In an interview with the Indian Premier League (IPL), Jinal Mehta, Director, Torrent Group and Chairman, Gujarat Titans, and Shaan Mehta, Director, Torrent Group and Director, Gujarat Titans, shared their perspectives on the squad, the team's journey so far, the confidence they carry into the upcoming seasons and Shubman Gill's leadership, as per a release. Jinal Mehta, Director, Torrent Group and Chairman, Gujarat Titans, said, "We came into the auction with our core in place and we made minimal changes to our squad. We changed only five players. We came in with very specific requirements. We needed a couple of fast bowlers, an all-rounder and a middle-order batter. We're happy with the outcome and have achieved all of our objectives. I think we have achieved what we wanted. We welcome all of these new signings and look forward to the next season," as quoted from a release. "We have made it to the playoffs three times in the four seasons that we have played, including winning in our inaugural season and being runners-up in the second season. We're looking forward to building on this journey with the squad that we have in place. I think we will have a great season," he said. Talking about Shubman Gill's leadership, Jinal Mehta, Director, Torrent Group and Chairman, Gujarat Titans, said, "I think GT spotted Shubman's batting talent and his leadership capabilities early on. He has done wonderfully well for both GT and India." Shaan Mehta, Director, Torrent Group and Director, Gujarat Titans, added: "The team bonding that has happened over the last few years continues and Shubman continues to lead us going forward for many years to come." Commenting on Narendra Modi Stadium, Jinal Mehta, Director, Torrent Group and Chairman, Gujarat Titans, said, "We are very lucky to have the world's largest stadium as our home. The atmosphere at the stadium is electrifying whenever Gujarat Titans are playing. That really builds the right setting for our players to perform, and I think we couldn't have had a better home than the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
19 December,2025 05:58 PM IST | Ahmedabad | ANITeam India spinner Kuldeep Yadav received an autographed jersey from Argentina's legendary footballer Lionel Messi during his visit to Delhi as a part of the "GOAT India Tour". The official handle of Adidas India, along with other athletes signed to the brand — including Kuldeep, India’s two-time Paralympic javelin champion and World Para Athletics champion Sumit Antil, and two-time Paralympic medallist and World Championship gold medallist para high-jumper Nishad Singh — posted a picture of Kuldeep receiving a signed jersey from Lionel Messi. The Indian spinner is a well-known football fan with a vocal preference for FC Barcelona. Messi has also represented FC Barcelona for several years before his stints with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and currently with Inter Miami. View this post on Instagram A post shared by adidas India (@adidasindia) During the footballer's visit to India, he was accompanied by two other players, Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez. Initially, the trio made their appearances in Kolkata and then went to Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. In Delhi, the International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah presented India's national cricket team's jerseys to the football trio. Messi was presented with Team India's jersey bearing the number 10 by Jay Shah, while Suarez received number 9, and de Paul was given number 7, each customised with their names. The ICC chairman also invited Messi to attend the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 and also handed him a ticket. On the other hand, Kuldeep is busy featuring in the ongoing T20I series between Team India and South Africa. Currently, the "Men in Blue" are leading the five-match T20I series 2-1 and will aim to secure a win in Ahmedabad to seal the series. The fifth and final clash of the series is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 19, 2026. Later, the side will lock horns against New Zealand for the shortest format series. The five-match T20I series against the "Black Caps" would start from January 21. The series will also serve as a preparatory contest for both teams ahead of T20 World Cup 2026. (With ANI Inputs)
19 December,2025 04:34 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTeam India spinner Varun Chakaravarthy said that his preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 are based on backing his lengths, maintaining confidence and constantly challenging himself even in the matches that appear to be straightforward. "It is very important to keep putting pressure on yourself to get ready for the World Cup. You have to challenge yourself even when there is no challenge. If a match feels easy, you have to create that pressure mentally and start challenging yourself. Confidence, bowling the right lengths, and understanding the opposition are key. That is one major factor I want to take into the World Cup. With a better understanding of the opposition, I think I can do well," he said on JioHotstar. So far, he has made 32 T20I appearances for the "Men in Blue" and has bagged 51 wickets. His best bowling figures in the format are five wickets for 17 runs. The 34-year-old spinner's role will be crucial in India's title defence leading to the global showpiece. The marquee event is scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, 2026. Chakaravarthy also revealed his plan by saying that he focuses on bowling at the right length. "My plan is simple, stick to the basics and bowl my length. Sometimes it works, and thankfully in the last three matches, it has worked well. I will try the same in the next match," he said. "When you are not confident, your mindset affects your skill. The key is to stay confident and back your skills. That is when you execute well, without much change. That is the secret to being consistent. At this level, you must be consistent, playing at the highest level is important to know where you stand," he added. The Karnataka-born cricketer then recalled the first match in which he represented India and said that he understood the mistakes and worked on them during the practice sessions. "In my first match at the international level, I struggled a bit initially and that's when I understood a few things. I went back to practice and made corrections. So, it is very important to keep playing at the highest level," concluded Chakaravarthy. He will now feature in the fifth and final T20I match between Team India and South Africa. The match is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 19. Currently, the "Men in Blue" are leading the five-match T20I series 2-1 and will aim to secure a win in Ahmedabad to seal the series. (With PTI Inputs)
19 December,2025 04:34 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe ongoing India-South Africa series remains fiercely contested, with two possible outcomes before the final game and former Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn opined that India have ‘been the better team’ so far in the three games played. “I think it’s been a great series, and South Africa have probably exceeded expectations. Winning the Test series was outstanding, and they were very competitive in the ODIs. They might feel they let the first ODI slip after winning the toss and losing early wickets while chasing. Had they won that, they could have finished the ODI series 2–1. That said, out of the three T20Is so far, India have been the better team. “They bowled SA out cheaply in one game, conceded runs in another, but then dominated again in Dharamshala. If India win the series, I would say well played — they would deserve it. But I’m hoping South Africa turn it around. They’ve had a wonderful tour,” Steyn told JioStar. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 December,2025 09:20 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSFormer India captain and Mumbai Cricket Association’s Cricket Advisor Dilip Vengsarkar has expressed disappointment over Mumbai’s failure to defend their Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy title this season. The defending champions dominated the league stage in Lucknow, losing just a solitary game to Kerala and winning six matches. When the tournament moved to Pune for the Super League, India pacer Mohammed Siraj-powered Hyderabad outclassed Mumbai by nine wickets in the opener. Mumbai bounced back strongly, beating Haryana and Rajasthan, but a comparatively lower Net Run Rate (NRR) kept them out of the final despite having eight points like Hyderabad and finalists Haryana. Mumbai finished with a NRR of -0.701, compared to Haryana’s 2.325 and Hyderabad’s -0.413. “I’m disappointed, there’s no question about it, because you want to win [the trophy]. I understand in T20s anything can happen as there is no strong team and weak team. So, any team can beat the strongest team. But, we were definitely expecting much better results,” Vengsarkar, a veteran of 116 Tests, told mid-day on Thursday. India batter Ajinkya Rahane was Mumbai’s top-scorer with 395 runs from 10 games, followed by Sarfaraz Khan with 329 in seven matches. In the bowling department, medium pacer Sairaj Patil (14 scalps) and skipper Shardul Thakur (13) were the top two wicket-takers for Mumbai. MCA secretary Dr Unmesh Khanvilkar felt that one bad day in the office hurt the Mumbai side: “We played very well in the last two matches, but had we won the first game against Hyderabad, the story would have been different. One bad day cost us the final, and we failed to retain the trophy.”
19 December,2025 09:12 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureOut-of-favour India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan made a compelling case for a T20I recall with a belligerent hundred to power Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title with a 69-run victory over Haryana here on Thursday. Kishan went on a six-hitting spree, smashing 10 maximums en route to a breathtaking 49-ball 101, as Jharkhand piled up an imposing 262-3. Jharkhand bowlers, led by medium pacer Anukul Roy, then struck twice in his opening over while his team applied the brakes with regular wickets to bowl out Haryana for 193. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 December,2025 09:09 AM IST | Pune | PTIA pumped-up Australian bowling unit ripped through England’s fragile batting on Thursday to leave the tourists staring down the barrel of a third successive Test defeat with their Ashes campaign on the brink, barring a miracle. At stumps on a sweltering Day Two, the visitors had ground to 213-8, trailing by 158 after Australia added 45 to their overnight 326-8, with Mitchell Starc scoring his second fifty on the trot (54). A gutsy Ben Stokes battled through the day with 45 not out after facing 151 balls. Jofra Archer accompanied him to the dugout at stumps with an unbeaten 30.Australia skipper Pat Cummins, returning from a lower back injury after missing the first two Tests, made an immediate impact by dismissing England opener Zak Crawley (9) early, before Nathan Lyon — reinstated in the XI after being dropped at the Gabba — picked the wickets of Ollie Pope (3) and Ben Duckett (29) in his first over to leave England tottering. Lyon’s Test tally swelled to 564, going past the Glenn McGrath’s record in the process, leaving him ‘humbled.’ “I grew up Glenn McGrath. To think of being able to overtake Glenn... it’s pretty humbling to be honest,” said Lyon. Cummins then dismissed Joe Root (19) cheaply before Harry Brook’s counter-attacking 45 was nipped by Cameron Green. But then came a moment of controversy, as Jamie Smith (22) was adjudged caught behind with Snicko showing a small spike one frame after the ball passed the bat. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 December,2025 09:05 AM IST | Adelaide | AgenciesDefending champions Anjuman-I-Islam Allana English School (Fort) booked their spot in the final after beating Dnyandeep Seva Mandal High School (Nerul) by three wickets in the semi-finals of the Dream Sports Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school Harris Shield tournament at the MIG Cricket Club (Bandra) on Thursday. Resuming the final day (Day Three) on 34-1, Anjuman’s Umar Khute anchored the chase of 130, which they completed in 33.5 overs, with 48 off 77 balls. He was well supported by Yuvraj Bhingare (33 off 43), and Aarav Yadav (26 off 33). For Dnyandeep, Golu Pal was the standout bowler (5-56). In the other semi-final, Al-Barkaat MMI English School (Kurla) beat General Education Academy (Chembur) by five wickets, chasing down a daunting target of 292 in 38.4 overs.
19 December,2025 08:57 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamWhen Australia’s Glenn Maxwell battled severe cramps and literally batted on one leg to score an unbeaten 201 off 128 balls in a three-wicket win over Afghanistan in an ICC ODI World Cup match at the Wankhede Stadium in 2023, he instantly hit the headlines. Now, imagine a batter playing a big knock with just one hand! That’s exactly what India Seniors batter Shivashankara GS, 25, did against India ‘A’ in the third and final match of the inaugural Physically Disabled T20 Cricket Series at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Shivashankara, who lost his right hand in a road accident when he was just six years old, smashed the bowlers all over the park with just his left hand, which he used as the bottom hand to hold the bat. Close win for India ‘A’ Chasing 164 for victory, the India Seniors’s left-handed No. 7 batter hammered a 43-ball 67 (4x4, 5x6), before his team fell short by 24 runs. However, Shivashankara was named Player of the Match for his brilliance as India Seniors won the three-match series 2-1. Usually, it’s the top hand that plays a key role for a batter, but in Shivashankara’s case, he uses his bottom hand effectively, exhibiting both, classic cover-drives along the ground, as well as big sixes across the fence. Power is something Shivashankara has particularly worked on over the years. “I’ve been playing cricket for the last 10 years and have worked on my power by hitting the gym three to four times a week. But I think more than physical strength, it’s the mental strength that helps me every time I step out to bat. I have been playing cricket with normal cricketers in corporate tournaments at Bengaluru and have scored 30,000-plus runs,” Shivashankara, a Commerce graduate, who works for a private firm in Bengaluru, told mid-day. Trained by Paddikal’s coach Speaking about his initial days in the game, Shivashankara said. “It was a tough time for me when I lost my hand as a kid due to a road accident, but my parents constantly supported and motivated me. I started playing cricket seriously in 2016 under coach Irfan Shaikh, who is also coaching India batter Devdutt Padikkal,” he said. 67No. of runs scored by Shivashankara GS off just 43 balls on Thursday 5Sixes smashed by Shivashankara en route to his 67 on Thursday 2-1Series result in favour of India Seniors
19 December,2025 08:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureShubman Gill arrived here on Thursday with the Indian team for the fifth and final T20I against South Africa, even though he is under injury cloud after copping a blow to his toe in the lead-up to the fourth match. Gill was set to miss Wednesday’s fourth T20I in Lucknow after he was injured in the nets, but poor weather conditions forced the match to be abandoned. It remains to be seen if Gill, who has also struggled for runs, would be available for selection for the fifth T20I to be played here on Friday, or would Sanju Samson be picked in place of the Indian vice-captain. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 December,2025 08:40 AM IST | Ahmedabad | PTIUnbeatable at home Team India’s purple patch in bilateral series at home continues, remaining undefeated in every T20I series for more than six years now. Since September 2019, the hosts have won 15 series and drawn two. 100 per cent record India hold a 100 per cent win record in T20I series-deciders at home since November 2019. They have won all seven games. The SA connection Interestingly, SA are the only team against whom India failed to win a series twice at home since September 2019. The three and five-match series were drawn 1-1 and 2-2 in 2019 and 2022 respectively. Consistency at the top India are unbeaten in their last 13 T20I series or tournaments (home and away, including the ongoing T20I series vs SA). They have won 11 series or tournament and drawn one. Coincidentally, that one away draw also came against SA in December 2023. Lucky skipper Surya India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has not lost a T20I series or tournament (home or away) as captain. He currently has eight series or tournament wins under his belt, while one was levelled 1-1. Ahmedabad advantage today Team India have won five of the seven T20Is played in Ahmedabad. Both their defeats came in the five-match series against England in 2021.
19 December,2025 08:37 AM IST | Mumbai | Rohan KoliADVERTISEMENT
