India's 21-year-old badminton star Ayush Shetty stunned defending champion and World No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in the BWF World Championships 2026 Round of 64 clash. The youngster, who hails from Karkala in Karnataka, looked in sensational form as he came up with brilliant smashes and terrific defence to pull off a stunning win in front of the home crowd in New Delhi. This was his first-ever win over Shi Yuqi after three successive losses, including a straight-game loss in the final of the Asia Badminton Championships earlier this year. Ayush was off to a flying start with a 21-14 win in the first game and although he dropped the second game, the youngster did not give up. He fought back brilliantly and was able to finish the match in style. Who is Ayush Shetty? Shetty found himself in the headlines earlier this year after he became the first Indian men's singles player to reach the Badminton Asia Championships final in 61 years. While he was defeated by...
A distraught India captain Harmanpreet Kaur admitted that there is room for a lot of improvement before the upcoming T20 World Cup and her team won't easily forget the eight-wicket humbling at the hands of Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final here on Sunday. India scored a decent 165 for 6 but rival skipper Chamari Athapaththu (62) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (69 not out) were severe on the visiting bowlers, finishing the match in 18.4 overs. The women's T20 World Cup will be held in Bangladesh later this October.
“We are looking to improve in some areas. We will definitely work hard and remember this day. They have played such good cricket for so long and they played good cricket throughout this tournament,” Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation ceremony on Sunday.
She admitted that her side's bowling didn't work as per plans with hardly any breakthroughs to show for their efforts.
“We played good cricket throughout the tournament and, no doubt, we made a lot of fumbles today and that cost us.
“It was a decent total, we were looking for breakthroughs in the powerplay but it didn't go according to plan and Sri Lanka batted really well,” the India skipper added.
Her Lankan counterpart Athapaththu was delighted after the island nation's first major success in women's international cricket.
“I am really happy about our team performance, especially the batting performances, especially Harshitha and Dilhari.
“We have played really good cricket in the last 12 months and we want to continue it. Never saw such a crowd, so special thanks go to the Sri Lankan people who came out to watch the game.
“This win is good not only for the team but the whole Sri Lanka because we have to inspire the next generation,” Chamari said.
Athapaththu played the most important knock of her life while anchoring the chase.
“I have to lead from the front, that's my duty for my country. We always talk about positive things in the dressing room, for which the credit goes to the head coach and the support staff. Our next target is the (T20) World Cup,” she concluded.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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