New Delhi, Nov 18: Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra spoke in depth about India’s transition struggles in the red-ball format and how the Shubman Gill-led side has been trying different permutations and combinations to get a settled long-term XI. He said that while India drawing the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar trophy in England earlier this year was encouraging, the team is still experiencing ‘labour pains before new growth emerges.’

Chopra discussed India’s current transition in Test cricket on JioStar, providing an in-depth analysis as he said, “Transition is always painful, though the England series temporarily hid this harsh reality due to unusual English pitch conditions. While drawing that series felt encouraging, we must acknowledge we’re still in the labour pains before new growth emerges.”

Adding further about the uncertainties in the team’s playing XI, he said, “The number three position remains unsettled – we’ve seen Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair, and now Washington Sundar batting there. Dhruv Jurel shows promise but has played only five Tests. Role clarity remains a concern. Is Sundar primarily a batter or bowler when he only delivered one over? We faced similar uncertainty with Nitesh Kumar Reddy recently. Rather than pretending we’re a finished product, we must accept this transition continues and will involve challenging phases before achieving stability.”

India suffered a disappointing 30-run defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded first Test of the two-match series in Kolkata on Sunday, raising questions about the players’ preparation and mindset ahead of a home game. While the pitch and the pitch curator faced criticism after the match ended in the second session of Day 3, head coach Gautam Gambhir clarified that the team received exactly the kind of pitch they had requested.

Chopra further spoke on India’s pitch preparation strategy after their Test defeat, saying, “Our practice sessions should feel like real match conditions. Players like Pant and Jurel needed time on rank turners, and someone like Gill, coming from bouncy Australian pitches, needed that adjustment too.

“Pitch preparation isn’t an exact science, but we still need to ask whether extreme turning tracks are the best way for us to win. When a Test ends in two and a half days, it shows something isn’t balanced. With four spinners compared to their two, why bring the contest down to their level? We’ve seen this happen against New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa before. If this becomes our only home strategy, then every batsman will need very different and specific preparation just to cope.”

When the pitch was dubbed difficult to bat on, South African skipper Temba Bavuma put up a terrific knock with the bat and scored a remarkable half-century, which was the turning point in the game as his knock, coupled with the bowlers’ brilliance, helped the visitors go one up in the series.

On the pitch debate through statistical evidence, Chopra noted, “Exceptions define the norm, and Temba Bavuma’s fifty stands as the exception among 38 wickets that fell in this match. If batting were straightforward, multiple players would have scored heavily, not just one batter. While Bavuma’s performance deserves credit, the reality remains that only one person succeeded where others failed. Learning through victory feels rewarding, but learning through defeat creates bigger challenges for team development.”

The second and final Test will be played from November 22 in Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium.

Bengaluru, Nov 15: India advanced to the semi-finals of the Cricket for the Blind 2025 Women’s T20 World Cup with a commanding ten-wicket win over the USA.

In only their sixth match of the tournament, India secured their fourth consecutive win, defeating the USA by ten wickets in a contest that was as symbolic as it was one-sided.

For the USA Women’s Blind Cricket Team, this was a remarkable occasion. As they made their World Cup debut, the team was assembled from scratch over the past year, shaped through an unprecedented developmental partnership with Indian institutions that identified, trained, and nurtured visually impaired cricketers across the United States.

Opting to bat first, USA fought hard but were limited to 60/8 in 20 overs, owing to India’s disciplined bowling and sharp fielding. Tatyana (17 off 41, B2) and Caroline (12 off 26, B2) demonstrated resilience against a relentless attack, but wickets kept falling as India’s bowlers kept tight lines and created pressure throughout.

Simranjeet Kour (B2), Sunita Srathe (B2), Simu Das (B1), and Ganga Kadam (B3) each picked up a wicket, while India’s fielders contributed with multiple run-outs — a testament to their coordination across all categories.

What followed was an extraordinary display of batting authority. Chasing just 61, India romped home in 3.3 overs without losing a wicket. Player of the Match Simranjeet Kour blasted an unbeaten 31 off 12 balls (B2), while Kavya N.R (B3) complemented her with a swift 21 off 12*, sealing the match in minutes. The gulf in experience showed, yet the spirit displayed by the young USA side reflected the courage and commitment fueling their rise on the global stage.

India now turn their attention to what promises to be one of the marquee fixtures of the tournament: a high-voltage showdown against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday in Colombo.

Lucknow, Nov 14: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Friday, met the state’s World Cup winning Women’s Cricket Team player Deepti Sharma and also led a Cabinet meeting which took 20 key decisions, including one on easing the registration process for old age pension, an official said.

Sharma, who is serving as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the state, was praised by Chief Minister Adityanath for her good performance in the World Cricket final and winning the Player of the Tournament award.

“Deepti has done the Uttar Pradesh Police proud at the world stage,” CM Adityanath had tweeted soon after the women’s cricket team lifted the World Cup on November 2.

Cricketer Deepti Sharma was earlier appointed as DSP in January this year under the sports quota as part of Chief Minister Adityanath’s Skilled Athlete Scheme.

During the Cabinet meeting held at the CM residence on Friday, CM Adityanath led his Ministers in congratulating the women’s cricket team for winning the World Cup.

The Cabinet also condemned the fatal Delhi blast on November 10.

A key decision taken at the meeting relates to saving the elderly the trouble of running around for pension.

The Cabinet decided that the social welfare department will deploy call-centre executives to contact and seek consent of the beneficiary and fill their forms online through common service centres.

The forms will be verified using family IDs before the release of their pension, saving the elderly to run around to complete formalities.

As a pilot project, the scheme will be tried in five districts, including Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Hardoi, Kannauj and Lalitpur, an official said.

In the existing system, an online application by an elderly person seeking pension needs the verification by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and village Block Development Officer before an approval from the District Magistrate-led Committee.

An official said the proposed new system will speed up the entire process.

The scheme will benefit all elderly over the age of 60 with an annual income of Rs 56,460 or less in urban areas and Rs 46,080 or less in rural areas.

The Cabinet also approved a scheme to provide car loan to employees of judicial services.

Other Cabinet decisions included approval for a private university in Shahjahanpur and beneficial rate revision for cane procurement.