logo
Asia Cup 2025 schedule finalised, India vs Pakistan clash set for 7 September: Report

Asia Cup 2025 schedule finalised, India vs Pakistan clash set for 7 September: Report

Mint2 days ago
The wait for Asia Cup could be coming to an end soon as all the participating nations, includin hosts India, are likely to get clearances from their respective governments soon, according to a report in the Times of India. Reportedly, all matches of the upcoming tournament will be played in UAE and the tournament will kick off from 5 September.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and UAE will be the six nations participating in the upcoming tournament which will be played in the group stage and Super Fours format.
This would mean that the high octane India vs Pakistan will be played at least two times in the tournament with the second clash set to be played on 14 September. The Asia Cup will be played in T20I format and the penutimate clash will played on 21 September.
Reportedly, the promotional activities for the tournament have already begun with official broadcasters Sony recently sharing a poster for the multi-nation tournament.
Notably, there were question marks about the tournament especially after the recent escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of Operation Sindoor. However, if Asia Cup continues as planned it would send a message for all future international tournaments as well.
Earlier this year, there were reports that India may pull out of Asia Cup due to the cross border tensions but BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had refuted those claims in a statement in May. He said, "Since this morning, it has come to our notice about some news items about BCCI's decision not to participate in the Asia Cup and Women's Emerging Teams Asia Cup, both ACC events. Such news is devoid of any truth as till now, the BCCI has not even discussed or taken any such steps regarding the ensuing ACC events, leave alone writing anything to the ACC,"
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Varun eyes senior team return through Europe tour with India 'A'
Varun eyes senior team return through Europe tour with India 'A'

Hindustan Times

time32 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Varun eyes senior team return through Europe tour with India 'A'

Bengaluru, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist defender Varun Kumar is eyeing a comeback to the Indian men's hockey team with some good performances with the India 'A' squad in the upcoming tour of Europe. Varun eyes senior team return through Europe tour with India 'A' Varun, a potent defender, failed to make the Paris Olympics squad, and has been out of the the senior side for over a year. He was last seen in India colours during the friendly match against Germany in New Delhi in June last year. The dragflicker has set his sights on next month's Asia Cup to be held in Rajgir to make his comeback, and is aware that a good outing in the Europe tour will help his case. "Certainly, my personal goal is to return to the senior team. But more important for me right now is to improve my game. Not having played a proper tour in over one-and-a-half years, it is a long time and the game is constantly changing. The structure has changed and it has also become much faster. The way I am looking at it, is to start fresh," said Varun. "Missing out on the Paris Olympics was painful. I know I was in the reckoning to make the squad but now, I have left the past behind and ready to start fresh with this opportunity to play for India 'A'," added the dragflicker, who was also part of India's junior World Cup-winning team in 2016. "Playing the European teams, who are preparing for the Euro Cup will be quite exciting and challenging. It will be a learning experience for me and I know a good show here will count, especially with the Asia Cup coming up in India." The India 'A' team led by Sanjay will play two matches each against Ireland, France, and the Netherlands along with a match each against England and Belgium starting July 8. The matches will be held in Eindhoven and Amstelveen in the Netherlands and the match against Belgium will be played in Antwerp. "Personally, for me, it has been a tough road back into the core probable group. Last 7-8 months I have worked a lot on my fitness and also mentally, it has been extremely challenging," Varun said. "Returning to form has not been easy but I am really grateful to my family, teammates and coaching staff who have stood with me in tough times and constantly kept motivating me." The India 'A' team will leave for Amsterdam on Friday night from here. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

Wicket smart: Wknd interviews psychologist-turned-cricket star Pratika Rawal
Wicket smart: Wknd interviews psychologist-turned-cricket star Pratika Rawal

Hindustan Times

time33 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Wicket smart: Wknd interviews psychologist-turned-cricket star Pratika Rawal

She is now the fastest woman in ODI history to 500 runs, toppling a record that had stood since 1997 (set by England's Charlotte Edwards). Rawal, 24, is also the second-fastest to this target across men and women, behind only South Africa's Janneman Malan. In a sense, Rawal has always been in a hurry. In Class 3, she asked her father, the BCCI-certified umpire Pradeep Rawal, if she too could build a life in this sport they both loved. 'As long as you enjoy it, do it,' he said. That simple green light set her on an unusual path. Rawal didn't pursue cricket straight away. She graduated from Delhi's Jesus & Mary College in psychology, though she only practises, she says, laughing, in the nets. That's where she hones her batting averages and her understanding of her own mind. She genuinely loves psychology, she adds. 'I didn't take it thinking it would help my game. I took it because I was fascinated by how we process things in our minds. But it has ended up helping me immensely on the field.' She has learnt to identify, for instance, when her mind is working against her, she says. 'When you get that self-awareness, it becomes much easier to maintain composure, on the field and in other stressful situations.' Being able to police her mind has become her superpower, she adds. She even has a superhero pose to go with it. 'When I'm nervous, I'll stand like Superman — chin up, chest out. This is to trick my brain into feeling confident, especially when what I'm really feeling is at least a little bit nervous.' *** 'I even have a superhero pose. I'll stand like Superman — chin up, chest out. This is to trick my brain into feeling confident, especially when what I'm really feeling is at least a little bit nervous,' Rawal says. (Saikat Das / Sportzpics for BCCI) Rawal made her debut for India against West Indies in December. There was a lot of positive self-talk before that series, she says. 'Each time I bat, I tell myself: I am the best. I am a star.' She visualises exactly what she wants each shot to look like, over and over. 'The life I'm living right now, I've visualised that too maybe a hundred, a thousand, a million times,' she says, grinning. Her dream day was one in which she kicked things off with yoga, followed by time at the gym, and then played matches for her country and won them. It's uncanny how close to that fantasy her real life has come, and yet it hasn't all been easy innings. She was, in fact, dropped from her school's cricket team about 10 years ago. 'I was a nerd. I loved being a nerd. But focusing on academics and doing well in basketball meant I was missing out on cricket practice. So I was dropped,' she says. That taught her early on that no one can have it all. She set her other passions aside and began to focus all her attention on her first love: cricket. She decided she had to graduate, for her own long-term security. But alongside, she hired a trainer, a dietitian and new coaches. One of those coaches, Deepti Dhyani, has guided her ever since. *** Rawal and Tanuja Kanwar pose after a win over West Indies in Vadodara, in December. (Saikat Das / Sportzpics for BCCI) All the support and positivity notwithstanding, the pressure on Rawal, in her first year, has been unusually high. She made her debut 10 months before the ICC ODI Women's World Cup (due to be hosted in India and Sri Lanka from September 30). India, who are eyeing what would be their first-ever win, will have the comfort of home conditions but still a massive task at hand; so far they have only twice made it to the finals (in 2005 and 2017). Australia and England — the latter coached by the formidable Charlotte Edwards, whose record Rawal has just broken — look set to be the biggest threats. The ongoing tour of England (June 28-July 22), in which Rawal is looking to make a mark, will help prepare her at least for the latter, she says. It helps to be on a fantasy league of a team, she adds. She shares close friendships with players such as Tejal Hasabnis and Shweta Sehrawat, and is forging an on-field bond with seniors such as Smriti Mandhana. 'Off the field, Smriti is a lot of fun. We once talked about the Mahabharata right before going in to bat,' Rawal says. Mithali Raj and Virat Kohli, both of whom have stepped away from the pitch, are her biggest cricketing idols. Raj's calm inspires her. She watches Kohli videos to try to 'imbibe his drive and passion'. The Australian Meg Lanning's grim determination motivates her too, she adds. With Mandhana and giants such as Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh playing around her, 'I sometimes feel like I'm a kid living in Disneyland'. Ask about her own legacy, and her eyes light up. She has clearly given it some thought already. 'I want to be the person who, when it's not working, still tries one more time. One more rep. One more hour. One more chance,' Rawal says. That persistence is what she wants young girls to see in her story, especially those torn between passion and practicality. 'Just do it. If you're enjoying it, just stay,' she says. 'Keep going. There's enough success in the world for everyone.'

Sourav Ganguly can't keep calm after Shubman Gill punishes England, Virender Sehwag goes gaga: 'Opening not his place'
Sourav Ganguly can't keep calm after Shubman Gill punishes England, Virender Sehwag goes gaga: 'Opening not his place'

Hindustan Times

time41 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Sourav Ganguly can't keep calm after Shubman Gill punishes England, Virender Sehwag goes gaga: 'Opening not his place'

Shubman Gill etched his name in history with a magnificent double century against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Shubman, who recently took over the captaincy charge from Rohit Sharma, is not wasting any time and has started cementing his legacy in red-ball cricket with triple-digit scores in back-to-back matches. The 25-year-old has shown great composure while batting in the English conditions and went on to score 269, the highest score by an Indian skipper in England. Shubman Gill scored 269 against England at Edgbaston.(@BCCI X) Gill's innings achieved two significant milestones: it surpassed Virat Kohli's 254 against South Africa in Pune (2019) to become the highest score by an Indian Test captain. Additionally, it replaced Sachin Tendulkar's 241 against Australia in Sydney as the highest score by an Indian batsman in a Test match outside Asia. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was left in awe of Gill and stated that it was one of the best innings he had seen in England. "An absolute master class from Gill @ShubmanGill .. just flawless .. one of the best innings I have seen in england in any era .. so much improvement in the last few months .. probably opening was not his place in test cricket .. A test to win for India .. @bcci," Ganguly wrote on X. Shubman Gill's epic innings, spanning 387 balls and eight-and-a-half hours, was a masterclass featuring 30 fours and three sixes. The marathon effort finally ended with a rare lapse in judgment: a tired pull shot off Tongue found Pope at square leg, which also stopped him from joining an elite list of Indian batters scoring 300 in Tests. Virender Sehwag all impressed with Shubman Gill Veteran opener Virender Sehwag, who was the first Indian to breach the 300-figure mark in Test, showered praise on Gill for his fantastic knock, which put India on top at Edgbaston. "Outstanding double hundred from Shubman Gill, an innings of great maturity, patience and skill," Sehwag wrote on Instagram story. Virender Sehwag lavished praise on Shubman Gill.(Instagram) Meanwhile, Gill's commanding 269 anchored India's imposing first-innings total of 587 on day two of the second Test. In response, England finished the day at 77-3, trailing by a substantial 510 runs. Akash Deep claimed a couple of wickets, while Mohammed Siraj took one.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store