‘India national team is not Indian cricket’: Gavaskar’s message to BC…

Sunil Gavaskar highlights the need to reassess India's congested cricket calendar, warning that relentless competition and travel may lead to player fatigue. He underscores the importance of nurturing domestic cricket as the foundation for the national team, advocating for improvements in this area to ensure sustained success in the future. This commentary aligns with the ICC's forthcoming discussions on scheduling.

India are getting ready for the 2027 ODI World Cup. The tournament will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. India have a limited number of matches to get their team right before the event. The next few months are very important for the team management, players, and selectors. truewildgame.com

India started their World Cup preparations with an ODI series in England. They lost that series 2-1. India will now play 14 ODIs before IPL 2027. These matches will help them prepare for the World Cup. Some of these games will be played away from home.

India’s Road to the 2027 ODI World Cup

The first upcoming series is against the West Indies at home. It is a three-match ODI series. The first match is on September 27 in Trivandrum. The second match is on September 30 in Guwahati. The third match is on October 3 in New Chandigarh.

After that, India will tour New Zealand for five ODIs. The matches will be played at four different grounds. The first ODI is on November 4 in Auckland. The second is on November 7 in Wellington. The third is on November 10 in Hamilton. The fourth is on November 13 in Mount Maunganui. The fifth is on November 15, also in Mount Maunganui.

India then returns home for two more ODI series. First, they face Sri Lanka in a three-match series. The first match is on December 13 in Delhi. The second is on December 16 in Bengaluru. The third is on December 19 in Ahmedabad. Then India play Zimbabwe in another three-match series. The first match is on January 3, 2027, in Kolkata. The second is on January 6 in Hyderabad. The third is on January 9 in Mumbai.

The season ends with a big five-Test series against Australia. This is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The first Test is in Nagpur from January 21 to 25. The second is in Chennai from January 29 to February 2. The third is in Guwahati from February 11 to 15. The fourth is in Ranchi from February 19 to 23. The fifth is in Ahmedabad from February 27 to March 3.

Asian Games 2026 Cricket Schedule: India’s Men’s T20 Campaigns in Japan

Cricket at the Asian Games 2026 will be played in Japan. The matches will take place from September 17 to October 3. The venue is the Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi.

The men’s competition starts on September 24. The medal matches are on October 3. Ten teams are taking part. They are divided into two groups. Group A has Afghanistan, Japan, and Nepal. Group B has Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, and Oman. The top two teams from each group will move to the quarter-finals. Four seeded teams will join them there. These are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

India will begin their campaign in the quarter-finals on September 28. They will play the Group A runners-up. Pakistan will face the Group B runners-up earlier the same day. Sri Lanka will meet the Group A winners on September 29. Bangladesh will play the Group B winners in the last quarter-final. The men’s semi-finals are on October 1.

Date	Match	Round	Time
September 24, Thursday	Afghanistan vs Japan	Group A	5:30 AM
September 24, Thursday	Hong Kong China vs Malaysia	Group B	10:30 AM
September 25, Friday	Hong Kong China vs Oman	Group B	5:30 AM
September 25, Friday	Afghanistan vs Nepal	Group A	10:30 AM
September 26, Saturday	Japan vs Nepal	Group A	5:30 AM
September 26, Saturday	Malaysia vs Oman	Group B	10:30 AM
September 28, Monday	Pakistan vs B2	Quarter-final	5:30 AM
September 28, Monday	India vs A2	Quarter-final	10:00 AM
September 29, Tuesday	Sri Lanka vs A1	Quarter-final	5:30 AM
September 29, Tuesday	Bangladesh vs B1	Quarter-final	10:00 AM
October 1, Thursday	Pakistan/B2 vs Bangladesh/B1	Semi-final	5:30 AM
October 1, Thursday	India/A2 vs Sri Lanka/A1	Semi-final	10:00 AM
October 3, Saturday	Bronze medal match	Third-place playoff	5:30 AM
October 3, Saturday	Gold medal match	Final	10:00 AM

Cricket will also return to the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028. The sport was last in the Olympics in 1900 in Paris. That was 128 years earlier.

FAQs

Q. How many ODIs will India play before IPL 2027?

A. India will play 14 ODIs before IPL 2027.

Q. Who will India face in their next ODI series?

A. India will face the West Indies at home.

Q. How many ODIs will India play against New Zealand?

A. India will play five ODIs against New Zealand.

Q. When will India play Sri Lanka in ODIs?

A. India will play Sri Lanka from December 13 to 19.

Q. When will the Border-Gavaskar Trophy begin?

A. The five-Test series against Australia begins on January 21, 2027.

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Star player Aryna Sabalenka showcased a brilliant performance against Jessica Pegula, which helped her to take a victory and unlock the fourth consecutive final of the US Open.

The Belarusian star, who will lose her world No. 1 ranking to Elena Rybakina even if she wins the title, produced a dominant display in a 7-5, 6-2 win over Jessica Pegula at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Sabalenka has also beaten Pegula at the same venue during her US Open title runs in 2024 and 2025.

Sabalenka books US Open final spot, awaits Rybakina-Gauff winner

Sabalenka is aiming to become only the third woman after Chris Evert and Serena Williams to win three consecutive US Open titles. She hit 29 winners, including seven aces, and used her powerful groundstrokes to keep third-seeded Pegula under constant pressure.

However, now it’s time to see her rival in the finals of the US Open as the semifinal is scheduled between Rybakina and fourth-seeded Coco Gauff in Saturday’s title match.

After an impressive performance and a big victory, she reflected on it and said: “I’m super happy I was able to play such tennis.”

“I was so desperate to win. I wanted it so badly,” she added.

Sabalenka overcomes Pegula to reach US Open final

Sabalenka and Pegula both served well in a close first set. Sabalenka struggled to make a breakthrough on Pegula’s serve and became frustrated at times.

The turning point came when Pegula served at 5-6. She fell 0-40 down but saved one set point. However, Sabalenka won the next point with a strong return, and Pegula then hit a forehand into the net to give Sabalenka the first set.

Sabalenka continued her strong start in the second set. She put pressure on Pegula’s second serve and broke her to take a 3-1 lead after hitting a powerful forehand into the corner.

She ended the match with another break, hitting a strong forehand on match point.

The loss was another disappointment for Pegula against Sabalenka at a Grand Slam. She lost to the Belarusian in the 2024 US Open final and last year’s semi-final.

Sabalenka, 28, has not enjoyed the best results since winning titles at Indian Wells and Miami in March. Her recent form has given Elena Rybakina a chance to take the world No. 1 ranking, which Sabalenka has held since October 2024.

Rybakina beats Gauff to set up US Open final against Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka will face No. 2 Elena Rybakina in the final of the US Open 2026, after her brilliant performance against Coco Gauff in the semi-final. She lost the first round as her rival got an impressive start at the beginning of the match 3-0.

After the first-round setback, she backed her confidence and started showcasing her good gameplay in the match. She created trouble for her opponent in the match. With this dominant performance, she registered a victory in the second round 6-4.

She continued her dominance in the third round as well, with her attacking game-play in the final round. She put pressure on her rival, with impressive confidence. Her excellence and outstanding skills led her to a third round victory 6-4 to qualify for the finals of the tournament to face Aryna Sabalenka.

Defending champions India secured a place in the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026 final with a convincing 40-run victory over Bangladesh in the first semifinal at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Opting to bat first, India posted a competitive total of 149/6, spearheaded by opener Shafali Verma's explosive 64 off 40 balls, along with crucial middle-order contributions from Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, and Deepti Sharma. India’s spin attack then restricted Bangladesh's run chase, limiting them to 109/7. Deepti led the bowling attack with figures of 3/26, while Shree Charani chipped in with 1/14.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur praised her bowlers' discipline on a surface that offered some turn.

"Happy with the way things are going. Happy with the way our batting and bowling is going. There was a value to the good balls. If you were giving revs, then you were giving value to the balls. Spinners from both teams bowled well today; batters had it hard, spinners used the pitch really well," Harmanpreet said.

She also pointed out the crucial lower-order runs, adding, "The small partnerships matter, especially on a pitch like this. Richa also played a few valuable shots. Deepti was excellent with the ball and got us a few breakthroughs."

Bangladesh captain reacts after India loss

Player of the Match Shafali Verma said the extreme humidity made batting difficult and forced her to adjust her attacking approach.

"Very humid out there. Sometimes I can't even breathe, but I had to relax. I didn't get those balls early on, and I tried to play grounded, and I got a few chances. I know it's my job to hit sixes and fours in the powerplay, so I tried to do that." Verma said.

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana rued costly fielding errors and a lacklustre powerplay response.

"We didn't bowl well, unlike the other last three games. We fielded well in other games, not today; we put down chances. That was the pressure, I guess, just a bad day for the whole team," Nigar reflected. She added, "We really wanted to restrict them to a total we could chase; our batting powerplay was not good too. We bowled well, we created our chances, we couldn't capitalise."