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Mandhana to lead after Harmanpreet rested from India’s first T20I against England

Nottingham, June 28 (IANS) Regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has been rested from India’s first T20I against England at Trent Bridge as a precautionary measure after suffering a head injury. In her absence, vice-captain and left-handed opener Smriti Mandhana will be leading the side.

“Captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been rested for the first T20I against England Women in Nottingham as a precautionary measure following a head injury sustained during the T20 Warm-up match against ECB Select XI.”

“She’s being closely monitored by the medical team and is recovering well. Smriti Mandhana is leading the side in her absence,” said a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday. Notably, Smriti had addressed the pre-series press conference on Friday due to Harmanpreet being unwell.

For the T20I series opener, India have handed a debut to left-arm spinner N Shree Charani, while Sneh Rana makes a comeback into the T20I team after two years. In the absence of Harmanpreet, Jemimah Rodrigues is slotted to bat at number four.

England, who elected to bowl first after winning the toss, have brought Tammy Beaumont as a replacement for injured Heather Knight at number four position. They have picked three quick fast bowlers in Lauren Filer, Lauren Bell and Em Arlott, alongside two left-arm spinners in Sophie Ecclestone and Linsey Smith.

Before the game begins at Trent Bridge, the first time it’s hosting a women’s T20I series, both India and England held a minute’s silence before the play began as a mark of respect for victims of Air India plane clash in Ahmedabad on June 12.

Playing XIs

India: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana (captain), Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Amanjot Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Sneh Rana, and N Shree Charani

England: Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Nat Sciver-Brunt (captain), Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones (wk), Alice Capsey, Em Arlott, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Linsey Smith, and Lauren Bell

–IANS

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Dortmund show strength in Champions League win over Athletic Bilbao

Berlin, Oct 2 (IANS) Borussia Dortmund extended its unbeaten streak across all competitions with a convincing 4-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in their group stage clash at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday.

The host entered the contest full of confidence after four straight league wins, and coach Niko Kovac rotated his lineup in five positions, including the return of top scorer Serhou Guirassy.

Despite the changes, Dortmund quickly found their rhythm and took control of proceedings. Athletic, struggling with form and missing star forward Nico Williams through injury, offered little in the opening stages.

Dortmund’s early dominance was rewarded in the 28th minute when Karim Adeyemi’s sharp delivery was converted by Daniel Svensson for his first Champions League goal. The German side pushed for more, with Niklas Sule testing from distance, while goalkeeper Gregor Kobel remained untroubled at the other end.

After halftime, the momentum continued. Marcel Sabitzer’s diagonal pass unlocked the Athletic defense, and Guirassy set up Carney Chukwuemeka to double the lead with a precise finish in the 50th minute. But the visitors briefly threatened a comeback, and a defensive lapse allowed Gorka Guruzeta to strike from close range just after the hour mark, halving the deficit.

Moments later, Robert Navarro found the net, only to be flagged offside, and he later went close again. Dortmund weathered the storm, with Svensson producing a vital clearance off the line to preserve the advantage. Relief came in the 82nd minute when Guirassy redirected a Sabitzer shot into the net for 3-1. Substitute Julian Brandt then sealed the result deep into stoppage time with a low drive.

“Always nice to play Champions League. Overall good performance of the team. Of course, I am happy with the win. We played a good first half with a lot of possession. Second half, we had a hard time, but the hard work paid off,” said Dortmund defender Daniel Svensson.

–IANS

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IPL 2025: Kohli becomes first batter to score 1000 boundaries in tournament

Bengaluru, April 11 (IANS) Virat Kohli etched his name deeper into the annals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday, becoming the first player to smash 1000 boundaries in the tournament’s rich history. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru stalwart, who has now played in all 18 IPL seasons, reached the milestone during Match 24 of IPL 2025 against Delhi Capitals at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Kohli’s iconic moment came in the fourth over of RCB’s innings when he launched DC skipper Axar Patel for a towering six over long-on, taking his tally to a staggering 1000 boundaries — comprising 721 fours and 279 sixes.

He continued to lead the list for most fours in IPL history and sits behind only Chris Gayle (357) and Rohit Sharma (282) in terms of sixes hit. With one more big knock, Kohli is poised to become only the second batter in T20 history to notch 100 half-centuries, trailing only David Warner, with 99 fifties to his name.

Despite Kohli’s historic achievement, KL Rahul stole the spotlight with a sublime 93 not out off 53 balls, guiding Delhi Capitals to a commanding six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The local hero, returning to his hometown, put on a masterclass in composure and timing, especially after DC had crumbled to 58/4 in a tricky chase of 164.

Earlier, RCB posted 163/7 after a promising start, courtesy of Phil Salt and Kohli. But Delhi’s bowling unit, led by the spin duo of Axar and Kuldeep Yadav, applied the brakes in the middle overs. RCB’s total looked competitive given the slightly sluggish pitch, but Rahul had other plans.

Alongside Tristan Stubbs, who contributed an unbeaten 38 off 23 deliveries, Rahul stitched together a record-breaking 111-run fifth-wicket stand — the highest ever for Delhi Capitals for that position. His innings was laced with seven crisp boundaries and six towering sixes, helping DC cruise home in 17.5 overs with 13 balls to spare.

–IANS

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