man, has set an ambitious goal to run the 100m dash in under 10 seconds, a milestone yet to be achieved by any Indian. Fresh off breaking the national record with a time of 10.09 seconds, Singh shared his aspirations and pride in meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a youth convention, affirming his focus despite newfound recognition.
Formula One champion Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix for McLaren's first victory of the season on Sunday while Mercedes's Kimi Antonelli extended his overall lead to 50 points.
Qatar celebrated their first World Cup point after a late own goal forced a 1-1 draw against Switzerland and sent the Gulf nation into jubilation on Saturday.
England bagged third place at the World Cup after beating France 6-4 on Saturday, while Les Bleus' captain Kylian Mbappe became the tournament's all-time top scorer with 22 goals on coach Didier Deschamps' last game after 14 years in charge.
India's first Youth Test against Sri Lanka U-19 concluded in a draw, marked by opener Lakshay Raichandani's impressive double century (207) and Manav Krishna's patient hundred (100). Despite India securing a significant first-innings lead, Sri Lanka U-19 batted out the final day to ensure a stalemate.
Second seed Elena Rybakina was defeated by Elise Mertens in the third round of Wimbledon, ending her bid for a second Grand Slam title this year and the world number one ranking. Mertens dominated after winning the first set tiebreak, securing a 7-6(4) 6-1 victory.
Vaobhav Sooryavanshi, 15, stands a chance to become India's youngest international cricketer, potentially breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record.
The first thought Ajay Duggal had when he saw his nephew, his eyes shut, his face, neck and chest pockmarked with tiny red perforations, was this: "What if the 19-year-old loses his sight completely." Sahil Lochab was allegedly hit by a pellet gun in his right eye during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Delhi on June 20. His uncle asked him what he could see from the eye. The reply chilled him - there was nothing. No blur, no haze, only darkness.
New Zealand's football coach Darren Bazeley lauded his team's performance in a 2-2 draw against Iran at the World Cup, where they came close to securing their first-ever win. Elijah Just scored twice for New Zealand, but Iran equalised late, leaving all Group G teams with one point.
After yet another failure for Sanju Samson -- his third in a row -- 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could make his India debut in the second T20I against England on Saturday.
Magnus Carlsen defeated D Gukesh at the Norway Chess tournament, while R Praggnanandhaa secured second place after beating Vincent Keymer. In the women's event, Divya Deshmukh lost to Anna Muzychuk, and Koneru Humpy continued to struggle.
LeBron James has announced his decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers for the final chapter of his NBA career, foregoing larger salaries for one more shot at a championship with a franchise that has not won a title in 43 years.
Reigning champions U Mumba secured their first victory of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7, defeating unbeaten Dabang Delhi TTC 8-7 in a thrilling encounter. Anusha Kutumbale was the hero, winning a dramatic Golden Point decider in the final women's singles match. Meanwhile, in the UTT Juniors competition, Dempo Goa Challengers became the first team to reach the semifinals, and HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades strengthened their playoff bid.
Sir Garfield Sobers, who passed into the ages on July 17, would have turned 90 today, July 28. Former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam remembers a dear friend who he believes was 'undoubtedly the greatest cricketer the world has ever seen.'
Spain's Rodri claimed the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player, Unai Simon won the Golden Glove, and Pau Cubarsi was named the Best Young Player, leaving Lionel Messi without another personal honour despite his impressive World Cup performance.
Indian men's hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh believes his side is capable of ending the country's five-decade-long World Cup medal drought, drawing parallels with the team's success at the Tokyo Olympics.
'Our biggest opportunity lies with the younger age-group teams.' 'If you look at the senior national team, our chances are about 50-50.' 'The gap becomes smaller as you move down the age groups.' 'At the Under-20 level, it's closer to 60-40.' 'By the Under-17 level, it's around 80-20. That's where I feel we have our best chance.'
It's a rainy July, and the best way to enjoy it is to curl up on your couch and watch the telly.
Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia believes Lionel Messi needs to win the 2026 World Cup to truly equal Diego Maradona's legendary status, despite Messi's 2022 triumph. Bhutia rates Maradona higher due to his single-handed 1986 World Cup victory, while also tipping Spain as slight favourites over Argentina in the upcoming final.
Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in a dramatic World Cup final after extra time, preventing Argentina from staging another of their characteristic comebacks. Lionel Messi, who had been instrumental in previous matches, was effectively neutralised by the Spanish defence, leaving Argentina without an answer and unable to register a shot on target for much of the game.
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan emphasises staying focused on his role amidst the buzz around young talents like Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, stating, "I don't give so much focus to what's happening outside." He also shared insights on his own comeback and the importance of mentoring young players.
England's manager Thomas Tuchel has faced heavy criticism following their World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, but he attributes the loss to fundamental issues like a lack of 'ball possession DNA' rather than just tactical errors, while acknowledging the unstoppable brilliance of Lionel Messi.
India's ODI captain Shubman Gill has voiced strong concerns over the recurring injury issues plaguing his bowlers, questioning their fitness commitment ahead of next year's World Cup. Following a 1-2 series loss to England, Gill highlighted that multiple key players were sidelined due to injuries, impacting team combinations and raising doubts about their ability to sustain performance through a long tournament.
West Indies have secured their first Test series victory in three years, defeating Sri Lanka 1-0 after the second and final Test in North Sound ended in a rain-affected draw.
France coach Didier Deschamps expressed unwavering confidence in his team's ability to advance in the World Cup quarter-final against Morocco, even after Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty and several other chances in the first half.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot and Pedro Porro added another goal as Spain advanced to its first World Cup final since winning in 2010 with a 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday.
Morocco defeated Canada 3-0 in the World Cup last 16, with Azzedine Ounahi scoring two goals, to advance to the quarter-finals for the second consecutive time. The victory ended Canada's tournament run.
Argentina battled their way into the semis after edging Cape Verde and Switzerland in extra time and coming from 2-0 down to defeat Egypt 3-2.
Jannik Sinner's bid for a maiden French Open title and career Grand Slam went up in smoke as he experienced physical issues in his second-round match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo and fell to a 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 defeat on a scorching Thursday.
Sir Garfield Sobers, widely considered the greatest all-rounder in cricket history, passed away just days before his 90th birthday, leaving behind an unparalleled legacy that included a significant connection with India both on and off the field.
Karolina Muchova ended Coco Gauff's incredible run of living dangerously at this year's Wimbledon as she saved a match point to topple the American in a 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (12-10) thriller to keep alive hopes of setting up an all-Czech final at a Grand Slam for the first time.
Jude Bellingham scored twice as England fought back to defeat Norway 2-1 in the third World Cup quarter-final at Miami Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday.
Indian recurve teams faced early exits at the Archery World Cup Stage 4 in Madrid, losing to the USA in both men's and women's quarter-finals. Despite team setbacks, hopes remain high for the recurve mixed pair event featuring Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kirti Sharma, and several archers are still in contention in individual categories.
