Basant Meghwal wins silver for India in high jump at World Athletics …

Basant Kumar Meghwal won a silver in men’s high jump event with a personal best effort to take India’s medal tally to two at the World Athletics U20 Championships here. newssport.cv

The 19-year-old from Anupgarh, a border town in the Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan, sailed over 2.21m, his lifetime best, to clinch the silver medal on the fourth and penultimate day of the championships on Saturday.

Algeria’s Younes Ayachi won the gold while Great Britain’s Otis Poole took the bronze. All the three medallists could only clear 2.21m but failed all their three attempts to sail over 2.24m.

The positions were thus decided on countback based on the number of attempts to clear the previous height.

Ayachi cleared 2.21m in his first jump, while Meghwal and Poole did the same in their second and third attempts respectively.

Earlier, Ashish Yadav had won a silver in the men’s javelin throw event to open India’s medal account on the third day.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has reacted to a plea by cricketer Rishabh Pant for help in purchasing land to build a house in his home state and has issued instructions to officials concerned to tackle the issue as per the rules and assist the India wicketkeeper-batter.

The post tagging the Chief Minister has surprised many, as Rishabh Pant’s family already has a house in Rourkee in the state and can easily get in touch with property dealers in the city. In his post tagging Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Pant wrote, “Hello sir, how’s you ??? [sic] It’s a long time for me, especially being local from Uttarakhand. I have been trying to buy land to shift my base from Delhi to Uttarakhand, and I couldn’t find anything facilitating and big to live here. I love my Uttarakhand. My humble request.”

Pant made his plea in a social media post around midnight, tagging CM Dhami. “Dear Rishabh, you are the pride of Uttarakhand. Through your magnificent sporting performance and achievements, you have brought glory to ‘Devbhoomi’ on both the national and global stages. Your love for your homeland and your desire to return and contribute here are truly commendable,” Chief Minister Dhami said in a reply to Pant’s post.

“Instructions are being issued to the concerned officials regarding the matter you raised. They will contact you shortly to ensure all possible assistance in accordance with the rules,” CM Dhami added.

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With the two-Test series against Sri Lanka around the corner, one question stands out for India:

How important is it for Kuldeep Yadav to make himself India’s lead spinner?

The question becomes even more relevant with Ravindra Jadeja back in the squad and younger options such as Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain around him. Kuldeep has the experience and the skill set, but now he needs to take ownership of the role.

Kuldeep has also developed into a more rounded bowler over the years. He entered the Sri Lanka series with 79 Test wickets from 18 matches, while his recent Test numbers underline how effective he can be when given an extended role. He took 12 wickets in India’s two-Test series against the West Indies in October 2025.

The Wrist-Spin Advantage: Why He Doesn’t Need the Pitch’s Help

A wrist-spinner at his best doesn’t need much assistance from the pitch; he can create pressure and pick up wickets purely through skill, regardless of conditions. That’s what makes Kuldeep such a valuable option for India. Add to that his experience of playing in different conditions over the years, and the case for backing him grows stronger.

His biggest asset remains his variety. He can turn the ball both ways and has a quicker delivery in his armoury, giving him more than one way to trouble a batter, something that becomes especially important over the course of a Test match, where patience and doubt often decide a dismissal.

The Warning Signs- Fewer Revs, A Dropping Arm

Having said all that, Kuldeep is not in the best of form at the moment, and one of the concerns is that he is not imparting as many revolutions on the ball as he would ideally want. His bowling arm also appears to have become lower. For a wrist-spinner, even small changes like these can affect how much dip and turn he’s able to generate.

A higher-arm release, combined with a strong pivot, can help Kuldeep impart more revolutions on the ball. More revolutions can generate greater overspin and sharper dip, making it harder for batters to judge the trajectory and length.

So, for Kuldeep, it is not simply about turning the ball. It is about maximising the revolutions and bringing back the dip that can make his bowling even more difficult to read.

The Bottom Line

Kuldeep has the tools: the experience, the variety, and the ability to turn the ball both ways: to be India’s go-to spinner. What he needs now is to sharpen the basics that have slipped a little and turn potential into control. If he can do that, this series against Sri Lanka could be the moment he moves from being an option to being the leader of India’s spin attack.

The post Kuldeep Yadav: Time to Take Charge of India’s Spin Attack? appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

Debasis Sen, Colombo

India Test captain Shubman Gill missed the second day of the three-day warm-up match against the Sri Lanka Cricket XI at the NCC Grounds in Colombo after being advised to rest by the team’s medical staff. Gill sustained an impact injury to his right ring finger during Thursday’s training session and was rested as a precaution. With India’s first Test against Sri Lanka beginning in Galle on August 15, the visiting team’s management is taking no chances with the captain’s fitness.

Instead of batting, Gill spent time on the sidelines on Saturday, closely observing Gurnoor Brar and Manav Suthar during their net session. The India captain interacted with both players and shared technical inputs as they went through throwdowns, and faced Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar and Tanush Kotian.

Brar, in particular, strengthened his case for a place in India’s playing XI with an impressive all-round performance in the warm-up game. The seamer returned figures of 1 for 49 before producing a 18-ball 36 runs, that included four sixes, in the final over of the day against spinner Dilum Sudeera.

Suthar also made a strong impression, scoring 41 off 90 balls. The left-arm spinner also took 2/33, further bolstering his case for a place in India’s spin department alongside Ravindra Jadeja.

Gill’s decision to sit out the match was purely precautionary, with the captain opting to use the training session to closely monitor and guide the two promising youngsters. His focus now remains on making a full recovery and being ready to lead India in the opening Test in Galle.

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