Eng V Ind: Pant's Grit V Eng's Fire, Manchester Turns Brutal First Sports With Rupha Ramani
Rishabh Pant hobbled out to bat with a fractured toe, delivering one of the most courageous moments in recent Test cricket history. In a hostile Manchester atmosphere, as England brought relentless pressure, Pant stood tall as he battered but remained unbowed. His 54 runs may not seem much on paper, but that knock defined India's resilience. From being taken off the ground in pain, to walking back out against all odds, Pant reignited memories of legendary cricket comebacks - Kumble, Vihari, Yuvraj, Smith, Joseph and more. But as England's batters launched a counterattack and exposed a tired Indian bowling unit, the big question is - can Team India channel Pant's fight and turn the tide in the final two days? Rupha Ramani brings you the breakdown of India's toughest test in Manchester.
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The Hindu
21 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Divya Deshmukh returns home after historic victory
Chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh on Wednesday (July 30, 2025) received a warm welcome upon her return to India after winning the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. The 19-year-old from Nagpur achieved the biggest milestone of her career by defeating fellow-Indian Koneru Humpy in the tiebreakers of the World Cup final held in Batumi, Georgia. On her arrival at 2.20pm at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Mumbai (CSMIA) airport to take a connecting flight to Nagpur, her hometown, she received a warm welcome from the airport staff. CSMIA spokesperson said, 'Mumbai International Airport had the honour of welcoming home Ms. Divya Deshmukh, the newly crowned FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 Champion. She is the first Indian woman to win this prestigious title. Her arrival was met with warmth and pride, as the airport marked her historic achievement on the global chess arena.' At just 19, Divya etched her name in history by winning the prestigious FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 Champion and securing the esteemed Grandmaster title, becoming India's 88th Grandmaster and only the fourth Indian woman to accomplish this remarkable feat. Her triumph stands as a shining example of India's rising prominence in global chess, and Mumbai International Airport was privileged to celebrate her return. The Maharashtra state cabinet on Tuesday formally congratulated Mr. Deshmukh for her landmark achievement of becoming the youngest winner of the Women's Chess World Cup. The congratulatory resolution was tabled and unanimously passed during the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, along with other ministers, in attendance. The cabinet praised Ms. Deshmukh's victory as a moment of pride for the state and the nation.
Indian Express
24 minutes ago
- Indian Express
England vs India: Visitors raise red flag after umpires gave 30-overs-old replacement ball after 10 overs at Lord's
India's team management is not happy with the ball-change protocol during the ongoing Test series in England and has conveyed its concerns to the ICC match referee. The management also believes that England got preferential treatment when it came to choosing balls at the start of the crucial third Test of the series at Lord's earlier this month. The Indian Express has learnt that during England's first innings at Lord's, when the second new ball went out of shape after 10 overs, the replacement turned out to be 30-35 overs old. The protocol states the replacement needs to be as old as the original but it is learnt that the umpires told the team there was no ball in stock that was 10 overs old. The Indians feel that since they got a softer and older replacement for a harder ball, which had been swinging and getting seam movement in the first 10 overs, it put them at a disadvantage in the Test that England eventually won by 22 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series. The fourth Test ended in a tense draw with the last match starting on Thursday. 'At Lord's, after about 10 overs, the Dukes ball lost its shape, something that has been happening so often in the series. The ball failed to pass through the rings that the umpires carry on the field to check if the ball is uniformly spherical. However, the umpires didn't have a ball that was 10 overs old, so the Indian team at a crucial moment of the match got a ball that was 30-35 overs old,' said an Indian team official. 'Check the scoreboard to see how the game changed after that. The bowlers lost their swing and England scored with ease,' the official said. On getting the much older ball, the Indian team management appealed to the match referee to allow them to switch back to the original that had gone out of shape. That's when they were shown the rule book. 'When you ask for a ball change, you aren't told about the age of the replacement you will be getting. At Lord's, we weren't told that the replacement would be 30 to 35 overs old. If we were told, we would have continued with the deformed ball that was used for 10 overs. The ICC needs to intervene. This rule needs to be changed,' he said. At Lord's, before the ball went out of shape, India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was getting it to talk, pocketing three wickets in 14 balls. Bumrah first got England captain Ben Stokes bowled with one that snaked in between bat and pad. After that, Joe Root couldn't read a fast incoming ball that took his bat's edge and shattered the stumps. Following Root, all-rounder Chris Woakes edged his first ball, a swinging delivery that straightened after pitching, to the wicketkeeper. It was at this moment that the ball got changed as also the flow of the Test. 'The second new ball… swung 1.869 degrees and seamed 0.579 degrees on average. The replacement ball swung 0.855 degrees on average and seamed 0.594 degrees,' reported. From wickets falling in clumps, the Indians started to struggle with the benign replacement. The next two batsmen – wicket-keeper Jamie Smith and all-rounder Brydon Carse – enjoyed an easy ride as the replacement ball didn't swing. This helped them compile a late-order game-changing partnership. Smith scored a 56-ball 51 and Carse an 83-ball 56, as the two took the score from 271 for seven to 355 for eight. In a match that India lost by 22 runs, this was a significant partnership. At the end of Day 2, Bumrah's displeasure was evident but he didn't speak on the issue. 'The ball changes, I don't really control that. Obviously, I don't want to lose out on money because I work very hard and play a lot of overs. So, I don't want to say any controversial statements and get my match fees deducted,' he said. According to the Indian team official, there is an urgent need to take a fresh look at the process to pick balls for every Test. According to convention, the fourth umpire, who is from the host country, comes to the dressing room with a box of balls and asks the team to pick two that they will bowl with during the Test. 'The match referee, the neutral chief judge of the Test, is not present,' said the official. During the ongoing series, there have been instances of the fourth umpire coming to the Indian dressing room with a box that had just one ball that had a darker shade of red and the rest pure red. It is said that the balls with darker shade swing more. 'I am not alleging anything but when we asked for the darker ball, we were told that was the ball England had selected as their second new ball,' said the official. He went on to say that the system can easily be manipulated by the home team since there is no involvement of match referees. 'The right thing would be to have this ball selection in the match referee's room and not in the dressing room with the local umpire as the only official present,' he said.
NDTV
35 minutes ago
- NDTV
Divya Deshmukh Arrives To Grand Reception, Credits Women's Chess World Cup Win To Her Family
Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh arrived in Nagpur on Wednesday to a reception befitting a champion, with the young achiever saying she was overwhelmed by the affection shown by the the people who had come to greet her at the airport. Divya, 19, arrived from Batumi, Georgia, where she defeated Indian stalwart Koneru Humpy in the Women's World Cup title showdown, to clinch the biggest title in her fledgling career. Divya overcame the 38-year-old Humpy in the tie-breaker after two classical games ended in draws. Divya had entered the tournament as an underdog aiming to achieve a GM-norm but returned home with the Grandmaster title, besides securing a spot in the Candidates and becoming richer by USD 50,000. "I am feeling very happy that so many people have come to felicitate me, and chess is getting the recognition," said Divya, who flew from Batumi to Mumbai and then took a flight to her hometown Nagpur, accompanied by her mother. Divya received a grand reception in Nagpur, with her relatives and fans arriving much in advance to receive her. "My parents have played the biggest role in my career. Without them I would not have reached here. Credit to my family, my parents, my sister, and my first coach, Rahul Joshi sir. He always wanted me to become the Grandmaster, and this is for him," said Divya, about Joshi, who passed away in 2020 at just 40 years of age. "My mother and father had a bigger role to play but definitely my whole family, my sister Arya Deshmukh, my grandmother, grandfather...I don't think whatever I will say will be enough (for my parents)." Divya also reserved special praise for GM Abhijit Kunte, saying he was lucky for her. "Abhijit sir is lucky for me. Wherever he has been with me, I have won the trophy," she said. Elaborating on her future plans, Divya said she would take a break and then compete in the Grand Swiss, to be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from September 2-16. "I will take some rest this month and will play Grand Swiss next month."
