Deepti Sharma (Pic credit: BCCI)

NEW DELHI: Deepti Sharma scripted history on Sunday, producing one of the most remarkable bowling spells in Women’s T20I cricket to become the highest wicket-taker in the format as India began their Women’s T20 Asia Cup campaign with a thumping 94-run victory over Thailand in Dubai.Playing her landmark 150th T20I, Deepti claimed three wickets without conceding a single run from seven deliveries, taking her career tally to 171 wickets and moving past Thailand’s Thipatcha Putthawong, who took one wicket in the match to reach 170 wickets.The veteran all-rounder first drew level with Putthawong when she took two wickets in the ninth over to leave Thailand reeling at 44/6. She returned in the 17th over and struck with her very first delivery, dismissing wicketkeeper-batter Nannapat Koncharoenkai to complete a stunning 3/0.Thailand were eventually bowled out for just 65 in 16.1 overs, giving India a winning start to their campaign.

Deepti enters record books with sensational spell

Deepti’s achievement was made even more remarkable by the fact that she became the first Indian bowler to claim three or more wickets without conceding a run in a Women’s T20I. Overall, there have now been 26 such spells in the format.Her figures of 3/0 are also the best for an Indian bowler taking at least three wickets in a T20I. Renuka Singh previously held the record for the fewest runs conceded with 3/5 against Sri Lanka in Sylhet in 2022.Deepti’s three wickets also took her past Putthawong at the top of the global wicket-taking charts. She now has 171 wickets, followed by Putthawong on 170, Rwanda’s Henriette Ishimwe on 164 and England’s Sophie Ecclestone on 154.The landmark came on a memorable day for Deepti, who had earlier become only the third Indian after Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana to reach 150 T20I appearances.Most wickets in Women’s T20Is

Shafali’s fireworks set up India’s win

Before Deepti’s record-breaking intervention, Shafali Verma had provided India with a flying start. The opener smashed 64 from 36 balls, hitting eight fours and three sixes, and brought up her 19th T20I half-century from just 26 deliveries.India raced past 100 in 10 overs and appeared set for a total in excess of 200. However, Thailand fought back through leg-spinner Suleeporn Laomi, whose variations triggered a dramatic Indian collapse.India slipped from 108/2 to 137/9, losing seven wickets for only 29 runs. Laomi finished with impressive figures of 3/26, including the wickets of Shafali and Richa Ghosh in successive deliveries. Off-spinner Sunida Chaturongrattana added 2/31.Smriti Mandhana had earlier scored 19 from 10 balls before being run out by a direct hit from Aphisara Suwanchonrathi. Pratika Rawal, making her T20I debut in place of injured Jemimah Rodrigues, contributed 22 from 18 balls before Laomi cleaned her up.Despite the collapse, India managed 159/9, with Kranti Gaud’s unbeaten 15 off eight balls providing a late boost.Least runs conceded for a 3-plus wicket haul for IND-W in a T20I

Thailand’s chase never got going. Kranti Gaud and Nandani Sharma removed the openers early, while Shree Charani and Deepti then dismantled the middle order. Charani finished with 2/10 and Nandani took 3/18.Nannapat offered the only significant resistance with 41, but Deepti ended her stay with the first ball of her final over.The comprehensive win gives India two points to begin their Group A campaign. They next face Hong Kong on Thursday.

Moses Itauma has sent a message to Filip Hrgovic and fans following his defeat in London this weekend.

The rising heavyweight star was dealt the first loss of his career at the O2 as he challenged for the vacant IBF heavyweight world title. Despite a spectacular start, where he showcased incredible speed and agility, Itauma tired down the stretch and looked out on his feet by the ninth round.

Hrgovic, who showed one of the best chins in the business to get that far, took advantage and forced a stoppage from referee Howard Foster. The Croatian – now the first ever heavyweight world champion from the nation – said post-fight that Itauma is the best fighter he has come up against, and noted that his lack of experience played a major part in the result.

Speaking on social media, Itauma congratulated Hrgovic, took positives from the defeat and vowed to return.

“So, yesterday wasn’t my night. We attempted greatness and just fell short to the more experienced man. I want to say congratulations to Filip Hrgovic on the win, and although I never reached my desired outcome, I believe I gained experience that I’ll take to my future fights.

“I want to thank the fans, in and outside the arena. You guys made it a little bit more special and a little bit more electrified than I expected. It was a f***ing good fight, and I want to thank Queensberry and DAZN for putting this show on. God bless, take care, and I’ll be back.”

How long the 21-year-old now spends out of the ring remains to be seen, but time is on his side for a major return and successful career.

Moses Itauma vowed “I’ll be back” after failing in his attempt to become the second-youngest ever heavyweight world champion on Saturday.

Britain’s Itauma, 21, tore through his first 14 opponents but his team threw in the towel in the ninth round against Filip Hrgovic at O2 Arena, London.

Having appeared to punch himself out, Itauma was barely able to stand as Hrgovic, 34, applied pressure to end the fight.

“It wasn’t my night, we attempted greatness and just fell short to the more experienced man,” Itauma said on social media.

“I want to say congratulations to Filip Hrgovic on his win. And although I never reached my desired outcome, I believe I gained experience that I’ll take to my future fights.

“God bless, take care and I’ll be back.”

All 32 teams must trim their rosters to 53 players by Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. ET

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Aug 30, 2026

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To sum up, the season started pretty badly for Fernandes, who was one of many players well below par in a shock 2-0 defeat at Hull City.

Matters improved significantly on Tuesday, as Fernandes collected the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award for his phenomenal contribution to United returning to the Champions League after a two-year absence.

Last season, he totted up a Premier League record of 21 assists.

Before the Ipswich game, he walked on to the pitch with the sons of PC Matthew Blades, who was tragically killed in a recent head-on collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough.

Once the match began, Fernandes was largely anonymous as the home side went a goal down to Gary O’Neil’s side.

But, when opportunity presented itself, Fernandes stepped up.

First, the 31-year-old fired home a blistering equaliser after Marcelino Nunez slipped under no pressure, presenting Matheus Cunha with a clear run at the Ipswich goal, which allowed him to set up his captain.

Fernandes then kept his cool to smash home a penalty in front of the Stretford End to make it 3-1 after an hour. Bearing in mind Fernandes missed two penalties in pre-season, there must have been a sizeable amount of personal pressure on the shot.

Fernandes completed his third United hat-trick seven minutes after that, although arguably all his previous efforts would have been overshadowed had he managed to find the net with an audacious 55-yard effort after Ipswich lost possession straight after the restart.

Goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen was backpedalling furiously and was relieved the ball ended up on top of his net rather than in it.

“He means a lot,” said Carrick, when asked to sum up Fernandes’ contribution.

“I mean, he’s the captain. He’s been here for a good number of years now and experienced a whole load of different emotions.

“Times like today, when you’re looking towards certain players to give us that little bit of something else, he did particularly well.”

Recent years have seen the Minnesota Vikings do terribly when identifying talent in the draft. An update from earlier today isn’t going to make things look any better.

Walter Rouse played offensive tackle in college before getting shifted inside to offensive guard when he turned pro. He’s now looking for work despite boasting versatility, youth, and size. Tom Pelissero offers the news: “The Vikings informed OT Walter Rouse they’re waiving him, per source.”

Vikings See Yet Another Draftee Set Free

After the 2024 NFL Draft, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah referred to Rouse as a “bully.” If that’s true, then Rouse will be bullying within the trenches for a different football team.

A major part of what makes Minnesota a tough nut to crack is that the OT position is pretty loaded. LT1 Christian Darrisaw can be elite when he’s healthy. RT1 Brian O’Neill is the epitome of longstanding competence. Could these two become the envy of most of the NFL under the tutelage of new OL coach Keith Carter? Minnesota hopes so.

Similarly of note is the presence of OT3 Ryan Van Demark and new draftee Caleb Tiernan. In fairness, Tiernan could get kicked inside, but that’s something that will need to wait for the kid to overcome his ankle issue. Is Tiernan a new-and-improved version of Rouse?

Whoever signs Rouse is going to get somebody who boasts promise.

Indeed, Walter Rouse is a 25-year-old offensive lineman who played his college ball at Stanford and then Oklahoma. Nice mix of brains (Stanford) alongside knowing how to operate from within a football hotbed (Oklahoma). He stands at 6’6″ and weighs 330 pounds, meaning he was literally the Vikings’ biggest player prior to getting cut.

So far, Rouse has made a negligible impact on the field. He has only been involved in eight games across his pair of seasons, leading to 88 snaps on offense and 38 snaps on specials.

A team like the Philadelphia Eagles could make sense as a landing spot given that Chris Kuper is on their coaching staff, meaning there’s a built-in connection.

On Vikings Territory, there has been a recently published 53-man roster projection. So, too, is there a tracker to corral all of the day’s news. Check out that stuff.

Minnesota needs to be down to a maximum of 53 players by 5 p.m. CT.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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For more than five decades, India’s best finish at the Women’s Hockey World Cup had remained frozen in time. The fourth-place finish achieved by the inaugural Indian side in 1974 stood as the benchmark through generations of players, coaches and changing fortunes.

However, Salima Tete-led India’s women’s team have finally ended the wait with a historic campaign. Although they still failed to better or equal the 1974 result, the campaign proved that a new era of Indian women’s hockey is on the horizon.

India finished fifth at the 2026 Women’s Hockey World Cup, their second-best result in the history of the tournament and their best in 52 years. More significantly, they reached that position after playing six matches and losing just once, that too against the now-former defending champions and world No. 1 Netherlands.

There was no semi-final appearance and no medal at the end of the campaign. But the manner of the campaign suggested something potentially more important: India had begun to look comfortable against the world’s best, and the results tell the story — two wins, three draws and one defeat.

From holding Olympic silver medallists China to a draw in the opener to denying England and Australia, before ending the tournament with a 3-1 win over world No. 5 Germany, India consistently stayed in games that might once have slipped away.

A campaign built on resilience

India’s tournament began in Pool D for Phase 1 under the new format, with a 2-2 draw against China, a result that immediately offered encouragement.

China twice went ahead, but India twice found a response. It was an early indication that this was not going to be a team easily shaken by the reputation of its opponents.

The response was even stronger in the next game. India dismantled South Africa 6-1, producing their biggest win of the tournament and spreading the goals across the team. It was the sort of performance that demonstrated India’s attacking potential after the measured opening against China.

Then came England. The goalless draw may not have carried the excitement of a six-goal victory, but it said plenty about India’s changing identity. England piled on the pressure and won 12 penalty corners, yet India refused to concede.

The result took India through to the next stage and kept their maiden World Cup medal hopes alive.

A near-perfect second phase

India, after an undefeated run in the first phase, qualified for Phase 2 in Pool A alongside Netherlands, Australia and China.

India’s first game in the second phase was against Netherlands, who eventually supplied Salima Tete and her team with their only defeat.

The 2022 champions won the game 2-0, but even that scoreline carried a degree of encouragement for India. The Dutch controlled the contest and converted two penalty corners, yet India avoided the kind of collapse that can turn a contest against the world’s best into a rout.

It was the only time India left the field beaten. After that came another test of their defensive resolve against Australia. Again, India did not concede.

The 0-0 draw ended their hopes of reaching the semi-finals as they ended level on points with China and Australia at two points each, but the Kangaroos eventually sneaked ahead into the final four with a better goal difference.

The defence became India’s foundation

If there was one feature that defined India’s campaign, it was their ability to stay organised when matches became uncomfortable.

The clean sheet against England was particularly telling, given the sustained pressure and the number of penalty corners India had to defend.

The goalkeeping department also provided security, with Bichu Devi Kharibam making important interventions alongside the experience of Savita Punia.

India’s defensive discipline meant opponents had to work for almost every opening. That represented a significant change from some of India’s earlier World Cup campaigns, where moments of pressure could quickly become periods of sustained damage.

In 2026, India were increasingly capable of absorbing pressure without losing their shape.

The young players delivered when needed

The achievement becomes even more striking when viewed through the composition of the squad.

India had 11 World Cup debutants, meaning a significant part of the team was experiencing the tournament at this level for the first time.

Yet the newcomers did not look overawed. Players such as Ishika, Baljeet Kaur and Sunelita Toppo contributed alongside an experienced core that included Savita, Navneet Kaur, Deepika, Lalremsiami and captain Salima Tete.

That blend gave India something they have often lacked at major tournaments: the ability to combine youthful energy with the composure required when games become tight.

Salima and Navneet provided the spark

At the centre of India’s campaign was captain Salima Tete, whose speed and ability to carry the ball forward gave India an outlet whenever they came under pressure.

Her influence was not restricted to scoring goals. Salima repeatedly helped India move from defence into attack, giving the team a way to turn defensive situations into counter-attacking opportunities.

Then there was Navneet Kaur. The forward finished as India’s leading scorer at the World Cup with four goals, including two in the final match against Germany.

The 3-1 victory over Germany was the perfect way to close the campaign. Germany entered the match ranked fifth in the world. India responded with one of their most convincing performances of the tournament, with Navneet scoring twice and Ishika adding another to secure fifth place. It was not merely a victory. It was a statement about where India now belonged.

The change did not happen overnight

India’s fifth-place World Cup finish was not an isolated burst of form. They won the FIH Nations Cup earlier in the year, beating New Zealand 2-0 in the final. That triumph also earned them promotion back to the Pro League. The confidence from that campaign carried into the World Cup.

The return of Sjoerd Marijne as head coach has been another important part of the transformation. Marijne had previously guided India to their historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics before returning to the women’s team in 2025.

His emphasis has been on rebuilding belief and creating a stronger team identity. That was visible throughout the World Cup. India did not always dominate possession or control matches, but they repeatedly showed an ability to remain in contests and find ways to survive difficult passages.

India’s World Cup history puts the finish in perspective

India’s fifth-place finish becomes even more significant when placed alongside their record at previous World Cups.

After finishing fourth in 1974, India were seventh in 1978 and 11th in 1983. They finished 12th in 1998, 11th in 2006, ninth in 2010, eighth in 2018 and ninth in 2022.

They also failed to qualify for five editions, i.e., 1986, 1990, 1994, 2002 and 2014, while missing the 1976 and 1981 tournaments.

For decades, the fourth-place finish from 1974 remained untouched. Now, only one Indian team has ever gone further.

The 2026 side has not matched that inaugural generation yet. But it has come closer than any Indian women’s team in more than half a century.

The bigger story

There is still room for India to improve. The biggest obvious area is scoring. They managed 11 goals across six matches, and their inability to turn more possession and opportunities into goals ultimately cost them a place in the semi-finals.

The draw against Australia was the clearest example. India defended well enough to keep a clean sheet, but could not find the goal that would have taken them into the last four.

So this was not a flawless campaign. But perhaps that is what makes it more encouraging. India did not need a string of unlikely upsets to finish fifth. They simply became extremely difficult to beat.

They drew with China. They beat South Africa. They held England. They lost to the Netherlands. They held Australia. And they finished by beating Germany.

Six games. One defeat. Five goals? No — five different opponents faced at the business end of the tournament, and only one team managed to beat them.

For a side that had spent decades searching for another World Cup breakthrough, India’s 2026 campaign offered something more valuable than a one-off result: evidence that the gap between India and the world’s leading hockey nations may finally be closing.

Kai Sotto is hugged by teammate June Mar Fajardo after Gilas Pilipinas’ win over Iran in the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–As June Mar Fajardo walks away from Gilas Pilipinas, he knows he’s leaving the national team in good hands.

“I told you guys that Kuya Kai will save us this window,” Fajardo said after the Philippines scraped past Iran, 68-56, in the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Sunday night.

READ: June Mar Fajardo sparks Gilas Pilipinas win in his ‘last game’

Kai Sotto (13 PTS, 16 REB, 3 AST) and the Philippines 🇵🇭 shrug off a slow start against Iran to sweep Window 4 and improve to 4-4 in the Asian Qualifiers 📺#FIBAWC x #StepItUp pic.twitter.com/jmNYXS82vu

— FIBA Basketball World Cup 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 30, 2026

“Let’s just pray that he’s always healthy because he will bring us to glory.”

Fajardo was, of course, referring to Kai Sotto, who spearheaded Gilas’ undefeated campaign in the fourth window of the qualifiers despite the absence of naturalized player Justin Brownlee.

The 24-year-old Sotto recorded 18 points, 14 rebounds and one game-saving block in an 82-81 overtime win over Jordan on Friday before following that up with 13 points, 16 rebounds and three assists against the Iranians. The pair of crucial games marked Sotto’s national team return since November 2024, less than two months before he suffered a torn left ACL during a B.League game.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas dedicates win over Iran to retiring June Mar Fajardo

Behind a fully healthy Sotto, the Philippines rose to 4-4 in Group E and strengthened its bid for a spot in next year’s World Cup in Doha, Qatar.

Sotto said giving his retiring hero a winning exit after a decorated 13-year national team career was a big motivation.

“I’m so lucky and blessed. When I was a kid, I looked up to him—he’s my idol,” said Sotto. “I’m so blessed to be part of his journey in the national team. I just really wanted to win these two games for Kuya June.”