Hardik Pandya's ‘never been more alive’! Indian star posts on Instagram

Star India and Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya has seldom been seen since the IPL due to a series of injuries and niggles, but in his downtime the 32-year-old has been enjoying life off the pitch, if his recent Instagram post is anything to go by.

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A post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya93)

Pandya shared a series of photographs with his 44.9 million followers of his life lately, featuring his partner Mahieka Sharma. He captioned the post: “Been offline, but never felt so alive.”

The post — Pandya’s first since May 25 — received 2.5 million ‘likes.’

At the end of the T20 World Cup in England, much was said about why India should look at Smriti Mandhana as captain going into LA28.

Harmanpreet Kaur has done the job for a decade, and India’s performances in the last two editions of the tournament have been below par. While India won the 50-over World Cup under Harmanpreet in 2025, the T20 performances have not been up to the mark.

An infusion of fresh ideas seemed the logical way forward, particularly with the Olympics just two years away. Does Harmanpreet inspire confidence in the T20 format as captain to guide India to an Olympic medal? That is the question that needs to be asked.

Thereafter, India won the Lord’s Test under Harmanpreet and, as is always the case, the issue was swept under the carpet. A Test-match win became the mask for the T20 World Cup failure, and once again formats were mixed up by fans back home.

Now, with India doing well in the Asia Cup – a below-par competition featuring weaker teams – there is every reason to assume that we will enter what I call an ‘illusion of complacency’. Not winning the Asia Cup would be news. Anything else is routine. No team in the competition comes close to India, and it cannot be used as a yardstick.

In 10 days, India will play at the Asian Games. Yet again, the same teams currently in Dubai will be in Japan. Yet again, it will be easy. And yet again, the real issues could be glossed over with a gold medal.

This is where the problem lies. We cannot mask things with these easy wins. India will be tested again during the Champions Trophy, and the questions will return. Only valuable time would have been lost.

Harmanpreet the batter remains key for India. Her effort in the last match of the T20 World Cup at Lord’s was proof of that. She played brilliantly against Australia, and there is no replacement for her just yet.

But as captain, there was little to feel good about. The question is whether the selectors will look at competitions such as the Asia Cup and Asian Games when making a long-term call. Isn’t Olympic gold the goal?

Can this team, under Harmanpreet, inspire confidence that it can accomplish that mission?

As captain, Smriti has done well. She has been a standout for RCB, and the titles tell their own story. For India, I have seen her step up time and again to do the job. In a 50-over contest, for example, she has often led when Harmanpreet has gone off the field.

The truth is that Smriti is ready and deserves a chance. If she has to build a team for LA, she will need time to settle into the role and make the most of it.

In this catch-22, all that matters is what is best for India. The Asia Cup and Asian Games will not truly test India, and the selectors need to remember that before making the call.

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New Delhi [India], September 9 (ANI): India finished fourth amongst 82 nations in the recently concluded Pickleball World Cup held at Da Nang, Vietnam, with a total medal tally of 41 medals, including seven golds, 17 silvers and 17 bronze medals.

The Pickleball World Cup 2026 proved to be a massive jump for India, which finished 7th in last year’s World Cup, according to a release.

India sent a team delegation of 48 athletes who competed in the Kids, Juniors, Open, Seniors and Master’s team events, representing the official Indian Team at the World Cup.

“The Indian contingent has achieved tremendous results in the 2026 World Cup, and the entire Indian Pickleball Association would like to congratulate every single member of the delegation. Your hard work and dedication have made it seamless for IPA to continue our commitment towards global excellence. Ending up in 4th place is a huge statement to make, and I’m sure that we will definitely be aiming for an even higher spot next edition. Once again, congratulations to the entire Indian contingent, and we now set our eyes into improving grassroot pickleball within India to empower many more such talents to make a mark on the global stage," Indian Pickleball Association CEO Aditya Khanna said.

The Juniors team ended up in 4th place after bowing out to the formidable Vietnam in the quarterfinals. The team was led by Arjun Singh and included Aditya Singh, Dev Shah, Purvansh Patel, Vivan Patel, Naomi Amalsadiwala, Ashritha Raju and Diya Mattipati, who put up a great fight for the bronze medal.

The Open team lost out to eventual finalists USA in the quarter-finals 2-4, ending their campaign on the penultimate day of the World Cup. The team was led by Harsh Mehta and included Arjun Singh, Anish Frolian, Aman Patel, Naomi Amalsadiwala, Pearl Amalsadiwala, Mihika Yadav and Aaliya Ebrahim.

The Masters team consisted of Bhushan Akut, Thakurdas Rohira, and Ajeet Bhardwaj. The final contingent for Team India, the Seniors team, exited in the round of 16 against New Zealand; the squad consisted of Suryaveer Singh Bhullar, Atul Edward, Akhil Mathur, Nilesh Desai, Kiran Salian, Gaurika Chopra, Pearline Roopkumar and Kavita Khanna.

The highlights of the individual categories were Harsh Mehta winning the bronze in the Open Pro Men’s Doubles category, Purvansh Patel winning Gold in the U/18 Boys Singles category, and Bhushan Akut winning 3 golds in the 60+ men’s doubles with Ashok Rohira, 60+ Men’s Singles and 60+ mixed doubles respectively.

Fayrouz Zaidi took home top honours in the 40+ women’s singles, as Vivek Reddy won on the men’s side in the same category. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Sony Sports Network has acquired the exclusive television broadcast rights for the upcoming three-match T20I series between India and Afghanistan starting here on September 13.

The two teams will play the first T20I on September 13, followed by the second and third matches on September 15 and 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here. The contest is dubbed as a ‘home series’ for Afghanistan.

India will be led by Shreyas Iyer, while Afghanistan will be led by Ibrahim Zadran.

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