New Delhi: Belgium defender Arthur Van Doren believes India are strong title contenders in next year’s men’s hockey World Cup, saying it is “impossible to ignore” the Men in Blue for their consistency over the last few years. India’s performance at major tournaments, including successive Olympic medals, has firmly established it among the elite. “It’s…
Special Correspondent The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) finds itself embroiled in yet another controversy—this time not merely administrative, but constitutional and judicial in nature. At the centre of the storm is its decision to proceed with the “Kaka Venkata Swamy Memorial Inter-District T20 League” despite a pending legal challenge, explicit objections from the Telangana Cricket…
The omission of Shubman Gill from India’s T20 World Cup squad is not merely a selection call—it is a tacit admission of error by a selection committee that has lurched from impulsive overreach to reluctant course correction. In doing so, the selectors have exposed the deep inconsistencies, poor succession planning, and knee-jerk decision-making that have…
By Vinay Rao Hyderabad’s junior cricket did not merely underperform this season — it came perilously close to public humiliation. Across the U23, U19, and U16 levels, results revealed a disturbing pattern: transparency discarded, form ignored, and selections driven more by narrative and influence than by merit. The warning signs are no longer subtle. The…
Mumbai: In a bold move, the national selection committee on Saturday omitted out-of-form vice-captain Shubman Gill from the 15-member Indian squad picked for the home T20 World Cup. All-rounder Axar Patel was named the vice-captain of the squad, which also saw the return of an in-form Ishan Kishan, who pipped Jitesh Sharma as the second…
Mumbai: Former India captain Rohit Sharma has confirmed that he will be available for Mumbai’s opening two games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy starting December 24. However T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, recovering from a bout of gastritis, Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube will miss the initial games. “Rohit will be available for the…
Ahmedabad: Rampant India rode on a smashing fifties from Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma and Varun Chakravarthy’s four-for to thump South Africa by 30 runs and end 2025 with a 3-1 series victory in the fifth and final T20I, here on Friday. Pandya went hammer and tongs for a 16-ball half-century — the second fastest for…
Ahmedabad: Hard-hitting India batters Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya hammered fine half-centuries while spinner Varun Chakravarthy snared four wickets as India defeated South Africa by 30 runs to clinch the five-match T20I series 3-1 here on Saturday. With Varma (73 off 42 balls) and Pandya (63 off 25 balls) in full flow, India scored a…
Kolkata: India’s first World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev on Thursday said a modern-day head coach’s role is more about “managing” players than actually coaching them, amid criticism surrounding Gautam Gambhir’s working style. Following India’s 0-2 Test series defeat to South Africa, Gambhir has come under fire as India’s head coach, and his ploy of constant…
Special Correspondent For an institution that has lived in controversy for nearly two decades, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) still manages to find newer depths. This time, however, the rot has not been exposed by a rival faction, a police raid, or a court order—but by a letter written by one of its own former…
