Sport

Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma, attending Wimbledon for the first time, compared MS Dhoni's calmness under pressure to Novak Djokovic's mental strength. She also described visiting the iconic tournament as a long-cherished dream and named Djokovic as her favourite tennis player.

Portugal advanced to the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 with a 2-1 victory over Croatia, as Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates paid an emotional tribute to Diogo Jota on the first anniversary of the former Portugal forward's death.

Spain advanced to the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a commanding 3-0 win over Austria. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice, Pedro Porro netted his first international goal, and goalkeeper Unai Simón set a new World Cup clean-sheet record.

Teenage Spaniard Rafael Jodar rallied from a set down to defeat compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta in five sets, reaching the Wimbledon third round. The 19-year-old continues his breakthrough campaign and will next face Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot before Goncalo Ramos headed in a stoppage-time winner as Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1. Croatia's late equaliser was ruled out after a VAR review, ending Luka Modric's World Cup campaign

Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini advanced to the Wimbledon third round with commanding victories, while British wildcard Arthur Fery produced the biggest win of his career by defeating Otto Virtanen to reach the last 32 before an enthusiastic home crowd.

The Hyderabad Cricket Association has invited applications from experienced umpires and scorers for the 2026-27 season. Eligible candidates with the required experience in corporate or other tournaments can submit their resumes by July 8 for consideration and interviews

Karnataka's Natasha Chethan successfully defended her junior girls' title at the second Heyball National Championships in Dehradun, defeating Tamil Nadu's Padmakshee C 5-1. The World Junior Championships bronze medallist dominated the final and strengthened her credentials ahead of the women's event

Following the selection of Jyothi Yarraji and M Venkataram Reddy for the Asian Games, athletics officials have renewed their demand for a synthetic track in Visakhapatnam, saying it will help nurture talent, improve training facilities and enable the city to host national competitions

Rahul Radesh's 72 and HK Simha's 60 helped Karimnagar Diamonds post 230 for 5 before Narayana Teja and fellow bowlers restricted Ranga Reddy Risers to 172 for 9, sealing a convincing 58-run victory in the TG20 League

The Badminton Association of India will introduce the BWF's new 3x15 scoring system across all domestic tournaments from July 2026, beginning with the All India Senior Ranking Tournament in Ernakulam, to help players adapt ahead of the international rollout in January 2027

Sri Lanka Cricket announced that India's two-Test World Test Championship series will be held in Galle and Colombo from August 15 to 27. The tour presents a vital opportunity for fifth-placed India to climb the WTC ladder

Former champions Spain square off against Austria in a high-stakes FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match in Los Angeles. Indian fans can catch the live action on the Zee5 app and Unite8 Sports TV channels

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and ICC Chairman Jay Shah extended warm wishes on World Sports Journalists Day. Both leaders commended the media fraternity for its dedication to chronicling athletic achievements and strengthening the global sports ecosystem

Co-owner Steve Waugh revealed that the Amsterdam Flames deliberately prioritized versatile all-rounders over specialized batting depth in the inaugural ETPL 2026 draft. Waugh expressed complete confidence in the squad's balance, anchored by stars like Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith

Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia has backed Portugal to defeat Croatia in their FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash in Toronto, asserting that despite a mixed group stage, Ronaldo's side possesses the elite quality to emerge as true contenders

Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has backed Sanju Samson to get an extended run in India's T20I top order against England. Pujara also praised stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer’s brilliant 68-run knock in the rain-hit Durham opener

Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel backed India’s aggressive batting display in the rain-abandoned first T20I against England in Durham. Patel noted India's total of 189 for seven was highly defendable, praising opener Abhishek Sharma’s explosive half-century

New Zealand fast bowler Ben Sears has been ruled out of the upcoming five-match ODI series against the West Indies due to an ongoing ankle injury. Left-arm seamer Ben Lister has been named as his replacement in the squad

Praggnanandhaa finished Day 1 of the Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia in joint second place with four points after a win and two draws, while world champion Gukesh was tied for sixth with three points. Alireza Firouzja led the standings with five points.

USA defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 to advance to the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Goals from Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman secured victory despite Balogun's second-half red card, setting up a last-16 clash with Belgium.

India’s R Praggnanandhaa claimed joint second place on day one of the Grand Chess Tour's rapid section in Zagreb, kicking off with a 26-move masterclass win over top seed Vincent Keymer. Alireza Firouzja emerged as the sole leader

India's Dhyan Santosh upset sixth seed Punnatat Prempunpong in straight games at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships. While Tanvi Patri and Dev Ruparelia secured opening-round victories, it was a mixed day overall for the Indian contingent in Yatsushiro

Novak Djokovic produced a dominant display to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 and reach the third round of Wimbledon. The Serbian extended his winning streak over the Greek to 11 matches with a near-flawless performance lasting just 98 minutes.