Smriti Mandhana ready to take over India Women’s captaincy, spells ou…

India women’s cricket team star Smriti Mandhana is ready take over the reins from Harmanpreet Kaur as the captain across formats of the game. The highest run-getter among the current lot, the batter from Maharashtra currently serves as the vice-captain. It has been ten years since Harmanpreet became the captain of the Indian team, and it is about time she paves way for a new leader.

Smriti Mandhana ready to become India captain

In an interview with the Times of India, Mandhana responded to a question on her willingness to accept captaincy amid talks of leadership change with an optimistic, “Yes, of course. I’m ready.” The batter has captained India Women in 4 ODIs and 18 T20Is. Her most commendable run as captain came in the Women’s Premier League as she led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to two WPL titles (2024 and 2026). hilogame.news

Meanwhile, Kaur led India to their maiden ODI World Cup title last year. The T20 World Cup earlier in June was a golden opportunity for India Women to add another trophy to their cabinet. However, that was not to be as they were knocked out of the tournament in the group stage after losing to Australia and South Africa.

On being asked about India’s failed T20 WC campaign, Smriti Mandhana pointed out that the team had repeated mistakes made in the past and had failed to make corrections, leading to their campgain being derailed. She stated that there was a need to have a clear roadmap leading to the next T20 World Cup in 2028.

“It’s important to introspect and learn from mistakes. Unfortunately, we haven’t learnt enough from our past errors and have continued to repeat them. Going forward, there needs to be a clear roadmap until the 2028 T20 World Cup on how we want to approach the format and what we need to do as a team,” Mandhana pointed out.

Mandhana also spoke about her philosophy as a captain and stated that she believes in creating a positive team culture.

“For me, creating a positive team culture is most important. Every player should feel comfortable expressing themselves and being who they are. When people feel valued and trusted, they tend to perform better,” Mandhana added.

The post Smriti Mandhana ready to take over India Women’s captaincy, spells out her roadmap as leader appeared first on Inside Sport India.

Atlanta (Georgia) [US], July 15 (ANI): Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni brushed aside criticism of his side’s performances at the FIFA World Cup 2026, insisting the defending champions have earned their place in the semi-finals and are fully focused on overcoming England to reach another final, reported ESPN.

Argentina will take on England in a blockbuster last-four clash in Atlanta on Wednesday (local time), with the winners advancing to face Spain in the World Cup final at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19.

Speaking ahead of the contest, Scaloni defended his team’s displays after questions were raised over Argentina’s performances despite a perfect record of six wins from six matches.

“The team isn’t playing as bad as people say. We must have done something right to reach this stage," Scaloni said, according to ESPN.

The World Cup-winning coach praised his players for maintaining Argentina’s remarkable run of success over the past few years.

“I’m grateful to the players. They’ve led us to three titles and now another semifinal. We’re just one step away, and we’re going to give it our all to get there."

Argentina topped Group J with victories over Algeria, Austria and Jordan before overcoming Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland in the knockout rounds. While the defending champions needed extra time to beat both Cape Verde and Switzerland, they also staged a dramatic comeback from 2-0 down to defeat Egypt in the Round of 16.

Scaloni admitted that the style of play is secondary at this stage of the competition, with results taking precedence.

“Honestly, I don’t dwell on whether we’re in the exact way I wanted to play," Scaloni said, as per ESPN. “Because a month-and-a-half ago, I would have jumped at the chance to be in a World Cup semifinal, getting there however possible."

He added, “It doesn’t matter to me. So, the state we’re in doesn’t matter. I have no complaints. Whether we’re tired or not, it makes no difference. We’re in a World Cup semifinal. Now, I’m incredibly excited; we all are happy. We look at the condition we’re in, and we’re ready to play the match."

Wednesday’s encounter will mark Argentina’s fourth consecutive World Cup semi-final appearance, following runs to the last four in 2014, 2018 and their triumphant campaign in Qatar in 2022. Scaloni’s side has also captured back-to-back Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024.

The match also revives one of football’s fiercest rivalries, but Scaloni insisted political history, including the 1982 Falklands War, has no place in the sporting contest.

“The reality is that this is a football match. I can’t mix things up, especially out of respect for what happened so many years ago," Scaloni said.

He continued, “It was a very sad period in our history, and there isn’t much we can do about it, that’s the reality."

“It is a football match. There’s no getting around that. Things are happening elsewhere in the world, and we criticise the existence of war, so for me to start saying this is anything more than a football match… it seems crazy to me. We certainly remember those people, of course. But it is a football match; we shouldn’t confuse the two," he concluded.

England, meanwhile, reached the semi-finals after coming from behind to beat Norway 2-1 after extra time in the quarter-finals. Thomas Tuchel’s side are seeking their first World Cup final since their 1966 triumph, while Argentina will look to extend their 12-match winning streak at the World Cup and move one step closer to successfully defending their title. (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.)

भारत के पूर्व विकेटकीपर-बल्लेबाज़ दिनेश कार्तिक का मानना है कि हेड कोच गौतम गंभीर और चीफ़ सिलेक्टर अजीत अगरकर के बीच मतभेद हो सकते हैं. उनका कहना है कि अलग-अलग प्राथमिकताओं की वजह से ही UK के हालिया T20I दौरे के दौरान भारत के सिलेक्शन से जुड़े फ़ैसले प्रभावित हुए होंगे.

कप्तान श्रेयस अय्यर की कप्तानी में भारत का प्रदर्शन निराशाजनक रहा. टीम आयरलैंड के खिलाफ़ दो मैचों की सीरीज़ 0-2 से हार गई और फिर इंग्लैंड के खिलाफ़ पांच मैचों की T20I सीरीज़ में उसे 0-4 से हार का सामना करना पड़ा. इस प्रदर्शन के कारण गंभीर पर सवाल उठ रहे हैं. साथ ही संजू सैमसन और युवा सनसनी वैभव सूर्यवंशी को जिस तरह से टीम में शामिल किया गया और बाहर किया गया, उस पर काफी चर्चा है.

इंग्लैंड के खिलाफ टीम इंडिया की वनडे क्रिकेट में लगातार छठी जीत, बन गए ये बड़े रिकॉर्ड्स

स्काई स्पोर्ट्स क्रिकेट पॉडकास्ट पर बात करते हुए दिनेश कार्तिक ने कहा कि लगातार हो रहे बदलावों से ऐसा लगता है कि टीम मैनेजमेंट और सिलेक्शन कमिटी के बीच तालमेल की कमी हो सकती है. कार्तिक ने कहा, "चीफ़ सेलेक्टर और हेड कोच के बीच थोड़ी अनबन है. मुझे लगता है कि अगरकर के पास लंबे समय के प्लान हैं, जबकि मौजूदा कोच का कहना है, 'मैं हर मैच जीतना चाहता हूं.' इसी वजह से हमें यह उलझन देखने को मिल रही है. क्या यह खिलाड़ियों के लिए सही है? बिल्कुल नहीं."

उन्होंने यह भी कहा कि भारत की टीम में खिलाड़ियों की इतनी बड़ी संख्या होने से उन खिलाड़ियों पर दबाव और बढ़ जाता है जो टीम में अपनी जगह पक्की करने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं. उन्होंने आगे कहा, "मतलब, अगर आप भारत से हैं तो सोचिए कि आपके पास कितनी मज़बूत बेंच स्ट्रेंथ है? हर कोई यही सोचता है कि अगर मेरे कुछ मैच खराब गए तो कोई भी मेरी जगह ले सकता है. ऊपर से जब ऐसी चीज़ें होती हैं तो यह निश्चित रूप से एक ऐसी स्थिति बन जाती है जिसके बारे में भारत को पता होना चाहिए और इसे जल्द से जल्द ठीक करना चाहिए."

टीम इंडिया की पहले वनडे में जीत
भारत ने इंग्लैंड को पहले वनडे में 6 विकेट से हराकर 3 मैचों की वनडे सीरीज में 1-0 की बढ़त हासिल कर ली. जसप्रीत बुमराह के आने से टीम इंडिया की गेंदबाजी में धार नजर आई, 80 पर इंग्लैंड की आधी टीम पवेलियन लौट गई थी. इंग्लैंड ने भारत के सामने 259 रनों का लक्ष्य रखा, जिसका पीछा करते हुए टीम इंडिया को कोई दिक्कत नहीं हुई. शुभमन गिल ने शानदार पारी खेली, हालांकि वह अपना शतक पूरा नहीं कर सके और उन्हें रिटायर्ड हर्ट होकर मैदान से बाहर जाना पड़ा. विराट कोहली और रोहित शर्मा पहले मैच में फ्लॉप रहे.

IND vs ENG ODI: भारत की जीत के 5 हीरो, रोहित-विराट फेल; शुभमन गिल समेत ये पड़े इंग्लैंड पर भारी

India cricket team finally opened their account in the ongoing tour to England as they beat the hosts by 6 wickets in the 1st ODI. While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed to perform, captain Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar led India to a comfortable win. Meanwhile, India head coach Gautam Gambhir has been accused of being in conflict with chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Reports also suggest that Ryan ten Doeschate – a handpicked member by Gambhir – is set to leave the Indian team. On that note, let’s take a look at the top headlines from Tuesday.

Ro-Ko fail in ENG vs IND 1st ODI

Ahead of the ENG vs IND 1st ODI, Rohit hadn’t played an ODI or competitive match in a month, and it showed. Kohli was playing his first game since IPL 2026. Rohit just never got going during his 21-ball stay in the middle in the India vs England 1st ODI. He managed to score just 11 runs during his short stay. Kohli’s case was perhaps more so about just rust. Unlike Rohit, his intent has gone up in the last 12 months. But the delivery he was dismissed off was a ball to which he’d hit a four. It was a straight ball on the middle stump from Jofra Archer. Read more here.

Gambhir vs Agarkar

Dinesh Karthik has opined that there seems to be a friction between head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar when it comes to the team selection in the shortest format of the game. His remarks come after India were handed a 0-4 defeat by England in the five-match series, that came right after the historic series loss to Ireland. Karthik pointed out that such friction between the coach and the chief selector wasn’t good for the players and that it needs to be rectified soon. Read more here.

MS Dhoni to become CSK coach?

MS Dhoni is most likely to play a vital role in IPL 2027 for CSK after Stephen Fleming’s sacking as the head coach. On Monday, the five-time champions decided to part ways with the former New Zealand cricketer after 18 long years, thereby commencing their hunt for a new coach. As per reports, the decision to let go of Fleming was taken after a review of the performances of the franchises across leagues. Meanwhile, Dhoni’s future is uncertain and it remains to be seen if he will continue as a player or take up a coaching role. Read more here. Read more here.

Latest cricket news

• 
  DRS, July 15: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli flop as India win, Gambhir vs Agarkar, MS Dhoni’s vital role for CSK in IPL 2027
• 
  India wins first match of UK tour, Shubman Gill & Axar Patel shine on Jasprit Bumrah’s ODI return
• 
  Shubman Gill retires hurt due to cramps, but not before making most of happy-hunting ground Edgbaston

Ryan ten Doeschate to leave India?

Even though there has been no formal announcement about the same, but India assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate looks all set to leave the team, by the end of the India vs England ODIs on July 19. Many reports suggest that he may be taking this decision to spend more time with his young family. But then, as per a report in the Times of India, the reason could be something else. The ex Netherlands all-rounder could be leaving, as his position as the fielding coach could never materialise. Read more here.

Team India want rotation policy

The Indian cricket team management is engaging in efforts to bring a rotation policy to the ODI side in the build up to the 2027 ODI World Cup. This development comes ahead of the ENG vs IND ODI series, which will serve as an important stage for the preparation for the marquee event next year. As per reports, the team management is currently attempting to convince senior cricketers Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul to accept the policy as it would allow the team to test other young players before the WC in South Africa next year. Read more here.

India beat England

It took 8 matches for Team India to register their first win on the UK tour, after having lost to Ireland 0-2 and England 0-4 in the T20Is. Now, come the ODIs on Tuesday, India beat England by six wickets; all due to Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 80, and similar fifties by Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Bumrah returned with 1 wicket, Gurnoor Brar bagged 2 along with Prasidh Krishna. Read more here.

The post DRS, July 15: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli flop as India win, Gambhir vs Agarkar, MS Dhoni’s vital role for CSK in IPL 2027 appeared first on Inside Sport India.