Sports News Today Highlights: Sreejesh To Retire After Paris 2024; NBA Superstar LeBron James Named USA's Olympic Flagbearer

The much-awaited media interaction will be live streamed on the Jio Cinema app and website, as also on the Star Sports YouTube channel at 10am IST.

Among the burning questions on everyone's minds would be the reason for choosing Suryakumar Yadav over Hardik Pandya for T20I captaincy, and then not even making Pandya vice-captain. Shubman Gill has been named Yadav's deputy, and reporters would certainly like to ask Gambhir and Agarkar about the reasoning behind the move.

India's chef de mission Gagan Narang warmly welcomes the table tennis and swimming squads, as they make their way to the athletes village in Paris.

Borussia Dortmund have fallen to a shocking 4-0 loss against Thai side BG Pathum United in their second friendly match under new head coach Nuri Sahin. Sahin took the reins after Edin Terzic resigned in the wake of BVB's Champions League final loss to Real Madrid last month.

India's boys and girls teams have bowed out in the quarter-finals of the World Junior Squash Championships in Houston, USA. The sixth-seeded boys narrowly lose 1-2 to fourth seed South Korea and the girls lose by an identical margin to third seed Malaysia.

Nick Dunlap has become the first player in PGA Tour history to win as an amateur and a professional in the same year, rallying for a two-point victory in the Barracuda Championship. In January at The American Express in La Quinta, the 20-year-old Dunlap — then a sophomore at the University of Alabama — became the eighth amateur to win a tour event and the first in 33 years. He turned professional days later.

Refusing to be committal about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's future, new India head coach Gautam Gambhir has said that both the senior players still "have a lot of cricket in them" and that any such decision must be taken by the players themselves. Gambhir spoke at his first press conference as coach, ahead of India's departure for the Sri Lanka white-ball tour.

Asked about Rohit and Virat's role going ahead, Gambhir said: "I think they've shown what they can deliver at the big stage, whether it is the T20 World Cup or the ODI World Cup. I think both those guys have a lot more to offer.

Suryakumar Yadav was selected as the T20I captain for India's tour of Sri Lanka ahead of Hardik Pandya partly because of the latter's fitness issues, chief selector Ajit Agarkar has revealed in the pre-departure press conference alongside Gautam Gambhir.

"Fitness was a clear challenge (for Pandya) and we wanted someone who was likely to be available more often," Agarkar said during the joint press conference.

"He (Surya) is one of the best T20 batters and as captain, he is likely to play all the games. We think he is a deserving captain and we will see how he fits into the role," Agarkar added.

Expressing his gratitude to the BCCI for being accommodative with his requests, new India head coach Gautam Gambhir has said the core of the support staff will remain as is, while the rest will be finalized after the Sri Lanka tour. Gambhir was speaking at his first press conference as coach, ahead of India's departure for Pallekele.

"I am really happy with BCCI. They've agreed with most things I've asked for. The crux of the support staff will remain as they are. The rest of the staff will be finalized after the Sri Lanka tour," Gambhir said.

Endurance runs, unarmed combat training, and boat pulling were some of the elements of a first-ever "transformative training camp" that the national women's hockey team underwent recently at the Indian Naval Academy, aimed at making the side mentally stronger, and more disciplined, PTI reports. The unique camp was held at the INA in Kannur, Kerala, from July 15 to 21.

Three international cricket matches are coming your way in the next few hours. First up will be the Sri Lanka vs Malaysia encounter at the Women's Asia Cup at 2pm IST. That's followed by the Scotland vs Oman clash at the Cricket World Cup League 2 at 3:30pm. The second Women's Asia Cup T20 game of the day features Bangladesh against Thailand at 7pm IST.

The Indian men's cricket team has left for Sri Lanka for the upcoming white-ball tour, starting with T20Is from July 27.

India’s representation at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games 2024 is beyond its national contingent. There are a handful of athletes with Indian heritage set to compete for their migrated countries, showcasing India’s sporting talent.

Know more about these Indian-origin athletes in our report here.

Mumbai City FC have announced the signing of 19-year-old midfielder Supratim Das on a three-year contract, which will keep him at the club till Indian Super League 2027. Das is known for his technical abilities, game awareness and "excels at holding the ball under pressure and delivering incisive passes as a midfielder", the club said in a statement.

Veteran India goalkeeper and former captain PR Sreejesh has announced that Paris Olympic Games 2024 will be his last international outing. The 36-year-old, a veteran of 328 international caps and multiple Commonwealth Games and World Cups, will be playing in his fourth Olympic Games. The latest edition of the showpiece begins on July 26.

Sam Hauser has said yes to a four-year, 45-million dollar contract extension with the Boston Celtics, his agent has revealed to ESPN. Hauser signed with the Celtics in 2021 as an undrafted rookie and has since established himself as one of the NBA's most accurate 3-point shooters. His current rookie contract is due to expire in 2025, but this extension will keep him with the team until the end of the 2028-29 season.

The Indian men’s cricket team arrived at Mumbai airport on Monday, preparing for their upcoming ODI and T20 series in Sri Lanka. Key players spotted at the airport included T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, emerging star Shubman Gill, and Rinku Singh.

The ICC Board has approved a significant expansion of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to 16 teams, set to take effect in 2030. This decision marks a major step towards achieving parity between the men’s and women’s game.

Wiser after her maiden Olympics appearance in Tokyo, Indian table tennis star Manika Batra on Monday said she is focused on taking one match at a time in the upcoming Paris Games and a medal will not be in her mind in the initial rounds.

"I have learned many things from the last Olympics, and I am not going to make those mistakes again. My mindset has changed since then, I am calmer and have more confidence in myself," said Batra during an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT).

"I have been working on my stamina and my agility, and my ultimate aim is to challenge for a medal. (PTI)

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday formed a three-member committee to "review the delivery" of the T20 World Cup which was co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies last month.

Read more about, HERE

As per football transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal will complete the signing of Riccardo Calafiori this week.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday made it clear that it has made no proposal to play an offshore T20I series against India, and its current focus is on the smooth conduct of the Champions Trophy.

There have been talks about PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi holding discussions with the BCCI officials on the possibility of a T20I series at an offshore venue, likely in either England or Australia.

“There is no such proposal on the table or under consideration because right now the biggest challenge for us is to organise the Champions Trophy in a befitting manner and we also have a packed international schedule,” a highly reliable source said. (PTI)

Former international shooter and veteran sports administrator Randhir Singh is set to become the first Indian president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) after emerging as the sole candidate for the top post for the September 8 elections.

The 77-year-old Singh, a former member of the International Olympic Council (IOC) and ex secretary general of Indian Olympic Association (IOA), was currently serving as the acting chief of the continental sports apex body. (PTI)

Indian shooting legend Abhinav Bindra has been awarded with Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for his outstanding services to the Olympic Movement.

The award ceremony will be held during the 142nd IOC Session in Paris on August 10, a day before the closing of the Olympics.

"It is with great pleasure that I inform you that the IOC Executive Board has decided to award you with the Olympic Order for your outstanding services to the Olympic Movement," IOC President wrote in a letter addressed to Bindra and dated July 20.

James has been picked by his fellow U.S. Olympians to serve as the male flagbearer for the Americans in Friday night’s opening ceremony for the Paris Games. He becomes the third basketball player — and the first men’s player — to carry the U.S. flag at the start of an Olympics, joining Dawn Staley for the Athens Games in 2004 and Sue Bird for the Tokyo Games that happened in 2021.

Pascal Wehrlein of Porsche withstood relentless pressure from Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy of Jaguar to win his maiden Formula E world championship at the season-ending London E-Prix. The dramatic conclusion unfolded on Sunday when Wehrlein's triumph exemplified Season 10’s year of intense racing. (PTI)

And it's a wrap!