Sports News Highlights: Team India creates history at Chess Olympiad; Indian cricket team consolidates top spot at WTC standings

Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker on Monday said that her mother and coach are her biggest inspirations in life, highlighting their strong role in shaping her shooting career.

Bhaker, who won two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics and became a household name in the country, credited her success to a strong upbringing by her mother.

Speaking at TOI Kanpur Dialogues, the 22-year-old said that her coach Jaspal Rana played a huge role in her Olympic success.

Swashbuckling Rishabh Pant had an emotional return to Test cricket after a long gap of 632 days as he fired a sizzling second-innings ton in India's clinical win over Bangladesh in the Chepauk Test.

With the impressive century, Pant also equalled legendary MS Dhoni's record for most Test tons by a ‘keeper-batter for India -- 6.

And soon after Pant's superb effort in India's win, social media was seen drawing comparisons between Pant and Dhoni, labelling the former as the 'greatest ever in the longest format'.

Playing alongside Ravichandran Ashwin can be a challenge for any bowler, even for a standout like Ravindra Jadeja.

With Jadeja on the brink of joining the elite group of cricketers with 300 wickets and 3000 runs in Test cricket, reaching 299 wickets and 3122 runs, the achievement speaks volumes.

Only ten players in the history of cricket have attained this milestone, with Kapil Dev and Ashwin being the only other Indians. Notable legends such as Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis are absent from this list.

Lancashire CEO Daniel Gidney has referred to the BCCI's decision to mandate that its established players play domestic cricket as "fantastic prioritising". He has accused the agents of English players of helping their team's entry into the lucrative franchise leagues at the expense of the traditional red-ball competition. Gidney believes that the English County Championship's future is in jeopardy because of these agents.

All international players, with the exception of veterans like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah, are required by the BCCI to participate in domestic cricket competitions like the Ranji and Duleep Trophy when they are not occupied with national duties.

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan lost their central contract deals with the BCCI because they chose to forgo domestic matches in favor of the IPL.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) "should learn professionalism" from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), according to former cricket player Kamran Akmal.

India easily won the first Test match between Bangladesh and India in Chennai by a margin of 280 runs. A few weeks prior, Bangladesh defeated Pakistan 2-0 in a series that was nearly identical in setup.

If everything was going according to plan, Kamran said, Pakistan's cricket wouldn't be struggling and he blasted PCB for their lack of "professionalism".

The 1996 Sahara Cup final at the Toronto Cricket Club stands out as one of the most memorable encounters between arch-rivals India and Pakistan. This match was the culmination of a five-match series, drawing significant attention due to the intense rivalry and high stakes.

India started the series with a convincing 8-wicket victory in the first ODI.

However, Pakistan responded strongly in the second game, clinching a thrilling 2-wicket win.

India bounced back in a low-scoring affair, defeating Pakistan by 55 runs.

"If you had to roll the dice, these are pretty good teams to roll them with." Viswanathan Anand was highly confident that India will emerge from the Chess Olympiad this time, "smelling" gold.

And to the great satisfaction of the Grandmaster, who has been instrumental in molding some of the most talented young players in Indian chess today, the nation won gold in both the men's and women's divisions at the 45th Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.

Akash Deep was in his hotel room in Chennai during the opening Test against Bangladesh when he heard a knock on the door. To his surprise, it was Virat Kohli standing outside. The Indian batting star walked in, carrying a brand-new bat. “Bat chaiye kya tujhe?” (Do you need a bat?), Virat asked Akash.

Taken aback by the unexpected gesture, Akash nodded eagerly, grateful for the precious gift.

Handing over the bat, Virat said, “Yeh le, rakh le yeh bat.”

Overwhelmed, Akash immediately took out a pen, requested an autograph on the bat, and gave Virat a hug.

“I will never play with that bat. It’s a huge gift from Virat bhaiya, and I will keep it as a souvenir,” an elated Akash told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.

Though Sachin Tendulkar wasn't a regular bowler, he played a significant role in India's bowling strategy, often providing crucial wickets and handy overs.

Tendulkar's knack for breaking partnerships earned him the title of "golden arm," and captains often turned to him when they needed breakthroughs.

Prabath Jayasuriya took five wickets to steer Sri Lanka to a 63-run victory Monday over New Zealand on the final morning of the first Test in Galle.

Set a target of 275 to win, the Black Caps were bowled out for 211 less than 15 minutes after play resumed from overnight, with Rachin Ravindra top-scoring on 92.

Ravindra had finished on Sunday waging a lone battle on a sharply turning pitch in Galle, where the tourists had lost all four of their previous Test encounters.

His knock was the highest score by a New Zealander at the ground, eclipsing Ross Taylor's 89 in 2019.

Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, famously known as the 'Rawalpindi Express', is a legendary figure in world cricket, renowned for his searing pace, steep bounce, and lethal yorkers that terrorized batsmen for nearly two decades.

Despite a successful career that spanned 46 Tests, 163 ODIs, and 15 T20Is for Pakistan, Akhtar retired after the 2011 World Cup due to chronic knee issues.

Recently, a video of Akhtar’s lookalike, Imran Muhammad, has gone viral on social media, sparking nostalgia among fans.

India captain Rohit Sharma is known for his explosive batting and is equally celebrated for his lively on-field antics. His playful demeanor and expressive reactions have become a source of entertainment for fans.

Be it his animated conversations with teammates, or his humorous exchanges with opposition players, Rohit’s antics showcase his relaxed yet competitive approach to the game.

During the first Test against Bangladesh, Rohit once again hogged the limelight for his funny side.

During the final day's play of the first Test in Chennai, a video capturing Rohit's famous bail flip while fielding went viral on X.

In a historic moment for Indian chess, the nation has achieved an unprecedented double gold at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary. This remarkable feat, accomplished on Sunday, marks a watershed moment in the country's chess history and solidifies India's position as a global powerhouse in the sport.

The Indian open team, led by the prodigious talents of Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa R, and Arjun Erigaisi, dominated the tournament with an impressive 21 out of 22 match points. Their final round victory against Slovenia, with a convincing 3.5-0.5 score, was a testament to their unwavering focus and competitive spirit.

The women's team, featuring seasoned players like Harika Dronavalli alongside rising stars such as Divya Deshmukh, secured their gold with a crucial win against Azerbaijan in the final round, amassing 19 match points.

R Ashwin is in a happy space. On Sunday at his home ground, he equalled one of his heroes Shane Warne on the five-wicket haul count in Tests. Ashwin's 37th five-wicket haul was one of the many records that he has achieved in an international career of 13 years, and there's one still that he had said earlier that he wanted to break.

That's Anil Kumble's record of 619 Test wickets --the highest by an Indian. But Ashwin, who is at the back-end of his career insists that he isn't exactly chasing anything.

In a few years' time, when we will look back at the India vs Bangladesh Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the September of 2024, we will remember it as the 'Ashwin Test'.

From the second session of the first day to the time when India wrapped it up in the first session of Day 4, it was Ashwin all the way. A century on Day 1, his 37th five-wicket haul to equal Shane Warne, another Man of the Match award, his father, wife, kids, former coaches and many friends in the galleries, the stage might have been incredibly tempting for the 38-year-old to announce that it was his last at his beloved home ground.

Carlos Alcaraz secured a crucial victory over Taylor Fritz with scores of 6-2, 7-5, helping Team Europe win the Laver Cup 13-11 against Team World on Sunday.

Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, dominated the first set and wrapped up the match to clinch Team Europe's fifth Laver Cup title. He expressed his satisfaction, saying, "It's been great. Obviously, we came here as a group, all of us to win the Laver Cup. I'm pretty happy. I think everybody, for us, is. I mean, it's been a really tough one... we almost lost."

India kicked off their long 10-match Test season in style with a commanding win against Bangladesh in Chennai on Sunday.

The Rohit Sharma-led team dominated the opening Test of the two-match series. The game wrapped up in under four days, with India securing a 280-run victory. This victory not only gave India a 1-0 lead in the series but also cemented their top position on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.

Following this triumph, India's WTC points percentage (PCT) jumped to 71.67, with 86 points from 10 Tests. Prior to the series, India were already leading the WTC table, but this win widened their lead over second-placed Australia by 9.17 PCT.

The youngest world championship challenger, D Gukesh, delivered an astounding performance to spearhead India's historic triumph at the Chess Olympiad on a momentous Sunday.

Out of the 10 games that the 18-year-old played in the Olympiad, Gukesh amassed an impressive nine points, securing eight victories and two draws, propelling his live rating to 2794 Elo.

A performance rating as high as 3056 also gave Gukesh the individual gold medal on Board-1 where he utclassed Abdusattorov Nodirbek of Uzbekistan (2884 Elo) and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway (2810 Elo).

South Africa secured a seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the third ODI in Sharjah, avoiding a series whitewash on Sunday.

The Proteas chased down Afghanistan's target of 170 after a scare at 80/3, thanks to a crucial 90-run partnership between Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs. Markram remained unbeaten on 69, and Stubbs contributed 26 not out.

Afghanistan had already won the series by triumphing in the first two matches but struggled with their batting in the final game.

India won its first-ever double team gold at Chess Olympiad in Budapest Sunday - only the third country after the Soviet Union (four times from 1982 to '86) and China (2018) to do so in 45 Olympiads.

The second-seeded men were almost assured of top podium finish Saturday night itself, but the top-seeded women had to fight it out.

The Indian men beat Slovenia 3.5-0.5 in the final round to tally the highest-ever 21 points. The women jumped to 19 points with the same scoreline against Azerbaijan.