Mission not accomplished! India's WTC final hope after SL win

India came away from Sri Lanka with a third successive Test series triumph, but it still wasn’t mission accomplished in its entirety. Having targeted the full complement of 24 points from the two-match showdown, India had to be content with 16 following the disappointing draw in the second Test at the SSC ground, where they failed to drive home the advantage on the final day despite dominating the first four days of the match.

The Colombo stalemate has left their World Test Championship campaign hanging by a slender thread. Shubman Gill’s men are still in fifth position in the league standings and have only seven matches left — two in New Zealand in November and five at home against Australia from January. India must win six fixtures to guarantee themselves a top-two finish, a tall order considering that they haven’t won a Test in New Zealand since 2009 and that to sweep Australia 5-0 at home is anything but straightforward.

The second Test was a stark reminder of how the Indian Test team is still a work in progress. The inability to make things happen when confronted with dead defensive blades on a slow turner where the pronounced bounce actually worked against the bowling team was particularly stark. India couldn’t unearth ways to dislodge the stodgily impressive Sonal Dinusha, who frustrated them throughout the series and batted for nearly 19 hours in all, the primary reason why they had to settle for a 1-0 scoreline. orlando-books.blog

Shubman Gill spoke at length about the tactics and about the surface, and while he wasn’t doling out excuses, there was an air of resignation to his words — just as there had been on the field for most of Thursday’s final day — that was hard to ignore. He knows that the road from here will only be more arduous and demanding, though the good news is that all other things being equal, Jasprit Bumrah will line up for both Tests in New Zealand, where he should relish the conditions on offer.

Devdutt Padikkal’s twin centuries at No. 3 in his first dalliance with Test cricket in more than 21 months and the rapid strides made by Prasidh Krishna, fast emerging as a dependable strike force, were encouraging, but India’s spin cupboard needs fortifying, of that there is little doubt. Series wins overseas are always worth cherishing, but this one left the feeling of what could have been, of a job only three-fourths done.

16
No of WTC points earned by India from the two-Test series against Sri Lanka out of a total of 24

Punjab Kings pacer Yash Thakur has opened up about the frustration he experienced after getting limited opportunities in the IPL. Despite spending four seasons in the competition, Thakur has played only 22 matches across two teams, with his lack of game time eventually prompting him to speak to Virat Kohli.

Yash Thakur's journey has also taken a major step forward in 2026, as he made his India debut during the T20I series against Zimbabwe. The right-arm pacer picked up four wickets in two matches and will now look to build on his international opportunity after years of waiting for regular chances at the IPL level.

Yash Thakur's IPL and Team India journey

Yash Thakur was picked by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 45 lakh at the IPL 2023 auction. He spent two seasons with the franchise before moving to Punjab Kings, who bought him for INR 1.60 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 season.

The 27-year-old has represented LSG and PBKS across four IPL seasons, taking 27 wickets in 22 matches. His best IPL season came in 2023, when he picked up 13 wickets in nine games for LSG. He followed it up with 11 wickets in 10 matches in 2024.

However, his opportunities reduced significantly after moving to Punjab Kings under Shreyas Iyer. He played only two matches in IPL 2025 and one in IPL 2026 before making his India debut against Zimbabwe in July 2026.

I also met MS Dhoni sir. I told him I felt nervous and under pressure - Punjab Kings star Yash Thakur

Yash Thakur recalled how his first IPL season exposed him to some of the biggest names in world cricket and helped him learn valuable lessons from KL Rahul and MS Dhoni.

"Everything was new for me. I was just star-struck on seeing and sharing the dressing room with some top international players," Thakur said in an interview with Cricinfo.

"Seeing [KL] Rahul bhaiya, who was our captain at LSG, I learnt about having clarity and calmness. He spoke to us in such a relaxed manner. Even if our plans didn't come off, he never lost his cool. So those are important things I took back from my first year in the IPL.

The Punjab Kings star also revealed that he spoke to MS Dhoni about the pressure he felt while playing in front of large IPL crowds. Dhoni's advice helped the pacer develop a method that he continues to use whenever he feels pressure.

"I also met MS Dhoni sir. I told him I felt nervous and under pressure, given I had never played in front of such huge crowds. So he told me I would keep feeling that way even in the future - whether at the IPL or whenever I play for India. His advice was to not overthink, and just let things sink in so that I could relax. This method continues to help me. The moment I feel any pressure, I take my time to settle."

I told him I was frustrated - Yash Thakur on chat with Virat Kohli

Yash Thakur revealed that he eventually discussed his situation at Punjab Kings with Virat Kohli, who encouraged him to focus on preparation instead of worrying about when the next opportunity would arrive. The Punjab Kings star said:

"I got a chance to speak to Virat [Kohli] bhaiya. I told him I was frustrated as I wasn't getting to play regularly. So he advised me not to think too much about the future.

"He said it was just as important to feel grateful for whatever opportunities I have got so far, and that my preparation must improve day by day - so whenever I would get a chance to play, I shouldn't feel I'm not ready. So I started working on [my preparation]."

Also Read: Virat Kohli beats Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra to become India’s Most Valuable Celebrity

આજે દેશભરમાં ઉત્સાહભેર 'રાષ્ટ્રીય રમતગમત દિવસ' (National Sports Day) ની ઉજવણી કરવામાં આવી રહી છે. ભારતીય હોકીના મહાન જાદુગર મેજર ધ્યાનચંદની જન્મજયંતિ નિમિત્તે દેશભરમાં વિવિધ કાર્યક્રમો દ્વારા તેમને ભાવભીની શ્રદ્ધાંજલિ અર્પણ કરવામાં આવશે. દેશમાં રમતગમત પ્રત્યે જાગૃતિ ફેલાવવા અને યુવા પેઢીને રમતો તરફ પ્રોત્સાહિત કરવા માટે આ દિવસ વિશેષ રીતે ઉજવવામાં આવે છે.

નવી દિલ્હીમાં ભવ્ય કાર્યક્રમ અને ઉદ્ઘાટન

આ ખાસ અવસર પર દેશની રાજધાની દિલ્હી સ્થિત મેજર ધ્યાનચંદ નેશનલ સ્ટેડિયમ ખાતે એક ભવ્ય કાર્યક્રમનું આયોજન કરવામાં આવ્યું છે. કેન્દ્રીય રમતગમત મંત્રી મનસુખ માંડવિયા આ ખાસ કાર્યક્રમનું ઉદ્ઘાટન કરશે. આ પ્રસંગે રમતગમત ક્ષેત્રના અનેક દિગ્ગજ ખેલાડીઓ, રમતપ્રેમીઓ અને યુવાનો મોટી સંખ્યામાં ઉપસ્થિત રહીને ઉજવણીમાં ભાગ લેશે.

'એક ઘંટા ખેલ કે મેદાન મેં' અભિયાનનો પ્રારંભ

આજના દિવસને વધુ યાદગાર બનાવવા અને નાગરિકોને ફિટનેસ પ્રત્યે જાગૃત કરવા માટે "એક ઘંટા ખેલ કે મેદાન મેં" (Ek Ghanta Khel Ke Maidan Mein) ખાસ અભિયાનની શરૂઆત કરવામાં આવશે. આ અભિયાનનો મુખ્ય હેતુ દરેક નાગરિક દરરોજ ઓછામાં ઓછો એક કલાક રમતના મેદાનમાં વિતાવે અને શારીરિક સ્વાસ્થ્ય જાળવી રાખે તે માટે પ્રોત્સાહિત કરવાનો છે.

આ પણ વાંચો - Neeraj Chopraએ ડાયમંડ લીગની ફાઇનલમાં મારી એન્ટ્રી

The winding-up of Jamshedpur FC’s Indian Super League journey could mark the beginning of an even more significant chapter for football in Jamshedpur.

As reported earlier on Friday, August 28, Tata Steel decided to honour the contracts of the players and support staff associated with Jamshedpur FC, despite the club being wound up. At the time, an announcement on the company’s plans for women’s football development was also awaited.

ReSportz has now learnt, following discussions with DB Sundara Ramam, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, that the company is preparing to take a giant leap in Indian women’s football. A significant portion of the investment that had been earmarked for Jamshedpur FC’s participation in the Indian Super League is set to be redirected towards establishing a new residential football academy for women in Jamshedpur.

The proposed academy is expected to become a dedicated high-performance pathway for young Indian women footballers, much along the lines of what the Tata Football Academy has represented for men’s football over several decades.

Tata Football Academy has been one of the most important talent-development institutions in Indian football. More than 140 of its cadets have gone on to represent India at different levels, while over 24 TFA graduates have captained the national team. The list of graduates includes current AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, legendary goalkeeper Subrata Paul, Gouramangi Singh, Clifford Miranda and, more recently, Udanta Singh, among several others.

The success of TFA has demonstrated the impact that a structured residential academy can have on Indian football. A similar institution dedicated exclusively to women could potentially address one of the biggest gaps in the country’s women’s football ecosystem — the need for a sustained grassroots-to-elite development pathway.

The timing could hardly be more significant.

Indian women’s football has shown considerable promise in recent years, with the country’s age-group teams making their presence felt at the continental level. With India’s U17, U20 and senior women’s teams making progress in AFC competitions, there is growing evidence that the talent pool is expanding and the sport is steadily gaining momentum.

A Tata-backed residential academy could provide that emerging talent with access to long-term training, education, sports science, competition and professional development under one roof.

Importantly, the move would also represent a shift in philosophy. While the ISL project was centred around a professional club competing at the highest level of Indian men’s football, the proposed academy would focus on creating the players who could form the backbone of Indian women’s football in the years ahead.

As learnt from Tata Steel’s top management, discussions with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) are already underway and an official announcement on the women’s football initiative is expected soon.

What remains unclear, however, is whether Tata Steel also intends to launch a new women’s team to participate in the Indian Women’s League (IWL). The academy and a potential professional club are understood to be separate questions at this stage.

For now, the proposed women’s residential academy itself is the significant development.

If executed at the scale and philosophy of the Tata Football Academy, it could become a significant replacement for the investment previously directed towards Jamshedpur FC. It could become one of the most important long-term investments in the future of Indian women’s football.

The winding-up of Jamshedpur FC’s Indian Super League journey could mark the beginning of an even more significant chapter for football in Jamshedpur.

As reported earlier on Friday, August 28, Tata Steel decided to honour the contracts of the players and support staff associated with Jamshedpur FC, despite the club being wound up. At the time, an announcement on the company’s plans for women’s football development was also awaited.

ReSportz has now learnt, following discussions with DB Sundara Ramam, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, that the company is preparing to take a giant leap in Indian women’s football. A significant portion of the investment that had been earmarked for Jamshedpur FC’s participation in the Indian Super League is set to be redirected towards establishing a new residential football academy for women in Jamshedpur.

The proposed academy is expected to become a dedicated high-performance pathway for young Indian women footballers, much along the lines of what the Tata Football Academy has represented for men’s football over several decades.

Tata Football Academy has been one of the most important talent-development institutions in Indian football. More than 140 of its cadets have gone on to represent India at different levels, while over 24 TFA graduates have captained the national team. The list of graduates includes current AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, legendary goalkeeper Subrata Paul, Gouramangi Singh, Clifford Miranda and, more recently, Udanta Singh, among several others.

The success of TFA has demonstrated the impact that a structured residential academy can have on Indian football. A similar institution dedicated exclusively to women could potentially address one of the biggest gaps in the country’s women’s football ecosystem — the need for a sustained grassroots-to-elite development pathway.

The timing could hardly be more significant.

Indian women’s football has shown considerable promise in recent years, with the country’s age-group teams making their presence felt at the continental level. With India’s U17, U20 and senior women’s teams making progress in AFC competitions, there is growing evidence that the talent pool is expanding and the sport is steadily gaining momentum.

A Tata-backed residential academy could provide that emerging talent with access to long-term training, education, sports science, competition and professional development under one roof.

Importantly, the move would also represent a shift in philosophy. While the ISL project was centred around a professional club competing at the highest level of Indian men’s football, the proposed academy would focus on creating the players who could form the backbone of Indian women’s football in the years ahead.

As learnt from Tata Steel’s top management, discussions with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) are already underway and an official announcement on the women’s football initiative is expected soon.

What remains unclear, however, is whether Tata Steel also intends to launch a new women’s team to participate in the Indian Women’s League (IWL). The academy and a potential professional club are understood to be separate questions at this stage.

For now, the proposed women’s residential academy itself is the significant development.

If executed at the scale and philosophy of the Tata Football Academy, it could become a significant replacement for the investment previously directed towards Jamshedpur FC. It could become one of the most important long-term investments in the future of Indian women’s football.

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