Asia Cup: Shafali, Deepti help India seal convincing 94-run win over …

India kicked off their Women's T20 Asia Cup with an impressive 94-run triumph against Thailand. Shafali Verma ignited the innings with her electrifying batting, laying a robust foundation for the team. The bowlers showcased their prowess, limiting Thailand to a modest score. Highlighting the match, Deepti Sharma reached a remarkable milestone, claiming the title of leading wicket-taker in women's T20I history, ensuring a triumphant start to the tournament for India.

My first memory of the Asian Games is an elephant called Appu and a television called Apsara. It was 1982. I was 13, in Class 8 at Don Bosco, Park Circus, Calcutta, and the Asian Games in Delhi seemed to have suddenly taken over India. Appu was based on a real elephant called Kuttinarayanan, which I found out much later.

I didn’t know that Appu was also the first mascot in Asian Games history. Or that Delhi 1982 would mark another historic transition, with China topping the medal table for the first time and ending Japan’s dominance.
Forty-four years later, with the Asian Games heading to Aichi-Nagoya in Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026, it is worth dipping into the Asiad’s wonderful book of trivia.

The first Asian Games were held in New Delhi in 1951, with just 11 participating countries, 489 athletes and six sports. Japan finished comfortably on top of the medal table. capturengo.com

Hangzhou 2022, eventually staged in 2023 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, brought together more than 12,000 athletes from 45 National Olympic Committees. The Asian Games had become bigger than the Olympics in terms of participating athletes.

Another interesting aspect is that the Thai capital, Bangkok, has hosted the Games four times — in 1966, 1970, 1978 and 1998. The 1970 Games were originally scheduled to be held in Seoul, but South Korea withdrew because of financial and security concerns. Bangkok stepped in, having hosted the Games just four years earlier.

Sport has never existed entirely outside politics, and Asian Games history reflects Asia’s complicated geopolitical journey. Israel, for example, participated in the Asian Games during its early decades and won medals, including football gold in 1974. It subsequently ceased participating in the Games and eventually became part of the European sporting structure.

The Asiad has also been willing to embrace sports that reflect the continent rather than simply replicate the Olympic programme. So we have had kabaddi from South Asia, sepak takraw from Southeast Asia, wushu from China, kurash from Central Asia and pencak silat from Indonesia and the wider Southeast Asian region.

You can win an Asian Games medal without running anywhere. The Asian Games have had a wonderfully elastic interpretation of sport. Chess, bridge and xiangqi — Chinese chess — have all featured. Bridge was included at Jakarta 2018, producing one of the more unusual sights at a major multi-sport event: athletes sitting calmly at card tables while, elsewhere in the city, marathon runners were discovering entirely different definitions of suffering.

Cricket was remarkably late to the party.
For a continent containing India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, cricket’s Asian Games history is surprisingly brief. It first appeared at Guangzhou 2010. Cricket then disappeared from Jakarta 2018 before returning at Hangzhou, when India finally entered and promptly won both the men’s and women’s gold medals.

For decades, the idea of India winning 100 medals at a single Asian Games seemed fanciful.

At Jakarta 2018, India won 69 medals. Then came Hangzhou, where India finished with a record 107 medals — 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze.

For someone whose first Asian Games memories involved Appu appearing through occasional static on Apsara, 107 Indian medals feels like another age entirely.

And so to Aichi-Nagoya 2026. The Games will feature 43 sports, ranging from athletics, swimming and gymnastics to kabaddi, kurash, wushu, cricket and esports. And in a sign of how the definition of competitive sport continues to evolve, padel and teqball are also on the programme.

Somewhere over its 75-year journey, the Asian Games have developed a brand proposition that no other major sporting event can quite replicate.

The Olympics is the world’s greatest celebration of sport. The Asian Games need not try to be a smaller version of it. Its strength lies precisely in being different.
Its cultural diversity makes it truly an event that showcases a thousand ways to play.

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The post The Asian Games Brand : A thousand ways to play! appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

[popcorn number="34" desc="The age of Parsee Gym’s Mairaj Khan in years" class="Default"]

Spinners dominated the proceedings in the Dr HD Kanga Cricket League on Sunday, with Parsee Gymkhana off-spinner Mairaj Khan claiming a 12-wicket haul to help his team register an innings and 16 run-victory over hosts National CC in a Div ‘A’ game at Cross Maidan.

Put into bat, National were bundled out for just 57 in 23.1 overs, with Mairaj returning 5-8. In reply, openers Pranay Kapadia (41 not out) and Ayush Vartak (44 not out) helped Parsee Gymkhana declare at 130-2 in 23 overs. National struggled again in their second essay and were bowled out for 57 in 23.5 overs; Mairaj 7-18.

Mairaj, 34, who is also a MCA-qualified umpire and has been officiating at inter-school and MCA matches for the last couple of years, was delighted with his best ‘A’ Division performance. “I had never taken a 10-wicket haul in the Kanga League before, so this is my best performance. I wanted to challenge myself and see whether I’m good enough to better myself,” Mairaj told mid-day. Interestingly, Parsee Gymkhana won without their ace left-arm spinner Shams Mulani bowling a single over. Mulani returned from Bengaluru after playing the Duleep Trophy quarter-final for West Zone against North Zone, where he scored 52 and claimed 4-78.

Kotian delays trip

Meanwhile, Mumbai off-spinner Tanush Kotian postponed his trip to Bengaluru by a day to play in the Kanga League. He was scheduled to join the Mumbai team for their Dr K Thimmappiah Memorial Trophy match on Tuesday.

Kotian, who plays for Shivaji Park Youngsters (SPY), returned figures of 5-83 as hosts Islam Gymkhana won by virtue of a first-innings lead after scoring 234 all out, with opener Amogh Bhatkal top-scoring with 87. SPY were bowled out for 113, with left-arm spinner Vinayak Bhoir claiming 5-56.

“I wanted to play here to test my bowling ahead of Mumbai’s next match in Bengaluru starting on Tuesday. It was tough to bowl today as the pitch was batting-friendly,” Kotian told mid-day.

In another Div ‘A’ match at PJ Hindu Gym, Victory CC wicketkeeper-batter Pratik Yadav smashed an 113 NO (6x4, 4x6) in a drawn encounter. Victory posted 269-4, while PJ Hindu replied with 157-3; Sahil Jadhav scoring 64.

At Shivaji Park Gymkhana, New Hind SC skipper Aaditya Parab scored 110 (16x4, 1x6) as his team posted 210 all out. SPY replied with 168-4.

‘D’ Division action

In a Div ‘D’ match at Azad Maidan, left-arm spinner Prabhanjan Patade’s 11-wicket haul (6-14 and 5-33) helped Gaud Saraswat beat United Friends by virtue of first innings lead. In reply to United Friends’s 76 all out, Gaud Saraswat declared at 136-4 in the first essay. United Friends were bowled out for 72 in the second innings.

Suryakumar Yadav has opened up about his biggest regret in international cricket. He admitted that he is disappointed with his performance in the ODI format. He said he did not put in the hard work that the format demanded. He made his ODI debut in 2021 and played 37 matches. He scored 773 runs at an average of 25.76. He played his last ODI in the 2023 World Cup final against Australia, where he scored 18 off 28 balls.

He said he only played one Test match and did not get another chance after that. But he is not disappointed about Tests. His real disappointment lies with ODIs. He believes ODI cricket is the most difficult format for a batter. He explained that it requires a careful balance between building an innings and accelerating at the right moments. He said he could not crack the method for that format, even though he knew he would likely bat at five or six.

He admitted that he failed to develop the necessary preparation and practice routines. He acknowledged that his limited ODI appearances passed quickly without him making the most of the opportunity. He also said he discusses his ODI regrets with his family. His wife often asks him if he thinks he could have played more ODI cricket. He tells her he did not work hard enough. He believes that where he put in the effort, he got the rewards. Where he did not, he did not get results.

He concluded by stressing the importance of honest self-reflection. He said you have to look at yourself in the mirror every day. He asked, “How can you lie to the person standing in the mirror?” He said it has to be an honest reflection. He is using his regret as motivation to do better.

Suryakumar Yadav Reveals Shocking World Cup Stories and Career Regrets

Suryakumar Yadav had a year of extremes in 2026. He led India to victory in the T20 World Cup at home. But soon after, he was dropped from the T20I team and stripped of the captaincy. He opened up in a candid podcast with Aakash Chopra.

The Shock of Being Dropped

Suryakumar admitted he was completely shocked when he was dropped. He said he sat at home for 40 to 50 days and did nothing. He was confused and did not know what to do next. A lot was going on in his mind. He said he smiled when he saw his name was missing from the squad. He explained that he has always smiled in pressure situations. He has done that throughout his career. He also said he did not react to the selectors’ decision. He accepted that they felt it was best for the team.

The Conversation with Sanju Samson

Suryakumar revealed a conversation he had with Sanju Samson during the World Cup. Samson was dropped from the playing XI due to poor form. Suryakumar told him it was going to be difficult. Samson’s response was incredible. He said his captain should do whatever was right to help the team win. He said he would prepare as if he were playing and would be ready whenever needed. Suryakumar said he gained a lot of confidence from that. He said it showed him that there are selfless people in life.

The Anger at Kuldeep Yadav

Suryakumar also revealed that he was angry with spinner Kuldeep Yadav during a World Cup match against Pakistan. Kuldeep was disappointed at not being given the ball. There was a chance of a catch when he was at long-on. Suryakumar said Kuldeep ran very casually, an easy catch according to his skills. He dropped it. Suryakumar said he got angry because Kuldeep did not put in any effort. He said he would have been fine if he had made an effort and still dropped it.

Backing Abhishek Sharma

Suryakumar spoke about his faith in opener Abhishek Sharma. Abhishek had a horror start to the World Cup. He scored three consecutive ducks. But Suryakumar continued to back him. He said he understood from the first time he saw him that he was a match-winner. He wanted a player who could do the things Abhishek does. Abhishek repaid the faith. He scored 55 off 30 in the Super 8 match against Zimbabwe. He also scored 52 off 21 in the final against New Zealand.

FAQs

Q. What is Suryakumar Yadav’s biggest ODI regret?

A. Suryakumar regrets not working hard enough in ODI cricket.

Q. How many ODI runs did Suryakumar score?

A. Suryakumar scored 773 runs in 37 ODI matches.

Q. When did Suryakumar play his last ODI?

A. His last ODI came in the 2023 World Cup final.

Q. Why was Suryakumar angry with Kuldeep Yadav?

A. Suryakumar was upset because Kuldeep did not make enough effort.

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