Sport

India’s sporting fraternity, including Virat Kohli, Jay Shah, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir, marked the 80th Independence Day with messages celebrating freedom, unity and sacrifice. Athletes, cricket bodies and IPL franchises also paid tribute to the nation’s journey.

Former Italy striker Ciro Immobile has announced his retirement from football at 36 after a celebrated 17-year career. The Lazio legend scored 350 goals, won the European Golden Shoe and helped Italy lift the UEFA Euro 2020 title.

India won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle. Devdutt Padikkal and Kuldeep Yadav were included in India's XI, while Sri Lanka handed a Test debut to Keshara Nuwantha.

Team India celebrated Independence Day by hoisting the Tricolour in Galle ahead of the opening Test against Sri Lanka. The match marks India’s 600th Test appearance, making it the first Asian team and third overall to reach the milestone.

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe is confident the club can return to winning ways under Jose Mourinho this season. Mbappe said the squad is motivated, focused and determined to win titles after two seasons without major silverware.

Neymar criticised sections of Santos supporters for negativity after the club’s Copa Sudamericana comeback win over Macara. The Brazilian star provided two assists in the 2-1 victory but urged fans to support the team during difficult moments

Ali Mohammad of HDTTA and Reserve Bank of India’s Nikhat Banu won the men’s and women’s singles titles at the Gujarati Seva Mandal Telangana State-rank Table Tennis Tournament. The event featured competitions across senior and junior categories

Hyderabad golfer Saatvic Kumar Singh secured the runner-up position at the IGU Northern India Junior Golf Championship 2026 in Chandigarh. The Class 10 student of Delhi Public School carded six-over across four rounds despite challenging windy and rainy conditions

Visakhapatnam’s V. Sriram Jayin won gold and earned the FIDE Master title at the Asian-plus Age Group Chess Championship in Singapore. The Andhra Pradesh player scored 7.5 points from nine rounds, defeating higher-rated opponents from Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines

Visakhapatnam emerged overall champions at the 37th AP State Junior Inter-District Athletics Championships in Tirupati with 231 points. Vizag athletes won both boys’ and girls’ team titles, while selected performers will represent Andhra Pradesh at the South Zone National Championships

The Hyderabad Cricket Association has named 34 senior players, including India internationals Mohd Siraj and Tilak Varma, for a fitness assessment camp. Players from the 2025–26 Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy squads have been included

National champion Laxman Rawat stunned South Africa’s world No. 7 Jason Theron to enter the knockout stage of the Heyball World Championships in Pune. Varshaa Sanjeev also advanced, while several other Indian players bowed out after tough battles

India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out of the ACC Women’s Asia Cup and Asian Games after suffering a high-grade right hamstring tear while playing in The Hundred. Pratika Rawal has been named her replacement for the Asia Cup

A. Avanish Rao, Harshit Choudhary, P. Nitish Reddy and Rishikesh Bodugum struck centuries as the HCA A-Division two-day league witnessed a run-filled day. Deccan Wanderers, Jai Hanuman and Sporting XI secured places in the Super League knockout phase

Hyderabad Black Hawks have selected four Telugu volleyball players for their Under-21 squad after trials in Vijayawada. The team also began its Goa Guardians Trophy campaign with a straight-set victory over Bengaluru, as 10 PVL franchises compete in the tournament

The FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 begins in Belgium and the Netherlands with India’s men’s and women’s teams aiming for historic achievements. The men look to end a five-decade title drought, while the women chase their maiden World Cup crown

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva defended Niroshan Dickwella’s recall for the Galle Test against India, saying wicketkeeping skills were crucial on the challenging pitch. He also backed fast bowler Lahiru Kumara despite his recent injury setbacks

India captain Shubman Gill said reaching the World Test Championship final next year remains the team’s primary target. Ahead of the Sri Lanka Test series, Gill backed India’s preparation, pacers and young players while stressing the importance of adapting to conditions

The 2026 Hockey World Cup introduces a new format, replacing the traditional quarterfinals with a second pool stage. The top two teams from each initial pool advance, carry forward points and battle for semifinal berths in Belgium and the Netherlands.

India captain Shubman Gill hinted that Prasidh Krishna could partner Mohammed Siraj with the new ball against Sri Lanka. Gill praised rookie Gurnoor Brar but said selecting between the two pacers would be difficult ahead of the opening Test in Galle

Ben Shelton beat fellow American Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6 (4) to successfully defend his Canadian Open title. Shelton became the first man since Rafael Nadal in 2019 to win consecutive Canada titles and claimed his fourth trophy of the season.

Tanzid Hasan scored his maiden Test century as Bangladesh reached 351-6 at stumps on Day 2 against Australia in Darwin. Strong partnerships with Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto helped Bangladesh secure a 153-run lead in the opening Test

Kerala BJP has demanded a CBI probe into alleged procedural and financial irregularities in the previous LDF government's plan to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina football team to the State, alleging fraud, GST evasion and misuse of government name

India all-rounder Deepti Sharma is using her stint with Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred to sharpen her batting, bowling and fielding ahead of the Women’s Asia Cup. Deepti, joint second-highest wicket-taker, says she is relishing the challenge.