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Mullanpur: Skipper Shubman Gill and KL Rahul struck smooth hundreds as India posted a strong 368/3 at stumps on Day 1 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan here on Saturday.Gill was batting on 103 at close along with Rishabh Pant (50 batting). Pant and Gill have so far added 121 runs for the fourth wicket.It was Gill's 11th hundred in Tests.Also Read:Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya to be preserved for longer formats: Agarkar makes selection policy clearRahul completed his 12th hundred in Test cricket before getting out soon after.B Sai Sudharsan also played a good hand with an 81, and he added 139 runs for the second wicket with Rahul.Brief scores: India: 368/3 in 85 overs (Shubman Gill 103 batting, KL Rahul 100, Rishabh Pant 50 batting, Sai Sudharsan 81; Mohammed Saleem 2/67).

The Economic Times (India)

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Kohli powers RCB to back-to-back IPL crowns

For Gujarat Titans, this was supposed to be Ahmedabad's night.Instead, it became an Ahmeda-bad evening for Shubman Gill's men.Also Read: RCB win IPL for 2 straight years, but this player has created a hat-trick of winsOn a stage draped in blue, in front of a crowd willing the home side towards a second IPL crown, Royal Challengers Bengaluru once again arrived like champions who no longer carry the burden of history. They carried certainty. They carried belief. And, as they have so often over the last two seasons, they carried Virat Kohli.Chasing a modest but tricky 156, RCB were never reckless. They were relentless. Kohli, the grandmaster of the chase and the heartbeat of this franchise, produced yet another knockout innings, crafting a half-century that sucked the anxiety out of the contest and the hope out of Gujarat's defence. It was not his most explosive knock. It did not need to be. It was a classic Kohli pursuit — measured, intelligent and utterly inevitable.The numbers will show another fifty. The final will remember much more than that.For a franchise that spent nearly two decades being cricket's great unfinished story, this felt like the final confirmation that last year's title was not an emotional one-off. This is now a team that understands how to win the biggest games. Two titles in two years is not a breakthrough. It is the beginning of a legacy.Yet Gujarat refused to make it easy.After being restricted to 155, a total that always felt 20 runs short on a placid Ahmedabad surface, the Titans fought with the stubbornness that has defined much of their short IPL history. Rashid Khan, magnificent as ever, dragged the contest deeper than it deserved to go. His spell was a reminder that class survives even when the scoreboard does not cooperate. Every wicket he took briefly reignited belief. Every dot ball lifted the noise levels.Also Read: Rohit, Dhoni, Hardik: When IPL's biggest names couldn't deliver this seasonAnd then there was Rajat Patidar — the quiet captain who has turned Royal Challengers Bengaluru from cricket’s great underachievers into a title machine.A year after leading RCB to their long-awaited maiden IPL crown, Patidar is set to script history again, becoming only the third captain after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to guide a franchise to back-to-back IPL titles. If last season was about breaking an 18-year curse, this one has been about building a champion's mentality.Patidar’s numbers do not scream for attention, but his captaincy has. RCB topped the league stage, steamrolled Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1, and entered the final carrying the assurance of a side that no longer panics under pressure. The 31-year-old has fostered a dressing-room culture built on clarity and calm, repeatedly insisting throughout the season that every game was “just another match” despite the mounting expectations around a title defence.His fingerprints were all over the campaign. Whether it was trusting Josh Hazlewood in crunch overs, backing Krunal Pandya's experience on spin-friendly surfaces, or ensuring Virat Kohli could play the anchor's role without the burden of forcing the pace, Patidar's tactical calls consistently landed. Most importantly, Patidar has managed something few RCB leaders before him could: he has made the franchise feel bigger than its baggage. For years, RCB were defined by near-misses, heartbreaks and dependence on individual brillianceBut Gujarat's bowlers were left carrying a burden that should never have been theirs alone.The real disappointment lay with the batting.Too many starts disappeared. Too many big names drifted through the final without leaving a mark. At no point did the innings gather the momentum expected from a side stacked with stroke-makers and match-winners. The scoreboard moved, but never surged. The pressure remained, and RCB's attack, led by the discipline of Josh Hazlewood and the control of Krunal Pandya, squeezed relentlessly.By the halfway mark, the script already felt familiar.RCB had been the better side for most of the season. They entered the final as favourites. They played like favourites. And when the moment arrived to finish the job, they handed the chase to the one man who has spent nearly two decades making impossible pursuits look routine.Kohli has worn many labels across his career — superstar, run machine, icon, leader.On nights like these, one title fits best- King Kohli.And with another IPL trophy glistening under the Ahmedabad lights, his kingdom just got bigger

The Economic Times (India)

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IPL: Will Buttler improve his modest record?

Ahmedabad: As the Gujarat Titans (GT) lock horns with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), all eyes will be on veteran batter Jos Buttler to bring his big-match experience to the pitch.Buttler, who has enjoyed a fine season with GT, is the most explosive out of the team's ever-reliable top-three of skipper Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and him. However, the English veteran has a very modest record in T20 tournament finals.Catch IPL live action hereIn eight T20 final appearances, Buttler has made just 167 runs at an average of 20.67 and a strike rate of 128.46, with best score of 39.However, Buttler faces a favourable match-up against RCB, having made 678 runs in 19 matches and innings at an average of 48.43 and a strike rate of almost 163, with two centuries and three fifties and best score of 106*.In 16 matches this season, Buttler has scored 507 runs at an average of 39.00 and a strike rate of 157.45, with four fifties and best score of 60. Squads: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Jordan Cox, Philip Salt, Richard Gleeson, Swapnil Singh, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Mangesh Yadav, Satvik DeswalAlso read: GT vs RCB in IPL 2026 Final: Two teams, two T20 philosophies, one championship Gujarat Titans Squad: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, Arshad Khan, Luke Wood, Connor Esterhuizen, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Kulwant Khejroliya, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Ashok Sharma.

The Economic Times (India)

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