India power past Japan into Asian Games semis
India faced Japan in the fourth quarter-final match of the 2026 Asian Games, and the women in blue won the match by 8 wickets and advanced to the semi-finals. India will now face Bangladesh in the semi-final, with the match scheduled for Sunday. Shafali Verma and Shree Charani played pivotal roles in India’s victory with their outstanding performances.
In this match, India won the toss and elected to bowl first; Japan was bowled out for 57 runs in 19.5 overs, setting a target of 58 runs for India. India chased down the target, scoring 59 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 5 overs to win the match and advance to the next round. Shafali’s unbeaten knock of 40 runs and Shree Charani’s 4-wicket haul were instrumental in India’s victory.
Australia beat Zimbabwe by 84 runs to clinch series
Australia’s star opener Travis Head’s explosive century helped the Kangaroo team beat Zimbabwe by a huge margin of 84 runs in the second ODI of the Zimbabwe tour. Batting first, Australia scored a mammoth total of 356 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in the stipulated 50 overs. In reply, Zimbabwe, chasing the target, was restricted to 272 runs. With this, Australia has taken a 2-0 lead in this series. Now, by winning the third match, Australia will aim to clean sweep Zimbabwe in the series, while Zimbabwe will aim to avoid a clean sweep in the next match.
“It was definitely tough to exclude Sanju Samson,” says Gambhir
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson single-handedly led India to victory in the 2026 T20 World Cup. The way Samson single-handedly led India to victory in crucial matches was undoubtedly a factor in India’s victory. However, just three poor innings later, Samson was dropped from India’s playing XI. Now, he’s back in the team, scoring two half-centuries in three matches. Following this, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has responded to Sanju Samson’s omission from the playing XI.
After the T20 series against Afghanistan, Gautam Gambhir said, “No player becomes the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the World Cup just like that. He definitely has talent. He has achieved a lot.” On the decision to leave Samson out of the England series, Gambhir said, “It was definitely tough. It was probably the toughest decision in my coaching tenure to leave him out of the England series, especially considering his performance before that, but sometimes you have to keep in mind the current form of the players as well.”
India U-19 beat Australia U-19 in Rajkot
The first match of the three-game Youth ODI series between India Under-19 and Australia Under-19 took place at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. Due to rain, the match was reduced to a 20-over-a-side contest. India’s young team defeated Australia in this thrilling encounter to take a 1-0 lead in the series. In this match, Anvay Dravid and Aaryavir Sehwag—sons of former Indian legends—showcased brilliant performances reminiscent of their fathers’ styles, while all-rounder Yashvardhan Chauhan emerged as the standout hero of India’s victory.
Team India captain Lakshya Raichandani lost the toss, and the Indian team came out to bat first. Aaryavir Sehwag opened the innings in the style of his father, Virender Sehwag; stepping onto the crease as an opener, he played an aggressive knock of 28 runs off 26 balls, including five fours. Anvay Dravid, the 17-year-old son of former captain Rahul Dravid, turned the tide of the match after coming in to bat at number six. Anvay smashed 38 runs (featuring two fours and three sixes) off just 18 balls at a blistering strike rate of 211.11.
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