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Saina, Sindhu start against Danish opponents in Indonesia Masters

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India’s former world No. 1 Saina Nehwal, who missed the action in the Uber Cup and crashed out early from the Thailand Open, will return to the circuit with the Indonesia Masters, a Super 500 event on the BWF World Tour, to be held from June 7-12 at Jakarta.

Saina, who was not included in the Uber Cup squad as she did not participate in the trials conducted by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) in April, will open her Indonesia Masters campaign against Denmark’s Line Hoejmark Kjaersfeldt in the first round. Saina is ranked 23rd in the world while her Danish opponent is 33rd.

If she manages to beat Kjaersfeldt, Saina will run into old rival and nemesis Carolina Marin of Spain, the 2016 Olympic gold medallist. Marin, who is seeded third, starts her campaign in Indonesia Masters against a qualifier.

PV Sindhu, the other Indian to make the main draw of this USD 360,000 prize money event, will also start her campaign against a Danish player — Line Christophersen. Seeded fourth, Sindhu had reached the semifinals at the Thailand Open, her previous outing in the circuit, before losing to Yu Fei Chen of China.

In the men’s singles, four Indians — Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Sameer Verma and Parupalli Kashyap — have made it to the main draw. Lakshya, the World Championship bronze medallist who helped India win a historic title in Thomas Cup, will open his campaign against Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus of Denmark.

Prannoy, another key member of the Thomas Cup-winning team, will start with a first-round clash with Rasmus Gemke, the player he defeated in the must-win third singles match as India defeated Denmark 3-2 in the Thomas Cup semifinals. If they win their opening matches, Prannoy and Lakshya will clash to decide a place in the quarterfinals.

Kashyap is in the top half of the draw and will open his campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei. If he wins, he may run into world No. 1 and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the second round.

National News

1st Test: Jadeja, Kuldeep, Siraj strike as India eye innings win, reduce WI to 66/5

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Ahmedabad, Oct 4: Ravindra Jadeja continued his dream run in the longer format with figures of 3-30, while Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj struck with a scalp each as India tightened their march towards an innings win over the West Indies in the first Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday.

At lunch on day three, India have left the West Indies reeling at 66/5 in 27 overs, with the visitors’ still trailing by 220 runs and the prospect of an innings defeat looming large. Jadeja has a chance to pick a five-for after hitting an unbeaten 104, as India declared their first innings at 448/5 in 128 overs before day three got underway.

After not opting to give Nitish Kumar Reddy a hit with the bat and instead pushing for a swift finish, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj set the tone with a probing new-ball spell. Siraj also produced a snorter to beat Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s edge before dismissing him with a short ball.

The wicket was also made possible due to Nitish’s athleticism at square leg – diving full stretch to pouch a stunning catch airborne – something which can become a viral Instagram reel in what was an exceptional session of catching for India.

Jadeja then took over to remove John Campbell with a ball that drifted in and took the outside edge via extra bounce to forward short leg. He followed it up with a clever change in flight to trap Brandon King, who had earlier driven him for four but was lured into a mistimed poke to slip.

Kuldeep chipped in with the dismissal of Roston Chase – beating him with a legbreak that didn’t turn before crashing into off-stump. Jadeja had his third wicket of the session when Shai Hope was undone by extra bounce on a backfoot cut and Yashasvi Jaiswal held on to a sharp chance at backward point.

Amidst the procession, young Alick Athanaze stood tall by showcasing his skill against spin with decisive footwork and calculated strokeplay. His reverse sweeps and cover drives led him to be unbeaten on 27, while Justin Greaves showed some resistance at the other end to be not out on 10. It would be interesting to see for how long West Indies can fight it out in the face of a relentless Indian bowling line-up.

Brief Scores: West Indies 162 and 66/5 in 27 overs (Alick Athanaze 27 not out, John Campbell 14; Ravindra Jadeja 3-30, Kuldeep Yadav 1-15) lead India 448/5 dec in 128 overs (Dhruv Jurel 125, Ravindra Jadeja 104 not out; Roston Chase 2-90, Jayden Seales 1-53) by 220 runs.

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National News

1st Test: Jurel, Jadeja’s fifties swell India’s lead to 164 runs at tea against West Indies

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Ahmedabad, Oct 3: Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja struck unbeaten fifties to help India extend their lead to 164 runs at tea on day two of the first Test against West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.

At tea, India reached 326/4 in 96 overs, with Jurel and Jadeja unbeaten on 68 and 50, respectively, with their unbroken 108-run stand steering the hosts into a commanding position.

The session began with a brief window of hope for the West Indies as Jomel Warrican removed centurion KL Rahul for exactly 100 in the very first over after lunch. Rahul’s dismissal – of being caught at cover attempting a loose drive – was reminiscent of his lapse in the Hyderabad Test against England in 2024, a moment that had turned the tide in that match.

But this time, India didn’t let the momentum slip, thanks to Jurel, who peppered the square of the off-side region with boundaries. Jadeja, meanwhile, launched four sixes off Warrican by using his feet to neutralise the left-arm spinner’s threat.

Jurel, getting a chance to play due to Rishabh Pant being injured, showcased a blend of composure and class while handling both reverse swing and spin with maturity. His defence was tested by Jayden Seales, who found movement with the older ball, but he held firm, and grew in confidence after surviving an lbw appeal.

West Indies’ decision to delay the second new ball raised eyebrows, as persisting with the old ball allowed India to dictate terms.

Warrican offered variations and challenged the batters with changes in pace and trajectory. But Jadeja’s footwork and aggression kept him at bay. Jurel, fresh off a 140 against Australia A, looked every bit a solid batter in his strokeplay and defence, as 108 runs came off the second session for the loss of Rahul.

With six wickets in hand and two set batters at the crease on a pitch showing signs of crumbling, India will look to accelerate post-tea. West Indies, who have still held back from taking the new ball, need a breakthrough soon to prevent the game from going out of their reach.

Brief Scores: West Indies 162 in 44.1 overs (Justin Greaves 32; Mohammed Siraj 4-40) lead India 326/4 in 96 overs (KL Rahul 100, Dhruv Jurel 68 not out; Roston Chase 2-63, Jayden Seales 1-46) by 164 runs

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National News

IND vs WI, 1st Test: Mohammed Siraj Overtakes Mitchell Starc For Major Record In WTC 2025-27

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Mohammed Siraj continued his sensational red-ball form by delivering a fiery spell on Day 1 of the first Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium, and in the process, broke Mitchell Starc’s record for the most Test wickets in 2025 among World Test Championship (WTC) teams.Siraj’s four-wicket haul on Thursday took his tally to 31 Test wickets this calendar year, overtaking Starc’s 29.

The Hyderabad pacer struck early and hard, removing Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Alick Athanaze, and Brandon King before lunch. He returned later in the session to dismiss Roston Chase, leaving the West Indies struggling at 105/6. Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav also chipped in with a wicket each, adding to India’s dominance.

Siraj is also leading the way in the 2025–2027 WTC cycle, now with 27 wickets to his name more than any other bowler. Impressively, he’s the only bowler in this cycle to have taken two four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls, showcasing his consistency and impact.

This remarkable run comes after a successful tour of England earlier this year, where he topped the wicket charts with 23 wickets in the series. Despite being controversially dropped from India’s Asia Cup squad, Siraj has responded in the best way possible by letting the ball do the talking.

Mohammed Siraj emerged as the pick of the bowlers with four wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah snared three as Team India bowled the West Indies out for 162 on Day 1 in Ahmedabad. West Indies’ innings lasted 44.1 overs as only six of their batters made it to double figures as Justin Greaves top-scored with 32.

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