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Morne Morkel (Photo by Josh Chadwick/Getty Images) NEW DELHI: Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, believes that while Nitish Reddy can deliver “magical” balls, the batting all-rounder needs to increase his bowling workload to enhance his overall contribution in the forthcoming five-Test England series.Having scored a Test century against Australia at the MCG during last year’s…

Steve Smith of Australia (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) NEW DELHI: In the high-stakes setting of the 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord’s, Steve Smith added another remarkable milestone to his glittering career. The Australian batter scored a resilient 66 off 112 balls, laced with 10 boundaries, on Day One against South Africa,…

Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Former India head coach Ravi Shastri got emotional on Wednesday while reflecting on Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket. Shastri, who shared a successful tenure with Kohli during his captaincy, witnessing several memorable series wins, said the star batter’s exit could have been managed more thoughtfully.Kohli,…

Jay Shah (Photo Credit: X) NEW DELHI: The 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final got a fitting and ceremonial start as ICC chair Jay Shah rang the iconic bell at Lord’s on Wednesday. Calling it a “privilege,” Shah took to the social media platform X to express his honour, writing: “A privilege to ring the…

Usman Khawaja (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) NEW DELHI: Australia’s Usman Khawaja, a left-handed batter, set an unfavourable record by registering the joint-third longest duck by an Australian during the World Test Championship final at Lord’s on Wednesday.Khawaja’s innings concluded in the seventh over when he edged the ball to slips off South African fast bowler Kagiso…

Marnus Labuschagne (Getty Images) NEW DELHI: Australia’s premier batter Marnus Labuschagne once again faltered against a left-arm pacer, with his vulnerability laid bare in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s.Labuschagne, who was promoted to open the innings for the first time in his Test career by skipper Pat Cummins for the…

Team India in training (Screengrab) NEW DELHI: Indian cricketers participated in rigorous fielding practice sessions, accompanied by playful exchanges between teammates as they strengthened their preparation for the England Test series.The BCCI video showed fielding coach T Dilip conducting various drills, including catching practice and accuracy throws at stumps. Vice-captain Rishabh Pant narrowly missed hitting…

Pat Cummins and Temba Bavuma (ICC Photo) NEW DELHI: South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bowl first against Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s on Wednesday. With overcast skies looming over London, the conditions looked ideal for South Africa’s pace attack to make early inroads. Australia, however,…

Shubman Gill (BCCI Photo) NEW DELHI: India’s decision to hand over the Test captaincy to 25-year-old Shubman Gill for the upcoming five-match series against England has earned high praise from former cricketers Robin Uthappa and Gary Kirsten. With Rohit Sharma announcing his retirement from the longest format, Gill has been entrusted with leading a new-look…

80-year-old Bangladeshi chess legend Rani Hamid NEW DELHI: Bangladesh’s renowned 80-year-old chess player Sayeda Jasimunnessa Khatun, better known as Rani Hamid, arrived in India earlier this month to participate in the 21st edition of the Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament (June 7-14).The journey that began in high spirits took a troubling turn when her…