France have named a strong and attacking starting XI for their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener against Senegal, with Kylian Mbappé captaining a side packed with pace, creativity and technical quality in the final third. France XI: Mike Maignan; Dayot Upamecano, Jules Koundé, William Saliba, Lucas Hernández; Aurélien Tchouaméni, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué,…

Japan celebrates a goal during the World Cup Group F match against the Netherlands. (AP Photo) A towering late header from Daichi Kamada denied the Netherlands victory and sent the Samurai Blue faithful into delirium as Japan snatched a dramatic 2-2 draw in their FIFA World Cup opener at AT&T Stadium in Texas on Sunday.With…

Manika Batra (Image credit: PTI) MUMBAI: India’s most recognisable table tennis player, Manika Batra, has been left out of the squad for the upcoming Asian Games after failing to meet the selection criteria laid down by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).In Manika’s absence, India’s women’s team will be led by Sreeja Akula and…

Shubman Gill (L) and Ishan Kishan (R) stitched a 224-run partnership during the second ODI between India and Afghanistan. (ANI) TimesofIndia.com in Lucknow: It is no secret that Team India‘s head coach Gautam Gambhir is a strong believer in the left-right batting combination.The foundation of India’s T20I template has been built around that principle. With…

Qatar players celebrate after their side’s first goal. (AP/PTI Photo) Qatar finally exorcised the ghosts of their disappointing home World Cup campaign four years ago, snatching a dramatic 1-1 draw against Group B favourites Switzerland to secure the nation’s first-ever point in FIFA World Cup history on Saturday.A stoppage-time equaliser, later ruled an own goal…

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi-Halambage shoving incident MUMBAI: In the wake of 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi being involved in a heated exchange with Vishen Halambage, that led to physical contact on the field after Sri Lanka A beat India A in a Super Over finish in the one-day tri-series in Dambulla on Monday, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia…

India’s Gurnoor Brar (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia) India’s convincing victory over Afghanistan in the opening ODI at Dharamsala belonged to two players at opposite ends of their international journeys. While debutant Gurnoor Brar announced himself on the big stage with an impressive spell of fast bowling, captain Shubman Gill once again demonstrated why he remains one…

Colombia’s Luis Diaz (7) celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal. (AP Photo) Luis Diaz marked his FIFA World Cup debut in style with a goal and an assist as Colombia opened their 2026 campaign with a commanding 3-1 victory over debutants Uzbekistan, moving to the top of Group K ahead of Portugal.Back at the…

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Tilak Varma (Image credit: X) NEW DELHI: The India A-Sri Lanka A clash in the Tri-Nation A Series in Dambulla had everything – a thrilling chase, a controversial finish, heated arguments with umpires, a Super Over and an angry exchange involving teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.What started as a routine group-stage fixture…