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Eden Gardens to host grand Mahalaya event in presence of PM Modi

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Eden Gardens, PC- X In a first in its history, the iconic Eden Gardens will be taken over by the West Bengal government from September 25 to October 15 for preparations for a special event marking the beginning of Durga Puja. The grand programme is scheduled to be held on Mahalaya, October 10, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Monday that a special four-hour programme will be organised at the venue on the morning of Mahalaya. The event will mark the beginning of the Durga Puja festivities and will feature a mix of cultural performances and cutting-edge visual spectacles. The programme will include live cultural performances, a spectacular drone show, fireworks, elaborate lighting and visual effects. Thousands of drones are expected to take part in a coordinated aerial display over the stadium, adding a major visual attraction to the celebrations. Noted Bollywood playback singer Shreya Ghoshal will also perform l...
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Harmanpreet or Smriti: Who should lead India to LA28?

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Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana (PC: BCCI Women) At the end of the T20 World Cup in England, much was said about why India should look at Smriti Mandhana as captain going into LA28. Harmanpreet Kaur has done the job for a decade, and India’s performances in the last two editions of the tournament have been below par. While India won the 50-over World Cup under Harmanpreet in 2025, the T20 performances have not been up to the mark. An infusion of fresh ideas seemed the logical way forward, particularly with the Olympics just two years away. Does Harmanpreet inspire confidence in the T20 format as captain to guide India to an Olympic medal? That is the question that needs to be asked. Thereafter, India won the Lord’s Test under Harmanpreet and, as is always the case, the issue was swept under the carpet. A Test-match win became the mask for the T20 World Cup failure, and once again formats were mixed up by fans back home. Now, with India doing well in the Asia Cup – a below-par...
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Bangladesh seal semi-final spot, set up India clash

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(PC: ACC) Bangladesh booked their place in the Women’s Asia Cup semi-finals with a 34-run win over UAE on Tuesday. Asked to bat first, Bangladesh lost wickets regularly but managed to post 103/7 in their 20 overs. Sharmin Akhter top-scored with a valuable 38 off 31 balls, hitting three fours. Captain Nigar Sultana made 23 off 28, while Juairiya Ferdous contributed 16 off 20. Nahida Akter remained unbeaten on 16 off 26 as Bangladesh finished with a competitive total. UAE’s chase never really gathered momentum as Bangladesh continued to pick up wickets at regular intervals. Heena Hotchandani top-scored for UAE with 18 off 19 balls while Theertha Satish made 11 and Samaira Dharnidharka scored eight. Rinitha Rajith made five, and Janani Thirukkumaran added six. Rabeya Khan was the standout bowler for Bangladesh, finishing with 3/14 from her four overs. Marufa Akter took 2/9, Nahida claimed 2/18, while Sultana Khatun and Fahima Khatun picked up one wicket each. UAE finished on 69/9. ...
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Shubman is a ‘work in progress’ and will grow into a better captain: Ashish Nehra

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Ashish Nehra (CAB Media) Ashish Nehra described Shubman Gill’s captaincy as a ‘work in progress’, emphasising that he will improve with experience. The Gujarat Titans (GT) head coach believes Shubman is a keen learner despite being reserved. Speaking at the CAB annual awards ceremony in Kolkata on Monday, Nehra said, “Shubman is someone who does not talk or have as many conversations as Hardik Pandya. But he is very much to the point. He is also a keen learner – actually, I would rather say he is a keen observer. He learns from others as well, and he is only going to get better. He is still a work in progress. He is only 26 or 27, and it’s not as if he has been captain for many years. It has only been one or two seasons. You learn things as you go, and you get better.” Having dealt with both Shubman and Hardik at the Titans, Nehra was asked to draw a comparison between their leadership qualities. “They are very different,” he said. “You are talking about the North Pole and the Sout...
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Ishan Kishan and the invisible inner voice behind the 270 runs

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Ishan Kishan (PC-BCCI TV) When Ishan Kishan offered a dead bat to everything Mohammed Siraj bowled in the final over before the lunch break in the ongoing Duleep Trophy final, it seemed as if the left-hand batter had rebuilt certain parts of his batting manual. The foundation stone for those reworked parts turned out to be disappointment, learning and his inner voice. More than two years ago, Kishan decided to take a break from international cricket. Subsequently, there were reports that, as he didn’t play domestic cricket during the 2023-24 season, he had dropped out of national reckoning. Soon, Kishan was even left out of the national contract list. Prior to finding himself out of the national side, Kishan had also been repeatedly warming the benches. At that very moment, lesser mortals might have wallowed in darkness. Not so Kishan. He hasn’t just charted a path back into the national fold; he is thriving too. And a sportsperson who has overcome the hard grind of pain and distres...
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Abhishek vs Gill: When Childhood Friends Found Themselves on Opposite Sides

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PC: Sher-E-Punjab Media For years, the cricketing world has watched Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill do everything together, from their days at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) and the Under-19 side, to sharing dressing rooms and eventually opening together for India. The two have grown up alongside each other. Their friendship has become one of the most endearing duos in Indian cricket, built on years of affection, trust, familiarity, competition and banter. On Monday, September 7, at the Sher-E-Punjab T20 tournament, friendship had to take a back seat. Abhishek and Gill found themselves on opposite sides of the contest, with Abhishek leading the Amritsar Soormas and Shubman returning to captain the Fazilka Falcons. The anticipation and excitement around the match had been building for days. There were posts, comments and reels all across social media. That fascination had little to do with the points table and everything to do with the two men at the centre of it: two of Punj...
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Why Test Twenty will be good for the women’s game

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  Test Twenty (PC: Test Twenty/X) Anyone who is watching the Asia Cup will know why I am saying what I am in this piece. The gap between the women’s teams in Asia is constantly widening and such a thing can’t be good for the sport. You can’t enjoy a one sided Indian wins time and again and the contests are losing charm and steam. This is because the access and support in some of the other countries aren’t as much and the youth don’t really have the opportunity to get better and match the Indians. That’s where Test Twenty format can help them. It is a format that is most likely to be played in Sri Lanka in November for its inaugural season and will have a mix of athletes from across the world playing in teams, which have an equal representation of women and men. Imagine Sri Lankan women between the ages of 13-21 playing with their Indian counterparts in one team and sharing the same change room. It is bound to help Sri Lankan cricket going forward. With coaches like Raj Kumar Sha...
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