VVS Laxman, head of cricket at the CoE, may have to rework his involvement in the process of coaching.

NEW DELHI: With the Indian cricket board (BCCI) planning to review the U-19 team’s performance in the recent U-19 Asia Cup, the focus is likely to fall on the Centre of Excellence’s (CoE) overall role in player development.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!TOI understands that concerns have been raised about the process of grooming players over the last four years. It is learnt that the board may have to work on getting the Indian team management, selectors and the CoE back in sync.

Sources said there seems to be a lack of clarity on the roles of the CoE coaching staff and the selectors. VVS Laxman has recently got a two-year extension as the head of cricket at the CoE and may have to rework his involvement in the process of coaching.“There is some confusion about role definition. Laxman is firmly in charge of making decisions about U-19 teams. He even has a major say in appointing captains. When Rahul Dravid was head of cricket, he was actively involved in the selection of India ‘A’ players because he was the one who was devising programmes for each player. At the moment, Laxman doesn’t have much say in the India ‘A’ process,” a BCCI source said.

Besides the big loss to Pakistan in the U-19 Asia Cup, the India ‘A’ team failed to make the final of the Rising Stars Asia Cup last month. The major concern of team management is that the players who are coming through the ranks are not close to finished products ready for the international level. Very few players successfully graduate to senior cricket from the age-group level.With the CoE beginning operations this year, Laxman, it is understood, is currently consumed by administrative work. The coaching staff at the CoE is going through a major overhaul. Fast bowling coach Troy Cooley’s role has also been under the scanner, with very few pacers showing much improvement in skills. The board is set to relieve him of his duties on the premise that he is turning 60.Incidentally, Laxman, unlike Dravid, doesn’t travel much with the developmental teams. “Most of Laxman’s overseas assignments have been with second string Indian teams when the main team is away on Test assignments. It needs to be seen if he can travel more with the developmental teams,” the source said.Recently, Jitesh Sharma was sent for the Rising Stars Asia Cup as captain on the insistence of the senior selection committee. However, Jitesh had a major say in playing combinations and strategies in the tournament, which is not a norm with developmental sides. These calls are taken by the coaching staff in consultation with the selectors.

Pune company’s Delhi-Mumbai express-way contract may be axed over delays

NEW DELHI: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Wednesday slapped an “intention to termination notice” – the final procedure before termination – on Roadways Solutions India Infra Ltd (RSIL) for failing to meet the construction target of a 35-km stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. The physical and financial progress on this stretch in Gujarat was barely 4.9% and 4.6%, respectively, of the target.The progress on two other stretches – 27 km and 25 km – being constructed by the company in the state is at 23% and 36%. The dismal pace of construction may push the revised deadline of the project beyond March 2028, sources said.Pune-based RSIL is an engineering and construction company that operates mainly in the roads and highways sector. The company had bagged the packages of the expressway in Gujarat in 2021.Suprisingly, NHAI had terminated the contract of RSIL for two stretches in March 2023 and then re-awarded them to RSIL in Nov 2023 after it again put in the lowest bid. TOI on Feb 14 had first reported how the slow progress on these three stretches, with a total length of 87 km in Gujarat, was delaying the over Rs 1 lakh crore project.In a letter to RSIL, NHAI said the “intention to termination notice” has been issued on account of contractor’s “absolute and continued non-performance”. It said, “…despite the contractor having been granted repeated indulgences and more than adequate opportunities through the execution of three settlement agreements, the contractor has achieved a negligible financial progress of only 4.59% (after lapse of 16 months from the appointed date of Aug 31, 2024)”.The letter said that as per the originally envisaged timeline of 18 months commencing from Aug 31, 2024, the contractor ought to have achieved approximately 70% financial progress. Mentioning how little progress has been made even after 16 months conclusively establishes that completion of the Jujuwa-Gandeva section of the expressway by Nov 15, 2026 “is wholly impossible”, it said.The highways authority claimed that despite granting repeated opportunities and its extended assistance to the contractor, it “failed to demonstrate any improvement or to achieve the requisite progress”. It said that even after three settlement agreements, the contractor failed to meet targets. “In the settlement agreements, it was specified that if it fails to achieve agreed milestones, NHAI will terminate the contract without any cure period notice. So, we have served the notice,” said an official.Cure period notice is issued to a contractor to fix any breach in 60 days. NHAI said the communication may be treated as a “15-day notice”, as per the contract agreement, and after the expiry of this period, the authority “shall be entitled to terminate the contract agreement”. It has also said the incomplete three packages under RSIL are creating significant public inconvenience across multiple fronts. In the case of two other sections, NHAI is likely to give a cure period notice to RSIL.

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File photo: Kuldeep Singh Sengar

NEW DELHI: Kuldeep Singh Sengar, former UP MLA convicted of raping a minor girl in Unnao in 2017, did not come under the definition of a public servant under the Pocso Act, Delhi high court held in its Dec 23 order suspending his sentence.In a curious move, high court has decided the applicability of a stringent Pocso Act section that carries a minimum jail term of 20 years, which can be extended up to life, while hearing Sengar’s plea for suspension of sentence, even as his appeal against the trial court ruling remains pending.A bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish V Shankar faulted the trial court for treating Kuldeep Sengar as a public servant and handing him jail for the “remainder of life”, for the offence of “aggravated penetrative sexual assault” under section 5 of the Pocso Act.The bench concluded that the charge of “aggravated penetrative sexual assault” under the section was not applicable in the case of Sengar. Section 5 of the Pocso Act defines “penetrative sexual assault” against a minor as “aggravated penetrative sexual assault”, if committed by persons holding positions of authority – including a public servant or police officer within their jurisdiction, members of the armed or security forces, or staff of hospitals or prisons.high court noted that Pocso Act did not define a public servant and that the trial court wrongly relied upon Prevention of Corruption Act to borrow the definition.“In view of specific inclusion of IPC, CrPC, JJ Act and IT Act in Section 2 of the Pocso Act, this court cannot take aid of the definition of ‘public servant’ from any other Act other than IPC, CrPC, JJ Act, and IT Act. Notably, CrPC, JJ Act, and IT Act do not provide for the definition of a public servant,” high court observed, pointing out that MLA is not recognised as a public servant under any of these statutes. It held that “same reasoning applies for his conviction under section 376(2)(b) of IPC”.Counsel for the survivor, opposing the suspension of sentence, argued that even if Sengar does not under come under definition of a ‘public servant’ within purview of Section 5(c) of the Pocso Act, he can still be sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life.The bench, however, noted that since it was prima facie satisfied that “that offence under Section 5 of Pocso Act is not attracted in present case”, survivor’s contention “that the investigation was compromised cannot be a ground not to suspend the sentence of the appellant, more so looking at the period of incarceration already undergone”.

Indian domestic cricket witnessed an extraordinary chapter on Wednesday as explosive batting displays across venues turned the opening round of the 2025–26 Vijay Hazare Trophy into a record-shattering spectacle. Headlining the day was Ishan Kishan, who hammered one of the fastest centuries ever by an Indian in men’s List A cricket, underlining his destructive prowess in the 50-over format.

The day will be remembered not just for Kishan’s fireworks, but for an unprecedented sequence of milestones, with three of the four fastest List A centuries by Indian batters being recorded within hours, at two different venues — Ahmedabad and Ranchi.

Ishan Kishan hits second-fastest List A hundreds amongst Indians

The record books were first rewritten in Ranchi when Sakibul Gani raced to a stunning hundred off just 32 balls while representing Bihar in a Plate League fixture against Arunachal Pradesh. Moments later in Ahmedabad, Kishan went one step behind, reaching his century in 33 deliveries, slotting into second place among the fastest Indian List A hundreds.

Only two batters in the history of List A cricket have scored quicker centuries — Jake Fraser-McGurk and AB de Villiers — placing Wednesday’s achievements in elite global company.

Fastest centuries in men’s List A cricket

• 29 balls – Jake Fraser-McGurk
• 31 balls – AB de Villiers
• 32 balls – Sakibul Gani
• 33 balls – Ishan Kishan

Kishan’s carnage lights up Ahmedabad

Turning out for Jharkhand against Karnataka, Kishan produced a breathtaking late assault after walking in at No. 6. He arrived at the crease in the 38th over following the dismissal of Kumar Kushagra and immediately shifted the momentum with fearless strokeplay.

Kishan reached his half-century off just 20 balls before unleashing a relentless six-hitting spree. He brought up his century by smashing seven sixes and two fours in a 13-ball burst, leaving the Karnataka bowlers shell-shocked. The left-hander eventually finished with a blistering 125 off just 39 deliveries, striking seven fours and 14 towering sixes. Jharkhand piled up a mammoth 412 for 8 after being asked to bat first, with Kishan’s knock completely tilting the contest.

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