Author: Gargi Raut

American cricket is reaching new heights with each passing day, and the USA cricket team is set to participate in another ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after co-hosting the last edition. Their squad includes three players who have represented India at the U19 World Cup — Saurabh Netravalkar, Harmeet Singh and Smit Patel — and is largely made up of players of Indian origin. The USA U19 squad, too, consists entirely of players of Indian origin. In recent years, there has been a notable influx of Indian-origin talent in American cricket, with Indian players increasingly choosing to relocate to the…

“Due to recent developments” is what the Board of Control for Cricket in India Secretary, Devajit Saikia, stated when the board asked IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release the sole Bangladeshi player picked up in the mini-auction. A day later, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) retaliated by saying that they would ban IPL’s streaming in the country and on January 4, BCB wrote to the International Cricket Council that the team would not travel to India owing to security concerns, after consulting with the government. What followed was days of back and forth between the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the…

India went 2-0 up in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. After the ODI series defeat against the same opponent and ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, India will welcome the new-found and explosive form displayed by the batters in Raipur. Chasing 208, it was not a day for the usual Abhishek Sharma fireworks. The two openers fell in the first two overs. Ishan Kishan, who got a rare entry into the playing XI in the absence of Tilak Varma, scored an impressive 76 (32 balls), consisting of four sixes and 11 fours. Ishan and Suryakumar Yadav stitched…

November 19, 2023 is a memory fresh in every Indian cricket fan’s mind – the night when, alongside the eleven on the field, a million other dreams shattered. That night, KL Rahul bore the brunt of criticism. He was blamed for the loss, called “weak”, and accused of “crumbling under pressure”, among other things. His 66 off 107 balls became the reason for India’s inability to put up a competitive total. And what no one will forget is the look on his face when Virat Kohli was bowled by Pat Cummins. Standing at the non-striker’s end, Rahul was wide-eyed, realising…

Over the last six months, whenever the country spoke of football, it was often in a morose tone. The dire state of Indian football, attempts to revive the Indian Super League, the Lionel Messi event failure in Kolkata, the narrative was largely bleak. But amid the gloom, a faint silver lining has emerged for the future of Indian football, and it is the U17 women’s team that is responsible for it. The FIFA World Cup Trophy is currently on a global tour, and on January 10, the world’s most coveted sports trophy graced the streets of the Indian capital, Delhi.…

Cricket in the subcontinent has always lived at the intersection of sports and geopolitics. As Shaharyar Khan wrote in Shadows Across the Playing Field, cricket is largely an arm of diplomacy that can soften or aggravate the hostility (between India and Pakistan). The same now stands true for the heightened tensions between India and Bangladesh. The events of the past few days suggest that the balance between sport and politics has become increasingly fragile, and has raised uncomfortable questions about where cricket is headed in the subcontinent. The immediate trigger this time around wasn’t conflict or a cross-border skirmkish, but…

India’s ODI squad announcement for the upcoming three match ODI series against New Zealand wasn’t an unfamiliar squad but still had a couple surprises. Continuity at the top but as your eyes searched lower down the order in the squad list, you realise that there was an unfortunate but complicated story underneath. While India’s beloved Mohammed Siraj’s return to the squad felt like a restoration of balance and a beacon of hope for a bowler who had been missing out on white-ball action for reasons unknown, Mohammed Shami being ignored from the setup landed as a dull thud among fans.…

The year 2026 has a lot in store for not only Indian sport but also the global sporting scene. From global showpieces to tours that could shape India’s next Olympic and World Cup cycles, 2026 promises to be a pivotal year. With cricket, football and multi-sport events colliding across continents, fans will have plenty to mark on their calendars. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (February 7 – March 8) It all kicks off with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at home, co-hosted with Sri Lanka. The tournament runs from early February to early March and promises packed stadiums…

Indian Hockey’s journey through the year 2025 has had its ups and down, while there were moments of revival and resurgence on the men’s side, there was an alarming slide for the women’s team. The sharp contrast between the two teams has raised questions about the future of Indian Hockey. The highlight of the year for the men’s team was in September at Rajgir, where they won the Asia Cup after an eight-year gap. While the title win ended India’s drought, it also bagged them a direct qualification at the 2026 FIH World Cup scheduled to be held in Belgium…

Indian badminton has had a mixed year, circa 2025 has surely been a rollercoaster for the Indian shuttlers and the inconsistency continues to be a grey area. There were glimpses of brilliance, moments of reassurance but also an underlying problem that the sport is still searching for its next surge in the international circuit — one that has failed to be dominated by Indian shuttlers this year. To begin with, the women’s doubles pair of Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly have offered a lot of clarity. After a dip from their career best world No.9 ranking following injuries, they have…