Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar spent time motivating the Mumbai Ranji team on Wednesday as the 42-time champions gear up for their quarter-final match against Karnataka.

Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin said that he would "love to see Phil Salt and Jos Buttler open" for England in the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated the country's decision to boycott its T20 World Cup match against India.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reiterated that they won't play the T20 World Cup group stage match against India. The saga between the two neighbouring continues ahead of the World Cup and Pakistan earlier announced its decision to 'boycott' the

ICC T20 WC 2026: India vs South Africa warm-up, Highlights & Result (Source: Jio Star) Who won India vs South Africa's warm-up clash today? — Match result & turning points India registered a commanding 30-run win after posting a daunting total of 240, a target that ultimately proved beyond South Africa’s reach despite a few spirited batting efforts. Aiden Markram laid a steady platform before retiring out to allow others an opportunity in the middle, while Ryan Rickelton and Jason Smith counter-attacked briefly but were kept in check by a disciplined Indian bowling unit. The game swung decisively in India’s favour during the middle overs, where the spinners tightened the screws with sharp variations and intelligent use of flight, steadily driving up the required run rate. Tristan Stubbs battled till the final delivery, but sustained pressure from India’s bowlers and the ever-rising asking rate ensured South Africa were never able to seriously threaten the target, as India sealed a clinical and deserved victory. Before that, it was all about Indian batting's aggressive batting, as they piled up 240 runs in their 20 overs. All the batters, including Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, and Ishan Kishan found rhythm ahead of the T20 World Cup. Top batting performances of the match — Ishan Kishan Depsite several stunning batting displays, it was Ishan Kishan who stood out for India. The left-hander, who replaced Sanju Samson at the top, was at his absolute best, as he smashed 53 runs off just 20 balls, including two fours and seven sixes. With this performance, he has made a solid case for himself as team India's opener along with Abhishek Sharma, in the ICC T20 World Cup. The Jharkhand batter has been sensational since his return to the international cricket. 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙠… 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚 💫Ishan Kishan is timing it sweetly as #TeamIndia set the tone from the start! 💪ICC Men's #T20WorldCup | Warm-Up Match | 👉 #INDvSA | LIVE NOW ➡️ https://t.co/KpRezrTaFe pic.twitter.com/q7hKFtkU1k — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 4, 2026 Top bowling performances of the match — Abhishek Sharma It was an unusual name as top performer with the ball for India: Abhishek Sharma. The opener, after scoring 24 off 18, took the ball in his hand, and picked up two wickets in his three over spell, giving away 32 runs. He picked up Jason Smith and Marco Jensen wickets. It was all about experimentations for the Indian bowlers ahead of their opening clash against USA. As many as nine bowling options were used by Suryakumar Yadav, as the team is finding the right combinations ahead of the World Cup. CASTLED! | \ |Abhishek Sharma shines with the ball too, as he cleans up Marco Jensen! 💥ICC Men's #T20WorldCup | Warm-Up Match | 👉 #INDvSA | LIVE NOW ➡️ https://t.co/KpRezrTaFe pic.twitter.com/kR1W9asaId — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 4, 2026 What next for India and South Africa? India appear to be peaking at the right time. A polished all-round display from the defending T20 champions not only eases any home-tournament pressure but also serves as a clear warning to the other teams. They will face USA on February 7, at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. While captain Aiden Markram anchored the innings, Dewald Brevis and David Miller had quiet outings. Stubbs and Jason Smith, both in contention for a Playing XI spot, impressed with their innings, and Marco Jansen provided a late flourish. South Africa were patchy across the chase but can draw inspiration from a commanding batting display against India. They will face Canada in their opening encounter.

Ishan Kishan's explosive 53 off 20 balls powered India to a formidable 241/5 in their T20 World Cup warm-up against South Africa. Despite a strong fightback from the Proteas, led by Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs, India secured a 30-run victory. Nine Indian bowlers contributed to restricting South Africa to 210/7.

‘It’s a Sad Story’ - Aakash Chopra breaks down Sri Lanka’s weakness ahead of T20 World Cup 2026(Source : cricketaakash on IG/officialslc on IG) Former India batter Aakash Chopra has delivered a worrying assessment of co-hosts Sri Lanka as they prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, calling their current situation a "sad story" and pinpointing a lack of collective team effort as a major concern. Sri Lanka, champions of the WT20 in 2014, enter this edition with home-ground advantage and what appears, on paper, to be a decent group of players. But according to Chopra, they have not been at all a consistent side in the last few years. "Their recent form. They don't have form at all. You haven't played well against any big team. A thing worth watching is that they haven't beaten any top team apart from New Zealand in the last one to one-and-a-half years. It is a sad story. To be very honest, they were expected to do well in the Asia Cup, but they didn't. I felt they would play the final, but they couldn't," he said on his YouTube channel. Their leadership, too, have seen chopping and changing, with Dasun Shanaka regaining the spot duties after failures under Charith Asalanka’s leadership. "So, Sri Lanka have failed to deliver, and they also made changes because of that. They have gone towards Dasun Shanaka in place of Charith Asalanka, that they would make him the captain because a big tournament is coming. So Sri Lanka are fighting their own battles," he observed. The concerns come amid a period of inconsistent results for Sri Lanka, including a recent series whitewash by England, where their batting and bowling both had trouble sustaining pressure in key phases. Sri Lanka’s fast bowling is weak: Aakash Chopra The former Delhi batter further stated that Sri Lanka’s fast bowling will create problems for themselves, especially if Eshan Malinga does not get fit ahead of the World Cup. He sustained a shoulder injury during the recently concluded T20I series against England. "The pace bowling unit could have a few difficulties, especially if Eshan Malinga isn't available. Then Matheesha Pathirana, very inconsistent. Dushmantha Chameera, if the conditions help swing, he does very well, or else there is a slight weakness in fast bowling," he concluded. Sri Lanka, co-hosts of the marquee event, are placed in Group B, along with Australia, Ireland, Oman, and Zimbabwe.

Ishan Kishan walked away immediately after bringing up his fifty, as India maximised their opportunity to have one final hit before tournament proper.

Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his disappointment after the West Indies failed to bring back Nicholas Pooran and Sunil Narine from retirement for the T20 World Cup 2026

AB de Villiers drops his four semifinalists for ICC T20 World Cup, Australia ignored. (Photo Source: SA20/X) Legendary batter AB de Villiers has predicted the semi-finalists for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup starting on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. The South African great named hosts India, the side to beat, according to him, along with South Africa, New Zealand, and England as the semifinalists. The main surprise was he excluded Australia, the 2021 T20 World Cup champions, despite having a strong team and an even stronger resume at the ICC tournaments. The Men in Blue, led by Suryakumar Yadav, have been in sublime form, with their ultra-aggressive batting style. They have only lost four out of their last 24 completed outings, signifying their dominance in the shortest format. Their side also boasts of both World No. 1 batter and bowler in T20I cricket, namely, Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy. England, meanwhile, have recently clean swept Sri Lanka 3-0 in Sri Lanka, the co-hosts of the upcoming tournament. New Zealand, on the other hand, lost the T20I series against India, 1-4. AB de Villiers feels home crowd will add pressure on India Although he thinks India are the clear favourite to win the tournament, the wicketkeeper said that playing in front of the home crowd will add a little bit of extra pressure on Suryakumar Yadav's side. "They already have incredible depth and most players seem to be in form now. It's really looking good for them. But with that comes the added pressure as there's more expectation from the fans and the public. It's adding to that pressure that they'll play at home," said De Villiers. India will kick off their campaign against the USA on February 7, at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

India dominated South Africa by 30 runs in a high-scoring ICC Men's T20 World Cup warm-up clash at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy. Winning the toss and batting first, India unleashed fireworks from the outset. Ishan Kishan blazed 53 off 20

In-form Ishan Kishan's minute-a-mile half-century helped him lock his place in the top order as India completed a 30-run victory over South Africa in their only warm-up match.

Daren Sammy returns as West Indies coach, aiming to restore pride and success in cricket, following his legendary captaincy and World Cup win a decade ago.

Pakistan Cricket Board faces financial crisis if ICC penalizes it for not playing India in T20 World Cup 2026, jeopardizing essential ICC revenue.