Sport

India’s para badminton aces Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam clinched double gold medals in singles and men’s doubles at the Egypt Para Badminton International 2026, delivering dominant performances ahead of next month’s World Championships.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar praised Virat Kohli’s temperament and adaptability despite his century going in vain in the ODI series decider against New Zealand, saying the star batter plays according to situations rather than being bound by expectations or image.

Atharva Taide’s brilliant 128 and disciplined bowling powered Vidarbha to a 38-run win over Saurashtra in Bengaluru, securing their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy. Yash Thakur and Nachiket Bhute starred with the ball as Vidarbha defended 317 successfully

Virat Kohli’s fighting 124 went in vain as India lost their first ever home ODI series to New Zealand, going down by 41 runs in Indore. Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips powered the visitors to a historic 2-1 triumph

Arjun Erigaisi defeated compatriot R Praggnanandhaa, while D Gukesh drew with Javokhir Sindarov in Round 1 of the Tata Steel Masters. Hans Niemann and Vincent Keymer also won, as the prestigious chess tournament began in Wijk Aan Zee

Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz advanced in straight sets on a record day at the Australian Open 2026. Venus Williams, 45, set an age milestone, while upsets saw Marta Kostyuk and Ekaterina Alexandrova exit early. Attendance reached 100,763 at Melbourne Park

Jay Singh of Australia defeated India’s Arjun Oza 6-1, 6-1 in the Hyderabad Open ITF men’s tennis tournament at Lake View Tennis Academy. The preliminary round saw strong performances from Aaryan Laxmana, Yash Yadava, Sai Karthik Ganta and others

Cure Foundation and Apollo Cancer Centres launched the Aparna Cancer Crusaders Golf Championship in Hyderabad. The three-day biennial event, starting January 30 at Boulder Hills, will feature 400 golfers. Jagapathi Babu, Samyukta Menon and Dr P Vijay Anand Reddy graced the launch

The 57th edition of Fit India Sundays on Cycle saw nationwide participation, led by Union Ministers Mansukh Mandaviya and Kishan Reddy. Over 22 lakh citizens joined across 2 lakh locations, promoting fitness, sustainability and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat

India fought back three times to hold Nepal 3-3 in a thrilling SAFF Futsal Championship 2026 clash at Nonthaburi Stadium. Nikhil Mali’s last-second equaliser capped a dramatic contest featuring goals from Adhikari, Laltluangzela, Rana and Lama

An Se Young defeated Wang Zhi Yi to win the women’s singles crown, while Lin Chun Yi beat Jonatan Christie in the men’s singles final at the India Open 2026. China claimed both doubles titles, and Thailand won the mixed doubles

Telangana Football Association mourned Padma Shri SV Adinarayana Rao, who passed away at 86. A former vice-president of the Andhra Pradesh Football Association and long-time Visakhapatnam DFA president, he was also a renowned orthopaedic surgeon remembered for his service to football and society

VJ Cricket Academy defeated Spotlight Cricket Academy by six runs to win the Snackster T20 cricket tournament in Hyderabad. Sourish top-scored with 43, while Rakshita Reddy took 4/14. Ved Krutine, Kanish, and Sourish won special prizes for their performances

Akanksha Semwal and V Pratiksha struck centuries to power Team C to a 28-run win over Team A in the HCA Senior Women’s Probables one-day matches. Despite tons from Sandya Gora and Vanka Pooja, Team A fell short chasing 315

Shaik Shanawaz’s unbeaten 102 and V Mahesh Krishna’s five-wicket haul powered Press Club to a 47-run win over New Club in the Secunderabad Club Inter-club T20 tournament. Despite N Surya Teja’s fighting 78, New Club fell short chasing 192

Pankaj Advani defeated Aditya Mehta 6-3 to win his 11th national snooker title at the 92nd championship in Bahadurgarh. Advani’s 133 break and steady play sealed the crown despite Mehta’s spirited fightback in the middle frames

Olympic gold medallist Jade Jones is leading a high-performance Taekwondo camp in Guwahati, Assam. With 84 athletes and 22 coaches participating, the initiative aims to identify and prepare India’s next generation of Taekwondo talent for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

ICC U-19 Men’s World Cup 2026 approved Aqil Khan Obaid as Afghanistan’s replacement for Hafieezullah Zadran, sidelined with a fractured left wrist. The Event Technical Committee formally sanctioned the squad change following Zadran’s injury during the opening match against South Africa

Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Vijender Singh has been appointed to the Asian Boxing Athletes Commission, while Rajendran Ravindran will chair the Referees and Judges Commission. India now has multiple representatives across Asian Boxing commissions, strengthening its role in continental governance

In Tata Steel Masters Round 1 at Wijk Aan Zee, Arjun Erigaisi defeated R Praggnanandhaa, while D Gukesh drew with Javokhir Sindarov. Hans Niemann and Vincent Keymer also won, leaving Erigaisi, Keymer, and Niemann sharing the early lead

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy joined Hyderabad’s ‘Sundays On Cycle’ event, promoting the Fit India movement and highlighting healthy lifestyles, obesity prevention, and citizen well-being, while participating in a six-kilometre mass cycling rally with athletes, SAI officials, and fitness enthusiasts

Indian Street Premier League has opened bids for co-ownership of Srinagar Ke Veer, owned by Akshay Kumar, offering investors a chance to partner with a successful franchise as ISPL expands its footprint, viewership and long-term franchise value

Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini cruised past Aliaksandra Sasnovich as the Australian Open began in Melbourne, while stars Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev featured Sunday, with veteran Venus Williams returning via wildcard for a landmark singles appearance event history

Parents of two trainee kabaddi players found hanging in an SAI hostel in Kollam have demanded a thorough probe, alleging inconsistencies, distress at the facility, suspicious handling by officials, and questioning whether the teenage athletes could have died by suicide