Sports

Gill is likely to be available for the first Test in Galle, while Padikkal’s strong showing will keep pressure on India’s No. 3 selection.

The warm-up performance suggests India may enter the Test with a settled top order and fewer fitness doubts around Gill. It also keeps the No. 3 conversation alive if Padikkal continues to press his case.

The BCCI will face renewed pressure to fill the Bengaluru sports science head role soon, especially if more selection or injury decisions are linked to the CoE gap.

This is a structural sports governance problem, not a staffing footnote. If the CoE cannot fill a key performance role, every injury call and rehab decision becomes easier to question.

The BCCI will be pressed to clarify Rohit Sharma’s 2027 ODI World Cup role rather than letting the debate drift through the next series cycle.

This is not just a cricket opinion piece; it is a public nudge at the BCCI and team management over succession planning. If the selectors stay vague, the Rohit debate will keep dominating India’s ODI conversation.

The BCCI will face mounting pressure to appoint a Sports Science and Medicine head at the Centre of Excellence after the latest round of player fitness absences.

This is a governance story disguised as a cricket story. The longer the sports science vacancy remains unfilled, the more the BCCI will be blamed for preventable fitness breakdowns.

If Jasprit Bumrah remains unavailable, Gurnoor Brar is the most likely pace debutant for the August 15 Test against Sri Lanka, and his Galle practice-game performance will be used as the selection argument.

This is a genuine selection and succession story for India’s pace attack. The August 15 Test date gives it a concrete near-term trigger.

FIFA will be forced to defend Infantino through its internal rules process, while UEFA pressure and the failed commercial-rights plan keep the leadership fight alive into the next round of meetings.

This is a governance crisis at the top of world football, with money, legitimacy and tournament politics all colliding. The fallout could shape commercial strategy around future World Cups.