Jyoti Yarraji suffers big blow: ruled out of Tokyo World Championship
India’s blazing hurdlers, led by the unstoppable Jyothi Yarraji, hit an emotional wall this week. During a routine training session, she suffered a freak knee injury, one so serious it’s essentially sidelined her entire 2025 season and put her dreams of the Tokyo World Championships on shaky ground. At just 25, Jyothi isn’t just any athlete, she’s the national record holder in the 100 m hurdles (12.78 s), the first Indian woman ever to break the 13-second barrier, and a two-time Asian champion . Yet fate threw a cruel curve: Coach James Hillier described the injury candidly as “pretty bad” and “freakish,” leaving them scrambling to decide what’s next. On Instagram, Jyothi shared that, “Due to an unfortunate injury to my knee during training a few days back, I’ve had to pause my season, Injuries are part of an athlete’s journey, just another hurdle I’m going to overcome soon. With all your support, I’ll be back stronger.” Her season had been golden up till now, gold at the Asian Championships in Gumi with a 12.96 s run under rainy skies, double gold at Uttarakhand National Games, a Federation Cup title, and victory at the Taiwan Open in early June. Even a hamstring tweak in April couldn’t dampen her spark. But now the big question looms, will she recover in time? The direct qualification mark for Worlds is 12.73 s, and although she could still get in via world rankings by the August 24 window, this injury may well dash that hope. Coach Hillier had recently praised Jyothi’s body, “stronger, leaner, lowest body‑fat yet” and was confident she was primed to crush her own record. It’s heartbreaking to see such momentum stall now.
Shubman Gill Reflects on Batting Depth, Missed Opportunity, and Bowling Consistency
In a recent press interaction, Indian skipper Shubman Gill opened up about the challenges faced by the team, especially the lack of depth in the lower order batting. “It’s been one of the things that we always talk about, especially without batting depth, our lower order sometimes isn’t able to contribute as much as other teams,” Gill said during the post-match presentation. Speaking about his impressive 147-run knock in the first innings against England, Gill admitted there was potential to score even more, particularly if a solid partnership had been built with Rishabh Pant. “I was batting on 147, and the way I got out, maybe I could have scored 50 more with a partnership with Rishabh. But having said that, you can also look at the other side — if you get a good ball and get out, that’s fine.” Gill also emphasized the added responsibility that falls on the top-order batters due to the weaker lower order. “Once you’re set, and you know the team doesn’t have that much depth in the batting order, maybe the top order could take a little more responsibility and take the game completely away from the opposition. When your last five or six don’t contribute much, it becomes easier for the opposition to come back into the game.” On the bowling front, Gill reflected on the importance of consistency, especially against an aggressive England batting lineup. “The important thing is how consistently you bowl in one area. Against a team like England, they can hit both good and loose balls. So it becomes difficult to maintain consistency, especially when the ball and wicket conditions don’t match. The key is to keep hitting the right areas consistently.”
Soumya Guguloth set to miss the AFC Women’s Asian Cup due to surgery
Ahead of two crucial matches against Iraq and Thailand, uncertainty looms large over India’s one of the key forwards Soumya Guguloth. The 23 year old striker is likely to miss out for at least one month as she is likely to undergo a surgery. Soumya suffered from a fracture in her nasal bone in the second session during India’s match against Timor-Leste on Monday. “Soumya Guguloth sustained a nasal bone fracture during the second half of yesterday’s match against Timor-Leste. She was taken to the hospital immediately and successfully underwent surgery last night. She has since been discharged and is now back at the team hotel”, the team’s camp has informed. In the last match, Crispin Chettri-coached side won by defeating the Timor-Leste by a score line of 4-0. The team last qualified for the tournament in 2003 though they played in 2022 Asian cup of being a host nation.
Disappointed Gavaskar asks the Indian team to leave ‘optional training’ and become serious about ‘fielding’ before the second test
Sunil Gavaskar, disappointed with the defeat of the Shubman Gill-led Indian team against England at Headingley, has offered some specific advice to Gill & co. “Next couple of days you can take off, but now seriously get into practice. Leave this optional practice aside. You have come here to play for India. So, you practice in a way so that you will give yourself the best,” said Sunil Gavaskar, speaking on Sony Sports. The legendary batsman continued, “Full credit to England. Despite India having five centurions, they seemed to have that confidence. That is what made them take the final wickets. That is where India also missed out because those extra runs could have made the difference. As far as the fielding was concerned, it’s just not the catch, but the outfielding was pretty ordinary. Not Test class,” Gavaskar added. While explaining about the pitch, Gavaskar commented, “The pitch was perfect to bat on. So it is tough to criticize the bowlers. Bumrah bowled so well. If he had somebody, keeping it a bit tight, that would have been big help. But this is the first Test.” Defending 371 runs, India lost the game by five wickets. The former Indian captain feels the Indian team must have learned a lesson from the defeat. “Hopefully, lessons have been learned. There are eight days for the next match,” Gavaskar opined.
Jasprit Bumrah expresses frustration to the coach in the dressing room after bowlers let him down
Jasprit Bumrah cast a frustrated picture towards the end of Day 2 of the first Test against England and understandably so. He was by far the best bowler on display in the series opener of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Still, without proper support from the fielders and his fellow fast bowlers, England got away to challenge India’s big first-innings score (471) by reaching 209/3. The pace spearhead was seen having an animated chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir in the dressing room in the final hour of play on Saturday. It transpired in the 40th over of England’s innings when Bumrah was off the field. Shardul Thakur, India’s fourth seamer, was introduced into the attack for the first time in the match. During Thakur’s uneventful first over, the cameras panned to the Indian dressing room, where Bumrah was seen doing all the talking. He didn’t quite seem pleased with how things were proceeding in the Test match. Bumrah scalped all the three wickets giving away 48 runs. The wicket of Ben Duckett helped Bumrah break Wasim Akram’s long-standing record of picking the most wickets by an Asian bowler in SENA countries. Bumrah now has 147 wickets in 55 innings. Earlier, India were bowled out for 471 in the first innings in their opening Test against England with skipper Shubman Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring centuries.
Trevor Sinclair, part of India’s coaching staff at AFC Asian Cup, declared bankrupt
Former England footballer Trevor Sinclair has been declared bankrupt after a judge accused him of ‘burying his head in the sand’ after he failed to pay a five-figure amount relating to his media work in 2021 and 2022. Sinclair, a 2002 World Cupper with England, had joined the Indian men’s team as part of its coaching staff in January 2024, during the AFC Asian Cup in Doha, Qatar. However, the team failed to score any goals and bowed out in the group stage, following losses to Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria. The Englishman is currently part of the coaching staff of the senior men’s team of Jamaica. Sinclair, who played 360 matches in the Premier League, for clubs like West Ham, Manchester City, and Queens Park Rangers, was issued a bankruptcy order at Central London County Court last week, on June 12. The court heard that Sinclair owed a sum of 36,424 pounds to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), including over 13,000 pounds related to his work as a pundit on television and radio. Judge Caroline Wilkinson presided over the case and granted the bankruptcy order in the former player’s absence.
Tendulkar predicts a 3-1 win for India; Bumrah shows magic with ball in the training!
Sachin Tendulkar predicted a 3-1 win for the Shubman Gill-led side in the upcoming Test series against England. It will be a huge series for India who will be without the services of star batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after they both retired from the format. As a result, a new-look batting unit is expected to feature in the first Test match starting Friday under the leadership of Gill. Sachin seemed confident about the Indian cricket team’s chances in the Test series and the legendary batter had a huge prediction. “I have settled for 3-1 to India,” Sachin revealed while speaking to ESPN Cricinfo. Sachin feels that right-arm seamer Jasprit Bumrah will be the strike bowler for the visitors in the upcoming England tour for the five-match series. A new era beckons for India in the Test format as the modern-day giants gear up for their first assignment without the prized batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Shubman Gill, India’s youngest Test captain, has taken the baton from Rohit to guide the nation to success and challenge for the World Test Championship mace. During India’s training session in Beckenham, Kent’s second home venue, Bumrah displayed his unparalleled mastery in the art of pace bowling. With the ball in his hand, Bumrah showed signs of breaking the notion of requiring assistance from the surface to wreak havoc. Tendulkar told the media, “I think the bowling attack will depend on Bumrah and how the other guys support him. Bumrah, without any doubt, is going to be our strike bowler.”
Daniel Bath can be the first Indian-origin foreign footballer if the Indian government allows OCI card-holders!
Once the Indian government allows the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to reop in Indian-origin foreign footballers who have Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards then Daniel Tanvir Bath can be the first Indian-origin foreign footballer to represent India in international tournaments. Daniel Bath, the 34-year-old defender is currently playing for the English team, Blackburn Rovers that is currently participating in the second-tier Championship of the League in England. The six-fit-three-inch Punjabi defender has a formidable experience of taking part in League-1 for Wolverhampton Wanderers where he played for almost 10 years. The defender drew attention through his performances with Stoke City, Sunderland, and Norwich City. It is learned that Daniel Bath who already has an OCI card, has expressed the intention to play for the Indian national team. Along with Daniel Bath, Kamran Kandola is another name that is reportedly willing to represent the country. The 21-year-old defender is currently playing in the sixth-tier competition, National League North. In the junior level, Kandola also participated in the second tier of the Premier League.
‘We both love playing against each other’; India to miss Virat’s fighting spirit says Ben Stokes
England skipper and all-rounder Ben Stokes recalls Virat Kohli’s exuberance on the field during the match and comments that India will miss his ‘fighting spirit’ ahead of India’s opening Test against England at Headingley, Leeds, which starts on 20th June. A new face will lead the Indian team, Shubman Gill after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement from Test cricket last month. In a video released by England Cricket, Stokes said on what India will miss after the retirement of Virat Kohli, “I think what India will miss will be his fighting spirit out in the game, his competitiveness, desire to win. He has made number 18 his, hasn’t he? It’ll be a bit weird not seeing number 18 on the back of anyone… of any Indian shirt, but he has been class for them for a long period of time.” Stokes shared that when he texted Virat after the latter announced to put an end to his illustrious red ball career. Stokes said, “I did text him, saying it’s going to be a shame not to play against him because I love playing against Virat. We both love playing against each other because we have that same mindset when we are out in the field that it’s a battle.” Kohli retired as India’s fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, having scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 matches. He scored 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. His annual average never dipped below 55 in the four years between 2016 and 2019. Additionally, his calendar year average at the end of 2016 and 2017 were both above 75.
Ranjit Bajaj demands Kalyan Chaube’s resignation after India’s loss to Hong Kong
Ranjit Bajaj, owner of I-League club Delhi FC and also the owner of the country’s premier football school Minerva Academy has sought immediate resignation of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaube after India conceded a disappointing loss to Hong Kong in the Asian Cup qualifier on Tuesday. Bajaj, speaking to the Parallel Sports YouTube channel on Wednesday slammed the AIFF president for the senior national team’s disastrous show stating, “The AIFF president should be solely responsible for the senior national team’s consistent failure since Manolo Marquez took over charge of the national team in last July. Manolo is being criticized now. But despite being aware of his engagement with FC Goa why did the AIFF president appoint him as the coach of senior national team?” Bajaj, raising his voice for Indian coaches in the context, added, “Why Khalid Jamil, the country’s most successful Indian coach was not chosen as the senior national coach? There are a few more Indian coaches who could be selected as the national coach. Why is the AIFF president so unwilling to appoint Indian coaches? Unless Chaube resigns Indian football will not grow.” However, at the same time, Bajaj is seeking specific clarification about AIFF’s proper investment in the youth development program. “Where is the money AIFF has been gaining from the ISL being used? I want to know specifically how much investment is being made for a proper youth development program. Do we have a quality national under-14 team? Unless we are placed in the top four in the AFC under-14 we cannot qualify for the under-17 World Cup and all these disasters are due to one man, Kalyan Chaube,” claimed Ranjit Bajaj.
