India captain Rishabh Pant hailed the fighting spirit of the side after the hosts came back from two games down to take the five-match series against South Africa into the decider, which was washed out on Sunday.

Sri Lanka went 2-1 up on Sunday as they cruised to a six-wicket victory over Australia in the third one-day international thanks to a brilliant Pathum Nissanka century. Set a tricky 292 to win after a Travis Head 70, the hosts won comfortably with nine balls to spare in Colombo, in their second straight victory in the five-match series.

The Indian men's hockey team's FIH Pro League title hopes went up in smoke after suffering a hard-fought 1-2 defeat against the Netherlands in the second match of the two-leg tie on Sunday.

Opening batsman John Campbell completed his first Test half-century in the Caribbean as the West Indies completed a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh on the fourth morning of the first Test in Antigua on Sunday. Resuming at 49 for three, and needing just 35 more runs at the start of the day in pursuit of a modest target of 84, Campbell dominated the scoring alongside vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood (26 not out).

The fifth and deciding Twenty20 international between India and South Africa was abandoned due to rain in Bangalore on Sunday with the series ending level at 2-2.

The BCCI has decided to give the Ireland-bound Indian T20 squad, led by Hardik Pandya, a three-day break before it leaves for the two-match series in Malahide. While Rahul Dravid, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant will be taking an early morning flight on Monday for London, the BCCI wants its T20 specialists to take a short break.

Narayana Konganapalle and Kuldeep Singh have established a partnership unlike any other.

Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold admitted the club had "burnt through cash" after being filmed secretly while meeting with supporters of the struggling English giants. But he promised new manager Erik Ten Hag, who will replace interim boss Ralf Ragnick, would have money to spend in a video clip posted on social media.

World number one Daniil Medvedev lost his second straight ATP grass-court final when he was brushed aside by Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in Halle on Sunday. Medvedev had few answers as he crashed to defeat inside 64 minutes as Hurkacz offered no respite in a 6-1, 6-4 victory.

Six captains leading Indian teams across formats in a span of eight months isn't something that head coach Rahul Dravid had planned but he isn't complaining as it provides an opportunity to create more leaders within the group. Since Dravid took over in November after the T20 World Cup, India have had Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya (set to lead in Ireland) as national captains.

Hosts India scooped up eight medals at the Asian Track Cycling Championships, including 1 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze, on the second day of the competition here on Sunday. The Indian athletes, so far, have won 18 medals in the 41st Senior, 28th Junior Asian Track, and 10th Para Track Cycling Championships.

The Haryana duo of Manu Bhaker and Shiva Narwal won the 10m air pistol mixed team title at the 20th Kumar Surendra Singh Memorial Shooting competition here on Sunday. They beat the experienced pair of Amanpreet Singh and Shweta Singh of ONGC 16-8 in the gold medal match.

A valiant Indian women's hockey team squandered a one-goal lead to lose 2-3 to Olympic silver medallist Argentina in the second match of the double-leg FIH Pro League tie here on Sunday. Argentina won the FIH Pro League crown, finishing with 42 points from 16 games, 10 clear of second placed Netherlands, who still have two games remaining. The Indians continued to occupy the third position in the standings in their debut season with 24 points from 12 games.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged off the first-ever torch relay for the Chess Olympiad ahead of the 44th edition of the event, which is to be held in Mahabalipuram from July 28 to August 10. The international chess body, FIDE, for the very first time has instituted the torch relay, which is part of the Olympic tradition, but was never done in the Chess Olympiad.

Reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo extended his lead in the overall standings with a commanding performance to win the German MotoGP on Sunday. The Yamaha rider dominated in scorching temperatures at the Sachsenring with fellow Frenchman Johann Zarco finishing second and Australia's Jack Miller third.

World badminton number one Viktor Axelsen triumphed in straight games over underdog Zhao Jun Peng of China on Sunday, clinching the Indonesia Open championship for the second consecutive year.

Discarded Team India wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who also had a fallout with Cricket Association of Bengal, is in talks with Tripura for a potential player-cum-mentor role, an official said.

Several Indian sportspersons, including cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar, Cheteshwar Pujara and celebrated boxer Nikhat Zareen, among others, took to social media to celebrate Father's Day, saying they have been the "biggest support system" in their lives.

Neeraj Chopra slipped after his third attempt in Kuortane on Saturday. The conditions were treacherous for a javelin throw competition with a wet and slippery run-up due to rains. He lost his balance after releasing the spear in his third attempt and had a nasty fall with his left shoulder hitting the turf.

World champion and series leader Max Verstappen drove expertly in difficult wet conditions in his Red Bull on Saturday to secure pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix.

To make a comeback, one of the most essential requirements is a setback. For proof, you don't have to look beyond Dinesh Karthik. In a T20 international career in its 17th year, the 37-year-old has played 36 matches.

Veteran pacer Kemar Roach's enduring quality and consistency put the West Indies within 35 runs of victory over Bangladesh going into the fourth day of the first Test.

Viswanathan Anand joined sports minister Anurag Thakur during an interaction with TOI in the Capital on Saturday. The two Guest Sports Editors talked about the way ahead for chess, plans to popularise the sport at the grassroots level and stage more international tournaments to give aspiring youngsters exposure to top-quality chess.

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra clinched his first top podium finish of the season by winning the javelin throw event at the Kuortane Games in Finland, beating reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada for the second time in four days, on Saturday. The 24-year-old Chopra's opening throw of 86.69m turned out to be the winning distance.

Katie Ledecky regained the women's freestyle 400m world title and collected her 16th world championship gold as she held off a determined challenge from Canadian 15-year-old Summer McIntosh in Budapest on Saturday.

The sixth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) --- to be held from June 23 till July 31 --- will see the return of opener Murali Vijay into competitive cricket after a gap of almost two years. The 38-year-old, who last featured during the 2020 IPL season for the Chennai Super Kings, will be padding up for the Ruby Trichy Warriors during the TNPL.

The Indian men's hockey team produced a lion-hearted performance before going down 1-4 to leaders the Netherlands in the shoot-out after both the sides were locked 2-2 at regulation time to virtually crash out of the title race of the FIH Pro League on Saturday.

Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac on Saturday made a veiled attack on some powerful entities associated with the game in the country, saying "some stakeholders" had focussed on their projects rather than committing to help the national side rise in profile.

Indian shuttler HS Prannoy signed off with yet another semi-final finish at the Indonesia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament after going down in straight games to China's Zhao Jun Peng on Saturday.

Hosts India made a bright start to their campaign at the Asian Track Cycling Championships by bagging 10 medals, including a gold, on the opening day of competitions on Saturday. The opening day of the 41st Senior, 28th Junior Asian Track and 10th Para Track Cycling Championships witnessed 12 finals out of which four were for Para Championships.

Gurjit Kaur scored a brace as the Indian women's hockey team dished out a spirited performance to stun Olympic silver medallist Argentina 2-1 in the shoot-out after a 3-3 stalemate in regulation time in the first match of the double-leg FIH Pro League tie on Saturday.

The likes of Mithali Raj -- who retired recently -- and Jhulan Goswami are not there in the team but India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur on Saturday reckoned that the upcoming limited overs tour to Sri Lanka is a great opportunity to "build a team".

Former world number one Naomi Osaka pulled out of Wimbledon on Saturday with an Achilles injury.

India's Pranati Nayak has bagged a bronze medal in the vault section of the 9th Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Doha, Qatar. This is Pranati's second medal in the Asian Championships, making her the only Indian to win two medals in the Continental Championships.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who is enjoying a golden run of form, has revealed how advice from former India captain MS Dhoni early on in his career has helped him tremendously to become a better player.

Domestic giants Mumbai completed the formality of qualifying for the Ranji Trophy final by virtue of first innings lead on the final day of their last-four match against Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.

India batter Dinesh Karthik looks for runs in unorthodox areas and that is what makes him difficult to bowl to, feels seasoned South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj. Karthik's 55 off 27 balls, his maiden fifty in the format he first played back in 2006, helped India level the five-match T20I series here on Friday.

India's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has expressed his admiration for Dinesh Karthik, saying his resurrection from obscurity is an inspiration for many in and outside the team. The veteran wicketkeeper smashed his maiden T20I fifty to help the hosts secure an 82-run victory over South Africa in the fourth T20 International here on Friday.

Sunil Gavaskar questioned Rishabh Pant's shot selection, saying it is "not a good sign" that the Indian stumper is repeatedly falling into the outside the off-stump trap in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa. Pant, who has scored 740 runs in 47 T20Is at 23.12, has been getting out in almost identical fashion while going for the big shot wide outside the off-stump.

A lot of grey areas are yet to be addressed but a young Indian team, with an admirable collective temperament, will start as favourites in the series-deciding fifth T20 International against South Africa here on Sunday.

After taking four for 12 to bundle out South Africa for 87 and shape India’s 82-run triumph at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot, pacer Avesh Khan dedicated his career-best T20I performance to his dad on the latter’s birthday. He credited India coach Rahul Dravid for sticking to the same outfit despite calls for an alteration, saying that it ultimately helped players like him prove their worth.

Ex-India pacer and current chief selector Chetan Sharma will accompany Team Indian on their forthcoming tour of Ireland. Led by allrounder Hardik Pandya, and with batting great and National Cricket Academy head VVS Laxman as the head coach, India will play two T20Is against the hosts on June 26 and June 28 in Dublin.

England will keep chasing the 500-run mark in ODIs after narrowly missing out on the milestone in a record-breaking win over Netherlands, Jos Buttler said. England broke their own record for the highest team total in ODI history after they smashed 498/4 to win by 232 runs on Friday. "Is it a matter of time before we make 500? I don't know. We'll keep trying to do it," Jos Buttler said.

Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand is quite excited about India hosting the Chess Olympiad for the first time since its inception in 1927. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the first-ever torch relay for the Olympiad, at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi, to kick off the flame’s journey to 75 cities over the course of 40 days. The journey will culminate at Mahabalipuram, near Chennai – the venue for the July 28 to August 10 event.

Having played a big role in India's series levelling 82-run win against South Africa, Dinesh Karthik attributes performances like 27-ball-55 to a sense of security and clarity in thought process. "Just feels good,' he said about the innings. "I am feeling very secure in this set-up. In the last game, things didn't go according to plan, but I went and expressed myself today," Karthik said.