
Koneru, Dronavalli, Vaishali, Deshmukh All Secure Quarters Berth In FIDE WWC 2025
Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh presented a strong Indian-front at Women's World Cup in Batumi, Georgia.
The Indian contingent enjoyed a massive success as three women's players, namely Humpy Koneru, Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh, all moved into the quarterfinal of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025.
Koneru, Dronavalli, Vaishali and Deshmukh presented a strong Indian-front at the event in Batumi, Georgia.
Koneru got the better of Swiss player Kosteniuk Alexandra, while Deshmukh braved the challenge of Chinese Zhu Jiner to eventually come out on top. Dronavalli moved past Finnish player Lagno Kateryna, while Vaishali put it past Kazakhistan's Kamalidenova Meruert.
Koneru is slated to take on Chinese IM Yuxin Song in her quarters encounter, while Vaishali will play against former World Chmapion Tan Zhongyi, while Deshmukh and Dronavalli face off against one another.
In the Quarterfinals, Humpy will play against Song Yusin, while Vaishali will take on Former Women's World Champion Tan Zhongyi. And there will be an all-Indian matchup as well – Divya will face Harika, which means atleast one Indian will make it to the semifinals.
The Indian men's chess contingent faced disappointment elsewhere as GM Arjun Erigaisi was defeated by Levon Aronian on Saturday in their semifinal clash at the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. Aronian secured a 2-0 victory over Erigaisi in this final-four encounter held on American soil. This triumph adds to Aronian's impressive record at the ongoing event in Las Vegas, where he has already bested World No.1 Magnus Carlsen, No.2 Hikaru Nakamura, and No.5 Praggnanandhaa.
Lei Tingjie (CHN) beat Omonova Umida (UZB)
Divya Deshmukh (IND) beat Zhu Jiner (CHN)
Tan Zhongyi (CHN) beat Osmak Yuliia (UKR)
Koneru Humpy (IND) beat Kosteniuk Alexandra (SUI)
Dronavalli Harika (IND) beat Lagno Kateryna (FID)
Dzagnidze Nana (GEO) beat Muzychuk Mariya (UKR)
Vaishali Rameshbabu (IND) beat Kamalidenova Meruert (KAZ)
Song Yuxin (CHN) beat Javakhishvili Lela (GEO)
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First Published:
July 19, 2025, 07:29 IST
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Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
India draw after last-day fightback, coach Gambhir says ‘these players will make their own history'
The day was ending, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar were in their 80s and there was no doubt about the result of the Test. India had miraculously managed to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat on the final day of the fourth Test. The knackered England captain Ben Stokes had enough, he wanted to shake hands and nurse his wounds in the dressing room. But the day's heroes — Jadeja and Washington — were in no hurry to leave. They wanted to rub a few English noses in the mud and get well-deserved Test hundreds. They also wanted the crowd, and their teammates, to celebrate the draw that was as precious as a win. They finally shook hands with the scoreboard showing India 425 for four, Jadeja (107 not out) and Washington (101 not out). The world had written them off, now Jadeja and Sundar had done a monumental rewrite, they had penned history. Only twice have India batted out more overs in the third innings to save a Test after conceding a first innings lead of 300-plus. Trailing by 311 runs at lunch on Day 4, India were staring at an innings defeat. But against all odds, Shubman Gill's young team batted for 143 overs and lost just four wickets. This was a comeback for ages. The series that seemed dead — the loss for India here would have seen England take a 3-1 lead — has been magically kept alive. With momentum on their side, India can now dream of winning the final Test at Oval and level the series 2-2. Nothing can be put beyond a team where a batsman with a fractured foot — Rishabh Pant — raises his hand to take the field and do his bit. Indian coach Gautam Gambhir, after the match, spoke about the importance of the draw for the rest of the series. 'It will give us an edge. When you are put under pressure and you come out of those pressure moments, it is always a great feeling. It just ends up giving a lot of confidence to the dressing room,' he said. Unlike many teams of the past, with bigger stars, this Indian team just refuses to give up. India was zero for two at the start of the innings but this was followed by 188-run partnership between K L Rahul (90) and Shubman (103). Today again at lunch, a crisis loomed. The two big hopes Shubman and Rahul, after their marathon partnership, were back in the hut. India was 223 for four. There was another mountain to climb in front of them. With Pant to bat on one foot, they had to bat two full sessions. That's when two rather low-key cricketers — all-rounders who aren't in news too often — picked up the baton; it was more like taking up the gauntlet. But Jadeja and Sundar didn't allow the pressure of the scoreboard or their constantly bullying rivals get to them. Stokes tried every trick he knew. He would test them with a disciplined line, he would surround them with fielders with the spinner on a pitch with patches and even try to intimidate with short-balls. Nothing worked on this Sunday. There is a certain nonchalance about the way Jadeja and Washington conduct themselves on the pitch. They look relaxed, they keep smiling and are almost aloof to the surroundings and the situation. They don't even confront the opposition. They actually chat them up. They don't rile their opponent, they don't trigger fights. Jadeja and Washington, with their solid play, dilute the opposition's aggression. Jadeja, despite his numbers, isn't quite counted among the game's greats but today he joined the list of legends. Washington's place in the playing XI has been repeatedly questioned but today he shut the mouths of his doubters for good. As Jadeja added a hundred to his four 50s on this tour he was on par with the greatest all-rounder Gary Sobers for runs scored in England. Washington, the spinner, had done his bit at Lord's with four wickets in an innings. At Old Trafford, he showed what he can do with the bat. He justified the team management's trust in him. His numbers with both bat and ball showed, he can do the job of two specialists. This could well go down in the history of the Indian team as a very important draw. Had India lost this Test, and also the next, the course of Indian cricket might have changed dramatically. There were reputations at stake. After Shubman's outburst against Zak Crawley at Lord's when he was wasting time, the English media was floating the narrative the young skipper had been impacted by the episode and lost touch. When India was on field and their bowlers were leaking runs, the pundits said the Indian captain was too passive. It was certainly his worst day as a captain but he showed the resilience to bounce back. He made amends, he led India's recovery. The team's senior-most batsman Rahul also often gets blamed for not scoring in important situations. At Old Trafford, he changed that impression. Coach Gambhir would have lost his third straight series, and there would have been calls of his outster. But after Old Trafford, that might not be. This team is showing a new culture and character. But what might have pleased the team management most must have been India regrouping after the fall of Rahul and Shubman. Most of India's famous wins or draws have been about individual brilliance but this team takes cricket as a team sport. The last time India saved a game after conceding a big lead was in New Zealand at Napier where Gambhir had scored a match-saving 137 off 437 balls while batting for nearly 11 hours. He was asked if he had spoken about Napier in the dressing room. Gambhir almost didn't allow the question to be completed. He said: 'I don't remember any of my knocks, it's history. These players will make their own history. Honestly, no one needs to follow anyone or even wants to. They will make their own history. The way we have been written off in this Test match, this is the foundation of this team.' Before the tour had started, this was said to be a team in transition but a win of this nature makes it feel that the transition is over.


The Hindu
14 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Guys showed character, says Gambhir
Head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that past records don't matter for the Indian team. 'They are making their own history. A lot of people wrote us off in this Test, but this is the foundation of this team. These are characters who are sitting in this dressing room, wanting to fight for the country,' Gambhir said. When the Indian team travelled to England under a new captain in Shubman Gill, there were doubts about how it would adjust to the conditions. But the team has proved its mettle, time and again. 'I don't believe that the team is in transition, because it's still an Indian team. And this is the best 18 that is going to represent, and more importantly, it's not a transition, it's just a little bit of inexperience,' Gambhir said. 'It's only about experience and inexperience, and that is how we see this. But the most important thing is that these boys are going to learn a lot from what they did, because being under pressure and then batting for five sessions is never easy, especially on a fifth day pitch,' Gambhir said. 'We've to give it to the guys for the character they showed'. While he lauded Rishabh Pant for batting in the first innings with a broken foot, Gambhir also confirmed that all the fast bowlers are fit and should be available for selection for the final Test at The Oval. However, no decision has been taken on Jasprit Bumrah yet.


The Hindu
14 minutes ago
- The Hindu
WATCH: Jadeja, Washington refuse Ben Stokes' draw offer in final-session drama at Old Trafford
Tempers flared between India and England once more in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar refused England's offer to draw the Test match in the final session of the fourth Test in Manchester on Sunday. With the possibility of a win over, England captain Ben Stokes went up to Jadeja to end the contest. The Indian batters, though, wanted the match to carry on for longer. Jadeja was batting on 90 while Washington, on 84, was on the cusp of a maiden Test century. "If you want a hundred, you should have batted like it earlier" "You're going to get a Test hundred against Harry Brook & Ben Duckett" #ENGvIND | # — Sportstar (@sportstarweb) July 27, 2025 According to rule 12.7.6 in the ICC Test playing conditions, 'On the final day, if both captains (the batters at the wicket may act for their captain) accept that there is no prospect of either side achieving a victory, they may agree to finish the match after (a) the time for the commencement of the last hour has been reached OR (b) there are a minimum of 15 overs to be bowled, whichever is the later.' Upon the Indians' insistence to carry on the contest, Stokes was heard at the stump mic saying, 'Jaddu, do you want to get a Test 100 against Brook & Duckett?' Other England players Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook also exchanged words with the batters. Brook offered full tosses to Jadeja in his next over, which Jadeja hit for a six and four through the on side to complete his century. Washington, too, reached his century off Brook, hitting him inside out over covers.