NEW DELHI: Government Thursday asked airlines to “submit their requests and preferences” to airport operators for IndiGo slots that have become available after 10% of its current winter schedule flights were cancelled following last month’s disruptions. It has directed airports to “compile the requests received from airlines and forward the same to” it.The aviation ministry sent this communication to airlines and airport operators on Thursday, listing the conditions attached with getting slots freed up by IndiGo till the flight cuts remain in place. “Surrendered slots should not remain unutilised where capacity can be added. Preference shall be given to airlines that can demonstrate capacity in the form of additional aircraft, pilots, cabin crew, ground support equipment and maintenance engineers, and not merely a reshuffle of existing flights. Airlines must share operational preparedness failing which assigned slots will be cancelled and re-assigned. Existing routes or sector connectivity shall not be discontinued to utilise vacated slots,” the official note says.The aviation ministry had cut IndiGo flights by 10% after its schedule collapsed in the first week of that month and the same, as of now, are supposed to remain in place all the summer schedule comes into effect from the last Sunday of March. It then set up a slot coordination committee “for the purpose of redistribution of slots vacated by lndiGo cancellations to other Airlines.” Led by joint secretary Rubina Ali, the committee had its first meeting on January 13 where the process and rules for redistributing the slots were decided.After getting the requests for slots temporarily freed up by IndiGo, this panel will decide on their final allocation. Officials in other major Indian airlines say their current capacity is nearly fully deployed. Also, they do not know how long these slots are available for. The current winter schedule ends on March 28, and so far IndiGo cuts are for this remaining period.“The ministry has come out with good conditions that disallow taking capacity out from some route and deploying it on the IndiGo slots others may get. This means only someone sitting on spare capacity can avail of this which is not the case with any serious Indian player. The best bet in the short term remains IndiGo getting its house in order and be able to return to pre-cut level of flights. Everyone wants that to happen as till the 65% market share company is not operational 100%, the fare caps will remain in place that are hurting our yields,” said officials of other big airlines.

India enter the second T20I at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur with significant momentum, leading the five-match series 1-0. After a dominant 48-run victory in the series opener at Nagpur, the Men in Blue will look to tighten their grip on the series before the action moves to Guwahati.

The hosts were powered by a sensational Abhishek Sharma, who smashed 84 off 35 balls in the first game. With Rinku Singh providing the late-overs blitz and Varun Chakaravarthy leading the spin department effectively, India’s T20 World Cup preparations look on track.

The Kiwis struggled early in Nagpur, losing key wickets of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra within the first two overs. While Glenn Phillips kept them in the hunt with a defiant 78, the middle order will need more stability to chase or set a competitive total on Raipur’s large outfield.

IND vs NZ, 2nd T20I: Match Details

• Date and Time: January 23 (Friday); 7:00 pm IST / 1:30 pm GMT
• Venue: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur

IND vs NZ, Head-to-Head Record (T20Is):

Matches played: 26 | India won: 15 | New Zealand won: 10 | No result/Tied: 1

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium Pitch Report

The pitch at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium is traditionally balanced, offering a “sporting” surface that provides a fair contest between bat and ball. Initially, the black soil track offers good carry and bounce for pacers, but it tends to slow down as the game progresses, assisting spinners with natural grip and turn. A defining feature of this venue is its vast boundary dimensions, which makes clearing the ropes difficult and rewards smart placement. With significant dew expected in the evening, the toss will be crucial; chasing becomes considerably easier as the ball gets harder to grip.

Squads

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravi Bishnoi

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Kristian Clarke (first three games), Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi

Also READ: IND vs NZ: Arshdeep Singh reveals the key to thriving on batting-friendly pitches

IND vs NZ, 2nd T20I: Today’s Match Prediction

Case 1:

• India wins the toss and bowls first
• New Zealand powerplay score: 45-55
• New Zealand total score: 170-180

Case 2:

• New Zealand wins the toss and bowls first
• India powerplay score: 60-70
• India total score: 210-220

Match result: India to win the contest 

Also WATCH: Sanju Samson turns ‘Superman’ with brilliant one-handed catch to dismiss Devon Conway during 1st T20I

Photo for representative purpose only

NEW DELHI: A clinical study from Colombia, published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, the peer-reviewed journal of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has found that low vitamin D levels are linked to more severe dengue, a finding with clear relevance for India, where both dengue and vitamin D deficiency are widespread. Dengue remains a recurring public health challenge in the country, especially during the monsoon, when hospitals see sharp rises in patients with high fever, falling platelet counts and bleeding complications. While many recover with supportive care, a significant proportion deteriorate rapidly, and predicting severity remains difficult.In the Colombian study, researchers analysed blood samples from nearly 100 laboratory-confirmed dengue patients, classified by disease severity, and compared them with healthy individuals. They measured serum vitamin D levels along with miRNA-155, a molecule that regulates immune and inflammatory responses. Patients with milder dengue had higher vitamin D levels, while those with warning signs or severe disease showed significant deficiency. At the same time, miRNA-155 levels rose steadily with increasing severity, indicating an exaggerated immune response. The study also found an inverse relationship between vitamin D and inflammatory markers such as TNF-alpha and interleukin-6, both linked to severe dengue and complications like dengue haemorrhagic fever.Commenting on the findings, Dr R. Goswami, professor of endocrinology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, said the study strengthens earlier evidence linking low vitamin D with severe dengue, particularly dengue haemorrhagic fever. “What this study adds is a possible disease mechanism through microRNA-155, which is involved in immune dysregulation via Th1 and Th2 pathways,” he said, adding that it is prudent to maintain normal levels.Doctors say the findings resonate with Indian clinical experience. Dr Pankaj Soni, principal director (internal medicine) at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, said low vitamin D is associated with bleeding and complications and may worsen inflammation and viral replication, making it a modifiable risk factor but not a treatment. Dr Atul Gogia, head of infectious diseases at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said severe dengue is often driven by a cytokine storm, and correcting deficiency could help reduce complications, though larger, well-controlled trials are needed.India continues to face a heavy dengue burden, with about 1.13 lakh cases and 95 deaths reported till November 2025, and much higher numbers recorded in peak years such as 2023. At the same time, national studies show vitamin D deficiency affects a large majority of Indians across age and income groups. Experts caution against self-medication but say the study highlights the need for India-specific research to examine whether correcting widespread deficiency could help identify high-risk patients early and reduce dengue-related complications.

Jasprit Bumrah (AP Photo)

RAIPUR: Cricket tragics, whatsapp uncles, millennials and zoomers often dissect India’s batting into a pre-Tendulkar and post-Tendulkar phase. And when one mentions Jasprit Bumrah, one suspects they will break down India’s pace bowling into a pre and post-Bumrah era.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!When the Gujarat pacer was first spotted taking the wicket of Virat Kohli in the IPL in 2013 on his debut despite being hit for three boundaries, everyone was amazed at his unorthodox action and the ability to deliver accurate yorkers at will. The doubting Thomases also questioned whether his action will be sustainable over a long period and whether he can play the longer format. But at every stage of his life, Bumrah kept defying the odds and continued to chase excellence and write his own destiny to slot himself among the all-time greats.

On Friday, the right-arm pacer will complete a decade in international cricket when he takes the field during the second T20I against New Zealand.His international debut in the fifth ODI against Australia in Sydney on Jan 23, 2016 was full of drama.Bumrah was actually part of the T20I team on that tour and was supposed to fly to Adelaide three days prior to the last ODI, but as the Indian board could not find him a flight seat, he stayed back in Sydney. Bumrah thought he would get to spend some time in the company of the seniors and sharpen his skills, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he would be handed an ODI debut. But he was drafted in, in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who fractured his thumb. The spot could have gone to left-arm seamer Barinder Sran, who was in the original ODI squad, but skipper MS Dhoni decided to go with his hunch and hand the Gujarat pacer ODI Cap No. 210.

The chosen one did not disappoint and finished with figures of 2/40 from 10 overs, which included the dismissal of Aussie skipper Steve Smith, and since then he has never looked back. By the end of the T20 games, Dhoni called him the find of the tour.After the Sydney ODI, Smith admitted that because of Bumrah’s nippy action, the deliveries came quicker onto the bat than one thought. That unusual action, with the release much closer to the batter than traditional bowlers, gives the batter no trigger to react and has bamboozled modern-day greats like Smith, AB de Villiers and Joe Root.Bumrah has made an impact across formats, but it was the T20s that first brought him into the limelight during the IPL with Mumbai Indians with captain Rohit Sharma often using Bumrah’s four overs like a pensioner used his retirement corpus.He did the same during the T20 World Cup in 2024 too, especially in the game vs Pakistan in New York where his 3/14 across four overs enabled India to pull off a heist and defend 119.The defence of 30 off 30 balls vs South Africa with six wickets left in the final too became possible only because Rohit still had two overs of Bumrah up his sleeve and the GOAT bowled one of the balls of the tournament to castle Marco Jansen.

India will hope that he has an ace up his sleeve again when they set about defending their T20 World Cup title on home turf, starting with a group clash against USA at the Wankhede Stadium on Feb 7.During the 2024 edition, he had an economy rate of 4.17, which was best among the bowlers who played five or more matches in the tournament. His career economy rate after 84 T20Is is 6.42, which is obscene for a bowler who bowls during all three phases—Powerplay, middle overs and the death.The most important aspect of Bumrah is his presence in the playing XI and his ability to land telling blows. It has a calming influence on the bowling attack and settles the nerves of a skipper, which was missing during the recent ODI series defeat against New Zealand.It’s hardly a wonder then that be it Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit or Surya, all looked in Bumrah’s direction when they needed a piece of magic. Rest assured, India will need his magic again as dew, not a factor in West Indies and USA in 2024, will be a huge one, come Feb and March and if Bumrah is on, rival teams often end up playing a 16-over match, instead of a T20 game.

MUMBAI: The decision of Congress to contest separately in the BMC polls may have caused losses for the alliance of Raj and Uddhav Thackeray in at least 26 seats, with the vote-splitting benefiting BJP-Shiv Sena candidates. The vote fragmentation may have helped BJP gain 20 seats and Shiv Sena win 6 seats, data shows, assuming votes had got transferred among the opposition parties.Among the gainers was ex-Shiv Sena MLA Yamini Jadhav, who won from ward 209 in Byculla. She polled 7,974 votes. However, combined votes of the candidates of the Congress and Raj Thackeray’s MNS were higher at 8,641.The BJP’s Akash Purohit, son of senior politician Raj Purohit, won his second term as corporator from ward 221 (Bhuleshwar). He got 6,178 votes. However, candidates of the Congress and Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena (UBT) jointly got 8,828 votes.In some wards, the gap between the two was large. For instance, BJP’s Banderi Tipanna won from ward 65 after polling 8,328 votes. The combined votes of the UBT Sena and Congress candidates were 13,406. The gap was 5,078 votes. This indicates that if they had a joint candidate, they had high chances of winning the seat.In the BMC polls, the UBT Sena won 65 seats and MNS won 6, taking the number of the alliance to 71. The Mahayuti won 118 seats, four over the half-way mark. The BJP got 89 seats and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena got 29. The Congress won 24 seats, lower than its 2017 tally of 31.The gap between the two alliances is perhaps too large to speculate on whether the entry of Congress would have helped the opposition win the polls. However, UBT Sena politicians said the dynamics of Congress entering the alliance would have benefited both Congress and the UBT Sena. “There is no doubt both Sena (UBT) and the Congress would have benefited if it had joined the alliance,” said ex-mayor and UBT Sena corporator Kishori Pednekar.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed deep sorrow after ten army personnel were killed and 11 injured in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district, when their vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a gorge.In a post on X, he wrote: “Deeply anguished by the mishap in Doda, in which we have lost our brave army personnel. Their service to the nation will be remembered forever. May the injured recover at the earliest. All possible support is being provided to those affected.”The bullet-proof vehicle was carrying 17 personnel, at Khanni top along the Bhaderwah-Chamba interstate road, moving towards a high altitude when its driver lost control and the vehicle plunged into a 200-foot-deep gorge.

A joint rescue operation by the Army and police was immediately launched, and four soldiers were found dead, officials, quoted by PTI said. Later, six more succumbed to injuries, taking the toll to 10.President Droupadi Murmu also expressed sorrow over the tragic incident. In a post on X, she wrote: “The news of the death of Indian Army soldiers in a road accident in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir, is extremely tragic. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the swift recovery of the injured soldiers.” “Deeply saddened at the loss of lives of 10 of our brave Indian Army soldiers in an unfortunate road accident in Doda. We will always remember the outstanding service and supreme sacrifice of our brave soldiers. My deepest condolences to the grieving families,” office of Lt Governor of J&K said in a statement.“In this moment of profound sorrow, the entire nation stands united with the bereaved families in solidarity and support. 10 injured soldiers have been airlifted to the hospital. Directed the Senior officials to ensure best possible treatment. Praying for their speedy recovery,” the statement read.One of the injured is under observation at the Bhaderwah sub-district hospital, while 10 soldiers were airlifted to the Udhampur command hospital for specialised treatment.“We have lost 10 soldiers with 11 others injured in the unfortunate accident involving an Army vehicle,” Additional Deputy Commissioner, Bhaderwah, Sumit Kumar Bhutyal told PTI.J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah’s office in a post on X wrote: “Chief Minister has expressed deep grief over the tragic accident involving an Army vehicle at Khannitop on the Bhaderwah–Chamba road. He conveyed heartfelt condolences to the families of the soldiers who lost their lives and wished a speedy recovery to those injured, lauding the swift rescue and evacuation efforts.” PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti condemning the incident in a post on X, wrote: “Deeply saddened to hear the tragic news from Doda, where an Army vehicle met with an accident, claiming the lives of 10 brave soldiers and leaving several others injured. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, and prayers for the swift recovery of the injured.”Defence minister Rajnath Singh also offered his tributes and updated that injured soldiers are receiving treatment.

The series now shifts to Raipur as India looks to build on their 1-0 lead following a dominant 48-run victory in Nagpur. For New Zealand, the second T20I is a must-win to stay level in this high-stakes series. The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, one of the largest in the world, presents a completely different challenge with its massive boundary dimensions and a surface that rewards tactical discipline over raw aggression.

IND vs NZ 2nd T20I: Probable Playing XI

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel (vc), Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson/Kristian Clarke, Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson.

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium Pitch Report

The Raipur pitch is known as a balanced, two-paced surface. Early in the innings, the black soil offers decent bounce and carry, allowing batters to play through the line. However, as the ball loses its shine, the pitch tends to slow down significantly. Spinners often find grip and natural turn here and pacers who utilize cutters and slower balls are typically more successful than those relying on pure pace.

With average boundaries of it is one of the toughest grounds to clear in India. Batters must rely on gap-finding and hard running rather than just power-hitting. Heavy evening dew is a common occurrence in Raipur during January. This usually makes the ball skiddy and difficult for bowlers to grip in the second innings, making chasing the preferred option for the toss-winning captain.

Also READ: IND vs NZ: Arshdeep Singh reveals the key to thriving on batting-friendly pitches

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium Stats & Records

Raipur is a relatively new international venue, having hosted its first T20I in late 2023. The stats reflect a ground where scores are competitive rather than record-breaking.

• Total T20I Matches: 1 (India vs Australia, 2023)
• Matches won batting first: 1
• Matches won bowling first: 0
• Average 1st Innings Score: 174
• Average 2nd Innings Score: 154
• Highest Total Recorded: 174/9 by India vs Australia
• Lowest Total Recorded: 154/7 by Australia vs India
• Highest Score Chased: N/A (International)
• Lowest Score Defended: 174/9 by India vs Australia

Also WATCH: Sanju Samson turns ‘Superman’ with brilliant one-handed catch to dismiss Devon Conway during IND vs NZ 1st T20I

NEW DELHI: Former India batter Manoj Tiwary has reignited the debate around Virat Kohli’s Test retirement with a sensational claim, insisting the former India captain was “forced” into stepping away from the longest format rather than walking away by choice.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Kohli’s decision to retire from Tests continues to dominate cricketing discourse, largely because his red-ball career defined an era for India. With contemporaries like Joe Root and Steve Smith still piling up Test hundreds, the void left by Kohli remains a constant talking point.

Speaking to InsideSport, Tiwary strongly disagreed with Sanjay Manjrekar’s assertion that Kohli left the “hardest format” to continue in the “easiest” one. “I don’t agree with him. Usko majboor kiya gaya tha,” Tiwary said. “An atmosphere was created as such that he had to say goodbye to Test cricket. He is not someone who would just decide on his own to leave. Yes, the decision came from his mouth, but everyone knows what happened behind the scenes.”Tiwary added that, given the context, it was unfair to accuse Kohli of choosing formats merely to pad his numbers. “After knowing everything, how can you say he left the hardest format to play the easiest one just for runs? I don’t agree with him,” he reiterated.

While the Test debate rages on, Kohli’s bat continues to do the talking in ODIs. Despite India failing to seal the ODI series against New Zealand, Kohli produced a valiant century — a lone-warrior effort that kept India in the contest and once again underlined his enduring class.Kohli smashed a 108-ball 124, laced with 10 fours and three sixes in the third ODI against the Kiwis. The knock marked Kohli’s 85th international century and his 54th ODI hundred, extending his own record. It was also his seventh ODI ton against New Zealand, the most by any batter, further reinforcing that while his Test chapter may be closed, Kohli’s impact on the game is far from over.