India eyes a record 8th Asia Cup title as they face Sri Lanka in the final at Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday. India are the most successful team with 7 titles while Sri Lanka can equal that with a win. Rain has already affected matches in the tournament. The weather forecast for Sunday in Colombo predicts temperatures around 27-29°C but with high rain probability of 49-65% throughout the day. India has replaced injured Axar Patel with Washington Sundar while Sri Lanka is without spinner Maheesh Theekshana. On two previous occasions, Sri Lanka lost to India in the Super 4s but beat them in the final. The weather will be crucial for the outcome as India targets an 8th Asia Cup crown. 

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra finished second at the Diamond League Final in Eugene on Saturday with a best throw of 83.80m. Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch won the crown with 84.24m in his final attempt. Chopra struggled in windy conditions, unable to match his 88m+ throws from recent events. This was his first sub-85m effort this season after winning World Championships gold with 88.17m last month. Vadlejch claimed his third Diamond League title having led throughout the final. Finland's Oliver Helander took third with 83.74m. Chopra had won two Diamond League meetings in Doha and Lausanne this year but lost his hold on the overall title. He will now aim to defend his Asian Games gold later this month.(Image courtesy: @ianuragthakur on X)

The upcoming book 'The Indian Challenge' by Ashish Ray provides a match-by-match account of India's journey in the Cricket World Cup since 1983. It highlights India's turning point victory over West Indies in 1983 before winning the trophy, the forgotten 1985 World Championship triumph in Australia, Sachin Tendulkar motivating Yuvraj Singh during the successful 2011 campaign, and the disappointments in 2015 and 2019. With the 2023 World Cup being hosted by India, the book releasing on September 28 will allow readers to brush up on India's Cricket World Cup history ahead of the event.

Despite Shubman Gill's brilliant 121, India fell agonizingly short in their chase of 266 against Bangladesh. Gill lacked support as KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav fell cheaply. Axar Patel provided hope with a quickfire 42 but was dismissed with India needing 20 off 10 balls. Some exquisite death bowling from Bangladesh prevailed as they edged out India by just 6 runs. Earlier, fifties from Shakib Al Hasan and Towhid Hridoy powered Bangladesh to 265/8. The Indian bowlers, led by Shardul Thakur, kept them in check. Though a dead rubber, the match proved a thriller with Bangladesh holding their nerve in the tense finish.

In the Asia Cup Super 4 match, Bangladesh have set a target of 266 runs for India after scoring 265/8 in their allotted 50 overs. Shakib Al Hasan top-scored with 80 runs while Towhid Hridoy and Nasum Ahmed made valuable contributions of 54 and 44 runs respectively. For India, Mohammed Shami claimed 2 wickets while Shardul Thakur was the pick of the bowlers with 3/65. Axar Patel and Prasidh Krishna chipped in with 1 wicket each. India now need to chase down the 266 run target at a required run rate of 5.4 to win the match. With a strong batting lineup, India will be confident of overhauling Bangladesh's total but need to be wary of the opposition's spirited performance.

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur affirmed that India will not play bilateral cricket matches with Pakistan until cross-border terrorism from the neighboring country stops completely. Thakur reiterated BCCI's stance of no cricket ties amid an ongoing encounter in J&K that killed 4 security personnel. He stated the BCCI had decided long ago to not resume bilateral cricket with Pakistan until they put an end to terror attacks across the border and infiltration attempts. According to the former BCCI president, India will not reconsider cricketing relations unless Pakistan stops all acts of cross-border terrorism against India. The strong statement underscores India's firm position on linking sports with state-sponsored terrorism from Pakistan.

The Asia Cup Super 4 match between arch rivals India and Bangladesh is more than just a dead rubber despite not affecting the final standings. Bangladesh have achieved some notable wins over India recently. Both teams will come hard despite changes - Mushfiqur Rahim is out for Bangladesh, while India will likely rest Kohli, Rahul and Bumrah and give opportunities to Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Shami. Rain is forecasted in Colombo. The head-to-head is heavily in India's favor 13-1 in Asia Cup matches. But the rivalry ensures a fierce contest between the two teams.

The BCCI announced that promising young batsman Tilak Varma is set to make his ODI debut for India. Varma was presented his official team India ODI cap by captain Rohit Sharma ahead of the match, signifying his inclusion in the playing eleven. The BCCI shared images of the cap presentation ceremony on Twitter, congratulating the 19-year-old Varma on achieving this significant milestone in his budding career. Varma has impressed in his maiden IPL season and domestic cricket, and now gets the opportunity to showcase his talents in India colors. His ODI call-up is a testament to the team management's belief in Varma's abilities. Fans will be eager to see the stylish left-hander make his mark on the international stage.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka both finished with identical scores of 252 in their Asia Cup match, yet Sri Lanka won. This seemingly paradoxical result was due to the DLS method coming into effect after rain interruptions. Sri Lanka's target was revised to 252 based on Pakistan's 5 wickets down at the rain break. If Pakistan had lost fewer wickets, Sri Lanka's target would have been higher. DLS calculates targets based on wickets lost before stoppages. Sri Lanka chased down their revised target, winning on the last ball thanks to Asalanka's heroics. Though the scores were equal, DLS gave Sri Lanka a 1 run advantage. The dramatic DLS-impacted match deprived fans of the hoped for India-Pakistan final.

Cricket Ireland has apologized after receiving complaints about gambling and betting company ads visible during recent Ireland vs India matches. Fans criticized ads from companies accused of taking bets on kids' sports and promoting sexual content. Sport Ireland contacted Cricket Ireland to discuss the sponsorship agreements. One company promoted a "pornhub casino" with topless croupiers. Cricket Ireland said the associated imagery used by the brands is not in line with their values. Ground advertising rights are sold to an Indian agency which brokers deals with brands. Cricket Ireland says contractual safeguards are in place for jersey and event sponsorships.