India take on Sri Lanka in the second match of the three-match T20I series on Wednesday. The match, which was originally scheduled to be played on Tuesday, was postponed by a day after Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya tested positive for COVID-19. Eight members of the Indian contingent were identified as close contacts of Krunal and they underwent RT-PCR tests, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said Tuesday. India lead the series 1-0 after they won the first T20I by 38 runs, where vice-captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar and middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav were the top performers from the Indian side. Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up 4 for 22 in 3.3 overs. For Sri Lanka, debutant Charith Asalanka was the top scorer with 44 runs in just 26 balls. It is the final chance for Sri Lanka to stay alive in the series as a win for India in this game will mean that the visitors go 2-0 up and clinch the T20I series as well after winning the ODI series earlier on this tour. ( LIVE SCORECARD . . .

New Delhi: Team India suffered another massive blow ahead of the second T20I as it has been reported that stand-in skipper Shikhar Dhawan joined the list of player who was in close contact with COVID-19 positive Krunal Pandya. On Tuesday, the BCCI has announced that Krunal was tested positive for the novel virus and was ruled out of the series. It further said that the medical team identified eight members as close contacts with Krunal. The second T20I which was scheduled to play on Tuesday will now be held on Wednesday. According to a report on Sports Tak, the list of players include Dhawan’s name as it is expected that Bhuvneshwar Kumar might lead the team in his absence. The report also named the other players in the close contacts – Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Suryakumar Yadav, Prithvi Shaw, Manish Pandey, Ishan Kishan and Krishnappa Gowtham. Meanwhile, BCCI has already said that the eight players have tested negative for COVID-19 but they won’t take part in the . . .

New Delhi: The second T20I between Sri Lanka and India will take place at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on 28th July at 8:00 PM IST. The match was initially scheduled to take place on Tuesday but was rescheduled to Thursday after Krunal Pandya was tested positive for Covid-19. Thus, it was thought that the series could be on the verge of cancellation. Furthermore, it was reported that all the eight close contacts of Krunal Pandya were tested negative as per the PTI. However, they might not be available for selection in the second T20I and will need to go under isolation. BCCI have added Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore and Simarjeet Singh to the Indian squad. “Krunal is symptomatic with cough and throat pain. He is obviously out of the series and will not be able able to return with rest of the squad,” a BCCI source tracking the developments in Colombo told PTI on conditions of anonymity. “However the good news is that all his eight close . . .

Paul Pogba's future is understood to be a key factor in determining how many more signings Manchester United are able to make this summer - although they are keen to bring in another midfielder. United have been active in the market ahead of the new Premier League season, with the £73m capture of Jadon Sancho set to be followed by a £41m deal for Raphael Varane . But their heavy spending may not continue, with the club believed to consider the bulk of their business to have already been completed. Man Utd fixtures 2021/22: Leeds on opening day Man Utd confirm deal with Real Madrid for Raphael Varane Is Raphael Varane the missing piece in Man Utd's jigsaw? However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still keen to add another midfielder to his squad, with a number of players under consideration. The Europa League finalists have scouted Rennes' Eduardo Camavinga and Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka. Trending More Man Utd deals depend on . . .

It was the sort of day when almost everything unfolded as it was expected to for India in the Olympics. So, badminton ace P V Sindhu and seasoned archer Deepika Kumari marched into the last-16 of their respective events, debutant boxer Pooja Rani (75kg) won her easy opening bout without a fuss to enter the last-eight stage and the women's hockey team stared at early elimination after failing to upstage defending champions Great Britain. It was, in a nutshell, another mixed day for the country which is waiting for its second medal after the spectacular silver by weightlifter Mirabai Chanu on the opening day of competitions. Things started on a disappointing note with Rani Rampal's women's hockey team taking a 1-4 hammering from Britain, thoroughly punished for not grabbing its chances in the crucial match, which has now severely dented the side's quarterfinal prospects. There was some cheer in archery before things went haywire to an extent. Three-time Olympian Tarundeep Rai . . .

The Green Bay Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers are close to an agreement to bring the NFL MVP back to Green Bay for “at least” the 2021 season, according to a report Monday from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter . The report states that this new agreement would help set up Rodgers’ departure from the Packers after the year is over. Schefter reports that Rodgers’ 2023 season in his contract would be voided, with no tags allowed in the future. “Those concessions will have nothing to do with added money, which is yet further proof that Aaron Rodgers was not seeking the type of new contract that the Packers offered when they offered to make him the highest-paid player in all of sports, other than Lionel Messi, and he turned down that deal,” Schefter said on NFL Live after he broke the news. “This is about the way things are run, this is about structure, this is about creating a path for Aaron Rodgers to leave Green Bay, potentially, after this season. The Packers have voided . . .

World number one archer Deepika Kumari survived some anxious moments before getting past US teenager Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez 6-4 to sail into the pre-quarterfinals of the women's individual section and keep Indian medal hopes alive at the Tokyo Olympics here on Wednesday. On a day her teammates Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav made second round exits, Deepika seemed to feel the pressure initially as she started off hitting the red-zone, capping a poor seven at the floodlit Yumenoshima Park. Deepika lost the first set by one point but she bounced back strongly with three 10s in a row to take a 4-2 lead. She, however, failed to wrap up the match in the fourth set as she misfired a six in her second arrow. The 18-year-old American made it 4-4, winning the set by one-point (25-24). In the winner-takes-all fifth set, Deepika had two 9s to start with before finishing with a poor 8. Needing a 10 in her last arrow to force a shoot-off, Jennifer signed off with a nine in what . . .

Ravindra Jadeja doesn't just swing his bat like a sword after hitting the best of bowlers out of the park. While he might have made that art famous, there's more to the India all-rounder off the field. His hair and sharp beard are often discussed, but it's his love for pets -- especially horses -- that sets him apart from his colleagues. Whether it's Twitter or Instagram, the star all-rounder has shared pictures and thoughts about his love for horses regularly with his fans. On Tuesday, Jadej a posted a photograph on his Instagram Stories. The picture features the left-handed batsman with a horse. "Forever love," he wrote, using the heart emoji and added a horse emoji as well. In the snap, Jadeja is seen holding the hair of the horse as the pet stands still. The brown and white horse stands in a lush green field while Jadeja interacts with it from the other side of what appears to be a cement fence. Ravindra Jadeja posted a story on Instagram with his horse. Photo . . .

Spain's Paula Badosa left the court in a wheelchair after retiring from her quarter-final match against Marketa Vondrousova with heatstroke in Tokyo on Wednesday. Badosa lost the first set 6-3 but was unable to carry on playing after a long medical timeout. Vondrousova embraced her opponent as she sat slumped in her chair. "It was shame to finish this way. The conditions have been demanding since the first day, we tried to adapt as best as possible but the body did not hold out as needed," said Badosa. "I suffered heatstroke as you all saw and I didn't feel fit to continue taking part in the match." Badosa later withdrew from her mixed doubles match with Pablo Carreno Busta. The Spaniards were replaced in the draw by France's Fiona Ferro and Pierre-Hugues Herbert. After a rain-hit day at Ariake Tennis Park, temperatures climbed Wednesday to 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit), with the heat index topping out at 37C. Daniil Medvedev again criticised the 11am . . .

A resurgent Indian men's hockey team would look to seal a quarterfinal berth but defending champions Argentina won't be an easy challenge to overcome when the two sides clash in their penultimate pool match of the Olympics on Thursday. With two wins out of three games, world no.4 India are sitting pretty at the second spot in Pool A, which is being headed by the unbeaten Australians which boast of a perfect record till now from three games. Argentina, currently ranked seventh in the world, are placed at the fourth spot with one win, a draw and a loss respectively. After a hard-fought 3-2 win over New Zealand, the Indians, who are in pursuit of their first Olympic medal in more than four decades, were drubbed 1-7 by Australia before the eight-time champions bounced back to outplay Spain 3-0 . India's last of the eight Olympic golds came way back in the 1980 Moscow Games. The Los Leones, on the other hand, drew their first game 1-1 with Spain, won 2-1 against hosts Japan . . .