Tarkesh Jha

The chase proved far more straightforward, with India reaching the target in just 13.4 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Abhishek provided the bulk of the entertainment, smashing seven sixes and seven fours in a 32-ball innings. After six successive T20I innings without crossing 20, the opener looked to have put his recent struggles firmly behind him.

Sri Lanka's chase never really gathered momentum, with Charani leading India's attack with 4-20 as the hosts were bowled out for 111 in 20 overs. Chamari Athapaththu's 36 and Vishmi Gunaratne's 28 offered the only meaningful resistance before Deepti Sharma removed both batters in the 10th over. Even after India dropped five catches, Sri Lanka were unable to threaten a side that had controlled the contest from the opening Power Play.

Quimcy began her campaign with a major upset against Sakamoto, defeating the top seed 2-1 in a 43-minute contest at the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Center. The Indian lost the opening game 10-12 but responded to edge the second 12-11 before sealing the deciding game 13-11. She followed that performance with a more comfortable 2-0 win over Cambodia's Koemyean DY, prevailing 12-9, 12-7 in 24 minutes to finish at the top of her group.

The optimism has also extended to the group's rupee-denominated debt. Deutsche Bank AG and some wealth managers are marketing bonds issued by Eqyizen Investment Pvt., another SP Group company, according to bondholders familiar with the matter. Some holders are offering the securities at yields of 18.75%, compared with 18.95% when the bonds were sold in July. A decline in yields indicates stronger demand as investors become more confident about repayment prospects.

Elavenil entered the final two shots only 0.3 points behind Taichi. She responded with a 10.4, but Taichi matched the pressure with a 10.6 to extend her lead to 0.5. With one shot remaining, Elavenil needed to produce a stronger score than the Japanese shooter to reclaim the top spot, but her 10.1 was followed by Taichi's 10.2, sealing the gold medal and a new Asian Games record.

Yu produced a personal-best 2:05.08 to win the women's 200m butterfly, highlighting her emergence as one of the most closely watched young swimmers in the sport. Her compatriot Chang Mohan took silver in 2:08.44, while Japan's Misa Okuzono finished third in 2:09.97.

The 27-year-old was attempting to cut weight ahead of his men's Traditional Mixed Martial Arts 77kg quarterfinal when he lost consciousness in the sauna. He was later taken to hospital for medical assessment and was declared unfit to compete, ruling him out of the competition.

He had earlier scaled the feat against New Zealand in an ODI in January 2023, which was also incidentally during the build-up to the World Cup that year.

The five-match ODI series will begin on November 4 in Auckland, followed by the second match in Wellington on November 7 and the third in Hamilton on November 10. The final two ODIs will be played in Mount Maunganui on November 13 and 15, with all five matches scheduled to begin at 7:30 am IST.

Anahat added that she had expected to need time to adjust to playing against El Sherbini, but was pleased that her game plan worked.