Bangladesh opt to bat against India in Champions Trophy
Bangladesh are part of Group A alongside India, Pakistan, and New Zealand. The team has gone with three seamers, including young pacer Nahid Rana, along with two spinners.
Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja replace Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy. (Photo: BCCI)
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and elected to bat against India in their opening match of the Champions Trophy on Thursday in Dubai.
India’s matches in the 50-over tournament are being played in the United Arab Emirates, as the team opted not to travel to host nation Pakistan due to political tensions.
Bangladesh are part of Group A alongside India, Pakistan, and New Zealand. The team has gone with three seamers, including young pacer Nahid Rana, along with two spinners.
India, led by Rohit Sharma, have made two changes from their recent 3-0 ODI series win against England. Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja replace Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy.
The tournament began on Wednesday, with New Zealand defeating Pakistan by 60 runs in Karachi.
Teams:
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.
SACHIN TENDULKAR said "life has truly come full circle" after a portrait of him was unveiled at Lord's on Thursday.
Tendulkar, widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen, scored 34,357 runs across Tests, one-day internationals and one T20 match for India during his international career from 1989 to 2013.
(Photo credit: PTI)
His total is over 6,000 runs more than the next highest of 28,016 scored by Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara.
In a post on X, Tendulkar recalled his first visit to Lord’s in 1988. "I remember standing near the pavilion, soaking in the history and dreaming quietly," he wrote.
"Today, to have my portrait unveiled at this very place is a feeling that's hard to put into words. Life has truly come full circle. I’m grateful, and filled with wonderful memories."
I first visited Lord’s as a teenager in 1988, and returned in 1989 with the Star Cricket Club team.
I remember standing near the pavilion, soaking in the history and dreaming quietly.
Today, to have my portrait unveiled at this very place is a feeling that’s hard to put into… pic.twitter.com/ZC987eH8oZ — Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 10, 2025
The portrait was created by Stuart Pearson Wright, based on a photograph taken by the artist at Tendulkar’s home in Mumbai 18 years ago. It was unveiled before the first day of the third Test between England and India.
It is the fifth portrait of an Indian player to be added to the collections of Marylebone Cricket Club, which owns Lord's.
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Root, in his 156th Test, again played a crucial role after England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat on a sunny day at Lord's. (Photo: Getty Images)
JOE ROOT finished unbeaten on 99 as England reached 251-4 at stumps on the opening day of the third Test against India at Lord's on Thursday.
England were struggling at 44-2 after Indian pacer Nitish Kumar Reddy struck twice in his opening over, removing openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. Root came in and steadied the innings, building partnerships and keeping the scoreboard moving at just over three an over, slower than England’s usual 'Bazball' tempo.
Root, in his 156th Test, again played a crucial role after England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat on a sunny day at Lord's. Stokes was 39 not out at the close, having added an unbroken 79-run partnership with Root for the fifth wicket.
Stokes appeared to tweak his groin towards the end of the day, raising concerns for England, especially as fast bowler Jofra Archer was recalled to the side after a long injury break.
Earlier, Root had shared a 109-run stand with Ollie Pope. The partnership, built over 35 overs, helped England recover after the early wickets. Pope scored 44 after surviving a close chance on his first ball.
"It's not always been the way we've gone about our cricket, but I think long term in the game hopefully that will reward us if we can kick on tomorrow," Pope told Sky Sports.
Before the match, much of the focus was on the return of Jasprit Bumrah, the top-ranked Test bowler, after he was rested in India’s 336-run win at Edgbaston that levelled the five-match series at 1-1.
However, it was Reddy who made the biggest early impact. Bowling from the Nursery End, the 22-year-old took two wickets in four balls on his debut at Lord’s, ending the day with 2-46 in 14 overs.
His third delivery dismissed Duckett (23), caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant off a gloved pull. With the last ball of the same over, Reddy bowled a full-length delivery that swung late and took Crawley’s outside edge, with Pant taking the catch. Crawley made 18.
"I feel great bowling from that (Nursery) end," Reddy said after stumps. "I don't know much about the slope, but from that end when I bowled it's been moving a lot, and after pitching also it's going good."
Root masterclass
Root reached his half-century with a glance through fine leg off Reddy, his seventh four, coming off 102 balls. He remained steady throughout the day.
Pope was dismissed to the first ball after tea, edging Ravindra Jadeja to substitute wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, who was fielding after Pant suffered a finger injury.
Harry Brook followed soon after, bowled by Bumrah between bat and pad for 11. Bumrah ended with 1-35 from 18 overs.
At 172-4, Stokes came in to join Root. Stokes, who last scored a Test hundred during the Ashes two years ago at Lord's, was on 27 when Reddy’s lbw appeal was turned down on umpire’s call.
Root went past 80 with an on-driven boundary off Reddy, and play was briefly halted due to a ladybird interruption at the ground.
In the final moments, Stokes defended Akash Deep’s last two deliveries of the day, unable to rotate the strike, leaving Root one run short of his 37th Test century and eighth at Lord’s.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Bumrah replaced Prasidh Krishna in the line-up. (Photo: Getty Images)
ENGLAND captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat in the third Test against India at Lord’s on Thursday.
The decision brought India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah straight back into action after missing the second Test. Bumrah, currently the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, had been rested for the match at Edgbaston, where India defeated England by 336 runs to level the five-match series at 1-1.
Bumrah replaced Prasidh Krishna in the line-up. Akash Deep, who had taken 10 wickets in Birmingham in Bumrah’s absence, retained his place. That win was India’s biggest Test victory away from home in terms of runs.
Stokes had opted to field in both previous matches of the series. England had won the first Test at Headingley by five wickets.
England had already announced their playing eleven for the Lord’s Test, with one change — Jofra Archer returned to the side after more than four years out of Test cricket due to injuries. He replaced Josh Tongue.
India captain Shubman Gill, who has scored 585 runs in the series so far at an average of 146.25 — including innings of 269 and 161 at Edgbaston — said he would also have bowled first.
"I was a bit confused this morning but I would've bowled first," Gill said at the toss. "If there is anything in the wicket, it's in the first day."
The 25-year-old added: "The bowlers are feeling pretty confident. I'm feeling great, as a batsman you feel like you'll always be in the middle."
Stokes said: "The mood's good. It's been a very well fought two Test matches, set up the series nice but we're pushing to leave Lord's leading 2-1. Bodies are all good, a quick turnaround, everyone's fresh."
Teams:
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wkt), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir
Umpires: Paul Reiffel (AUS), Sharfuddoula (BAN) TV Umpire: Ahsan Raza (PAK) Match Referee: Richie Richardson (WIS)
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli (C), along with his teammates, celebrates with the trophy after winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 final cricket match against Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 4, 2025. (Photo by ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)
THE Indian Premier League's business value has been estimated at $18.5 billion (£13.5bn) with reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru its wealthiest franchise, according to a report by an investment bank.
The world's richest cricket tournament has been a top revenue earner for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and in 2020 was estimated to generate more than $11bn (£8bn) a year for the Indian economy.
According to US investment bank Houlihan Lokey, which has valued several sports franchises around the world, the brand value of the 10-team T20 franchise tournament has seen a sharp rise of 13.8 per cent to $3.9bn (£2.8bn) over the past year.
Bengaluru, who along with star player Virat Kohli won their first IPL title this year, have overtaken five-time winners Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to achieve a brand value of $269 million (£196m). Mumbai is second with $242m (£176m), followed by Chennai at $235m (£171m).
The Houlihan Lokey report called the IPL "a global phenomenon" that has become more than just a cricket league.
"The IPL continues to set benchmarks in sports business. Franchise valuations have soared, media rights deals have reached record highs, and brand partnerships have diversified across sectors," Harsh Talikoti from Houlihan Lokey, said in a statement.
"The league's ability to attract global investors and sponsors reflects its status as a premier sports property with enduring appeal."
Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings for the title at the world's biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad in June to conclude the 18th edition of the league.
The report said the 2025 final had more than 678 million views on the official streaming platform JioHotstar, surpassing the India-Pakistan clash during the Champions Trophy in February this year.
The IPL, which is broadcast around the world and features top international stars such as Australia's Pat Cummins and England's Jos Buttler, mixes sport and showbusiness in a glitzy format, with a number of teams fronted by Bollywood movie superstars.
Since it launched in 2008 it has inspired a range of other franchise-based leagues in India in sports as diverse as boxing, badminton, poker and kabaddi, and spawned copycat cricket tournaments elsewhere.
(AFP)
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Bumrah returns to bolster India's attack, Gill eyes more records, while Archer boosts England's hopes at Lord's. (Photo: Getty Images)
India levelled the series 1-1 with a 336-run win at Edgbaston
Shubman Gill has scored 585 runs in two Tests as captain
Jofra Archer set for first Test appearance since 2021; Bumrah returns for India
INDIA will look to continue their strong form when they face England in the third Test at Lord's starting Thursday. After losing the first Test at Headingley, India bounced back to level the five-match series 1-1 with a 336-run win at Edgbaston.
India are chasing just their fourth Test series win in England, and come into the Lord's Test with several key players in form.
Gill's record chase continues
Shubman Gill has made a strong start to his captaincy, scoring 585 runs in his first two Tests as skipper after taking over from Rohit Sharma. At Edgbaston, he made 269 and 161, becoming the first batter in Test history to score 250 and 150 in the same match.
Gill also made 147 in the series opener, and his form has sparked comparisons with Donald Bradman’s 974-run record in a single Test series. The record has stood for 95 years.
"You've got to give your opposition credit when it's due and for him to bang out as many runs as he has done in this game has been pretty special," England captain Ben Stokes said.
There is precedent for a drop in form later in the series. In 2003, South Africa’s Graeme Smith started with two double hundreds at Edgbaston and Lord's but scored just 93 more runs in the final three matches.
Archer return boosts England hopes
Jofra Archer is expected to return for England, marking his first Test since 2021. Archer made his Test debut at Lord's in 2019, where he famously hit Steve Smith with a bouncer. His return comes after a long injury lay-off.
"He's obviously been through his injuries and his time out of Test cricket, but we all know what he's capable of achieving and we hope that when the opportunity does arrive for him, he's able to recapture and improve on what he's been able to do already," England coach Brendon McCullum said.
England's attack has struggled in this series. Chris Woakes has taken just three wickets at an average of nearly 97, despite sharing the new ball. Geoffrey Boycott recently said the 36-year-old was "past his sell-by date".
However, Woakes has a strong record at Lord's with 32 wickets in seven Tests at an average of 12.90. He also averages 42.50 with the bat at the ground.
Bumrah back for India
Jasprit Bumrah is expected to return after being rested at Edgbaston. Akash Deep, who took 10 wickets in Birmingham, is likely to retain his place. But Bumrah’s return strengthens the Indian attack.
"He (Bumrah) jogs in, you will be thinking 'this will be 70 miles an hour' and it hits you at 90," former England pacer Stuart Broad said on his For the Love of Cricket podcast.
Bumrah is yet to earn a place on the Lord's dressing room honours board. The 31-year-old will aim to change that in the third Test.