Author: robin24

South African captain Temba Bavuma (R) during the 1st Test match against India. (ANI Photo) KOLKATA: Temba Bavuma wishes that some day, he will get to play on the fifth day of a Test match in India. However, if someone can jog the South African skipper’s memory, Bavuma might just recollect that the first two Tests he played in India — in New Delhi in 2015 and Vizag in 2019 — both went into the fifth day. South Africa lost those two. The two that followed in the 2019 series saw them lose inside four days. Now, of course, comes…

England national football team head coach Thomas Tuchel has promised that he will either video call or personally meet every player to explain why they were not selected and what they need to do to make it into his FIFA World Cup plans, as per Sky Sports. “First of all, it’s my job now to make contact with everyone, players like Trent (Alexander-Arnold),” Tuchel said, as quoted from Sky Sports. “Players that are on our long list, 55, 60 players, to reach out to them, be in touch with them, explain to them why they were not here.…

VADODARA: Four years ago, life bowled a bouncer at Ashutosh Mahida. When Covid pandemic took away his father’s livelihood, the young fast bowler had to help his father sell vegetables to keep the family afloat.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!But he never gave up on his dream of playing for India. On Monday, Mahida, 18, walked onto the field for the India A Under-19 team in Bengaluru. The triangular series is being played between India A, India B and Afghanistan.“My father, Chirag Mahida, is a choreographer and was doing well till the pandemic. During the lockdown,…

Nigeria’s football coach has accused the Democratic Republic of Congo of practising “voodoo” after his squad’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup ended in a penalty shootout loss in the African play-offs final. DR Congo and Nigeria drew 1-1 after extra time in the tie in Rabat on Sunday and the central Africans won 4-3 on penalties to book a place in inter-confederation play-offs in Mexico next March. In his post-match remarks to journalists, coach Eric Chelle said a member of the DR Congo team “did some voodoo, every time, every time, every time”.   “That…

India vs South Africa (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra) Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee responded to critics on Monday regarding the controversial pitch in the first Test between India and South Africa, which concluded in three days.India suffered a 30-run defeat after being dismissed for 93 while chasing 124 in the fourth innings of the match.The pitch became a topic of debate after witnessing 11 wickets on Day 1 and 15 wickets on Day 2. No team managed to score more than 200 runs in any innings, with only one batter, South African captain Temba Bavuma, achieving a half-century.Sujan Mukherjee defended…

Netherlands will have to go through the play-offs next March to reach the tournament in North America.© X (Twitter) The Netherlands sealed their 2026 World Cup berth on Monday with a dominant 4-0 victory against Lithuania in Amsterdam. The Oranje — three-time finalists in 1974, 1978, and 2010 — will participate in their 12th World Cup after finishing top of Group G ahead of Poland, who won 3-2 in Malta, and will have to go through the play-offs next March to reach the tournament in North America. With a very advantageous goal difference of 13 compared to Poland…

Indian players stand for their national anthem before the start of the 1st Test. (ANI Photo) India’s aura of invincibility at home has begun to show worrying cracks. Since 2020, the team has played 25 home Tests and still boasts a strong overall record — 16 wins, seven defeats and two draws, a respectable 64% win rate. But numbers in isolation hide the alarming trend that has gripped Indian cricket: rapid collapses on spin-friendly surfaces and a stunning rise in three-day defeats, a scenario once associated only with visiting sides.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The rot…

Germany captain Joshua Kimmich said his side “wanted to send a message” with Monday’s 6-0 thumping of Slovakia in Leipzig which sealed their progress to the 2026 World Cup. Leroy Sane struck twice and Nick Woltemade scored for the third straight Germany. The win put Germany through atop Group A and into next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Slovakia finished second and will go into a play-off. “Everyone wanted to send a message today. Everyone knew what was at stake,” Kimmich told Germany’s ZDF. “In Germany, we’re not used to it being difficult to…

Nine-time Grand Prix winner Oscar Piastri has won Australian sport’s highest honour, the Don Award, with the Formula One star calling it a “massive privilege”. The 24-year-old has spring-boarded into the elite this year, igniting national pride as he bids to become Australia’s third Formula One world champion after Jack Brabham and Alan Jones. He has a battle on his hands, losing the lead in the title race at last month’s Mexico City Grand Prix and is now 24 points behind McLaren teammate Lando Norris with three races left. Piastri was recognised at the annual Sport Australia Hall…

Star Indian batter KL Rahul has shared insights about the unique challenges of captaining teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL).The role of a captain involves being an on-field manager, chief strategist, and team spokesperson while maintaining personal performance standards. According to Rahul, leadership responsibilities in IPL are more demanding compared to international cricket.IPL 2026 retained players: Who stayed where and for how muchRahul began his IPL journey in 2013 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and has since played for four different teams. He currently represents Delhi Capitals after being acquired in the previous year.His captaincy journey started in 2020, followed…