Sport

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen considers Javokhir Sindarov the favourite against reigning champion D Gukesh in the upcoming World Championship. However, Carlsen believes Gukesh has the ability to rediscover his best form and successfully defend his title

Fit-again Washington Sundar trained hard during India’s afternoon net session in Delhi ahead of the Afghanistan series. Jasprit Bumrah and Nitish Reddy will join the team on Friday, while pace-bowling coach Morne Morkel remains absent due to visa renewal

Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first against India in the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup semi-final in Dubai. India enter the knockout clash unbeaten, while Bangladesh secured their semi-final berth after finishing second in Group B

Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Salil Arora is targeting strong performances in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and IPL as he pursues his dream of playing for India. The 23-year-old impressed in domestic cricket and IPL 2026

Aaron George and Sai Pragnay Reddy scored centuries as the HCA Senior Men’s Multi-Day Super League produced a series of notable performances on Thursday. The day also featured big knocks and impressive bowling efforts across men’s, women’s and school-level competitions

Mohammed Shami said his motivation has not dipped despite being away from India duty since March 2025. After helping East Zone win the Duleep Trophy, the veteran pacer said he remains focused on improving and contributing at every opportunity

India stormed into the Women’s Junior Asia Cup semifinals with a stunning 19-0 win over Pakistan. The defending champions dominated throughout, with Pooja Malik scoring a hat-trick as India continued their bid for a third successive continental title

Ishan Kishan extended his unbeaten record as a first-class captain to 16 matches after leading East Zone to their third Duleep Trophy title. Kishan scored 350 runs in the final and credited his team’s collective effort for the victory

Thailand’s Suleeporn Laomi and Nannapat Koncharoenkai, along with Isle of Man’s Lucy Barnett, have been nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for August 2026 after standout performances across ODI and T20I cricket

Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha, England’s Ollie Robinson and Bangladesh’s Hasan Mahmud have been nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for August 2026 after producing outstanding performances during their respective Test assignments

East Zone captain Ishan Kishan credited team unity and collective effort for their Duleep Trophy triumph over South Zone. Kishan starred with 270 and 80 in the final and said his time away from the national team helped him mature

The Men’s Selection Committee has named Vidarbha pacer Yash Thakur as replacement for injured Harshit Rana in India’s squads for the Afghanistan T20I series and the 2026 Asian Games.

East Zone clinched their third Duleep Trophy title after taking a first-innings lead over South Zone, ending a 13-year wait. Ishan Kishan and Md Kounain Quraishi starred, with the latter hitting his maiden first-class century on the final day

Rohit Sharma remained non-committal about playing the 2027 ODI World Cup, saying the event is still far away. The former India captain's comments come amid speculation over his future after his retirement from T20I and Test cricket

India pacer Arshdeep Singh says he is doing everything within his control to be ready for a Test call-up despite limited first-class exposure. He also spoke about workload management, adapting to spin-friendly pitches and the strengths of Punjab players

Pakistan’s Under-19 cricket team was mistakenly identified as asylum seekers by masked anti-immigrant protesters outside their Portsmouth hotel. The confusion was resolved after officials clarified the team’s identity. The England and Wales Cricket Board is reviewing security arrangements for the tour

Jharkhand’s emergence as a major source of cricketing talent is evident with five players in the East Zone Duleep Trophy squad. Officials credit skill-focused junior cricket, longer-format matches and improved development structures for nurturing promising batters like Kumar Kushagra and Shikhar Mohan

Alexander Zverev, the No. 1 seed, overcame early struggles at the U.S. Open to cruise into the semifinals with a straight-sets win over Botic van de Zandschulp. He has now reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slams this season, marking a career-best run.

Defending champions Manipur retained the Junior Boys’ National Football Championship for Dr BC Roy Trophy with a 3-1 victory over West Bengal in Bengaluru. Jogesh, Jenson and Muskan scored for Manipur, who secured their third title and successfully defended the crown

India’s steeplechase star Avinash Sable will return to competition after nearly 14 months at the Indian Athletics Series final in New Delhi. The Hangzhou gold medallist will test his water-jump skills as he prepares to defend his Asian Games title

South Zone captain and India T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma has shifted focus to the upcoming Afghanistan series after the Duleep Trophy. He is confident of quickly adapting from red-ball cricket to T20s and aims to lead India to victory

Cricket West Indies has appointed veteran New Zealand coach Bob Carter as its batting consultant on a one-year contract. Carter will oversee men’s, women’s and age-group programmes, with a focus on raising technical standards ahead of major global tournaments

Sai Vikas Reddy smashed 359 as Team B posted 600 in the HCA Senior Men’s Multi-Day Super League, while Medak’s J Jagarthveer Nayak struck 302 in the Under-16 tournament. Several high-scoring matches were recorded across the HCA competitions on Wednesday

Pratika Rawal has replaced injured Jemimah Rodrigues in India’s 15-member women’s cricket squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. Rawal, who recently made her T20I debut, has been included after Jemimah’s hamstring injury ruled her out