Ajinkya Rahane’s cricket legacy is beyond numbers!

John Wooden, the legendary American collegiate basketball coach, is credited with famously saying, “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”

One can’t dispute either the import or the gravity of those words, but how can it not be a test of character when 90,000 people are dissecting your every move in the closed cauldron of a fierce setting such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground? catcross.biz

Ajinkya Rahane faced a sterling examination of his inner steel in December of 2020. The stage was set perfectly — not even the most creative script writer could have conjured the dramatic developments leading up to the second of four Tests for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India had surrendered the day-night opener in Adelaide inside three days by eight wickets. And not just surrendered. They were shot out for 36 in the second innings, their lowest Test tally. Virat Kohli was to leave on paternity leave after Adelaide, and accompanying him on the flight back home was seasoned paceman Mohammed Shami, out of the series with a broken forearm.

On Rahane, the designated vice-captain, fell the onerous task of rallying his troops. Rahane doesn’t read the riot act; instead, he takes it upon himself to quell any riot, and thus came one of the most fluent of his 12 Test centuries, in the Boxing Day showdown. It was a magnificent compilation, numerically worth 112, whose value ratcheted up because of the circumstances under which it came and for the outcome it catalysed. Rahane himself applied the finishing touches, bringing up a series-levelling eight-wicket win with an unglamourous single — how boringly archetypal Rahane, you say? — and eventually masterminding an otherworldly 2-1 triumph in a series India had no business winning, considering they played the decider in Brisbane with less than half the first-choice XI that started in Adelaide.

That tour of Australia in 2020-21 was the defining moment of Rahane’s chequered Test career, marked by sporadic extraordinary efforts which were sometimes eclipsed by a pronounced and inexplicable struggle for fluency in the familiar environs of home. For all his mastery of the MCG and Lord’s, and Wellington and Kingston, only four of his 12 centuries came at home, which explains a modest average of 38.46 from 85 matches. Rahane will be the first to admit that he left a couple of thousand runs behind (5,077 isn’t miniscule, let’s not forget), and that he has no one to blame but himself for that staggering anomaly.

Rahane’s tactical nous and unquestioned man-management skills were tested in only six Tests (won four, drew two), which is a shame because clearly, he had so much to offer as leader and strategist. But he had to operate in the giant shadow of Virat Kohli, the all-round package, and Cheteshwar Pujara, the immovable object, so we should cut him some slack and view him with more kindness than his statistics would dictate.

Zero
No. of defeats for Rahane as Test captain; under his leadership India won four games and drew two

8414
Total number of runs scored by Ajinkya Rahane in 195 international matches (5077 in 85 Tests, 2962 in 90 ODIs, and 375 in 20 T20Is)

Eight
No. of overseas Test centuries scored by Rahane besides four at home

New Delhi [India], July 31 (ANI): Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed Indian athletes Seema Kaliramna and Lovepreet Singh for securing medals at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2026.

Seema added to India’s medal tally with a bronze in the women’s discus throw, and Lovepreet clinched silver in the men’s 110+ kg weightlifting event with a total lift of 388kg.

In a post on X, Rajnath said that Seema’s win is a “testament to her courage, determination and resilience".

“Congratulations to Seema Kaliramna upon clinching the Bronze Medal in Women’s Discus Throw, with a best effort of 58.65m, at the Commonwealth Games 2026. Her fantastic win is a testament to her courage, determination and resilience. Wishing her all the best for her future endeavours," Rajnath said.

Congratulations to Seema Kaliramna upon clinching the Bronze Medal in Women’s Discus Throw, with a best effort of 58.65m, at the Commonwealth Games 2026. Her fantastic win is a testament to her courage, determination and resilience.

Wishing her all the best for her future… pic.twitter.com/JgTsy4yLmM

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 31, 2026

He also hailed weightlifter Lovepreet for his “hard work, remarkable strength and unwavering determination.

“Yet another medal for India in Weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games! Proud of Lovepreet Singh on winning the Silver Medal in the Men’s +110kg Weightlifting event. His outstanding performance is due to his hard work, remarkable strength and unwavering determination. Wishing him the very best for the endeavours ahead," posted Rajnath on X.

Yet another medal for India in Weightlifting at Commonwealth Games! Proud of Lovepreet Singh on winning the Silver Medal in the Men’s +110kg Weightlifting event. His outstanding performance is due to his hard work, remarkable strength and unwavering determination. Wishing him the… pic.twitter.com/7Q9wqzVXfd

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 31, 2026

Kaliramna delivered a memorable performance in the women’s discus throw final at the Commonwealth Games 2026, securing the bronze medal.

Jamaica’s Samantha Hall won gold with a best throw of 61.66m, while Canada’s Julia Tunks claimed silver with 60.67m, and Seema finished third with a best throw of 58.65m.

Lovepreet tightened his hold on the gold medal after successfully lifting 212kg in his second clean and jerk attempt, taking his overall total to a Commonwealth Games record 388kg.

However, New Zealand’s David Liti produced a stunning finish to steal the spotlight. Having cleared 207kg in his opening clean and jerk attempt, the New Zealander took a bold gamble by raising the bar by 16kg to 223kg. He executed the lift with composure, pushing his total to 389kg and edging past Lovepreet by a solitary kilogram to claim gold in a dramatic finale.

The silver medal marks an improvement on the bronze he won at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Currently at the ongoing CWG 2026, India has secured 17 medals, including three gold, 10 silver and four bronze medals. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Neeraj did enough to secure his place in the 12-man final with a best throw of 79.61m at Scotstoun Stadium. In the gold medal match, he will compete against defending Commonwealth champion Arshad Nadeem, Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, world champion Keshorn Walcott and former world champion Anderson Peters. India's Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh also qualified, giving India three medal hopes in the final.

Buenos Aires [Argentina], July 31 (ANI): Argentina President Javier Milei’s government has issued a new decree, barring foreigners from inciting hatred against Argentina and its citizens and allowing their deportation from the country.

The French network Radio Monte Carlo (RMC) reported the decree, which still needs a review from the Parliament, and it targets foreigners who spread “messages of hatred, whether spoken or written, or incite violence against the Argentine people as a whole, or against any Argentine citizen because of their nationality".

This comes amid immense criticism of Argentina’s football team in their runners-up finish in the recently concluded FIFA World Cup, with the on-field behaviour of players Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina in the final against Spain, which involved physical altercations with the opponents, being under the scanner. FIFA has launched disciplinary proceedings against both players and assistant coach Roberto Ayala for their behaviour in the title clash.

Argentina team is also under fire for displaying inappropriate political messaging, including reference to the Falkland Islands, which are claimed by the country as Islas Malvinas but are controlled by the UK. Following their win over England in the semifinal, players held a giant banner reading, “Las Malvinas son Argentinas", translating to “The Malvinas Islands are Argentinian".

AFA is also under the scanner and has been hit with investigations for allegations of racial abuse.

To justify their decision, the Argentine government cited what they described as “recent displays of hostility against the Republic of Argentina and Argentines". Milei did not spell out these displays directly. In recent days, he did speak about an ‘anti-Argentine campaign’ after the FIFA World Cup.

During the diplomatic tensions with Brazil, he also accused the Brazilian and Mexican governments and the US Democratic Party of funding a campaign against Argentina, without providing any evidence.

“Whoever attacks the Republic of Argentina is not welcome in our country," Milei affirmed as quoted by Goal.com.

The decree emphasises that its measures do not cover ideological disagreements or political, academic or civil criticism, since the constitution guarantees these as rights to the people.

The future of the decree remains undecided. It was issued as a “decree of necessity and urgency" and will face Parliamentary committee review before it reaches the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and will not fall unless both chambers reject it together. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

BRP Vs WEF Match Prediction: The Hundred Men’s 2026 will be the sixth season of this unique tournament. Nowhere else in the world do we see a top-level cricket competition that deviates from the game’s standard formats. But here, rather than each team playing 10 or 20 overs, both innings last for just 100 deliveries.

The Birmingham Phoenix, across the men’s and the women’s The Hundred, have never lifted a title. In the Men’s competition, they have finished in the top three on two occasions, including a trip to the final in the inaugural 2021 season. In 2025, they finished fifth on the points table

The Phoenix had a strong performance in their first game, scoring over 200 runs and defeating the Trent Rockets. Then, in their second game, they were thrashed by the Manchester Super Giants. Their third game saw them lose a low-scoring affair to the Southern Braves.

On the other hand, the Welsh Fire is arguably the worst-performing team in the history of The Hundred Men’s tournament. They are the only team in this competition to have never finished in the top three. In 2025, they finished eighth in the league.

The Fire started the season off well, defeating the Southern Brave in their opening game. They followed it up with another win, this time against MI London. Then came their first defeat of the season, against the Trent Rockets.

BRP Vs WEF Match Prediction Date and Time:

• Date: Saturday, August 01, 2026
• Time: 07:00 PM (IST); 02:30 PM (local time)
• Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham

BRP Vs WEF Live Streaming: How To Watch

The Birmingham Phoenix Vs Welsh Fire Match 15 of the 2026 The Hundred Men’s 2026 will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network on TV in India. It will be live-streamed on the JioHotstar app and website on mobiles, laptops, and other streaming devices.

BRP Vs WEF Team; Full Squads:

Birmingham Phoenix Full Squads:

Donoivan Ferreira (C)(wk), Joe Clarke (wk), Will Smeed, Sean Dickson, Laurie Evans, Matthew Montgomery, Mitchell Owen, Jordan Thompson, Scott Currie, Rehan Ahmed, Usman Tariq, Chris Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Helm

Welsh Fire Full Squads:

Phil Salt (C), Joe Root, Matthew Short, Asa Tribe, Jordan Cox (wk), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Ben Kellaway, Marco Jansen, Jordan Clark, Chris Woakes, Jafer Chohan, Lockie Ferguson, Sam Cook, Thomas Aspinwall, Dillion Pennington

Birmingham Phoenix Vs Welsh Fire Prediction T20Is: Head-to-Head

• Matches Played: 05
• Birmingham Phoenix Won: 03
• Welsh Fire Won: 02
• No Result: 00
• First Played: August 09, 2021 (BRP)
• Last Played: August 22, 2025 (WEF)

BRP Vs WEF Toss Update

*To be updated after the toss*

BRP Vs WEF Team; Predicted XIs:

Birmingham Phoenix Predicted XI:

Will Smeed, Joe Clarke (wk), Laurie Evans, Rehan Ahmed, Donovan Ferreira (C), Mitchell Owen, Sean Dickson, Ben Dwarshuis, Scott Currie, Saqib Mahmood, Usman Tariq

Welsh Fire Predicted XI:

Phil Salt (C)(wk), Matthew Short, Joe Root, Rachin Ravindra, Jordan Cox, Ben Kellaway, Asa Tribe, Marco Jansen, Chris Woakes, Lockie Ferguson, Sam Cook

BRP Vs WEF Match 15 The Hundred Men’s 2026 Edgbaston Pitch Report

The pitches at Edgbaston on most days are bowling-friendly in a way that most pitches in the UK are. The pace bowlers get a lot of support in the first inning, making batting difficult for the opening batters. However, the surface here remains grassy and conducive to fast bowling throughout a T20 match. However, there are a couple of pitches here that are more batting-friendly, but this stadium is considered a haven for pacers on most days. As for the boundary dimensions, they certainly do help the batters. The square boundaries are quite small here, about 62-65m in length. The straight boundaries are a little longer, only about 68-70m.

BRP Vs WEF Match 15 Weather Forecast

It will be a fine summer afternoon in Birmingham on the day of the match. The skies will be partly cloudy, but the chances of rain are next to zero. The temperatures will peak around the 24 degrees Celsius mark. The winds will be strong, while the humidity will be low.

BRP Vs WEF Match 15 The Hundred Men’s 2026 Match Welsh Fire Prediction: 3 Players To Watch Out For

The 3 players to watch out for in the BRP Vs WEF 2026 The Hundred Men’s 2026 Match 15 are:

• Welsh Fire all-rounder Rachin Ravindra
• Birmingham Phoenix wicketkeeper/batter Joe Clarke
• Welsh Fire all-rounder Marco Jansen

Birmingham Phoenix Vs Welsh Fire Prediction: Who Will Win Today’s Match 15?

For the BRP Vs WEF 2026 The Hundred Men’s 2026 Match 15 Prediction, Welsh Fire will defeat Birmingham Phoenix in Match 15 of The Hundred Men’s 2026.

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