“My job is to win trophies”, Gambhir says before the second test
The Indian cricket team’s performance in the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship cycle has been quite disappointing. A place in the final appears highly unlikely. They suffered a Test series defeat at home to South Africa. However, team coach Gautam Gambhir believes India is showing strong performance.
Ever since Gambhir became the team’s coach, India has been in a bad shape in Test cricket. Before the South Africa series, New Zealand had defeated India 3-0 in a Test series at home. Gambhir has faced a lot of criticism regarding team selection during his coaching tenure, but the coach doesn’t seem to mind. Before the second Test against Sri Lanka, Gambhir said, “Criticism? My job is to win trophies. That’s what I believe in and care about. That’s the difference between me and others. I don’t believe in views and likes.”
Gambhir said his focus is on improving cricket. “It’s about how we want to move forward in cricket, what’s needed for that, and what are the right decisions being made for the betterment of cricket? So, right now, it’s all about cricket. Rankings don’t matter much. We’re not struggling. We’ve done well in Test cricket since the England tour,” he said.
“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will make Test cricket more interesting”: Rahul Dravid
Ever since Vaibhav Sooryavanshi entered the IPL 2025, his craze has spread widely. Vaibhav made his IPL debut when Rahul Dravid was the coach of Rajasthan Royals. Now, Vaibhav is a key member of the Rajasthan team and has also made his T20 debut for India. Rahul Dravid has now spoken highly of him.
Speaking to Cricinfo, Rahul said, “Hopefully, someday, if he does well and shows the same kind of performance he has shown with the white ball, he can become a red ball cricketer for India. How exciting that would be for world cricket.”
If Vaibhav makes his Test debut, it wouldn’t be surprising if he makes a similar impact on the game as Sehwag did. Vaibhav is only 15 years old and has already played three T20 matches for India. He still has time to refine his game.
Mitchell Starc became the highest wicket-taker in the WTC
Bangladesh defeated Australia in the first Test match, a result that drew significant criticism for the Australian team. The second Test between the two sides has now begun in Mackay. On the opening day, Australian bowlers dismantled the Bangladeshi batting lineup. Captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bowl—a decision that proved highly effective. Mitchell Starc unleashed a storm for Australia, achieving a historic feat by claiming six wickets. He has now become the leading wicket-taker in the World Test Championship.
Mitchell Starc claimed five wickets in just 22 deliveries, setting several records in the process. Starc has also broken into the top 10 list of highest wicket-takers in Test history, surpassing Dale Steyn (439 wickets). Notably, Starc also holds the record for the fastest five-wicket haul in Test cricket history; he achieved this against the West Indies in 2025, taking five wickets in just 15 balls.
Starc, in the World Test Championship, has taken 230 wickets in 56 Test matches so far, moving to the number one spot on the list. He has overtaken his teammate Nathan Lyon, who has claimed 225 wickets in 57 matches. Pat Cummins shares the second spot with Lyon. India’s legendary spinner R. Ashwin, with 195 wickets, sits in fourth place. If Starc continues to bowl with such devastating form, he is likely to pull far ahead of the other players.
Mumbai Indians appoints Zubin Bharucha as Director of Performance
Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians have appointed Zubin Bharucha as the franchise’s Director of Performance. Bharucha, a 56-year-old former first-class cricketer, served as team director with Rajasthan Royals from 2008 to 2015.
Following a brief stint with the Delhi Daredevils, he took over as the franchise’s Director of Cricket Operations from 2018 to 2026. During his tenure with the Royals, Bharucha is credited with helping nurture several young Indian star players such as Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
BCCI eyeing a title sponsor for its domestic matches
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet secured a title sponsor for the Indian cricket team’s home matches, as there was limited interest in acquiring these rights due to the high cost. Despite the bid submission deadline of August 13, the Indian board either received no bids for the rights or the bids did not meet expectations.
The BCCI had issued the invitation on July 20, with the deadline to purchase the ITT (Invitation to Tender) documents set for August 4 and the deadline for seeking clarifications set for August 5. The board is currently in talks with potential sponsors, including Google Gemini; Spinny and SBI Life are also among the brands involved in discussions.
The current rights holder, IDFC First Bank, pays ₹4.2 crore per match, but the hike in the base price to ₹4.75 crore appears to be a major hurdle for the potential deal. This deal was intended for a two-year period, whereas IDFC Bank had secured the rights for three years in 2023.
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