All posts tagged: Indian Express sports news

Scripted by captain Surya, Abhishek Sharma delivers India’s match-eve motivational talk | Cricket News

Scripted by captain Surya, Abhishek Sharma delivers India’s match-eve motivational talk | Cricket News

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3 min readUpdated: Feb 22, 2026 10:37 AM IST Not only did Suryakumar Yadav troll those who worried about Abhishek Sharma’s batting form, like a combative super-warrior, he handed duties of the motivational talk on match eve to the clearly not under pressure batsman. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO In a video released by BCCI, Surya (a great fan of Andaz Apna Apna) is seen urging the team huddle to “bol Nihaal”…with his cheeky smile, while Abhishek Sharma walks towards the huddle like a movie saying, “It’s time to motivate the team, let’s see how it works.” The Indian team start as home favourites at Ahmedabad, against South Africa who have faced the double wobble against Afghanistan before finally nailing it in two Super Overs, and will be up against 1.2 lakh in the stadium, besides an Indian team that has won 93 percent of its T20 games since the last World Cup. So, expectedly, Abhishek, the poster boy of aggressive cricket walked into the huddle and said, “It’s a sign of a champion team. Let’s …

Ex-Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales egged by his own uncle at book presentation | Football News

Ex-Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales egged by his own uncle at book presentation | Football News

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Luis Rubiales, the man who was at the centre of a storm after kissing Spanish football team player Jenni Hermoso during the 2023 Women’s World Cup awards ceremony, was pelted by eggs by his own uncle while he was at an event to release his book “Matar a Rubiales” (Killing Rubiales). In Matar a Rubiales, the now former head of Spain’s soccer federation writes about his career spiralling after he was caught on camera kissing Hermoso during the 2023 Women’s World Cup awards ceremony. Spanish media outlets named the egg thrower as Luis Rubén Rubiales, an actor who has appeared in several domestic television shows. A video that has now gone viral shows Rubiales was seated on a stool at the book launch event when a man from the crowd throws three eggs in his direction. A news report of the incident in The Associated Press noted that one egg “impacted on the back of his dark jacket, and another splattered against a screen behind him as he charged into the small audience.” “A man …

Adapting to Wankhede’s red soil important, says coach Stead as New Zealand eye series whitewash in India | Cricket News

Adapting to Wankhede’s red soil important, says coach Stead as New Zealand eye series whitewash in India | Cricket News

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A series whitewash in India will ‘certainly help us’ with regards to the World Test Championship final qualification, but adapting to the ‘red clay’ in Mumbai will be critical, New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. The first two Tests in Bengaluru and Pune were played on black soil pitches while the Wankhede Test, starting Friday, will be played on a red soil surface. Stead said New Zealand’s ‘next two training sessions are going to be important’ in their pursuit of an unprecedented 3-0 series win in India. Unfancied going into the series, New Zealand have stunned the hosts after winning the first two Tests, beating India by eight wickets in Bengaluru and following it up with a 113-run win in Pune last week. The results ended India’s winning streak of 18 consecutive series at home, a run stretching back to 2012. Speaking to the New Zealand media, Reuters quoted Stead as saying: “A series win in itself is incredible, but what we want to do is keep trying to get better every game, and we’re …

India summon 35 net bowlers, most of them spinners, ahead of third Test vs New Zealand | Cricket News

India summon 35 net bowlers, most of them spinners, ahead of third Test vs New Zealand | Cricket News

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Two days before the third Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede, the Indian team management on Wednesday summoned 35 net bowlers, comprising a variety of spinners. The Indian Express understands that the team management has requested the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to allow the net bowlers during India’s first full-fledged practice session after a two-day break. The Rohit Sharma-led side has already lost the three-Test series having suffered defeats in Bengaluru and Pune. India is desperate to avoid a whitewash and has even demanded a rank turner for the third and final Test, which begins on Friday. The team management had earlier informed all players there won’t be any optional training before the Test and that it would be compulsory for everyone. The last-minute request to allow extra net bowlers, with an added focus on spinners, stems from the fact that New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner consistently troubled Indian batsmen in the second Test. In Pune, the left-arm spinner produced a match-winning performance, with his figures of 13 for 157 being the third-best by a …

Ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australian skipper Pat Cummins says India will be under pressure after series loss against NZ | Cricket News

Ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australian skipper Pat Cummins says India will be under pressure after series loss against NZ | Cricket News

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With the Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team under scanner after the first-ever Test series loss at home in 12 years against New Zealand, Australian captain Pat Cummins believes his side will be at an advantage during the upcoming five-match series at home. Speaking to reporters during his book – “Test” – launch, Cummins said that the Indian team will be under pressure in the Border-Gavaskar trophy starting November 5. “I think any time a team is under pressure, it’s not a bad thing if you’re playing against them. But they’ve been out here before and performed well. Our job is to try and keep them quiet, see how we go.” Cummins was quoted by AAP at the event in Sydney on Tuesday. The Australian skipper, who has so far played in 62 Tests, is yet to taste a win against India in a Test series. The 31-year-old, who made his Test debut in 2011, has played a total of 13 Test matches including the WTC final against India, racking up an impressive 50 wickets. Out …

Who is Ruben Amorim: Managerial prodigy on Man City, Liverpool, Barcelona’s radar set to become Manchester United coach | Football News

Who is Ruben Amorim: Managerial prodigy on Man City, Liverpool, Barcelona’s radar set to become Manchester United coach | Football News

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Courted by Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s potential replacement, linked at one point as Juergen Klopp’s successor at Liverpool, on the radar of Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich. His teams play high-intensity football, built a reputation for unearthing hidden gems, has a powerful personality and is known for high tactical knowledge. Only 39, Ruben Amorim has been one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe. Now, the Portuguese manager is set to become the next manager of the troubled Manchester United, with the English club making public their intent to pay Sporting the £10 million release fee. Although Amorim has said he is yet to make a final decision, Manchester United’s football operations department has convinced him to leave Sporting mid-season. If the move goes through United will have landed a massive coup. Amorim’s reputation has risen considerably in the last few years after he restored Sporting’s lost glory in Portuguese football. He broke the dominance of Benfica and Porto by leading Sporting to the Primeira Liga title in 2021, the club’s first championship win …

Babar Azam has to prove to the world that he is Viv Richards: Ramiz Raja’s sky-high remarks on former Pakistan captain | Cricket News

Babar Azam has to prove to the world that he is Viv Richards: Ramiz Raja’s sky-high remarks on former Pakistan captain | Cricket News

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Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja believes Babar Azam has the temperament to channel former West Indies legendary batter Sir Viv Richards with the bat. Speaking during a fan interaction on his YouTube live, Ramiz said, “I feel Babar has to achieve a lot more in Test cricket. He plays the white-ball format really well, has an average of 50-plus in both the formats (T20I and ODI). “There is so much potential in Babar Azam. Ab unko apne temperament se batana hai duniya mei ke woh ek Viv Richards hain (now he has to prove to the world with his temperament that he is Viv Richards). Bigger the contest, bigger the innings Richards used to play,” he added. Richards, who played 121 Tests for the West Indies between 1974 and 1991, amassed 8,540 runs during his career, averaging more than 50. Ramiz’s comments come after Pakistan removed Babar from the Test squad midway through the Test series against England and went on to clinch their maiden home series win in red ball cricket in …

Vinicius deserved Ballon d’Or more, says Rodri’s Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola | Football News

Vinicius deserved Ballon d’Or more, says Rodri’s Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola | Football News

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Since he was announced as the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner on Monday at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, Rodri winning the highest individual honor in world football over Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr has been a divisive topic in the sport. While the defensive midfielder was an important figure in Manchester City’s English Premier League and Spain’s European Championship win, the Brazil and Real Madrid winger was touted as the favorite to win the award until Sunday. Even Rodri’s club manager has stated that had Vincius won the award given by France football, it would have been ‘more deserved’. When asked about it by the reporters, Pep Guardiola on Tuesday said, “Of course, if (Vinicius) won, it would have been more than deserved.” Explaining his point of view, Guardiola cited the instance of Erling Haaland. The City striker had been nominated for the award in 2023 after the English champions completed a treble but was eclipsed by Lionel Messi, who had won the World Cup with Argentina in the previous season. “Erling won the …

STAT OF THE DAY: Smriti Mandhana goes past Mithali Raj to set a new Indian record | Cricket News

STAT OF THE DAY: Smriti Mandhana goes past Mithali Raj to set a new Indian record | Cricket News

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With a well-constructed 100 off 122 balls in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, opener Smriti Mandhana created a new Indian record in women’s ODIs. She took over from Mithali Raj as the Indian batter with most centuries in this format, notching up her 8th three-figure score. Chasing 233, India beat New Zealand by 6 wickets and 34 balls to spare. Before this year, bizarrely enough Mandhana had not scored an international century in India. She has now corrected that anomaly and then some. In the home series against South Africa earlier this year, she had scored two centuries and a 90 in three matches. And in a series-winning performance on Tuesday against New Zealand, she scored her third century on home soil. Out of her eight centuries, three have come against South Africa while two each have been scored against West Indies and New Zealand. She also became the first Indian woman to score three ODI centuries while batting second. With two centuries in Test format, Mandhana also achieved the feat of being the first Indian woman …

Hijab-wearing Muslim women have equal rights to participate in sports: UN-appointed human rights experts on France’s hijab ban | Sport-others News

Hijab-wearing Muslim women have equal rights to participate in sports: UN-appointed human rights experts on France’s hijab ban | Sport-others News

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The French Government’s decision to stop its athletes from wearing the hijab at the Paris Olympics has been criticised by experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. The United Nations rights experts also hit out at the decision of the French football and basketball associations to bar athletes who chose to wear the hijab. “The neutrality and secular nature of the State are not legitimate grounds for imposing restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief. Any limitations of these freedoms must be proportionate, necessary to reach one of the objectives stated in international law” the experts said, adding that they should never be based on “presumptions, assumptions or prejudices,” un.org quoted the experts as stating. France invoked secularism rules to ban its athletes from wearing religious symbols, including the hijab, during the Paris Olympics.“Muslim women and girls who wear the hijab must have equal rights to participate in cultural and sporting life, and to take part in all aspects of French society of which they are …