&w=3840&q=100)
'I just need some sleep and food': Divya Deshmukh's first reaction after making history at FIDE World Cup
Divya Deshmukh made history on Wednesday by becoming the first Indian to reach the final of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. The 19-year-old International Master defeated China's Tan Zhongyi 1.5-0.5 in the semifinals to secure her place in the summit clash.
With this achievement, Divya has also qualified for next year's prestigious Women's Candidates Tournament.
Divya's reaction after historic win
After the intense match, Divya was almost at a loss for words. 'Thank you so much for all your love and support. I don't really have much to say. My thoughts are not clear right now,' she said.
'I need some sleep. These days have been so anxious. I just need some sleep and some food,' she added with a smile, looking exhausted after a gruelling victory.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Right after her win, 🇮🇳 Divya Deshmukh thanks her fans — and says all she needs now is 'some sleep… and some food.' 😄#FIDEWorldCup @DivyaDeshmukh05 pic.twitter.com/62ceK9lZ2n — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 23, 2025
The Indian youngster sealed her place in the final after winning with white pieces in Game 2 of the semifinal clash. The first game had ended in a draw where Divya played with black pieces.
Divya's journey to the final has been nothing short of spectacular. She first shocked China's Zhu Jiner with a 2.5-1.5 win in the fourth round. She then defeated Indian Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli in the quarterfinals, winning 3-1 after back-to-back draws in the classical games.
There is still a chance for an all-Indian final. Grandmaster Koneru Humpy is facing China's top seed Lei Tingjie in the other semifinal. The two have drawn both their classical games and will now play tie-breaks on Thursday to decide the second finalist.
If Humpy wins, it will be a historic moment for Indian chess with two Indians contesting the FIDE Women's World Cup final. Divya will now get a two-day break before her final game.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
2 minutes ago
- Hans India
'Bumrah might retire from Test cricket soon', says Kaif after pacer's low-key performance in Manchester
New Delhi: Former India batter Mohammad Kaif made a shocking revelation that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah might retire from red-ball cricket after failing to give his 100 per cent on the field in the ongoing fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. Bumrah has so far bowled 28 overs in England's first innings and returned with the figures of 1-95. His only dismissal was Jamie Smith in the final session of play on Friday. It was not about getting wickets but his pace has noticeably dipped in the ongoing fourth Test, where he's mostly operating in the 130-135 kmph range - a marked drop from the speeds he clocked during the series opener in Headingley. In both the Leeds and Lord's Tests, the 31-year-old consistently touched 140 kmph. "Jasprit Bumrah, I feel, will not play in the upcoming Test matches and might retire as well. He is struggling with his body and his pace has dropped in this Test match. He is an honest man and if he feels that he's not able to give 100 per cent to the country, he will rule himself out. Not getting wickets is one thing, but the pace has also dropped to 125-130 kmph," Kaif said in a video posted on X. Concerns deepened when Bumrah was seen clutching his ankle during the second session, though he did return to bowl later in the day. Even the commentators noted that he appeared to be holding back, bowling within himself and approaching the crease cautiously. With Bumrah already scheduled to feature in only three of the five Tests due to workload management, Kaif suggested that fans may need to start adjusting to the prospect of seeing less of him in the longest format moving forward. "There is no doubt about his passion and commitment, but he is losing out on his body. His non-performance in this Test, clearly speaks that he will have problems in playing Test matches ahead and might not even play in Tests. After Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ashwin, the Indian fans have to prepare themselves for playing without Bumrah. I hope my prediction comes out wrong, but what I saw is what I'm speaking of," the former batter added.
Mint
2 minutes ago
- Mint
Jasprit Bumrah achieves unwanted Test record in Manchester en route to India pacer's 100 int'l wickets against England
Jasprit Bumrah achieved an unwanted Test record in Manchester on Saturday en route to his century of wickets against England in international cricket. Having started the ongoing fourth Test on 98 wickets, Bumrah dismissed Jamie Smith on day three before shattering Lian Dawson's stumps on the fourth day to become the fourth Indian to join the 100-club at Old Trafford. Bumrah thus joined legendary Kapil Dev, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja to take 100 wickets against England in international cricket. However, in the process, Bumrah conceded 100-plus runs for the first time in his Test career, since making his India debut in 2018.
Hindustan Times
2 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Gautam Gambhir's self-inflicted chaos shreds Anshul Kamboj's confidence; Kuldeep Yadav's omission shows pig-headedness
When Anshul Kamboj arrived in Manchester early this week to link up with the Indian Test team, there was a sense of optimism. Hope, yes, but also the belief that he was the real deal. That he wouldn't become a one-Test blunder. That he had a long, promising future ahead of him. India's Anshul Kamboj bowls a delivery against England in Manchetser(PTI) After all, the 24-year-old had stacked up an impressive CV of rave reviews. From Stephen Fleming, his coach at Chennai Super Kings. From R Ashwin, the now-retired off-spinner, India's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests. And most significantly, from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former India captain who isn't given to singing paeans of praise easily. Kamboj is strong. He is young – only 24 – but he has a reasonable volume of work in first-class cricket. He is exciting, capable of bowling in the mid-130s, hitting the deck, coming on to the bat faster than it would appear at first sight. A great addition to the Test side, one thought, to back up Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in the injury-enforced absences of Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh. There was little to suggest in the lead-up to the fourth Test that the lad from Haryana did not belong. In his two net sessions at Old Trafford, he ran in briskly, hurried India's best batters, seemed unaffected by his sudden elevation to a dressing-room that contained, among others, the world's best bowler. When he received his Test cap from Deep Dasgupta, the India stumper turned commentator, on Wednesday morning, one couldn't help but marvel at his journey from Karnal to Manchester. It didn't take long for the bubble to burst. After India had wended their way to 358 on being put in – Kamboj was out for a duck, perhaps a portent of things to come – he was given the new ball alongside Bumrah, ahead of Siraj. Hmmm, here we go… The first ball, to the aggressive Ben Duckett, was a gentle, friendly 76 mph offering. Eyebrows were raised in the press box, questioning looks exchanged. 'Nerves', we told each other. 'Let him settle down.' As if to buttress the point, he produced a nasty next ball that climbed wickedly, pinged the left-handed Duckett on his glove and flew just wide of stand-in keeper Dhruv Jurel, down to fine-leg for four. Who knows what might have happened had it stuck, had Jurel pulled off a screamer. We do know what actually happened, don't we? After his first three days in Test cricket, Kamboj has figures of 18-1-89-1, his lone wicket a gift from Duckett, who feathered a short, wide, innocuous delivery to Jurel six short of his hundred. If it was possible, Kamboj's pace on day three dropped even further – from 128-plus on Thursday to barely above 125. It did little to enhance India's hard-earned recent reputation as the land of promising quicks, a reputation now in tatters with numerous quicks picking up non-cricketing injuries. 'I wish I could give you that answer (about Kamboj's lack of pace), because I would have told him then how to bowl quicker,' Morne Morkel, the former South African pacer who is one of India's assistant coaches, acknowledged with a rueful smile. 'He arrived here, he bowled well in the nets, and we went with that. Why were the speeds so low? That is something we're working on. But he was definitely quicker when we saw him in the India 'A' games (in England in May-June) and in some of the games back home.' India aren't in trouble in the fourth Test merely because of Kamboj – Bumrah and Siraj tasted their first successes in their 24th and 25th overs respectively and offie Washington Sundar, despite four second-innings wickets at Lord's, wasn't pressed into service till the 69th over. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, his support group and captain Shubman Gill must offer more convincing explanations surrounding the repeated omission of Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm wrist-spinner is a novelty in Test cricket and England don't play wrist-spin well. The Old Trafford pitch is quite dry, all the more reason for Kuldeep to play, but in their desire to bolster batting depth, India have chosen to omit their second most potent bowling weapon. Maybe they will field him at The Oval next week. Maybe by then, the horse would have bolted to another continent. Being too clever by half is a real thing. India have been that, and more. Many of their left-field calls have worked, such as playing both Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington in Birmingham. Others haven't, among them pushing Karun Nair up to No. 3 in the second and third Tests. No prizes for guessing in which category Kamboj's inclusion, ahead of Prasidh Krishna, falls. Or, for that matter, the pig-headedness when it comes to Kuldeep. A potential third straight series loss is pretty much of India's own making – on the field, yes, but emphatically off it too.
