Shubman Gill — The time is now

Unlike football, where the manager is the real boss of the team, cricket has been and always will be a sport where the captain is the ultimate authority. If there is ever a clash between the captain and the coach, as was the case between Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli a decade ago, it is the captain who eventually prevails. From that standpoint, the Sri Lanka series is a very important one for Shubman Gill. catcrossgame.com

While there is no clash whatsoever between Gautam Gambhir and Gill, the truth is that Gill needs to make the team his own and be his own man.

As a batter, he is India’s best red-ball player at the moment. He looks sublime, and the 2025 England series saw Gill coming of age as a Test batter. Sadly for him and for India, he was injured in Kolkata in the game against South Africa and could not play any further part in the series. I still believe that had Gill played the Kolkata Test, India would have won the contest. Rishabh Pant led the team in his absence in Guwahati, and India lost the match and the series.

From here, it is an uphill task for India to make it to the World Test Championship final. In fact, it is almost impossible. Having said that, sport has seen funny things happen, and Gill should take it one match at a time.

Debasis Sen and Vaibhav Tripathi, who are both in Sri Lanka for RevSportz, confirmed to me that Gill was seen supervising every lower-order batter in the nets yesterday. While he was not batting because of his injury, he made it a point to oversee the net session. That is how it should be. A more assertive and dominant captain is what India will ask of Gill in Sri Lanka.

In all fairness, Gill has also been unlucky on occasions. After a fantastic England series, he missed out against South Africa with a freakish neck injury. The neck issue was not really a one-off. It has been a persistent problem and has troubled him all along. Now, in Sri Lanka, he was forced to miss the practice game after injuring his finger. While his omission from the training game is more precautionary, the truth is that it also impacts his own preparation ahead of the Test match.

Gill is at a stage of his career where he can now power on to become the best in the world. The New Zealand series will test him, and if he does well in those conditions against a quality red-ball attack, he will have turned a new leaf in his career.

Clearly, the time for him is now.

Can he march on, take control and become the leader India expects him to be? The early signs in England in 2025 were good, and the series will forever rank as one of the best of all time. But those gains were eroded by the defeat against South Africa, and India needs a reboot.

Can Gill lead that process and make things happen?

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FIFA has come out in staunch defense of president Gianni Infantino, rebutting fresh allegations and widespread criticism. The organisation has accused unnamed detractors of orchestrating a campaign aimed at destabilising its leadership. While UEFA acknowledged a severance payment to a former employee associated with Infantino, he continues to enjoy robust support from various continental federations despite European discontent.

New Delhi [India], August 9 (ANI): South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada believes his team will not face any additional pressure when they play on home soil at next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

South Africa will co-host the upcoming 50-over World Cup with Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2027, and Rabada is looking forward to the tournament, according to the ICC.

His confidence is boosted by a South African side that has shown strong consistency across formats in recent years, highlighted by their ICC World Test Championship triumph at Lord’s in 2025.

While the team’s improved performances have raised expectations around the Proteas, Rabada remains confident that the added attention will not translate into extra pressure when the World Cup gets underway next year.

“Well, I think there’s a lot more to it at the moment with us hosting it," Rabada told the ICC at the official Cricket World Cup 2027 venue and brand announcement event in Johannesburg recently.

“It’s almost like freedom as well. I don’t feel the pressure of us playing at home and feeling the need to win it. It’s almost like, we’re at home and we’re going to defend this fortress. And that’s what it means to me. It’s about representing the badge," the right-arm seamer said, as quoted by ICC.

Rabada continues to draw inspiration from Pakistan great Wasim Akram’s iconic spell in the 1992 Cricket World Cup final against England at the MCG.

Akram’s match-winning performance helped Pakistan turn the game around and secure their maiden World Cup title. Rabada would now like to produce a similar match-defining performance for South Africa when they host the 2027 World Cup on home soil.

“One World Cup moment from the past that I’ll never forget, because I’m a bowler, I’m going to go to the bowlers’ club, was Wasim Akram against England in the final," Rabada said.

“Him just cleaning up (the stumps) and putting on a show to take it home for his country and showing the passion and the skill. He was fast, had so much skill, and just had this presence, this heightened energy about him that he was there to play," he added as quoted by ICC. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], August 8 (ANI): Rajasthan Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore stressed that the success of athletes such as Arundhati Choudhary and Yashvir Singh, who won gold and bronze medals respectively at the Commonwealth Games 2026, would inspire the state’s youth.

He emphasised the importance of sports alongside education, urging young people to strengthen both their physical and mental capabilities.

Arundhati, who hails from Kota, scripted history by clinching the women’s 70kg boxing gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026, defeating England’s world bronze medallist Chantelle Reid by a dominant 5-0 unanimous decision.

While, India scripted history in athletics at the Commonwealth Games 2026 as Neeraj Chopra clinched the silver medal and debutant Yashvir Singh secured bronze in the men’s javelin throw event, marking a memorable 1-2 finish for India on the podium.

“From the Commonwealth Games, our players who have come back, two players from Rajasthan have got medals, Arundhati and Yashvir- a gold medal and a bronze medal in boxing and javelin. From this program, all our young players and youth will be inspired. Their stories, through you, will reach our youth. Life is not easy, there are challenges in everyone’s life, but this is life. By accepting it and being happy, living every day, living every moment, one should move forward. And one should increase their capability. And to increase your capability, you have to strengthen your body and also strengthen your mind. Along with education, sports are also very important. Just as important as our mathematics or science teachers are, our PT teachers are of equal importance," Rathore told the reporters.

Rathore said families, communities and elders have a collective responsibility to encourage the younger generation and help them develop physically and mentally.

“Within every home, the responsibility to move the younger generation forward lies with all of us elders, which includes family members and also neighbours. All these are important to encourage them to move forward. Today, the atmosphere within the country is a rising one, showing its strength in the world. The future generation is responsible for our India. So definitely, in every way, strengthen your body, your mind, your soul, your brain, and those who are elders have the responsibility to encourage them," he added.

He also stressed that the state and central governments are working together to nurture sporting talent, with the Centre providing support and facilities to national-level athletes through the Khelo India scheme.

“Similarly, governments also get included among the elders. So the state government and the central government both together have created such an environment where it is the state’s responsibility to prepare the players and take them to that level where the nation takes over that responsibility. The responsibility for national-level players goes to the national government, the central government, which, through the Khelo India Youth Scheme, has given every kind of facility to our players," he concluded. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

A potential two-year ban looms for former Pakistan cricketers who participated in an unauthorised Zambian league. The Pakistan Cricket Board has reacted strongly, emphasising that all players must obtain proper approvals before playing. Reports suggest that some cricketers encountered significant troubles regarding payments and accommodation during the tournament. This serious matter unfolds as the ICC intensifies its scrutiny on global franchise cricket activities.