London: Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul and Joe Root’s sublime century set up an absorbing contest before KL Rahul’s composed unbeaten 53 guided India to 145 for three at stumps on day two of the third Test against England at Lord’s on Friday.

At stumps, India trailed by 242 runs with Rahul and Rishabh Pant (19 batting) at the crease.

Bumrah (5/74) dismantled England’s middle and lower order to claim his second successive five-wicket haul and 15th overall, as the hosts were bowled out for 387 after resuming the day on 251/4.

Root anchored the innings with a composed 104 off 199 balls — his 37th Test century — while No 9 Brydon Carse (56) and keeper-batter Jamie Smith (51) staged a crucial lower-order fightback as the last three England partnership was worth 84 runs.

In reply, India started brightly but lost Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) early with Jofra Archer’s dismissing him in the third ball of his Test comeback after nearly four years.

Rahul held firm with a patient unbeaten 53 (113 balls) adding 61 runs with Karun Nair, who made 40 before falling to a spectacular diving catch by Root at slip — his record 211th in Tests, surpassing Rahul Dravid’s 210 for the most catches by a fielder in men’s Tests.

Captain Shubman Gill (16) fell just two runs short of overtaking Dravid’s record for most runs by an India batter (602) in a Test series in England.

A defensive push off Chris Woakes found the edge, with Smith standing close taking a sharp catch behind the stumps in a key moment of the match.

The five-match series is tied one-all after India bounced back to win the second Test at Edgbaston by 336 runs.

Brief Scores:

England 1st Innings: 387 (Root 104, Carse 56, Smith 51; Bumrah 5/74).

India 1st Innings: 145/3 in 43 overs (KL Rahul 53 batting, Karun Nair 40).

Birmingham The Indian cricket team, staying in the heart of Birmingham, was asked to stay indoors after a suspicious package was found at the nearby Centenary Square.

A BCCI source confirmed to PTI that players were asked not to venture out following a social media post from the Birmingham City Centre Police.

Usually the Indian cricketers explore the areas close to the team hotel and ahead of the second Test, they were frequenting the bustling Broad Street.

A total of eight players including captain Shubman Gill turned up for training at Edgbaston while the other 10 members had an off day.

“We’ve currently got a cordon in place around Centenary Square, Birmingham city centre, while we investigate a suspicious package,” read a post from Birmingham City Centre Police on X.

“We were alerted just before 3pm, and a number of buildings have been evacuated as a precaution while it’s assessed. Please avoid the area,” the message read.

However, an hour later police lifted the cordon.

Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami

Kolkata: Calcutta High Court directed Indian pacer Mohammed Shami to pay his estranged wife, Hasin Jahan, and daughter a monthly alimony of Rs 4 lakh as maintenance during the ongoing legal battle with his spouse.

Jahan had moved the high court against a district sessions court’s order directing the cricketer to pay Rs 50,000 to his wife and Rs 80,000 to her daughter in 2023.

“In my considered opinion, a sum of Rs 1,50,000 per month to the petitioner no.1 (wife) and Rs 2,50,000 to her daughter would be just fair and reasonable to ensure financial stability for both the petitioners, till disposal of the main application,” the order passed by Justice Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee on Tuesday stated.

“However as regards petitioner’s child the husband /opposite party No 2 will always be at liberty to voluntarily assist her with educational and/or other reasonable expenses, over and above the aforesaid amount,” the order added.

Jahan had lodged an FIR at the Jadavpur police station against Shami and his family in March 2018, four years after their marriage in April 2014, alleging “enormous physical and mental torture” under Section 12 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violation (PWDV) Act, 2005 and “sustained indifference and neglect” of her minor daughter.

Besides domestic violence, she also accused Shami of dowry harassment and match-fixing while alleging that Shami had stopped shouldering financial responsibility for running her family expenses.

She had prayed for monetary relief, including an interim monetary relief of Rs 7 lakh per month for herself and an additional Rs 3 lakh for her daughter.

The magistrate, while disposing of her application, had initially rejected her prayer for monetary relief and directed the pacer a monthly payment of Rs 80,000 towards his minor daughter.

On appeal, the order was later modified, directing Shami to a monthly payment of Rs 50,000 to his wife and Rs 80,000 to his daughter.

“In view of materials placed before me and considering the elements for the determination of the quantum of maintenance as held in the salutary judgments, I am of the view that the quantum of interim monetary relief as fixed by the court below requires revision,” the high court order stated.

“The opposite party/husband’s income, financial disclosure and earnings established that he is in a position to pay a higher amount. The petitioner’s wife, who has remained unmarried and is living independently with the child, is entitled to a levelled maintenance that she enjoyed during her continuance of marriage and which reasonably secures her future as well as the future of the child,” it went on to add.

Shuttler Ayush Shetty

Iowa (US): Rising shuttler Ayush Shetty notched up his first BWF World Tour title with a commanding straight-games victory over Canada’s Brian Yang in the men’s singles final of the US Open Super 300, ending India’s title drought this season.

The 20-year-old, a 2023 junior world championships bronze winner, defeated the third seeded Yang 21-18 21-13 in 47 minutes on Sunday to cap off an impressive week, which included a come-from-behind win against top seed Chou Tien Chen in the semifinals.

It was Shetty’s third victory over Yang, having defeated him twice earlier this year at Malaysia and Taipei Open.

“It means a lot, it’s my first title in the senior circuit. So I’m really happy,” the 6 ft-4 inch shuttler told BWF.

“There are a lot of positives to take away. I played some excellent badminton here, and I’m looking forward to the Canada Open next week.”

In the women’s singles final, 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma finished runner-up after a fighting three-game loss to top seed Beiwen Zhang of the United States.

Playing her first World Tour final, the unseeded teenager went down 11-21 21-16 10-21 in 46 minutes.

“I’m very happy with my performance. I was a bit nervous before entering the court, and I made many mistakes. This is my first Super 300 final, so I’m happy about that,” Tanvi said.

Shetty vs Yang

The men’s singles final began evenly with scores tied at 6-6, but Shetty, seeded fourth, surged ahead with a string of winners to lead 11-6 at the interval.

Yang narrowed the gap to 13-11 and drew level at 16-16, but Shetty regained control with well-placed shots to secure the opening game with a decisive jump smash.

The second game saw the Mangalore shuttler race to a 7-2 lead before Yang briefly caught up, but the Indian maintained composure, mixing variations and sharp defence to keep his opponent at bay.

Leading 17-12, Shetty closed out the match with a cross-court punch followed by a powerful smash to seal his maiden World Tour title.

“He was defending quite well in the first game. I varied my smashes a bit, played some half-smashes and drops and that made a difference,” said Shetty.

“In the first game I was hurrying a bit playing some sharp strokes. In the second game I was more confident, I opened up the game and that made the difference.”

Shetty had reached the finals of 2023 Odisha Masters Super 100 tournament, besides making the summit clash at the 2023 Bahrain International and 2024 Dutch Open.

Tanvi vs Zhang

In the women’s singles final, Tanvu struggled to settle early as Zhang built an 11-5 lead in the opening game, which the Indian couldn’t breach.

In the second game, Tanvi came out attacking, taking a 4-0 lead and maintaining her advantage despite Zhang pushing her with long rallies.

From 11-9 at the interval, the Indian continued her aggressive approach, forcing errors from Zhang and taking the game to force a decider.

However, Tanvi ran out of steam in the third game as Zhang surged to an 11-4 lead at the break and closed out the match comfortably to claim the title.

Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni

New Delhi: Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has filed a trademark application for the phrase ‘CAPTAIN COOL’, a sobriquet widely associated with his calm on-field demeanour.

According to the Trade Marks Registry portal, the application’s status is ‘accepted and advertised’. It was published in the official trademark journal on June 16. The application was filed on June 5.

The proposed trademark is registered under the category for sports training, providing sports training facilities, sports coaching and services.

No comments could immediately be obtained from Dhoni.

Interestingly, another company, Prabha Skill Sports (OPC) Pvt Ltd, had earlier filed a similar application for the phrase. However, that application’s status is showing as ‘rectification filed’.

Earlier this month, Dhoni was inducted into the ICC’s Hall of Fame for the year 2025 along with seven cricketers, including Australian great Matthew Hayden and South Africa’s Hashim Amla.

The ICC hailed Dhoni as a player who excelled not just in numbers but also in “extraordinary consistency, fitness and longevity”.

“Celebrated for his calm under pressure and unmatched tactical nous, but also a trailblazer in the shorter formats, MS Dhoni’s legacy as one of the game’s greatest finishers, leaders and wicketkeepers has been honoured with his induction into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame,” the ICC statement had said.

Leeds: K L Rahul drove his way to a sublime 47 after England negated India’s advantage by totalling 465 in their first innings as the visitors had another ordinary day in the field on day three of the first Test here on Sunday.

India dropped as many as five catches and barring Jasprit Bumrah, the effort from the pacers left a lot to be desired, allowing England to even out the game after the Shubman Gill-led side posted 471 in its first essay.

At stumps, India reached 90 for two with Rahul (47 batting off 75) and Shubman Gill (6 batting off 10).

Brydon Carse had Yashavi Jaiswal (4 off 11) caught behind with a ball that seamed away while Ben Stokes got rid of debutant Sai Sudharsan (30 off 48) for the second time in the game, the southpaw’s flick falling into the hands of Zak Crawley at mid-wicket.Rahul was a delight to watch as he majority of his seven fours came via the cove driver off the fast bowlers. He did not look any discomfort whatsoever despite the ball doing a bit in overcast conditions.

Stumps were drawn when rain arrived at Headingley with India leading by 96 runs..

In an extended afternoon session, Harry Brook ran out of luck on 99 before Jasprit Bumrah completed a well deserved five wicket haul to ensure a slender six run first innings lead for India.

Before Bumrah castled Josh Tongue to end England innings, Chris Woakes (38 off 55) punished a predictable Indian pace attack to take his team close to India”s 471.

Hosts continued to find the boundaries at will as they collected 138 runs in 23.4 overs in the afternoon session with the loss of five wickets.

Prasidh Krishna removed Jamie Smith (40 off 52) and Brook (99 off 112) with the short ball but leaked too many runs at the same time with his one dimensional tactic, conceding 128 runs in 20 overs.

Bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur was under bowled again, raising questions over his selection. Bumrah, who has by far been the best Indian bowler on display, picked up his 14th fifer in the longest format ending with figures of 5/83 in 24.4 overs.

India’s fielding have been their weakest link so far in the game and having been give two lives, Brook was dropped again, on 82, by Jaiswal off Bumrah.

The explosive England batter however could not use those chances to score a famous hundred and was dismissed on 99 in the 88th over. India had taken the new ball after 80 overs but were not able to make good use of it.

Captain Shubman Gill made questionable calls like introducing Ravindra Jadeja towards the end of the session and bringing back Bumrah for a late burst.

In the opening session, Brook went on the offensive against an inconsistent Indian pace attack, taking England to 327 for five at lunch.

Resuming at an overnight 209 for three, Brook ensured that England scored at a brisk pace, totalling 118 runs in 28 overs.

The visitors got two welcome wickets of overnight centurion Ollie Pope (106 off 137) and England captain Ben Stokes (20 off 52).

Like day two, the other Indian pacers could not match the accuracy of Bumrah.

Brook, dismissed off a Bumrah no ball at the stroke of stumps on day two, was dropped by wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant on 46 shortly before lunch. Jadeja, who was able to extract sharp turn from the rough, got one to turn away sharply but Pant could not hold on to the rising ball.

In the same over, Brook completed his 12th Test fifty, adding to the frustration of the Indians who have been sloppy with their catching thus far in the game. Led by captain Shubman Gill, the Indians were also very vocal about their issues with a worn out Dukes ball throughout the session.

The umpires relented before the 75th over while the new ball will be due after 80 overs.

The session belonged to the highly rated Brook who produced a display of audacious strokeplay from the get go.

Krishna offered two loose balls in the first over of the day and Brook duly put them for a four through point and six off over mid-wicket.

Brook’s tactics against the pacers, including Bumrah, stood out as he charged down to them for aerial drives over extra cover.

Krishna, in his following over, was lucky to get Pope out as the England number three edged a short and wide ball to the keeper.

Kolkata: Former skipper Sourav Ganguly has categorically ruled out entering politics, but says he is not averse to coaching the Indian team.

Ganguly, who will turn 53 this July, was the Team Director of Delhi Capitals between 2018-19 and 2022-24.

“I never really thought about it because I got into different roles,” Ganguly told PTI in a free-wheeling podcast interview when asked if he would like to coach the Indian team.

“I finished (competitive cricket) in 2013 and then became Board (BCCI) President,” said Ganguly, noting that his biggest contribution to Indian cricket in that role was to promote women’s cricket.

When suggested that he could have contributed more by becoming India coach, Ganguly said: “We’ll see what the future holds. I’m just 50 (53), so let’s see what happens. I’m open to it. We’ll see where it goes,” the veteran cricket.

One thing he is not getting into is politics.

Asked if he would like to join a political party ahead of West Bengal assembly elections in 2026, Ganguly said with a smile: ” I am not interested.”

What if he is promised the state chief minister’s post? “I am not interested,” he repeated.

Asked which party he would like to join if he has a choice, Ganguly said he has never thought about that.

“It’s not as easy as you say. I get the opportunity (to enter politics) every year but I don’t think that’s my cup of tea. I have no interest in politics, I just observe because a country and a states’ progress is directly attached to people who run it.”

Ganguly was all praise for incumbent coach Gautam Gambhir, who he feels, has picked up pace as coach since Champions Trophy victory in Dubai earlier this year.

“Gautam (Gambhir) is doing a good job. He started off a little slow, losing to Australia and New Zealand, but he picked up with the Champions Trophy. This is going to be a big series (vs England),” Ganguly said.

Asked how astute a tactician Gambhir is, Ganguly praised the southpaw’s passion and his ability to express his opinions in a straight forward manner.

“I haven’t seen him from very close in this role, but I know he is very passionate. I haven’t observed his strategies closely because I haven’t worked with him as a coach.

“He’s very straightforward, he sees things clearly, and he’s very open about what he feels, about the team, players, people, everything. From the outside, you can tell he’s a very transparent person – what you see is what you get.”

Ganguly recollected his playing days when he found Gambhir to be very respectful towards senior.

“I’ve played with him. He was a great guy with a lot of respect for me and the senior players. Even now, I can see he is extremely passionate about his job.”

Ganguly also feels that with just a year into the job, Gambhir should be allowed time to grow as a coach and learn with passage of time.

“I wish him all the best. He’s just a year into the job, and this will be an important (England) tour. He struggled a bit in Australia, but just like everyone else, he’ll learn, he’ll grow, and he’ll become better.”

Ganguly revealed that by the end of 2026 his biopic will release and Rajkumar Rao will be the protagonist.

“The shooting will start in January, the pre-production, scripting and story writing takes a lot of time, shooting does not take much time,” he said.

Taipei City:Asian champion Jyothi Yarraji won the women’s 100m hurdles race with yet another impressive time as India won six gold medals in the Taiwan Open international athletics competition here on Saturday.

National record holder Yarraji clocked 12.99 seconds to pocket the gold at the Taipei Municipal Stadium, ahead of Japanese runners Asuka Terada (13.04 seconds) and Chisato Kiyoyama (13.10 seconds), who took the silver and bronze respectively.

The 25-year-old Yarraji had won gold in the Asian Championships in South Korea on May 29 with a time of 12.96 seconds. Her national record stands at 12.78 seconds.

Another national record holder, Tejas Shirse also won gold in the men’s 110m hurdles, clocking 13.52 seconds, the second fastest time of his career.

Local athletes Hsieh Yuan-kai (13.72 seconds) and Kuei-Ru Chen (13.75 seconds) won the silver and bronze respectively.

The 23-year-old Shirse’s national record stands 13.41 seconds.

India’s best 4x100m relay quartet of Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar and Amlan Borgohain won gold, clocking 38.75 seconds, just six-hundredth of a second outside of the national record of 38.69 seconds set by the same team at the National Relay Carnival in Chandigarh earlier this year.

But, it fell short of the timing which would have taken the team to Tokyo World Championships.

Fourteen countries have already qualified for the World Championships in September through the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China in May and only two slots are available. Nigeria and Netherlands are currently in the reckoning for the two slots with 38.20 seconds.

The Indian team of Sudheeksha Vadluri, Sneha Sathyanarayana Shanuvalli, Abinaya Rajarajan and Nithya Gandhe won gold in the women’s 4x100m relay, clocking 44.06 seconds.

The national record in this event stands at 43.37 seconds clocked by the quartet of Archana S, Dhanalakshmi, Hima Das and Dutee Chand in 2021.

Abdulla Aboobacker and Pooja also won gold in the men’s triple jump and women’s 1500m respectively.

Aboobacker jumped 16.21m, well below his personal best of 17.19m.

Pooja, who had won a silver in the Asian Championships in South Korea last month, clocked 4 minutes, 11.63 seconds to win the gold. She has a personal best of 4:09.52 which she had clocked in 2023.

Jaipur: Vaibhav Suryavanshi struck the fastest hundred for any Indian and the country’s youngest ever in the IPL as Rajasthan Royals defeated Gujarat Titans by eight wickets in their contest here on Monday.

Suryavanshi hit 101 off 38 balls with as many as 11 sixes and seven fours as he became the youngest ever in the history of the tournament to complete a century at the age of 14 years and 32 days.

Chasing a stiff target of 210 on a friendly wicket, Rajasthan Royals went past the winning line, making 212 for two in 15.5 overs.

Yashasvi Jaiswal scored an unbeaten 40-ball 70 not out in the chase.

Earlier, skipper Shubman Gill struck 84 while Jos Buttler hammered unbeaten 50 to take Gujarat Titans to a formidable total of 209 for four.

Brief scores:

Gujarat Titans: 209/4 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 39, Shubman Gill 84, Jos Buttler 50 not out; Maheesh Theekshana 2/35).

Rajasthan Royals: 212/2 in 15.5 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 70 not out, Vaibhav Suryavanshi 101, Riyan Parag 32 not out; Rashid Khan 1/24).