As the first month of the new year approaches its end, the sporting action from across the globe continues to heat up. From the scorching tennis down under to the scintillating football being played in loud corners of Asia and Africa, fans will have plenty to cheer about, not least the Indian athletes and teams competing in various events at home and abroad. (Sports News)
As such, here are the events you should be keeping an eye out for in the week ahead, January 22 to 28, 2024.
Cricket
Fresh from their 3-0 victory over Afghanistan and their tour success in South Africa, the India national cricket team will play England in five Tests, starting from January 25. The Test series will span nearly two months and, upon its conclusion, international cricket will give way to the Indian Premier League for another 45-odd days.
For India, Rohit Sharma will retain the Test captaincy, with Virat Kohli among a select group of players providing senior counsel. Adjacently, India 'A' will take on the England Lions, with the likes of Rinku Singh and Arshdeep Singh in the squad for one or both the multi-day matches.
In South Africa, the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup will roll on, with teams presently competing in their respective groups to claim one of the knockout spots. India, too, are in the mix as the defending champions and are looking to add a sixth star above their name.
Football
The India national football team still has some life left in it, despite back-to-back losses at the start of their AFC Asian Cup 2023 campaign. India, the Blue Tigers, will face Syria in their final group-stage game, needing nothing less than a huge win to move onward to the next round. Should they lose or draw against Syria, they will exit the competition ranked bottom in their group.
Meanwhile, miles away, as leagues around Europe wake up from their winter slumber, with cup games, too, now in the mix, the continental championships in Asia and Africa will continue. Presently in their group stage phase respectively, both the AFC Asian Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations will have concluded their round-of-16 draws, with the stages scheduled to begin toward the end of the week.
Tennis
As the days wind down toward the end of January, the first Grand Slam of the year approaches its end. By January 28, the sporting fraternity will have learned the identities of the Men's Singles, Women's Singles, Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles, and Mixed Doubles winners of the Australian Open 2024. As it stands, all the favourites and the top seeds are in the mix for the championships across the categories.
Both Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz will play the Men's Singles Fourth Round early in the week, with victories taking them closer to the title. For Indian tennis fans, Rohan Bopanna will be in action on January 22, 2024, with his partner Matthew Ebden in the Men's Doubles Third Round; Bopanna and Ebden are the second-seeded pairing in the draw.
Furthermore, while their draw dates are yet to be confirmed, all of Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff will be in action during the week, with the trio progressing to the latest rounds of their respective categories.
