Sports

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes the future of Test cricket depends on making first-class cricket appealing enough for young players to pursue. Speaking at the Cricinfo Honours Awards 2026, Ashwin argued that the challenge of preserving red-ball cricket extends far beyond India and is an issue faced by the global game.His comments come at…

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir (PTI Photo) TimesofIndia.com in Mullanpur: For the better part of a year, every conversation around India’s Test team has begun with the same word: transition. In head coach Gautam Gambhir‘s pre-match press conference ahead of the Afghanistan Test, transition remained the buzzword.The retirements of legends and injuries to key bowlers…

NEW DELHI: Teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s meteoric rise should now be rewarded with an India T20I cap, according to former India cricketer and national selector Devang Gandhi, who believes the 15-year-old has already shown qualities that could one day make him a nightmare for Test bowlers as well.Fresh from a stunning IPL 2026 campaign with…

Rishabh Pant, Gautam Gambhir NEW DELHI: India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Friday stressed that Rishabh Pant does not need to change his natural style of batting but must play according to the demands of the match situation, echoing comments made a day earlier by assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.Pant was removed as India’s Test…

The longlist features several frontline bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh, although Bumrah could prioritise the ODI assignments keeping the 2027 World Cup in mind. Among the spinners, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Harsh Dubey have all made the cut, though only two are expected to feature in…

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (AP Photo) NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli’s performances, fitness and insatiable appetite for runs have left Indian selectors with little doubt over his place in the 2027 ODI World Cup plans, but former India wicketkeeper and selector Saba Karim believes Rohit Sharma still has plenty of work to do if he…

Andoni Iraola (Pic credit: LFC) Liverpool have handed the reins to Andoni Iraola, appointing the highly rated Spaniard as their new head coach following the departure of Arne Slot and signaling a return to the aggressive, high-pressing style that brought the club immense success under Jurgen Klopp.The 43-year-old arrives at Anfield after transforming Bournemouth into…

Ivory Coast’s Emmanuel Agbadou, left, kicks the ball ahead of France’s Jean-Philippe Mateta. (AP Photo) FIFA World Cup contenders France and Spain suffered unexpected setbacks in their final preparations for the tournament on Thursday, with Ivory Coast stunning the French 2-1 and Iraq holding Spain to a 1-1 draw in a pair of eye-catching warm-up…

Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull believes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should soon find a place in India’s international setup, even suggesting the teenager could open the batting in Test cricket.During a discussion on Sky Sports on the opening day of the first Test between England and New Zealand on Thursday, the idea of Sooryavanshi opening in…

Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant during a practice session ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan. (PTI) TimesofIndia.com in Mullanpur: Three days after the IPL final, Team India are trying to undo 75 days of muscle memory. The late nights, late morning starts and T20 instincts that dominate the league have been replaced by early…