Rohit Sharma will be dropped from the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney due to poor form, making him the first Indian captain to be dropped mid-series for performance reasons. Jasprit Bumrah will assume captaincy as India trails the series 1-2 and must win the Sydney Test to retain the trophy. Rohit's poor form has been evident, scoring just 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20, the worst-ever performance by a visiting captain in Australia.Rohit played as an opener in Melbourne after initially batting at No. 6 in Adelaide and Brisbane but failed to regain
The chess world was set ablaze with controversy after Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi agreed to share the World Blitz Championship title at the FIDE Rapid and Blitz Championship held in New York. The decision, which came after a tied tiebreaker, left many players and fans questioning the integrity of the event.Carlsen initially took the lead, winning the first two games of the final, but Nepomniachtchi bounced back to level the score at 2-2. After three consecutive draws in the tiebreaks, Carlsen proposed sharing the title, and Nepo agreed. While FIDE deliberated the unprecedented decision, Carlsen was caught on camera
West Bengal reclaimed its dominance in the Santosh Trophy, clinching its 33rd title with a dramatic 1-0 win over Kerala in the final of the 78th edition at Hyderabad’s GMC Balayogi Stadium. The decisive goal came from prolific striker Robi Hansda in the 90+4th minute, as he capitalized on Manotos Maji’s header to score from close range. This marked Hansda’s 12th goal of the tournament, earning him the Tulsidas Balaram Player of the Match and Peter Thangaraj Player of the Tournament awards.Both teams played cautiously, with Kerala relying on counterattacks and Bengal missing its key striker Naro Hari Shrestha due
India faces a challenging task on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Resuming at 164 for 5, India needs 111 more runs to avoid the follow-on and keep their hopes alive in the match and the World Test Championship (WTC) race. The dismissal of Rishabh Pant early in the day has put added pressure on Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy to build a strong partnership.The wicket at the MCG appears to have improved for batting, offering some hope for the Indian tail. With players like Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and
Australia's openers, Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja, provided a strong start on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, reaching 176/2 by Tea. Both batsmen scored fifties, with Konstas, the debutant, becoming Australia’s second youngest Test half-centurion. His aggressive 60 off 65 balls included eight boundaries, with two sixes off Jasprit Bumrah.Khawaja followed suit with a patient 57 before falling to Bumrah, extending his opponent’s dominance over him in the series. Marnus Labuschagne, who was nearing his own fifty at Tea, continued to build on the solid foundation laid by the openers.The morning session saw Konstas countering
