Sports - The Purbottar

04 Nov

End of an era as Glenn Maxwell steps away: 5 times he pulled Australia out of trouble

sunny EditorSports

Popularly known as the 'Big Show', 38-year-old Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has officially retired from international cricket after a glittering 14-year career spanning 7 Tests, 149 ODIs, and 130 T20Is yielding 7,226 runs, 136 wickets, and three ICC trophies (the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cups and the 2021 T20 World Cup), remembered forever for his astonishing rescue acts under pressure, beginning with his legendary 201 not out against Afghanistan at the 2023 ODI World Cup where he overcame severe physical cramps to lift Australia from 49/4 and 91/7 to 293/7 alongside Pat Cummins, which was complemented by his stellar…

28 Oct

Satgaon Event Distributes Judo Uniforms to 10 Visually Impaired Students

Preeti SinghAssam, Sports

World Judo Day was celebrated in Guwahati on Wednesday through a series of programmes highlighting the values of inclusion, discipline and sportsmanship associated with the martial art. The day is observed globally on October 28 to mark the birth anniversary of Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo. The International Judo Federation (IJF) has been commemorating the occasion annually, with the 2026 theme being “Belonging”, aimed at fostering an environment where every judoka feels recognised, respected and welcomed. The celebrations in Guwahati began in the morning at Satgaon, where a special programme was organised for visually impaired judo students. The event…

28 Oct

From Gautam Gambhir’s ‘Chocolate’ Pep Talk to New Zealand’s Downfall: Inside Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Star Turn

sunny EditorSports

Having been pushed down to No. 3 in the previous encounter where he scored four runs from eight balls, teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was brought back to his preferred opening position for the third T20I against New Zealand, where he unleashed a fierce 19-ball 45 containing four sixes and four fours at a mind-boggling strike rate of 236.84, drawing a clever analogy from former India batter Sadagopan Ramesh who played 19 Tests and 24 ODIs and felt that by letting Sooryavanshi open, the team management practically handed the teenager a "chocolate" of freedom, while Ramesh also showered massive praise on…

27 Oct

Jharkhand’s Kumar Kushagra Named Replacement for 3rd T20

Preeti SinghSports

Indian cricket team wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the third T20 match to be held against New Zealand due to injury. Kishan has not fully recovered after suffering a leg muscle injury in the first match of the series held in Christchurch. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has confirmed that although he is progressing towards fitness, he is currently not fully fit to play the match. However, despite being injured, Kishan has maintained his position as the highest run-scorer for India in T20 International cricket in the current year. This year, he has scored…

23 Oct

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Line to Replace Injured Ishan Kishan for India’s Second T20I Against New Zealand

sunny EditorSports

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who remained benched during the entire T20I assignment against West Indies and the opening match against the Kiwis, now stands on the brink of making it to India's playing eleven for the second T20I after the BCCI confirmed that Ishan Kishan has been sidelined with a low-grade right adductor strain picked up in the series opener. In a media interaction on Friday, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak shed light on the tactical shift that saw Tilak Varma promoted to number three in the first game, attributing it to Ishan's physical discomfort and indicating that the left-hander is unlikely to…

16 Oct

Workload Focus: Jasprit Bumrah Likely to Skip New Zealand One-Day Series

sunny EditorSports

India’s premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is set to skip the upcoming five-match ODI series against New Zealand as the team management has decided to focus entirely on his red-ball preparation, with a TOI report confirming that despite being fully fit, the fast bowler needs his workload managed ahead of the Test assignment. The strategy involves Bumrah playing the third India A fixture starting November 6 to gain match practice ahead of the opening Test against New Zealand in Wellington on November 19, thereby utilizing the intervening gap to gear up for the longer format after initiating his red-ball training…

15 Oct

New World Record: Abhishek Sharma Surpasses Suryakumar Yadav to Claim Massive T20I Feat

sunny EditorSports

Cementing his stellar form in the international arena, India opener Abhishek Sharma etched his name in the history books during Wednesday's fourth T20I against the West Indies by breaking a massive world record when he struck his 69th maximum of 2026, overtaking former Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s milestone of 68 sixes registered in 2022 to claim the crown for the most sixes hit in a calendar year in T20Is, and since India still has six more T20Is lined up before the year ends, Abhishek is well-positioned to stretch this record towards a triple-digit figure, leading the elite list of full-member…

14 Oct

Did Heavy Workload Affect Mohammed Siraj’s Performance? Former Coach Sheds Light

sunny EditorSports

Although Mohammed Siraj has cemented his reputation as one of India's most dependable fast bowlers across formats and stepped up as the senior pace leader with Jasprit Bumrah facing fitness troubles and Mohammed Shami out of the squad, his recent dip in form and pace during the Sri Lanka Test series and the West Indies ODIs drew attention from former bowling coach Bharat Arun, who addressed the media via Sony Sports Network to describe Siraj's slump as a temporary phase, noting that the rest and specific training workloads given to him before the Sri Lanka series meant that returning from…

12 Oct

Denmark Open: Tough Draws for Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth in Men’s Singles

Preeti SinghSports

In the USD 950,000 prize money 'Denmark Open Super 750' badminton tournament set to begin tomorrow, India's star players are facing a tough challenge. Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu will face world No. 1 and defending champion An Se-young of South Korea in the first round of women's singles itself. This match will be extremely crucial for 31-year-old Sindhu, who won the Japan Open in July, as she has lost all of her last 10 matches against An Se-young. On the other hand, Lakshya Sen also faces a tough draw in men's singles. Lakshya, the only Indian men's singles player…

05 Oct

Major Blow to Mohammed Shami’s India Return Hopes Amid Fresh Setback

sunny EditorSports

Mohammed Shami's prospects of an international comeback appear increasingly dim as a combination of fitness hurdles, injuries, and unexplained selection omissions have kept the veteran seamer out of the squad since 2025, even as he performs strongly on the domestic circuit. During a recent Cricbuzz discussion addressing India's bowling vulnerabilities despite a 2-1 ODI series win over the West Indies, former cricketer Dinesh Karthik firmly ruled out bringing Shami back, arguing that the team has progressed beyond him and that looking backward is futile. Karthik instead endorsed the current pool of fast bowlers, which includes established names like Arshdeep Singh,…