Shubman Gill — The time is now

Unlike football, where the manager is the real boss of the team, cricket has been and always will be a sport where the captain is the ultimate authority. If there is ever a clash between the captain and the coach, as was the case between Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli a decade ago, it is the captain who eventually prevails. From that standpoint, the Sri Lanka series is a very important one for Shubman Gill. raccoongame.org

While there is no clash whatsoever between Gautam Gambhir and Gill, the truth is that Gill needs to make the team his own and be his own man.

As a batter, he is India’s best red-ball player at the moment. He looks sublime, and the 2025 England series saw Gill coming of age as a Test batter. Sadly for him and for India, he was injured in Kolkata in the game against South Africa and could not play any further part in the series. I still believe that had Gill played the Kolkata Test, India would have won the contest. Rishabh Pant led the team in his absence in Guwahati, and India lost the match and the series.

From here, it is an uphill task for India to make it to the World Test Championship final. In fact, it is almost impossible. Having said that, sport has seen funny things happen, and Gill should take it one match at a time.

Debasis Sen and Vaibhav Tripathi, who are both in Sri Lanka for RevSportz, confirmed to me that Gill was seen supervising every lower-order batter in the nets yesterday. While he was not batting because of his injury, he made it a point to oversee the net session. That is how it should be. A more assertive and dominant captain is what India will ask of Gill in Sri Lanka.

In all fairness, Gill has also been unlucky on occasions. After a fantastic England series, he missed out against South Africa with a freakish neck injury. The neck issue was not really a one-off. It has been a persistent problem and has troubled him all along. Now, in Sri Lanka, he was forced to miss the practice game after injuring his finger. While his omission from the training game is more precautionary, the truth is that it also impacts his own preparation ahead of the Test match.

Gill is at a stage of his career where he can now power on to become the best in the world. The New Zealand series will test him, and if he does well in those conditions against a quality red-ball attack, he will have turned a new leaf in his career.

Clearly, the time for him is now.

Can he march on, take control and become the leader India expects him to be? The early signs in England in 2025 were good, and the series will forever rank as one of the best of all time. But those gains were eroded by the defeat against South Africa, and India needs a reboot.

Can Gill lead that process and make things happen?

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FIFA has come out in staunch defense of president Gianni Infantino, rebutting fresh allegations and widespread criticism. The organisation has accused unnamed detractors of orchestrating a campaign aimed at destabilising its leadership. While UEFA acknowledged a severance payment to a former employee associated with Infantino, he continues to enjoy robust support from various continental federations despite European discontent.

Seoul [South Korea], August 9 (ANI): Indian shuttler Ashmita Chaliha clinched her maiden BWF World Tour title after defeating China’s Han Qianxi 14-21, 21-14, 21-14 in the women’s singles final of the Korea Masters on Sunday.

The 26-year-old bounced back strongly after losing the opening game to seal a memorable victory and become only the fifth Indian woman to win a BWF World Tour Super 300 or higher-level title.

Chaliha started the opening game on an even footing with Han, with the scores level at 11-11. However, the Chinese shuttler shifted gears and won a series of points to take control before closing out the game 21-14.

The Indian came back strongly in the second game, producing a couple of powerful winners and displaying solid defence to take an 11-8 lead at the mid-game interval. She maintained her advantage and moved seven points ahead at 17-10 before sealing the game 21-14 with a strong smash to force a decider.

The final game began with both players fighting for every point. The Chinese opponent initially held the advantage and led 11-9 at the mid-game interval.

Chaliha, however, raised her level in the latter half of the decider. She regained the lead with precise winners and aggressive attacking play. A well-placed winner gave her a 12-11 lead before she extended the advantage to 15-11 with another superb shot that landed just inside the line.

Chaliha continued to dominate the closing stages, moving to 19-14 with a cross-court winner. Han then sent her return out, handing Chaliha the match and the biggest title of her career.

With the victory, Chaliha became only the fifth Indian woman to win a BWF World Tour Super 300 or higher title, joining Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Devika Sihag and Tanvi Sharma.

The Korea Masters title marks Chaliha’s first BWF World Tour crown and comes after a determined comeback in the final against the world No. 35 Chinese player. (ANI)

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Guwahati (Assam) [India], August 9 (ANI): A brace from Alaaeddine Ajaraie, complemented by late strikes from substitutes Macarton Louis Nickson and debutant Etyan Gonzalez Morales, powered defending champions NorthEast United FC to a commanding 4-1 victory over Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC in a Group F clash of the 135th Durand Cup at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium on Saturday.

The victory strengthened NorthEast United FC’s push for a place in the knockout stages while extending their unbeaten run in the Durand Cup to 14 matches. The defending champions have now gone unbeaten in the competition since their last defeat in 2023, according to a release.

NorthEast United FC head coach Juan Pedro Benali set his side up in an attacking 4-2-4 formation, and the defending champions immediately asserted their authority, dominating possession and pinning Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC deep inside their own half.

The pressure paid off in the seventh minute when NorthEast United were awarded a penalty after Junior Onguene Nkengue brought down Alaaeddine Ajaraie inside the box following a corner. The Moroccan forward stepped up and calmly converted from the spot, sending goalkeeper Jaspreet Singh the wrong way to give the Highlanders an early lead.

NorthEast continued to press for a second, with Redeem Tlang narrowly missing the target after being set up by Ajaraie. The Highlanders controlled the tempo and repeatedly exposed the spaces in the Karbi Anglong defence, but the debutants remained in the contest.

Against the run of play, Karbi Anglong found an equaliser in the 28th minute. A misplaced pass from NorthEast defender Soraisham Dinesh Singh gifted possession to Junior Onguene Nkengue, who made amends for his earlier mistake by keeping his composure to finish from close range and make it 1-1.

NorthEast responded by stepping up the pressure once again. Ajaraie came close to restoring their lead with a superbly struck free-kick, but Jaspreet Singh produced an outstanding save to keep the effort out. Redeem Tlang also continued to threaten, but Karbi Anglong defended in numbers and held firm to take the teams into the interval level.

Benali made two attacking changes at half-time, bringing on Parthib Sunder Gogoi and Macarton, and the move paid immediate dividends. Just three minutes after the restart, Gogoi picked out Ajaraie inside the box, and the Moroccan produced a precise left-footed finish to put NorthEast United back in front at 2-1. It was Ajaraie’s fifth goal of the tournament, taking him level at the top of the scoring charts.

The opening stages of the second half were played at a frantic pace as NorthEast searched for a third while Karbi Anglong attempted to respond on the counter. Ajaraie came close to completing his hat-trick in the 52nd minute when his header from a corner narrowly missed the target.

Karbi Anglong continued to look for openings and came closest through Junior Onguene Nkengue, who unleashed a powerful long-range effort after being set up by Joseph. The shot dipped dangerously, but NorthEast goalkeeper Dipesh Chauhan recovered at the second attempt after initially spilling the effort.

Benali introduced Spanish forward Etyan Jesus Gonzalez Morales just after the hour mark as NorthEast looked to put the contest beyond doubt. Ajaraie missed another opportunity in the 73rd minute, sending his left-footed effort over the bar, before Etyan also came close moments later, only to lift his attempted chip over the goalkeeper wide of the target.

The Highlanders eventually found their third in the 83rd minute. Buanthanglun Samte delivered a pinpoint cross into the penalty area, where Macarton Louis Nickson rose highest to guide a well-directed header past the stationary Jaspreet Singh and make it 3-1.

With five minutes of stoppage time added, NorthEast continued to push forward. Etyan had another opportunity after being picked out by Ajaraie but was unable to convert, although the Spanish debutant would have his moment soon after.

In the sixth minute of added time, Abdul Rabeeh produced a brilliant run down the left flank before delivering a low cross into the box. Etyan made no mistake this time, calmly tapping the ball into the net to mark his debut in Indian football with a goal and complete a comprehensive 4-1 victory for the defending champions.

NorthEast United’s second-half dominance ultimately proved decisive, with Benali’s attacking substitutions making a telling impact as the Highlanders maintained their unbeaten run in the Durand Cup. (ANI)

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