BCCI reviews India’s away defeats, plans strategy for SENA tours

[popcorn number="Zero" desc="No. of T20Is India won against Ireland and England recently; they lost six games, while one was washed out" class="Default"] chickenroad-game.rodeo

After a high-profile review meeting at the BCCI’s Wankhede headquarters on Thursday, which was attended by Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, head coach Gautam Gambhir, BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman, BCCI president Mithun Manhas, and secretary Devajit Saikia, the latter admitted that Team India’s away defeats in the recent past have been disappointing.

India lost a T20I series in Ireland (0-2) last June, followed by a 0-4 defeat in five T20Is and a 1-2 loss in ODIs to England a month later, before beating hosts Sri Lanka 1-0 in a two-Test series recently.

“Yes, we did not do well and lost matches in Ireland and also in England in that T20 and ODI series, so we wanted to know the reasons, so that we can do some soul-searching about that. Also, for the future, we have chalked out some strategies when it comes to travelling to any of the SENA countries [South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia],” Saikia said in reply to a question from mid-day.

About the speculation surrounding the future of India’s ODI opener Rohit Sharma, Saikia replied:

“He [Rohit] is playing superbly in all matches. What more do you want?
In the last match [vs England] he scored 138 runs [at Lord’s on July 19]. So, why is there a speculation? I do not want to give fodder to speculators.”

Interestingly, chief selector Ajit Agarkar was a notable absentee at the meeting.

“He [Agarkar] was out of station, so could not be part of the meeting as it was called at a very short notice,” said Saikia.

In the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026 match against Team India, Hong Kong's skipper Natasha Miles has won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.

After winning the toss, Hong Kong's skipper Miles said, "We're going to have a bowl first. I think the conditions would suit that. Very confident with our batting lineup to come out here and chase down any score. So, let's make the most of these conditions. [What is a good total?] I think we've seen, as an average score, it's been about 120 -130. They're obviously a very accomplished side, so, looking at 140, 150, we've had a couple of chases like that this year. So, if we can keep them to 140, 150... [Any changes?] We have two changes. I'm coming in for Dorothea, and Iqra Sahar is coming in. [How big is this occasion?] It's obviously a very exciting occasion. We're playing one of the top teams in the world. They're an incredible side. Obviously, everyone's very excited to see how we can compete against such an incredible side. And, I mean, taking in the occasion and enjoying ourselves, and hopefully we come back to the Asia Cup in the future. [On Alison Siu playing her 100th T20I] She's been a spearhead for our attack for many years now. Always making 100 appearances for your country is an incredible achievement. So, congrats to Alison, and we're happy to have her on the side always and hope she has a great game".

On the other hand, Team India's captain Harmanpreet Kaur said, "We thought of batting first because I personally believe we want to get used to these conditions as soon as possible. [What total are you aiming for?] Well, we are not keeping anything in mind. Let's just go there and execute ourselves in a positive way and let's see what we achieve at the end of the day. [What's your reading of this pitch?] It's a very tricky wicket, and as a batting unit we have to just keep looking at the ball and execute ourselves in a positive way. [What's your playing combination today?] We're going with the same eleven. [What do you expect from Hong Kong, China?] I think they have been playing really good cricket. We have seen they have been very positive in this competition, and we just want to keep doing what we have been doing. And I think (it's an) opportunity for us to play another positive game".

Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026, India vs Hong Kong: Confirmed Playing XIs

India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (WK), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Nandani Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud.

Hong Kong: Natasha Miles (C), Maryam Bibi, Alison Siu, Mariko Hill, Iqra Sahar, Joyleen Kaur, Marina Lamplough, Yasmin Daswani (WK), Ruchita Venkatesh, Shanzeen Shahzad, Kary Chan.

The Athletics Integrity Unit is stepping up its game with random checks on elite Indian athletes. Experts warn that the use of certain herbal supplements, notably Ashwagandha and Shilajit, may result in unfavorable test results. Many athletes neglect to report their consumption of these unregulated supplements, raising alarms about doping practices. This rigorous examination reveals deeper concerns within India’s doping regulation and athletics testing protocols.