Junior Digest

Nov 2,2025: The Indian women’s cricket team beat South Africa by 52 runs to win their first-ever ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in Navi Mumbai last night. Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma starred with both bat and ball to help India secure a tense win after South Africa had won the toss and elected to bowl.
Chasing 299, South Africa looked well set at one stage to get to the target, but Deepti Sharma’s breakthrough sparked a dramatic collapse. After she dismissed Annerie Dercksen, the Proteas crumbled from 209 for 5 to 246 all out. Deepti Sharma had turned the tide for India with a brilliant spell that yielded three crucial wickets, including that of South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt. Deepti bagged 5 wickets for 39 runs from 9.3 overs.
Shafali Verma created memories of a lifetime by scoring 87 in India’s 298 for 7 and then grabbed a couple of crucial wickets to restrict the Proteas Women to 246. Shafali was declared the Player of the Match, while Deepti Sharma won the Player of the Tournament award.

The victorious Indian team was given an all-time high prize money of around 37.3 crore rupees, which indicates a 239 per cent growth over the last time. The tournament’s success and India’s championship win have tremendously boosted the visibility and growth potential of women’s cricket nationwide and internationally.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have congratulated Team India on their remarkable victory in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Final.

In a social media post, the President said this watershed moment will take women’s cricket to even higher performances. Praising the players for their determination and inspiring performance, she said, the girls have made India proud.

In his message, the Prime Minister described it as a spectacular victory that will motivate future champions to take up sports. Mr Modi said their performance in the final was marked by great skill and confidence. The Prime Minister said the team showed exceptional teamwork and tenacity throughout the tournament.

New Delhi, July 29,2025: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Indian chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh for her remarkable triumph at the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup, where she not only clinched the prestigious title but also earned the title of Grandmaster.
In a message shared on X, the Prime Minister wrote, “It’s been a phenomenal day for Indian Chess! Divya Deshmukh has not only won the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup but also become a Grandmaster. Congratulations to her. Her accomplishment will motivate many people and contribute to chess becoming even more popular among the youth.”

The 19-year-old Deshmukh defeated seasoned Koneru Humpy in a tense final held in Batumi, Georgia yesterday. With this win, she became the first Indian woman to win the FIDE women’s world cup and only the fourth Indian player to attain the Grandmaster title.

May 03,2022: Kerala bounced back from a goal down to beat Bengal 5-4 in the penalty shootout and win their seventh Santosh Trophy title at the Manjeri Payyanad Football Stadium in Malappuram on Monday, May 2. Playing in front of a packed home crowd with an official attendance of 26,857, Bino George Chiramal-coached Kerala failed to break through Bengal defence, spearheaded by experienced goalkeeper Priyant Kumar Singh in the regulation time.
The record 32-time champions, aiming to avenge their final defeat at home in 2016-17, went ahead in the extra-time through a sensational diving header by Dilip Orawn (97th), set up by Supriya Pandit from the left. But Bengal defence spearheaded by skipper Monotosh Chakladar crumbled in the last four minutes of extra-time in what was an action replay of Bengal’s goal.

Islamabad, May 6,2023: Pakistan’s men’s cricket team defeated New Zealand on Friday night by a big margin of 102 runs to become the world No.1 team in the One-Day International (ODI) format of the game.

In the fourth day and night match of the ongoing series, the Pakistani team set a huge total of 334 runs at the board off 50 overs with the help of a century by captain Babar Azam at the National Stadium in the country’s southern port city of Karachi.

Shan Masood and Agha Salman also made 44 and 58 runs respectively before IftikharAhmed and Shaheen Afridi played quick and blistering knocks to raise the team total to 334 runs.

Matt Henry was the only New Zealand bowler who created some disturbance forPakistani batting by taking three wickets for 65 runs off 10 overs.

Chasing the target required the visitors to maintain the required run rate bykeeping wickets intact but the Pakistani fierce bowling line rattled through the opponents’ batting line with Will Young and Tom Blundell losing their wickets within two overs after a sedate start with low strike rate.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham and Mark Chapman were the only batsmen who resisted Pakistan’s dominating bowling, but once they got out, their team lost consistent wickets before going all out at 232 runs.

Pakistani captain Babar Azam was named Player of the Match for his century,and he also became the quickest player to make 5,000 ODI runs in just 99 matches.

With the victory, Pakistan took the lead of 4-0 in the series and also reached the top ranking of the ODI with 113 points. Pakistan will have to win the fifth and final match of the series to consolidate its top position.

Jan 30,202:Rafael Nadal edged past Daniil Medvedev in a classic Australian open final on Sunday. Nadal roared back from two sets down to claim a record 21st grand slam men’s title. Nadal pulled off one of his finest performances to win a titanic five-set duel with Medvedev. Nadal said this has been one of the most emotional matches of his tennis career. Only two months back, Nadal had feared that his glorious career might be over due to injury. Nadal had missed Wimbledon due to fatigue and the US open because of a chronic condition in his left foot.
Rafael Nadal triumphed over Medvedev in a five-set classic on Sunday night, with the two warriors barely able to walk after five-and-a-half hours of incredible tennis.

Buenos Aires,Oct 07,2022:Argentina captain Lionel Messi said Thursday that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will “surely” be the last of his career.

“It’s my last World Cup, surely. I feel good physically, I was able to do a very good pre-season this year, which I couldn’t do last year. It was essential to get to where I am, with a good state of mind and a lot of hope,” the 35-year-old told ESPN Argentina.

Messi, who is due to appear in his fifth World Cup, made his international debut in 2005 and has since won 164 caps for Argentina and is the country’s all-time record scorer with 90 goals.

Paris [France], July 28,: Ace India shooter Manu Bhaker finished third to secure a bronze medal in the final of the Women’s Air Pistol event in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 on Sunday.

She became the first Indian women to win a medal in shooting at Olympics.

Bhaker brought India’s first medal in the ongoing mega event as she won a bronze medal with a score of 221.7.

It was a redemption arc for Manu after her pistol malfunctioned in Tokyo Olympics. She scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman in 20 years to reach an shooting final in an individual event of Olympics since Suma Shirur in 2004.

South Korea’s Ye Jin clinched the gold medal with an Olympic record of 243.2 points. Her compatriot, Kim Yeji settled for silver with 241.3 points.

On the opening day, Bhaker finished third in the qualification round of Women’s 10 Metre Air Pistol to qualify for the final at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Saturday. While Rhythm Sangwan failed to make her place in the final after finishing in 15th place.

Budapest, Aug 28,2023: Each time Neeraj Chopra gets on the runway of a global championship, he takes down a slice of history and it was no different in the men’s javelin final on the last day of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.

With his first legal throw of the evening (88.17m), which he secured on his second attempt after fouling on his first, the 25-year-old became the first athlete from India to strike gold in any event at the World Athletics Championships.

He is also the first Asian athlete to win gold in the men’s javelin, with his medal being his country’s only one in Budapest.

Coming to the championships, the Olympic champion, who had experienced a bit of a disrupted season and was still trying to adapt to his technique, was not the farthest thrower.

That position belonged to Czechia’s Jakub Vadlejch, who was making his fourth appearance in a World Championships final, and was arguably the most experienced thrower in the field, having claimed silver in 2017 in London, and a bronze in Oregon.

The 32-year-old showed he was still in top form, starting the competition with a season’s best of 89.51m set in Finland.

His javelin landed at 82.59m in the first round to give him the lead, but was pushed to second place when Oliver Helander recorded a superior mark of 83.38m in the same round.

However, the Finnish athlete, who was eighth in Oregon, couldn’t better that distance, eventually succumbing to three fouls, and then registering marks of 81.44m and 82.85m, respectively.

The reverse was the case for Vadlejch, who recorded 84.18m on his second attempt to take him back to the top. However, his reign was short-lived, overtaken by the Indian athlete who charged down the runway, hauling his javelin 88.17m – a season’s best – to top the pack.

Germany’s Julian Weber then recorded a decent throw of 85.30m, displacing the Czech thrower from the top three. It was to be his best effort of the evening, though, and the 28-year-old had to settle for another fourth-place position, the same as in Oregon.

Commonwealth Games champion Arshad Nadeem, who hadn’t competed all season as he returned after a long rehab process following elbow surgery late last year, recorded a big one in the third round.

The 26-year-old, who has a personal best of 90.18m which he secured in Birmingham last year, threw 87.82m to instantly propel himself to second place. His next effort was also a big one but it fell 67cm shy of his previous throw.

Vadlejch bounced back into reckoning in the fifth round with a hurl of 86.67m, taking him to third position.

Chopra, who had two more of his teammates in the field – the first time in history for India – tried to throw farther but his subsequent throws landed at 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m and 83.98m. His compatriots Kishore Jena (84.77m) and DP Manu (84.14m) placed fifth and sixth at the end of the day.

And although his winning distance was 60cm shy of his silver medal-winning mark from Oregon, Chopra was just relieved to have taken the gold this time around.

“This was great. After the Olympic gold, I really wanted to win the World Championships,” he said. “I just wanted to throw farther. This is brilliant for the national team, but it was my dream to win gold at the World Championships.”

“This has been a great championships for India, and I am proud to bring another title to my country. I wanted to throw more than 90 metres tonight but it needs all parts of the puzzle to be there. I couldn’t put it all together this evening. Maybe next time, ” he said.

Last year in Oregon, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist became only the second Indian to win a World Championships medal of any colour after claiming silver behind Grenada’s Anderson Peters, following in the footsteps of Anju Bobby George who scooped the bronze medal in the women’s long jump in 2003.

Chopra wasn’t the only one to make history in the men’s javelin. Nadeem’s silver becomes Pakistan’s first ever World Championships medal, making it an emotional night for the Olympic finalist in Tokyo.

NEW DELHI,Jan 27,2023: India’s tennis icon Sania Mirza was visibly and understandably emotional at the trophy presentation at the Road Laver Arena on Friday after the Mixed Doubles final.
This was Sania’s last career appearance at a Grand Slam. The tennis legend bids adieu with 6 Grand Slam titles on her resume.
Sania and Rohan Bopanna lost 6-7, 2-6 to the Brazilian pair of Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos in the Mixed Doubles final played at the Rod Laver Arena early Friday morning India time.
Sania, who has won six Grand Slam doubles championships -— three in mixed, including the 2009 Australian- will, according to reports, retire next month after a tournament in Dubai.

New Delhi, Nov 7,2024: Hockey India on Thursday announced the beginning of a grand, year-long celebration marking the 100th anniversary of Indian Hockey.

This centenary year is a tribute to a century of unparalleled excellence and a forward-looking vision for the future of hockey in India, marked with the grand relaunch of HIL and the historic inauguration of the Women’s HIL.

A national body for hockey was officially formed on November 7, 1925, in the historic city of Gwalior. This pivotal moment ignited a journey of triumphs and glory that has firmly established India as a powerhouse in the sport.

Indian hockey’s journey over the last 99 years is a saga of unmatched legacy in global sports, adorned with eight Olympic Gold medals, along with a Silver and four Bronze medals, and a

Hockey World Cup trophy, supplemented by a Silver and a Bronze medal.

From the golden era on natural turf to the modern challenges of artificial surfaces, Indian hockey has continually evolved and emerged stronger, epitomizing resilience and resurgence.

Over the past decade, Indian hockey has experienced a renaissance. The Indian Men’s Hockey Team’s historic back-to-back Olympic medals, after a 52-year wait, and the Women’s Hockey Team’s impressive fourth-place finish in Tokyo Olympics, along with their FIH Nations Cup victory, are testaments to this revival.

The return of the Hockey India League, coinciding with this monumental anniversary, is a vibrant testament to Hockey India’s commitment to preserving our illustrious past while embracing the exciting future ahead.

India has successfully hosted numerous prestigious international tournaments and developed world-class infrastructure with state-of-the-art artificial turfs nationwide.

Hockey India has embraced innovation with digital initiatives like the Member Unit Portal and the online player registration system, creating a comprehensive database of professional players in

the country. The structured coaching education pathway is also designed to produce officials of international standards from our nation.

Hockey India has always championed gender equality in sports. They proudly uphold equal prize money for Men’s and Women’s Teams winning tournaments and standardized match-winning fees across genders. Hockey remains the only team sport in the nation with complete pay parity.

The timing of the Hockey India League’s return is a meticulously planned tribute to this centenary celebration. The league is set to be bigger, better, and bolder, featuring the historic introduction of the Women’s Hockey India League. This step will not only showcase India’s hockey renaissance but also underline Hockey India’s unwavering commitment to providing equal opportunities and recognition to all athletes.

“As we begin celebrations for 100 years of Indian hockey, the relaunch of the Men’s Hockey India League and the inaugural Women’s Hockey India League signify a momentous occasion. This year-long celebration is a tribute to our remarkable journey and a testament to our enduring legacy. We are excited to witness the thrilling matches and extraordinary talent that these leagues will bring, highlighting the spirit of excellence that has defined Indian hockey for a century,” Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey commented on the occasion.

Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh echoed these thoughts, saying, “The centenary celebration of Indian hockey is a historic milestone that reflects our rich heritage and our vision for the future. The return of the Hockey India League and the launch of the Women’s League are pivotal moments in our commitment to fostering talent and promoting equality in the sport. We look forward to an unforgettable year of high-caliber hockey, as we honor our past and build a brighter future for the sport in India.”

This centenary celebration is a grand tribute to a century of Indian hockey excellence, yet it is also a launching pad for the next hundred years of glory and triumph.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz has won his first Grand Slam title and become the youngest male tennis player to secure the the world number one ranking.

The 19-year-old beat Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 in the final of the US Open on Sunday.

Alcaraz is the youngest Grand Slam men’s champion since Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open, and the youngest US Open champion since Pete Sampras in 1990.

Paris, July 27,2024: After a century-long wait, Paris welcomed back the Olympic Games with a rainy yet historic ceremony held on the River Seine.

French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open before the waterborne ceremony reached its climax when Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec lit the cauldron with the Olympic flame.

Han Zheng, Chinese vice president and President Xi Jinping’s Special Representative, was among a host of international dignitaries in attendance at the opening ceremony.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach expressed his gratitude towards the organizers and the French people.

“You are bringing our Olympic Agenda reforms to life by making these Games wide open. All of us will experience Olympic Games that are more inclusive, more urban, younger and more sustainable – the first Olympic Games with full gender parity on the field of play,” said Bach.

For the first time in Olympics history, the opening ceremony took place outside the host city’s main Olympic stadium. From the Austerlitz Bridge to the Trocadero, around 6,800 athletes, assembled behind their flagbearers, cruised down a 6km stretch of the Seine on 85 boats.

Despite the rainy conditions, the parade allowed athletes to bask in the beauty of Paris’ most famed monuments, including the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower, with some playing host to the opening ceremony’s musical performances.

The 2024 Olympics marks the third time that Paris has hosted the Summer Games. The first was in 1900, and the last was a century ago in 1924.

Hours before the opening ceremony, arson attacks on French railways caused widespread delays and cancellations to rail services across Europe, casting a shadow over the sporting extravaganza.

The attacks, however, did not dampen the mood surrounding the ceremony, as crowds crammed the Seine’s banks and bridges to watch.

China has dispatched a delegation of 405 athletes, including 42 Olympic champions, who will compete in 236 events across 30 sports at the Games.

Budapest, Aug 21,2023: Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei delivered his season’s best performance of 27 minutes 51.42 seconds, clinching the men’s 10,000m world title for the third consecutive time on Sunday.

Cheptegei, 26, only surged ahead in the final lap, comfortably securing the top spot, even if his time couldn’t rival his world record of 26:11.00.

Kenya’s Daniel Simiu Ebenso bagged the silver with a time of 27:52.60, while Ethiopian Solemn Brega clinched bronze just 0.12 seconds behind.

“I am very excited and proud that I have succeeded in winning my third world title in a row. This was the best possible way to end the season,” Cheptegei remarked. “This might be my last championships on the track. That’s why this gold medal means even more.”

June 14,2022:Australia’s substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne saved the last penalty to secure his country a place at this year’s World Cup in Qatar as they edged Peru 5-4 in a shoot-out following a 0-0 draw after extra time in an intercontinental qualifying playoff on Monday.

Redmayne danced across the goal line before diving to the right to stop a kick from Alex Valera and hand Australia’s football team, dubbed the Socceroos, the win that sealed their fifth successive World Cup appearance.
Redmayne was brought on by the Australian coach as the game inched towards penalty kicks.

The playoff between the Asian and South American qualifiers had been goalless after 120 minutes and was only decided when Valera missed his side’s sixth penalty, giving Australia the win at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha.

Chennai, Dec 12,2024:Indian Challenger D Gukesh dethroned reigning Chinese champion Ding Liren by winning the 14th and final round of the FIDE World Chess Championship in Singapore on Thursday evening.
It was a proud moment in Indian sporting history, as Gukesh, at the age of 18, was crowned the youngest ever World Classical Chess champion.
Gukesh has become the youngest winner of the tournament at the age of 17.
D Gukesh defeated Dang Liren in a nail-biting Game 14 of the finals to become the youngest-ever World Chess Championship (WCC) winner in Singapore on Thursday.
It was the final encounter of the summit clash before the match would have proceeded to rapid tie-breakers.
Gukesh held black whereas Liren was playing with white in the title decider. The game had entered its fifth hour as Liren began exerting pressure on Gukesh’s advancing bishop.

There was, however, a long pause before the 13th move by Gukesh and he ended up recreating his bishop as his chances in the final resulted in a critical situation.

Liren pounced upon the situation to sway the game back in his favour in the 17th move, re-introducing his knight and then launching a counter-attack with his black square bishop. He then offered Gukesh a trade-off for the queen. Gukesh accepted the offer, thus pushing the game into tie-breakers, whereas Liren was looking to settle for a draw.

The match then entered an interesting phase, with both sides refusing to concede even an inch. Liren committed a massive blunder in the 55th move, as he moved his rook to f2. Gukesh was quick to spot and capitalise upon the same, and turned the match into a king-and-pawn match, accepting the loss and resigning to the Indian Grandmaster thereafter.

Before Gukesh’s feat on Thursday, the legendary Garry Kasparov of Russia was the youngest world chess champion when he won the title at the age of 22, dethroning Anatoly Karpov in 1985.

Gukesh had entered the match as the youngest ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year.

He is the second Indian after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to win the global title. Anand, a five-time world champion, had last won the crown in 2013.

Dec 19,2022:Argentina won the 2022 World Cup final against France, beating the defending champion during a penalty kick shootout after the teams reached full time with a 3-3 tie. The game had headed into 30 extra minutes in a 2-2 tie.
Argentina scored four of the penalty kicks to France’s two.
The anticipated match marked Lionel Messi’s last World Cup game, as the popular Argentinian athlete announced after his team’s win against Croatia in last week’s semi-finals. After their win at the final, Messi was awarded the coveted Golden Ball, a prize given to the tournament’s best player. He is now the only player in the history of the World Cup games to receive the Golden Ball twice.
Argentina started off strong in Sunday’s match, and had gained a 2-0 lead over France by half-time. Both Messi and Angel Di Maria scored goals during the first half of the game, with Messi scoring on a 23rd-minute penalty kick after a foul on Di Maria. Thirteen minutes later, Di Maria scored after finishing off a five-pass team move involving a deft flick from Messi. France’s Kylian Mbappé scored his team’s first goal in the 71st minute, and quickly followed up with another.

Mbappé scored the team’s third goal on a penalty kick, becoming only the second player to perform a hat trick — scoring three goals during a single match — in a World Cup final. Despite France’s loss, Mbappé was awarded the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top goal-scorer.

Di Maria, who started for the first time since sustaining a foot injury during Argentina’s match against Poland in the final round of group games, took the place of Leandro Paredes in the midfield as the team again rolled out a 4-4-2 formation, with Messi leading as one of two forwards. Mbappé started up front for France alongside Olivier Giroud, who had overcome a minor knee injury. Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot also started after having previously been replaced by Ibrahima Konaté and Youssouf Fofana, respectively, due to illness.

Messi now has 13 World Cup goals and is the first player to score in the group stage and every round of the knockout stage in a single edition of the tournament. Meanwhile, Mbappé has 12, the same number as Brazilian icon Pelé.

Rome, July 27,2022: India’s Greco Roman wrestler, Suraj, created history at the U17 World Championships by clinching the gold in 55kg weight category.

Suraj defeated European champion Faraim Mustafayev of Azerbaijab by technical superiority (11-0) on Tuesday night, to add historic moment in India’s wrestling. His gold was India’s first since Pappu Yadav won one back in 1990.

Overall, this was India’s only third gold at the U17 Worlds and fourth at all World Championships combined. Apart from Yadav, who also won the 1992 U20 World Championships, Vinod Kumar won the U17 Worlds title in 1980.

Nov 19,2023:Australia have pulled off an upset by beating hosts and undefeated tournament favourites India by six wickets to win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad and extend their staggering record of title wins to seven.

The calm but experienced Australian side sailed to a comfortable win despite losing three early wickets in their run chase at a packed Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday evening.

Middle-order batter Travis Head scored 137 runs from 120 balls and Marnus Labuschagne scored 58 from 110 balls as Australia cruised home.

It brought a trophy to captain Pat Cummins and his team, who were not deemed favourites to win when the tournament began more than six weeks ago.

Indeed, Australia and India opened their campaigns against each other in Chennai on October 8, when star India batter Virat Kohli combined with KL Rahul to steer his team’s chase of a moderate total and get their first win of the tournament.

India were in a similar situation in Ahmedabad, where Kohli (54) and Rahul (66) once again came together for a rescue act. However, India’s batting collapse on the biggest stage saw them put up a paltry target of 241 at the end of 50 overs.

Australia’s bowlers, led by Mitchell Starc’s brilliant display of fast bowling with figures of 3-55 in his 10 overs, kept the Indian batting powerhouse at bay with regular dismissals. Captain Cummins ended with figures of 2-34 in 10 overs, while fellow seamer Josh Hazlewood had 2-60 in his 10 overs.
Rohit’s India ‘tried everything’

India’s captain Rohit Sharma began the innings in his typically attacking fashion, scoring 47 runs from 31 balls. But apart from Kohli and Rahul, no other Indian batter threatened the Australian bowlers on a pitch that offered a balance between bat and ball.

Following the loss, Rohit said his team “tried everything” but fell short.

“When KL [Rahul] and Kohli were batting, we were looking at 280 [runs].”
“Australia stitched up a good partnership to win the game and took the game away from us.”

Rohit refused to blame the pitch for his side’s batting display, though he said it “definitely improved under the lights”.
‘Top of the mountain’

Australia last won the title at home in 2015. Their seventh title widens the gap between the rest of the title-winning countries, including India, who have two, along with the West Indies.

Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England have each won the title once.

Australia captain Cummins said his team saved their best for last, as “a couple of big-match players stood up”.

He heaped praise on Labuschagne and Head, saying they “showed some character” to lead the chase on the biggest stage.

“He [Head] takes the game on and put some pressure back on India,” he said.

The win marks the end of an incredible year for Australia, who beat India in the World Test Championship final in England before retaining the Ashes.

Cummins said his team were brave and took the game on at times.

“This year will be a year we remember for a long, long time,” he said.

“We’ve pretty much spent the whole Australia winter away from home … [We] have had a lot of success, but this pips it all – this is top of the mountain.”

Dec 30,2022: Brazil football legend Pele, whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, died due to cancer at the age of 82 late on Thursday. Pele, who is also a three-time World Cup winner, was one of the greatest names in the world of football and scored a record 1,281 goals in his two-decade-long career.

The legend had undergone treatment for colon cancer in 2021. Since October this year, he was not keeping well. He had been hospitalised for the last month with multiple ailments. His agent Joe Fraga confirmed that Pele died at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo on Thursday, December 29, at 11:57 pm (3:27 pm as per Brazil time). Brazil’s record scorer, Nicknamed “the Black Pearl” and “the King”, won three World Cups as a player, in 1958, 1962, and 1970. Pelé was one of only three players to have scored in four World Cups.
Soon after the news broke out wishes and tributes started pouring in on social media from footballing legends, players, and celebrities, like superstars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar.

Leading the pack, superstar Messi, who recently lifted the FIFA World Cup with Argentina, posted his tribute on his official Instagram account.

Dubai, Jan 24,2023: Suryakumar Yadav on Wednesday won the ICC Men’s T20I Cricket of the Year award for the second year in a row.

With his eclectic mix of shots, Suryakumar dominated 2023 with an average that closed in on 50 and a strike rate exceeding 150.

The backbone of India’s middle order got starts throughout the year, delivering several match-winning contributions. This is the second consecutive year that the India batter has taken this award home.

He overcame the challenge of Sikandar Raza, Alpesh Ramjani and Mark Chapman to take the award home.

Looking to go back-to-back after winning the accolade in 2022, Suryakumar did not fall foul to second-year syndrome, dominating again in the shortest format.

Yadav’s first innings of just seven to start the year against Sri Lanka was a mere speed bump in another prolific year, making scores of 51 (36) and 112 not out (51) in the next two matches. Consistent scoring in 20s to 40s continued, before an innings of 83 (44) against the West Indies in Providence proved his class. He ended the series against the West Indies with a knock of 61 (45) in Florida.
Yadav flourished despite the burden of captaincy, taking the reins of a young side towards the end of the year.
Suryakumar made half-centuries against Australia (80 off 42 balls) and South Africa (56 from 36 balls), before posting an even 100 against the Proteas off just 56 balls in their final T20I of the yearin Johannesburg.
With a range of his inside-out drives and clever play behind the wicket, Suryakumar’s knock of 112
off 51 balls against Sri Lanka in January included nine sixes and seven fours, equating to almost a boundary every three deliveries.
His first boundary came off just the fourth ball of his innings, and it took just 45 balls to reach three figures.
The effort was the second-fastest hundred for India in men’s T20Is behind Rohit Sharma’s 35-ball effort against the same opponent in 2017, and India were clear 91-run winners.