Kolhapur: Former Asian Games gold medallist Rahi Sarnobat believes earning a place in the Indian shooting team remains one of the toughest challenges in the sport, as intense domestic competition continues to raise India’s international standards. Fresh from topping the women’s 25m sports pistol event in the T4 National Selection Trials, the seasoned shooter said consistency and composure under pressure would be crucial as she shifts her focus to the ISSF World Cup in China a

Cristiano Ronaldo’s relationship with the FIFA World Cup is one of football’s most compelling stories—a tale of extraordinary achievement, relentless ambition, and an unfulfilled dream. While his glittering career is decorated with league titles, UEFA Champions League triumphs, European Championship glory, and countless individual awards, the FIFA World Cup remained the one prize that always seemed just beyond his reach. Yet, it is perhaps this very incompleteness that makes

In the vast tapestry of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, few stories shine as brightly as that of Cape Verde, the Blue Sharks. A nation of just over half a million souls, scattered across ten volcanic islands in the Atlantic, this archipelago has etched its name into football immortality. Not as champions in the traditional sense, but as beacons of hope, resilience, and the unyielding power of belief. Their debut tournament was not merely participation—it was a masterclass in defying

When football’s new minnows dream big, India stands still. The ongoing FIFA World Cup has produced one of the most compelling stories in modern football. Nations once dismissed as outsiders are now sharing the world’s biggest stage with traditional powerhouses. Tiny Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan are making their World Cup debuts. DR Congo has returned after more than five decades, while countries such as Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Africa and New Zealand

In what can only be described as football’s version of a fever dream after too many questionable street tacos, Ecuador defeated Germany 2-1 in a Group Stage thriller at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Yes, you read that right. The team that once gave us the Wunderteam and precision engineering got outplayed by a squad whose tactical masterplan appeared to involve “run fast, celebrate harder, and maybe pray to the mountain gods.” The match, held in a sweltering stadium in the America

For 90 minutes at the FIFA World Cup 2026, Germany did what Germany does best: they turned football into a carefully designed industrial process. The assembly line started on time, the machines were well oiled, quality control was ruthless, and unfortunately for Curaçao, they were the unfortunate product being tested. The final score read Germany 7, Curaçao 1, though the numbers alone do not tell the full story. Somewhere in the stadium, a scoreboard operator probably checked

Every cricket lover carries a few scorecards in his heart. Mine, yellowed by time and perfumed by memory, invariably opens to one unforgettable page. It takes me back to September 1986, to the old Chepauk in Madras, where India and Australia produced a Test match that still glows like an oil lamp on a rainy evening. Not long ago, while watching another India-Australia series unfold, I found myself drifting backwards through the corridors of time. Memory, after all, is a curio

In the annals of cricket, few players embody grace under pressure, tactical acumen, and unwavering humility quite like Kane Stuart Williamson. On this day, as the news of his retirement from international cricket reverberates across the globe, the cricketing world pauses to celebrate a maestro who elevated New Zealand from respected underdogs to genuine contenders on the biggest stages. At 35, Williamson steps away after a storied career spanning over 15 years, leaving behind

Lord’s —The Home of Cricket. A place of tradition, cucumber sandwiches, and polite murmurs of “well played, old chap.” Yesterday? It looked like someone had spiked the pitch with revenge, LSD, and a dodgy batch of swing-friendly weather. Sixteen wickets fell. Sixteen. On Day One. In a Test match. At the spiritual home of the five-day snoozefest. I haven’t seen this many collapses since my last attempt at baking a soufflé. New Zealand won the toss and, with the wisdom of a man

From the beaches of Brazil to the streets of Naples, football remains the one spectacle capable of uniting and dividing the globe like no other. Next week, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will kick off across North America, the largest edition of the tournament ever staged. Yet beneath the spectacle of 48 nations and packed stadiums lies a deeper truth: football remains the world's most powerful expression of national character, cultural identity and collective passion. It is impossi

For years, Royal Challengers Bengaluru supporters carried hope the way a pilgrim carries a lamp through a storm. The flame flickered, but it never went out. Last year, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, RCB finally broke 18-year drought and lifted their maiden IPL trophy. Many wondered whether it was the end of a long journey. But on Sunday night, it turned out to be the beginning of something even bigger. By defeating Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the IPL 2026 final, RCB not

In the grand theatre of Indian cricket selection, where committees move with the urgency of a sloth on sleeping pills, we have a genuine phenomenon on our hands: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Fifteen years old. Yes, fifteen. The boy is still closer in age to a school science project than to a driving license, yet he bats like he’s got a personal grudge against bowlers and gravity itself. But fear not, dear cricket fans. Our wise selectors are on the case. They’re thinking. They’re de

What a time to be alive in the grand theatre of Indian Premier League drama. In a world plagued by actual problems, the cricket fraternity has decided that the real crisis of our era is Virat Kohli refusing to shake Travis Head’s hand after SRH demolished RCB by 55 runs. Yes, dear reader, the sport that proudly calls itself the “gentleman’s game” is once again clutching its pearls over etiquette while conveniently ignoring that the field itself often resembles a verbal war zo

As the IPL 2026 curtains fall—presumably with Mumbai Indians once again discovering that talent and chaos are not the same thing—cricket’s most elegant lounger, Rohit Sharma, stands at the crossroads. At 39 (yes, the man who looks like he was born wearing sunglasses and a half-smile is now closer to 40 than to his debut), the Hitman faces a future that is part nostalgia tour, part fitness miracle, and entirely unpredictable. One thing is certain: retirement for Rohit will be

In the high-octane circus of the Indian Premier League, few phenomena have exploded onto the scene quite like Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The Bihar prodigy, still a teenager at 15, burst into global consciousness in IPL 2025 as the youngest debutant and centurion in T20 history. His 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans wasn’t just a knock; it was a declaration of intent from a player who treats boundaries as birthrights and bowlers as mere target practice. With a career strike ra

Indian sport has always been irresistibly drawn to legacy. The idea that greatness can flow through bloodlines—that the son will carry forward the genius of the father—has a certain poetic charm. It offers continuity in a country that reveres its sporting icons almost mythically. But peel away the romance and a harsher truth emerges: in Indian sport, legacy is less a gift and more a weight. And more often than not, it is a weight too heavy to carry. Consider the towering fi

While Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s precocious rise stirs wonder, it tests how gently a nation can nurture its next cricketing hope. What does a 15-year-old carry in his kit bag. A bat, a pair of gloves, perhaps a water bottle. Or something heavier: dreams, pressure, and the quiet weight of a nation that never stops searching for its next cricketing marvel. In the case of Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the question lingers with unusual urgency. At first glance, he appears like any other teenag

The IPL has turned a summer sport into a global cash machine by reshaping talent and testing the limits of cricket’s soul. Each summer, India stages one of the world’s most dazzling sporting spectacles, the Indian Premier League (IPL). Once, the country’s tropical heat discouraged outdoor tournaments, but the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) transformed this perception by hosting evening T20 matches under floodlights, turning scorching temperatures into an electrifyin

Ah, the IPL 2026 season – where Mumbai Indians, five-time champions and eternal blue-blooded royalty, have decided to cosplay as a mid-table struggler. And leading this glorious downward spiral? None other than Hardik Pandya, the man who swapped Gujarat’s trophy cabinet for Mumbai’s hot seat and somehow turned “five-time winners” into “one-win wonders.” Four losses in a row. Ninth on the points table. Negative NRR that looks like it was calculated by a depressed accountant. I

In the swirling chaos of the 2026 IPL, where established stars chase milestones and franchises hunt for silverware, a 15-year-old from Bihar has stolen the spotlight with the casual swagger of a veteran. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is not merely participating in the world’s richest T20 league—he is dominating it. His blistering 15-ball half-century against Chennai Super Kings in the early days of the season, followed by a 26-ball 78 that powered Rajasthan Royals to a record powerpla