Sport

Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma’s record 162‑run stand powered India to their highest women’s T20I total of 221/2, before Vaishnavi Sharma’s 2/24 sealed a 30‑run win over Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram. India now lead the five‑match series 4‑0

India’s Arjun Erigaisi and Koneru Humpy won bronze medals at the 2025 FIDE World Rapid Chess Championships in Doha. Carlsen clinched his sixth men’s title, while Goryachkina won the women’s crown after a tie‑break against Zhu Jiner

P Shanvi will captain Hyderabad in the BCCI Women’s under‑15 one‑day cricket championship starting January 2 in Vizianagaram. The squad includes V Nikeshini as vice‑captain, with Prateeka Katravath and others, while five players have been named as stand‑bys

Left‑arm pacer Chama Milind will captain Hyderabad in the remaining Vijay Hazare Trophy matches in Rajkot. The squad includes experienced names like Tanmay Agarwal and Rahul Buddhi, with Sai Pragnay Reddy and Prateek Reddy as wicketkeepers

Karnataka defeated Hyderabad by five wickets to win the South Zone Physical Disability T‑20 Tournament at NFCL Cricket Ground. Bharat’s 35 and Ashoka Yadav’s four wickets starred in the win

Surya Charishma Tamiri and S Ritvik Sanjeevi clinched the women’s and men’s singles titles at the Senior National Badminton Championships in Vijayawada

K Akshaj and Haneesha Varma won the boys and girls under‑8 titles at the Mt Bayan Global School chess tournament in Hyderabad. The event also saw winners across under‑10 and under‑12 categories, showcasing promising young chess talent

Telangana Olympic Association co‑opted three new members at its Annual General Body Meeting in Hyderabad. K Suresh Kumar, Vijender Singh and Surender Joseph joined as office‑bearers, pledging to boost sports administration and athlete welfare across Telangana

Hyderabad’s Aaron George has been selected for India’s under‑19 World Cup squad to play in Zimbabwe and Namibia. The young batter, known for his consistency, hopes to break into the senior team, drawing inspiration from AB de Villiers

N Pavani Sarayu of Andhra Pradesh won the girls Group I 400m individual medley at the South Zone Aquatics Championship in Hyderabad. Karnataka swimmers dominated across groups, while Andhra, Telangana and Kerala also produced medal‑winning performances

Khammam District defeated Mahabubabad District by one run in the East Zone league of the TCA Telangana Gold Cup at Warangal. Imran Shaik top‑scored with 37 and was named player of the match as Khammam posted 159/9

Punjab University and Chandigarh University advanced to the quarterfinals of the All India Inter‑university Inter‑zonal Table Tennis Championship in Hyderabad. Punjab edged SRM 3‑2, while Chandigarh cruised past Hemchand Yadav Vishwavidyalaya 3‑0. Other universities also posted strong wins

The Round of 32 at the 52nd Institutional Table Tennis Championships in Indore saw major upsets, including Diya Chitale’s exit. PSPB players advanced strongly, while several matches went the distance, highlighting the intensity and unpredictability of the competition

A 45-year-old trekker from Uttar Pradesh died on the Goechala route in Sikkim after falling ill during descent. The incident marks the third death on the route in 2025, raising fresh safety concerns.

An experienced pilot was killed after a tandem paraglider crashed shortly after take-off at Bir Billing in Kangra district. The tourist on board survived. Authorities suspended paragliding for a day and ordered an investigation into the cause.

Martin Odegaard’s first goal of the season and a Georgino Rutter own goal helped Arsenal beat Brighton 2-1 in London. David Raya’s late save preserved the win, taking Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League table

Bengaluru’s Hemanth Muddappa won two titles and a podium at the Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship in Chennai. He leads the standings with 75 points, while Syed Imran, Mujahid Pasha and Lapis Lazuli also impressed in their respective categories

Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Kartik criticised the bowler-friendly MCG pitch after the Ashes Test ended in two days, highlighting selective criticism of Indian tracks. Michael Vaughan and Aakash Chopra joined the chorus, while CA CEO Todd Greenberg admitted short Tests are bad for business

India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, aim for a fourth straight win in the Women’s T20I series against Sri Lanka. With bowlers Deepti Sharma and Renuka Singh starring, India lead 3-0 and look set for a clean sweep

England captain Ben Stokes criticised the bowler-friendly MCG pitch after the Ashes Test ended in two days. Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Kartik highlighted selective criticism of Indian pitches, while CA CEO Todd Greenberg admitted short Tests are bad for business

Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh joined Magnus Carlsen at the top after five rounds of the FIDE World Rapid Championships in Doha. Zhu Jiner leads the women’s section with a perfect score, while Koneru Humpy and Ju Wenjun trail with three points

BCCI is weighing Gautam Gambhir’s future as India’s Test coach after the South Africa series defeat. An informal approach was made to VVS Laxman, who declined. Gambhir’s contract runs till 2027, but split coaching could be considered after the T20 World Cup

Rayan Cherki scored an 83rd-minute winner as Manchester City defeated Nottingham Forest 2-1 in the Premier League. Tijjani Reijnders opened the scoring, Omari Hutchinson equalised, but Cherki’s decisive strike gave City their eighth straight win, taking them to 40 points

Nizamabad District defeated Hyderabad Blues by six wickets in the HCA B-Division T20 knockouts in Hyderabad. Warangal District and Mahbubnagar District also registered wins, while standout performances came from Srikar, Varshith and Rohith Reddy