Sports

  Rishabh Pant  has been named captain of Delhi's squad for the upcoming  Vijay Hazare Trophy  that starts on December 24.  Virat Kohli , as reported earlier, has also been selected in the 20-man squad, which was named for the first two games. According to a statement from the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), seamers  Ishant Sharma  and  Navdeep Saini  have also confirmed their availability, while  Harshit Rana  will join the team when available. Rana was part of India's T20I squad for the series against South Africa that will end on Friday. Delhi is scheduled to play seven games from December 24 to January 8, in Group D. Whether Pant and Kohli will be available for all games is not yet established, with India also playing three ODIs starting January 11 in Vadodara. Delhi's first two games are against Andhra and Gujarat, both to be played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Ayush Badoni  has been ...

  Lazio's Tijjani Noslin scores the opening goal of their Serie A match against Parma.  Photo by Marco Rosi - SS Lazio/Getty Images Tijjani Noslin  entered the field in the 69th minute, with  Lazio  down to ten men at  Parma  and holding on to a 0-0 draw. Nine minutes later, Noslin's slim chances of affecting the game went from minuscule to an impossibility when Toma Basic was sent off for the visitors, as Lazio were reduced to nine men. Four minutes later, Noslin made the impossible possible, as nine-man Lazio took the lead, courtesy of a superb solo goal. The 26-year-old Dutch striker wasn't even manager Maurizio Sarri's second-choice when he'd come on against Parma. The role of Valentin Castellanos' understudy as striker was handed to Boulaye Dia this year, with Sarri reducing Noslin's minutes from 1284 minutes last season to a mere 158 in 2025/26 as the Dutchman failed to start a single game. Noslin was clearly not in the Italian manager's plans, ...

1. India’s first “1983 moment” in women’s cricket What happened: India women's national cricket team defeated South Africa women's national cricket team by 52 runs in the final of the 2025 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup to claim their maiden title. Reuters+2Olympics+2 Their achievement is being compared to the men’s team’s iconic 1983 World Cup win — in terms of historic significance for Indian cricket. Reuters+1 The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a reward of ₹51 crore for the squad, support staff and selection committee. News on Air+1 Why it matters for your blog: A major milestone for women’s sport in India — not just a cricket victory, but a cultural moment. Offers rich angles: leadership (Harmanpreet Kaur), teamwork, overcoming odds, investment into women’s sport. Use this as the headline story , then link to broader implications (next section). Suggested angle/title line for this part: “From underdog to world-champion: How I...

  🎯 1. Rishabh Pant’s Counter-Punch Keeps India Alive In Bengaluru, India A were set 275 to chase against South Africa A. After going in early trouble at 32/3, Rishabh Pant entered and played with his trademark flair, finishing unbeaten on 64 and steering his side to 119/4 at stumps to keep the match alive. The Times of India Why this matters: Pant’s resurgence and attacking mindset are a strong signal that he’s back in form, which bodes well for India’s depth going forward. For the A-series, a thrilling final day is expected — great for fans and selectors alike. ⚠️ 2. Tragic Loss of 17-Year-Old Ben Austin in Australia The cricket community is in mourning after the death of 17-year-old Australian cricketer Ben Austin, who sustained fatal injuries during a net session in Melbourne. The Times of India+1 Notably, former Australian cricketer Sean Abbott visited the site to pay his respects. Why this matters: Beyond sorrow, this incident rai...

  Deepti Sharma was the MVP in 2024 India all-rounder Deepti Sharma has pulled out of The Hundred 2025, citing workload management, and will be replaced by Australia's Charli Knott in the London Spirit squad. Deepti, who took Spirit over the line in the title clash of the 2024 edition, is currently in England for India's ongoing white-ball series against the hosts and has taken the decision to withdraw, given a packed international calendar leading up to the home ODI World Cup in September-November. India will host reigning champions in the format, Australia, for a three-match preparatory series in early September ahead of the World Cup. "Deepti will always have a special place in Spirit history, having produced the team's most iconic moment when she struck the ball over long-on for six to secure our first The Hundred title last summer," the franchise said in a statement on Tuesday (July 8). "She starred with bat and ball throughout the tournament, and was th...

  England need 488 more runs on the final day of the Test with seven wickets in hand England's assistant coach Marcus Trescothick asserted that his team wasn't naive enough to rule out a draw as an option going into the final day of the Edgbaston Test. England have vocalised their intentions to go after any target in the fourth innings in this Stokes-McCullum era, but may have to settle for only their second home draw in this period, given the equation. They need 536 more runs on the final day of the Test with seven wickets in hand, a steep ask despite conditions remaining favourable for batting. The average scoring rate over the first three innings has been a very healthy 4.39, but given that England will need to score close to six an over for an entire day, they will simply need to adapt. "We all probably appreciate that it's a hell of a lot of runs to try and score. It's 550 [536] tomorrow, and I don't think we've seen scoring rates quite that quick in a...