India captain Rohit Sharma has retired from Test cricket but will continue to play one-day internationals.
It comes after reports in the Indian media on Wednesday that the 38-year-old would be removed as captain for the Test series in England this summer.
“It has been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites,” Rohit posted on Instagram, alongside a picture of his Test cap.
Rohit will continue to play ODIs and remains captain in that format, having won the Champions Trophy in March. He retired from T20 internationals after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Rohit has played 67 Tests and has been India’s captain since replacing Virat Kohli in 2022.
He won half of his 24 Tests as skipper, giving him the best win percentage as India captain behind Kohli, and reached the final of the World Test Championship in 2023, where India lost to Australia.
But last year Rohit oversaw the 3-0 home defeat by New Zealand – India’s first Test series defeat at home for 12 years – and the 3-1 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
Rohit was dropped for the decisive fifth Test in Sydney after a run of poor form.
The elegant right-hander retires having made 4,301 Test runs at an average of 40.57 with 12 centuries. His top score was 212 against South Africa in Ranchi in 2019, scored off just 255 balls.
He had made only one fifty in 15 innings since his last Test hundred – 103 against England in Dharamsala in March 2024.
The highly-anticipated five-match series against England begins in Leeds on 20 June and marks the start of the new World Test Championship cycle for both sides.
Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah deputised for Rohit when he missed the first Test in Australia through injury and did so again when he sat out the series finale.
Roger Binny, the former India all-rounder and current chair of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said Rohit’s impact “transcends records and statistics”.
“He brought a sense of calm and assurance to the team – both as a player and as a captain,” he said.
“His ability to stay composed under pressure and to consistently put the team’s needs above his own made him a truly special player and leader.
‘A golden generation is coming to an end’
Analysis by chief cricket reporter Stephan Shemilt
For as much as England and Australia want to think they have a birthright position at the top of the game, the job of India men’s Test captain is the biggest in the global game.
Without quite touching the galactico status of his predecessors MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, Rohit is still a megastar. His exit seemed inevitable after he dropped himself for the final Test in Australia, but this remains seismic news. India do not change Test captains often.
The timing is interesting. It is more than five months since India last played a Test. The tour of England begins in a month and this is the start of a new World Test Championship cycle. It is a trophy that has eluded India.
There is no shortage of contenders to take over. The IPL means Indian cricket has become adept at giving players leadership training. Jasprit Bumrah will be front of the queue given his role as vice-captain and the experience he has of standing in for Rohit. If it is decided the job is too much for a fast bowler, then Shubman Gill or Rishabh Pant could come into consideration.
This is the beginning of a shift for Indian cricket. Kohli and Rohit have been titans of the IPL, but also pre-date the competition. Whoever is the next captain will not be from the same mould. Will Test cricket still be championed by the new skipper?
It was part of JD Vance’s first international trip as United States vice president: The former senator from Ohio was taking a tour of Europe, representing the second administration of President Donald Trump on the world stage.
A major point on his itinerary was a speech he would give to the 61st annual Munich Security Conference on February 14, in front of leaders representing some of the US’s closest allies.
But rather than celebrate those historic ties, Vance took a more aggressive approach. Perched at the podium in Munich, he shocked onlookers by criticising Europe, warning against laws and restrictions he said could “destroy democracy”.
It has been nearly three months since Vance delivered that speech, and on Wednesday, the vice president returned to the Munich forum, this time for its leaders’ meeting in Washington, DC.
In a question-and-answer segment with German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger, Vance revisited his February speech, which sparked backlash within Europe and at home. He also gave a preview of US negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Here are three key takeaways from his remarks.
Wolfgang Ischinger, chair of the Munich Security Conference, moderated the discussion with Vance [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]
Mending fences with Europe
Wednesday’s public appearance marked the third time Vance spoke to an event hosted by the Munich Security Conference. But his last speech — with its accusations of democratic backsliding — loomed heavily over the proceedings.
Vance tried to reframe his remarks on Wednesday as respectful criticism between allies, emphasising the warm relations the US and Europe have traditionally shared.
“ I think — I mean this from the heart and as a friend — that there is a trade-off between policing the bounds of democratic speech and debate and losing the trust of our people. And we’re all going to draw the lines a little bit differently,” Vance said. “I’m fine if one country is going to draw those lines a little bit differently than the United States.”
He added that questions of free speech and democratic principles are issues the US is grappling with, too.
“I think all of us, including especially the United States, we have to be careful that we don’t draw the lines in such a way that we actually undermine the very democratic legitimacy upon which all of our civilization rests,” the vice president explained.
“ I think that is fundamentally the point here. It’s not Europe bad, America good.”
Ultimately, he said, Europe and the US are “on the same civilizational team”, and he underscored his belief that no wedge could come between them, even if the two parties exchanged criticism.
Vance took a softer tone than during his last appearance at February’s Munich Security Conference, which sparked criticism [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]
Walking a fine line with Iran
Vance also struck an upbeat tone in his assessment of the US’s efforts to scale back Iran’s nuclear programme, saying the two countries are on “the right pathway”.
“ Without prejudging the negotiations, I will say: So far, so good. We’ve been very happy by how the Iranians have responded to some of the points that we’ve made,” Vance said.
Vance’s optimism offered a counterpoint to concerns that the negotiations could be derailed by continuing tensions between the US and Iran.
Last week, a fourth round of talks expected in Rome were postponed for “logistical reasons”, though experts pointed out that the delay coincided with a fresh slate of US sanctions against Iran’s petroleum industry. Those talks are slated to resume this weekend in Oman’s capital Muscat.
On Wednesday, Vance stressed the US position that Washington will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, though he expressed ambivalence about nuclear energy for civilian purposes.
“We don’t care if people want nuclear power. We’re fine with that. But you can’t have the kind of enrichment programme that allows you to get to a nuclear weapon. And that’s where we draw the line,” Vance said.
Still, the question of nuclear enrichment — even for civilian purposes — has been a point of contention in recent weeks. Certain US officials have signalled they would like to see Iran eliminate its enrichment programme altogether.
For his part, Vance questioned whether it was likely Iran would use uranium enrichment solely for nuclear power, not weaponry.
“Let me ask this basic question: Which regime in the world has civil nuclear power and enrichment without having a nuclear weapon?” Vance asked. “The answer is no one.”
Iran has long denied any ambition of seeking a nuclear weapon, and it has signalled it is willing to scale back its enrichment programme. Previously, it had signed onto a 2015 deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that imposed limits to its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
During his first term, however, Trump withdrew the US from the agreement, causing the pact to fall apart. The US president has since sought to rekindle nuclear negotiations with Iran during his second term.
“We really think that, if the Iran domino falls, you’re gonna see nuclear proliferation all over the Middle East,” Vance said.
Vance spoke to the ongoing negotiations with Iran, Russia and Ukraine [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]
Not ‘pessimistic’ about peace in Ukraine
The vice president also shared his insight into another area of tense international negotiation: the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Since February 2022, Russia has led a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, after capturing regions including Crimea in 2014.
In his campaign for re-election last year, Trump pledged to end the slow-grinding war, which has cost thousands of lives. He even claimed he would stop the war on his first day back in office, though he has since backtracked, telling Time Magazine he meant those remarks “figuratively”.
But Trump has nevertheless sought to act as a mediator between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. His administration, however, has been criticised for negotiating with Russia in isolation and seeming to acquiesce to Putin’s demands.
Trump, for instance, has echoed Russian talking points blaming Ukraine for the war and saying that Zelenskyy can “forget about” membership in the NATO military alliance. His officials have also suggested Ukraine was “unlikely” to regain the territory it had lost to Russia’s invasion.
Vance took a slightly tougher stance against Russia on Wednesday, underscoring that he and the Trump administration did not see eye to eye with Putin.
“ You don’t have to agree with the Russian justification for the war, and certainly both the president and I have criticised the full-scale invasion,” Vance said. “But you have to try to understand where the other side is coming from to end the conflict.”
The vice president sought to justify Trump’s approach as an effort to bring both sides to the negotiating table, in the spirit of what he called “strategic realism”.
“Our view is: It’s absurd that you’ve had this war go on for so long. And the two sides aren’t even talking constructively about what would be necessary for them to end the conflict,” Vance explained.
“ A frustration that we’ve had frankly with both sides is that they hate each other so much — that, if you have an hour conversation with either side, the first 30 minutes is just them complaining about some historical grievance from four years ago or five years ago or 10 years ago.”
Vance laid out his position that Russia is “asking for too much” in terms of concessions from Ukraine. But he also criticised Ukraine for sticking to a 30-day ceasefire proposal that initially emerged from talks with the US in Saudi Arabia.
“ What the Russians have said is a 30-day ceasefire is not in our strategic interest,” Vance said. “So we’ve tried to move beyond the obsession with the 30-day ceasefire and more on: What would the long-term settlement look like?”
Prince Harry has been seen for the first time since his interview, where he claimed his father, King Charles, won’t speak to him, and one expert believes the comments he made at his latest event were ‘quite telling’
Prince Harry at an event for the Diana Award(Image: The Diana Award )
Prince Harry’s remarks during his first public outing since his outburst against King Charles were “quite telling”, according to an expert.
Last night, the Duke of Sussex praised the empathy, truth, honesty and fearlessness of the younger generation amid “an apathetic world” as he travelled to Las Vegas for an onstage discussion to launch a new initiative for The Diana Award.
There, he heralded young leaders for standing up for themselves, just days after speaking out about his relationship with his father, the King. Also at the launch of the Pledge To Invest yesterday, he described how young people have an openness about mental health “that previous generations struggled to express”.
READ MORE: Prince Harry issues statement on ‘apathetic world’ days after explosive royal outburst
Harry with Dr Tessy Ojo, Sikander ‘Sonny’ Khan and Christina Williams at the Diana Award event (Image: The Diana Award )
The appearance came just days after he lost a Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements in the UK. The duke gave a sit-down interview in which he said the King will not “speak to him”, and he does “not know how much longer his father has left”, who is being treated for cancer.
He expressed hopes of a reconciliation with his family and told the BBC his court defeat was a “good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up” and that he could not see how he could bring his wife and children safely back to the UK.
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And royal expert Jennie Bond told the Mirror how Harry’s words at the event were interesting. The former BBC royal correspondent said: “I’m sure he will continue to work hard on causes that were close to his mother’s heart. And the Diana Award is obviously one of them.
“Some of his remarks at the event were quite telling: he praised young people for their refusal to accept the status quo, for being fearless and determined to stand up for themselves. And that seems pretty much Harry‘s own philosophy – for better or worse.”
Harry helped launch the Diana Award’s Pledge To Invest drive(Image: The Diana Award )
Harry’s trip to Vegas came as his oldest son, Prince Archie, celebrated his sixth birthday. On Friday, he said in the TV interview he “can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK”.
He also said the protection given to members of the monarchy was a form of “control”, saying: “I think what really worries me more than anything else about today’s decision, depending on what happens next, it set a new precedent that security can be used to control members of the family. And effectively, what it does is imprison other members of the family from being able to choose a different life.”
Harry in his bombshell interivew with the BBC last week (Image: Pixel8000)
And Jennie added: “I suspect that Harry said more than he had perhaps intended because he was consumed with anger that the court decision had gone against him. When the court ruling went the opposite way, he was, in his own words, ‘ gutted and devastated’. And he was clearly seething with fury. And that is rarely the best time to air your thoughts.
“I think he might now realise that he went too far in talking about his father’s health. That was a clear invasion of the privacy that Harry himself so covets. And he might also realise that he has, in my opinion, now lost the support of the vast majority of the British public.”
The government’s preferred choice as chair of English football’s new independent regulator contributed money to the leadership campaigns of Sir Keir Starmer and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.
David Kogan told MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee that he was being “utterly transparent” by declaring donations which “hadn’t been discovered by the press”.
The sports media rights executive said he had donated “very small sums” to the 2020 campaigns, as well as thousands of pounds to Labour MPs and candidates in recent years, but had “total personal independence from all of them”.
Nandy said Kogan – who also sat on the board of Labour news website LabourList – was the “outstanding candidate” to fill the position when he was announced as preferred choice in April.
Conservative shadow sports minister Louie French said the failure to disclose the donations when first put forward for the role was “a clear breach of the governance code on public appointments”.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said Kogan had been appointed through a “fair and open competition”, while the BBC understands his donations were below the threshold that requires declaring.
The Football Governance Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament after being reintroduced by the Labour government in October, will establish a first independent regulator for the professional men’s game in England.
The legislation will hand power to a body independent from government and football authorities to oversee clubs in England’s top five divisions.
At a ‘pre-appointment hearing’, Kogan – a former BBC journalist who also previously advised the Premier League, EFL and other leagues on broadcast rights – said he wants to put “fans at the heart of the regulator” and help the football pyramid “survive”.
He’s a lifelong Tottenham Hotspur supporter
Kogan has been a Spurs fan since 1964, although he admitted he seems to “run into nothing but Arsenal fans nowadays”.
He was at the 1967 FA Cup final to watch his team beat Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley.
He sees Club World Cup and Champions League as ‘risk’ to English football
The new Club World Cup and expanding Champions League are “risk factors” for the future sustainability of English football, according to Kogan.
Thirty-two teams will compete in Fifa’s inaugural Club World Cup this summer, while the number of games have increased in this season’s Champions League.
He thinks the growth of these competitions will have an impact on the money English football earns from broadcast deals.
Kogan said: “When you look at how Fifa is doing its world club competition, the way Uefa is developing its European competition, all of those are factors that directly impact on English football – things like broadcasting slots and broadcasting financing.
He believes Reading’s issues may not have occurred with regulator in place
Reading owner Dai Yongge was forced to sell the club last week after he was disqualified under the EFL’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test.
Kogan believes the regulator’s powers to evaluate owners and directors will be far more extensive with “access to much greater knowledge and much greater ability to intervene”.
He’s prepared for legal challenges from clubs and leagues
Legal disputes are becoming increasingly common in football.
The Premier League spent more than £45m last season on legal costs due to various disputes over its financial regulations.
The league has been embroiled in a series of investigations, disciplinary arbitration processes, and appeals. Cases have involved Manchester City, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Leicester City.
Kogan hopes the regulator won’t face any legal challenges but said it must be “prepared for the worst” and referenced “very wealthy clubs and a very wealthy league”.
The regulator won’t be setting ticket prices
Some fans, and even an MP, Labour’s Ian Byrne, want the regulator to help set ticket prices.
Kogan said “it’s not a matter for the regulator to set ticket prices for individual clubs”, but that “it is a matter for the regulator to allow fans to have a view”.
Five early concept designs for a new landmark memorial to the late Queen, who died in September 2022, in St James Park in the heart of London have gone on display
One of the shortlisted designs for a new memorial for the late Queen – this one features an equestrian-style statue of the monarch (Image: PA)
The final shortlisted designs for the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II have been unveiled, including a bronze cast of a Windsor oak tree, a giant canopy of stone lily pads and a statue of the late Queen next to Prince Philip. The five early design concepts have been displayed as part of an online public exhibition which opened today.
Other ideas include audio installations featuring the late Queen’s voice, a “tranquil family” of romantic royal gardens inspired by the Georgian architect John Nash, “forest bathing in the heart of the city”, and a “graceful and strong” stone bridge with cascading water. The public is being encouraged to view the proposed designs for the competition run by Malcolm Reading Consultants and offer feedback by May 19.
The Mirror exclusively revealed last year that the national memorial will stand in St James’s Park in the heart of London, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer later said will provide “everyone with a place to honour the late Queen and connect with the shared history we cherish”.
READ MORE: Prince Harry issues statement on ‘apathetic world’ days after explosive royal outburst
Another design features a giant canopy of eight carved sculptural lily pads in honour of the late Queen, whose childhood nickname was Lilibet (Image: PA)
The late Queen died peacefully at Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. Elizabeth II, whose reign spanned 70 years, dedicated her life to her royal duty.
After a year of consideration by a specially appointed committee headed by Lord Janvrin, the late Queen’s former private secretary in the wake of her passing, St James’s Park has been chosen and approved by the King. The location of the memorial was chosen because of its closeness to the ceremonial route of The Mall, and Buckingham Palace, and its historical and constitutional significance, but also because of a poignant personal connection to the late Queen – the nearby statues of her beloved parents.
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A design showing a stone bridge over soil, tree roots and water, featuring a gentle cascade of water onto the lake, to represent the late Queen as the bedrock of the nation(Image: PA)
The bronze tributes to King George VI, who died at the age of 56 in 1952, and the Queen Mother, who died aged 101 in the Golden Jubilee year of 2002, stand just a short distance along The Mall. The announcement of the final design will coincide with what would have been the Queen’s 100th birthday year in 2026.
Lord Janvrin, chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, said: “Queen Elizabeth II’s extraordinary life of service profoundly touched countless individuals, and she was a figure of great respect and admiration. Memories of her long reign are still fresh for so many of us and we need to capture the essence of them for future generations”.
He added: “In recognition of this, it is only fitting that we invite the public to express their views on these design concepts.
“We are delighted to be working with some of the best architects, artists and designers in the world to produce a landmark memorial of outstanding beauty that celebrates and honours the life of Queen Elizabeth II.”
Another shortlisted design features an exact bronze cast of an “awe-inspiring” ancient oak from Windsor Great Park(Image: PA)
Hailed as one of the most significant design initiatives in modern British history, the memorial in St James’s Park, close to Buckingham Palace in the heart of London, will provide the public with a permanent memorial to the country’s longest-reigning monarch, who died in 2022.
A panel of committee members will select the winning concept and work with the team on the final design, which is expected to be unveiled in 2026, which would have been the late Queen’s 100th birthday year.
The committee will also select an artist, through a separate process, to create a figurative representation of Elizabeth II for the site on The Mall in central London.
The five design concepts are:
1. A” tranquil family “of royal gardens inspired by John Nash’s original landscape of the park, linked by a natural stone tessellated path by Lord Foster of Foster + Partners with artist Yinka Shonibare, ecologist Professor Nigel Dunnett and landscape architect Michel Desvigne Paysagiste.
Other elements include a statue of the Queen alongside Philip on Birdcage Walk next to a Prince Philip Gate and, on the other side of the park, an equestrian statue of the Queen in a new civic space called Queen Elizabeth II Place at Marlborough Gate. The plans also incorporate a contemporary wind sculpture for reflection, audio installations of the Queen’s voice, a digital conservatory and a translucent Unity Bridge.
The final shortlisted design by WilkinsonEyre and Malcolm Reading Consultants showing a series of pathways and landscapes(Image: PA)
2. Bridge of Togetherness – A memorial walk inspired by the idea of” togetherness “with 70 lily pad stepping stones by Heatherwick Studio with sculptor and ceramicist Halima Cassell, MRG Studio, Webb Yates and Arup. At the centre of the bridge is a limestone sculpture of the late Queen, whose childhood nickname was Lilibet, protected by a giant canopy of eight carved sculptural lily pads, with the stone chosen because it will” age with dignity”.
3. An innovative stone bridge over soil, tree roots and water, featuring a gentle cascade of water onto the lake, to represent the late Queen as the bedrock of the nation, has been designed by J&, L Gibbons with production designer Michael Levine, and William Matthews Associates. It aims to capture a” meandering flow of geology carrying people through an ephemeral choreography of blossoming and colour beneath the high tree canopy “and includes glades to invite” forest bathing in the heart of the city”.
4. The Queen’s Oak – An exact bronze cast of an” awe-inspiring “ancient oak from Windsor Great Park, representing the late Queen’s strength and endurance and symbolising the monarchy, is the central focus of a design by Tom Stuart-Smith with Jamie Fobert Architects and artist Adam Lowe of Factum Are. The digitally scanned replica tree would stand on a plinth in the lake, with a curved stone bridge as a viewing platform. There would also be a serpentine memorial path, for all ages and abilities, which incorporates inlaid bronze casts of significant objects from the late Queen’s life and a” sonic soundscape “of memories from those she impacted.
5. A thread of pathways and landscapes” gently woven through the natural fabric “of the park with a pair of” elegant bridges “have been suggested by Wilkinson Eyre with artists Lisa Vandy and Fiona Clarke. Aiming to impose the” lightest footprint “on the park, the thread, with symbolic spaces for reflection, focuses on seven themes of the late Queen’s life – reign, faith, Commonwealth, values, nature, family, and Prince Philip.
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The final design will be submitted to the King and Prime Minister Keir Starmer for approval. The proposed designs are available to view at competitions.malcolmreading.com/queenelizabethmemorial/gallery
Gymnastics star Claudia Fragapane forced to relocate after alleged repeated harassment from a teenage stalker, despite a prior restraining order
Strictly star ‘ forced to flee house after teenage stalker turns up at door ‘
Olympic gymnast and Strictly Come Dancing alum Claudia Fragapane was forced to move out of her home after enduring a prolonged stalking ordeal at the hands of a teenage girl, a Bristol court has heard.
The 27-year-old athlete, renowned for her accomplishments in gymnastics and her 2016 Strictly semi-final run with partner AJ Pritchard, found her privacy disrupted when a 15-year-old girl allegedly tracked her down and appeared at her doorstep.
Fragapane photographed the teenager after she arrived unannounced, having reportedly located her address through independent efforts described as “detective work”.
Magistrates were told that Fragapane’s sense of safety was shattered. The incident left her gripped by “fear and anxiety”, as detailed in a previously submitted victim impact statement.
Olympic gymnast and Strictly Come Dancing alum Claudia Fragapane was forced to move out of her home(Image: Getty Images)
The teenager, whose identity remains protected due to her age, violated a restraining order that had already been put in place the previous month. On May 5, she once again allegedly tried to initiate contact, further escalating the situation.
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District Judge Lynne Matthews commented on the distress the actions had caused: “Claudia has no idea how]the defendant] found her. She left her own home because of her actions. She’s turned Claudia’s life upside down”.
The court heard the girl is currently not enrolled in school and is awaiting an educational placement.
The athlete previously been honoured as the BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year and claimed four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games(Image: Getty Images)
In response to the breach, she was issued an 18-month rehabilitation order, which includes a requirement to live with her father, supervision for the full duration, and an extended restraining order prohibiting her from approaching Fragapane at any location, including her known address.
Judge Matthews concluded the hearing with a firm warning, saying: “I’d really like it if this was the last time you see me. Stay away from her]Claudia]”.
She emphasised that any further violations would likely result in detention, noting the seriousness of the continued harassment.
Claudia appeared on Strictly in 2016(Image: BBC/Jay Brooks/Matt Burlem)
Fragapane, who was not present in court, has previously been honoured as the BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year and claimed four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games – a record-equalling feat in British gymnastics history.
Born in Bristol, Claudia began gymnastics at age six and trained at Bristol Hawks Gymnastics Club under coaches Helen Potter and Rory Weavers. She announced her retirement from elite gymnastics in February 2024 at age 26, expressing plans to continue in the sport as a coach and choreographer.
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