India's bowling coach Morne Morkel has indicated that the team management will continue to back openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, despite the impressive performance of teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Morkel stressed the importance of showing faith in established players who have performed well previously, while also acknowledging the excitement around new talents like Sooryavanshi and pacer Prince Yadav.
Pundits and former players have raised concerns over the Indian cricket team's batting performance following consecutive T20 series defeats against England and Ireland. Experts like Dinesh Karthik, Sunil Gavaskar, and Harsha Bhogle, along with captain Shreyas Iyer, point to issues with adapting to conditions and a lack of rhythm in the middle order, suggesting these losses could be a crucial wake-up call for the team.
Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Uzbekistan and Jordan have already taken six of Asia's eight guaranteed spots at next year's 48-team World Cup.
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.
Lalchand Rajput, Rohit Sharma's early mentor, believes the former India captain is 'good enough to play for a couple of years', attributing his current struggles to natural 'wear and tear'.
Shreyas Iyer leads a young Indian squad in a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, aiming for a crucial series win after recent defeats and facing selection dilemmas, particularly concerning the batting order and all-rounders.
India will look to seal the ODI series against Afghanistan while continuing to test combinations for the 2027 World Cup, with Kuldeep Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal among those pushing for opportunities in the second match.
Former skipper Meg Lanning feels Australia's "incredible depth" which has been in full display throughout the tournament gives the seven-time champions an edge over India.
The 44-year-old said in a statement on Monday that performing at the World Cup was "a boyhood dream" and it would be "an unforgettable show".
Ace shooter Saurabh Chaudhary opened India's medal account with a bronze in the men's 10m air pistol event on day one of the year's second ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun stage in Lima, Peru, on Tuesday.
Teams like India do not offer too many chances and Afghanistan must learn to capitalise on the opportunities that come their way, captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said.
Russia declared the soccer World Cup open on Thursday at a glitzy ceremony in Moscow headlined by British pop star Robbie Williams and Russian soprano Aida Garifullina.
India's head coach Gautam Gambhir has attributed the team's poor performance in the ongoing UK T20 tour to a transitional 'reset', a lack of game awareness, and failure to correctly read conditions, following their heaviest-ever T20I defeat.
Kane Williamson will play both of New Zealand's warm-up matches but will skip the tournament opener against England.
Ruben Vargas and Johan Manzambi scored second-half goals as Switzerland beat Canada 2-1 on Wednesday to qualify for the knock-out stage of the World Cup as Group B winners, with the tournament co-hosts also progressing as runners-up.
Rosan, Dilraj fashion India's thumping win over Chile in FIH Junior WC
India, led by Shreyas Iyer, aims to secure an unassailable lead against Zimbabwe in the second T20I after a convincing seven-wicket victory in the opener. Young talents like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Mayank Yadav were instrumental in the first match, showcasing strong batting and pace bowling performances.
Morocco confirmed their progress to the World Cup last 32 but twice had to come from behind to get the better of plucky Haiti with a 4-2 win in an action-packed game on Wednesday and fell short of topping Brazil in the Group C standings.
At the Iran-Belgium FIFA World Cup match, least one attendee wearing a pre-revolutionary flag shirt was detained for trying to run onto the pitch and Iranian player Alireza Jahanbakhsh said after the match that he doesn't want to keep focusing on the challenging situations faced by his team.
Indian boxers Preeti Pawar and Jadumani Singh have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Commonwealth Games. Preeti, an Asian Games bronze medallist, secured a dominant win in the women's 54kg category, while Jadumani defeated his Pakistani opponent in the men's 55kg. Both are now one victory away from securing a medal for India.
This is not just a historic series sweep for Ireland, but for world cricket itself. To beat India, which hasn't been beaten in 16 series over three years, is truly remarkable.
A look at what went wrong for India in the England ODI series.
Their campaign in disarray, Sri Lanka will hope for some respite as they seek a maiden win in the women's World Cup when they take on another struggling outfit in Bangladesh, in Navi Mumbai on Monday.
Rohit Sharma faces intense scrutiny over his form and future as India prepares for the series-deciding third ODI against England. Despite BCCI assurances, his recent struggles have fuelled speculation, especially concerning his ability to last until the 2027 ODI World Cup. The match is crucial for both Rohit to regain form and for India to clinch the series.
AFC Executive Committee member Shaji Prabhakaran advocates for a balanced, long-term strategy for integrating OCI and PIO players into Indian football, stressing it's not a complete solution but a part of broader development. He also analyses recent World Cup semifinals, highlighting Spain's tactical dominance and Argentina's fighting spirit.
Tributes continued to pour in for former India captain Sourav Ganguly a day after he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, with batting great Sachin Tendulkar and former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh congratulating one of India's most successful captains.
India's teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, at 15 years and 118 days, became the youngest player to score a fifty in men's international cricket, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record.
Arshdeep Singh, Manmeet Singh and Dilraj Singh struck a hat-trick each as India mauled Oman 17-0 to register their second consecutive win in the FIH men's Junior World Cup.
As a confident Indian team chases T20 World Cup glory to add to last year's ODI triumph, Mithali Raj said on Wednesday that her journey -- from limited opportunities to becoming the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket -- mirrors the remarkable growth of the sport in the country.
India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has challenged the T20 team to shed its 'underachievers' tag in foreign conditions, emphasising the need for quicker adaptation to varied playing environments after recent series losses.
Anas Khan and Ayesha Gupta have established significant leads in their respective categories at the NCR Cup Junior Golf Tournament. Khan leads the Boys' Category A by eight strokes, while Gupta holds a six-stroke advantage in the Girls' Category A. Other categories also saw strong performances, with Chaitanya Pandey, Mohd Rehan, Aaradhya Rawat, and Unnati Singh leading their divisions.
Women's World Cup: Devonshire ruled out; New Zealand calls up Hannah Rowe
The Indian women's hockey team, having already secured a semifinal spot in the FIH Nations Cup, is set to face lower-ranked Uruguay in their final pool match. India aims to maintain their undefeated record and bolster confidence, especially as winning this tournament is crucial for their return to the elite FIH Pro League after being relegated last season. Coach Sjoerd Marijne hopes for improved field goal conversions and may experiment with combinations ahead of the World Cup and Asian Games.
India's new T20I captain Shreyas Iyer reflected on the team's disastrous series losses to Ireland and England, admitting they failed to adapt to English conditions. Despite the setbacks, Iyer views the experience as a crucial learning opportunity for himself as a leader and for the team, especially concerning future overseas tours and World Cup preparations. He highlighted the need for better adaptation, improved fielding, and strategic team combinations.
The Indian women's cricket team is set to face Bangladesh in a critical T20 World Cup Group A match, aiming to address persistent middle-order batting struggles and fielding lapses. While openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have provided strong starts, the inability of the middle order to capitalise has put pressure on the lower order. India, currently second in their group, needs a strong performance to solidify their semi-final chances, especially after a recent loss to South Africa highlighted their vulnerabilities.
World chess champion D Gukesh is ranked 19th behind the legendary Viswanathan Anand at 13th.
Scotland, veterans of six previous T20 World Cup editions, were the big losers, failing to secure their spot for the 20-team tournament, losing to Jersey who chased down 134 in a last-ball victory. But Scotland also needed Italy to win.
Manchester United's Amad Diallo struck in the 90th minute as Ivory Coast stunned Ecuador 1-0 in their World Cup Group E opener on Sunday.
France's perfect record in their World Cup qualifying campaign ended as they were held to a 2-2 draw away to Iceland who got a late equaliser in an entertaining Group D clash on Monday.
Abhishek Sharma's record in IPL playoffs hasn't been great with a total of 17 runs in three matches in the 2024 edition.
