India finished fourth at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with 85 medals, a significant dip from the previous edition's record haul. While traditional strongholds like shooting and athletics underperformed, breakthroughs in archery, wrestling, golf, boxing, hockey, and cricket showcased a broadening sporting base. The performance serves as a reality check on sustaining progress towards top global rankings and highlights areas for improvement in mental conditioning and preparation.
Former India cricketer Sandeep Patil has been appointed as the mentor for Mumbai cricket teams across all levels by the Mumbai Cricket Association.
Visitors Pakistan replaced seven players and their head coach on Monday, after suffering two heavy losses to England in their ongoing three-Test series.
Abhishek Sharma's record 30-ball century against Afghanistan had a little help from mentor Yuvraj Singh.
Shubman Gill, India's Test and ODI captain, celebrated his 27th birthday, marking a remarkable journey from a young prodigy to a dependable leader and cornerstone of the Indian batting line-up, with impressive records across all formats.
Kumkum Mohod, 17, made history by becoming the first Indian to win an individual recurve gold at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, also securing an Olympic quota for LA 2028. Her victory over South Korea's Oh Yejin in a tense shoot-off has boosted India's confidence to challenge the long-standing Korean dominance in recurve archery. Mohod attributes her success to mental preparation, visualisation, and family sacrifices, and is now focused on securing her individual spot for the 2028 Olympics.
India continued its strong performance at the Asian Games, securing more medals across various disciplines. Shooter Esha Singh won a hard-fought silver in the women's 25m pistol, while Gulveer Singh added another silver in the men's 1500m. Other notable achievements include Kurash player Picky Balhara's bronze, Vithya Ramraj breaking a national record for bronze in hurdles, and several boxers, the men's cricket team, and squash teams advancing. However, some defending champions faced early exits.
According to former India coach Rahul Dravid, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's development must balance white-ball success with sustained red-ball exposure, giving the teenager time, patience and experience to eventually become a Test cricketer.
Ajit Agarkar, chairman of the senior men's selection committee, was notably absent from a BCCI review meeting discussing India's recent limited-overs tour performances against Ireland and England, citing travel issues. The meeting, attended by captains and coaches, did not address his contract extension, which is due to expire soon.
India is set to field a strong contingent at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, with key athletes like PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, and Lovlina Borgohain leading the charge to defend titles in cricket, kabaddi, and men's hockey.
Virat Kohli reached 15,000 ODI runs 74 innings faster than Sachin Tendulkar, but changing rules and conditions make their numbers harder to compare.
Meerut Mavericks fast bowler Kartik Tyagi has lauded captain Rinku Singh, stating that the left-hander is 'almost in the Top 5 batters' globally for his ability to dominate pressure situations in the death overs.
Babar Azam's fever adds to Pakistan's mounting troubles before the Edgbaston Test, with the PCB overhauling the squad and coaching staff after England secured an unassailable 2-0 lead.
India successfully chased down a formidable target of 406 runs against the West Indies in the second ODI, with Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma's exceptional batting performances leading the team to a historic victory.
England captain Ben Stokes criticised the Lord's pitch after the first Test against New Zealand, saying bowler-friendly surfaces and four-day finishes are not ideal for Test cricket's long-term future.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India have confirmed that Afghanistan will host India for a three-match T20I series at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in Delhi next month.
Sonal Dinusha's magnificent unbeaten 133, including a crucial century-run stand with Keshara Nuwantha, helped Sri Lanka secure a remarkable draw against India in the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
Opener Shafali Verma's explosive 64-run innings powered the Indian women's cricket team into the final of the Women's T20 Asia Cup in Dubai. Her crucial knock on a spin-friendly pitch helped India set a competitive target of 149, which Bangladesh failed to chase, losing by 40 runs. Both captains acknowledged the dominance of spin bowling in the match.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Sohail Khan has criticised the current generation of pacers for their lack of skill development, attributing it to Pakistan's decline in Test cricket. He emphasised the importance of artful bowling over mere speed and highlighted how T20 cricket and internal politics are hindering player development.
Gautam Gambhir, India's head coach, dismisses criticism over recent poor results, stating his sole focus is on winning trophies for the country.
Rohit Sharma has commenced his rigorous training at the Mumbai Cricket Association facility, gearing up for the ODI series against the West Indies in September.
Karn Sharma announced his retirement from competitive cricket at 38, ending a nearly two-decade career highlighted by India appearances, 591 wickets and four IPL titles.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has become the first cricketer, male or female, to play 200 T20 Internationals, achieving this milestone during a World Cup clash against South Africa.
'... I see a group, a really, really talented group that have that journey ahead of them that are totally invested in wanting to do some special things with this New Zealand cricket team that I've been incredibly fortunate to have been a part of for such a long period of time.'
The Indian mixed disability cricket team secured a significant 118-run victory over England in the final T20I, celebrating their win by emulating Sourav Ganguly's famous shirt-waving act at the Lord's balcony.
India won six athletics medals at the Asian Games on Monday, including a javelin silver-bronze double, as Esha Singh and Murali Sreeshankar added more silver.
Zimbabwe secured a dramatic five-run victory over hosts Namibia in the third match of the T20 tri-series, taking four wickets in the final over to defend their total of 195-6.
The Indian Women's A team lost a close encounter to their Australian counterparts in the second unofficial ODI, despite a magnificent century from Yastika Bhatia. Australia successfully chased down a formidable target of 339, levelling the series 1-1.
The latest ICC Test rankings show Indian captain Shubman Gill dropping two places to ninth among batters, while Jasprit Bumrah fell one spot to third among bowlers.
Gautam Gambhir builds a lot of trust and confidence within the team, and every player knows their role and has clarity, said Shreyas Iyer, praising his head coach's man-management skills.
Former Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie has strongly criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for its constant upheaval, including the 'disrespectful' sacking of players and frequent changes in coaching staff, which he believes creates instability and fear among players.
India's Shafali Verma has become the fastest and youngest player to reach 3,000 runs in Women's T20 International cricket during a match against Pakistan in Dubai.
Pretorius struck 94 off 51 balls and Jansen took three wickets as South Africa beat Zimbabwe by 43 runs, strengthening their final prospects.
East Zone captain Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took a successful DRS review to get the wicket of the well-set Aryan Juyal for 46 off the bowling of Mukesh Kumar.
Young left-arm spinner Shree Charani discusses the Indian women's cricket team's strategy, particularly among slow bowlers, after their dominant seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Women's T20 Asia Cup. India bowled out Pakistan for their lowest-ever T20I total of 55, securing a semifinal spot and topping their group.
Avishka Gunawardene acknowledged India's dominance but hailed Sonal Dinusha's breakthrough, with the young batter scoring 420 runs, including three centuries, as a major positive for Sri Lanka.
India will play defending champions Sri Lanka in the Women's Asia Cup final on Sunday. Sri Lanka secured their spot by defeating Pakistan in a thrilling semifinal, chasing down 131 with a strong recovery after early wickets. India, having a dominant run, aims for a record eighth title, while Sri Lanka seeks to defend their maiden title won against India in the previous edition.
The Kerala Cricket Association has lifted the three-year ban on former international cricketer S Sreesanth, which was imposed last year for alleged defamatory remarks. The decision followed an unconditional apology from Sreesanth.
Ravichandran Ashwin has called for urgent measures to safeguard Test cricket, stressing the importance of first-class cricket as the pathway to the longest format and warning that young players need stronger incentives to pursue red-ball careers.
Ibrahim Zadran has been appointed captain of Afghanistan's T20I squad for the upcoming three-match series against India, which will be played in New Delhi. The squad sees the return of fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq and all-rounder Gulbadin Naib, featuring a blend of experienced players like Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, alongside uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Noor Rahman.
