Jasprit Bumrah. (Image: AP)

MUMBAI: At a time when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has instructed all Indian players, including senior stars and former captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, to feature in at least two matches of the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, an exception has been made for Jasprit Bumrah. The decision has been taken with a clear focus on managing the fast bowler’s workload.

India are set to enter a packed white-ball calendar. From January 11, they will host New Zealand for an eight-match white-ball series, starting with three ODIs, followed by five T20Is from January 21. After that, India begin their T20 World Cup campaign on February 7 against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. With so much cricket lined up, the team management has opted to carefully manage Bumrah’s schedule. As a result, Bumrah will not represent Gujarat in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which begins on Wednesday. The 32-year-old pacer has a history of injury concerns and underwent back surgery in New Zealand in 2023. Given that background, rest has been prioritised over domestic participation. “Bumrah will not feature in VHT as he is taking rest,” Gujarat Cricket Association secretary Anil Patel told TOI from Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Bumrah has been on a demanding run in recent months. He played in the Asia Cup (T20 format), featured in all four home Tests against the West Indies and South Africa, toured Australia for a five-match T20I series, and then played a five-match home T20I series against South Africa. During this period, he was rested for the three-match ODI series against Australia (away) and South Africa (home). In the recent T20I series against the Proteas, Bumrah picked up four wickets in three matches at an average of 19.75, while maintaining an economy rate of 7.18. Meanwhile, Gujarat will still have international representation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who missed the last two T20Is against South Africa due to viral fever, is set to feature in the tournament. Gujarat are scheduled to play their league matches in Bengaluru. Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will also be in action, turning out for Saurashtra in their Vijay Hazare Trophy matches on January 6 and 8.

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday published draft voter lists for Madhya Pradesh and Kerala under the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise, releasing major deletion in both states. As per the updates rolls, 42,74,160 names have been removed in Madhya Pradesh, while Kerala recorded deletion of more than 24 lakh voters.In Madhya Pradesh, the current voter count stands at 5,31,31,983 as of December 23, 2025, down from 5,74,06,143 recorded on October 27. Joint chief electoral officer Ram Pratap Singh Jadon said the deletions include more than 8.46 lakh deceased voters, over 8.42 lakh untraceable electors, and nearly 22.78 lakh people who have shifted residences.

Another 2.76 lakh duplicate entries and around 29,900 names under miscellaneous categories were also struck off. Officials also identified around 8.65 lakh unmapped voters whose names appear in the rolls but whose data is missing from the 2003 records. These voters will be issued notices and will need to present documents before the Electoral Registration Officers.In Kerala, the draft list published by the state’s Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar shows the removal of over 24 lakh names after the enumeration stage of the SIR process. The draft now includes 2,54,42,352 voters, down from the pre-revision total of 2,78,50,855. Deleted names include more than 6.49 lakh deceased voters, 6.45 lakh untraceable electors, and over 8.16 lakh voters who were found to have permanently shifted. The state also weeded out 1.36 lakh duplicate entries and 1.60 lakh names placed under other categories. Kelkar said objections to the draft can be filed until January 22, and the final rolls will be published on February 21. As part of the SIR, Kerala also undertook a voter-mapping exercise, completing about 93 percent of it by December 18, with most unmapped cases reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, and Ernakulam. Hearings for unmapped voters will follow as notices are issued through booth-level officers, who will outline the reasons for the hearings and list required documents. Kelkar added that booth-level officers visited households three times before marking voters as untraceable. Those whose names do not appear in the draft rolls will need to apply afresh for inclusion.The first phase of the special intensive revision was carried out in Bihar in September ahead of the assembly elections. The ongoing exercise will also cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Deepti Sharma was not part of India Women’s playing XI for the second T20I against Sri Lanka Women due to a mild fever. The all rounder was ruled out as a precaution, with the team management opting not to take any risk so early in the five match series. Sneh Rana came into the side as her replacement. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur confirmed the development at the toss after winning it and choosing to field first at the ACA VDCA Cricket Stadium. She said Deepti was unwell and added that the rest of the team would stick to the same approach that worked in the opening match.

India entered the match with a 1 0 lead in the series after a convincing performance in the first T20I. The decision to rest Deepti was seen as a sensible move, especially with several matches still to come and the all rounder expected to play a key role later in the series once fully fit. Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu said her team would go in with the same playing XI and stressed the need to bat with confidence and play straighter than they did in the previous game. She admitted that Sri Lanka had played too much behind the wicket in the opener and would look to correct that.Sri Lanka Women (Playing XI): Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu(captain), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Kaushani Nuthyangana(wicketkeeper), Malki Madara, Inoka Ranaweera, Kawya Kavindi, Shashini GimhaniIndia Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Richa Ghosh(wicketkeeper), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Arundhati Reddy, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani.

The US economy grew at a faster-than-expected annual rate of 4.3% in the July–September quarter, driven by stronger consumer spending, exports and government outlays, even as inflation remained above the Federal Reserve’s comfort level, according to official data released on Tuesday, AP reported.Gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the total value of goods and services produced, accelerated from a revised 3.8% growth rate in the April–June quarter, the Commerce Department said in a report delayed by the government shutdown. Economists surveyed by FactSet had expected growth of around 3%, AP reported.Despite the stronger expansion, inflationary pressures picked up. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index — the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — rose at a 2.8% annual pace in the third quarter, compared with 2.1% in the previous quarter. Core PCE inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, increased to 2.9% from 2.6%.Consumer spending, which accounts for nearly 70% of US economic activity, grew at a 3.5% annual rate in the third quarter, up from 2.5% in the April–June period. A separate measure of the economy’s underlying strength — which includes consumer spending and private investment but excludes volatile components such as exports, inventories and government spending — expanded at a 3% pace, slightly higher than the 2.9% recorded in the second quarter.Trade also contributed to growth. Exports surged at an 8.8% annual rate, while imports, which subtract from GDP, declined by 4.7%.Tuesday’s release marks the first of three official estimates for third-quarter GDP growth. Outside of the first quarter — when the economy contracted for the first time in three years as companies rushed to import goods ahead of President Donald Trump’s tariff rollout — the US economy has continued to post solid growth.This resilience has come despite sharply higher borrowing costs imposed by the Federal Reserve in 2022 and 2023 to rein in inflation that surged as the economy rebounded strongly from the COVID-19 recession of 2020.While inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target, the central bank cut its benchmark lending rate three consecutive times to end 2025, largely due to concerns over a cooling labour market.Recent jobs data have pointed to slowing momentum. The government reported last week that the economy added 64,000 jobs in November, following a loss of 105,000 jobs in October. The unemployment rate climbed to 4.6% last month, its highest level since 2021.Economists describe the labour market as being stuck in a “low hire, low fire” phase, as businesses remain cautious amid uncertainty over Trump’s tariff policies and the lingering impact of elevated interest rates. Since March, job creation has averaged 35,000 a month, down from 71,000 in the year ended March. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has said he expects those figures to be revised lower.

The battle for supremacy in the five-match T20I series continues as India and Sri Lanka are facing off in the second encounter at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

After a clinical eight-wicket victory on Sunday, the Women in Blue entered today’s match with the momentum of world champions but faced an unexpected hurdle at the toss. India once again won the coin flip and elected to field, looking to exploit the evening dew that played a significant role in the series opener. However, the biggest talking point of the evening arrived before the first ball was bowled, with the team sheets revealing a major absence in the Indian lineup. The hosts are forced to navigate this crucial fixture without their premier all-rounder Deepti Sharma, while a resilient Sri Lanka side has opted for stability in their quest for an equalizer.

Reason behind Deepti Sharma from IND-W vs SL-W 2nd T20I

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur confirmed that the world’s top-ranked bowler would miss the second T20I due to illness. Despite the setback, Harmanpreet remained confident in her squad’s depth, handing a comeback to fellow off-spinner Sneh Rana. India’s decision to bowl first mirrors their successful strategy from the first game, aiming to keep the target within reach before the pitch slows down. Harmanpreet addressed the lineup change during the toss, stating, “Deepti is not well today, she has a fever, so Sneh Rana comes back into the side.”

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu showed immense faith in her unit by naming an unchanged playing XI, despite their heavy loss on Sunday. Athapaththu emphasized the need for a mental shift rather than a personnel change, remarking, “We are going with the same XI. I am still confident in my team, we’ve backed a few youngsters and want to give them more opportunities. The key for us is to play positive cricket in the middle overs. In the last game we played a few shots behind square. Today, we want to play straighter – focus more on long-on and long-off, play to our strengths and build partnerships. Hopefully, our batters step up today.”

Also READ: Jemimah Rodrigues, bowlers propel India to comprehensive win over Sri Lanka in 1st T20I

A historic milestone: Deepti ascends to world number one

Meanwhile, in a moment of immense pride for Indian cricket, veteran all-rounder Deepti officially became the number one-ranked T20I bowler in the world for the first time in her illustrious career. The International Cricket Council (ICC) updated its rankings on Tuesday afternoon, rewarding Deepti for her consistent excellence and her match-defining spell in the series opener. Her economical figures of 1/20 in four overs on Sunday earned her the vital rating points needed to leapfrog Australia’s Annabel Sutherland.

Deepti now sits at the pinnacle with 737 rating points, narrowly leading Sutherland by a single point. This achievement follows a sensational 2025 season where she was also named the Player of the Tournament at the Women’s ODI World Cup. Reflecting on her growth, experts noted that her ability to stifle batters in the powerplay and provide breakthroughs at the death has made her the most feared off-spinner in the shortest format.

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.

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)

Former India spinner Amit Mishra has weighed in on India’s 0-2 Test series loss to South Africa, emphasising the need for senior players to take responsibility and guide the younger members of the squad. Speaking to ANI, Mishra stressed that both experienced campaigners and newcomers must adjust their game according to the conditions and the bowling attack. Mishra, who represented India in 68 international matches and claimed 156 wickets—including 76 in 22 Tests at an average of 35.72—highlighted that the recent defeat was a stark reminder of India’s struggles at home against top SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) teams. November’s series saw dominant performances from South Africa’s Temba Bavuma, Marco Jansen, and Simon Harmer, handing India their second successive home series whitewash after last year’s 0-3 loss to New Zealand, ending a 12-year streak of home dominance.

“We will have to bat according to the wicket and show maturity,” Mishra said. “Not every pitch allows you to score 200-220 runs. Some matches can be won with totals of 140-170. While inexperience exists, seniors have to stand up and guide youngsters on which shots to play, which bowlers to target, and which deliveries to respect.” On the issue of India’s use of spin-friendly pitches, Mishra defended the tradition, stressing patience and respect for quality bowling. “We have been playing on such wickets for years. Players need to show maturity, stay patient, and respect good bowlers. Coaches also need to instil the right mindset,” he said. Mishra also backed head coach Gautam Gambhir and his staff amid criticism. “They need time. It’s not like the team hasn’t won under them. We lifted the Asia Cup and Champions Trophy. Players must take responsibility. Seniors must guide the youngsters, and youngsters must step up. Coaches can’t play on the field—it’s the players who have to execute the plans, understand match-ups, and make the right decisions,” he added.

NEW DELHI: Lalit Modi on Monday shared a video from Vijay Mallya’s birthday party, where he referred to himself and Mallya as the “two biggest fugitives from India”.The video, posted on Lalit Modi’s Instagram account, shows him posing with Mallya and saying, “We are the two biggest fugitive from India.” Modi captioned the post, “Let me do something to break the internet down again. Happy birthday my friend #VijayMallya Love u.”

The video drew sharp reactions online. Several comments warned that the two would “regret this” and said that “karma will follow, if not today then tomorrow”. Others said the video was not humour but an open mockery of the Indian state.“This is not humour, it is an open mockery of the Indian state. When economic offenders joke freely from foreign soil, it exposes how weak enforcement and political will really are. The silence of the government sends a dangerous message that the powerful can loot the country, flee, and laugh while ordinary citizens face the full force of the law for far smaller mistakes,” a user wrote.Lalit Modi hosted the birthday party on December 16 at his six-bedroom home in Belgrave Square in London. Friends of Mallya reportedly travelled from India to attend the event. Among those seen at the party were fashion designer Manoviraj Khosla, actor Idris Elba and entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.Vijay Mallya, the former owner of now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, left India in 2016 for United Kingdom after facing several cases in India linked to alleged financial irregularities and loan defaults involving thousands of crores of rupees. Indian authorities are seeking his extradition in money laundering and fraud cases.Lalit Modi, the former chairman of the Indian Premier League, also left India in 2010 after investigations were launched into alleged financial misconduct and irregularities during the IPL’s early years.

China has escalated trade tensions with India by launching a dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over New Delhi’s policies covering solar cells, solar modules and information technology goods, seeking formal consultations under the global trade body’s dispute settlement mechanism, Reuters reported.The WTO said on Tuesday that China has requested dispute consultations with India, Reuters reported, marking the first procedural step in resolving trade disagreements under WTO rules.“China said the measures in question include India’s tariff treatment and certain measures that China said are contingent upon the use of domestic inputs and otherwise discriminate against Chinese imports,” the WTO said in a statement, quoted Reuters.Earlier last week, China had moved the WTO against India by formally requesting consultations, challenging New Delhi’s tariffs on information and communication technology (ICT) products and subsidy measures in the solar sector, PTI reported.In a statement, China’s Ministry of Commerce alleged that India’s measures violate multiple WTO obligations, including the principle of national treatment, and amount to import-substitution subsidies that are explicitly prohibited under WTO rules.“They grant unfair competitive advantages to India’s domestic industries while undermining China’s interests,” the ministry said, urging India to honour its WTO commitments and promptly revise the disputed measures.The latest move comes less than a week after India announced the imposition of anti-dumping duties on cold-rolled steel imports from China for a period of five years, a step New Delhi said was aimed at protecting its domestic industry.In October, Beijing had sought consultations over what it described as unfair subsidies provided by India to its electric vehicle and battery sectors.That earlier petition alleged that India’s incentive schemes for electric vehicles and batteries distorted competition and adversely affected Chinese manufacturers.Under WTO rules, consultations are the first formal step in the dispute process, giving both sides a chance to sit across the table and try to settle their differences before the issue moves towards a dispute settlement panel.