Lakshya Sen (PTI Photo/Nand Kumar)

Lakshya Sen showed grit and stamina to beat China’s Shi Yu Qi in a thrilling three-game battle on Tuesday, winning 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 at the All England Open Badminton Championships. It was his first victory over the former world No. 1 in a BWF World Tour event, and it didn’t come easy.The match was intense from start to finish, with long rallies and both players pushing each other to the limit. Lakshya started strongly, taking control of the first game with sharp smashes and quick net play. Although he nearly let it slip after leading comfortably, he held his nerve in a tense finish to take the opener.Coach Vimal praised his performance, saying, “Lakshya was very calm and composed today. Right from the start, he made Shi work hard for every single point, and eventually the Chinese player began to tire.”Even when Shi fought back to win the second game, Lakshya didn’t lose focus.“At one stage in the second game, I felt Lakshya was getting a bit fatigued, but he recovered well and raised his level. His attacking play was excellent too,” he added. “Overall, it was a very confidence boosting win.”The deciding game was again tight, but Lakshya’s speed, defence and smart shot selection made the difference. He stayed aggressive, forced errors from Shi, and closed out the match when the Chinese player hit long on match point.In other matches, Malvika Bansod lost to China’s Chen Yu Fei in straight games. However, the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto secured a straight-game win over Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin.

NEW DELHI: Just days before their AFC Women’s Asian Cup opener against Vietnam in Perth, India’s women footballers found themselves dealing with an unexpected problem — ill-fitting kits and lack of proper training gear. In a rare and strongly worded letter to AIFF Deputy General Secretary M Satyanarayanan, all 26 players expressed frustration, saying the issue had hurt their morale at a crucial time.“Representing India on the international stage requires professional standards, including properly fitted and appropriate match and training apparel,” the letter said.The players revealed they had already faced problems during preparation due to inadequate clothing. “The arrival of incorrect match kits at this crucial stage has further affected morale and disrupted our focus in the final days leading up to the match.”Shockingly, the kits were reportedly too small, with sizes seemingly meant for Under-15 players and not fitting at least 80% of the squad. Even the coaching staff received incorrectly sized kits.“This tournament marks our return to a major continental competition after 23 years and is a significant moment for Indian women’s football. Unfortunately, on Matchday Minus 2… we discovered a serious issue. The kits supplied are not fit for purpose.”The letter, signed by eight senior players including captain Sweety Devi and Grace Dangmei but backed by the entire squad, demanded urgent action. “We urgently request: 1. Immediate provision of correctly sized match and training kits… 2. Confirmation that suitable replacements will be delivered before kickoff. 3. Clarification on the steps being taken to prevent such incidents in the future,” it further added.Despite the setback, the players added, “We remain fully committed to representing our country with pride and giving our best performance.”The AIFF later said new kits had been provided and cleared by AFC officials.

Wankhede Stadium (Agency Photo)

NEW DELHI: The T20 World Cup 2026 has reached the semi-final stage, with India set to face England at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, while South Africa take on New Zealand in Kolkata. So far, the weather forecast looks clear, but fans are still worried because two matches earlier in the tournament were washed out due to rain.To avoid chaos, the ICC has kept a reserve day for both semi-finals.

If rain stops play on the scheduled day, the match will continue or be replayed the next day. There is also extra time available, 90 minutes on the main day and 120 minutes on the reserve day. In the final, both days get 120 minutes of extra time.For a result to be declared, both teams must bat at least 10 overs. If that doesn’t happen, the game will resume from the same score on the reserve day. But if the match still cannot be completed even after the reserve day, then the team that finished higher in the Super 8 stage will qualify for the final.This is where it gets tricky for India. India finished second in their Super 8 group, while England topped their group by winning all three matches. So if the India vs England semi-final is completely washed out, England will go through to the final.In the other semi-final, South Africa finished above New Zealand in their group. So if that match is abandoned, South Africa will move to the final. The final is scheduled for March 8 in Ahmedabad, with March 9 as the reserve day. Now, fans will be hoping rain stays away from these crucial games.

Aarav Dengla becomes India’s 93rd Grandmaster (Special Arrangements)

NEW DELHI: “Chess is war over the board.” The line, often attributed to former World Champion Bobby Fischer, has long defined the brutality of the 64 squares. For some, the game is a battlefield. For others, it is an escape from reality.For India’s 93rd Grandmaster (GM), Aarav Dengla, however, chess holds a far more personal meaning.“It’s like a friend for life. You know if you have a board with you, you don’t need anybody else,” Aarav’s mother, Shipra Dengla, told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction.

That “friend” has now carried the Mumbai teenager to the game’s summit.

Not just a mother but an architect of a champion

As they say, success takes sacrifice. Aarav’s mother knows that better than most.“When he (Aarav) was six and had just started playing rated tournaments, he gained almost 800 rating points, from 1000 to nearly 1800, in four months. That was huge. I’ve never seen anything like this,” Shipra said.It was then that Aarav, now 16, won the national championship and qualified for the World Championship in Brazil. Going to Brazil for the kid should have been a straightforward next step. But this time, it wasn’t. Work commitments meant neither parent could travel with him.“I was working with Mahindra’s in marketing. I could not go with him. Neither could his dad because of our commitments. So Aarav couldn’t play that event, and I chose to quit the same month. I knew this problem would keep coming up,” Shipra added.

Aarav Dengla and World No. 1 GM Magnus Carlsen (Special Arrangements)

From then on, Aarav’s mother became his travel companion and an architect who built a champion. Yet ask Shipra about the Grandmaster title, and she refuses to take ownership.“Honestly, it’s Aarav’s personal achievement more than anything. Chess is such a rigorous sport that only when a child is really into it, super passionate and focused, can he manage multiple things and still get such a high title,” she added in a voice resonating with pride.“We just supported him to the best of our ability, got him the best trainers, and left him in a mental state where it was just him, his board, and his trainer.”Years later, that approach has paid off.Aarav Dengla is now India’s 93rd Grandmaster and only the third GM from Mumbai. He sealed his final norm in February 2026 at the GM & IM Round Robin Festival Saha Bijeljina 2026, finishing first with 7/9.

Foundations laid at home

The story begins in Bandra’s Pali Hill, where chess was more of a household language. Aarav’s grandfather, Bhavani Sharan Saxena, and maternal uncle, Ashish Saxena, were accomplished players.“My father is an extremely good chess player. I learnt from him,” Shipra recalled. When Aarav turned five, he was introduced to the basic moves by his grandfather.

Aarav Dengla with his grandfather (Special Arrangements)

A year later, curiosity took over.“A friend of his was going for a chess tournament. He was older, about nine years old, and Aarav just tagged along. I never thought much of it. He asked, ‘Can I participate?’ He was just excited that he was being allowed to play. And then he won it,” his mother giggled.His father, Manoj Dengla, a CA rank holder and a Harvard Business School alumnus, sought out the strongest guidance available in Mumbai. And that search led them to veteran Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay.Academics remained non-negotiable. Aarav began at the IB curriculum-based Dhirubhai Ambani International School, where a 90 per cent attendance rule demanded discipline. He completed the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP), often restricting competitive chess to school vacations.“He has always played only during vacations from the age of six,” Shipra recalled.In ninth grade, he transitioned to Phillips Academy Andover in the United States.

The first master’s influence

As mentioned before, Aarav’s first formal coach was Pravin Thipsay, one of Indian chess’s most respected minds.“He was based just a block away from us. Imagine, a six-year-old training with a Grandmaster,” Shipra stated. “Thipsay sir would always say schooling is really important to build a child, and it helps in chess. He encouraged him to write a lot.”

Aarav Dengla (Special Arrangements)

“I was his first coach and the only one for 3-4 years. He was just five years old when we started training,” Thipsay told this website.“Sir used to come for his walk every evening and spend an hour with Aarav. Thipsey sir loves the sport so much that it’s impossible for someone not to fall in love with that sport when he is there,” Aarav’s mother added, revealing how lessons from the veteran GM pushed the budding chess enthusiast closer to the game.

Instinct, brotherhood, and the Chennai chapter

It was not long before Aarav’s family chose to shift base periodically to Chennai, the Mecca of Indian chess, for advanced work.“On vacations, when he was not playing, he was training with Vishnu Prasanna. And Vishnu Prasanna is very selective with the students that he takes,” Shipra recalled.“I remember Vishnu Prasanna’s statement in the first meeting when he met Aarav, he said there are some things in chess which cannot be taught. I see that in Aarav. The rest is my responsibility.”

Aarav Dengla with coach Vishnu Prasanna (Special Arrangements)

It was under Vishnu Prasanna that Aarav’s game deepened. Going into details of the work they were putting up, she revealed, “While training with the 9-10 year olds, I have seen him work for 12-14 hours; he would just be obsessed with chess on the board.”Among those sharing the grind was D Gukesh. “During COVID times, it was just Gukesh and Aarav there. Gukesh is a very good friend of his,” Shipra added.Another enduring bond is with Arjun Erigaisi. “He is almost like a brother to Aarav,” Shipra said. As for coaches, Aarav currently trains under Vishnu Prasanna and Zaven Andriasian.

Structural realities

Mumbai, for all its scale, offers limited chess infrastructure compared to southern hubs. And this is what led Aarav to spend a nice amount of time in Chennai.“The most challenging part in Mumbai is the training ecosystem. There are very few academies, and distances are quite a bit. Weekend tournaments are far less compared to Chennai and Hyderabad.”However, with a milestone achieved, Aarav, who is a polyglot and highly sociable, just wants to push the boundaries further.“He goes to the gym, does strength training, runs 45 minutes every day. At least two hours of physical activity is mandatory. Fitness has a huge impact on a mental sport. He’s always been into taekwondo, swimming, various things and he still does that. At least 2 hours every day, it’s mandatory for him,” Shipra added.ALSO READ: India gets first WIM from Northeast: How 15-year-old Arshiya Das is rewriting chess geographyAt 6’2”, the 16-year-old cuts the figure of a modern professional athlete as much as a chess prodigy.Nevertheless, even amid the summit, there is no predetermined script in the Dengla household as Shipra concluded, “Would he like to aim for becoming world champion? Or take up academics as a priority? Nobody can predict.”

Suryakumar Yadav and Harry Brook (Image credit: Agencies)

NEW DELHI: India’s Nitin Menon has been included in the elite panel of match officials appointed for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semifinals, set to be played on March 4 and 5.The first semifinal will see South Africa take on New Zealand at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 4. Defending champions India will then face England in the second semifinal at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on March 5.

For the clash between South Africa and New Zealand, Richard Illingworth and Alex Wharf have been named as the on-field umpires. Illingworth had officiated South Africa’s emphatic semifinal win two years ago, when they bowled Afghanistan out for 56 and cruised to a nine-wicket victory. Wharf, meanwhile, stood in New Zealand’s group-stage win over Afghanistan in the ongoing edition.In Kolkata, Nitin Menon will perform duties as the third umpire, with Rod Tucker appointed as the fourth umpire. Javagal Srinath will serve as the match referee.The second semifinal in Mumbai between India and England will be overseen on the field by Chris Gaffaney and Allahuddien Paleker. The two teams also met at this stage in 2024, a match India won by 68 runs, with Gaffaney part of the officiating team. In the current tournament, he has stood in India’s matches against South Africa and the West Indies.Paleker has officiated two England fixtures — against the West Indies and Scotland — along with India’s win over the Netherlands.Adrian Holdstock has been assigned as the third umpire for the Mumbai semifinal, while Paul Reiffel will be the fourth umpire. Andy Pycroft will take charge as the match referee.

Kolkata, Wednesday, March 4On-Field Umpires: Richard Illingworth & Alex WharfThird Umpire: Nitin MenonFourth Umpire: Rod TuckerMatch Referee: Javagal Srinath

T20 World Cup Semi-Final 2: India vs England

Mumbai, Thursday, March 5India v EnglandOn-Field Umpires: Chris Gaffaney & Allahuddien PalekerThird Umpire: Adrian HoldstockFourth Umpire: Paul ReiffelMatch Referee: Andy Pycroft

File picture of Neeraj Phogat (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: The Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) selection criteria to pick the national team for the forthcoming Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar on Monday ran into a controversy after two leading female boxers, Neeraj Phogat and Jyoti Gulia, alleged favouritism and manipulation of results in the selection of the 20-member contingent for the continental meet, scheduled from March 28 to April 11 in the Mongolian capital. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!As per the BFI’s policy, the finalists at the Asian meet in approved weight categories will be selected as India’s direct entries for the Glasgow CWG and Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, to be held later this year. Both Neeraj and Jyoti missed out on selection for the Ulaanbaatar meet after failing a month-long evaluation test conducted by the BFI. The federation discontinued the practice of holding an open selection trial for boxers, as had been the norm, and instead introduced a performance-based assessment process, where the BFI officials and coaches have a final say. Former Youth World champion Jyoti finished third in rankings behind Nikhat Zareen and Nitu Ghanghas in the 51kg category. World Boxing Cup (WBC) Finals’ bronze winner Neeraj lost her place in the national camp after finishing outside the ranking bracket in her 65kg weight division. The four boxers selected in her weight class were Ankushita Boro, Sneha, Pranjal Yadav and Kajal. “While certain procedures may appear compliant with BFI guidelines on paper, in practice, there is evident favouritism, manipulation, and misuse of authority. Policies are being drafted and implemented in a manner that disproportionately benefits certain preferred boxers, particularly from the Services team, thereby compromising transparency and fairness in the selection process,” Neeraj wrote in her complaint to SAI director general (DG) Hari Ranjan Rao. “I request your office to order a thorough and impartial inquiry into the above-mentioned irregularities; constitute a high-level independent committee to investigate the selection procedures and review and revoke the current evaluation process and reinstate transparent open trials,” she added. Jyoti, too, wrote a mail to Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) CEO, N S Johal, and requested a review of assessment and trial bouts while alleging favouritism. “During the competition trials, I convincingly outperformed my opponents with a clear margin (approximately 15–20 points), which can be objectively verified through the official video recordings. Despite these performances, I was placed at Rank 3 in my weight category. This outcome has caused me serious concern, as it does not appear to reflect the performance demonstrated during both the assessment tests and the trial bouts. In the interest of fairness and justice, I request a thorough and impartial review of my trial videos, assessment scores, and evaluation criteria applied in my case,” she said.

NEW DELHI: When Sanju Samson stood tall after his match-winning 97 against the West Indies, it was more than just a comeback knock — it was the fulfilment of a promise made at the very start of the T20 World Cup.Despite being India’s first-choice T20I opener for over a year, Samson found himself out of the playing XI for the tournament opener against the United States of America (USA) at the Wankhede Stadium. Ishan Kishan’s strong form meant Samson had to wait.

What followed is now going viral.Ahead of that opening game, Rohit Sharma walked up to Samson, put an arm around him, and offered words that would define the rest of his tournament.“Kaisa hai? Dukhi mat ho bhai. It is a long tournament, kabhi bhi mauka aa sakta hai (“How are you? Don’t be disheartened. It is a long tournament. The opportunity can come at any moment),” Rohit had said to Samson, as revealed in a video posted by the official Instagram account of the International Cricket Council (ICC).At that moment, Samson was on the sidelines. But Rohit’s reassurance proved prophetic.After India’s defeat to South Africa opened the door for changes, Samson returned. He first made an impact with a fiery cameo against Zimbabwe before scripting something far bigger — an unbeaten 97 under pressure to anchor a daunting 196-run chase against the West Indies, sealing India’s highest-successful run chase in T20 World Cup history.His journey to that moment had been anything but smooth.Earlier in the season, being pushed down the order during the Asia Cup disrupted his rhythm. Then came a difficult New Zealand series where scores of 10, 6, 0, 24 and 6 led to criticism and doubts.But Samson never stopped observing, learning and believing.After his masterclass against the West Indies, he acknowledged the influence of Rohit and Virat Kohli.“Playing IPL for around 10 to 12 years and being with the Indian team for the last 10 years… I have not always been playing, but I was looking from the dugout, learning from greats like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It was very important to observe, learn, and see what they were doing,” Samson said.From being dropped to delivering one of the most memorable knocks in India’s T20 World Cup campaign, Samson’s resurgence now carries the imprint of Rohit’s hug and those four simple words — “Dukhi mat ho bhai.”With a five-wicket win over the West Indies, India marched into the semifinals and will now face England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday — the same ground where Samson had once watched from the sidelines, waiting for his moment.