DAMBULLA (SRI LANKA): Defending champions India are set to compete for a record-extending eighth title in the Women's Asia Cup as they take on Sri Lanka in the final on Sunday. India has been dominant throughout the tournament, showcasing their prowess with impressive victories. They secured a seven-wicket win over Pakistan and followed it with comfortable triumphs over UAE (by 78 runs), Nepal (by 82 runs), and Bangladesh (by 10 wickets). The Indian teams success has been largely attributed to t

NEW DELHI: In a heartfelt message, former India coach Rahul Dravid extended his best wishes to his successor, Gautam Gambhir, as he embarks on his new role leading the Indian cricket team. Dravid, who stepped down after Indias triumph in the T20 World Cup in the Americas last month, shared his wisdom with Gambhir, emphasizing the importance of composure and perspective in the high-pressure world of international cricket. Dravid's advice, In the most heated of times, exhale, take a step back, res

CHENNAI: Charith Asalanka is one of the likeable stars in the cricketing world. The Sri Lankan is the kind of guy who comes across as polite, composed and, at times, awfully kind, because he actually is all of those things. So much that even if you are rooting for his opponents, you would want Asalanka to do well. If you are his teammate, you know that there is someone who will celebrate and enjoy your success more than you do; that you are going to get a hug from Asalanka every time you contrib

MANCHESTER: India and Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer on Friday joined Lancashire for a short stint comprising two Division One matches and One-Day Cup scheduled for next month, the English county announced. Iyer, who was a member of the IPL winning KKR side, has played two ODIs and nine T20Is for India. He has also played 20 first-class matches and 43 List-A games. The batting all-rounder joins the Club on an initial contract for the One-Day Cup and the following two rounds of

CHENNAI: Charith Asalanka is one of the likeable stars in the cricketing world. The Sri Lankan is the kind of guy who comes across as polite, composed and, at times, awfully kind, because he actually is all of those things. So much that even if you are rooting for his opponents, you would want Asalanka to do well. If you are his teammate, you know that there is someone who will celebrate and enjoy your success more than you do; that you are going to get a hug from Asalanka every time you contrib

CHENNAI: A 23-year-old professional first division cricketer on Friday died by suicide after jumping from the Kathipara flyover, police said. The cricketer, identified as S Samuel Raj of Virugambakkam, was returning home on his two-wheeler after a practice session when he resorted to the extreme step. Passersby, who spotted a man jumping off the flyover, informed the police and called an ambulance. Subsequently, Samuel Raj was rushed to the Chromepet Government Hospital where he was declared dea

DUBAI: Former India captain Ravi Shastri expects Gautam Gambhir to flourish in his new role as head coach, saying he is a contemporary mentor who has taken over the reins of a relatively mature and settled team. Shastri, a former India coach, believes the 42-year-old Gambhir can make an immediate impact in his new role as he is already close to the team, having played with and mentored quite a few players. The former left-handed opener served as a team mentor for Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata

CHENNAI: With the mega auction cycle coming up, the Board of Control for Cricket in India have invited the ten Indian Premier League teams for a meeting to discuss the way forward for the auction and the league on July 31 in Mumbai. Since its inception, the IPL has seen a mega auction every three years with teams getting to retain and Right to Match (RTM) players they want. This meeting, set to happen in the new BCCI office, is to discuss how many retentions should be there and the RTM cards eac

COLOMBO: New India head coach Gautam Gambhir will have the onerous task of choosing between Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson during the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka starting from Saturday. While most of the key stars of the T20 World Cup winning side sans the retiring duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in the Island nation, the choice between two flamboyant wicketkeeper batters Pant and Samson won't be an easy one. Worse, even with two slots vacant, one can't fit in both the hard-

DAMBULLA: Senior player Deepti Sharma said India's mantra in the Women's T20 Asia Cup has been to take one game at a time as conditions haven't really changed from the last time the team played here. India marched into the semifinals with a thumping 82-run win over Nepal on Tuesday after fireworks with the bat from Shafali Verma (81 off 48 balls) and Deepti's impressive 3/13 with the ball. India amassed 178 for 3 after batting first and then restricted Nepal to a paltry 98 for 9 in their 20 over

CHENNAI : Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce couldn't really find any words in May this year. After all, she had never really been in that situation before. ICC's Associate Player of the Decade with her all-round performance had just made sure her team's ticket for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. That too against, Ireland, one of the favoruites to qualify for the World Cup. Looking at some of the fixtures in that Qualifier, many would have agreed that there is a need to expand the pool for the wome

CHENNAI: Among the many queries India's new head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed at a press conference on Monday, one thing was clear. They see Shubman Gill as a potential successor to Rohit Sharma. The indications were there when he was named as captain for Zimbabwe tour over Ruturaj Gaikwad, but it was confirmed on Monday as Gill was appointed vice-captain for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. Now, since Rohit took over from Virat Kohli, the vice-captain role had l

PALLEKELE (SRI LANKA): Charith Asalanka has been appointed as the captain of the Sri Lankan T20I team for the upcoming three-match series against India, starting on July 27. He replaces Wanindu Hasaranga, who stepped down following Sri Lanka's early exit from last month's T20 World Cup. Asalanka, 27, brings substantial captaincy experience to the role. Earlier this year, he led Sri Lanka in two T20Is during the tour of Bangladesh in Hasaranga's absence due to ICC code of conduct violations. Addi

CHENNAI: After their Annual General Body meeting, the International Cricket Council has formed a three-member committee to review the delivery of the T20 World Cup which was co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies last month. The committee will involve former New Zealand batter Roger Twose and two other ICC directors Lawson Naidoo and Imran Khwaja. This move comes after reports of USD 20 million losses incurred during the T20 World Cup in USA and West Indies. Shortly after the event, Pankaj Khi

PALLEKELE (SRI LANKA): The Indian men's cricket team, under new head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav, arrived in Sri Lanka to a warm welcome. The recently-crowned T20 world champions mingled playfully with fans, providing them with some precious moments. The 15-member India team, along with the support staff, left Mumbai on Monday following a pre-departure press conference addressed by Gambhir, who succeeded Rahul Dravid as the national coach, and BCCI's chairman of selectors A

CHENNAI: For about 25 minutes, the questions kept coming. It was always expected to be the case. After all, Indias new head coach, Gautam Gambhir, was addressing the media for the first time. Sitting by his side was the selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar. There was a lot to unpack. From Suryakumar Yadav getting the T20I captaincy ahead of Hardik Pandya, and Shubman Gill named as vice-captain across formats, to the future of Ravindra Jadeja and Suryakumar in ODIs and the support staff for