Praggnanandhaa Defeats World No.1 Carlsen To Enter Freestyle Chess Quarterfinals Chess
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India.com
28 minutes ago
- India.com
Shubman Gill Shatters Babar Azam's World Record – But That's Not His Biggest Feat Yet
Indian Test captain Shubman Gill has etched his name in cricket history by becoming the first player ever to win the ICC Player of the Month award four times, breaking Babar Azam's world record. Gill's extraordinary run-scoring spree in the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy not only powered India in a thrilling series against England but also set new benchmarks in Test cricket. Record-Breaking July: 567 Runs, Three Centuries, and a Feat for the Ages The month of July 2025 will be remembered as one of the most dominant performances in modern cricket. In his first assignment as India's full-time Test captain, the 25-year-old Gill amassed 754 runs at an average of 75.9, with four centuries in the series. Remarkably, 567 of those runs, including three tons, came in July alone. The standout moment arrived at Edgbaston, where Gill produced a breathtaking 269 in the first innings and 161 in the second. His 430-run aggregate in the match is now the second-highest in Test history and the highest ever by a player in an away Test. Shubman Gill Surpasses Babar Azam's ICC Record Before Gill's heroics, Babar Azam held the record for the most ICC Player of the Month awards by a male cricketer, with three wins. Gill's latest triumph—adding to his wins in January 2023, September 2023, and February 2025—makes him the first male player to claim the honour four times. Gill has also become the first player to win the award multiple times in a single year, achieving the feat in 2023 and 2025. The only others to manage two wins in a year are Jasprit Bumrah and Kamindu Mendis. Asia Cup 2025: Gill in Contention for T20I Vice-Captaincy Gill's sensational Test form has put him back in the frame for India's T20I squad ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, scheduled in the UAE from September 9. According to PTI, the selectors are weighing Gill's claim for the vice-captaincy alongside Axar Patel. With Suryakumar Yadav leading the T20 side and Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya forming a solid top order, finding a slot for Gill may be challenging. However, his current form, IPL performance, and leadership credentials make him a strong contender. Selection Dilemmas: Wicketkeepers, All-Rounders, and Pace Options The BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, faces tough decisions ahead of the Asia Cup squad announcement on August 19 or 20. Wicketkeeping Role: Samson is almost certain to be the first-choice keeper, with Jitesh Sharma and Dhruv Jurel fighting for the second spot. All-Rounder Choices: Hardik Pandya remains the leading seam-bowling all-rounder, while Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are set to handle spin duties. Shivam Dube is likely to return, but Nitish Kumar Reddy may miss out due to injury. Pace Attack: Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh will lead the bowling, with Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna competing for the third seamer's role. A Defining Moment for Indian Cricket Gill's latest milestone is more than just a personal achievement—it's a statement about the next era of Indian cricket. As the national team transitions from legends of the past to a new leadership core, Gill's consistency, hunger, and adaptability have made him the face of this transformation. Breaking Babar Azam's record not only cements his position among the world's elite batters but also signals India's growing dominance across formats. With the Asia Cup 2025 and World Test Championship cycles ahead, Gill's form could be the difference between good and great for Team India. Key Stats – Shubman Gill's ICC Player of the Month Wins PlayerCountryAwards Shubman Gill India 4 Babar Azam Pakistan 3 Shreyas Iyer India 2 Shakib Al Hasan Bangladesh 2 Harry Brook England 2
NDTV
28 minutes ago
- NDTV
Ireland Great Condemns Racially-Motivated Attacks On Indians, Shares Heartfelt Message
Former 'Green and Whites' cricketer Kevin O'Brien has condemned the concerning increase in racially-motivated attacks on Indians in Ireland. Ireland has witnessed a sudden spike in racist, and other hate-filled attacks against the Indians over the past few years. Currently, Ireland has a 60,000-strong Indian community. An Indian man was attacked last Sunday by a group of teenagers, three to be precise, in the evening around 5:30 pm at the Fairview Park in Dublin. Since then, the Indian embassy in Dublin and Irish President Michael D Higgins have come out in support of the members of the Indian community and called such incidents "despicable". Former Ireland all-rounder Kevin O'Brien has also issued a video message, saying that he has a special place for India in his heart, and that Ireland is their home too. "I want to say how deeply saddened I am by the recent racist and hateful acts against Indians in Ireland. These attacks do not represent who we are as a people. India and its people hold a very special place in my heart," O'Brien said in a video posted by him on X. Please listen!! @KellyinDelhi @IrlEmbIndia — Kevin O'Brien (@KevinOBrien113) August 12, 2025 O'Brien re-iterated the contribution of Indians in shaping the Irish society. "I want to reiterate to the Indian community that Ireland is your home too. Your contribution to Irish society is immense, and we deeply value everything you do," he added. This comes after the Indian man, who was attacked by a group of teenagers on Sunday, said that he planned to go back to India as a result of this incident. He told The Journal that while walking home from the park, one of the teenagers on an electric scooter kicked him in the stomach. Although he tried to walk away, two others started attacking him. He fell on the ground while they continued to kick and punch him. One of the attackers took his metal water bottle and hit him above his eye, which caused a deep gash and resulted in heavy bleeding. The victim said that people did not help him despite being around during the incident. Later on, two boys helped him and called the gardai. Thereafter, he was taken to the hospital where he received eight stitches.
Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Magnus Carlsen always took the idiot test before…': Russian GM reveals huge secret behind Norwegian's success
Considered by many to be the greatest chess player in history, Magnus Carlsen is a five-time World Champion, five-time World Rapid Champion and the reigning (shared with Ian Nepomniachtchi) eight-time World Blitz Champion. He got his first World Champion title in 2013, beating Viswanathan Anand. He retained his title in 2014, and also clinched both Rapid and Blitz titles, becoming the first player to hold all three titles simultaneously, which he also repeated in 2019 and 2022. He defended his world title in 2019, 2018 and in 2021. He didn't defend his title in 2023 due to a lack of motivation. Magnus Carlsen on way to beating world champion D Gukesh in the opening round of the Norway Chess on Monday. (Norway Chess)(HT_PRINT) Recently, Daniil Dubov, who worked with the Norwegian for two of his World C'ship titles, revealed that Carlsen used to take something called an 'idiot test'. It was taken to decide whether an idea in the opening should be played in a World C'ship match. Magnus Carlsen's 'idiot test' Speaking on a Russian podcast, he said, 'Magnus always had that method to try out ideas which we called the 'idiot test'. The 'Idiot Test' is that if you have found an (opening) idea, you have to play it against an unprepared Laurent Fressinet (French grandmaster) and beat him. If you don't win, the idea is refuted.' '(If you don't win with that idea against Laurent Fressinet) The idea doesn't work! I can tell you that it's a 90%-reliable piece of statistic! That's how it is.' He further revealed, 'Earlier, the certified idiot would be Hans-Ludvig Hammer, but when I joined the team Hammer was no longer there, so this was Fress (Fressinet). But thank God I played much better than Fress, so the majority of the ideas passed the test, regardless of their quality.' Commenting on a member of Carlsen's team, Dubov said, 'That was the problem with Jorden van Foreest's ideas later on, because as it turned out, Jorden is a desperate case in blitz, and strangely enough Fress was better than him in blitz. Jorden would tell me 'Come on, let me show you the idea, and you go ahead and play it yourself!'
