Shubman Gill’s special preparation to counter reverse swing ahead of …

The Indian team management is leaving no stone unturned as far as preparations are concerned ahead of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. And leading the way is captain Shubman Gill. The Indian captain had a special net session at the Nondescripts Cricket Club on Monday to counter a hint of reverse swing on offer in the first Test match in Galle, starting from August 15. amunra.help

The entire Indian squad turned up for the optional practice session, with the exception of three frontline pacers, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar. There was a specific instruction from the Indian team management to the ground staff at the NCC to keep the same wicket ready on which the three-day practice game took place. It was tailor-made to replicate a Day 4 surface with cracks and also a hint of reverse swing. It was deliberately done to improve the defensive technique and footwork of the batters against all four spinners in the Test squad, including the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain. Apart from the centre-wicket match simulation practice, there was another wicket where the batters took throw-downs.

After being involved in warm-up drills, Shubman headed straight to the practice net to take knocks from three throw-down specialists, Nuwan Seneviratne, Raghavedra Dwivedi and Dayanand Garani. There were a variety of Kookaburra balls, from new to old and semi-old ones. All three throw-down specialists were instructed by the Indian captain to use specifically semi-old balls so that there was a hint of reverse swing. Following the 20-minute throw-down session, the Indian captain walked to the centre pitch to face Auqib Nabi. The Jammu & Kashmir pacer was also instructed to bowl with semi-old balls so that there was some reverse swing.

The Indian team management has specifically carried a variety of Kookaburra balls to the island nation, as the upcoming Test series will be played with the same. Unlike Australia, where Test matches are played at venues with lush green outfields, where the new ball takes considerable time to lose its shine, conditions in Sri Lanka and the abrasive pitches can speed up the scuffing process.

Gill had previously missed the first two days of the warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI due to an impact injury to his right ring finger. The Indian captain returned to the middle on the third and final day, opening the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in India’s second innings. He scored a fluent 54-ball knock.

The first Test begins on August 15 at the Galle International Cricket Stadium, with the second Test scheduled to be played at the SSC Ground in Colombo from August 23.

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Mohor Chaudhuri, Delhi

The Shooting National Trials, organised by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) in New Delhi on August 10, witnessed a mix of stellar performances, unexpected setbacks and closely fought battles as India’s shooters looked to make an early statement and strengthen their averages and ranking points.

The day witnessed three important finals, the men’s and women’s 10m air rifle, along with the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol.

In the men’s 10m air rifle final, Kiran Ankush Jadhav emerged on top after an intense contest, securing the number one position with a score of 251.9.

Three-time ISSF World Cup gold medallist Arjun Babuta followed him closely behind, just 0.1 points adrift. Parth Makhija completed the podium with a total of 230.7.

For some of the shooters in India’s Asian Games squad, however, the day did not produce the expected results. Rudrankksh Patil failed to qualify for the final, while Himanshu Talan made it through but could only finish sixth.

The women’s 10m air rifle final, on the other hand, saw Shambhavi Shravan continue her impressive run of consistency. After topping the qualification round, Shambhavi also finished first in the final with a score of 252.8.

West Bengal’s Mehuli Ghosh claimed second place with 252.0, while Lavanya Rawat finished third with 229.6.

The day concluded with the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol final, which proved to be a tense affair, filled with pressure moments and some unexpected turns.

Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu of Punjab came out on top with 29 shots, followed by Udhayveer Sidhu with 28 and Suraj Sharma with 24.

With ranking points, averages and selection implications in play, the coming rounds promise to bring even more intensity to the National Trials.

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India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak praised left-handed top-order batter Devdutt Padikkal for hitting an exquisite unbeaten 142 in the team’s six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Cricket XI in their three-day warm-up match, and called his knock ‘really good.’

Padikkal hitting 18 boundaries in his knock comes as a big relief for India in terms of filling number three slot, especially with B Sai Sudharsan ruled out due to his ongoing big right toe recovery. "I think Devdutt batted really well. For me, Devdutt’s innings was really good," Kotak told bcci.tv in a video on Monday.

India chased down a target of 207 runs in the final session on day three to wrap up a productive outing ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka starting on August 15 in Galle. Reflecting on the fixture, Kotak stated that game time outweighed standard practice routines.

“I think it was very good and productive because practicing in nets for four more days won’t be as productive as playing the practice match. Bowlers bowled with good intensity. We actually tried everyone, even bowlers, got to bat. All the bowlers got enough loading that is required. So, it’s been very good.”

Barring Auqib Nabi, who bowled five overs, all specialist bowlers got through nearly 18 to 20 overs across the fixture, while barring him and Prasidh Krishna, all got chances to bat. Kotak also highlighted the work ethic of the seamers on a flat pitch and the lower-order six-hitting by Mohammed Siraj and Gurnoor Brar as a major positive.

“The way Gurnoor also bowled, and our fast bowlers put a lot of effort on the wicket where there was nothing. All in all, it was a very good practice match, but for me Devdutt's innings also was really good,” he added.

Meanwhile, after being named as Sudharsan’s replacement, right-handed batter Sarfaraz Khan has joined the Indian team in their practice session at the NCC Ground on Monday. In the practice session, all batters turned up while Nabi was the only seamer to come to the ground.

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New Delhi [India], August 11 (ANI): India’s two-time Olympic medalist and former world champion PV Sindhu hailed the “uniquely Indian" efforts being put in for the successful organisation of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Championships in New Delhi, saying that while people can laugh at the solution, the effort has to be appreciated.

Replying to a post by a journalist reporting that people mimicking langur sounds will be used to keep away monkeys from the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, the venue of the competition, Sindhu said that while this “uniquely Indian" solution could be laughed at, the wider effort put into improving things should be appreciated and pointed out the “warmth, spirit and hospitality" of India that will be on display during the tournament.

“You can laugh at the solution, but you have to love the effort. So many people are working behind the scenes to make sure India is ready to welcome the world. Our solutions may be uniquely Indian, but so are our warmth, our spirit and our hospitality. Can’t wait for the badminton world to experience it all in Delhi. See you soon!" posted Sindhu on X.

You can laugh at the solution, but you have to love the effort

So many people are working behind the scenes to make sure India is ready to welcome the world. Our solutions may be uniquely Indian, but so are our warmth, our spirit and our hospitality.

Can’t wait for the… https://t.co/ORDFuAkITL

— PV Sindhu (@Pvsindhu1) August 10, 2026

The championships will take place at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from August 17 to 23. The same arena was used during the India Open earlier this year in January and faced criticism from visiting players over alleged poor conditions at the arena. Instances of bird droppings and monkeys being spotted during matches were also witnessed.

Then world number two shuttler Anders Antonsen pulled out of the tournament for the third successive year due to “extreme pollution". Denmark shuttler Mia Blitchfeldt also criticised the conditions at the playing arena as “simply unacceptable and highly unprofessional", which made focusing on the performance tough.

Speaking ahead of the tournament during the stadium tour for the mediapersons, Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary Sanjay Mishra said to ANI that all the issues that occured during the India Open would not take place again.

“We are satisfied with the arrangements. Work has been done to address the issues that arose during the India Open, and I believe the BWF is now confident that no such problems will occur during the World Championships. It is a massive event–not just for badminton enthusiasts, but a source of great pride for the entire nation–that the Badminton World Championships are being held here after seventeen years. While badminton fans are certainly excited, I believe followers of other sports are also eager for the matches to begin," said Mishra.

In one of the most exciting first-round matches, the Asian Championships silver medallist Ayush Shetty will be pitted against defending champion and top seed Shi Yuqi of China. In the men’s doubles draw, fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have a bye in the opening round and will play the winners of the match between Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle of Scotland and Thailand’s Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn and Worrapol Thongsa-Nga.

While India is aiming to win multiple medals on their home turf, all eyes would be on five-time world championships medallist PV Sindhu, who has struck form in the run-up to the Championships by winning the Japan Open last month.

Sindhu has managed to avoid the likes of world number one An Se Young of South Korea and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan before the medal rounds. Though placed in the same half as Young, Sindhu is likely to meet China’s third seed Wang Zhi Yi in the pre-quarterfinals with a possible last eight clash against sixth seed Putri Wardani of Indonesia.

For Satwik and Chirag, the first real challenge is expected to come from the 12th-seeded Indonesian pair of Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin, who reached the finals of the Indonesia Open in June this year.

In mixed doubles, the 15th-seeded Indian combination of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have a bye in the opening round and their first real test could come in the round of 16 where they are likely to face sixth seeds Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui of China.

Their compatriots Rohan Kapoor and G Ruthvika Shivani will be up against Canada’s Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai, with top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping of China waiting for them in the second round.

In the women’s doubles, two-time All England semi-finalists Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly will be up against Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez of Spain in the first round, with USA’s 16th seeds Lauren Lam and Allison Lee waiting for them in the second round.

Debutants Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam will kick off their campaign against Nikol Carulla and Carmen Jimenez of Spain, and if they clear that hurdle, then they will face five-time European champions Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva in the second round.

The second Indian men’s doubles pair of MR Arjun and Hariharan are also in the second half of the draw and will kick off their campaign against Ireland’s Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds. (ANI)

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