Actress Sara Ali Khan has opened up about the knife attack on her father, actor Saif Ali Khan, earlier this January, saying that the family endured an extremely difficult phase at the beginning of the year. Sharmila and Sara were speaking on Soha Ali Khan‘s podcast called “ALL ABOUT HER”. Soha asked a question to the grandmother-granddaughter duo about what they have learned from each other.

Sara Ali Khan talks about Saif Ali Khan’s stabbing incident

Sara said: “I have learned that dignity and grace above all else even in the hardest of times. I think as a family we have been through quite a lot together especially earlier this year with abba (Saif Ali Khan).”It was in January, when Saif was attacked with a knife by an intruder at his Mumbai home during an alleged robbery attempt, sustaining multiple stab wounds to his back and arm, requiring surgery but ultimately recovering.Sara added: “But I think just holding herself together and not letting that go I think that’s something.”Talking about that one thing about her grandmother Sharmila Tagore he wants to incorporate in her life, she said: ” I think badhi ammi is very dignified and that is something I really aspire to be able to inculcate in life.”Talking about Sara, who is the daughter of Saif and Amrita Singh, was last seen in ‘Metro… In Dino’, a spiritual sequel to Basu’s 2007 anthology film Life in a… Metro. The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Konkona Sen Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Ali Fazal, and Fatima Sana Shaikh.The narrative interweaves multiple contemporary love stories set in urban India, exploring themes of connection, loneliness, and emotional vulnerability in modern relationships. The title of the film has a thematic link to the song ‘In Dino’ from the previous film ‘Life in a…Metro’.She is all geared up to star opposite Ayushmann Khurrana, Rakul Preet Singh and Wamiqa Gabbi in ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh Do’.

India clinched a commanding eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the third T20I at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, on December 26, 2025, sealing the five-match series 3-0. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur etched her name in history with this triumph, breaking Meg Lanning’s record as captain in Women’s T20Is. Shafali Verma’s explosive unbeaten 79 off 42 balls powered India to chase down 113 in just 13.2 overs, while bowlers Renuka Singh (4/21) and Deepti Sharma (3/18) dismantled Sri Lanka for 112/7.​

Harmanpreet Kaur creates history surpassing Meg Lanning’s record

Harmanpreet has now claimed the pinnacle of captaincy success in Women’s T20Is, securing 77 victories across 130 matches led, surpassing Australia’s trailblazing former captain Lanning’s mark of 76 wins in just 100 outings. This landmark achievement factors in super over triumphs, highlighting Kaur’s knack for delivering under pressure in the shortest format.​

Her record speaks volumes about remarkable longevity and resilience, as she has helmed India in more T20I games than any other player globally, while also accumulating 185 total appearances for the side – a testament to her enduring presence since breaking into the international scene in 2010.

The emphatic 3-0 series sweep over Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram not only sealed the rubber but also etched Kaur’s 16th victory against them – the most by any captain over a single opponent – underscoring her dominance in bilateral contests. This milestone arrives amid a stellar 2025 for the 36-year-old, who has revitalized her form with the bat and bolstered team morale, positioning India strongly for upcoming events.

Also READ: Renuka Thakur and Shafali Verma power India to unassailable 3-0 series lead with eight wicket win over Sri Lanka in third T20I

All-time captaincy leaders in Women’s T20Is

Since taking over as India’s full-time T20I captain in 2016, Harmanpreet has maintained an impressive win percentage of 58.46, guiding the team through a sustained period of competitiveness. Under her leadership, India have regularly challenged the top sides and reached multiple World Cup semifinals, reflecting the stability and belief she has instilled in the squad.

England’s celebrated captains Heather Knight and Charlotte Edwards also feature prominently on the list, with Knight recording around 71-72 wins from 96 matches and Edwards ending with 68 victories in 93 games. While both have been influential figures for England, their numbers highlight the scale of Harmanpreet’s achievement in terms of both volume and efficiency.

This record-breaking run in 2025 has given Indian women’s cricket a timely boost, strengthening confidence and momentum as the team builds towards upcoming global tournament.

Also READ: IND-W vs SL-W: Smriti Mandhana breaks Suzie Bates’ record in T20Is

This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.

The US Wall Street is hoping to mark a strong finish for the year, amid recent highs. The S&P 500 ended at a record high on Wednesday, ahead of the Christmas holiday , being just around 1 per cent short of the 7,000 mark for the first time.The S&P 500 is on track for its eighth straight month of gains, a trend not seen since 2017-2018. The benchmark index has grown nearly 18 per cent this year, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq is up 22 per cent.Investors remain optimistic, with the US stock market showing signs of continued growth despite earlier concerns over technology sector weakness, according to a Reuters report.“Momentum is certainly on the side of the bulls,” said Paul Nolte, senior wealth adviser at Murphy & Sylvest Wealth Management, as quoted by Reuters. “Barring any exogenous event, the path of least resistance for stocks, I think, is higher,” he added.The Federal Reserve’s recent actions are keeping investors on edge. The Fed cut rates by 75 basis points over its last three meetings of 2025, bringing them to 3.50 per cent-3.75 per cent. Markets are eagerly awaiting the minutes from the December meeting, due next Tuesday.Additionally, an interesting shift is happening in the market. While tech stocks have struggled lately, dropping over 3 per cent since November, other sectors are doing well. Key sectors to mark significant gains include- Finance, transport, healthcare, and small-cap stocks.Anthony Saglimbene from Ameriprise Financial sees this as a positive sign, saying, “There are more investors that are buying in to the narrative that the economy is on pretty solid footing right now,” he explained. “And it has weathered a lot of potential roadblocks this year that might not be such roadblocks next year,” he added.Investors are also watching for President Donald Trump’s nomination for the next Fed chair, as Jerome Powell’s term ends in May 2026. This decision could impact market movements in the coming week.

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Representative image (PTI photo)

NEW DELHI: AAP leader and former MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj on Saturday raised concerns over incidents of “violence and intimidation” targeting people celebrating Christmas across the country. He even said that “Santa Claus reached police station to register FIR against Right Wing goons.”In a post on X, the former AAP MLA wrote, “They are actually hurt by violence & intimidation against those celebrating Christmas in India. Police was waiting for a complaint to take any action. So complaint has been filed. Now let’s wait for action !!”Reports of vandalism and alleged targeted attacks during Christmas celebrations in several states triggered sharp political reactions. Opposition parties criticised the BJP, while the ruling party maintained that law and order were being enforced.Disruptions were reported from Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Odisha, where Christian communities alleged vandalism, intimidation and harassment during Christmas events. While authorities said they had the situation under control, opposition leaders described the pattern as deeply troubling.In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, a BJP official allegedly assaulted a visually impaired Christian woman during a children’s feast, and mobs interrupted church services. In Palakkad, Kerala, an RSS worker reportedly attacked carol-singing children and damaged their instruments, while right-wing pressure forced several schools to cancel festivities.Chhattisgarh saw vandalism and arson targeting Christian properties in Raipur and Kanker. In Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, groups protested outside a cathedral. In Delhi and Odisha, street vendors selling Christmas items reported harassment by vigilantes claiming the products were “non-Hindu”.The incidents drew condemnation from multiple opposition leaders.Trinamool Congress’s Kunal Ghosh accused right-wing groups of targeting minorities. He told reporters, “BJP’s associates, such as Bajrang Dal and others, are targeting other religions, which is not what our culture teaches. What the Constitution says, the BJP does exactly the opposite. What they have done is wrong, and we condemn it.”Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said Christmas 2025 had been overshadowed by “fear and anxiety” in many regions. Referring to incidents in Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, he called the attacks on carol groups and religious symbols an assault on India’s pluralistic fabric.

India’s Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returning to the Vijay Hazare Trophy has injected renewed buzz into India’s premier domestic one-day competition. While the tournament may not enjoy the spectacle or financial scale of the Indian Premier League, it remains the backbone of India’s white-ball domestic structure. The presence of two of the country’s biggest stars has naturally drawn attention not only to the matches themselves, but also to how the competition is organised and how players are compensated. Unlike the IPL, where player salaries are shaped by an auction, earnings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy follow a clearly defined framework. For the 2025–26 season, match fees are governed by a tiered system based on the number of List A appearances a player has made. Experience, rather than star power, determines pay, which places veterans like Kohli and Rohit in the highest bracket.

Players with more than 40 List A matches fall under the senior category and earn Rs 60,000 per match if they are part of the playing XI, and Rs 30,000 if named among the reserves. Those with 21 to 40 List A games are classified as mid-level players, receiving Rs 50,000 per match in the XI and Rs 25,000 as reserves. The junior bracket, comprising players with up to 20 List A appearances, earns Rs 40,000 per match when playing and Rs 20,000 when on the bench. In the current season, Kohli, representing Delhi, and Rohit, turning out for Mumbai, earn the same match fee as any other seasoned domestic cricketer. Having comfortably crossed the 40-match mark, both fall into the senior category and are paid Rs 60,000 per game. This figure stands in stark contrast to their international earnings, with the BCCI paying them Rs 6 lakh per ODI. Match fees, however, are not the only source of income in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Players also receive daily allowances that cover travel, food and accommodation during the tournament. On top of that, individual performances can bring additional rewards, with Man of the Match awards typically carrying a cash prize of Rs 10,000. Teams that progress deep into the competition also benefit from prize money, which is shared among players and support staff.

Photo credit/ social media

Cricket matches usually end because one team scores more runs than the other. On December 27, 2009, in Delhi, the pitch ended the contest instead.The fifth and final ODI of the series between India and Sri Lanka at the Ferozeshah Kotla was abandoned after just 23.3 overs because the surface was deemed unsafe. India had already won the five-match series, but this game never reached a sporting conclusion. Instead, it became a reminder that a cricket pitch can take control of a match when it behaves beyond what players can reasonably expect.The Ferozeshah Kotla became the centre of attention for the wrong reasons after the match was abandoned following concerns over safety of payers. The decision brought an uncomfortable end to the series and even raised questions about the venue’s readiness to host international cricket.

India had already sealed the five-match ODI series before the teams arrived in Delhi. However, only 23.3 overs were possible before officials decided that the surface offered “extremely variable bounce and was too dangerous for further play”. From similar areas of the pitch, the bounce ranged from shin height to shoulder height.Batters could not trust length, pace, or bounce; but could only react and hope.Sri Lanka were asked to bat first. Within a few overs, it was obvious that this was not a normal contest between bat and ball. Balls climbed sharply. Others stayed low. Some seamed off the grass, others died off bare patches. The danger was not theoretical. Batters were being hit.On a surface where deliveries of similar length behaved very differently within an over, Sri Lanka were fortunate to escape with only two blows that required medical attention. The uneven bounce made batting difficult and unpredictable throughout the short duration of play.Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who was on pitch-report duty, expressed his displeasure with what he saw. He described the irregular grass cover on the wicket as a “hair transplant” with bald patches. He explained that balls hitting grassy areas seamed and bounced, while those landing on bare patches stayed low. What added to the problem was that the areas producing such contrasting behaviour were close to each other. Moisture in the pitch added to the difficulty.Despite lasting only 23.3 overs, the match saw a lot of action. There was a wicket off the first ball, a dropped catch off the first ball of the second over, several blows to the body, thick edges flying past third man, and wickets for Zaheer Khan, debutant Sudeep Tyagi and Harbhajan Singh. MS Dhoni, returning after a two-match ban, impressed behind the stumps, handling both low shooters and rising deliveries without conceding a single bye.

How it unfolded

The match was abandoned after 23.3 overs, triggering unruly scenes in the packed stands. Angry spectators threw water bottles and chair covers and damaged parts of the stadium, bringing a chaotic end to a series India won 3-1.The relaid Kotla pitch proved difficult for the Sri Lankan batters, who were asked to bat first. Deliveries rose sharply, forcing players into awkward defensive shots. Sri Lanka were in the 24th over when Thilina Kandamby approached the on-field umpires to express concerns.This led to a meeting involving match referee Alan Hurst, India captain MS Dhoni, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, coaches Gary Kirsten and Trevor Bayliss, and curator Vijay Bahadur Mishra. Officials from the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), including vice-president and former Test cricketer Chetan Chauhan, offered an alternative pitch. However, the match could not be resumed.

Inglorious end

India entered the final match hoping to finish the series with a win, but the conditions made that impossible. Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan was struck on the forearm by an Ashish Nehra delivery and needed on-field treatment after falling to the ground in pain. Sanath Jayasuriya, who batted the longest, was hit several times on the upper arm and wrist during his stay. Despite visible discomfort among batters, play continued until the 24th over.The situation escalated after a delivery from Sudeep Tyagi rose sharply and Kandamby again complained to umpires Marais Erasmus and Shavir Tarapore. The match was eventually abandoned, though the official announcement came more than an hour later. By then, both teams and officials had already left the ground.Earlier in the day, conditions had seemed favourable for hosts. Dhoni, back after serving a ban, won the toss and chose to bowl. India’s bowlers reduced Sri Lanka to 63 for several wickets inside 18 overs.Zaheer Khan struck with the first ball of the match, beating Upul Tharanga’s defence. Ashish Nehra nearly dismissed Dilshan with his first delivery, but Suresh Raina dropped a catch at cover. Dilshan later took a blow to the forearm from another Nehra delivery before Zaheer ended his innings.Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was dismissed for one run, becoming Sudeep Tyagi’s first ODI wicket. Sanath Jayasuriya struggled through his innings before Harbhajan Singh trapped him lbw with a top-spinner. Thilan Samaraweera was run out following a mix-up with Kandamby.The match continued for another 5.3 overs before it was finally called off, marking one of the most uncomfortable days in Delhi’s cricketing history and a reminder of how unsafe pitches can bring international matches to a halt. Feroz Shah Kotla, now known as the Arun Jaitley Stadium, was barred from staging international matches for one year, a decision that proved lenient as a two-year ban from the ICC would have cost Delhi its 2011 World Cup fixtures.

Whether it be with naked-eye viewing, through a pair of binoculars, or with a beginner’s telescope, a certain amount of planning can make way for viewing enthusiasts to fully enjoy the spectacular events that take place in the sky in 2026. Be it eclipses, aligned planets, or an eight-year supermoon, there are plenty of spectacular sky events in 2026 for enthusiasts to enjoy. Sky viewing in 2026 has plenty on offer for anyone, be it a beginner sky watcher or an enthusiast with a deep love for astronomy. Events such as a lunar eclipse, a solar eclipse, a list of sky showers, aligned planets, and an Artemis Mission to orbit around the Moon by NASA make it a perfect year to experience the beauty of sky viewing with friends and family.

List of celestial events in 2026

Key celestial events in 2026

The year opens with a supermoon at the wolf moon on 3 January. This moon will appear slightly larger and brighter in the sky due to its close approach to Earth. The opposition of Jupiter will be observed on 10 January. It will appear at its brightest in 13 months.

17 February: There is an annular solar eclipse, which presents the “ring of fire” that can be seen in totality only in Antarctica, with partial eclipses in southern Africa and South America.3 March: A total lunar eclipse makes the worm moon appear deep red for 58 minutes in western North America, East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. It is the last total lunar eclipse before 2028.20 March: During the spring equinox, observers at mid-latitudes may see vivid displays of the aurora, due to the interaction of charged solar particles with the Earth’s magnetic field.On 31st May, the second full moon in the month, a blue moon rises. While the colour has not changed, the moon rise is a treat to watch.

The year’s biggest event is on 12-13 August. A total solar eclipse moves across Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. Later that night comes the Perseid meteor shower. Dark-sky enthusiasts find this an ideal time for ‘star streaks.’

28 August: A deep partial eclipse plunges more than 96% of the Moon into the Earth’s shadow, making it appear rust red to observers in the Americas, Europe, and Africa.14-16 November: Mars and Jupiter come close to each other within a degree so that both can be viewed in the same field of a pair of binoculars.The year will conclude with a supermoon on 24 December, which will be the closest full moon occurring since 2019.Apart from natural occurrences, NASA’s Artemis II will see four astronauts go on a lunar orbital mission on February 5, comprising a 10-day journey around the lunar body on the Orion spacecraft, with a distance of over 5,800 miles past the lunar surface. This will be the farthest trip for human beings from Earth.

India must allow insolvency and bankruptcy to build dynamic, risk-taking economy: PM’s Economic Advisory Council member Sanjeev Sanyal

NEW DELHI: India needs to be comfortable with people and companies going bankrupt, as continuous insolvency and bankruptcy are essential for building a risk-taking and dynamic economy, said Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) member Sanjeev Sanyal.In an interview with ANI, Sanyal said a healthy economic system must allow for “continuous churn”, where old companies shut down, and new ones emerge to take their place. He stressed that constant change is necessary for long-term economic strength.Sanyal said allowing large companies to fail is sometimes unavoidable. Referring to 2017, he recalled that Indian banks were under severe stress, following which the government allowed some of the country’s biggest companies to go bankrupt.“This did not make the corporate sector weaker. In fact, it came back much stronger after the cleanup,” he told ANI.Using the airline sector as an example, Sanyal said the closure of Jet Airways created space for other airlines to expand. He added that companies that fail to follow rules or meet standards should be allowed to shut down.“We should allow continuous churn,” he said.In his interview with ANI, Sanyal also said that success should not be viewed negatively and that people should not resent companies that perform well.However, he added that regulators must intervene if large companies misuse their power or distort competition.The discussion also touched on welfare policies. Sanyal said he is “very, very uncomfortable with freebies” but supports the idea of a safety net for people who take risks.He said a risk-taking culture exists at every level of society, from a billionaire starting a large business to a person opening a small kirana shop. Since risks can fail, a safety net is necessary to support those who “fall off at the edges.Sanyal highlighted the growing strength of India’s financial markets, saying Mumbai has now become a more important centre for raising capital than London or Singapore. He said innovation is driven mainly by risk-taking capital such as equity and venture funding.He expressed hope that over the next 25 years, the top 20 companies in India’s stock market will be completely different from those today.Comparing global trends, Sanyal said countries like the United States and China remain strong because their leading companies change frequently. In contrast, he said Europe’s largest companies have remained largely unchanged for nearly 30 years, which he described as “stagnation”.Sanyal added that bankruptcy “should not be held as a moral failure” but should be seen as a natural part of a society willing to take risks and grow.