India’s Kuldeep Yadav, center, celebrates with Ravindra Jadeja, left, Virat Kohli, right, and Washington Sundar (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore)

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has expressed sharp concerns over Washington Sundar’s recent performances with the ball, pointing out that the off-spinner has barely been used across formats in the past few months. Despite Gautam Gambhir’s preference for all-rounders to strengthen the batting depth, Sundar’s bowling has not inspired confidence, leading to limited overs in key situations. In the first two ODIs against South Africa, Sundar bowled only three and four overs respectively, raising questions about whether the management trusts him as a proper wicket-taking option. Although he has made useful contributions with the bat in Tests and T20Is, his bowling form has been shaky for a while.

Kaif did not mince words in his assessment, remarking that Sundar is “not even half of Ashwin” in terms of pure spin ability. He pointed out that captains across formats have repeatedly turned to Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav during pressure phases, bypassing Sundar even when he’s in the XI. “The management should define what Washington’s role really is. Skill-wise, he is nowhere close to Ashwin as a spinner. Across formats, different captains have avoided giving him full overs. When the match gets tight, they always go to Jadeja or Kuldeep. That shows the lack of trust in his wicket-taking ability. He has a lot of work to do on his bowling,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel. Sundar has also struggled with the bat in the ongoing ODI series, scoring just 13 and 1, adding to the scrutiny around his all-round value. Kaif further stated that Sundar currently looks stuck between roles, with neither discipline standing out. “Right now, he looks neither like a reliable bowler nor a dependable batter. You want him to bat more, but his bowling is dipping. His main job is to take wickets; batting is supposed to be a bonus. If his bowling keeps slipping and the team doesn’t give him overs, he’ll fall further behind. He needs clearer direction and must work on his variations and skill set if he wants a long run in international cricket,” he added. The comments put renewed focus on Sundar’s role in the Indian setup as the team continues experimenting ahead of future assignments.

Realty firm Smartworld Developers will invest around Rs 2,000 crore to build its first project in Noida, as part of the company’s plan to expand beyond the Gurugram property market. Smartworld Developers has announced its entry into Noida, which is an important micro-market in the Delhi-NCR. The company has acquired a 6-acre land parcel in Sector 98 along the Noida Expressway through an auction process for Rs 414 crore, it said in a statement. Smartworld Developers will build a mixed-use project comprising premium branded residences, high-street retail, and serviced homes. The company will invest around Rs 2,000 crore to build this project, while the estimated revenue exceeds Rs 3,000 crore. “Entry into Noida is a significant milestone for Smartworld Developers as we further strengthen our presence in the NCR region. Noida’s rapidly evolving infrastructure and its growing importance as a key real estate hub offer immense potential,” said Ashish Jerath, President – Sales & Marketing, Smartworld Developers. The company is in discussions with a leading global brand for a potential collaboration on the Noida project. Smartworld Developers clocked Rs 6,400 crore worth of sales bookings last fiscal year, a remarkable 60 per cent annual growth. Gurugram-based Smartworld Developers has delivered around 6.5 million sq ft to date, and another 20 million sq ft is currently under construction. According to real estate consultant PropTiger data, housing sales across eight major cities fell 95,547 units during the third quarter of this calendar year from 96,544 units in the corresponding period of the preceding year. Sales of residential properties in Delhi-NCR decreased 21 per cent to 7,961 units from 10,098 units, said PropTiger, which Aurum PropTech has recently acquired.

MUMBAI: The sessions court granted anticipatory bail to popular film producer of Jamtara, Manish Trehan, and his brother in law Satwant Singh arrested for cheating an investor of ₹2 crore in a 2022 business deal. The case pertains to October last year when the police booked Manish and Singh for allegedly defrauding a Khar-based businessman, Nihar Lud of ₹2.5 crore. The complaint states that Trehan took the money from Nihar Lud under the pretext of business expansion and financing a film project, which he claimed would be featured on Amazon Prime. Nihar, a 40-year-old businessman who runs a finance service firm, met Trehan in October 2022 through a mutual contact. Police said Singh allegedly impersonated an officer from Amazon and misled the complainant.As per the FIR, Trehan, introducing himself as the director of the advertising editing company Click On RM Pvt Ltd, promised to return the money within a year, along with interest. Trusting this assurance, Nihar transferred ₹2 crore to Trehan for business expansion via an online transaction. Upon asking for repayment, Trehan told Nihar that the money was invested in a film, claiming it was nearly complete, with only editing work left to finish. Trehan further asked Nihar for an additional ₹50 lakh to cover these final costs, promising that the film would be sold to the OTT platform soon, and the money would be returned. Trusting Trehan’s word, Nihar transferred an additional ₹50 lakh on October 5, 2023. This time, Trehan provided a written loan agreement, acknowledging the ₹2.5 crore loan, and issued four post-dated cheques as assurance, to be cashed by March 31, 2024. The public prosecutor objected to his ABA, stating that the accused’s custodial interrogation is necessary for search and seizure operations at the residential and office premises of the accused person for a detailed, in-depth investigation. Advocate Karan Mehta, representing Manish, argued before the court that the complainant tried to implicate his client in a criminal case by concoction, though the facts of the case are purely business transactions and civil in nature. “The investigation is based on documentary evidence. Most of the investigation is completed. The say of the prosecution shows that the accused has given notice under section 35 (3) of BNS for remaining present in the police station for the investigation. There is no contention of the prosecution that the accused is not cooperating during the course of the investigation. The accused submitted that he is a resident of Mumbai and therefore, he will not abscond. He is ready to cooperate for investigation purposes. Under such circumstances, I am inclined to grant him bail,” stated the order of Ashwini Kasture, Additional Sessions Judge. The court held that custodial interrogation was unnecessary and allowed bail on a ₹25,000 bond and ₹10,000 cash security

The vice captain of the Indian Woman’s National Cricket team, Smriti Mandhana was supposed to get married to Palash Muchhal. Their mehendi, haldi, sangeet photos and videos went viral on the internet. They were supposed to get married on November 23, 2025 in Sangli. The ceremony had to be postponed indefinitely after Smriti’s father faced a sudden medical emergency and was rushed to the hospital on the morning of the wedding. Since then, there have been several speculations regarding the wedding and if it will happen. Meanwhile, Smriti has dropped her first post since the wedding was postponed. The superstar cricketer marked her return to social media and posted for the first time after her wedding with Palash got delayed. This video is an ad for a toothpaste brand featuring Smriti with Rahul Dravid where they both discuss oral hygiene.

In the video, Smriti appears in a very casual look and is she is seen answering some questions about cricket and winning the World Cup. But the moment viewers noticed she wasn’t wearing her ring, the comment section was flooded with speculation. While some questioned the timing of the shoot, others wondered if the video was old. This video where Smriti is seen without the ring, only intensified the curiosity. So far, neither Smriti nor her family has issued any official statement regarding the situation. As soon as she posted it, fans welcomed her back online, but many immediately spotted that she wasn’t wearing her engagement ring. However, it still remains unclear whether the advertisement was filmed before her engagement or afterward. Concerned fans also commented on Smriti’s post and asked her if she’s okay. A user said, “You are back… hope you are doing ok and everyone at home as well❤️” Another one wrote, “No nazar to my Queen. 🧿” Meanwhile, Palash has also not spoken up on the matter but his mother had assured that the wedding will surely happen. His mother Amita Muchhal dropped an update on the wedding amidst several reports, rumours and speculations across social media. She has reassured that the wedding has not been called off. She told Hindustan Times, “Smriti and Palash dono takleef mein hain… Palash dreamt of coming home with his bride. I had even planned a special welcome…Everything will be fine, shaadi bohot jaldi hogi.”Amidst all this, Palash was spotted visiting Premanand ji Maharaj.

India and South Africa clash in the series-deciding third ODI at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on December 6, 2025, with the scoreline locked at 1-1 after high-scoring thrillers in Ranchi and Raipur. KL Rahul won the toss and opted to bowl first, citing minimal early dew during training and a balanced pitch favouring chases. India made one change, bringing in Tilak Varma, while South Africa introduced Ryan Rickelton and Ottneil Baartman amid injury concerns.

Reason for Washington Sundar sidelined in the final IND vs SA ODI

Washington Sundar misses out on the third ODI as India prioritizes batting depth over his all-round role following underwhelming contributions in the first two matches. Batting at number five, Sundar scored just 13 and 1 run respectively, while his bowling offered little control on flat tracks.

Captain KL Rahul emphasized minimal changes post strong team showings but confirmed the swap for Tilak Varma to bolster middle-order firepower against South Africa’s attack. This move ends an experiment with Sundar in the top order, allowing Jadeja to anchor spin duties alone.

“Just trying to sharpen a couple of things in the field and the results will go our way. One change. Washington Sundar misses out and Tilak Varma comes in,” Rahul said during the toss.

Also READ: Explained: Why no Rinku Singh in India’s T20I squad for South Africa series?

South Africa grapple with injury blows in the series decider

Tony de Zorzi and Nandre Burger sit out due to hamstring injuries sustained in the second ODI in Raipur, ruling them out for weeks and forcing South Africa’s two changes. De Zorzi retired hurt on 17 during the chase after a right hamstring strain in the 45th over, while Burger limped off mid-over with right hamstring discomfort.

Captain Temba Bavuma noted scans confirmed their absence, paving the way for Rickelton’s opening slot and Baartman’s pace role to maintain balance. These absences test Proteas’ depth in the high-stakes finale, where a good start could set up a defendable total on the batting-friendly Visakhapatnam strip.

“We’ve got two changes. Rickelton and Baartman come in. Both of them (Burger and de Zorzi) sustained injuries in the last ODI, I think they’ll be out for a couple of weeks. It’ll give another opportunity for Baartman and Rickelton to deliver,” Bavuma informed during the toss.

Both teams’ XI for the final ODI showdown

South Africa: Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman

India: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (wk/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna

Also READ: Harbhajan Singh slams critics questioning Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s place in the ODI World Cup 2027

Defending champions Argentina and strong contenders Spain received favourable draws for the 2026 World Cup during a star-studded ceremony. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Defending champions Argentina and strong contenders Spain received favourable draws for the 2026 World Cup during a star-studded ceremony.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Lionel Messi’s Argentina will kick off their title defense — following their triumph in Qatar 2022 — against Algeria, before facing Austria and debutants Jordan in Group J.

Spain, European champions and among the tournament favorites, will begin their campaign against first-time qualifiers Cape Verde, with Uruguay and Saudi Arabia completing Group H.

Two-time winners France face challenging tests in Group I against Senegal and Erling Haaland’s Norway, with the group rounded out by an intercontinental play-off winner from Iraq, Bolivia, or Suriname.For the first time, the draw was structured to keep the four highest-ranked teams apart — meaning Spain, Argentina, France, and England cannot meet before the semi-finals, should they all top their respective groups.Key reactions from coaches after the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington on Friday:Roberto Martinez, coach of Portugal. Drawn with Uzbekistan, a qualifier and Colombia in Group K:“I think contenders is the right word. But I think the favorites are the teams that have won the World Cup before because there is a psychological aspect… I think we have to grow still, but we are full of hope and excitement. “The 1966 team of Eusebio is the reference point for us… We have won the European Championship and the Nations League and now I think it is very important that we should be able to fight for the dream we all have, to do something we have never done before.”On Cristiano Ronaldo’s longevity: “I think the secret he has is that he works every day as if it were the last day of his career… He never loses his hunger, he is an example for all of us. He is our captain, a reference for us, and very important for us.”Walid Regragui, coach of Morocco. Drawn with Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in Group C.“We’re playing against one of the favorites (Brazil) right from the start, and they are playing one of the favorites right from the start,” a confident Regragui said of Morocco’s opening match against the five-time World Cup winners.“Whatever happens, Brazil remain Brazil. They are always potential winners. Having one of the potential winners in our group, and to play them in the first game, is never easy. They have picked up one of best coaches in the world (Carlo Ancelotti) with lots of experience — he will give them serenity. We will try to be up to the task to make our fans proud.”Steve Clarke, coach of Scotland. Drawn with Brazil, Morocco and Haiti in Group C:“Brazil are an institution, if you like, they are one of the top teams. You always want to play against Brazil, so we have the chance to do that and I am pretty sure we will give them a good game.“It will be a tough game as always — it will be (the) third game in the group. Hopefully we (will) have some points in the bag before we play them, but to get to a World Cup for a country like Scotland, it has taken us a long time to get back here — 1998 was the last time, so we were determined to get there and do well… Every game in the World Cup is special –- we don’t get there very often so every game is special for us.”Bubista, coach of first-time qualifiers Cape Verde. Drawn with Spain, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H:“We want to show people who we are (and) play with heart, a good attitude and a lot of humility. It is not a matter of being afraid of Spain. I am pleased to be playing against Spain because I played in Spain for (club side) Badajoz. It is just about enjoying the game, against a team we obviously need to be very wary of.“It means a lot for us, for our country –- everyone will be watching. Our country will be better known around the world… We won our qualifying group and we are very proud to be in our first World Cup.”Dick Advocaat, coach of Curacao, also making their World Cup debut. Drawn with Germany,Ivory Coast and Ecuador in Group E:“Three difficult teams for us but in principle every game is difficult. It is exciting to play there at the highest level and we will see what we can do. “One thing is that we have a team with a lot of fighters and I know from experience we are always difficult to beat, so every opponent we come up against will have to play very well. It is exciting for the island, the people are so proud.”(With inputs from AFP)

After the toss, KL Rahul was seen exclaiming “yess” and making a fist pump. (BCCI Photo)

NEW DELHI: India captain KL Rahul was elated and couldn’t hide his emotions after winning the toss in the third and final ODI against South Africa at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. India had lost the toss 20 times in a row before today’s match, and luck finally swung back their way when KL Rahul walked out and won it. The last time India had won the toss in an ODI was during the CWC 2023 semi-final against New Zealand at Wankhede.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!After the toss, KL Rahul was seen exclaiming “yess” and making a fist pump.

“We’ll bowl,” KL Rahul said.“We trained here last night and the feedback from the coaches was that there was dew, but it didn’t come in as early as Ranchi and Raipur. We were obviously planning to bowl second, keeping our track record in mind. I don’t think it’s going to play such a big part like Raipur and Ranchi. But, we just want to change the total and see how we can bowl first.It looks like a good wicket. For me and from the leadership group, we’re really happy with the way we played in the last two games. I know from the outside, 360 being chased down looks like a lot is going wrong. But considering the conditions and considering the way our teams are lined up, I think we did really well. There’s a lot of positives to take and I’m really happy with the way we bowled and batted. The chat obviously has been to keep doing the same thing and stay consistent with what we’re doing and stay consistent with that process. We know that the results will follow. Not many things that we’re looking to change. Just trying to sharpen a couple of things in the field and the results will go our way,” he added.“One change. Washington Sundar misses out and Tilak Varma comes in,” the Indian skipper confirmed.On the other hand, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma made two changes to his side.Watch the video here“We would have bowled first. A good start upfront will set it up for the middle order, we’ll try and put a competitive score on the board and then hopefully defend it. It’s been entertaining, hasn’t it? From the red ball stuff now to the white ball stuff. The crowd has come out and I’m sure they’ll be rooting for the Indian side. Today is another important one and like always, we’ll do our best to make sure we’re on the right side of the result,” Bavuma said.“We’ve got two changes. Rickelton and Baartman come in. Both of them (Burger and de Zorzi) sustained injuries in the last ODI, I think they’ll be out for a couple of weeks. It’ll give another opportunity for Baartman and Rickelton to deliver,” he added.South Africa (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock (w), Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil BaartmanIndia (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg seems to have finally realised that one of the company’s biggest bets — Metaverse — is not working (or not working as expected). It is also the technology that the company changed its very name after. In 2021, after 17 years of being called Facebook, the social networking parent company behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus changed its name to Meta. Now according to a report from Bloomberg, Meta is likely to slash its Reality Labs budget, shaving off as much as 30%. The proposed metaverse cuts are reportedly part of the company’s annual budget planning for 2026, which included a series of meetings at Zuckerberg’s compound in Hawaii last month.For those unaware, Metaverse unit works on virtual reality headsets and a VR-based social network, which produces the company’s Quest mixed-reality headsets, smart glasses made with EssilorLuxottica’s Ray-Ban and upcoming augmented-reality glasses. Meta has struggled to sell its vision of an immersive metaverse of interconnected virtual worlds and expand the market for its devices beyond the niche of the gaming community. Analysts see the move reflecting the overall lack of interest in products like Meta’s social virtual reality platform Horizon Worlds, as well as its virtual reality hardware — both in the industry at large, as well as among consumers.

$70 billion in losses and counting

Zuckerberg’s Metaverse vision has posted more than $70 billion in losses over the past four years. Little doubt then that Facebook parent’s shares rose 4% as the move eased some investor jitters over a bet that CEO Mark Zuckerberg has backed with billions of dollars. “Smart move, just late,” told Huber Research Partners analyst Craig Huber to Bloomberg. He added, “This seems a major shift to align costs with a revenue outlook that surely is not as prosperous as management thought years ago.“

Layoffs may be coming to Meta

Reality Labs is made up of a Metaverse unit and a wearables unit. Within the Metaverse unit, executives are reportedly considering making cuts to VR jobs. As the report says, cuts in resources that high are most likely to include layoffs as early as January.

Where budget cuts may go

The report comes as Meta scrambles to stay relevant in Silicon Valley’s artificial-intelligence race after its Llama 4 model met with a poor reception. To fuel its ambitious goals, Meta hascommitted as much as $72 billion in capital spending this year. The company reorganized its AI efforts under Superintelligence Labs earlier this year, with Zuckerberg said to be personally leading an aggressive talent acquisition, floating offers for startups and directly courting prospects on WhatsApp with million-dollar pay packages. In fact, Meta’s big hiring is said to have triggered a talent war in the Silicon Valley. Last month, Meta Platforms said that it will invest $600 billion in the US infrastructure and jobs over the next three years, including artificial intelligence data centers. Meta has doubled down on AI, with a target of achieving superintelligence. Zuckerberg said Meta is building compute because “it’s the right strategy to aggressively front-load capacity so we’re prepared for the most optimistic cases,” on the company’s recent earnings call. Meta has forecast “notably larger” capital expenses next year thanks to investments in artificial intelligence, including aggressively building data centers to power its AI push.Incidentally, earlier this week, Zuckerberg announced that Alan Dye, a longtime designer at Apple, is joining Meta to lead a new creative studio inside the Reality Labs division that would focus on design, fashion and technology. Dye will report to Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s chief technology officer, who leads Reality Labs. “We’re entering a new era where A.I. glasses and other devices will change how we connect with technology and each other,” Mr. Zuckerberg said in a post to Threads. “With this new studio, we’re focused on making every interaction thoughtful, intuitive, and built to serve people.”