Amol Karhadkar

The first thing Swastika Ghosh wanted to do after the biggest win of her career was not celebrate it. She wanted to build on it. On Thursday, the 23-year-old Navi Mumbai paddler stunned second seed Miyuu Kihara of Japan 3-1 in the first round of the WTT Star Contender in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Kihara, the World No. 25, was expected to have the advantage over Swastika, ranked 149th in the world. Instead, it was Swastika who walked away with the result.

For Siddhesh Lad, the last six weeks have brought two milestones that have little to do with runs scored or wickets taken. The birth of his son Shiva has been followed by the Mumbai captaincy, even as the senior batter continues to work his way back from an injury layoff. Lad, who was Mumbai’s highest run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy last season, has been appointed the team’s captain for the forthcoming Ranji Trophy season, replacing Shardul Thakur.

A scheduling mess by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the start of the domestic season could leave the Rest of India with a depleted squad for its prestigious Irani Cup clash against Ranji Trophy champion Jammu & Kashmir. As per the convention followed since the pandemic, the Irani Cup is scheduled from October 1 to 5 and will be played in Srinagar, the home of Jammu & Kashmir.