Former England fast-bowler Stuart Broad believes skipper Ben Stokes’ decision to bowl first in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series opener against India was the right one and added that it was the bowlers who didn’t execute their plans well on a hot day at Headingley.

On Friday, Stokes chose to bowl first after winning the toss, with Shubman Gill also admitting he was looking to bowl as well if the coin had fallen in his favour. But that decision backfired as India ended day one at 359/3, with Gill making an unbeaten 127, while opener Yashasvi Jaiswal slammed 101 and Rishabh Pant hitting 65 not out.

As India begins a new chapter in Test cricket with fresh leadership and a youthful core, veteran coach Badruddin Siddiqui, the childhood mentor of Mohammed Shami, has lauded the rise of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal after their superb centuries on Day 1 of the first Test against England at Headingley.

Speaking ahead of Day 2’s play, after India finished Day 1 on 359/3, Siddiqui said this was a series he had eagerly awaited — especially with the retirement of stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. And the performance of the young guns, particularly captain Gill and opener Jaiswal, gave him hope and joy for Indian cricket’s future.

“We had been waiting for this Test series for quite a while, especially because many new players are getting a chance in the Indian team,” Siddiqui told IANS. “All our experienced players have retired, so we were really looking forward to seeing how the new generation would perform.”

Indian women Under-23 wrestlers made the country proud with their outstanding performance in the U-23 Senior Asian Wrestling Championship, currently underway in Vung Tau (Vietnam), winning 10 medals in all.

In a remarkable display of skill and determination, the Indian women’s wrestling team clinched the Champion Trophy, securing medals in all 10 weight categories– four gold, five silver, and one bronze.

Priyanshi Prajapat in 50 Kg class, Reena in 55 Kg category, Shrishti in 68 Kg and Priya in the 76 Kg weight class won the gold medals for India.

After claiming victory in the Paris Diamond League, two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra remains committed to throw 90 metres in the upcoming competitions.

With a powerful 88.16m throw on his very first attempt at Stade Charlety on Saturday, Chopra claimed his first Diamond League title in two years, outclassing Germany's Julian Weber, who finished second with a throw of 87.88m. Brazil's Luiz Mauricio da Silva claimed third spot with a throw of 86.62m in the third round.

Chopra expressed his elation after finishing on the top step of the podium in the French capital.

"Today I was really happy with the start because I had a really good run-up technique, and everything was perfect. However, I felt that my body was going too much to the left today. I was trying to go with the javelin with my chest, so my technique was not so good today. My run-up technique was perfect, and the first throw was really good to start with. I am very happy with 88 metres today and a win after such a long time in a Wanda Diamond League," he told the broadcaster.

Bayern Munich rekindled their European pride at the Club World Cup with a gritty 2-1 win over Boca Juniors on Friday, booking their place in the last 16 after a tense and fiery clash.

In front of a passionate crowd dominated by Boca supporters - who transformed the Hard Rock Stadium into a mini “Bombonera” - the Argentine side fought tooth and nail. But Bayern's determination prevailed late in the game.

Harry Kane opened the scoring for the German champions early in the first half, only for Boca to hit back through Miguel Merentiel. With the game hanging in the balance, Michael Olise struck a late winner to send Bayern to the top of Group C with six points, two clear of Benfica. Boca, with just one point, remain in the hunt and will face Auckland City in their final group game, while Bayern take on Benfica.

Former India cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar was full of praise for Yashasvi Jaiswal after the young opener produced a masterful century on Day 1 of the first Test against England at Headingley.

Speaking on JioHotstar after the opening session, Manjrekar said Jaiswal’s performance was no surprise, calling him "India’s best batter in Australia" and a player with a "solid Test match technique."

“This performance doesn’t surprise me at all,” Manjrekar said.

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal slammed his first Test century on English soil, while Shubman Gill hit his first fifty as the Test captain and number four batter as the duo’s unbroken 123-run partnership for the third wicket propelled India to a commanding 215/2 in 51 overs at tea on Day One of the first Test of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at Headingley on Friday.

On the other hand, Gill showed his best-attacking version to bring up his half-century off just 56 balls, his fastest in Tests, and be unbeaten on 58 off 74 balls, as India didn’t lose a single wicket in what was a session totally going in their favour.

India’s opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and K.L. Rahul stamped their authority at Headingley with a record-breaking stand, becoming the most successful Indian openers at the venue in Test cricket in the ongoing first Test of the five-match series on Friday.

The stylish left-right combination put together 91 runs for the first wicket, surpassing the 64-run mark set by legends Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth back in 1986 — a record that stood unchallenged for 39 years.

After England captain Ben Stokes opted to bowl first under overcast skies, Jaiswal and Rahul faced a disciplined new-ball attack led by Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse. The Indian openers started cautiously, showing sound judgment outside off and immense patience.

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against Zimbabwe due to a left hamstring strain suffered during the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord's last week.

Bavuma, who will undergo further scans to determine the extent of the injury, battled the pain during the second innings and played a pivotal knock of 66 along with Aiden Markram's 136 which guided them to the WTC title.

After back-to-back second-place finishes this season, Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra will look to go one better when he takes the field in the Paris Diamond League at the Stade Sebastien Charlety in the early hours of Saturday (1:12 AM IST).

This will be Chopra’s first appearance at the Paris Diamond League since 2017 when he finished fifth with a throw of 84.67m as a junior world champion. Eight years later, the stakes are higher, and the field significantly stronger. The Paris meet is the eighth stop on the 2025 Diamond League circuit, which will conclude with the two-day final in Zurich this August.