Sunil Gavaskar slams Lionel Messi (Photo Credits: Getty Images and PTI)

NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar has sparked debate over the Lionel Messi controversy in Kolkata, arguing that criticism of event organisers and VIP culture misses the mark; Messi himself bears primary responsibility for not upholding his obligations.In a column for Sportsstar, Gavaskar shifts scrutiny from the ongoing arrangements to Messi’s performance during his “G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025” at Salt Lake Stadium.

He notes how the narrative swiftly painted India as at fault for Messi’s unexpectedly brief stint. Gavaskar highlights the gap between fan anticipation and reality. “Even the recent episode at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata, where the Argentinian footballer, Lionel Messi, made a far shorter appearance than promised, was blamed on everyone except the person who failed to honour his commitment,” he wrote.While admitting the exact contract details between Messi’s camp and organisers remain private, Gavaskar urges restraint in condemning locals without facts. “What his agreement was is not public knowledge, but if he was meant to be at the stadium for an hour, then by leaving well before that time and disappointing fans who had paid good money, the real culprit was he and his entourage,” Gavaskar asserted.Gavaskar dismisses security concerns as an easy excuse for Messi’s quick departure, despite the swarm of politicians and VIPs around him. “Yes, he was surrounded by politicians and so-called VIPs, but there was no security threat to him or his entourage,” he further added.“Was he supposed to simply walk around the stadium, or do something tangible like take a penalty kick? If it were the latter, those around him would automatically have had to move, and the crowd would have seen their hero do what they had come to watch.”Comparing it to Messi’s other seamless India events, Gavaskar attributes their success to full delivery on promises. “So, before blaming fellow Indians in Kolkata, it might be worth checking whether commitments on both sides were honoured,” the former batter concluded.

BHUBANESWAR: The death of a 14-year-old student of KISS school here might have been hushed up had villagers in his native Keonjhar, 220 km away, not staged a protest on Dec 13. City police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh on Wednesday revealed that the boy was strangled by three hostelmates — called the “joker’s gang” among their classmates — following a petty scuffle.The boy’s father said the school authorities claimed his son died after slipping in the bathroom on Dec 11. “In an attempt to suppress the incident, the school did not inform police. My son was taken to KIMS Hospital, part of the same group of institutions, but doctors neither conducted a post-mortem (PM) examination nor alerted police authorities, despite visible ligature marks on his neck. Instead, they told me he suffered a heart attack,” he alleged.

In violation of protocols, the hospital handed over the body on Dec 12 without registering it as a medico-legal case (MLC). MLCs are mandatory in cases of unnatural or suspicious deaths, requiring police investigation to establish the cause and circumstances.As the family prepared for cremation, villagers noticed red and dark patches on the boy’s neck. Alarmed, they staged a dharna demanding a thorough probe. “Our protest forced officials to act. A PM examination was ordered at Dharanidhar Medical College and Hospital in Keonjhar on Dec 13. Following this, the boy’s father lodged a complaint at Town police station, alleging negligence by KISS authorities that led to his son’s death,” a neighbour said.A zero FIR was registered in Keonjhar and transferred the same day to Infocity police station in Bhubaneswar, where further investigation is underway. “We received the post-mortem report on Tuesday evening. It confirmed the boy was murdered by strangulation,” commissioner Singh said.Villagers have demanded strict action against the hospital authorities. “It was the hospital’s duty to conduct a PM and inform the police. Instead, they looked the other way and acted hand-in-glove with the school authorities,” another villager alleged. Attempts to contact the hospital and school authorities did not elicit any response.

India will take on South Africa in the fifth of the five-match T20I series. This article provides details about India’s Playing 11 vs South Africa for the fifth match of the series.

India Playing XI vs South Africa- 5th T20I, South Africa Tour of India 2025:

Openers: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill

India would want to earn back-to-back wins in the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa in order to clinch another series in this format.

The Men in Blue have got all their bases covered in the batting and bowling departments, but would be concerned over the fitness of India’s vice captain, Shubman Gill.

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Gill was ruled out of the fourth T20I, which was eventually abandoned due to excessive fog, and would look to recover in time for the series decider in Ahmedabad.

However, it will be a race against time for the opening batter as there is only a day’s gap between the fourth and fifth T20I.

If Shubman is not able to recover in time for the next game, Sanju Samson, in all likeliness will open the batting with Abhishek Sharma.

Sanju would aim to make the most of the opportunity by playing a match-winning knock for his team and giving good support to Abhishek Sharma, who also found his mojo back in Dharamsala after struggling to get going in the first two matches.

Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk)

The opening pair will be followed by captain Suryakumar Yadav, who is desperately in need of runs, Tilak Varma, who played a decent knock in Dharamsala, and Hardik Pandya, who has also made decisive contributions in the series.

The above-mentioned batters will be assisted by Shivam Dube and Jitesh Sharma, who haven’t had much to do in the matches that India have won so far in the series.

However, an interesting thing to keep an eye on would be the batting order, which has undergone a lot of changes, especially as far as the middle is concerned, in the series.

Regardless of the batting order, the onus will be on the top five batters to score the bulk of the runs for the team.

Bowlers: Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh

When it comes to India’s bowling attack, it would want to replicate the same performance it delivered in the previous completed game.

The bowling lineup, which comprised Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav, restricted South Africa to 117 runs in Dharamsala and would look to do something similar in Ahmedabad.

The fast bowling duo of Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh will aim to pick wickets in the first six overs.

Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh will get support in the form of fast bowling all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, and spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy in the middle overs.

The choice of six bowling options at Suryakumar Yadav’s disposal will make things a little easier for him during the game.

Josh Inglis of Punjab Kings (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia has publicly criticised Australia wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, calling his conduct “unprofessional” over how and when the franchise was informed about his availability for IPL 2026. Wadia said PBKS had every intention of retaining Inglis but were left blindsided when the player communicated his limited availability just minutes before the retention deadline. According to Wadia, the problem was never Inglis’ wedding in early April, but the timing of the disclosure.

Speaking to Sportstar, Wadia said, “We didn’t really let go of Josh. Josh unfortunately only told us at the last minute, which was not very fair, given that he had been with us for a while. Everyone knew when the retention was coming, and we were informed by him 45 minutes before the deadline that he was getting married and needed time to relax and recuperate. He said he was going to be available only for a couple of weeks.” Wadia made it clear that the franchise felt short-changed after planning their retention strategy around Inglis. “We told him he should have informed us earlier. I don’t think it was very professional of him. If you know there is a deadline, you cannot call someone 45 minutes before and say you are not coming, especially when you know you are being retained,” he said. Despite the criticism, Wadia struck a conciliatory note at the end, wishing the player well. “I wish him all the best. He is a good player and I am sure he will do well for Australia. Whether he plays in the IPL or not, I wish him well as a fellow human being. But the manner in which he behaved was not very professional,” he added. Inglis’ limited availability had already become a talking point ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Although he initially went unsold, he later sparked a bidding war and was eventually signed by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 8.6 crore. LSG are understood to have invested in him with an eye on future seasons rather than expecting a major contribution in his short stint this year. From Inglis’ side, the situation has been addressed plainly. The batter has acknowledged that he will not be available for the full IPL 2026 season due to his wedding in early April, with the tournament scheduled to run from March 26 to May 31.

Director Aditya Dhar’s spy action thriller ‘Dhurandhar’, starring Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna in the lead roles, wrapped up its second week at the box office with its lowest single-day collection so far. The film that has been rewriting box office record books, scored its lowest collection on its second Thursday, since its release on December 5. Coincidently, this drop comes ahead of the release of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’.According to early estimates on sacnilk, ‘Dhurandhar’ earned approximately Rs 23 crore India net on Day 14 across all languages. Despite the dip, the film closed its second week on a historic note.

‘Dhurandhar’ has record-breaking Week 2

The film amassed an estimated Rs 253.5 crore net in Week 2, making it the highest second-week collection ever for a Hindi film. ‘Dhurandhar’ also became the first Hindi film to cross Rs 200 crore net in its second week, surpassing the previous record held by ‘Pushpa 2 – The Rule’.The Ranveer starrer even outperformed its own opening week numbers. The film had collected Rs 207.25 crore net in Week 1, which it comfortably surpassed in its second week at the box office.

Gross total collections soar to Rs 552 crore

With the completion of two weeks, ‘Dhurandhar’ now stands at an estimated Rs 460.25 crore India net. On the gross front, the film has shot past the Rs 550 crore mark, with India’s gross collections pegged at approximately Rs 552 crore.‘Dhurandhar’ also crossed the Rs 500 crore India gross milestone on its second Wednesday, achieving the feat in just 13 days. It is now, one of the fastest films to hit the mark.

‘Dhurandhar’ becomes 16th Indian film to enter 500-crore club

‘Dhurandhar’ is now the third Indian film and the second Bollywood film of 2025 to cross Rs 500 crore gross in India. Overall, it has become the 16th Indian film of all time to enter the prestigious Rs 500 crore gross club.SS Rajamouli’s ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ (2015) was the first Indian film to achieve this milestone. Since then, eight Bollywood films, four Telugu films, two Kannada films and one Tamil film have crossed the Rs 500 crore India gross mark.

Fastest films to earn 500 crore net

In terms of net collections, only 12 films have crossed Rs 500 crore so far, with ‘Dhurandhar’ expected to become the 13th in the coming days. The film still has time to put itself in the ranks of Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Animal’, Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Jawan’, and even Vicky Kaushal‘s ‘Chhaava’, all of which are among the films that hold the record for the fastest films to hit the Rs 500 crore net mark.

Worldwide box office crosses Rs 700 crore

The film has also posted strong overseas numbers, earning an estimated Rs 150 crore from international markets. This has pushed its worldwide total to approximately Rs 702 crore by the end of its second week.With sustained momentum despite fresh competition and a historic second-week performance, trade analysts believe ‘Dhurandhar’ is now firmly on course to target the Rs 1,000 crore mark at the global box office in the weeks ahead.

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NEW DELHI: Barricades snapped shut, whistles pierced the air, and confusion spread quickly across Delhi’s borders Thursday morning as a rule barring non-Delhi, non-BS 6 vehicles came into force under GRAP Stage IV. Routine entry points rapidly turned into impromptu checkposts, catching many commuters off guard during peak hours.Traffic slowed to a crawl as police stopped vehicles bumper to bumper and scanned registration certificates, calling out “BS 6?”, and scribbling details into handwritten registers. Drivers waited inside idling cars, watching the line inch forward, unsure whether they would be allowed to proceed or forced to turn back.

Across 13 main borders from Kapashera to Badarpur, till 4pm, 2,768 vehicles were checked for compliance with BS 6 norms, of which 460 were turned back. Most vehicles were turned back at Najafgarh (175), Sarita Vihar/Kalindi Kunj (93), and Badarpur (33). Fewer vehicles were sent back at Narela (9) and Kapashera (8).At the Noida-Kalindi Kunj border, around 30 cars were turned back between 9.30am and 10.30am, officials said. Each U-turn created fresh snarls metres away from the barricades, and compounding congestion on already clogged stretches.

Pain In Peak Hrs; 2,768 Vehicles Turned Away

BS-VI: Some caught unawares, others fume Many commuters said the ban, announced on Tuesday, was enforced without warning. Dipak and his wife set out early from Pari Chowk in Greater Noida, hoping for a smooth drive towards Khatu Shyam for darshan, confidently following the route suggested by Google Maps. The journey was uneventful, until they reached Kalindi Kunj.A traffic policeman asked them to pull over, checked the vehicle details, and informed them that their car was BS V and not registered in Delhi. “We genuinely didn’t know about the rule,” Dipak said. “Google Maps showed this route, so we came. Now we have to go back 27km to Pari Chowk and start all over again. It’s very disappointing.”They were not alone. Just a few lanes away, Brigadier Chawla faced a similar setback while travelling with his daughter, who had arrived from the US, to their hometown in Haryana.The situation eased after peak hours as traffic volumes fell. Enforcement continued till late into the evening. Traffic cops said it was tough “stopping vehicles, checking them, and controlling traffic simultaneously”. Some 37 Prakhar vans and more than 500 traffic police personnel were deployed across major border points and key internal stretches. “We managed to stop and check vehicles to some extent, while also helping people understand the rules,” a traffic cop said. One person taking his father to dialysis had to be turned back, said a cop.As the day passed, and frustration coursed through the serpentine crawl of vehicles, commuters questioned the way the order was communicated. “There are people who don’t follow the news regularly. How are they supposed to know?” asked Anil Kumar, a real estate professional. “Why couldn’t the transport department send automated SMS or WhatsApp alerts? Anyway, it’s not like every car can be checked-there are just too many.” Others admitted they were unsure about emission categories and struggled to understand whether their vehicles were BS IVor BS VI.Similar scenes unfolded at the Mayur Vihar and Ghazipur borders too. When Poonam’s car was stopped at Mayur Vihar’s Chilla border, her driver quickly stepped out, fumbling with documents. “Arey, it’s a petrol car,” she told the policeman, visibly puzzled. When infor-med it still wasn’t BS VI compliant, she paused and asked, “Sorry, what does that mean?” Eventually, she took a U-turn, adding, “Maybe it’s a good move. We’ll take another car next time.”Others were confident until checks proved otherwise, and far less accepting. Praveen Kumar discovered his Camry met BS IV norms, not BS IV. “I was sure it was compliant,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief as he turned back.Advocate Vijay Mittal, who was stopped while heading to court, said he was aware of the order but did not realise his diesel BS IVcar would be barred. Ghaziabad resident Dr Pushkar Verma, travelling from Jaipur to report for duty at GTB Hospital, was also turned back. “My car is 10 years old. I didn’t think this would be an issue. I’ll now have to take the Metro,” he said.While cops turned back even those with genuine needs, questions lingered about the practicality of the exercise. At Kalindi Kunj, around 11 traffic personnel were deployed, while vehicle volumes during the morning peak can touch nearly 200,000, sources said. At Mayur Vihar, 7-9 were on duty, again vastly outnumbered by the flow of vehicles. With barricades and mid-way U-turns in place, congestion mounted rapidly.Transport expert Anil Chhikara called the ban “premature”, and said enforcement would inevitably be compromised, given the poor manpower. “Turning vehicles back at borders only leads to idling and higher emissions. Pollution in the NCR is a regional problem and treating it as only a Delhi issue won’t help,” he said.