'Pakistan on ventilator': Shoaib Akhtar reveals PCB’s 'nothing' expec…

Pakistan Cricket Board is undertaking a significant rebuilding phase following poor tour performances. Senior players have been removed from the squad for the final Test match. Former bowler Shoaib Akhtar believes the board has lost confidence in the current team. He stressed the need to protect the careers of younger fast bowlers. The board is now focusing on developing a new generation of players for the future.

Recent media reports have highlighted how the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) have made arrangements for the athletes. At SAI Patiala, temporary accommodation arrangements have been made similar to what will be available in Japan, so that the athletes can adjust to the conditions and not face any surprises when they land in Nagoya for the Asian Games.

The Asian Games 2026 are set to start on September 19. India’s Chef de Mission, Sahdev Yadav, who is also the president of the Weightlifting Federation of India, recently revealed in an exclusive chat with RevSportz how the federation and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, have been providing support to the athletes. michezonews.co.za

“Even I will be staying in such a container, and these makeshift arrangements have helped the athletes to acclimatise,” he said. “But, if still someone needs special arrangements in Japan, IOA can make those arrangements.”

Apart from these, the Weightlifting Federation president revealed how the authorities have been supportive of the athletes’ requirements. He gave the example of Mirabai Chanu’s requirement and how it was met.

“This time in Japan, the weights that’ll be used in weightlifting are made by Osaka Co., which have not been used for several years, and are not readily available in India,” he said. “Mira wanted the Osaka plates so she can practice with those because these plates behave differently than those which are generally used.”

“We have been able to arrange the Osaka plates for Mira’s preparations,” he added.

Speaking of Chanu’s chances in the Asian Games, he said, “She is doing well and even lifted 204 kgs in 48 kgs in the nationals. Here, she’s in the 49kgs category, and will surely break the weightlifting medal deadlock.”

“We are eagerly waiting for that moment,” he concluded.

The last time India won a weightlifting medal at the Asian Games was in Bangkok in 1998. Karnam Malleswari won the silver in the women’s 63kg category.

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The Indian contingent remains unbeaten at the end of the day 2 of the Team Event at the Pickleball World Cup currently ongoing at Da Nang, Vietnam till the 6th of September 2026. They stormed into the quarter finals and will play the formidable team from the USA.

The India pro Squad consisting of Harsh Mehta, Arjun Singh, Anish Froilan, Aman Patel, Pearl Amalsadiwala, Naomi Amalsadiwala, Aaliya Ebrahim and Mihika Yadav beat China in the round of 32 with a scoreline of 4-0. Pearl Amalsadiwala and Mihika Yadav set the tone by winning the first tie of the match 21-19 after which Harsh Mehta and Arjun Singh chalked up another point for Team India. In the third tie, Harsh Mehta and Pearl Amalsadiwala won a challenging match to set up Arjun Singh and Mihika Yadav to defeat the Chinese 4-0.

“Really happy with the way we have been executing our plans and making it all the way to the quarter finals. Playing with Mihika and Harsh has been a great experience for me and Harsh Mehta has been pivotal in his leadership. I am very happy to have played my role for the team and look forward to the quarters. Tomorrow is a crucial day for us and the rest of the Indian teams, but we are ready for the challenge.” Said, Pearl Amalsadiwala, Team India.

The round of 16 was poised to be tough draw for India against the Philippines but the Indians managed to clinch the match with a scoreline of 4-1. The women’s doubles pair of Pearl and Mihika once again gave India their first point whilst the men’s doubles went down fighting for the second tie 19-21. The next two mixed doubles went in the way of India giving them a 3-1 lead as Aaliya Ebrahim completely shut down her opponent 21-12 to take India into the quarter-finals.

“Tomorrow, our Kids, Juniors, Open, and Masters (60+) teams step into the quarter finals with unstoppable spirit. Each player is giving their absolute best and playing with heart, grit, and pride for the nation. Watching them pour everything into the game fills us with joy and pride. Their performances make us believe even more strongly that nothing is greater than seeing India triumph.” Said Mr. Aalap Sharma, Treasurer, Indian Pickleball Association.

“Congratulations to all the squads. Making the quarter finals is a formidable statement by Team India and the entire Indian Pickleball Association is backing them to go deep into the final leg of the tournament. All the players in each team have played their part well and taken up the responsibility for the team.” Said Mr. Suryaveer Singh Bhullar, President, Indian Pickleball Association.

The India Masters squad, Junior squad and the Kids squad have all three made their way into the quarter finals against Vietnam, Chinese Taipei and Australia respectively. The India Senior team lost to New Zealand in the round of 16 ending the campaign for this edition of the World Cup.

India Masters edged out China in the round of 16 in the very last tie of the match winning with a final score of 3-2 with Bhushan Akut and Petulia Balaji dominating the decider 21-9.

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The timing could not have been better for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

A month after the disappointment of missing out on a medal at the World Championships in New Delhi, India’s leading men’s doubles pair have responded in the most convincing way possible. They have won the China Masters, a tournament that had twice previously ended with them on the wrong side of the final result.

More importantly, they have done it against a home pair after losing the opening game of the final.

That combination makes the victory particularly relevant with the Asian Games approaching. Satwik and Chirag will not be travelling to the Asiad looking to prove that they belong among the best. They already have that status. They will be going there as defending champions, with the expectation that they should be challenging for gold again.

That brings a different kind of pressure.

Their title in Shenzhen gives them something every defending champion wants before a major event: evidence that their game is working when the stakes are high. Against He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu, they were forced to respond after surrendering the first game 11-21. The second game brought a change in momentum, and the Indians then managed the deciding game well enough to close out the victory.

The scoreline tells only part of the story. The more important point is that Satwik and Chirag were able to stay in the contest long enough to change it. That was the narrative throughout the week, as they were taken to three games in four consecutive matches.

Things have not always been straightforward for them this season. Their attacking game can overwhelm opponents when everything falls into place, but the strongest pairs in Asia are capable of absorbing that first wave of aggression and turning it back on them. At the Asian Games, they will face opponents familiar with their strengths and increasingly comfortable with the challenge of playing them.

The China Masters offered a useful rehearsal. They also had to deal with the weight of history at the tournament. Having finished runners-up in Shenzhen in 2023 and 2025, this was a chance to remove one of the few significant gaps from their record at the Super 750 event. They took it.

There is a psychological benefit to that which statistics cannot quite capture.

Satwik and Chirag now know that they can arrive at a major tournament after a setback and quickly rebuild their momentum. The World Championships had raised questions about their form. The China Masters has provided an immediate answer.

It also gives them a victory over a Chinese combination in China, something that can matter when the next major assignment is an Asian multi-sport event where the home crowd, the atmosphere and the pressure will all be amplified.

The Asian Games, however, will not be won on the back of one tournament. The field remains packed with quality, and the margins between the leading men’s doubles pairs are small. Satwik and Chirag will need to reproduce the discipline they showed in Shenzhen while retaining the aggression that has made them one of the most formidable attacking pairs in the sport.

For now, though, they can allow themselves to enjoy the significance of what they have achieved.

The Asian Games will demand another level of consistency. In Hangzhou, they breezed through the draw, losing a game only to Leo Carnando and Daniel Marthin of Indonesia. Three years on, they have had to slightly modify their tactics in order to nurse Satwik’s shoulder injury. In China, in crucial moments, they played according to one of the tenets Sun Tzu mentioned in The Art of War: “Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.”

Satwik and Chirag will head into their title defence with something they did not have a few weeks ago: fresh momentum and the reassurance that, when a match starts going against them, they have the capacity to turn it around.

For the defending champions, that is an ideal place to begin.

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