Carlos Alcaraz's win, Imam-ul-Haq's ban, VVS Laxman's coaching appoin…

In the ongoing US Open, Spain's tennis star Carlos Alcaraz secured a stunning victory in the second round of the competition.

Meanwhile, legendary cricketer VVS Laxman has been appointed as head coach of Indian men's team for the upcoming Asian Games 2026. zeppelin.cool

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VVS Laxman to coach Indian men's team in Asian Games 2026

The Asian Games 2026 is set to kick off from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Ahead of the continental event, legendary cricketer VVS Laxman is set to take charge of the Indian men's team.

He will be assisted by Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Subhadeep Ghosh, according to the list of coaches released by the Sports Ministry.

Carlos Alcaraz wins second round in US Open

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz overcame a sluggish start to defeat Portugal's Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 and advanced to the third round of the US Open.

The Spanish star, making his competitive comeback after sustaining a right wrist injury back in April, lost the first set before returning to his best and winning the next three with relative ease.

Imam-ul-Haq likely to face two-year ban for Lord's Test injury controversy

Pakistan batter Imam-ul-Haq could face a ban of up to two years over the controversy surrounding his injury during the second Test against England at Lord's, according to Geo News.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is in the process of setting up a high-level investigation team to look into the circumstances surrounding Imam's calf injury, Geo News sources said on Wednesday.

Attendees for the BCCI review meeting in Mumbai

Indian Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, head coach Gautam Gambhir, Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman and top BCCI officials attended the review meeting at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday

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Serbian coach Jelena Arunovic is infusing a fresh dynamism into the Indian shooting camp, skillfully navigating the emotional intensity of Indian culture while providing guidance. Having coached her sister and Chinese athletes to remarkable achievements, her vast coaching experience stands out, even more so than her personal shooting career. As she trains Indian marksmen, her sister focuses on Olympic preparations.

Sydney [Australia], September 4 (ANI): Former Australia fast bowler Peter Siddle has joined New South Wales as their bowling coach for the 2026-27 season, bringing his experience to Brad Haddin’s coaching set-up ahead of the new domestic campaign, reported Cricinfo.

Siddle, 41, will work with NSW across their Sheffield Shield matches while continuing to remain part of the Melbourne Stars squad for the Big Bash League (BBL). He joins Peter Forrest and Daniel Smith in Haddin’s coaching team.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be joining the NSW Blues this season," Siddle said, as per Cricinfo. “I’m very much looking forward to the opportunity to mentor this talented crop of players ahead of what will be a massive summer. I can’t wait to get stuck in."

Siddle spent the bulk of his state career with Victoria and also represented Tasmania for three seasons during his playing career.

Johan Botha, meanwhile, will join NSW as a temporary spin consultant after stepping down as Queensland coach earlier this year. His appointment comes as the Blues prepare for Haddin’s first season in charge.

“Peter and Johan joining the Blues set-up shows that we’re committed to having high-quality people around the team," Haddin said.

“Not only does Peter bring a wealth of experience and knowledge, but he exemplifies how we want our cricketers to play the game. We’re confident we have built a well-rounded coaching team ahead of what should be an exciting season for the Blues," he added.

Siddle’s arrival adds experience to an NSW pace group that includes Liam Hatcher, emerging quick Ryan Hadley, allrounder Jack Edwards, Sean Abbott and left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis.

Australia’s frontline trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood also remain part of the state set-up but are generally unavailable for domestic cricket due to international commitments.

NSW will also have several spinners involved in national programmes. Joel Davies is set to tour Zimbabwe and South Africa with Australia’s ODI squad, while Tanveer Sangha is part of the white-ball leg of Australia A’s tour of India.

The Blues will begin their 2026-27 campaign with a One-Day Cup fixture against Queensland on September 22 before opening their Sheffield Shield campaign against Tasmania on October 8. (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.)

[popcorn number="Zero" desc="No. of T20Is India won against Ireland and England recently; they lost six games, while one was washed out" class="Default"]

After a high-profile review meeting at the BCCI’s Wankhede headquarters on Thursday, which was attended by Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, head coach Gautam Gambhir, BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman, BCCI president Mithun Manhas, and secretary Devajit Saikia, the latter admitted that Team India’s away defeats in the recent past have been disappointing.

India lost a T20I series in Ireland (0-2) last June, followed by a 0-4 defeat in five T20Is and a 1-2 loss in ODIs to England a month later, before beating hosts Sri Lanka 1-0 in a two-Test series recently.

“Yes, we did not do well and lost matches in Ireland and also in England in that T20 and ODI series, so we wanted to know the reasons, so that we can do some soul-searching about that. Also, for the future, we have chalked out some strategies when it comes to travelling to any of the SENA countries [South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia],” Saikia said in reply to a question from mid-day.

About the speculation surrounding the future of India’s ODI opener Rohit Sharma, Saikia replied:

“He [Rohit] is playing superbly in all matches. What more do you want?
In the last match [vs England] he scored 138 runs [at Lord’s on July 19]. So, why is there a speculation? I do not want to give fodder to speculators.”

Interestingly, chief selector Ajit Agarkar was a notable absentee at the meeting.

“He [Agarkar] was out of station, so could not be part of the meeting as it was called at a very short notice,” said Saikia.

In the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026 match against Team India, Hong Kong's skipper Natasha Miles has won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.

After winning the toss, Hong Kong's skipper Miles said, "We're going to have a bowl first. I think the conditions would suit that. Very confident with our batting lineup to come out here and chase down any score. So, let's make the most of these conditions. [What is a good total?] I think we've seen, as an average score, it's been about 120 -130. They're obviously a very accomplished side, so, looking at 140, 150, we've had a couple of chases like that this year. So, if we can keep them to 140, 150... [Any changes?] We have two changes. I'm coming in for Dorothea, and Iqra Sahar is coming in. [How big is this occasion?] It's obviously a very exciting occasion. We're playing one of the top teams in the world. They're an incredible side. Obviously, everyone's very excited to see how we can compete against such an incredible side. And, I mean, taking in the occasion and enjoying ourselves, and hopefully we come back to the Asia Cup in the future. [On Alison Siu playing her 100th T20I] She's been a spearhead for our attack for many years now. Always making 100 appearances for your country is an incredible achievement. So, congrats to Alison, and we're happy to have her on the side always and hope she has a great game".

On the other hand, Team India's captain Harmanpreet Kaur said, "We thought of batting first because I personally believe we want to get used to these conditions as soon as possible. [What total are you aiming for?] Well, we are not keeping anything in mind. Let's just go there and execute ourselves in a positive way and let's see what we achieve at the end of the day. [What's your reading of this pitch?] It's a very tricky wicket, and as a batting unit we have to just keep looking at the ball and execute ourselves in a positive way. [What's your playing combination today?] We're going with the same eleven. [What do you expect from Hong Kong, China?] I think they have been playing really good cricket. We have seen they have been very positive in this competition, and we just want to keep doing what we have been doing. And I think (it's an) opportunity for us to play another positive game".

Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026, India vs Hong Kong: Confirmed Playing XIs

India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (WK), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Nandani Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud.

Hong Kong: Natasha Miles (C), Maryam Bibi, Alison Siu, Mariko Hill, Iqra Sahar, Joyleen Kaur, Marina Lamplough, Yasmin Daswani (WK), Ruchita Venkatesh, Shanzeen Shahzad, Kary Chan.