Author: WebDesk

Mohor Chaudhuri Lakshya Sen, one of Indian badminton’s shining stars, entered the 2025 French Open with high expectations. Despite having won innumerable accolades and dazzled fans on the international stage, Sen failed to make a mark on Tuesday against Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen. His campaign ended in utter disappointment as the Indian shuttler suffered a first-round defeat at the hands of Nguyen in the men’s singles. Lakshya struggled to find consistency and looked out of rhythm. His trademark attacking game never quite clicked as unforced errors and misjudged tosses allowed Nguyen to dominate throughout. The Irish shuttler jumped to a 5-1…

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction is likely to be held in the last week of November in New Delhi. There has not been any official communication from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to the franchises, but according to a Cricbuzz report, the teams have been informally informed about the proposed venue in the capital city. As for as the auction date is concerned, it is yet to be finalised. But according to reports, the auction window is now set for 26th and 27th November. Earlier reports had suggested that it could take place at any…

Australia batter Matt Renshaw revealed that Virat Kohli’s dismissal for a duck during his ODI debut in Perth gave him a sense of reassurance, helping him realise that failure is part of the game and there’s no need to put excessive pressure on oneself. The first ODI in Perth marked Kohli’s return to the format since the Champions Trophy, and also Renshaw’s debut. The two players had contrasting outings. Kohli, who has scored more than 14,000 ODI runs, was dismissed for a duck, while Renshaw remained unbeaten on 21 to help his team complete the run chase and take a…

Australia batter Matthew Short noted that there is a certain pattern in the way Virat Kohli is getting out, and he trusts either Josh Hazlewood or Mitchell Starc to execute their plans to dismiss the former Indian captain cheaply once again in the second ODI in Adelaide. In the series opener in Perth, Kohli was dismissed early while chasing a delivery outside off stump. Mitchell Starc tempted him into playing one of his trademark shots, but the Indian batting stalwart failed to time the ball, and Cooper Connolly took a stunning catch at point. For the umpteenth time in his…

Shourjyani Chatterjee The Indian football team took on Iran in the opening match of Tri-Nation Women’s International Friendlies at Shillong’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday. Iran won 2-0 after a barren first half. The event also featuring Nepal serves as preparation for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia. India and Iran have qualified for it. This match marked India’s return to Shillong after nine years. Head coach Crispin Chettri viewed this as a chance to test new combinations and expose youngsters. India are ranked 63rd in the world and Iran 70th. India tried to begin on a dominating…

Australia batter Steve Smith remains optimistic about Pat Cummins’ availability for the Ashes opener in Perth, but says that if he is unavailable, world class Scott Boland would be a reliable replacement. In recent weeks, several reports from the Australian media have suggested that Cummins is unlikely to feature in the first Ashes Test, which is scheduled to be played in Perth from November 21. The 32-year-old has been dealing with back issues since the West Indies tour and is racing against time to be fit for the match, having not yet resumed bowling. Recently, chief selector George Bailey expressed…

A fit-again Rishabh Pant is set for his comeback, having been named captain of the India A squad for the two four-day matches against South Africa A, to be played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. These two matches will be crucial for the Indian Test team vice-captain to prove his fitness ahead of the two-Test series against South Africa, starting on November 14 in Kolkata. Pant has been on the sidelines since suffering a toe injury during the England tour. In recent weeks, there have been several reports suggesting that Pant might play for Delhi in the…

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday confirmed the appointment of Shaheen Shah Afridi as the new ODI captain, replacing Mohammad Rizwan. This change in captaincy comes in the wake of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027. A series of defeats forced the board to relieve Rizwan of his role. In the Champions Trophy, Rizwan-led Pakistan failed to win a single match and finished at the bottom of Group A. Despite the poor performance, Rizwan retained the captaincy for the series against New Zealand and the West Indies, both of which Pakistan lost. The decision to appoint Shaheen was…

Kane Williamson and Nathan Smith have been named in New Zealand’s 14-player squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England, as announced by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on October 19. Williamson is set to play his first international match since the Champions Trophy final against India in Dubai. After opting for a casual contract with NZC, he had made himself unavailable over the past few months. The former New Zealand captain was in the United Kingdom, playing for Middlesex and London Spirit. Having spent the past month recovering from a minor medical issue, Williamson was not in contention for…

India batter Virat Kohli revealed how playing in Australia and watching cricket being played Down Under during his childhood helped shape his career. Ahead of the first ODI in Perth, Kohli spoke about his love affair with Australia. When asked what had made him so successful Down Under, Kohli said: “Growing up, watching cricket as a kid, we used to wake up early to watch Test matches in Australia. You could see the ball flying off the pitch and the opposition right in your face, and I used to think, ‘Wow, if I’m able to step up in these conditions…