The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a fresh-looking 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, beginning November 30. With regular captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer sidelined due to injuries, senior wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has been entrusted with leadership duties. The series marks an important phase in India’s preparation cycle as the team continues to test its depth ahead of a packed 2026 calendar.

KL Rahul returns as captain amid injury setbacks

Rahul, who remains India’s preferred wicketkeeper in ODIs, returns to the leadership role at a time when the team has been hit by multiple injury concerns. Gill is currently undergoing medical evaluation in Mumbai after sustaining a neck injury during the opening Test against South Africa. The incident forced him to withdraw from the remainder of the Test series, with Rishabh Pant stepping in as stand-in captain. Shreyas Iyer, too, has not recovered in time, prompting the selectors to explore alternate combinations.

Despite Pant’s inclusion, the national selectors have opted to retain Dhruv Jurel in the squad. The young wicketkeeper impressed with his composure on the Australia tour and continues to remain in the mix as part of India’s long-term plans.

Fresh additions as Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant strengthen the squad

The ODI setup sees the return of several key players, including Ravindra Jadeja, Pant, Tilak Varma and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Jadeja’s comeback means Axar Patel misses out after a lukewarm performance in Australia. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj is being rested with the selectors prioritising workload management ahead of back-to-back Test commitments.

Tilak and Gaikwad, both highly rated in India’s white-ball structure, are expected to play crucial roles in the middle order. Their inclusion signals a continued push to provide opportunities to emerging talents, especially with Hardik Pandya still unavailable. Consequently, young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy holds his spot after positive displays in recent outings.

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Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli headline batting unit; limited pace resource

India’s batting department carries a blend of experience and youth. Veteran stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will provide the much-needed stability at the top, while Yashasvi Jaiswal could be in line to add to his solitary ODI appearance.

However, India’s pace attack appears relatively thin for this tour. With Siraj and Bumrah resting after the Test series, the selectors have named only three specialist fast bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna. This means the spin trio of Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar will shoulder a significant share of the bowling workload.

The ODI leg begins in Ranchi on November 30 before moving to Raipur on December 3. The final match will be played in Visakhapatnam on December 6. After the 50-over series, both teams will gear up for a five-match T20I contest.

India’s squad for South Africa ODIs: KL Rahul (c/wk), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel

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PM Narendra Modi participated in the IBSA Leaders’ Meeting on G20 margins, stressing that UNSC reform is imperative, and said that there should be no room for double standards while fighting terrorism. PM Modi joined the trilateral mechanism meet hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and attended also by Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.While all three countries have had their share of problems with the US under Trump, diplomatic sources played down suggestions that the meeting was a response to the Americans as they cited the fact that a substantive IBSA summit meeting took place on the margins of 2024 G20 summit too in Rio.The US boycotted the G20 summit in South Africa because of alleged mistreatment of white Afrikaners.PM Modi said global institutions do not reflect the realities of 21st century. “None of us is a permanent member of UN Security Council. This clearly demonstrates that global institutions no longer represent today’s world. Therefore, IBSA must send a unified message to the world: institutional reform is not an option but imperative,” he said. “Similarly, we must work in close coordination in the fight against terrorism. On an issue of such gravity, there can be no room for double standards. For the sake of global peace and prosperity, united and decisive action is essential,” he added, calling for institutionalising the NSA-level meeting of the countries to strengthen security cooperation.Describing the meeting as timely, PM Modi noted it coincided with the first G20 summit on African soil and marked the culmination of four consecutive G20 presidencies by Global South countries, of which the last three were by IBSA members. This, he said, had resulted in several important initiatives focused on human-centric development, multilateral reform and sustainable growth. Modi emphasised IBSA is not just a group of three countries but an important platform connecting three continents, three major democratic nations and three major economies.“Highlighting technology’s crucial role in ensuring human-centric development, the PM proposed establishing an ‘IBSA Digital Innovation Alliance’ to facilitate sharing of Digital Public Infrastructure like UPI, health platforms like CoWIN, cybersecurity frameworks and women-led tech initiatives among the countries,” said an Indian readout, adding the PM also emphasised IBSA’s potential to contribute to development of safe, trustworthy and human-centric AI norms. He invited IBSA leaders to the AI summit next year.“Appreciating IBSA Fund’s work in supporting projects across 40 countries in sectors like education, health, women empowerment and solar energy, the PM proposed IBSA Fund for Climate Resilient Agriculture to further advance South-South Cooperation,” said the Indian government.

South Africa’s Senuran Muthusamy at the Test match between India and South Africa. (Image: AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

South African all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy, who had a disappointing debut in India in 2019, made a remarkable comeback by scoring a crucial 109 runs against India in 2025. His performance came after successful outings in Pakistan where he took 11 wickets in the first Test and scored 89 not out in the second Test, demonstrating his improved ability to play in subcontinental conditions.Muthusamy entered to bat when South Africa was at 201 for five, turning the situation around with his century. This marks a significant turnaround from his 2019 debut series in India where he managed only two wickets in two Tests.

“My journey’s been unique. Got a taste of international cricket in 2019 in India, debuted here, went back into the wilderness a little bit. Like you say, cricket is such a journey that you just try to take it one day at a time. You try not to think too far ahead. But there were times, especially after 2019, where I wasn’t sure if I’d ever play Test cricket again and certainly not in India after we lost that series,” Muthusamy reflected.“So just really grateful for the support that I’ve got back home, for the people that are really close with me, the coaches, the support staff here, the players, my family back home, my friends. They’ve been incredible.”After his debut series, Muthusamy had to wait four years to play his third Test, spending time in domestic cricket. He has also worked with sports scientist Cheryl Calder to enhance his performance.“Yeah, it’s fantastic, especially having come through to India in 2019 and we lost the series pretty badly. So, yeah, I’ve gone back to domestic cricket and I’ve managed to work my way back into the national set-up and I’m just really grateful for the opportunity to be in India and to put in a performance like that in the first innings is an awesome experience.”Muthusamy, whose ancestors are from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu, has never visited his ancestral town, though his mother and aunts have maintained connections with their extended family there.“Of course, I’m of Indian heritage, but that was quite a few generations ago. So my roots are in the south, in Tamil Nadu, my mum and my aunt have been to visit our extended family on that end of India, I haven’t been there as yet.”The all-rounder sees himself as a versatile player who can contribute in multiple ways to the team.“I see myself as an all-rounder, so I try to contribute where I can towards the team’s cause, whether it be bowling spin on the field or with the bat. I just try to add as much value as I can.”He praised his teammates Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen for their batting performances.“With Kyle this morning, it was against a new ball and obviously with a nine o’clock start, we expected it to be really tough and for them to really test us and they did. So, I thought he batted really, really well. That was an awesome partnership to really set up the innings. And Marco was sublime when he came in. You guys know him really well from his T20 exploits, especially in India. He’s got fantastic levers. He’s a clean striker of the ball and he really, really showed his skills today. So, that was an awesome treat to watch from the other end.”

The TOI correspondent from Washington:

Tragedy struck with brutal finality at the Dubai airshow when an Indian Air Force Tejas fighter jet crashed during a negative-G manoeuvre, killing Wing Commander Namansh Syal and plunging the biennial spectacle into grief. Hours later, a heartfelt Instagram post from US F-16 demonstration pilot Taylor “FEMA” Hiester cut through the noise, emerging as a stark reminder of the bond that unites aviators across flags and frontiers. Hiester, a captain with US Air Force’s Thunderbirds-inspired demo team, was prepping for his own routine when the Tejas went down and erupted in flames. His reflective post – shared with 150,000 followers – captured shock, sorrow and solidarity. He revealed that his team chose to withdraw from their final performance, a rare step in a world driven by tight schedules and multimillion-dollar deals.“Though the show made the shocking decision to continue with the flying schedule, our team along with a few others made the decision to cancel our final performance out of respect to the pilot, his colleagues and family,” Hiester, 34, wrote.He described walking past the Tejas crew, motionless beside an “empty parking spot”, ladder still on the ramp, the pilot’s belongings untouched in his rental car. “I suppose each of us contemplated their new reality that came in an instant,” he added – an image that distilled the dread every fighter pilot carries into the cockpit.As the airshow pressed ahead with upbeat announcements, Hiester felt uneasy. Crowds cheered, sponsors were thanked, and a closing line – “Congratulations to all of our sponsors… we’ll see you in 2027” – clashed sharply with the grief still hanging over the tarmac. “It was uncomfortable for me for a lot of reasons, some of them selfish,” he wrote, imagining his own team breaking down their gear amid blaring music and carnival energy.That dissonance became a “gift”: a reminder that beyond rockstar treatment and sponsor demands, what endures are the teammates who become family, he wrote. “The people you invest in, the people that you love and the people that love you back… will be the only way you live past your own individual end,” Hiester concluded.The Texas-born F-16 Viper pilot with over 1,500 flight hours has become an emblem of the global aviator brotherhood – one in which an American ace grieves an Indian pilot with the intimacy of shared skies. Tributes filled forums and pilot circles. “Humanity and camaraderie is still alive. Long live the brotherhood of men in uniform,” wrote one user.

Navi Mumbai: Compassion isn’t a word Reuben Philip takes lightly. He owes his life to a stranger’s act of love as he lay beside his dying mother in a Bhandup slum 26 years ago. The mother had just one request: take the child; there was no one else to care for him. The man, pastor K M Philip, picked up the sickly nine-month-old, rushed him to hospital and soon took on the role of a father. Reuben (27) was the pastor’s first rescue and it led to many more by his group, Social and Evangelical Association for Love (SEAL), which marked its 26th foundation day on Saturday.“Had pastor Philip not visited the slum that day and noticed my mother, I don’t think I would have been here today. Compassion saved my life that day,” said Reuben, who was raised by the SEAL family. He completed a diploma course after Class 12 and now helps with administrative work at SEAL’s Panvel shelter that houses 370 inmates. Pastor Philip said it was a chance visit to the slum during a short trip to the city that changed the course of his and others’ lives. “I was scheduled to return to my hometown in Kerala shortly when I picked up Reuben. I had to extend my stay. One thing led to another, and we kept moving ahead, one rescue after another, and I settled down in Navi Mumbai permanently.” Abraham Mathai, former vice-chairperson of the state minorities commission and founder of NGO Harmony Foundation, who attended SEAL’s celebrations, said the group has also been responsible for nearly 700 reunifications of homeless, destitute and lost people with their families. IAS officer Siddharth Ramkumar, entrepreneur Meena Pathak, CEO of PixieStays Nisha Koul, and former actor-turned-sanyasi Mamta Kulkarni were among those who attended the celebrations. Kulkarni’s elder sister, Mithila Kulkarni, had lived at the shelter for a few years till her death in 2023. She recently visited the ashram to express her gratitude to the caregivers. On Saturday, she reiterated that she was “eternally grateful”. Asked about his future plans, the pastor said, “Our plan is to continue rescuing homeless people and ensure that govt also gets fully involved in this work. It is unjust if people simply die on roads for want of basic medical care.”

Mumbai: Between April and Oct, ticket-checking teams of Central Railway (CR) identified and penalised 9.6 lakh cases of irregular travel, recovering penalties totalling Rs 40 crore. These efforts covered both Mail and Express trains as well as suburban services, including AC and non-AC locals.This move came after a concerted effort to curb fraudulent ticketing and ensure a fair travel experience for passengers. Western Railway (WR) and CR have intensified their vigilance and enforcement measures across their networks. During Oct and Nov, WR was proactive in identifying and addressing cases of ticket fraud.In CR, AC locals accounted for 71,045 cases with a penalty of Rs 2.2 crore, first-class coaches had 91,837 cases with Rs 2.9 crore in penalties, second-class coaches saw 698,248 cases with Rs 33.6 crore in penalties, differences in fares in Mail & Express trains resulted in 13,301 cases with Rs 71 lakh in penalties, and unbooked luggage accounted for 88,713 cases with Rs 98 lakh in penalties.In Oct alone, CR recorded 1.3 lakh cases of irregular travel, realising Rs 6.1 crore in penalties, said CR chief spokesperson Swapnil Nila.To further bolster enforcement on AC suburban services, CR introduced a dedicated AC local ticket-checking squad in the Mumbai division, which operates 1,810 services daily, including 80 AC locals. This squad, supported by a 24/7 WhatsApp complaint number, was instrumental in recovering an average of Rs 1.1 lakh daily from unauthorised travellers.WR’s vigilance efforts led to the detection of four significant fraud cases involving forged mobile tickets, fake tatkal reserved tickets, and misuse of concessions. In the first case, ticket checker Pradeep Kumar uncovered a digitally altered Rs 15 ticket in an AC suburban local, leading to the detention of the passenger, said WR chief spokesperson Vineet Abhishek. “Similarly, ticket checker Mohammad Zahid Qureshi identified two passengers misusing the Handicapped (HP) quota on a long-distance train, resulting in their deboarding. Qureshi, alongside another checker, Abdul Aziz, also detected a fake tatkal reserved ticket purchased from an unauthorised agent. Lastly, ticket checker Sai Prasad discovered a tampered mobile ticket in an AC suburban local,” he said. All offenders were handed over to Govt Railway Police (GRP) for further action.

CHANDIGARH: Central govt seeks to bring Union Territory of Chandigarh under Article 240 of Constitution by tabling the 131st Amendment Bill in winter session of Parliament, similar to other UTs like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu. The politically sensitive move has sparked a storm of protest in Punjab, from governing AAP to opposition Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal.

“This amendment is against the interests of Punjab. We strongly oppose it and won’t allow this conspiracy being hatched by central govt against Punjab to succeed. Only Punjab has the right over Chandigarh, which was built by destroying the villages of our Punjab. We will not give up our rights. We will take whatever steps are necessary for that,” CM Bhagwant Mann posted on X.

Chandigarh is administered by the Punjab governor. With the new law, it is likely to be administered by an independent administrator. The move is being seen as a bid to delink Chandigarh from Punjab. It may open another Punjab vs Delhi war soon after the skirmish over restructuring of Panjab University senate in which Centre took a U-turn.Chandigarh was designated a Union Territory in 1966 and has since been governed directly by central govt rather than Punjab or Haryana, even though it serves as the two states’ joint capital. The role of Chandigarh administrator has been held by the Punjab governor since 1984. Earlier this year, Centre abolished the post of “advisor to administrator” and redesignated it as “chief secretary”.

Non-BJP parties join hands to oppose Centre’s move

The Article 240 move has brought together non-BJP parties who see it as an attempt to “snatch” Chandigarh from Punjab.Punjab LoP Partap Singh Bajwa urged political parties in Punjab to unite against BJP-led Union govt’s “highly sensitive amendment”. “This Bill is a clear attempt to weaken Punjab’s historical, constitutional, and emotional claim over its own capital,” he said, accusing Centre of eroding Punjab’s rights “whether on Chandigarh, river waters, or Panjab University”.“BJP-led Centre’s antiPunjab agenda is now out in the open. Because Punjabis do not elect BJP, Centre seems intent on penalising state. This mindset is discriminatory, divisive, and completely unacceptable,” he asserted. Bajwa sought to remind Centre of the farmers’ movement and Panjab University Bachao Morcha as recent examples of Punjab’s collective strength.Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring warned Centre against the proposed 131st Constitutional Amendment. Calling the move “totally uncalled for”, he expressed hope better sense would prevail in Centre and that it would refrain from legislating such a provision. “Chandigarh belongs to Punjab, and any attempt to snatch it away will have serious repercussions,” he cautioned, adding central govt should not make such a misadventure and must make necessary amendments in the proposed Bill. Senior Congress functionary Pargat Singh saw it as “part of a pattern”, and said, “The assault has been years in the making — pushing for a separate Haryana assembly inside Chandigarh, plotting to convert Panjab University into a central university, reducing Punjab-cadre officers in Chandigarh administration, dissolving Panjab University’s elected senate, and now using Article 240 to turn Chandigarh into a regular UT, completely severed from Punjab. It’s a blatant, unconstitutional attack on Punjab’s capital and federal rights.”Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney stressed Punjab’s claim on Chandigarh had historical significance as it became Punjab’s capital after Partition when Lahore went to Pakistan. Following the 1966 Punjab Reorganisation, the city became the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana and, under multiple accords, Centre promised to transfer Chandigarh to Punjab. Sahney urged all MPs from Punjab to immediately meet the Union home minister.