Rhodes praises Bavuma’s leadership for the rejuvenation of South Africa
South Africa’s growth in the world of long form cricket can be described as anything but ordinary. Their growth has been steady and a memorandum of continuous persistence. Their resurgence in Test cricket hasn’t been a fluke, for them it was more like a rollercoaster ride. South African cricket had been hinting at a new dawn for a while. A finals appearance in the 2024 T20 World Cup, another in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, and a strong semifinal run in the 2023 ODI World Cup all suggested that something was shifting. For years, the “chokers” label clung stubbornly to the Proteas, shaping every discussion around them. But under Temba Bavuma’s calm and resilient leadership changed its course. South Africa didn’t just win matches—they rewrote their identity. Their first-ever World Test Championship triumph in the 2023–2025 cycle, sealed with a memorable win over Australia, felt like a collective exhale. While talking to Sports Today, former South African star Jonty Rhodes, reflecting the national team’s comeback in the international cricket, stated, “Twenty years ago, when I was still playing cricket, if we travelled to India, we’d arrive with our nerves already shot,” Rhodes recalled. “We’d be wondering how much the ball would spin past the bat, feeling uncomfortable, and honestly not believing we could take 20 wickets.” Rhodes believes the toughest hurdle for South Africa in the subcontinent was never skill—it was the psychological barrier they carried with them. “Now, that’s the key difference with this South African team,” he said. “Sure, they struggle with the bat, scoring 150s or even less, but having 30 more runs on a turning surface in India shows the quality of our spin bowling and the shift in mindset.” He further gave much credit to Bavuma’s leadership, “Arriving here believing you can compete with India — a great side at home — says a lot about Temba Bavuma’s captaincy,” he added. “It’s a quiet captaincy. It’s not a team buzzing with superstars; they’re just guys who go out and do the job. And on difficult surfaces, it’s often those teams that pull together that come out victorious.” South Africa’s growth in the world of long form cricket can be described as anything but ordinary. Their growth has been steady and a memorandum of continuous persistence. Their resurgence in Test cricket hasn’t been a fluke, for them it was more like a rollercoaster ride. South African cricket had been hinting at a new dawn for a while. A finals appearance in the 2024 T20 World Cup, another in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, and a strong semifinal run in the 2023 ODI World Cup all suggested that something was shifting. For years, the “chokers” label clung stubbornly to the Proteas, shaping every discussion around them. But under Temba Bavuma’s calm and resilient leadership changed its course. South Africa didn’t just win matches—they rewrote their identity. Their first-ever World Test Championship triumph in the 2023–2025 cycle, sealed with a memorable win over Australia, felt like a collective exhale. He further gave much credit to Bavuma’s leadership, “Arriving here believing you can compete with India — a great side at home — says a lot about Temba Bavuma’s captaincy,” he added. “It’s a quiet captaincy. It’s not a team buzzing with superstars; they’re just guys who go out and do the job. And on difficult surfaces, it’s often those teams that pull together that come out victorious.” The story of South Africa is about resilience, growth, steady leadership and unstoppable force.
Lakhsya Sen One Step Away for the Australian Open Super 500
Lakshya Sen, the badminton prowess of India, has sealed his footprint on the Australian Open Super 500, defeating Taiwan veteran Tien Chen. The dramatic match is keeping the light of winning his first maiden title in 2025. The clash in Sydney lasted a gruelling 85 minutes. Sen, who is ranked World No. 12, went all out to secure a 17-21, 24-22, 21-16 victory. The Sydney clash marked the second final appearance of the year, after Hong Kong. While praising the Indian prodigy, the veteran opponent’s power has been noticeable. The 35-year-old persisted with his eminent expertise and precision, taking the first game 21-17. Sen was on the back foot initially, but the dramatic turning point came at the second game. Sen’s thriving sense of defence sealed as the defining factor of the game. However, even when the young player found himself at 18-20, he remained calm while steadily taking the game 24-22. He showed eminence in retrieves and continuous counter-attacks. Even though the Olympics medal remained unsuccessful, Sen’s victory in the BWF World Tour event demonstrates his fighting spirit. Lakhsya now remains just one step away from lifting the trophy after a bittersweet season.
Rishabh Pant may return to ODIs as India captain against South Africa
India cricket team star Rishabh Pant’s return to One Day International seems luminous as the wicketkeeper-batsman could be selected as the captain of India’s ODI series against South Africa. Pant participated in a One Day International last in August 2024. He is currently captaining the Indian team in the ongoing 2nd Test in Guwahati in the absence of Shubman Gill. According to a report from The Week, the BCCI top brass does not seem to be in a hurry to bring Shubman Gill back into action after the captain is ruled out of the ongoing second Test due to a severe neck injury he suffered in the first Test at the Eden Gardens. Instead, Pant, who took over the reins of the Test team, is expected to continue as captain for the ODI series as well. It is pertinent to point out that while other seniors like KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma can lead the side. Shreyas Iyer was the vice-captain, but he is too unlikely to be a part of the series, leading to the selectors and the management zeroing in on Pant to lead the side in the ODIs as well. The report states that since Gill is an integral part of the T-20I set-up as well, the management does not want to take any chances, given that he is a certain part of India’s XI in the upcoming T-20 World Cup 2026. In fact, the Punjab batsman might as well skip the ODI series to be fit for the T20Is vs SA that will take place between 9th and 19th December. As for Pant, he last featured in an ODI way back in August 2024 against Sri Lanka. Since then, he has been ruled out of the 50-over and T-20Is format, with Rahul being picked as the first-choice keeper-batter in ODIs.
Trevis Head Steers his country to a Thumping Victory in ‘Second Shortest’ Test in Australia
The first Ashes Test scripted its name as the second-shortest match played in Australia. The second day of the England vs Australia test in Perth was bundled in only 847 deliveries, while Australia chased a target of 205 runs. After the match, Down Under scripts another victory under their name. Travis Head’s 69-ball century steered Australia to the thriving 8 wicket victory. This match takes over the Test in 2022 between Australia and South Africa, bowled under 866 deliveries. However, the shortest match played in Down Under remained in 1931/32, bundling the match on 656 balls. The Perth Test also stands as the third-shortest match in Ashes history. The shortest completed Test between England and Australia dates back to 1888, when the game concluded in just 788 deliveries.
Five Bengal paddlers in the Indian team for the World Youth Table Tennis Championship
Five players from Bengal have been selected in India’s national youth team for the World Youth Championship, to be held from November 23rd to 30th in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The five are Syndrela Das, Ankolika Chakrabarty, Aditya Das, Punit Biswas, and Ankur Bhattacharya. Among the five paddlers, only Ankur and Syndrela have experience playing in a major competition, such as the World Youth Championship, in the last year. Syndrila, who competed in the under-15 category in the last World Youth Championship, lost in the quarterfinal. Susmita Das, Syndrela’s mother, said, “We are expecting a better performance from her this time in the World Youth Championship. She lost in the quarterfinal last time. I feel she has improved now, winning competitions at the national level in both the under-17 and under-19 age groups. That is why she has ensured a berth in the under-19 category also.” Syndrela recently won a silver in the women’s singles, gold in the under-19 singles and and a bronze in the under-17 singles in the national ranking championship. Susmita also feels playing in the Austrian league last year helped Soumyadip Roy and Poulami Ghatak’s student to develop her game.
