CAFA Nations Cup

Hisor (Tajikistan), Sep 3: Revenge for their shock loss last year will be on their minds when they face a tricky Afghanistan in their last group match of the CAFA Nations Cup here on Thursday.
India, then under Igor Stimac, had suffered an embarrassing 1-2 defeat against Afghanistan in Guwahati in a FIFA World Cup qualifying round match in March 2024, and the current team under Khalid Jamil would be eager to make amends of that loss.
The Blue Tigers have so far won one match (2-1 against Tajikistan) and lost one (0-3 against Iran). They are tied on three points with Tajikistan, but ahead by virtue of a better head-to-head record.
The top teams from each group will progress to the final, while the two second-placed teams will make it to the third-place match, both to take place on September 8.
As things stand, the Blue Tigers need a win against Afghanistan, and hope that Tajikistan do not win against Iran in Thursday’s second game, in order to progress further.
A draw against Afghanistan may also be enough for India to finish in top-2 in Group B, if Iran either win or draw against Tajikistan.
However, a defeat against Afghanistan will result in India’s elimination, as Tajikistan, in such a scenario, will have the better goal difference in the matches played among the three teams who would end up on three points each (Tajikistan, India and Afghanistan).
India head coach Khalid Jamil, however, is not thinking of such permutations and combinations ahead of the crucial tie.
“We are not thinking of all such scenarios at this point. There is no point to it. We will go into the game looking for a win. It’s as simple as that,” Jamil said.
India’s victory against co-hosts Tajikistan in their first match of the tournament was their first competitive win since November 2023.
Talking about the 0-3 loss to Iran on Monday, Jamil said, “We are all sad that we played so well in the first half, and then things did not click for us in the second..
“I’ll be the first one to accept that I made a mistake with the substitution at that point, and they managed to score after it,” the new head coach.
“But this is as much of a learning curve for the players as it is for the coach. We will take the learnings in our stride and move on.
“I must commend my players for doing everything I asked of them. They showed great attitude against a team that was of a much higher quality. At the end, I think the scoreline was not fair. We did not deserve to lose 0-3,” he said.
India (133rd in FIFA rankings) hold the upper hand against Afghanistan (161st) in the head-to-head records, having won 13 times. Afghanistan have emerged victorious against India only on two occasions, with seven matches between the two sides having ended in draws.
India’s last win against Afghanistan came three years ago, a 2-1 victory in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in Kolkata..
Despite the history, Jamil is approaching the match with an air of caution.
“Afghanistan are a good side, so we cannot take them lightly. They have a chance, and they will definitely play hard against us. Our last result was not up to the mark, so we need to respond likewise,” he said.
“We’ve had less time to recover, so we need to be at our best. Those who have not had much game time so far need to be ready, as we might need them to give their 100 per cent,” said the head coach.

Jhingan ruled out

India, however, will miss the services of centre-back Sandesh Jhingan, who sustained an injury during the match against Iran.
The Indian defender has been ruled out of the rest of the CAFA Nations Cup matches after sustaining an injury during the team’s 0-3 defeat to Iran here.
The injury to the 32-year-old stalwart is a big blow to India as they take on a strong Afghanistan side in their third and final Group B match on Thursday.
“Defender Sandesh Jhingan had sustained an injury during India’s CAFA Nations Cup 2025 match against Iran, and has been ruled out of the remaining matches. He will return to India today,” posted All India Football Federation (AIFF) on ‘X’.
“I’ve never seen a player as brave as Sandesh. Even with the injury, he kept playing in the last match. Not many players can do that,” said Jamil.
“We will definitely miss his presence. He’s a great motivator on and off the pitch for the others. It’s difficult to find a replacement for him, but this also allows the others to step up.” (PTI)

Bengaluru, Sep 3: The dynamic trio of Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shardul Thakur will be aiming to make a statement when a star-studded West Zone takes on Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy semifinal here on Thursday.
Iyer, who could not find a place in India’s Asia Cup squad, will be keen to begin the season on a bright note here, and keep himself in contention ahead of some crucial assignments such as the home series against the West Indies and the subsequent white ball tour of Australia.
This might be an incredibly frustrating phase for Iyer, whose 604 runs across 17 matches for Punjab Kings at an average of 50.33 and at a strike-rate in excess of 175 did not resonate with the selectors during the Asia Cup selection.
But if he can channelise that frustration and turn it into runs, West Zone may be benefitted.
Jaiswal offers a slightly different case. Having already secured his place in the Test side for the foreseeable future, the young left-hander would want to sustain his red ball game time ahead of the home series against the West Indies and world champions South Africa.
His last competitive outing was the fifth Test against England at the Oval, and since he is yet to crack the white ball code, Jaiswal might have to wait till the series against the West Indies in October for an international appearance.
On other hand, Thakur, who is set to lead West Zone, will try to push his stocks up after lukewarm outings against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy to remain on the selectors’ radar.
Other prominent members of the West Zone team like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tanush Kotian will hope for a strong effort to get back into national reckoning.
On paper, West carries far too many guns but Central Zone are no mere pushovers.
Dhruv Jurel might come back to lead them if the India wicketkeeper batter has recovered from a groin niggle that kept him out of the quarterfinals against North East Zone.
Even without Jurel, their batting packed a punch as stand-in skipper Rajat Patidar, Danish Malewar and Shubham Sharma cracked big hundreds last week.
They also have a competent bowling unit in left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, and pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar.
They will nonetheless have a job at hand against a strong West Zone batting line-up, which will miss an injured Sarfaraz Khan, on a BCCI Centre of Excellence pitch that looked slow and smooth during the quarterfinals.
But they will miss the presence of left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who is travelling to Dubai to join India’s Asia Cup squad.

North take on South

The absence of Tilak Varma, who has left for Dubai to start his preparations for Asia Cup, pacer Vysakh Vijayakumar and left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, both of whom have been injured, will weaken South Zone.
Therefore they will require some healthy scores from the likes of N Jagadeesan, Devdutt Padikkal and Salman Nizar, who recently slammed 11 sixes in 13 balls in the Kerala Cricket League, to tide over North’s challenge.
North will also have to contend with the unavailability of pacers Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, as they are part of the Asia Cup squad.
India pacer Anshul Kamboj is likely to step in for this match.
Hence, they will require an encore from the likes of Ayush Badoni, skipper Ankit Kumar and Yash Dhull, who were the centurions in the quarterfinals. (PTI)
Matches start at 9.30 AM.

New Delhi, Sep 3: The BCCI Annual General Meeting at the end of September will be an interesting affair with a few top posts, including that of president and IPL chairman, up for grabs.
The current IPL chairman Arun Dhumal in all likelihood is set to go for a mandatory cooling-off for three years, having completed a cumulative period of six years in office, with a host of names doing rounds as his potential successor. For now, Devajit Saikia, who has completed three years cumulatively as joint secretary (2 years and three months) and secretary (nine months), will continue in his position. So would joint secretary Rohan Gauns Desai and Prabhtej Bhatia, who are into their first year as office bearers.
For IPL chairman’s post, the name of former Mumbai Cricket Association secretary Sanjay Naik and current BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla’s names are doing the rounds although nothing has been finalized yet.
In case, Congressman Shukla once again becomes IPL chairman, Bihar Cricket Association president and BJP leader from the state Rakesh Tiwary could become a contender for BCCI vice-presidency.
The AGM is expected to be held in the last week of September. Only a couple of vacancies are expected since this year’s election will be held as per the association’s own rules. The coming into force of National Sports Governance Act may still be some time away and the BCCI wouldn’t be waiting that long.
Roger Binny, after completing his 70th birthday in July, also cannot be re-elected as per current constitution.
The most of interesting choice will be that of BCCI president as decision makers want an India player of stature to replace Binny.
The case of Shukla is also interesting one. His stint as vice-president started in 2020 and he still has one year left as per Lodha Constitution. But there is a catch. If the National Sports Governance Act comes into effect before next AGM in 2026, the Rajya Sabha MP wouldn’t need to go for a mandatory cooling off. (PTI)

Sydney, Sep 3: Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins has said he would do “whatever it takes” to play the high-profile Ashes, even as he battles a back injury which he likely to have picked up due to an uptick in workload during the World Test Championship Final against South Africa earlier this year.
The 32-year-old quick, who will miss the upcoming white-ball games against New Zealand and India and also the Sheffield Shield matches in the run-up to the Ashes, is hopeful he would recover in time for the opening Test in Perth beginning November 21.
“I’m never going to go into a Test match unless you think you can finish the Test match,” Cummins told cricket.com.au on Wednesday.
“But when you’re 18 or 19, you’re like, ‘Let’s make sure this the perfect rehab whether it takes an extra six months’. Whereas, I’m happy to be a bit like, ‘Well, it’s an Ashes series, whatever it takes to play it’.
“Then, say, at the end, if you’re still not 100 per cent and you need to then have a bit of a break next year… there’s not another Ashes series,” said Cummins, amplifying the importance of the series against England.
Medical scans have revealed a lower-back issue that has continued to trouble the stalwart even weeks after the Test series against the West Indies.
Cummins is currently on a restricted regimen in the gym and will not be risked over the coming weeks to ensure the back issue gets resolved. He has a history of injuries, including persistent back issues and an ankle problem that made him miss the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
The pacer said the experts will “reassess” him in a month’s time.
Cummins said he would require little preparation time for the Ashes even if he misses the Shield games, adding that he was willing to take the risks.
“I think you’re willing to take a few risks and be a little bit aggressive to try and play as much Tests as you can. At this stage of my career, I feel like I can probably get up to speed a bit quicker than when I was 18 or 19.
“Back then you probably feel like you need to play a few Shield games or one-dayers. I’m pretty confident even if I don’t get a chance to play a Shield game, I can get up to speed pretty quickly.
“It’s (nearly) 12 weeks until the first Test, it feels a long way away, so we’ve got plenty of time.”
Cummins, who bowled 35.1 overs in the WTC Final defeat to South Africa at Lord’s in June in four days, saw his bowling workload increase drastically during the title clash soon after returning from the grind of the Indian Premier League.
“Sometimes you might just get unlucky and bowl a lot of overs in, say, the World Test Championship final and that’s enough to kind of start it (injury),” he said.
“Through the West Indies, I felt like maybe it was a little bit sore, but nothing abnormal for fast bowlers, you’ve always got some niggles. Once you get home and everything settles down, it just hung around a little bit.” He sent down another 49 overs in less that a fortnight in the first two Tests against the West Indies.
On his injury, Cummins, who has missed just one Test due to injury since taking charge of the Test side four years ago, said, “It’s similar (to previous injuries). But I’ve been really lucky, the last seven or eight years I haven’t really had much.” (PTI)