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Faf du Plessis steps down as captain of South Africa’s T20, Test teams

South African cricketer Faf du Plessis stepped down as captain of South Africa’s Test and T20 teams with immediate effect on.

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Faf du Plessis

South African cricketer Faf du Plessis stepped down as captain of South Africa’s Test and T20 teams with immediate effect on.

He cited “the need to facilitate the emergence of next generation of leaders”.

The 35-year-old had stepped down from the ODI captaincy last month as wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock took over the leadership role during the recent series against England.

“In a perfect world I would have loved to lead the team in the Tests for the rest of the season as well as the T20 World Cup. But sometimes the most important attribute of a leader is to be selfless. I am healthy, fit, energised and motivated and certainly see myself playing an important role in the squad for as long as I continue putting in winning performances for the team,” Faf du Plessis said in a statement.

“When I took over the leadership, I did so with the commitment to lead, perform and most importantly, to serve. As the team heads into a new direction with new leaders and a young crop of players, I feel it will be in the best interests of South African cricket to relinquish the captaincy in all formats.”

Du Plessis was rested in the T20 series against England.

Faf announced his decision days ahead of South Africa’s three-match T20 campaign against Australia which is starting on Friday.

“The last few weeks of rest away from the game have given me a lot of perspective on the great privilege and honour I have had in representing and leading my country in the three formats of this wonderful game. It has been a rewarding, sometimes tough and other times a lonely road, but I would not replace the experience for anything, because it has made me the man that I am proud to be today,” du Plessis said.

Du Plessis termed the decision as one of the toughest but said he remains fully committed to help de Kock in the transition phase. “This was one of the toughest decisions to make, but I remain fully committed to supporting Quinton, Mark (Boucher) and my teammates as we continue to rebuild and re-align as a group,” said the right-handed batsman.

Du Plessis took over as South Africa captain in all three formats from AB de Villiers stepped down in August 2017. He led the team to a dismal 2019 ODI World Cup campaign.

Du Plessis is, however, available for selection.

“South African cricket has entered a new era. New leadership, new faces, new challenges and new strategies. I remain committed to play in all three formats of the game for now as a player and will offer my knowledge and time to the new leaders of the team,” he said.

“After the 2019 ICC World Cup, I made the decision to continue in my role as captain while the team went through a rebuilding phase following the retirement of some key senior players and a complete overhaul of the coaching staff that we had worked with until then. It was important to me that I stayed to help the team find its feet and plot a new way forward while assisting in identifying the next generation of leaders within the players’ group during a time of turbulence in SA cricket,” he said.

“The last season of my captaincy has been the most challenging to date as I had a lot of off-field issues that I devoted my energy towards,” he added.

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Asian Games 2026: Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur lead India athletics campaign

Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh advanced to the men’s 100m semifinals after finishing third and second respectively in their heats at the Asian Games.

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India will have two representatives in the men’s 100m semifinals at the 2026 Asian Games after Animesh Kujur and national record holder Gurindervir Singh progressed from their respective heats on Thursday.

Kujur secured third place in Heat 1 with a timing of 10.36 seconds, while Gurindervir finished second in Heat 4 after clocking 10.38 seconds. Both sprinters therefore moved into the next round of the competition.

The heats were held at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium as part of the athletics programme at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Animesh Kujur finishes third in Heat 1

Kujur produced a strong finish in his opening-round heat to register 10.36 seconds and take third place.

His performance was enough to secure his progression to the men’s 100m semifinals, giving India a second representative in the next stage of the event.

Gurindervir Singh advances from Heat 4

Gurindervir Singh also booked his semifinal spot after finishing second in Heat 4 with a time of 10.38 seconds.

The Indian sprinter, who holds the national record in the men’s 100m, thus joined Kujur in the semifinal round.

With both Indians progressing from their respective heats, India will have two athletes competing in the men’s 100m semifinals at the Asian Games.

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Asian Games 2026 Day 4: Mirabai Chanu silver leads India’s medal haul

India ended Day 4 of the Asian Games 2026 with 12 medals. Mirabai Chanu’s silver in women’s 49kg weightlifting was among the day’s major highlights.

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Mirabai Chanu

India continued its medal-winning campaign at the Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday, September 23, with a strong showing across shooting, weightlifting, soft tennis, badminton and wushu.

The highlight of Day 4 was Mirabai Chanu’s silver medal in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event. The medal was Chanu’s first at the Asian Games and ended India’s 28-year wait for a weightlifting medal at the continental event.

India also secured bronze medals in the men’s and women’s team skeet events and another bronze through Jay Meena in men’s singles soft tennis. The Indian men’s badminton team also secured a bronze medal after reaching the semi-finals.

By the end of Day 4, India’s tally stood at 12 medals — one gold, five silver and six bronze. India was placed 13th in the overall medal standings.

Mirabai Chanu wins historic Asian Games silver

Mirabai Chanu produced one of India’s biggest moments of the day by winning silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting competition.

The medal was Chanu’s first-ever at the Asian Games. Her performance also brought India its first weightlifting medal at the Games since Karnam Malleswari won silver at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games.

North Korea’s Ri Song Gum won the gold after successfully lifting 121kg in the clean and jerk, setting a new Asian Games record in the process.

Chanu’s silver added another medal to India’s growing tally on Day 4.

India wins two bronze medals in skeet shooting

India added two bronze medals in shooting through the men’s and women’s team skeet events.

In the men’s competition, Anantjeet Singh Naruka also reached the individual final, although India missed out on a medal in that individual event.

The women’s shooting team also narrowly missed a medal in the 10m air pistol team event. India finished level with Vietnam on the overall score, but Vietnam took the bronze on the inner-10 countback.

Manu Bhaker qualified for the women’s 10m air pistol final, while India missed out on a team medal in the event.

Jay Meena creates history in soft tennis

Jay Meena won a bronze medal in men’s singles soft tennis, giving India its first-ever Asian Games medal in the sport.

Meena reached the semi-finals but was dealing with an injury during the knockout stage. His bronze added to India’s medal tally on Day 4.

Indian men’s badminton team secures bronze

India’s men’s badminton team ended its Asian Games campaign with a bronze medal after reaching the semi-finals.

The team faced China in the semi-final. India’s campaign therefore ended with a podium finish despite the loss at the final stage.

Roshibina Devi assures India another medal

India was also guaranteed another medal in wushu after Naorem Roshibina Devi advanced to the women’s 60kg final.

Roshibina defeated Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas 10-0 in the semi-final to book her place in the final. Her progress guaranteed India at least a silver medal in the event.

India women’s hockey team records big win

The Indian women’s hockey team also registered a commanding victory on Day 4, defeating Thailand 20-1.

The result was among India’s notable performances across team sports during the day’s competition.

Asian Games 2026 India medal tally after Day 4

India finished Day 4 with 12 medals:

MedalCount
Gold1
Silver5
Bronze6
Total12

India’s only gold so far has come from the women’s cricket team. Shooting has contributed seven medals, while weightlifting and soft tennis have also added to the country’s tally.

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Asian Games 2026: India win first gold as women’s cricket team beats Sri Lanka

India won its first gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 after the women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka in the T20I final, taking the country’s medal tally to seven.

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India opened its gold medal account at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya after the women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka in the T20I final on Tuesday.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side produced a dominant performance to win the final and claim India’s first gold medal of the Games. India set Sri Lanka a target of 217 runs before bowling them out for 69.

The victory took India’s medal tally to seven, adding a gold to the six medals secured during the opening days of the competition.

India assure another medal in badminton

India also secured another medal opportunity in men’s team badminton after defeating hosts Japan 3-0 in the quarter-final.

Ayush Shetty completed the victory by beating Japan’s Koki Watanabe 21-10, 21-19, sending India into the semifinals and assuring the country of at least a medal in the event.

Earlier, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi to give India a 2-0 lead in the tie.

Roshibina Devi assures India another medal

India also secured a medal in wushu after Roshibina Devi reached the women’s 60kg semi-finals.

Roshibina defeated Macao’s Man Sin Chu by point difference to book her place in the last four.

However, India’s Aryan was knocked out in the men’s 56kg quarter-final after losing to Uzbekistan’s Saydullo Abdurashitov.

India miss shooting medal

India’s Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished fourth in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team final after earlier qualifying second for the gold medal match.

The pair therefore missed out on a podium finish in the event.

More results from Day 3

Indian boxer Jadumani Singh advanced to the men’s 55kg Round of 16 after defeating Nepal’s Chandra Bahadur Thapa 5-0.

In artistic gymnastics, Pranati Nayak qualified for the women’s vault final with a score of 12.916.

India’s women’s badminton team, meanwhile, exited the competition after losing 1-3 to hosts Japan in the quarter-finals.

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