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PC- Debasis Sen, RevSportz At this rate, the first Test between India and Sri Lanka here in Galle could be heading for a four-day finish. This is despite the fact that a significant amount of play has already been lost in this game due to rain. At lunch on Day 3, the hosts were on 99/5 after India were bowled out for 462 in their first innings.   Has the pitch deteriorated significantly? No. It’s taking a bit of turn, which is expected on a third-day surface. Is the bowling unplayable? The answer once again is a no, notwithstanding that Manav Suthar is looking promising. Sri Lanka’s batting so far has been poor, temperament and execution-wise.   Sample this: From the Fort End, Suthar bowled almost a half-tracker to Lahiru Udara. By then, the Sri Lankan opener had a 44-ball stay at the crease. Yes, the ball bounced a bit, but it still had ‘hit-me’ written all over it. Udara hit it straight to Yashasvi Jaiswal at backward point to perish. It was a bonus wicket f...

Image :Debasis Sen Vaibhav Tripathi, Galle Two days of Test cricket have already seen the loss of at least 64 overs and valuable playing time, as the first Test between India and Sri Lanka has been a rain-marred affair so far. On the first day, the rain gods made a short appearance, which still took an hour and a half out of the day’s action. By the end of the first day, India were on top, thanks to a 100-plus-run partnership between Devdutt Padikkal and KL Rahul. The former scored his maiden international hundred on his comeback, while the latter made a fifty. On Day 2, Sri Lanka roared back by taking seven wickets on a fast-moving day, as India managed to get past 450 with one wicket left. Only 43 overs of play were possible due to persistent rain right from the start of Day 2. It continued until 2:20 pm, before play resumed at 2:35 pm. Once again, a lot of overs were lost. Sri Lanka made up for it by picking up wickets at regular intervals. Spin has come into great effect in t...

    Image :X   As Nathan Lyon looked questioningly at the umpire to check if he was really being given out lbw, Bangladesh had already started to celebrate bowling the hosts out a second time and setting themselves a paltry victory target. It will rank as their greatest-ever moment in cricket, and very justly so. Beating Australia in a Test match in Australia was not something even the most optimistic Bangladesh supporter would have imagined possible. Strange things happen in cricket, and this is indeed one such moment, with serious repercussions for the sport going forward. Test cricket, it need not be repeated, is fighting its own battle. Except in Australia and England, crowds have steadily dwindled across the world, with Test matches being played in front of empty stadiums fast becoming an accepted norm. In such a situation, Bangladesh winning against Australia could be the best thing that has happened to cricket’s most coveted format. Bangladesh is a huge cricke...

Australia vs Bangladesh in Darwin (PC: BCB Tigers) Historical moment for Bangladesh Men’s cricket as they registered their first-ever Test victory over Australia on Australian soil. In the first of the two-match Test series in Darwin, Bangladesh stunned the Aussies by 9 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Overall, in their Test history, this is only the second time Bangladesh have defeated Australia. Before this ongoing tour, the Bangla Tigers had played Tests in Australia only once, back in 2003. They lost both matches on that tour, but 23 years later, Bangladesh, under the captaincy of Najmul Hossain Shanto, have written a golden chapter in their Test history. Speaking of the match, Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. However, the home team failed to capitalise, getting bundled out for 198 in 53 overs. The conditions appeared favourable to the bowlers, particularly the pacers, as Bangladesh’s pace trio of Ebadot Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud shared a...

Sunrisers Leeds vs Trent Rockets, Women’s Hundred 2026 Final (PC: Hundred) The stage is set at the iconic Lord’s as Trent Rockets will take on Sunrisers Leeds in the final of the ongoing Women’s Hundred on August 16. The Sunrisers will head into the game with the sole aim of defending the title that they won in the last edition in 2025. It was their maiden Women’s Hundred title, although they were then known as the Northern Superchargers; a name they carried from 2021 to 2025. Interestingly, on three occasions Sunrisers Leeds have gone past the group stage and qualified for the knockouts. They have maintained a strong record in the knockout stages, winning four of their five games so far. Sunrisers Leeds’ Women’s Hundred knockout record so far 2023 (as Northern Superchargers) – Won the Eliminator vs Welsh Fire, Lost to Southern Brave in the final 2025 (as Northern Superchargers) – Won the Eliminator vs London Spirit, Won the final vs Southern Brave 2026 – Won the Eliminat...

    Image :Debasis Sen Vaibhav Tripathi, Galle On the eve of the Galle Test, Shubman Gill underlined the importance of preparation time ahead of a big series, especially in red-ball cricket. Devdutt Padikkal’s century on his Test comeback has provided a strong example of that preparation bearing fruit. Padikkal looked a different player from the one who first turned up for the team’s practice session at the NCC in Colombo. He looked out of sorts in the first couple of days of practice, but the same player then scored a hundred in the practice match and another on his return to Test cricket. All the hard work he put in behind the scenes during the practice sessions — long hours of batting in the nets — has paid off. Due to the work he put in, the southpaw was able to counter Sri Lanka’s spin threat. Batting on 131, Padikkal will be eyeing a daddy hundred to help India post a mammoth first-innings total. India have lost Shubman Gill, but the good news is that KL Rahul wil...