India Have a Fine Line to Walk on Day 4

Vaibhav Tripathi, Galle

At lunch on the third day, Sri Lanka were staring at the possibility of being bowled out before the final session. The hosts had lost five wickets, with the dismissals of experienced campaigner Dinesh Chandimal, in-form batter Lahiru Udara and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva leaving them in a precarious position.

What followed was an impressive fightback. Niroshan Dickwella joined forces with Sonal Dinusha and helped shift the momentum, while Sonal marked the occasion with his maiden international century. Their partnership gave Sri Lanka a much-needed lift when they appeared to be heading towards another collapse.

With the pitch offering plenty to the bowlers, especially the spinners, Dickwella and Sonal showed grit and determination to bat out the entire second session and keep India at bay. Safe to say, whatever plans India threw at the left-handed duo, they seemed prepared for every challenge. However, after tea, the Indian team once again got on a roll and took five wickets before the end of the day. For Sri Lanka, the biggest sigh of relief was avoiding the follow-on.

Fortunately, the rain gods stayed away from the Galle International Stadium to provide the best day of the Test so far in terms of overs bowled.

Heading into Day 4, India are still firmly ahead, with a lead of 178 runs. The visitors will come out to bat in an attempt to post a total that will be out of Sri Lanka’s reach.

What will be interesting to see is India’s approach. Will they see off the first hour and then start attacking, or will they go after the bowlers from ball one? Whatever approach they take, one thing that the Indian team will have to keep in mind is time. Already, a lot of time in the match has been lost due to rain. With the weather remaining uncertain, the Indian team will have to decide how they are going to go about their business in their second innings.

The pace at which they bat will also determine how many overs the Indian team can give their bowlers to take all ten wickets in the fourth innings.

Apart from that one partnership, Sri Lanka’s batting line-up did not inspire much confidence, and things will get even more difficult for them in the fourth innings. The pitch has deteriorated considerably. There is a lot of turn on offer, and conditions are only going to get more difficult from Sri Lanka’s perspective.

Rain is unlikely to play much of a role on Day 4, as the weather forecast for the majority of the day is clear. That will play into the hands of the Indian team.

Follow Revsportz for latest sports news

The post India Have a Fine Line to Walk on Day 4 appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

India’s hopes of making it to the next round of the Men’s Hockey World Cup suffered a setback as England beat them 4-2 in their second Pool D match on Sunday. Harmanpreet Singh’s side had a strong first half but lost control after the break and were punished by England.

The defeat leaves India second in Pool D with three points, behind England, who have won both their matches. Pakistan and Wales have one point each after their draw earlier in the day. India will now face Pakistan on August 19 in their final pool match, knowing that they cannot afford to lose.

The top two teams from the pool will progress to the next round. A draw or a win against Pakistan will take India through, while defeat will end their World Cup campaign.

India had beaten Wales 3-1 in their opening match and started positively against England. Sukhjeet Singh found Abhishek inside the circle in the third minute, but England’s defence managed to clear the danger.

Jarmanpreet Singh also created an opening when he won the ball on the right and found Dilpreet Singh. The cross could not be controlled by Shilanand Lakra, while Jarmanpreet’s follow-up shot went wide.

England had a chance after India were briefly reduced to 10 players when Sumit received a green card. A penalty corner followed after a referral showed Jugraj Singh had made contact with the ball using his foot. Sam Hooper’s attempt, however, was brilliantly stopped by Manpreet Singh.

England eventually took the lead in the final minute of the first quarter. Hooper sent the ball into the circle, where Stuart Rushmere controlled it before Nicholas Bandurak found space and beat Mohit HS.

India responded quickly. They won a penalty corner early in the second quarter and Harmanpreet made no mistake, sending a powerful drag-flick into the top-left corner.

The Indian attack continued to put England under pressure. Harmanpreet had another chance from a penalty corner in the 19th minute, but goalkeeper Oliver Payne made a good save.

India then completed the turnaround in the 25th minute. Hardik Singh’s pass found Abhishek, whose cross was met by Dilpreet in front of the goal. The forward finished well to put India 2-1 ahead.

England missed a penalty corner before half-time, allowing India to take their lead into the break.

The third quarter changed the game. England pressed harder and India struggled to keep possession. Rushmere scored his second goal in the 39th minute after making a strong run and finishing calmly.

Four minutes later, England took the lead again. Rushmere started the move from the right before finding Henry Croft near the goal. Croft made no mistake with his low finish to make it 3-2.

India tried to respond in the final quarter but could not find the equaliser. Harmanpreet’s penalty-corner attempt lacked power, while India’s video referral for an alleged obstruction on Mandeep Singh was also rejected.

India earned two more penalty corners late in the match but failed to convert either. England then sealed the win in the 55th minute when Bandurak scored from a penalty corner to complete his brace.

India must now quickly put the defeat behind them. Their clash against Pakistan on August 19 has become a crucial game, with their place in the next round at stake.

Dhaka [Bangladesh], August 17 (ANI): The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has unveiled the squad for the ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2026 to be held in Dubai and the 20th Asian Games in Japan. Nigar Sultana Joty, who recently led the team during their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, will continue as captain, according to the ICC website.

Under her leadership, Bangladesh secured wins over Pakistan and the Netherlands in the tournament. Spinner Nahida Akter has been named the team’s vice-captain.

Sarmin Sultana has also been included in the squad as a top-order batter. She made her T20I debut in May this year and has prior ODI experience, having played 16 matches.

Sobhana Mostary and Juairiya Ferdous, who impressed with starts in the top order during the Women’s T20 World Cup, have also retained their places in the squad.

Shorna Akter, whose unbeaten knocks were instrumental in Bangladesh’s victories over the Netherlands and Pakistan at the T20 World Cup, is also part of the team. Ritu Moni adds further all-round strength to the squad.

Marufa Akter will spearhead Bangladesh’s pace attack, with Ritu Moni and Fariha Trisna providing support.

Bangladesh will begin their Asia Cup campaign on August 31 against Indonesia. The 20th Asian Games are scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 17 to 22, 2026.

Squad for Asia Cup and Asian Games:

Nigar Sultana Joty (c), Nahida Akter (vc), Dilara Akter, Juairiya Ferdous, Sharmin Akter Supta, Sarmin Sultana, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan, Marufa Akter, Sultana Khatun, Shanjida Akther Maghla, Fariha Islam Trisna. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Capri Sports has launched Nova Sports, a girls-only football development initiative aimed at creating a structured pathway for girls in India to progress from grassroots participation to elite football.

The initiative, built around the philosophy of “Girls first. Always.”, will initially focus on girls aged 8 to 18 and combine coaching, competition and long-term player development. The first step will be the Super Nova Football Championship, a seven-a-side schools’ tournament across the U13, U15 and U17 age groups, scheduled for September 5 and 6 in Bengaluru.

Speaking exclusively to RevSportz, Apurv Gupta, Director, Contact Sports, Capri Sports, explained that Nova Sports is designed as more than a grassroots programme.

“Nova Sports was launched with a view that we wanted to build a pathway that allows every girl to pursue football, at any level,” Gupta said. “Nova Sports is girls first, always, which essentially means that every decision that we take with everything that we plan is built keeping in mind what our athletes need.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbx3jy-jH_c/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

The pathway will operate across two interconnected tracks: development and participation. The development side will begin with grassroots schools and academies before moving towards performance centres and eventually elite residential academies. The participation track will provide regular competitive opportunities so players can put their training into practice.

Gupta believes the focus on women’s football comes at an important time for the sport in India. While investment in men’s football has grown considerably, he feels women’s football still has significant room for development.

“If we look at women’s football globally, it’s expanding, it’s rapidly growing,” he said. “And if you double click on India as a nation, women’s football has not had deep, deep sort of investment.”

A key difference, according to Gupta, will be the programme’s attempt to build its methods around the specific needs of female athletes rather than simply adapting existing boys’ programmes.

“We want to contextualise all of that to India because India is a unique, diverse market,” he said. “We just can’t pick up something and put it in India and expect it to work.”

That approach will extend to the coaching curriculum and safeguarding. Gupta pointed to the need for training methods that take female-specific requirements into account, while also creating an environment where young players feel safe and confident.

The Super Nova Football Championship will be the first major test of that approach. Around 50 teams are expected to participate, but Gupta said the tournament will not be judged solely by results.

“The success factor for us was if every girl walks out feeling happy and like a champion,” he said. “When you’re dealing with younger kids at the grassroots level, passion and interest is far more important.”

Beyond the football itself, the tournament will include engagement and experiential activities designed to give players a memorable matchday experience.

The ambition extends well beyond Bengaluru. Capri Sports plans to take Nova Sports to more than 10 markets across India over the next decade, while the wider initiative aims to reach more than 1.5 million girls.

For Gupta, the ultimate measure of success will be seeing more girls enter the sport, progress through the system and eventually represent India.

“We want more and more girls to play. We want more and more talent to come through and we want those girls to go on and shine for India,” he said.

Follow RevSportz For More Such Stories

The post “We want more and more girls to play”: Capri Sports Targets the Future of Girls’ Football appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.