Team India's Devdutt Padikkal speaks about batting at number three po…

Team India recently won a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka by 1-0. Team India's batsman Devdutt Padikkal was one of the standout performers for the visitors.

Speaking about his Test comeback, the left-handed batsman said that he was at the best stage of his career. fish-roadgame.com

"Definitely, I was looking forward to it. Obviously, those opportunities don't come very easily. It takes a lot of hard work to make sure that you are continuing to improve yourself and waiting for that opportunity. I had to make sure that I was ready whenever I got it," said Padikkal on JioStar.

"The fact that I was told at the start of the series that I was going to be playing was really exciting, and I felt like, personally, I was at the best stage of my career in terms of the way I was batting, so I was really looking forward to it," he added.

Further speaking about batting at the number three position, the cricketer said that the position doesn't matter to him and he focuses on contributing to the side.

"At the end of the day, it's about going out there and batting. It doesn't matter what position I'm batting at; I'm trying to contribute to the side. Yes, obviously, there have been great players who have played at number three for India over the years, and I'm sure there'll be a lot more scrutiny on me and a lot more comparisons made. But at the end of the day, I'm going out there and just playing my cricket, and as long as I'm enjoying that, I think everything will fall into place," said the 26-year-old cricketer.

Devdutt Padikkal reveals having conversations with Rahul Dravid

He then revealed having conversations with legendary Team India cricketer Rahul Dravid about spending more time at the crease.

"Obviously, I've had a lot of conversations with him over the years in terms of batting and what it takes to really spend long hours out there. Again, it comes back to preparation and understanding what you want to do. As long as you have that clarity in your head about what your plans are and what you want to go out there and do, regardless of the position you're batting at, it helps a lot. I think those are the conversations I've had with him," said the Kerala-born cricketer.

(With ANI Inputs)

Elite European clubs will pay a tribute to the lives lost in the tragic floods that took place in Nepal earlier this month before every single matchday one fixture of the upcoming UEFA Champions League 2026-27 season which kicks-off today.

UEFA has announced that a moment of silence will be observed before every Champions League match in Matchday 1 of the 2026-27 league phase.

A banner carrying the message “You are not alone Nepal” will also be displayed at stadiums across Europe.

The tribute comes after flash floods struck Nepal on August 26. The disaster, which followed a glacier collapse in the country’s border region with China, caused widespread destruction and left thousands of people dead or missing. Rescue teams have continued their search for survivors as authorities recover bodies from the affected areas.

UEFA said the gesture was meant to show support for the people affected by the tragedy. The organization’s president, Aleksander Ceferin, said the entire European football family would stand together before the matches to express its condolences.

“The entire European football family will stand together before this week’s matches to express our deepest condolences and our support to the people of Nepal,” Ceferin said. “We wish them strength and resilience as they continue to recover from this tragedy and its aftermath,” Ceferin concluded.

The tribute will take place before all 18 matches scheduled across the three days of matchday one. It will be a reminder that football’s reach extends beyond the pitch and that the sport is for everyone. Nepal is a football loving nation and that’s why this gesture holds plenty of significance.

UEFA Champions League 2026-27 preview in brief and MD 1 schedule

The new Champions League season begins on Tuesday, September 8, and runs until January 2027. The league phase features 36 teams with each side playing eight matches against different opponents. The competition will conclude with the final in Madrid on June 5, 2027.

Several big names are in action during the opening round. Real Madrid face Inter, Manchester City travel to Porto, while Liverpool host Atletico Madrid. Paris Saint-Germain begin their campaign against Slovan Bratislava and Arsenal visit Napoli. Barcelona will also be in action against Feyenoord.

Matchday 1 fixtures

Tuesday, September 8

• AEK Athens vs LASK
• Club Brugge vs Aston Villa
• Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal
• Porto vs Manchester City
• Lille vs Real Betis
• Real Madrid vs Inter

Wednesday, September 9

• Barcelona vs Feyenoord
• Stuttgart vs Viking
• Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid
• Paris Saint-Germain vs Slovan Bratislava
• Sporting CP vs Galatasaray
• Napoli vs Arsenal

Thursday, September 10

• Fenerbahce vs Roma
• PSV Eindhoven vs Shakhtar Donetsk
• Como vs Leipzig
• Bayern Munich vs Bodo/Glimt
• Manchester United vs Sabah
• Slavia Prague vs Lens.

Bengaluru FC head coach Pep Munoz had only half a season to work with the team after taking charge midway through the previous campaign. This time, he has had a full pre-season to shape the squad according to his ideas. With several new signings, a number of promising academy players and established names such as Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Ryan Williams, Munoz believes Bengaluru have the squad and preparation to challenge for the top honours.

In an exclusive interview, the Bengaluru FC coach spoke about the team’s pre-season, the decision to skip the Durand Cup, the new signings, the club’s young players, Chhetri’s role at 42, Ryan Williams’ versatility and his expectations for the upcoming ISL season.

Q: You joined Bengaluru FC midway through last season. This time, you have been with the team from the start of pre-season. How is the team shaping up?

Munoz: Last season was a short and unusual one in Indian football because of the delays and uncertainty around the preparations. Joining in the middle of the season also meant I did not have the benefit of a proper pre-season or enough time to understand the league and prepare the team.

This time, things are different. We have had a long pre-season, we have made some good signings, and we have the squad and facilities we need. I am very happy with the work we have done over these five weeks. The players are doing a fantastic job and we are well prepared.

Q: There have been several departures and arrivals. How do you assess the new-look squad?

Munoz: We are happy with the new additions. It is not simply about signing one or two players. We have a scouting team working on it, while also considering our budget and the current situation in Indian football.

Sometimes it is not easy to bring good profiles to this league, but we managed to do it. I believe our supporters will be happy with them.

Sandro Embalo is an experienced player in Indonesia and this part of the world. He is a good defender, comfortable with the ball and aggressive defensively. Borja gives us quality between the lines and can play as an attacking midfielder.

Manuel Iriondo is a proper number six. He is good in possession, safe on the ball, aggressive and capable of covering a lot of space. Mihailo is an experienced forward who has played in a tough league like Indonesia. He has played a lot of minutes there and is a very good finisher, with good link-up play and the ability to be clinical in front of goal.

Then we have Meno Koch, a right centre-back with a very good CV and experience in Europe. I am happy with the balance we have between the foreign and Indian players.

Q: Bengaluru have built a reputation for developing young players. Can we expect more academy graduates to feature this season?

Munoz: Definitely. I come from Barcelona, where we always look at young players coming through, and that was also something that attracted me to Bengaluru. The structure of the club, the academy, the BFC schools and the young teams are very good.

We already have some young players who were with the first team last season. During this pre-season, I also had the opportunity to work with five players from the B team. They have shown a good level, and some of them are continuing to train with us.

There are also some good players with the India U20 team. We have played friendly matches against them and there is a lot of talent there as well.

Q: Sunil Chhetri is now 42. What does he bring to Bengaluru FC at this stage of his career?

Munoz: Sunil is very important in the dressing room and in the group. We are lucky to have a player and a person like him. He is always an example. He is competitive in training and very professional in everything he does, both on and off the pitch.

For younger players who want to have a long career, he is a great example. They have to take care of themselves, look after their nutrition, prepare properly and understand the game. Sunil has done all of that throughout his career.

People focus on whether he can play 90 minutes or not, but for me that is not the most important thing. Obviously, it is not the Sunil Chhetri that was 10 years ago. He had more speed and different skills then, but now he has more experience. He understands the game better, his positioning and his movements on the pitch. He does not need to do too much to be useful to the team.

He is 42, but 42 is just a number. Of course, he is not an 18-year-old anymore, but he has experience that not many players in this league have.

Q: What about Gurpreet Singh Sandhu? How important is his presence behind the defence?

Munoz: I only had the chance to work with him for the last two months of last season, so that was difficult for everyone because the preparation was unusual.

But this pre-season, I have seen him come in in very good shape. He has a lot of confidence playing with his feet, which is important for our game model. We need to give him the ball and have him find the free man, and he is working well on that.

Q: Ryan Williams is now an Indian. How do you see his role in the team this season?

Munoz: I said it last season and I will say it again: for me, he was probably the best foreigner in the league last season in terms of how he plays. His one-on-ones, the way he makes decisions and his overall contribution were very good. His numbers were also not bad.

I am happy with him, and this season he is fit and ready. He is going to give us a lot.

I also think he can play in different positions, not just on the right. He can play as an attacking midfielder, behind the number nine and even as a number nine at times, depending on whether we play with one or two players there.

Q: Bengaluru FC did not participate in the Durand Cup this time. Does that make the preparation more difficult?

Munoz: The decision was mainly because we did not know when the league would start. Normally, once you know the league date, you can go six or seven weeks back and plan your pre-season properly, including friendly matches.

We have already played four friendly matches and are planning at least three more.

Q: Bengaluru have a huge fan base, which also brings pressure. What kind of football can supporters expect this season?

Munoz: Pressure is always there in football, but the most important pressure is the one we put on ourselves. I see the level of the players every day in training. They cannot drop that level; they can only improve it.

We have a very good squad and good preparation. I came here to win. My target is to win games and fight for the trophy.

Also Read: “When I first saw the news online about playing Brazil, I honestly thought it was a fake post” — Ryan Williams

The post “I came here to win and fight for the trophy”: Bengaluru FC head coach Pep Munoz appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

Zheng Qinwen has done it again. Two days after fighting back from 5-0 down against Madison Keys, the Chinese player produced another comeback from the same score line to beat former champion, Poland’s Iga Swiatek to reach the quarter-finals of the on-going 2026 US Open .

Zheng won 7-5, 6-3 on Monday, turning a match that looked to be slipping away into one of the biggest wins of her career. Swiatek had won the first five games and looked in control but Zheng refused to let the set go.

She began finding her range, hitting with more power from the baseline and making Swiatek work for every point. The former world No. 4 won seven games in a row to take the opening set 7-5. She then carried that momentum into the second set and finished the match in straight sets.

Also Read: US Open 2026: After six losses, Frances Tiafoe finally secures rare and hard fought win over old rival Daniil Medvedev to reach quarter-finals

The win came just two days after another remarkable fightback against Madison Keys. Zheng had been 0-5 down in the deciding set and was facing match point before turning the match around to win 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5. It was the first time in her career that she had come back from 0-5 down to win a set.

This time, she did it against a player who had beaten her in seven of their previous eight meetings. Swiatek had also won the first five games, but Zheng again found a way back. The victory leaves her with a 2-7 record against the Pole, with both wins coming on big stages, the 2024 Paris Olympics and now the US Open.

The run is even more impressive given where Zheng started the tournament. She had to come through qualifying after a long spell out with a right elbow injury.

The 23-year-old had fallen to No. 121 in the rankings, but has now won seven matches in a row in New York. She is also the first qualifier to reach the US Open quarter-finals since Emma Raducanu in 2021.

Zheng will face Elena Rybakina in the last eight. The Kazakh player beat Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 to book her place in the quarter-finals.

Zheng’s quarter-final tie against Rybakina will be an extremely tough one as the Kazakh won the Australian Open 2026 title earlier this year on the hard court, beating the dangerous Aryna Sabalenka by 4-6, 6-4 and 4-6 in straight sets.

The last eight match will take place tomorrow from 9:00PM (IST) onwards.

India vs Japan 2026 One-off T20I: Shreyas Iyer’s Team India will take on Japan in a historic first-ever T20I match against Japan – the hosts of Asian Games 2026 starting later this month. The T20 World Cup champions will take on Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming-led Japan team in a one-off T20I organized as warm-up of Asian Games at the Sano International Cricket Ground on September 22.

While India will field a star-studded line-up featuring 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, world No. 1 T20I batter Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, hosts Japan also announced their squad for this one-off fixture on Tuesday.

Kadowaki-Fleming, Japan’s all-time leading T20I run-scorer, will lead the side and will be joined by Ibrahim Takahashi and Declan Suzuki-McComb – the other two members of the squad with more than 50 T20I appearances to their name. Japan have selected their squad with their Asian Games 2026 campaign in mind and have left out players who meet ICC eligibility requirements for T20Is but are not eligible under Asian Games regulations.

As a result of these rules, emerging spin-bowling all-rounder Jake Kusuda-Nairn has been selected after impressing in domestic cricket. Veteran Tsuyoshi Takada also returns to the squad, having first represented Japan at the ICC East Asia-Pacific Twenty20 Championship back in 2013.

The squad includes Wataru Miyauchi and Makoto Taniyama, both products of Japanese schools that have cricket Bukatsu programmes. Taniyama, a leg-spinner who developed his bowling action after watching videos of Australia great Shane Warne, wears jersey number 23 in honour of his idol and is Japan’s leading wicket-taker across pathway and international cricket.

Charlie Hara-Hinze, who was part of Japan’s Under-19 World Cup side that defeated Tanzania, has also been included, while spinner Benjamin Ito-Davis returns after a hand injury ended his participation in Japan’s East Asia-Pacific T20 World Cup 2028 Sub-Regional Qualifier campaign.

Japan finished second in that tournament and remain in contention for qualification for the T20 World Cup 2028 in Australia. They are level on points with Papua New Guinea but behind them on net run-rate despite beating the Barramundis in their final match.

The India game will be the first event under ‘Sport 75’, an initiative arising from an agreement reached during a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The initiative aims to strengthen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries through sport.

Japan will also face Hong Kong in two T20Is on September 19 and 20 before beginning their Asian Games 2026 campaign against Afghanistan on September 24 and Nepal on September 26. They will need to finish in the top two to advance to the quarter-finals.

Shreyas Iyer’s side have been given a ‘bye’ through to the quarterfinals and will open their campaign on September 28. Harmanpreet Kaur’s women cricket team will face hosts Japan in the Asian Games 2026 quarterfinal on September 18.

THE SQUAD IS HERE!

日本 が、スズキカップでインド と対戦する歴史的な一戦に臨むメンバーを発表しました。#japancricket #クリケット #india #JPNvIND #SuzukiCup pic.twitter.com/DtbkXKCmt0

— 一般社団法人 日本クリケット協会｜ JCA Japan Cricket Association (@CricketJapan) September 7, 2026

Here are all the details about India vs Japan one-off T20I match…

When will India vs Japan one-off T20I match take place?

The India vs Japan one-off T20I match will take place on Tuesday, September 22.

Where will India vs Japan one-off T20I match take place?

The India vs Japan one-off T20I match will take place at Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture in Japan.

What time will India vs Japan one-off T20I match begin?

The India vs Japan one-off T20I match will begin at 930am IST. The toss will take place at 9am IST.

How can I watch India vs Japan one-off T20I match LIVE on TV in India?

The India vs Japan one-off T20I match will be telecast LIVE on Star Sports network channels in India.

How can I watch India vs Japan one-off T20I match live streaming in India?

The India vs Japan one-off T20I match will be available for live streaming on FanCode website and app.

India vs Japan one-off T20I match Squads

India: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Japan: Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (c), Charlie Hara-Hinze, Benjamin Ito-Davis, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Kohei Kubota, Jake Kusuda-Nairn, Wataru Miyauchi (wk), Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Alex Shirai-Patmore (wk), Shoma Sugaya-Slater, Declan Suzuki-McComb, Tsuyoshi Takada, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama, Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake