Jaiswal joins elite list of Indian batsmen to reach impressive feat The Indian cricket team has undergone a major overhaul this year, with the likes of stalwarts including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin all calling time on their international Test careers following the completion of the Indian Premier League.  Leading up to their tour of England, the Indian selection committee had to make several big calls as they looked to usher in the next generation of cricketers to represent the country, with Shubman Gill appointed as captain to succeed Sharma and Rishabh Pant elected as his deputy.  At the top of the batting order, Yashasvi Jaiswal is now partnered by KL Rahul, and while there were questions about their ability to produce the type of performances that Sharma and Kohli had done for years, those concerns are evaporating at pace following their showings at Headingley and Edgbaston.  Jaiswal, in particular, has been nothing short of incredible since breaking into the national team in 2023, already up to fourth place in the ICC Test batting rankings, and he added another record to his resume over the weekend in India’s second innings.  Despite only managing 28 runs, the 23-year-old’s knock saw him become the joint-fastest Indian cricketer to reach 2,000 runs in Test cricket, surpassing some of the greatest of all time, including Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Vijay Hazare.  India’s young opener reached the landmark in just 23 Tests (40 innings) and now joins Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag at the top of the list, while also becoming the second-youngest to reach the 2,000-run mark for his nation, only behind Tendulkar.  Fastest Indian batsmen to reach 2,000 runs 40 innings – Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Yashasvi Jaiswal 43 innings – Vijay Hazare, Gautam Gambhir 44 innings – Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar 45 innings – Sourav Ganguly 46 innings – Cheteshwar Pujara  Check out our cricket predictions Records tumble in second India vs England Test In addition to Jaiswal’s landmark-reaching effort last week, the second Test between India and England saw several records sent tumbling, starting with the Men in Blue finally securing their first win at Edgbaston ever, following seven defeats and one draw.  India’s 336-run margin of victory was another record-breaker, as it was the team’s biggest win in terms of runs outside of India, surpassing the 318-run triumph they posted against the West Indies in North Sound back in 2019.  Akash Deep’s 10-wicket haul for 187 runs in the match is now the best figures and only the second 10-for for an Indian bowler in England. He and Mohammed Siraj claimed 17 scalps combined, which is the joint-highest by Indian new-ball bowlers in a Test.  Shubman Gill became the fourth-youngest Indian captain to win a Test match, and the team’s new skipper also broke Virat Kohli’s record (293) for the most runs scored by an Indian captain in a Test, posting an incredible 430 runs across both innings.  More cricket news

England greats heap praise on India’s bounce back at Edgbaston Indian cricket players and fans were left scratching their heads last week, when despite their team scoring five centuries – including an incredible double-ton by Rishabh Pant – they still ended up losing the first of their five Test matches at Headingley, a result that also confirmed our cricket predictions.  However, the Shubman Gill-led side bounced back spectacularly in their second match at Edgbaston this week, securing a commanding 337-run victory over the Three Lions on Sunday to level the series at 1-1 heading into what should be a blockbuster showdown at Lord’s.  India’s performance in the second Test has received massive praise from several former players, including the likes of former Englishmen Stuart Broad and Nasser Hussain, as well as legendary Indian batter Wasim Jaffer. Broad admitted on Sky Sports ahead of the final day:  « We have to be honest, India have out-bowled and out-batted England in this Test match – that’s why they’re 536 runs ahead, needing seven wickets to win the Test match. They have been superb this week, and that was just an outstanding spell from Akash, bringing the stumps into play.” Not only did the victory allow the Men in Blue to level the series at 1-1, but it also earned major plaudits from former Indian batter Jaffer, who echoed similar sentiments to Broad and Hussain. He said:  « Outbatted. Outbowled. Outfielded. Outplayed England. What a comeback from Team India. 1-1 going into the Lord’s! Congratulations on first Test win skipper @ShubmanGill. Many more to come.” England and India now have a relatively short turnaround time before they go again, with the series set to head to the Home of Cricket in just three days for the third Test between these fierce rivals.  Check out our latest sports predictions Akash Deep hands Gambhir major selection conundrum  In the lead-up to the Edgbaston Test, the majority of the news headlines revolved around the availability of the world’s top fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, who is only slated to play three matches in the series as part of his workload management.  Despite a week-long break between the first and second Test, Bumrah and India’s selection panel opted to allow the 31-year-old speedster to sit out the Edgbaston match, which caused major concern over whether they would be able to contain England’s Bazball approach.  Akash Deep was given the nod to replace Bumrah in the starting lineup for the second Test, and the 28-year-old grabbed his opportunity with both hands, notching up 4/88 in the first innings before earning a career-best 6/99 in the second innings.  Deep’s performance capped off an already incredible team effort from India, while individually, he became only the second Indian bowler to claim 10 scalps in England since Chetan Sharma did so way back in 1986.  While Bumrah is widely expected to return to the Indian team for the Lord’s Test later this week, there are now major questions over how the team’s selection committee will ...

Marquez and AIFF part ways following defeat to Hong Kong India’s national football team have endured a tough year. They sacked former head coach Igor Stimac in June 2024, failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and their qualification for the Asian Cup 2027 is now hanging by a thread.  Following the departure of Stimac last year, the AIFF opted to appoint Manolo Marquez as head coach of the national team for the foreseeable future, owing in large part to his record with FC Goa, with the team ending the last two seasons in the top three of the Indian Super League.  However, the Spaniard struggled to make an impact as the Blue Tigers’ head coach, managing just a single win during his tenure, which came against the Maldives, who are ranked 164th in the world by FIFA, in a friendly match back in March.  India’s latest setback came last month when they suffered a painful last-minute defeat to Hong Kong in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, and that result proved to be the final straw for Marquez and the AIFF.  Prior to that defeat, the Blue Tigers had also lost to Afghanistan and drawn with Bangladesh, both teams that are ranked below them in the FIFA rankings. In addition, those losses saw India slip to 127th in the world rankings.  Marquez’s departure is yet another setback for Indian football and comes only a short while after former national team captain Bhaichung Bhutia lambasted AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey for bringing football in India to its knees.  Check out our football predictions AIFF clarifies Marquez’s departure was by mutual consent While there were several reports that suggested Marquez had been sacked from his role as India’s head coach, the AIFF took the time to clarify the situation, confirming that the Spaniard’s departure was by mutual consent. AIFF secretary M. Satyanarayanan said:  “He did not resign. After discussions, it was mutually agreed that the AIFF and Manolo Marquez cannot continue as India (men) coach. Accordingly, he was let go.” Following Marquez’s exit, the AIFF has now officially opened applications for the position of head coach of the Indian national team, and interested parties have been given until July 13 to submit their applications to the organisation.  It is understood that interested candidates are required to possess at least 10 years of coaching experience at senior or elite youth levels, and that preference will be given to individuals who have previous World Cup or continental championship qualifier experience.  More football news

Springboks carrying momentum after Barbarians bashing South Africa will begin their 2025 season with a tricky Test against Italy this weekend, though they are the clear favourites in the match according to the best rugby betting sites after smashing the Barbarians in Cape Town 54-7 last weekend. The Springboks will be looking to pick up from where they left off last year when they won their last four matches against teams from the Northern Hemisphere, beating Wales 45-12, England 29-20, Scotland 32-15 and Portugal 65-21.  So far, all indicators suggest that the world champions should be able to deal with whatever the experienced Gli Azzurri throws at them, given their performance against the Baa-Baas last week and their record against their upcoming opponents. You can also check out our South Africa vs Italy prediction for our expert insights. Rassie Erasmus’s side has won 15 of their 16 matches against Italy over the years! The only exception was a sole defeat back in 2016 while Allister Coetzee was still at the helm. The Boks have never lost to Italy on home soil, and their last three encounters ended in lopsided wins, with South Africa coming out on top 63-21 (2022), 46-3 (2019) and 35-6 (2017).  The hosts also enter this match as the number one-ranked team in the world with 92.78 rating points, but their 2.42-point advantage over New Zealand will not be enough to remain in pole position if they lose this match and the All Blacks beat France in Dunedin on Saturday morning.  View the latest rugby betting odds Italy hoping to maintain upward trajectory in 2025 Last year, we saw plenty of movement in the rugby world rankings. Indeed, over the last 12 months, Italy has slipped to 10th place in the standings, but most would likely agree that the work Gonzalo Quesada has put into this side has been extremely impressive. While Gli Azzurri finished fifth in the Six Nations, they produced a couple of incredible performances, including stunning France in Rome and pushing England to the wire at Twickenham, where they were denied what would have been a famous victory by just three points.  Quesada has clearly instilled a sense of belief in his group of players and has blended exciting youth with sturdy experience that many feel could give Italy their best chance of repeating that famous victory over the Boks in Florence in 2016.  In 2024, Gli Azzurri racked up three wins against tier-one nations – the joint-best tally in their history. They previously beat three tier-one nations in 1997, though two of those matches were against Ireland, while last year, they bested three separate sides.  This year, Italy has already notched up one victory over a tier one team in Wales, which ultimately condemned the Dragons to the Wooden Spoon at the Six Nations. They smashed Namibia 73-6 last weekend, which will also add to their confidence heading to Loftus.  Check out our rugby predictions South African captain Siya Kolisi ruled out for Italy ...

Pakistan stars set to light up CPL 2025 The 2025 Caribbean Premier League is scheduled to get underway next month, and the six participating teams are hard at work with final preparations before the tournament opener on August 14. We will be covering the tournament in our cricket predictions, so be sure to check them out. The highly anticipated CPL Draft was held last month, and a total of 12 South Asian players were selected, including five from Pakistan, six from Afghanistan, as well as one Bangladeshi, in the form of all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was snapped up by the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.  From the Shaheens, fast bowler Mohammad Amir was the headline pick for the Trinbago Knight Riders. The veteran paceman is no stranger to the competition either, having played in four previous seasons, notching up 51 wickets in 39 games at an average of 18.09.  Amir is joined in the Knight Riders camp by compatriot Usman Tariq, who will be making his first appearance in the CPL after being thrust into the spotlight owing to his impressive performances in the Pakistan Super League over the last two years.  The St Kitts and Nevis Patriots handed Mohammad Nawaz a maiden call-up to the CPL this season, while Imad Wasim will return to the Caribbean for an eighth season, joining up with the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.  The final Pakistani set to grace the tournament this year is Hasan Khan. The spin all-rounder is rumoured to be working on a move to the US in the not-too-distant future and will get his first taste of CPL action in 2025 with the Guyana Amazon Warriors.  View the latest CPL odds Blue Tigers hoping to roar at CPL 2025 Aside from South Africa, which has nine players heading to the Caribbean for the CPL 2025, the next highest-represented nation at the competition is Afghanistan, with six Blue Tigers set to make the trip to the Southern Hemisphere next month.  Joining the Barbados Royals this season is 25-year-old Azmatullah Omarzai, who will add to the team’s already explosive batting lineup, while his compatriot Mujeeb Ur Rahman will bolster the Royals’ bowling unit with his right-arm off-breaks. The Antigua and Barbuda Falcons also have a pair of Blue Tigers in their setup, with Naveen Ul Haq and Allah Ghazanfar both drafted in as bowlers to assist the likes of Obed McCoy, Jayden Seales, Shamar Springer and Karima Gore.  The final two Afghans hoping to make an impact at CPL 2025 are Fazalhaq Farooqi and Waqar Salakheil, who were snapped up by the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots as bowling reinforcements alongside Ashmead Nedd, Jeremiah Loui and Dominic Drakes.  More cricket news 

No Bumrah? No problem! Siraj and Deep shine on Day 3 India took another massive step toward levelling their five-match series against England on Friday afternoon, when their pacemen, Mohammad Siraj and Akash Deep, produced a monumental effort to bowl out the Three Lions for 407 with 13 overs still to play on Day 3.  Given the absence of the world’s top fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, who sat out this match due to workload management, most cricket predictions suggested that India would struggle against England’s ‘Bazball’ approach, but the Men in Blue’s opening pair with the new ball proved doubters wrong.  Deep was brought into the team to replace Bumrah for this Test, and he made early inroads for his side, knocking over Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope in consecutive deliveries before Siraj claimed the scalp of Zak Crawley before stumps on Day 2.  On Friday morning, Siraj proved to be the difference maker early on, picking up the prized wicket of Joe Root for just 22 runs before sending English skipper Ben Stokes back to the pavilion for a golden duck with his very next ball.  Harry Brook and Jamie Smith mounted a comeback for the home side, with both players surpassing the 150-run mark, but once Brook departed at 387/6, the Three Lions’ tail-end crumbled, adding just 20 runs before the final four wickets tumbled.  Siraj and Deep were responsible for taking all 10 English wickets, with the former ending with stunning figures of 6/70 in 19.3 overs at an economy rate of just 3.59, while Deep finished with 4/88 in 20 overs at 4.40.  Notably, India’s pacemen dismissed six English batsmen for a duck in the first innings of the second Test, and in doing so, India became the first team ever to dismiss half a dozen Three Lions batters for nought in one innings of a Test match.  Check out our sports predictions Jamie Smith stars for England in first innings England found themselves in major trouble on the morning of Day 3 at Edgbaston following the dismissals of Joe Root and Ben Stokes in consecutive deliveries, which left the team at 84/5 and staring at the possibility of a follow-on.  However, Jamie Smith, along with Harry Brook, combined to pull the team to a respectable total of 407. Brook played a calm and calculated innings to finish on 158 off 234 balls, while Smith smashed his way to 184 off 207 deliveries and remained not out at the end of the innings.  Smith’s knock of 184* off 207 balls now stands as the highest individual score by an English Test wicketkeeper, surpassing the 173 amassed by former Three Lions gloveman Alec Stewart against New Zealand back in 1997.  Additionally, the 24-year-old’s century, which he brought up in just 80 deliveries, is the third-fastest ever by an English keeper, just four balls short of the legendary Gilbert Joseph’s 76-ball ton against Australia at The Oval in 1902, and three off Jonny Bairstow’s knock in 2022.  More cricket ...