Sport

Ajinkya Rahane backed Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan to retain India’s top-three spots against Afghanistan, saying Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will get his opportunities in time. He also urged the 15-year-old to remain aggressive and mentally balanced

Abdul Rafeay Bin Abdullah and Anirudh Srivasthan struck centuries in the HCA Under-23 Emerging Multi-Day Tournament, while Janmesh Singh and Vikash Gupta hit tons in the Under-19 One-Day Super League. Several big scores and bowling performances also marked Friday’s matches

George Russell described Madrid’s new F1 street circuit as having less margin for error than Monaco because of its high speeds and fast corners. His comments followed an F2 crash, while the Mercedes driver topped the opening F1 practice session

India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj will lead the Hyderabad senior cricket team, with left-arm pacer Chama Milind as his deputy. The HCA Senior Selection Committee unanimously took the decision on Friday, with Milind set to captain when Siraj is unavailable

Telangana’s Naishik Reddy Ganagama and Gujarat’sPrabir Chavda finished runners-up in the doubles event of the AITA men’s Rs 2-lakh tournament in Belagavi. The duo defeated the top seeds in the quarterfinal before losing to second seeds in the final.

The Hyderabad District Basketball Association will conduct the GM Sampath Kumar Annual League Basketball Championship 2026 from September 17 at YMCA Secunderabad. The tournament will feature 45 men’s teams and six women’s teams across three levels

The BCCI has again invited applications for its vacant Head of Sports Science and Medicine post at the Bengaluru Centre of Excellence. The board previously advertised the position in September 2025 but failed to find a suitable candidate

World No. 1 Elena Rybakina will face two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final. Rybakina, seeking her maiden title in New York, said she will need maximum energy, a strong serve and composure in key moments

Elena Rybakina rallied from a set down to beat Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and reach the US Open final. She will face two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, who extended her winning streak in New York to 20 matches

Former New Zealand pacer Trent Boult has backed KL Rahul to be among India’s key players in the upcoming Test series. Boult also expects cold conditions and green wickets, while praising New Zealand’s current bowling attack for its variety

Aryna Sabalenka admitted losing the World No. 1 ranking to Elena Rybakina felt “a bit weird” but said she could do little about it. Sabalenka will face Rybakina in the US Open final as she targets a historic three-peat

The 2026 Indian Racing Festival will begin with the F4 Indian Championship in Coimbatore on September 12-13. The season will feature six F4 rounds and four Indian Racing League rounds, culminating in a street-racing debut at Navi Mumbai in December

Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shared playful DRS banter after East Zone’s Duleep Trophy triumph over South Zone. Kishan praised the teenager’s tactical acumen, team spirit and leadership potential, even hinting that Sooryavanshi could become a future captain

Andhra Kabaddi Association General Secretary Srikanth Yalamanchili has been nominated by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India as a Technical Official for the 20th Asian Games in Japan. Several Andhra Pradesh leaders and association office-bearers congratulated him

Aryna Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula to reach the US Open final, keeping her bid for a third straight title alive. Elena Rybakina also advanced by beating Coco Gauff and will replace Sabalenka as the world No. 1 next week

Shafali Verma’s fluent 64 and Deepti Sharma’s three-wicket haul powered India to a 40-run win over Bangladesh in the Women’s Asia Cup semi-final. India posted 149/6 before restricting Bangladesh to 109/7 to reach another continental final

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