by Tanish Prabhu
India claim gold medal for the second time in Asian Games
India have done it once again, winning back-back gold medals in Japan against Pakistan in the Asian Games final. Batting first, India posted an imposing 211/6 from their 20 overs after an aggressive start set the tone for the final. The feat is even sweeter as the women’s team had also registered a double title.
Opener Abhishek Sharma was the standout performer with the bat, smashing 61 from just 28 deliveries. His innings included seven sixes as India raced away during the opening stages of their innings. Teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also provided an early spark, hitting two sixes before being dismissed for 15. Pakistan managed to slow India’s scoring through the middle overs, giving themselves a chance of restricting their opponents to a more manageable total. However, India’s lower order accelerated in the closing stages.
Tilak Varma played a crucial role, finishing unbeaten on 51 from only 22 balls. Shivam Dube also contributed 27 as India added 62 runs during the final five overs to reach 211/6.
Pakistan’s chase began poorly, with Pakistan falling to 39/3 in the seventh over. With India applying pressure, the match appeared to be slipping away from Pakistan. Hasan Nawaz had other ideas. The Pakistan batter produced a sensational 96 from 51 balls, keeping his side within touching distance of the target. His innings featured five fours and seven sixes and became the forefront of Pakistan’s attempted comeback. Nawaz received valuable support from Saim Ayub, who scored 29. Their partnership helped Pakistan recover and briefly raised hopes of an unlikely victory after the early collapse. India, however, maintained their composure during the closing overs. Washington Sundar and Axar Patel claimed two wickets each, while Dube also picked up two wickets as India continued to chip away at Pakistan’s batting order.
Pakistan entered the final over requiring 33 runs, leaving India firmly in control. Nawaz was eventually dismissed from the final delivery as Pakistan finished on 192/6. India’s 19-run victory secured another Asian Games gold medal and continued their dominance in men’s cricket at the competition. For Pakistan, Nawaz’s extraordinary 96 will be remembered as one of the outstanding individual performances of the tournament, but it ultimately could not prevent India from completing a memorable victory. India take gold, Pakistan settle for silver, while Sri Lanka claimed the bronze medal after defeating Bangladesh in the third-place playoff.
Rohit, KL Rahul star with the bat; India win the series 2-1 against West Indies:
India won the series at home once again despite losing the final ODI at the PCA stadium. Shai Hope’s record in India continues to grow with another prolific century to his name and his second one in the series, marking him as one of the best West Indies batters of this generation. As captain, he leads an inexperienced West Indies side that are trying extremely hard to become a better team, but as a batter, he is further proving why he is the best all format player of the game. He now has 6590 runs in ODI cricket. The pitch for the final ODI was different compared to the first two games, and it spiced up the game in the second innings. The West Indies bowlers sent Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli back, two players who starred with the bat in the first two ODI’s. Rohit Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad set the tone for India, anchoring the team to a decent enough total to defend, while KL Rahul went out with aggression from ball one and blasted 129 runs. Anything over 250 was good enough, but 352 on a mixed pitch meant it was good for batting later, and Shai Hope’s innings proved that as he guided West Indies to a comfortable victory.
Rohit Sharma ended his series with two half centuries and a century, proving why he is not finished yet and that he is prepared for the 2027 World Cup. His innings in Guwahati was jubilant, but in PCA stadium, his 92 was a statement that he can still contribute to the team in any conditions and any situation. It was a positive innings, eight short of century.
De Minaur, Djokovic book a spot in the semifinal of China Open in Beijing:
Alex de Minaur has continued his late-season resurgence, overcoming Andrey Rublev in three sets to reach the China Open semifinals for a second consecutive year. The Australian No.5 seed recovered from a slow start to defeat the world No.24 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in just over two hours at Beijing’s National Tennis Centre on Sunday. Rublev appeared firmly in control early, taking the opening set in just 36 minutes. De Minaur struggled to find his rhythm as the Russian dictated play from the baseline and raced to a one-set advantage.
The momentum shifted in the second set. After Rublev took a 3-1 lead, De Minaur responded by raising his intensity and gradually taking control of the match. His defensive ability and consistency began to frustrate Rublev, allowing the Australian to claim the second set 6-2 and force a decider. De Minaur continued to apply pressure in the third set, eventually securing the decisive break before closing out the match 6-3. The victory was another example of the Australian’s resilience during a strong run of form. De Minaur has now won six consecutive matches since his second-round defeat at the US Open. His recent run includes two Davis Cup victories in Brisbane and a comeback win against Alexander Zverev at the Laver Cup in London. His statistics against Rublev also highlighted the quality of his performance. De Minaur hit 29 winners compared with Rublev’s 26, while committing just 17 unforced errors to his opponent’s 30. The win followed another dramatic comeback against Quentin Halys in the quarterfinals, where De Minaur recovered from a set down and overcame a match-point opportunity to win 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5. De Minaur said the recent battles had given him confidence when matches became difficult.
“It just shows that it’s going to take a lot of good tennis to get through me.”
That fighting mentality will be tested again in the semifinals, where De Minaur will face Hubert Hurkacz. The Australian holds a 3-1 record against the Polish former world No.10. The victory also moved De Minaur to 16 ATP 500 match wins this season, taking him past Rublev for the most at that level in 2026. With another semifinal appearance secured, De Minaur is now one victory away from reaching the Beijing final for the first time. For the Australian, the result represents another significant step in a late-season revival that has transformed his fortunes since the US Open. The challenge now is to maintain that momentum against Hurkacz and go one step further than last year’s semifinal finish.
Novak Djokovic has continued his unbeaten run in Beijing, overcoming top seed Alexander Zverev in a dramatic three-set quarterfinal as Australian Alex de Minaur also booked his place in the final four. Djokovic recovered from losing the opening set to defeat Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 35 minutes, extending his perfect China Open record to 32 wins from 32 matches. The Serbian struggled to settle early, with Zverev immediately putting pressure on his serve. The German’s powerful baseline game and 19 aces helped him take the opening set 6-4.
Djokovic, however, gradually found his rhythm. The six-time Beijing champion began changing the pace of rallies and moving forward more frequently, preventing Zverev from settling into the same aggressive pattern that had worked in the opening set. The turning point arrived at 54 in the second set when Djokovic broke Zverev’s serve to level the match.
The deciding set followed a similar pattern. With the match finely balanced, Djokovic again produced his best tennis when it mattered most, breaking Zverev at 5-4 before serving out the match. The victory created another piece of history for the 39-year-old, who became the first player in the Open Era to win his opening 32 matches at a single tournament. Zverev’s defeat also dented his hopes of challenging Jannik Sinner for the world No.1 ranking. The German entered Beijing as the tournament’s top seed and had been targeting a strong run in the absence of Sinner. For Djokovic, however, the focus is now firmly on another China Open title. He will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals after the third seed defeated Francisco
Cerundolo earlier on Sunday. With Djokovic and De Minaur both through to the final four, the China Open has produced a compelling mix of experience and Australian ambition heading into the final stages. For Djokovic, another title remains within reach. For De Minaur, the challenge is to turn another semifinal appearance into a place in the Beijing final.
FIFA International Friendly: India show bits of promise but lose big to Uruguay & Brazil
India hosted World Cup powerhouse Brazil (0-4) and Uruguay (1-6) recently and as expected, the result proved to be a foregone conclusion in each of the two matches at VYBK Kolkata. Yet, there were some bright moments in both the matches where the likes of Anwar Ali, Anirudh Thapa and Ryan Williams packed a punch.
Elsewhere, Australia’s promising performance against Brazil ended in a 4-2 defeat at Suncorp Stadium, but the Socceroos showed they can compete with one of international football’s biggest nations.
Max Verstappen wins in Malaysia in a chaotic wet weather race:
The Sepang circuit returned to Formula One for the first time since 2016 as a replacement for the cancelled Bahrain Grand Prix and it was one chaotic race that ended with a huge victory for Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
It was another wet weather racing weekend and as the rain got heavier, the drivers struggled to warm up in the formation lap, adding a two-hour delay into the race. Once the race finally got going, the drivers got more comfortable on track, with the weather eventually getting better. All the drivers used a mix set of tyers suited for their cars for the race and young Kimi Antonelli looked in prime position to win his first race in Malaysia. Ferrari however had the worst possible start to their race, having stayed down out of top ten for the first 25-30 laps, before finding their way back up.
Max Verstappen overtook Kimi Antonelli and stayed ahead for the rest of the race, winning his first one of the season very easily, while the young Italian finished second. But the race didn’t finish without late drama. George Russell was set to finish third when his car stopped working in the final three laps, forcing him out of the race, and it gave Lewis Hamilton a huge opportunity to come third in a bittersweet comeback in the race after a frustrating start. A welldeserved and well-earned podium for the seven-time world champion.
