India’s explosive wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has always been a batter who refuses to follow the rule book, and that fearless style continues to trouble even the most disciplined bowlers in Tests. Rishabh Pant’s ability to surprise opponents with unexpected shots makes setting a plan against him extremely difficult, and Australian fast bowler Scott Boland knows this better than most.

Unpredictable and Fearless: Why Rishabh Pant Is a Nightmare for Scott Boland

Recently, Scott Boland has delivered a significant verdict on the most challenging opponent of his Test career. Despite bowling to several modern greats, Boland singled out Rishabh Pant, as the toughest batter he has ever faced because of his unpredictable nature at the crease.

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This admission highlights the unique and disruptive impact Pant has, even on the world’s most disciplined bowlers. Pant and Boland faced each other for the first time in Test cricket during India’s tour of Australia in 2024-25. The Australian pacer dismissed the left-handed batter twice, playing a key role in Australia reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year.

Even though Boland featured in only three of the five tests, his impact was outstanding against India. He finished as the third-highest wicket-taker with 21 wickets at an impressive average of 13.19, showing how lethal he can be in home conditions.

The ‘Pant Problem’: Unpredictability Personified

During a recent rapid-fire interaction organized by Grassroot Cricket, Boland was asked by a young female cricketer about the most difficult batter he has ever bowled to, and he was quick to name the Indian wicketkeeper-batter. He said that it is the constant uncertainty that makes Pant so difficult.

The Aussie star explained that a delivery that looks perfect one moment can disappear into the stands the next, and the very same ball can then be defended calmly on the following delivery. He noted that this mix of aggression and control makes it hard for bowlers to settle into a rhythm or stick to one clear plan against the Indian wicketkeeper-batter.

Scott Boland said on Grassroot Cricket: “Rishabh Pant from India. He’s someone who’s very unpredictable. So, I feel like sometimes he slogs you for six, and you bowl the same ball, and he blocks it. So, he is very hard to bowl to.”

Read Also: Rishabh Pant sends strong message to selector Ajit Agarkar with magnificent half-century in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Scott Boland names the most special wicket of his career

In the same rapid-fire interaction, Boland also revealed that dismissing Virat Kohli in the second innings of the Sydney Test remains the most special wicket of his career so far. It was a moment that strengthened his growing reputation as a big-match bowler in the Tests.

A Duel of Respect: Context from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Well, the respect between Pant and Boland has been mutual. Earlier this year during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Pant acknowledged Boland’s skill, accuracy, and control, especially his ability to hit the right areas consistently in the longest format of the game.

Pant had stated on the Australia tour, “I think he’s been an amazing bowler. The way he bowls line and lengths, especially in Test cricket, is quite difficult because he’s so used to playing in the condition, and you don’t feel like he’s playing his first initial matches. It feels like he’s been there for a long period of time, and that’s the kind of experience.”

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi & PM Narendra Modi (PTI)

As the year drew to a close, Indian cricket found itself sharing space with an unfamiliar kind of headline. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, still three months short of his 15th birthday, was named a recipient of the Prime Minister’s National Award for Children, the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar. It is the country’s highest civilian honour for achievers between the ages of five and 18. No cricketer had ever received it before. That alone set him apart. The fact that he now sits alongside names like chess stars R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali only underlined how extraordinary his rise has been.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi (@NarendraModi/YT via PTI Photo)

The award felt like a natural conclusion to a year in which Sooryavanshi did far more than chase records. He rewrote expectations of age, time and readiness. In 2025, no Indian cricketer was searched more on Google. Not Virat Kohli. Not Rohit Sharma. Instead, it was a schoolboy left-hander from Motihari, Bihar, whose name kept reappearing on screens across the country. What began as curiosity soon turned into understanding. This was not noise built on novelty. It was attention driven by performance.

The defining moment arrived quietly, without television cameras or primetime build-up. In a Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh, Sooryavanshi produced an innings that seemed to belong to another era. He smashed 190 off just 84 balls, striking at 226.19, with 16 fours and 15 sixes. That knock made him the youngest player in the history of List A cricket to score a century, breaking a 39-year-old world record previously held by Pakistan’s Zahoor Elahi. Yet this was no sudden eruption. Months earlier, on April 28 in Jaipur, Sooryavanshi had announced himself on the IPL stage with startling clarity. At 14 years and 32 days, he scored a breathtaking 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans. It was fearless, explosive and unapologetic. Seven fours, eleven sixes, and a tally of maximums that equalled Murali Vijay’s IPL record. At 14, he also became the youngest player ever to score a T20 century. Even his final appearance of the IPL season felt scripted. Against Chennai Super Kings, he struck 57 off 33 balls to seal a Rajasthan victory. Broadcasters framed it as “Gen Bold vs Gen Gold”. By then, the identity of the poster boy was already clear. Records trailed him everywhere. He made his Ranji Trophy debut at 12 years and 284 days, becoming India’s youngest first-class cricketer. At just 13, he earned an IPL contract worth Rs 1.1 crore, the youngest player ever to be bought at an auction. His impact stretched beyond domestic cricket. Against Australia Under-19, he blasted 104 off 58 balls, the fastest Under-19 century by an Indian and the second-fastest worldwide. Across consecutive Under-19 Asia Cups, he remained central to India’s batting narrative. In 2025, he went even further, hammering an audacious 144 off 42 balls against UAE, an innings that included a 32-ball hundred. Indian cricket has known prodigies before. Very few, however, have shaped an entire year around themselves before finishing school. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi did exactly that.

M F Husain painted the mural in 1963 after winning a competition. He was paid Rs 1,000 for the work

MUMBAI: Pablo Picasso famously said that “art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life,” but at the Yogakshema Building at Nariman Point, which houses the headquarters of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), a wall mural painted by M F Husain appears to be doing the opposite, quietly accumulating dust as visitors and employees offer only fleeting glances while passing through the metal detector at the security screening area.The mural, depicting a female musician, is located on the wall directly opposite the security checking area in the lobby of the building’s east wing. It shows visible signs of deterioration, including cracks, tearing and layers of settled dust. Ongoing renovation work, including plastering and the erection of scaffolding, has been carried out close to the artwork, placing it at further risk of damage. Though a metal detector stands next to the mural, there is no name plaque to inform the thousands who pass through the entrance about the value and heritage of the work.Painted in 1963, the mural was created after Husain won a competition organised by LIC to adorn the lobby of its then newly inaugurated headquarters. Husain was paid Rs 1,000 for the commission.Brinda Miller of the Kala Ghoda Arts Association said such neglect was not unusual. “A mosaic mural by Jatin Das was similarly destroyed in a government building years ago. In contrast, another Husain mural inside a restaurant at the Cricket Club of India stands beautifully preserved,” she said, adding that wall art in India is often undervalued.Conservation architect Vikas Dilawari said the issue extended across institutions. He cited neglect of a K K Hebbar mural at Nair Hospital and noted that Husain painted directly onto the marble wall, requiring protection during construction.Raisa, the artist’s daughter, called the situation a “tragedy”. When contacted, LIC executive director Pradeep Shenoy said he was unaware of the mural’s value and would look into providing protection

BENGALURU: Police probing the murder of a 39-year-old assistant bank manager with Union Bank of India are searching for an alleged divorce notice that the deceased, Bhuvaneshwari, was said to have sent to her husband, the accused Balamurugan, 40.According to Magadi Road police, Balamurugan claimed he was enraged after learning that Bhuvaneshwari had sent him a divorce notice, which he said led him to shoot her. However, police have so far been unable to trace any such notice. Police initially suspected it may have been sent digitally, but no evidence supporting this claim was found on the accused’s phone.

Balamurugan reportedly told police that he came to know about the alleged divorce notice through a friend who was also acquainted with Bhuvaneshwari.The friend has since been summoned, and his statement is being recorded. “At this stage, we are not certain whether any divorce notice was sent, as claimed by the accused. We have found that some data was deleted from his phone, which will be sent to forensic experts for recovery,” a senior police officer said.The officer added the accused’s house is yet to be searched for any incriminating material linked to the crime.Police further said Balamurugan, an MCA graduate who had quit his job at a private firm, confessed to having planned his wife’s murder well in advance. Police believe it had been in the making for nearly a year. As part of the alleged plan, he is said to have procured a pistol illegally much earlier and also purchased a knife as a backup option.After shifting to Cholourpalya, Balamurugan allegedly searched for Bhuvaneshwari and spotted her a few days before the incident. Police said he closely observed the route she regularly took while returning home from the bank.On Tuesday evening, he allegedly shot her from behind. After the first bullet struck her head and she collapsed, he reportedly fired two more rounds, hitting her head, back and left hand. While the accused claimed he procured the pistol and ammunition from Bihar, police said this is yet to be verified. Investigators are analysing his call detail records.Police found that Bhuvaneshwari had recently been promoted and transferred to the Basaveshwaranagar branch, and that the transfer was not at her request.Further investigation is under way.

NEW DELHI: Top 10 extreme weather events such as wildfires, heatwaves, floods and cyclonic storms cost the world more than $122 billion in 2025, said a report – Counting the Cost 2025 – released by a global not-for-profit organisation, Christian Aid. Exceptionally heavy monsoon rainfall experienced by large parts of India and Pakistan from June to Sept is listed as one of the 10 most expensive and impactful climate disasters in the year.The extreme rainfall events in India and Pakistan, put together, took at least 1,860 lives and cost a combined total of $5.6 billion. Though the region comes at fifth in the list of 10 in terms of suffering financial loss, it reported the highest number of casualties.Globally, the US – the largest historical carbon emitter – bore the brunt with the fires in California topping the list as the single biggest one-off event at $60 billion in damage (nearly 50% of the total cost globally) and leading to the deaths of more than 400 people.

The annual report of Christian Aid, released on Saturday, underlined that most of these estimates are based only on “insured losses”, meaning the true financial costs are likely to be even higher, while the human costs are often uncounted.Second on the list after the US were the cyclones and floods that struck Southeast Asia in Nov, causing $25 billion in damage and killing more than 1,750 people across Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Malaysia. Third were the devastating floods in China which displaced thousands, caused $11.7 billion in damage and killed at least 30.

“These disasters are not ‘natural’ — they are the inevitable result of continued fossil fuel expansion and political delay. While the costs run into the billions, the heaviest burden falls on communities with the least resources to recover. Unless govts act now to cut emissions and fund adaptation measures, this misery will only continue,” said Joanna Haigh, emeritus professor of Atmospheric Physics, Imperial College London.Though the top 10 focuses on financial costs, which are usually higher in richer countries because they have higher property values and can afford insurance, some of the most devastating extreme weather events this year hit poorer nations, which have contributed little to causing the climate crisis and have the least resources to respond.“The suffering caused by the climate crisis is a political choice. It is being driven by decisions to continue burning fossil fuels, to allow emissions to rise, and to break promises on climate finance,” said Patrick Watt, Christian Aid CEO, while urging world leaders to act in 2026.