Sports News: Gambhir's Impact, Women's Asia Cup Highlights, and Paris 2024 Opening

Friday will usher in new dynamics with Gautam Gambhir as the head coach and Suryakumar Yadav leading from the front in India's T20I series against Sri Lanka. In the absence of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja in the lineup, once again it is that India is banking on its young guns in this series. It becomes a test of getting back to their lost stature in the cricketing world, with a new captain in Charith Asalanka and an interim coach in Sanath Jayasuriya. According to former Sri Lankan cricketer Russel Arnold, what is needed is for the Sri Lankan players to step up their act, though he appreciates the blend of talent and leadership on display in India under Gambhir and Yadav.

India thrashed Bangladesh by 10 wickets to book a spot in their ninth Women's Asia Cup final. Pacer Renuka Singh returned 3 for 10 and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav 3 for 14 as Bangladesh were dismissed for 80. Smriti Mandhana hit an unbeaten 55 and Shafali Verma an unbeaten 26 as India chased the target without losing a wicket, reaching 83 in 11.4 overs. India will take on the winner of the second semifinal between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Sunday's final. The Indian team did a fine display of bowling and batting, where Mandhana, Shafali, and Renuka particularly excelled.

Ravi Shastri has supported Gautam Gambhir as the new coach of the Indian cricket team, saying that he is a man with a wealth of experience and has the potential to come up with a lot of new ideas. According to Ravi Shastri, former coach, Gambhir will bring experience and recent success in the IPL into play, particularly in player management. Gambhir, who earlier coached KKR and LSG, will begin his tenure with the Indian team during their white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, which includes a three-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series.

Skipper Chamari Athapaththu's valiant 63 helped Sri Lanka pull off a three-wicket win over Pakistan in the women's Asia Cup semifinal here on Friday. Athapaththu's fine knock along with Sanjeevani's unbeaten 24 saw Sri Lanka cross the finish line at 141/7, chasing down Pakistan's 140/4. Sadia Iqbal starred with the ball, returning 4 for 16, but it proved insufficient. Sri Lanka will meet India in Sunday's final.

Suryakumar Yadav is all set to be India's new T20I captain and upfront about his new role before the series against Sri Lanka starting July 27. Hardik Pandya's name first came on the management's list of candidates for the captaincy, but with him not being fit for regular selection, Suryakumar was the consistent choice. He said that this was exciting for him, coupled with feeling blessed, based on the background of his intimacy and closeness to new head coach Gautam Gambhir, under whom he played at KKR in 2014. Suryakumar stressed that cricket needed to be played humbly and with balance, as cricket should be just part of life and not life itself.

The Gaza conflict is an added security worry with the Paris Olympics, particularly in relation to the Israeli delegation that has already been the target of death threats reminiscent of the Munich attack in 1972. Monday's football match between Israel and Mali, which ended in a draw, gained worldwide attention not because of the game itself but due to other events. Palestinian officials refused to say whether their athletes would withdraw from the Games rather than compete with Israelis, thus heaping on even more tension. Therefore, the situation once again underlines the intrinsic link of sports with greater political conflicts on the world arena.

Simone Biles and Vinesh Phogat could not have more contrasting sports or popularity profiles, yet have eerily similar stories to narrate from Tokyo to Paris. The common streak between the two is tales of betrayal and ordeal at multiple levels in their careers. As much as athletics has brought them to the world platform, it has exacted a heavy personal cost. Their stories represent an account of triumph, but a dark side to these experiences consists of cases of betrayal by trusted individuals and the failure of sporting institutions in protecting athletes from sexual offenders.

It finally came: after arson attacks, bomb threats, and city lockdowns, Paris exhaled with relief, as blue, white, and red smoke and "water curtains" over Pont d'Austerlitz spilled out onto the scene. At 7:30 pm local time, tension in the city dissipated, giving room for what has been described to be an unprecedented celebration along the Seine. It was Lady Gaga in French, kids carrying the Olympic flame with Zinedine Zidane, and a colorful mix of cabaret, love, music, and sport—what unfolded despite the rain.