Mumbai: The Local Military Authority on Monday petitioned Bombay High Court to challenge as “illegal and unauthorised” construction of a highrise building less than 250 metres of INS Shikra, a highly sensitive naval air station and VVIP heliport at Colaba. The HC restrained workers from entering the building premises till Wednesday citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival at the heliport on Tuesday. The builder agreed to it.Jadhavji Mansion is constructed up to 23 floors, the petition said, alleging violations of height guidelines for buildings within 500 metres of defence establishments.A division bench of Justices R V Ghuge and Abhay Mantri said that “…considering that the Prime Minister of India would be landing at INS Shikra air station and … keeping in view the great anxiety expressed as regards the security protocol”, it is directed that no construction worker would be permitted to enter the building for any construction or masonry activity from Monday midnight until the matter is heard for further orders, on Wednesday. HC also recorded that senior counsel SK Mishra, for the builder, made a statement that no worker would enter the building until the next date.The BMC did not respond to the Naval query for months and appeared to grant construction permission without the mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Navy on height restrictions, argued senior counsel R V Govilkar and advocate Mihir Govilkar, citing urgency and stoppage of work.The petition said an NOC from the Indian Navy was mandatory even prior to May 18, 2011 for construction in the vicinity of defence establishments under the old Development Control Regulations (DCR) of 1991. Following May 2011, an amendment to enhance height and floors was void for want of defence clearance, it contended, and added that BMC ignored “binding defence security requirements” and acted without applying its mind.Mishra argued that there were no allegations against the builder. He said he would place all the facts in the affidavit. Govilkar said a Naval NOC was not a new requirement, adding that the BMC allowed several amendments to the development post 2011. “The proximity, line of sight, and operational sensitivity of INS Shikra vitiates all permissions,” the Naval petition contended, adding that the civic body’s failure to invoke Section 354-A of the BMC Act constituted statutory dereliction in the face of prima facie illegality and danger. Section 354A empowers civic officials to immediately stop and demolish unlawful construction.The petition said that in March 2015, the defence ministry modified its guidelines mandating an NOC for post-2011 height amendments, and in May 2025, INS Shikra wrote to BMC objecting to the height of the upcoming building and sought a stop-work notice. In July 2025, BMC’s deputy chief engineer denied the applicability of defence guidelines, claiming prior permissions for the construction.

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi launched a scathing attack on the senior core of the Pakistan national cricket team after their crushing 61-run defeat to India national cricket team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at R Premadasa Stadium.Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India dominated the Group A clash on Sunday, handing Pakistan a heavy blow and leaving them in a must-win situation against Namibia to have any chance of reaching the Super 8s.

Afridi, speaking on Samaa TV, did not hold back and urged the team management to make bold calls ahead of the crucial fixture. He called for the exclusion of senior players including Babar Azam, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, stating that they had been given ample opportunities over the years without delivering consistent results. Notably, Shaheen is married to Afridi’s daughter Ansha.“Drop Shaheen, drop Shadab, and drop Babar. Try fresh faces against Namibia and give the new players a chance to build confidence. They’ve been playing for a long time. Whenever we expect them to perform, they don’t. If these senior players aren’t giving us the performances we desire, then play the juniors who are sitting on the bench. What is the difference?”, Afridi said during a Live show.Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted after the match that the spinners failed to deliver on a surface that offered assistance.“We were believing in our spinners, and they had an off day today. Execution was missing in some parts of the game. We were obviously going to always believe our spinners, because they’ve done really well in last six month. And with the batting I think we didn’t start well and in T20 games if we lose 3 or 4 wickets in powerplay, you are always chasing the game,” he said in the post-match presentation ceremony.Salman also criticised the batting unit for not adapting to the conditions.“I think, to be very honest, like in first inning it was a bit tacky. The ball was gripping as well. So, the execution was, I think, missing when it comes to bowling, but I think the pitch better played better in the second inning than first inning. But our bowlers like, we didn’t bowl according to the situation. And when it comes to batting, we didn’t apply ourselves and gave us a chance to go deep in the game,” he said.

NEW DELHI: India and France will look to further upgrade their defence, trade and technology ties as PM Narendra Modi hosts French President Emmanuel Macron for a bilateral meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday. During his three-day visit to India, Macron will also participate in the AI summit in Delhi on Thursday.Official sources said close to a dozen agreements/MoUs are likely to be signed after the bilateral meeting in areas like defence, trade, skilling, health, and supply chains. In Mumbai, the leaders will jointly inaugurate the India-France Year of Innovation which will be celebrated through 2026 in both countries, according to the ministry of external affairs. The India-France Year of Innovation and Cultural Commemoration will be held at the Gateway of India on Tuesday evening.The Indian govt had last week approved a proposal to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets under a govt-to-govt framework from France. India and France will also hold on Tuesday the 6th Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru that is expected to see the renewal of their defence cooperation agreement for another 10 years. Discussions are also likely to focus on greater cooperation involving air and maritime assets, in line with the ambitious Defence Industrial Roadmap agreed to in 2024.Both leaders will also look to discuss regional and global issues, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the situation in Gaza and the Indo-Pacific region where India sees France as an indispensable partner. With uncertainty looming over Quad, the partnership with France, a resident power in the Indian Ocean, has become even more significant for India.According to Indian authorities, both leaders will hold discussions on strengthening bilateral cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas as enshrined in the Horizon 2047 Roadmap that was adopted three years ago, setting the course for bilateral cooperation over the next 25 years. Macron’s participation in the AI summit in India follows his co-chairing with Modi the same summit in France last year.Both leaders had then stressed their common commitment to concrete actions to ensure that the global AI sector can drive social, economic and environmental outcomes in public interest. They are also expected to review progress on the India-France Roadmap on AI, rooted in the “philosophical convergence” in their approaches focusing on the development of safe, open, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence. The roadmap had been launched last year during Modi’s visit to France.

Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth has launched a scathing attack on Pakistan coach Mike Hesson after India’s massive 61-run win in their T20 World Cup 2026 group match in Colombo. It was the one-sided clash in Colombo, where India completely outplayed their rivals.

Pakistan had won the toss but decided to bowl first, and Srikkanth felt this decision cost them the match even before India’s fireworks ended in Colombo. The former Indian chief selector has pointed out that batting first and putting runs on the board on the pitch like Colombo was always the better option.

Kris Srikkanth slams Mike Hesson’s strategy against India

He said that Pakistan made life easy for India by inviting them to bat first. India’s former World Cup winner also questioned Mike Hesson’s strategy. He pointed out that even during his time with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL, they never won the cup. Srikkanth felt the situation is the same with Pakistan, who are now struggling badly in a crunch situation.

Read Also: Ravichandran Ashwin uneasy about India vs Pakistan final in ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel ‘Cheeky Cheeka’: “It was a golden opportunity after winning the toss, but they chose to bowl first. Mike Hesson as a coach was there at RCB for a long time and did not do anything there as well. Everyone knows that on a wicket like this, if you bat first and score 160-170, you can win the game. They gave us the game on a plate, saying, “Take this, India. Thank you very much.”

Ishan Kishan’s explosive knock changes game

India posted a strong total of 175 for 7 on the board in their 20 overs after being sent in to bat. The star of the night was Ishan Kishan, who smashed 77 runs off just 40 balls. His innings included 10 fours and 3 sixes, and runs came at a remarkable strike rate of 200.

The former Indian chief selector noted that Ishan’s knock put Pakistan under huge pressure. Then there was one over where he attacked Shadab Khan and scored many runs. After that, the match almost finished because India had full control.

He praised Ishan for playing smart cricket and said his journey has been impressive. Just four months ago, Ishan was not even close to the Indian team. But after scoring runs in domestic cricket, he got another chance. He came in as a replacement for players like Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson. Now, he is batting with great consistency and proving himself in big matches.

Read Also: Mike Hesson to be sacked? Pakistan head coach under fire for shocking toss decision vs India

Hats off to this boy: Srikkanth on Ishan

Srikkanth said, “The difference in this game was just five overs: when Ishan scored 38 runs in three overs and then the one over where he hit Shadab Khan, the match was done there.” He hailed Isha for playing “very intelligent cricket,” saying, “Hats off to this boy.” He also lauded his journey, where he made a stunning comeback in the national side after domestic cricket heroics.

Srikkanth slams Salman Ali Agha’s captaincy against India

He added that if Pakistan had batted first and scored around 150 or 160, they could have at least made the contest interesting. The former India captain even questioned the overall quality of Pakistan’s batting and bowling, saying the team looked weak in all departments.

Srikkanth signed off by saying, “Even a kid will tell you that you should have batted first after winning the toss on this wicket. You have been playing here; you know the boundaries. It was ridiculous captaincy. There is something wrong with their entire system. If you come or do not come, it is the same. USA has got a better batting lineup.”

NEW DELHI: Axar Patel stood with his arms outstretched, a broad smile lighting up his face. Moments earlier, he had Pakistan batter Usman Khan stumped by Ishan Kishan by a considerable margin for 44. The wicket left Pakistan reeling at 73 for five, virtually sealing their fate in pursuit of 176 in the high-voltage T20 World Cup clash on Sunday.From a match standpoint, the left-arm spinner’s celebration may have stemmed from the awareness that he had nearly extinguished Pakistan’s hopes.

Axar Patel press conference: ‘We see them as a team, don’t see rivalry’ after India beat Pakistan

But it might also have carried a personal undertone.Usman had taken a liking to Axar, striking six boundaries in his 34-ball knock, including two instances of consecutive fours.Yet, the decisive moment of his dismissal lacked any dramatic flourish.There was none of the sorcery that Kuldeep Yadav or Varun Chakravarthy often produce — no ripping delivery from outside off-stump or a darting missile that flashes past the batter.Then again, Axar has never relied on theatrics.Even on supportive surfaces like the one at the Premadasa, it is his intelligent variations in length — born out of sharp observation — that make him such a difficult proposition.Axar subtly dragged his length back, anticipating Usman’s charge down the track. The Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter could only swing in hope as Kishan completed the formalities behind the stumps.Axar later outlined his approach.“Basically, what was happening on the wicket, the odd ball was skidding a little more, and some other balls were spinning more. When we came to bowl in the second innings, I realised that the new ball was skidding a little more,” Axar said in the post-match press conference.“So the plan is to observe what the batsman wants to do, in which area he wants to target me. After that I change my line or length. And the second dismissal (Usman) happened when he was stepping out. So I again went for my length. So, yeah, I plan like that,” he added.Earlier, Axar had also ended Babar Azam’s uneasy 16-minute stay at the crease.Detecting Babar’s rising impatience, the 32-year-old slipped in a fuller delivery on off-stump, tempting the former Pakistan captain into a release shot.The attempted slog sweep backfired, with Babar losing his stumps.“He has always been a kid with a big heart. His biggest asset is his ability to observe, and put those observations into practice. He clearly knows what are his strengths and what are his limitations. It is a good quality to have for sportspersons,” said Amrish Patel, Axar’s childhood coach.“Axar has long strides and he puts it into good use, as he can quickly adjust his lengths without any obvious signals to the batsmen. He has a very flexible mind,” he added.Axar carries that adaptability into his batting too, although his skills with the bat were not required against Pakistan.More than his batting slot or the number of runs he contributes, Axar remains focused on fulfilling the team management’s directives.He has slotted in at positions ranging from No. 4 to No. 8 in white-ball cricket.While many batters prefer stability in their batting roles, Axar sees flexibility as an asset.“The job of an all-rounder is that you can bowl or bat at any order. I always think that if the team needs me, then that means they are showing confidence in me that I will work in such a situation.“And I will get them out of this situation. So, it is a plus point for me. And, yeah, maybe in the upcoming match, you can see me (bat) higher up also – you never know,” said Axar.For now, though, Axar the batter is content to play a supporting role to Axar the bowler — the version India need most in this T20 World Cup.