Sports

At the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, India defeated fierce foe Pakistan by 58 runs to secure the top spot in their Super Sixes group and a spot in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026 semifinals. After winning the toss, Pakistan sent Ayush Mhatre's team in to bat, knowing that it would need to win by a sizable margin to surpass India's Net Run Rate. India lost three wickets in four balls to Mohammad Sayyam and Abdul Subhan in an incredible stretch of play that saw Aaron George and Vaibhav Suryavanshi fall along with Mhatre. However, India’s innings was salvaged by a brilliant fifty from Vedant Trivedi. Trivedi, who had not been among the runs till this point in the competition, batted calmly and put on partnerships with Vihaan Malhotra, Abhigyan Kundu, and RS Ambrish to keep India fightin...

Ahead of the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season, Bengaluru FC announced Renedy Singh as their head coach, turning to a well-known figure. The Bengaluru FC team will continue to rely on the current culture and dressing room atmosphere by elevating Renedy Singh to head coach following Gerard Zaragoza's departure from the team on November 14 of last year and the start of the Indian Super League (ISL) on February 14 of this year. As he leads the squad in the forthcoming ISL campaign, Renedy's experience with the Indian Super League (ISL) and his tenure as interim head coach of the East Bengals during the 2021–2022 season and the 2023–2024 season at Bengaluru FC would be helpful. Although both temporary head coaching positions were brief, they gave Renedy a great chance to advance pr...

For the first time since July 2021, Virat Kohli is back at the top of the ICC batting rankings because to his incredible ODI cricket campaign. In order to retake the throne, Kohli replaced colleague Rohit Sharma after scoring a brilliant 93 off 91 balls to help India defeat New Zealand in the first game of the three-ODI series in Vadodara. After an incredible run in the format, Kohli has now topped the ICC Men's ODI Batting Rankings eleven times in his record-breaking career. In his first international games since the Champions Trophy, Kohli suffered successive ducks against Australia in October of last year. However, he recovered with a smooth 74 to help India finish the ODI series with a consolation victory in Sydney. After returning home, he scored 135, 102, and an undefeated 65 in ...

In the early stages of the Women's Premier League, Harmanpreet Kaur has consistently excelled in crisis management. After leading the Mumbai Indians from a precarious position against Delhi Capitals with an unbeaten 74, she once again took charge in a challenging match against Gujarat Giants, where the team was struggling at 37 for two while chasing 193. Harmanpreet started her innings cautiously, mindful of the scoring rate and the number of wickets lost. The turning point came in the ninth over when she began aggressively targeting Georgia Wareham, followed by a strong performance against Renuka Thakur in the 11th over, hitting boundaries to revive the Mumbai Indians (MI) innings. She skillfully utilized the long-on boundary, hitting both a four and a six. Continuing her assault, she...

Milos Raonic, a former world number three and eight-time ATP champion, announced his retirement, capping a nearly two-decade career. The 35-year-old Canadian, who has long battled ailments, hasn't played professionally for almost a year. "I'm retiring from tennis because the time has come. You know this day will arrive, yet for some reason you never feel prepared for it. I'm as prepared as I will ever be. For the most of my life, tennis has been my passion and obsession," Raonic wrote on X. "Being able to live out and achieve my dreams has made me the luckiest person. I had the opportunity to show up every day and concentrate on simply improving, seeing where that would lead, and playing a game that, by pure happenstance, I was first introduced to when I was eight years old. This ...

Viswanathan Anand, at 56, continues to challenge younger competitors with vigor, exemplifying his legendary status. He achieved a notable second-place in the Rapid segment at the 2026 Tata Steel Chess India Rapid and Blitz Tournament in Kolkata. Despite being semi-retired, Anand finds it challenging to regain his competitive mental shape against the top players of today. Viswanathan Anand expressed that his prolonged absence from playing chess has made him forget critical aspects of the game, stating that despite knowing what young players do and being able to provide commentary, actually playing requires a different mindset. He stopped participating in the Tata Steel tournament since 2020 but remains an ambassador. Recently, Anand felt frustrated watching the tournament without playin...

London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama was filled with anticipation in 1982 as attendees awaited a late 15-year-old schoolboy, Dibyendu Barua. Having traveled from outside the city, Barua surprised everyone by defeating the formidable Soviet chess player Viktor Korchnoi at the 6th Lloyds Bank Masters. This remarkable victory, highlighted by The New York Times, marked a significant moment in chess history, as Korchnoi, then World No. 2 and 51 years old, was regarded as one of the strongest players never to become World Champion. Rani Hamid, a celebrated Bangladeshi chess player, sought a photograph with Korchnoi after a contest during which Korchnoi, visibly upset by his loss, declined the request for a picture. Barua, who regarded Hamid as an aunt, recalls Korchnoi's refusal. ...

The Indian cricket team's success has often relied on a strong middle order, exemplified by partnerships like that of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. Since the 2019 World Cup, they have amassed 823 runs at an impressive average of 64 over 14 matches, with one in every three collaborations yielding over 100 runs, showcasing their effectiveness in solidifying the team's batting depth. Shreyas is a standout player characterized by his risk-taking mentality and adaptability during matches. He alters his stance to counter various bowlers and excels at demoralizing them, particularly against spin bowling, using his footwork and wrist strength to disturb their rhythm. His ability to thrive in high-pressure situations has been noted by former coach Rahul Dravid, emphasizing Shreyas's knack for deli...

PV Sindhu faced Chinese Taipei's Sung Shuo Yun in her season opener for the second consecutive year. After a break due to injury, Sindhu initially struggled, trailing 1-7. However, she quickly regained her form, exhibiting strong offensive and defensive play, ultimately winning 21-13, 22-20 in 51 minutes at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 in Kuala Lumpur. In a closely contested match, Sung won a 22-shot rally to lead 8-4, but Sindhu began to find her rhythm and quickly closed the gap with powerful shots. She leveled the score at 9-9, demonstrating her ability to dictate the game's tempo. Sindhu's round-the-head forehand crosscourt smash was particularly effective, allowing her to take an 11-9 lead at the mid-game interval. In the opening of the match, Sung began strongly, but Sindhu co...

In light of escalating tensions between India and Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has formally asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate the T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka due to safety concerns. In response, ICC chairman Jay Shah has begun the process of creating a new schedule. Bangladesh was originally scheduled to play three Group C matches in Kolkata: against West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14, with a final match against Nepal in Mumbai on February 17. This schedule was altered following the BCCI's request for Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Bangladesh seamer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL squad due to "recent developments," likely referencing domestic issues in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has inte...