With the ICC World Cup 2019 inching to conclusion, we're left with four teams -- India, Australia, England, and New Zealand -- and two matches away to find out who will battle it out at the grand spectacle at Lord's for the title and glory.    Now that India have gone past all the woes, including injuries, opening combination and the number four conundrum, it looks like all is well in the camp and Virat Kohli and the rest of the team is all set to make it to the Lord's, and, hopefully, lift the trophy. The hosts and favourites, England, too, have managed to get their act together at just the right time as they get the better of India and thrashed New Zealand to announce their arrival in the semis. On the other hand, Australia, who face England in the second semi-final, have suddenly been hit by injury to batsman Usman Khawaja and their ace pacer Mitchell Starc, too, looked uncomfortable in their last league match. Hence, Aaron Finch have a lot to fix before the team hit the ground (Edgbaston) on July 11. New Zealand, the silent conquerors, seems to be losing their sheen as cracks are visible in batting line-up with bowlers finding it difficult to compensate from just one end. It remains to be seen if it's going to be a cakewalk for India as the two sides collide at Old Trafford in Manchester on July 9. All this, and more in this BS podcast. Follow the BS on Ground channel on Google Podcast, Apple Podcasts and Spotify for more from the world of sports.

The ICC Cricket World Cup is inching closer to the semi-final stage and the picture is increasingly becoming clear. Australia, New Zealand and India are almost through to the next stage, even as the mystery around the fourth semi-finalist continues. England's consecutive losses against Sri Lanka and Australia has revived the hopes of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and the upcoming matches will hold the key. For the teams that are fighting for a slot right now, there would be no room for a lapse any more. West Indies, Afghanistan and South Africa are already out of the contest but these sides could ruin the other teams’ chances. Meanwhile, the Pakistan cricket team has seen a sudden resurgence and become the talk of the town, especially since the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led team defeated a strong New Zealand side. India, the only unbeaten team now, suffered a scare against Afghanistan and chinks were seen in their armour, when their mighty batting line-up, especially the middle order, failed to impress in their match against Windies. Questions are being raised over the inclusion of Vijay Shankar, who has not been able to impress much with his so-called three-dimensional abilities. Many are also suggesting that Rishabh Pant, who has been warming the benches since his inclusion to the squad after Shikhar Dhawan's injurury, should instead be picked. It remains to be seen whether the side would be able to continue their winning streak as they face England in their next fixture on Sunday (June 30). For now, it's certain that India's bowling unit has been exceptional, but is that enough? Let’s take a look at all this, and what more to expect as the contest intensifies in this BS podcast. Follow the BS on Ground channel on Google Podcast, Apple Podcasts and Spotify for more from the world of sports.

With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 entering its third week, equations have started changing, thanks to some strong performances, a few upsets, and also some heartbreaks. Bangladesh chased down a massive 322-run target against Windies on Shakib Al Hasan's century. Later, they repeated the show against Australia, even more emphatically, but fell short of the target by 49 runs. England scored a mountain of runs against Afghanistan — only three runs shy of the 400-mark — and won easily. But the same side failed to chase a not-so-great target of 233 runs against Sri Lanka, as Lasith Malinga scalped four wickets. Surprisingly, a formidable Indian batting line-up, with greats like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and M S Dhoni faced a reality check, with minnows Afghanistan first restricting them to just 224 runs and then nearly chasing the target. If India were able to save their blushes, they had Jasprit Bumrah’s precision and Mohammed Shami’s last-minute havoc to thank for it. Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson calmly took his team to victory in crucial matches against South Africa and West Indies, with a century in each match. And, Pakistan got back to winning ways by defeating South Africa on the back of Mohammad Amir's heroics. And then, there was a heartbreaking image whose memory will endure for a long time: A distraught Carlos Brathwaite sitting on ground, almost in tears, after nearly taking West Indies past the target against New Zealand. Windies lost the thriller by just 5 runs Let’s take a look at all this, and what more to expect as the contest intensifies in this BS podcast. Follow the BS on Ground channel on Google Podcast, Apple Podcasts and Spotify for more from the world of sports.

The second week of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 saw three matches getting washed out and the teams sharing the points. As the tournament is progressing, the points table is getting interesting by the day. New Zealand is sitting comfortably on the top of the table, while Afghanistan are yet to open the account.  The rain has played a huge spoilsport. Interesting matches like India vs New Zealand, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, South Africa vs West Indies, Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka.  got washed out. It would have been a good test for New Zealand to face India, while Pakistan and Bangladesh would have fancied their chances against Sri Lanka. India, on the other hand, beat Australia comfortably. However, the team suffered a huge blow as Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the World Cup for three weeks because of a broken thumb. Rishabh Pant has been called as his replacement.  Another frustrating and controversial thing in the world cup has been the bails. At least four times in this world cup the bails did not dislodge after the ball hit the stumps. There have been various views about it but this will need some looking into.  In this BS on Ground podcast, the members of the BS Sports Team discuss India’s match against Pakistan to be played on Sunday and the combination that India can play against them.  To listen to our insights on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, subscribe to the BS ON GROUND channel on Google Podcast, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The ICC World Cup 2019 started on a high note, with hosts England handing South Africa not only a defeat but such broken nerves that they have yet to recover fully. As expected, most participating teams had an eventful week. Australia managed to get the better of Afghanistan, but not without a fightback from the newbies. Sri Lanka disappointed with their performance in both of their first two matches. Pakistan crumbled under pressure in their first match but did not take too long to bounce back and show their mettle. India, when they finally began their belated campaign, they beat South Africa to start on a high. Among the main points of discussion this World Cup are bouncy English pitches and limited swing. At the same time, spinners like Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa and Mohammad Nabi have shown that it's not just about pace this time. Overall, teams like Bangladesh, West Indies, and Afghanistan have stood out in the first week, in spite of favourites England, Australia and India. In this BS on Ground podcast, the members of the BS Sports Team discuss the start of India’s campaign on a winning note, and also dwell on the possibilities in the coming week: A much bigger challenge awaits India as they would play against Australia and New Zealand next week. To listen to our insights on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, subscribe to the BS ON GROUND channel on Google Podcast, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The General Election is behind us and India can now focus on what is really important, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. India last won the trophy in 2011. Can it bring it back home? Who are the favourites this world cup and who are the players to watch out for.  In the latest episode of BS On Ground, host Ankur Bhardwaj puts these questions to feature writer, Dhruv Munjal. Tune-in to the podcast for the details. Subscribe to Business Standard On Ground and Business Standard podcasts on Spotify, Google Podcasts or Apple Podcasts for the latest from the world of sports, economy, business, markets or politics.

Indian Premier League 2019 (IPL 2019), the 12th edition of the T20 cricket extravaganza, ended on Sunday, with Mumbai Indians beating arch rivals MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in a last-ball thriller to clinch their fourth title.   From R Ashwin’s 'Mankading', which raised a debate over ‘spirit of the game’, to questionable umpiring that had CSK captain MS Dhoni losing his cool, we saw it all happening in the 12th IPL edition. In episode 1 of BS on Ground, a Business Standard podcast on talking points from the world of sports, we discuss all these and more. We look at what went wrong for Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore and how the Delhi franchise emerged as one of the top performers after adding 'Capitals' and omitting 'Daredevils' to their name. Know all about the player who stood out in IPL 2019 with their vital contributions and how the Indian team going for ICC World Cup 2019 looks. For more exciting news and insights from the world of sports, follow BS on Ground by subscribing to the Business Standard channel on Spotify and Google Podcast.