Sport

India vice-captain Rishabh Pant apologised for the team’s 0-2 Test series loss to South Africa, saying players will regroup and refocus to come back stronger. The defeat has intensified scrutiny on coach Gautam Gambhir’s strategy of relying on all-rounders

Sunil Gavaskar defended India head coach Gautam Gambhir after the Test series loss to South Africa, saying coaches can only prepare teams but players must deliver. R Ashwin also backed Gambhir, stressing players should take responsibility instead of blaming the coach

Kylian Mbappé scored four goals, including the second-fastest hat trick in Champions League history, as PSG and Arsenal recorded big wins. Teenagers Viktor Dadason and Geovany Quenda impressed, while veteran David Luiz became the second-oldest scorer in the competition

India’s Test selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, may turn to seasoned domestic stars like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar and Rinku Singh after the South Africa whitewash. Experts stress the need for specialists over all-rounders to strengthen the batting line-up

KVG 1 achieved a double by winning both the boys under-14 and girls trophies in the Col CK Nayudu Trophy floodlit cricket tournament at Sports Coaching Foundation, Hyderabad. Junaid, Venkat, Kirthi and Sabiha starred in the finals

Tatva School (Gajularamaram) defeated St Michael’s 4-1 to win the under-10 final of the Subramaniam inter-school football tournament in Hyderabad. Monkish scored a hat-trick, Rudra added one, while St Michael’s won the under-12 final against Reqelford

Nalgonda defeated Concorde by four wickets in the HCA B-Division T20 league-cum-knock-out tournament in Hyderabad. Other winners included Ensconse, Khammam, Mahbubnagar and Classic, while Ronith Narayana and Abdul Rafeay starred with unbeaten knocks

Tanvi Sharma, 16, stunned former World No 1 Nozomi Okuhara in a thrilling three-game battle at the Syed Modi International 2025. The World Juniors silver medallist rallied to win 13-21, 21-16, 21-19, advancing to the quarterfinals

Goa CM Pramod Sawant announced plans to introduce chess in every school after hosting the FIDE World Cup 2025. The event saw 206 players from 82 countries, with Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov becoming the youngest champion

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu hailed India winning the bid to host the Centenary Commonwealth Games 2030, calling it a proud moment for every citizen. He lauded PM Modi’s leadership, saying the achievement boosts India’s global standing and commitment to sporting excellence.

Adilabad scored an eight-wicket win against Deccan Blues in the HCA B-Division T-20 League-cum-knock-out tournament

The new agreements, collectively valued at Rs 48 crore, will cover the 2026 and 2027 seasons and further strengthen the commercial ecosystem of the world’s biggest women’s cricket league

Former Syed Modi winner Srikanth produced a fluent performance to defeat compatriot Kavin Thangam 21-13, 21-10, keeping his campaign on track as he eyes another deep run in Lucknow

Telangana Minister for Youth Services and Animal Husbandry Minister Vakati Srihari gave away the prizes for the winners

The turning point of my career was when I won my first individual medal in the 2019 World Championship, says the Vijayawada-based archer

The 19-year-old defeated Wei in the second Rapid Game in the tiebreak with black pieces to become the first Uzbek chess player to win the World Cup

India made a memorable debut at the ITTF World Youth Championships in Romania, clinching a historic silver in the U-19 boys team event and a bronze in the U-15 girls category. Strong performances across divisions underlined the growing depth of India’s young paddlers.

Rohit Sharma has reclaimed the top ODI batter ranking, while Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza became the No.1 T20I all-rounder for the first time. The latest ICC rankings saw major shifts across formats, with strong gains for players from Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh and New Zealand.

India ended Day 4 at 27/2 chasing 549 against South Africa in the second Test at Guwahati. Tristan Stubbs scored 94 before the visitors declared at 260/5. Ravindra Jadeja took four wickets, but India face a daunting task

India will face Pakistan on February 15 in Colombo during the 2026 T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7 in Mumbai. The 20-team tournament will feature 55 matches across India and Sri Lanka, with Rohit Sharma named brand ambassador

Hyderabad defeated Rajasthan by seven runs in the BCCI Women’s under-23 T20 cricket championship at Nagpur. Hyderabad posted 127/4, with Vanka Pooja and G Trisha contributing, before restricting Rajasthan to 120/7 despite Anjali Jat’s 35

Jharkhand defeated Hyderabad by four wickets in the Cooch Behar Trophy under-19 sixth-round match at Tata Digwadih Stadium, Dhanbad. Hyderabad posted 191 and 186, while Jharkhand replied with 176 and 202/6. Thanmai Krishna picked three wickets for Hyderabad

The Telangana Government has decided to allot 40 acres of land in Jagganapeta village, Mulugu district, for a new Sports School. This will add to the existing institutions in Hakimpet, Adilabad and Karimnagar, Sports Minister V Srihari announced

Top seeds Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand began their Syed Modi International 2025 campaign with a hard-fought win over Malaysia’s Cheng Su Hui and Tan Zhing Yi. India’s juniors also impressed, while Sai Pratheek, MR Arjun and Priya Konjengbam advanced