Category Sports

One rainy Saturday reshaped the Premier League season. Nicolas Jackson's double ended Manchester City's perfect start at the ground that has haunted them for four years, Arsenal did an efficient job on Everton without Bukayo Saka, and at Stamford Bridge a 21-year-old goalkeeper's howler and Cole Palmer's first-ever red card handed Tottenham a win for only the second time in 42 visits.

Kimi Antonelli blew Max Verstappen off the line in Austin and never looked back. His ninth win of the season means that unless George Russell or Lewis Hamilton win in Mexico City, the 20-year-old is world champion — the youngest in Formula 1 history, and Italy's first since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

The milestone was hiding inside a rescue act. Chasing 181 in Christchurch, India were 70 for five and sinking — until Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy dragged them home with one ball left. That win was India's 200th outright victory in T20 internationals, something no team had ever done, and it opened a 24-win gap on Pakistan, who got to 300 matches first but are converting far fewer of them into wins.

The broadcaster had already flashed "England win by 20 runs". The handshakes were done. And then the third umpire found a small spike on UltraEdge: Shadab Khan, given out LBW on 97 with Pakistan nine down, had got an inside edge. The reprieve produced an unbeaten 113 — the highest score by a No. 8 in ODI history — and an 89-run last-wicket stand that broke a record older than the World Cup itself.

India sent 168 athletes to Aichi-Nagoya, barely half the squad that went to Hangzhou — and returned with more medals than ever before: 114, including 30 gold, and a best-ever fourth place. Three world records fell, Sumit Antil led an Indian podium sweep, and Mona Agarwal won a world-record gold with a rented rifle. This was not an incremental step. It was a statement.

For 20 minutes in Paris, PV Sindhu did what almost nobody has done all year: she took a game off An Se Young. She even led the decider 8-5. Then the world No. 1 produced the kind of nine-point surge that has built a 50-match winning streak — and Sindhu was left with pride, positives, and an 0-11 record against the one player she cannot crack.

The ACC has confirmed the Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026 schedule, and the fixture everyone wanted is locked in: India A vs Pakistan A on November 22 in Doha. Pakistan A won this tournament last year — including an eight-wicket rout of India A. The rematch writes itself.

New Zealand posted 208/6 in Raipur — and it was nowhere near enough. Ishan Kishan's 21-ball fifty and Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten 82 powered India home with 28 balls to spare, a record for any 200-plus chase.

New Zealand posted 225/4 — their highest T20I total at home — and still lost. India's chase, finished by Sanju Samson and Naman Dhir with two balls to spare, was a Christchurch classic.

Five-day matches were supposed to die in the T20 era. Instead, attacking batting, result pitches and social-media storytelling are pulling a new generation in.