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‘Inexplicable': Karun Nair takes subtle dig at South Zone after being overlooked
Expressing his disappointment, Karun Nair reacted strongly to his exclusion from the Duleep Trophy final, particularly considering his solid domestic performance and a recent century. The East Zone's extraordinary total of 708 runs revealed the South Zone's bowling vulnerabilities. Ishan Kishan's phenomenal 270 runs has further fueled debates about Nair's omission given the team's ongoing challenges.ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2026: Pakistan’s Nashra Sandhu scripts history as her exceptional spell leads women in green to semi-finals
Pakistan’s left-arm off-spinner Nashra Sandhu wrote history as she produced the best bowling figures by a Pakistan women’s bowler in the shortest format during her side’s victory over Hong Kong by 72 runs in the nation’s last ACC Women’s Asia Cup group match.
That 72-run win helped Pakistan book their spot in the semi-finals of the competition. The standout performer of the team was Nashra Sandhu, who finished with exceptional figures of 6/7 from four overs. Her spell tore through the Hong Kong batting line-up at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Sandhu’s spell was the main difference between the two teams. trojkonferencja2024.pl
While defending a target of 144, Pakistan needed early wickets to stay alive in the match and Nashra Sandhu’s spell proved to be the point of difference. Hong Kong struggled to deal with her accuracy and variation, losing wickets regularly before being bowled out for just 71 in the 19th over.
The six-wicket haul also gave Sandhu a place in Pakistan cricket history. She became the first Pakistani bowler to take six wickets in a Women’s T20I. Her figures were also the best by a Pakistan women’s bowler in the format, going past Omaima Sohail’s previous record of 5/13 against Sri Lanka in 2022.
Sandhu was named Player of the Match for her performance. Her effort also came at an important time for Pakistan, who needed a strong response after their heavy defeat against India earlier in the tournament.
Nashra Sandhu gets her 5th wicket, giving just 7 runs so far in her spell
pic.twitter.com/ix6sSaij7i
— PctMedia (@PctMediaa) September 7, 2026
Pakistan had 143/8 on the board after being asked to bat first. Shawaal Zulfiqar played the key innings, scoring 47 from 35 balls with seven fours. Ayesha Zafar added 26 from 19 balls, while captain Fatima Sana finished unbeaten on 24.
The total was not a huge one but Pakistan’s bowlers made sure it was enough. Sandhu did most of the damage, while the rest of the attack kept the pressure on Hong Kong. Kary Chan was the stand out performer, scoring 30 but there was little support at the other end.
The 72-run win was Pakistan’s second victory in three Group A matches. They finished second in the group with four points, behind India and secured their place in the last four.
Pakistan will now face continental rivals Sri Lanka in the second semi-final, which is to be played on Friday, September 11.
Sri Lanka had already secured their semi-final place before Pakistan’s win. Harmanpreet Kaur’s India are the third semi-finalist and they will await the winner of Bangladesh vs UAE to determine their opponents for the first last four match on Thursday, September 10.
Karun Nair frustrated with ‘inexplicable’ omission from Duleep Trophy 2026 final, aims dig at South Zone skipper Tilak Varma
Karnataka batter Karun Nair was not particularly satisfied with his omission from South Zone for the on-going 2026 Duleep Trophy trophy final taking place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The right-hand batter has taken a dig at South Zone captain Tilak Varma and the team management.
Karun Nair was left out of South Zone’s squad for the final against East Zone despite being part of the team earlier in the competition. He responded with a post on social media, calling the decision “inexplicable”. Notably, he was also left out of the playing XI for the semi-final against North Zone.
Nair quote tweeted a post from journalist Shashank Kishore on social media platform X where the latter stated that the batter scored a superb century for KSCA Secretary XI during their pre-season match against Chhattisgarh. Kishore also wrote that Nair did so after being inexplicably left out for a second straight Duleep Trophy game.
“A day after being left out inexplicably for a second straight Duleep Trophy fixture by South Zone, @karun126 brings up a superb century for KSCA Secretary XI against Chhattisgarh in the KSCA’s pre-season red-ball comp. South Zone could’ve done with his presence in pursuit of a mammoth 708,” Kishore wrote.
Nair quote tweeted by saying, “Inexplicable would be an understatement”.
The 35-year-old’s frustration is understandable, but his recent career also explains why his place in the India setup has come under scrutiny. Nair was given a fair chance to prove himself during India’s Test tour of England last year.
He played in the series but could not make a strong enough case to hold on to his place. His 2026 IPL campaign was another setback, with the batter failing to make a significant impact.
That does not mean his domestic record can be ignored. Nair has been one of India’s most productive first-class batters and has continued to score heavily in the Ranji Trophy. His omission from the Duleep Trophy final, however, shows that past performances alone may not be enough to secure a place in a strong South Zone side.
Tilak Varma, who led South Zone into the final, had earlier explained that Nair was left out of the semi-final because of a tactical decision to play Kodimela Himateja. Varma himself played a key role in the win over North Zone, scoring an unbeaten 116 in the first innings and 51 not out in the chase.
South Zone secured their place in the final with a seven-wicket win over North Zone. Their bowling attack restricted North to 175 in the first innings while Varma and Ravichandran Smaran helped the team complete the chase.
Meanwhile, East Zone, led by Ishan Kishan, have made a strong start with the bat in the Duleep Trophy final. Kishan scored 270, while Kumar Kushagra added 101, helping East Zone post 708. The big total has put South Zone under pressure with the bowlers struggling to contain the East Zone batters.
Day 3 will begin from 9:30AM onwards.
AHF Junior Hockey Asia Cup 2026: Skipper Anmol Ekka bags brace to push India towards semi-final in 7-3 goal fest against South Korea
The Indian junior men’s Hockey team secured a terrific 7-3 victory over South Korea to move within touching distance of the Asia Cup 2026 semi-finals. Although the match kept hanging on the balance for most of the time, the 60-minute game eventually proved to be an absolute goal fest with skipper Anmol Ekka scoring twice in his side’s massive win.
South Korea had possibly every answer to India’s questions as they matched the intensity very well but the reigning champions eventually showed their class in the final quarter of the game, which saw them score three goals in the 10-goal thriller.
This result gave the Indians plenty of confidence ahead of their final pool match on Wednesday against Chinese Taipei. India currently has seven points from three games and a victory in their pool concluder will take them through to the semi-finals.
How India orchestrated the win against South Korea
When the match began in Moqi, China, it seemed as if South Korea would give India a very tough challenge. After captain Anmol Ekka broke the deadlock in the fifth minute through a penalty corner, the Koreans responded within a minute with Dohyeon Choi also netting from a penalty corner. The first 15 minutes ended in 1-1 with all to play for in the next 45 minutes or so.
Lovenoor Singh found the back of the net in the 18th minute from open play but South Korea’s Hyoguk Yoo took only a minute to bring things back on level terms from a penalty corner. It seemed as if the second quarter was going to end at 2-2 but Ajeet Yadav’s strike in the 20th minute helped the Indians gain a one-goal lead before the half-time whistle.
Once the third quarter began, South Korea kept testing the Indian defence. Hyoguk Yoo was on target once again as he completed his brace just six minutes into the quarter, making it 3-3 before Prabhdeep Singh restored India’s lead towards the back end of the third 15-minute period.
It was in the concluding quarter that India showed their true colours in terms of attack as they ripped through the South Korean defence to bag three goals in the last 15 minutes.
Gursewak Singh extended India’s advantage in the 55th minute before Anmol, whose goalscoring tally has reached eight goals, struck again a minute later off a penalty corner to make it 6-3. Aryan Xess then completed the decisive spell in the 58th minute as India’s relentless pressure produced a seventh goal for a 7-3 win.
The defeat saw South Korea remain on six points ahead of their Pool A concluder against a tough opponent in Japan. The Indian team, meanwhile, will look to beat Chinese Taipei in their last game.