Greg Chappell backs Mohammed Siraj as the leader of India’s pace attack
Former India coach Greg Chappell feels that Mohammed Siraj is ready to be the actual leader of the Indian attack, with or without Jasprit Bumrah in the side. Siraj produced a stunning performance on Day 5 of the Oval Test to hand India the win and help them level the series. This happened in the absence of Bumrah, as the star pacer was rested for the game as part of his workload management. Mohammed Siraj returned home as a national hero after India drew the England tour 2-2, with a thrilling 6-wicket win in the final Test at the Oval. The Hyderabad pacer bagged a 9-wicket match haul in the fifth Test, bagging the Player of the Match award for his match-winning spell on the final day. Siraj ended the tour as the highest wicket-taker of the series, picking up 23 scalps in 5 matches. While Jasprit Bumrah was available for just three out of five Test matches, Siraj played throughout the tour and bowled a total of 185.3 overs. In fact, whenever the World No. 1 missed out, Siraj stepped up and made a valuable contribution. Writing in his column on ESPNCricinfo, Former India head coach Greg Chappell has lauded Siraj said that the 31-year-old’s performance at the Oval was a true coming-of-age performance. “To be fair, he has turned in many fine performances before, at the MCG, the Gabba, Perth, Lord’s, Cape Town and Birmingham, but what he did at The Oval was his true coming of age. With or without Bumrah, he is ready to be the spiritual as well as actual leader of Gill’s attack,” said Chappell. “To bowl more than 185 overs in five Test matches over six weeks in any conditions is a physical, mental and emotional marathon. To do so with consistent intensity, while carrying the attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah for stretches, is bordering on heroic. Siraj’s final-innings spell at The Oval – culminating in nine wickets for the match – sealed the game. But it was what led to that moment that truly stood out,” Chappell wrote in his latest column, ‘India’s win at The Oval might herald a golden era for them’ He added While the Indian batters, led by Shubman Gill, scored a lot of runs, Chappell said that Siraj was the reason India looked competitive in the series. Chappell wrote that the Indian quick began the series as a second fiddle and was low on confidence, but he grew with every game and ended up being a hero. “I don’t think it is unfair to say that, despite the many wonderful batting efforts, Siraj was the main reason that India was competitive in the series,” Chappell wrote.
Sanju Samson kicked aside as Tilak Varma named South Zone captain
The Duleep Trophy 2025 will mark the commencement of India’s upcoming domestic season. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that the tournament will be return to be played in zonal formats, with teams divided across six zones — North, East, West, South, North East and Central. To lead the South Zone, the selectors have picked Tilak Varma as the captain for the 2025 edition of the premier red-ball tournament. Star India and Rajasthan Royals wicketkeeper Sanju Samson was omitted from the Duleep Trophy South Zone squad that will interestingly feature five players from Kerala. Sanju, who played just two Ranji Trophy matches during Kerala’s historic run to their maiden final last year, remained on the fringes for the better part of the previous season, owing to injury concerns and international commitments. Tilak’s finalization as a leader was done formally after a meeting by the zonal selection committee during their recent meeting in Pondicherry. Meanwhile, Mohammad Azharuddeen, who led Kerala to their rare Ranji Trophy final appearance last year, has been picked as the vice-captain of the squad. A notable Kerala player missing from the Kerala squad is star cricketer Sanju Samson. The wicketkeeper-batter, however, had suffered injury issues during the IPL 2025 and may not have recovered yet, which led the selectors to look ahead of him. “Sanju was not selected because he was unavailable for much of last year’s Ranji Trophy season, when Kerala made their historic run to the final,” Thalaivan Sargunam Xavier, the chairman for South Zone selection committee, told TOI. “This squad was picked based on players who have consistently performed well in the Ranji Trophy and during India A tours. N Jagadeeshan, the wicketkeeper-batter, who was added as cover for the injured Rishabh Pant during the ongoing England series, was selected due to his standout performances in domestic red-ball cricket. This is the blueprint set by the national selectors. Consequently, we decided to include Jagadeeshan and Andhra’s Ricky Bhui as the stand-in gloveman,” Xavier added. In the last season, the Duleep Trophy featured India A, B, C, and D teams that were picked by national selectors. But this season, the tournament will be held in the traditional format next month. The decision to appoint Tilak Varma as the captain was made during the South Zone selection meeting held at the Siechem Stadium in Pondicherry on Saturday, July 26. However, Tilak Varma missed the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy season due to international duties, but he is currently in sensational form. The 22-year-old has been making headlines during his debut County Championship stint with Hampshire, scoring a century on debut against Essex, followed by impressive knocks of 56, 47, and another 100 in his next few matches. The Duleep Trophy 2025 kicks off on August 28 in Bengaluru, with North Zone facing East Zone and Central Zone taking on Northeast Zone in the quarterfinals. South Zone will play the winner of the first quarterfinal in the semifinal on September 4, while West Zone will meet the winner of the second quarterfinal of the tournament. South Zone Squad for Duleep Trophy 2025: Tilak Varma (c) (Hyderabad), Mohammed Azharuddeen (vc) (Kerala), Tanmay Agarwal (Hyderabad), Devdutt Padikkal (Karnataka), Mohit Kale (Pondicherry), Salman Nizar (Kerala), Narayan Jagadeesan (Tamil Nadu), Tripurana Vijay (Andhra), R Sai Kishore (Tamil Nadu), Tanay Thyagarajan (Hyderabad), Vijaykumar Vyshak (Karnataka), Nidheesh MD (Kerala), Ricky Bhui (Andhra), Basil NP (Kerala), Gurjapneet Singh (Tamil Nadu), Snehal Kauthankar (Goa). Stand-by players: Mohit Redkar (Goa), R Smaran (Karnataka), Ankit Sharma (Pondicherry), Edhen Apple Tom (Kerala), Andre Siddarth (Tamil Nadu), and Shaikh Rasheed (Andhra).
Sponsor may take legal action if Messi’s Argentina does not play in Kerala this year
The Reporter Broadcasting Company, the Kerala Government’s commercial partner for bringing the Argentina football team and its star Messi to Kerala, has said that it might be forced to take legal recourse if the World Cup champion does not play in the State in October or November this year. Reporter, the sponsor for the team’s visit to Kerala, said it had paid the full amount of Rs 130 crore to the Argentina Football Association on June 6 this year as per the agreement signed in December 2024 with the AFA. “As per the agreement, we had sent the full amount, and they (AFA) also acknowledged that they had received it. But after five days, we received an email asking whether we are okay with having the match in September 2026,” said Anto Augustine, the Managing Director of Reporter, on Tuesday. “That violates the terms of the agreement we have with the AFA. We are not okay with it. As per our agreement with the AFA, the deal was to have the match in October-November this year. They had even told us that the match could be held in October, and we had fulfilled all the terms as per the agreement.” The next World Cup will be held in June-July 2026 in Canada, Mexico, and the USA, and Augustine feels the scene could be very different after the event. “We are interested in having the match only this year, as per the agreed terms. If the agreement is not honoured, there will be huge financial loss. So we may have to handle this legally,” he said.
Jose Mourinho pays a touching tribute with tears after ex-Porto captain Jorge Costa dies at 53
A teary-eyed Jose Mourinho paid a touching tribute to his Portuguese compatriot Jorge Costa, stating that “it’s a part of my history that goes”, with the 53-year-old FC Porto legend’s passing on Tuesday. Costa was the cornerstone of Mourinho’s inspirational charge to Porto’s 2004 Champions League triumph. Costa hung up his boots in 2006 and returned as Porto’s director of football in 2024 before his tragic passing due to a reported heart attack. “Costa began to feel unwell throughout Tuesday morning and, after losing consciousness, was treated there by the club’s doctors, who used a defibrillator until the national services Medical Emergencies (INEM) arrived to take him by ambulance to the hospital,” reported Spanish media outlet Diario AS. However, Mourinho was pushed to tears when he addressed the media on the eve of his Turkish side Fenerbache’s Champions League match against Feyenoord. Over his career, Costa played 530 games in all competitions, including 383 for Porto and 50 for Portugal’s national team. He earned the nickname “Bicho” (animal) from teammate Fernando Couto during their partnership in central defense. Under Mourinho at Porto, Costa wore the captain’s armband during the UEFA Cup win over Celtic in 2003 and in the Champions League final victory over Monaco the following year. “You have captains and you have leaders. It’s not always about the armband but what you represent,” Mourinho continued. “And Jorge was one of these guys who cleaned the garbage and let the coach do his job as a coach. “That’s perfection for a coach when his captain does this work. Of course, I’m very sad it’s part of my history that goes. But let’s forget football, let’s focus on him, on Jorge, on his kids, who I met when they were really kids, but now are grown men.
