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‘Got A Call Early Morning’: Gautam Gambhir Reveals How he Was Approached For Head Coach Job

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Gautam Gambhir‘s tenure as head coach has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride for Team India. Under his leadership, India endured the lows of losing home series against New Zealand and South Africa, but also reached the highs of clinching two ICC titles. This achievement sets Gambhir apart from previous coaches, as none before him managed to guide Team India to such heights in such a short span of time. Gambhir, who took over the reins from Rahul Dravid after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2024, recently opened up about how he was appointed as India’s head coach.

Before joining the national setup, Gambhir served as the mentor of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders during the 2024 season.

Speaking to ANI, Gambhir recalled how, before KKR’s IPL clash against the Mumbai Indians in Mumbai that year, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah called him early in the morning with an offer he “could not say no to.” The former India opener revealed that he initially felt he wasn’t ready to take on the role of head coach, despite having prior mentoring experience with both the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and KKR.

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“We were playing an IPL game in Mumbai. KKR vs MI and it was Jay Shah who called me. He actually called me early in the morning. He said that I have to give you an offer and you cannot say no to me. I said, what? He said, you have to be the head coach (of Team India). And at that time, honestly, I was not even ready. It was a massive surprise for me. I think being the head coach of the Indian team is an honour. It is a privilege because not many people get that opportunity to go back in the dressing room and wear that India jersey again and do something special for the country,” said Gambhir on ANI Podcast.

The former batter revealed that when Team India lost the Test series to NZ and ended their 12-year-long unbeaten run at home, it was Jay Shah who encouraged him to “stay strong.”

“I think I have gone through a lot of low moments in my tenure as well, which was always expected because, whether it was getting beaten by New Zealand at home or getting beaten by South Africa at home, which I normally do not forget, not many people actually called me after that. I remember the only time someone called me was Jay Shah. Because I remember when we lost a game against New Zealand in Mumbai, i was going back to the airport and I got a call from him. And obviously, he told me to stay strong. He told me that he’s there with me during that hour,” he said.

(With ANI Inputs)

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Nigeria’s D’Tigress Begin Preparations in France Ahead of FIBA World Cup Qualifiers

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Africa’s top women’s basketball team, D’Tigress of Nigeria, arrived in France yesterday to a warm welcome and immediately kicked off their preparations with their first training session under coach Rena Wakama. The team is set to compete in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualification tournament in Lyon-Villeurbanne.

Speaking to NBBF media about the team’s readiness to face some of the world’s strongest basketball nations, multiple award-winning coach Rena Wakama expressed confidence and excitement.

“Our preparations have been intense, and this tournament in Lyon is an important part of that process. It gives us the chance to test ourselves against top competition and see where we stand as a team. The players have shown great commitment, discipline and hunger. I believe we’re moving in the right direction as we prepare for the World Cup in Germany,” she said.

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The final roster of 12 players combines experience, youth, and energy, creating what Wakama described as a balanced squad.

“What’s different this time is the balance we have. We have a strong core of experienced players who understand the expectations and culture of D’Tigress, and we’ve added younger talents who bring fresh energy and competitiveness. Tactically, we are improving with faster transitions, stronger defensive communication, and better team chemistry,” she added.

Acknowledging the high hopes of Nigerians at home and abroad, Wakama emphasised that her players are ready and proud to represent their country.

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“With everything going on in the world today, we are grateful for the chance to play the game we love. These World Cup qualifiers are the only professional women’s basketball games being played and televised globally this week. Representing Nigeria is a huge honour for every player, and we want to make our supporters proud. They will see a team that fights for every possession, plays unselfish basketball, and never gives up. Our goal is to compete strongly, showcase the growth of Nigerian women’s basketball, and continue building the legacy of D’Tigress on the world stage,” she said.

The reigning AfroBasket champions, who face some of the world’s basketball giants, open their campaign on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, against Colombia. They will then face Korea, followed by Philippines, tournament hosts France, and Germany—who will host the FIBA World Cup later this year—from 14 to 17 March 2026, respectively.

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‘Shubman Gill can’t get T20I captaincy’: Former India cricketer makes shocking remark | Cricket News

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'Shubman Gill can’t get T20I captaincy': Former India cricketer makes shocking remark
India’s captain Shubman Gill during a press conference, ahead of the first ODI cricket match of a series between India and New Zealand, in Vadodara, Gujarat. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary)

NEW DELHI: After India won their third T20 World Cup under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy, former opener Aakash Chopra said it would be difficult for Shubman Gill to return to the T20I side, let alone become captain.Gill, who currently leads India in Tests and ODIs, had made a comeback to the T20I squad in 2025 after 14 months and was even named vice-captain during the Asia Cup.

Gautam Gambhir reflects on India’s World Cup win and backing Sanju Samson in the tournament

However, his form remained underwhelming, failing to score a half-century in 15 matches, which eventually led to his exclusion from the World Cup squad.With India performing strongly and winning the tournament, Chopra believes the team is unlikely to consider Gill for T20I leadership again. “It’s going to be difficult, although the Indian team thought that it would become easier if there were one captain for all three formats. However, it won’t happen at all. I feel we won’t be able to do that because he is the Test and ODI captain, but he can’t get the T20I captaincy. At this moment, even his name coming is difficult because of the way the Indian team has been playing, especially the last four games,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.Chopra also suggested that Gill should focus on excelling in longer formats rather than trying to adjust his game for T20Is. “When are you talking about 250, and that too in a World Cup, then you don’t think you need an anchor. Shubman Gill can adapt and change, but we shouldn’t lose Shubman Gill, the Test batter, in trying to find that, and lose the Shubman Gill who can become an absolute giant in ODIs. I think it’s going to be difficult for Shubman Gill,” he noted.

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Cheltenham Free Bets Day 2: Best Cheltenham Offers

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Cheltenham Festival continues on day two of the event with another round of fierce competition at Prestbury Park and we’ve collated the best free bets to use on the action.

UK betting sites have a wide range of Cheltenham free bets available, from a raft of specific Cheltenham offers tailored to each day and race-specific specials, betting sign up offers, best odds guaranteed, price boosts, acca boosts and more.

We’ve compiled this complete guide for the best Cheltenham offers for the 2026 Festival, which runs until Friday.

Best Cheltenham free bets day 2

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Rank

Bookmaker

Offer

1

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Sky Bet

Get enhanced odds of 60/1 on Majborough to finish in the top three in the Champion Chase. New customers only, £1 max bet and free bets are credited in 6x £10 free bet tokens.

2

Paddy Power

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Back Majborough at 50/1 to win the Champion Chase and get a £10 free bet for the Champions League tonight. Open to new customers who stake £1 on Majborough to win at the normal odds. Enhanced winnings paid as free bets.

3

LiveScore

Bet on the first race on Wednesday and receive a free bet to use on any other race on the card. Free bet value varies from customer to customer. Also, get your money back as a free bet if your horse finishes 2nd, 3rd or 4th in selected races.

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4

Tote

Money back as a free bet on every race at the Cheltenham Festival if your horse finishes second in a race. The maximum free bet refund available is £10.

5

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Virgin Bet

Bet on the Coral Cup (14.40) on Wednesday and if your horse doesn’t win, Virgin Bet will refund your stake in free bets.

The above free bet offers are available to use on betting sites for Cheltenham Festival races on day two.

The best Cheltenham betting sites offer free bets to use on specific races on day two, including the Coral Cup, Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, Cross Country Handicap Chase and the signature event of the afternoon, the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

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Free bets are useful for both new and experienced punters for betting on the action, allowing customers to bet without risking their own funds on races.

Users can secure Cheltenham offers by either using betting sign up offers or existing customers rewards through bet and get promos, loyalty bonuses, price boosts and more.

How we evaluate Cheltenham free bets

Licensing: Cheltenham betting sites recommended on this page are all licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). This ensures that customers’ details are protected and they are using a regulated product.

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Welcome offer: Cheltenham betting sign up offers should match the significance of the occasion with higher offers than usual. We only consider

Betting bonuses: A wide range of betting offers should be available including free bets, moneyback specials, best odds guaranteed, non-runner no bet, price boosts, acca boosts, extra places and many more.

Value: We look for free bet offers and promotions that bring users the best Cheltenham odds, either for betting on the event or odds thresholds to unlock betting promos.

Markets: Cheltenham betting offers should cover different markets and bets to offer customers a diverse range of options.

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Payment options: Cheltenham betting offers should permit customers to use wide variety of payment options, including PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and more to unlock betting sign up offers and others.

(The Independent)

Today’s best Cheltenham odds

Horses to follow at Cheltenham today

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If you’re considering having a bet on Cheltenham today but you’re no sure where to place your money, here’s a few suggestions based on recent form:

In the opening race at 1.20, keep an eye on Bambino Fever. She impressed when winning comfortably at Fairyhouse on her last outing, showing a big improvement on just her second start over hurdles.

In the 2.40, Wodhooh looks interesting with a good record over fences. She has been consistent with solid form this season, only losing to a Champion Hurdler.

One of the day’s biggest draws will be Fact To File in the 4.00. He won this race with ease last year and is back at Cheltenham in rampant form thanks to a dominant win at the Dublin Racing Festival.

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Responsible gambling

Bettors should always gamble responsibly. Always remain within a budget and never exceed it. Never chase your losses.

Anyone can lose a bet even if they know a lot about horse racing. It is easy to get carried away with Cheltenham Festival, so remain in control of your time and betting.

Bettors can use responsible gambling tools provided by betting sites such as deposit limits, loss limits and self-exclusion among others.

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The same applies if you’re using casino sites or slot sites, while you should always take time to read terms when taking up and casino bonuses.

Should you wish to seek help for gambling-related issues, there are several charities, organisations and healthcare providers who offer support and information:

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

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Four Grade 1 races on Ladies Day at Cheltenham

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It’s day two of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival – Ladies Day.

This afternoon’s seven-race card features four Grade 1 contests where the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase at 4.00pm headlines the day’s card.

Most of the focus will on Majborough, who will likely start a short price. If producing similar form to his win at the Dublin Racing Festival last month, he should win.

13 odd-on favourites beaten

Favourites in the race have a poor record, however. There have been 13 odds-on favourites this century but just three have won. Big name favourites such as Moscow Flyer (2004), Master Minded (2010), Sizing Europe (2012), Un De Sceaux (2016), Douvan (2017), Defi Du Seuil (2020), Chacun Pour Soi (2021), Shishkin (2022) & Jonbon (2025) have all been beaten in the two-mile chasing championship.

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Can I’ll Sort That give Queally Cheltenham Grade 1

The opening Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Hurdle at 1.20pm will have 13 Irish-trained runners. I’ll Sort That, who was a first winner at the highest level for Waterford handler and jockey, Declan Queally, looks to have a little to find on form based on his BHA rating of 144 – Ballyfad is rated 149 – but could make the frame.

The Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase which Lecky Watson won last season will have 11 Irish challengers in the now 14-runner field, following the withdrawal of Predators Gold and The big Westerner this morning.

Mullins bids for 15th win

The final Grade 1, and race, of the day. the Weatherbys Bumper at 5.20pm will see Willie Mullins bid for a 15th success in the race since its inception in 1992. The Closutton handler has five runners in the race, which interestingly, he won as an amateur jockey in 1996, aboard Wither Or Which.

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WWE scraps planned WrestleMania 42 title match due to real-life injury

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WWE has been forced to scrap a planned WrestleMania 42 title match due to a real-life injury. With the Show of Shows edging closer with each passing day, the promotion has been hit with a few unfortunate injuries.

Last week, Jordynne Grace was injured during a WWE Main Event taping ahead of SmackDown. She was involved in a match with Alba Fyre, and a video showed her landing awkwardly on her ankle as she came off from the top rope.

The referee threw up an X sign, and the match was stopped with doctors checking on Grace. After the match was restarted, Fyre quickly got the pinfall to finish the bout early.

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The former TNA Knockouts Champion later uploaded a photo on social media and was seen wearing a walking boot. Now, it has emerged that her injury has led to WWE scrapping major plans for her at WrestleMania 42.

During the recent edition of Self Made Sessions, Self Made Pro revealed that he was informed that there were plans to have Jordynne Grace compete against Giulia and Tiffany Stratton in a Triple Threat match for the U.S. championship at the Show of Shows in Las Vegas.

“I did hear from somebody that there was an idea to do Giulia vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania for the United States Championship,” he said.

However, he noted that the match may not happen now due to Grace’s injury.

“Now, whether or not this was actually the case, it’s not going to happen anyway because Jordynne Grace has hurt her ankle unless it’s an ankle sprain,” he added.

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Jordynne Grace issued a statement after suffering an injury in WWE

Following the injury, Jordynne Grace shared a photo on Instagram in which she can be seen wearing a walking boot alongside Chelsea Green, who is also dealing with an ankle injury.

Grace noted that she had gone 16 years without an injury, but soon after turning 30, she found herself hurt.

She has been getting the chance to shine on SmackDown and recently faced Jade Cargill in a Women’s Championship match. It remains to be seen how long the injury will keep Grace out of action.