NEW DELHI: Delhi’s air quality worsened again on Saturday after a brief improvement earlier in the week, with several parts of the city recording pollution levels in the ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories. Residents across the capital woke up to thick smog, which reduced visibility in many areas. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality in Dhaula Kuan stood at an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 252, categorised as ‘poor’. In Akshardham and Anand Vihar, the AQI touched ‘410’, placing both areas in the ‘severe’ category. The ITO area recorded an AQI of 379, which falls under the ‘very poor’ category. The city’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 332 at 4pm on Friday compared with 234 on Thursday. At 11am on Friday, the AQI was recorded at 320, up from 218 at the same time a day earlier. By the afternoon, several areas entered the severe category. Jahangirpuri recorded an AQI of 403 and Anand Vihar 405 by 2pm. By 6pm, pollution levels worsened further, with Bawana registering an AQI of 423, Vivek Vihar 418, Jahangirpuri 414, Narela 413, Anand Vihar 406, Rohini 405, DTU 404 and Nehru Nagar 403. Weather officials attributed the spike in pollution to calm wind conditions linked to an approaching western disturbance. The India Meteorological Department said wind speeds remained low during the early morning hours and briefly reached 10kmph from the southwest later in the day. Weather analysts warned that a series of western disturbances could keep pollution levels elevated in the coming days.The weather department has issued a yellow alert, warning of moderate to dense fog. The minimum temperature is expected to remain between 6 and 8 degrees Celsius on Saturday and between 5 and 7 degrees on Sunday.

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