Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif exposed Shoaib Akhtar during a live conversation. Kaif said that by criticizing the Pakistan cricket team, the former Pakistan pacer was actually trying to take away Team India’s excellence, which they showed by defeating the arch rivals in Colombo on February 15.

On Sunday, India got a commanding win over Pakistan. The defending champions sealed the match with a 61-run win. Several former cricketers criticized the Pakistan cricket team brutally for showing a below-par performance in such a high-profile match.

Shoaib Akhter dropped bombshell on Pakistan Cricket Board

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhter held an all-out attack on the Pakistan Cricket Board, especially on Mohsin Naqvi, the head of the board. Right after the India vs Pakistan match, Akhter said via ABP News that the person who is currently at the top of Pakistan’s cricket ecosystem knows nothing about the game.

Your daily dose of cricket!

“One guy who does not know anything has become the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chairman. What can you do? How will the team run?” he said.

Mohammad Kaif not happy what Akhter said

Though, the statements from Akhter did not make Mohammad Kaif happy, as the former Pakistani cricketer did not mention anything encouraging about Indian cricket. Kaif believes that if Pakistan had won the match, then Shoaib Akhter might have issued some statements against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“Ever since we started the show, I’ve not been happy, because you have been saying the Pakistan team is weak anyway and is an unenergetic team. “If that team had won today, then 100% Shoaib Akhtar would be saying right now that BCCI is prideful, that the players had too much ego,” Kaif said while speaking with ABP News.

Mohammad Kaif wanted to show that Shoaib Akhter said it only about Pakistan, not a point about Indian cricket. Kaif’s comments are valid, as every match result carries two aspects—one related to the winning side and the other one related to the losing side. Akhter chose to say only about the latter.

“I want to say that by showing Pakistan as weak, you are taking away India’s excellence. You have just been showing that Pakistan is in trouble, that there’s no system, but what does that matter for India?” Mohammad Kaif raised the question.

Mohammad Kaif praised Ishan Kishan as well

The ex-India cricketer also praised Ishan Kishan for his brilliant 77-run knock, as he had to sustain an immense amount of pressure.

“Ishan Kishan, who has played against Pakistan for the first time—how much pressure he must have on him; we aren’t talking about that. Give India’s players the credit because they are playing in a circumstance where, imagine if they lost, then it would have been an outcry,” he added.

Supported by Ishan Kishan’s 77 off 40, India secured 175 in 20 overs, which was a good total considering the nature of the pitch. In reply, Pakistan managed to score only 114 runs before losing their last wicket in the last ball of the 18th over.

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

India’s Hardik Pandya and teammates celebrate (ANI Photo)

Pakistan’s crushing 61-run defeat to arch-rivals India in the T20 World Cup has largely been framed around their shortcomings, especially after they were bowled out for just 114. Much of the discussion has centred on Pakistan’s lack of intensity and inability to match the defending champions, particularly with the bat.However, former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif believes that narrative has unfairly overshadowed India’s own excellence on the night. While acknowledging that Pakistan fell well short of the required standard, Kaif argued that India’s quality and composure under pressure deserved far greater recognition.

Speaking on ABP News, Kaif expressed frustration at the way the debate was shaped, singling out Shoaib Akhtar for focusing heavily on Pakistan’s struggles rather than India’s performance.“Ever since we started the show I’m not happy, because you have been saying the Pakistan team is anyway weak, is an unenergetic team. If that team had won today, then 100% Shoaib Akhtar would be saying right now that BCCI is prideful, that the players had too much ego,” argued Kaif.“I want to say that by showing Pakistan as weak, you are taking away India’s excellence. You have just been showing that Pakistan is in trouble, that there’s no system, but what does that matter for India?” he continued.Kaif pointed to Ishan Kishan’s match-winning 77 off 40 balls as an example of India thriving under extreme pressure. The opener, playing his first game against Pakistan, delivered one of the standout knocks in India-Pakistan T20 World Cup history despite the challenging surface.“We are talking about India, the Indian captain, Ishan Kishan who has played against Pakistan for the first time – how much pressure he must have on him, we aren’t talking about that. Give India’s players the credit because they are playing in a circumstance where imagine if they lost, then it would have been an outcry,” Kaif pointed out.He also underlined the intense scrutiny Indian players face in such high-stakes clashes, recalling how criticism can spiral after defeats like the 2021 World Cup loss.“You would say Suryakumar Yadav isn’t shaking hands and now the team has lost, they think they are so brave. Ishan Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah, all would have been on trial if they lost this match today,” stated Kaif.With India now through to the Super 8 stage, Kaif’s remarks serve as a reminder that victories in contests of this magnitude are built not only on opposition errors but on skill, temperament and the ability to withstand enormous pressure.

Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) expanded disciplinary action across multiple levels of its engineering hierarchy in the fatal concrete parapet collapse incident by suspending two more officials, ordering a departmental inquiry against a chief engineer, and moving to terminate its general consultant — signalling one of the strongest internal responses to a construction site lapse in recent Metro project history.On Feb 14, a 6ft×4 ft concrete parapet segment of the underconstruction Metro Line 4 (Wadala–Kasarvadavali) viaduct fell on an autorickshaw and a car passing below on LBS Road in Mulund West, killing a 50-year-old man and injuring three others. MMRDA had suspended executive engineer Satyajeet Salve on the day of the incident and imposed a preliminary penalty of Rs 5 crore on contractor RAJV-Milan Infra and Rs 1 crore on the general consultant, D B Hill–LBG consortium.

Sources said that at the 160th MMRDA meeting chaired by deputy chief minister and urban development minister Eknath Shinde on Monday, the authority decided to suspend superintending engineer Abhijit Bhisikar. He was responsible for ensuring adherence to safety protocols at the site, but allegedly failed to conduct a mandatory inspection after the parapet segment was installed 10-12 hours before the incident.The authority also suspended deputy engineer Snehal Sawant, and ordered a departmental inquiry against chief engineer Madhukar Kharat. Kharat and Bhisikar were part of the special intensive safety inspection team set up to review the entire Wadala–Kasarvadavali Metro 4 corridor, and were appointed deputy team leaders for inspection of the Sonapur-Gainukh and Wadala-to-Sonapur stretches of the corridor.Officials said the general consultant, D B Hill–LBG consortium, was equally accountable, as its role includes supervision of construction quality, certification of safety compliance, and ensuring that contractors follow standard operating procedures before opening work zones to traffic below.At the meeting, MMRDA also resolved to set up an internal vigilance cell to carry out periodic and surprise inspections of project sites, identify safety violations, verify deployment of qualified manpower, and recommend disciplinary action in case of negligence.Mulund police probing the fatal concrete parapet collapse case are looking for welder Ram Ashish and civil consultant Suresh Sai. Police said it was Ram Ashish’s responsibility to carry out welding of the slab, but he allegedly cut the two interlocks between the parapets and left it loose, causing it to fall. Since the incident, the two have been untraceable. “Now only these two persons can clarify why they cut the interlocking and left it loose,” said an officer, adding that police are also awaiting MMRDA’s internal report on the incident.

Photo: File photo of oil vessel Asphalt Star

NEW DELHI: Indian coastal authorities reportedly “seized three US-sanctioned tanker ships linked to Iran” earlier this month, a source informed TOI on Monday. The vessel seizures follow the improvement in India-US relations with Washington announcing recently that it would cut import tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%.In a related development, US military forces boarded another sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea, in an effort to target illicit oil trade connected to Venezuela, the Pentagon said on Sunday.‘Shadow fleet’ vessels Stellar Ruby, Asphalt Star and Al Jafzia carrying sanctioned Iranian oil were seized on Feb 6. India’s unprecedented enforcement action took place the same day that Washington and New Delhi unveiled a major bilateral trade framework.Indian coastal authorities said in a post on X on Feb 6 that they had intercepted the three vessels about 100 nautical miles west of Mumbai after detecting suspicious activity involving a tanker in India’s exclusive economic zone. However, the post was later deleted.Stellar Ruby, Asphalt Star and Al Jafzia frequently changed their identities to evade action by coastal states, and their owners were based overseas, it was said.According to Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington DC-based research institute, “All three were previously sanctioned by the US for their ties to Iran. They form part of a 30-tanker fleet managed by Jugwinder Singh Brar, a UAE-based Indian national designated by the Treasury Department in April 2025 for operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy. The Stellar Ruby was still flying an Iranian flag at the time of the seizure”.Importantly, Iran too had seized an oil tanker, MT Valiant Roar, on Dec 8 with 16 Indian crew members on board. Of the 16, eight have been released, but eight are still in Iran’s custody. Their families have been demanding the release of the sailors.As for US forces boarding another sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean, Venezuela has faced US sanctions on its oil for several years and relied on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains. President Donald Trump ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers in Dec to pressure then-President Nicolás Maduro — Maduro was apprehended in Jan during an American military operation.Several tankers fled the Venezuelan coast in the wake of the raid, including the ship that was boarded in the Indian Ocean overnight. The Defense Department said in a post on X that US forces had boarded Veronica III, conducting “a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding.” “The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine — hoping to slip away,” the Pentagon said. “We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance and shut it down,” it added.

Mumbai: A special court on Friday ordered the repatriation of alleged gangster Kumar Krishnan Pillai to Hong Kong, ruling that he cannot be tried for any additional crimes in India following his acquittal in three specific cases for which he was originally extradited. Allowing Pillai’s plea, special judge Satyanarayan R Navander said, “The commissioner of police, Mumbai, shall take necessary steps for repatriation of the applicant, namely Kumar Krishnan Pillai, to his home country, Hong Kong, and shall report compliance to this court within a period of one month.” The detailed order was made available on Monday.

On Monday, Pillai’s lawyer also moved another court where one of the other matters (not included in the extradition proceedings) against him was pending. The lawyer apprised the judge about Friday’s order. Last month that court had issued an open-dated arrest warrant against “alleged gang leader” Pillai in connection with a 2007 shooting that left one man dead and another seriously injured. While Pillai had previously been extradited from Singapore a decade ago to face charges in three other cases, police recently discovered that he remained a “wanted” accused in a 2007 case involving charges of murder and attempted murder. The prosecution argued that Pillai’s arrest is needed for further investigation. It was also submitted that because he has ties abroad, a formal proposal must be made to the govt of Singapore. The process to extradite him began soon after the detention. A police team visited Singapore with a dossier on Pillai — a record of his fingerprints, list of his crimes and other evidence to be presented before a court. In May 2016, a police team visited Chennai to get information about Pillai’s relatives in the southern city. This information, said the police, was also sent to the Singaporean court. Pillai’s mother runs a school in Vikhroli which her husband had started.Pillai, a textile engineer, allegedly fled the country in the mid-1990s and was detained by the Singapore police in Jan 2016. The 48-year-old former resident of Vikhroli who later acquired Hong Kong citizenship was arrested following a red corner notice. While Indian authorities had sought his extradition for six pending cases, the Singaporean court granted permission for trial in only three. Following his arrival in India, trials were conducted for those specific matters, all of which resulted in his acquittal. Despite this, the prosecution opposed his return, citing several other pending criminal cases and non-bailable warrants. Rejecting the prosecution’s objections, the court noted that the purpose of the extradition has been exhausted. It was observed that the prosecution had not obtained permission from the authorities in Hong Kong or Singapore to try Pillai for any other offences.In Nov 2025, Pillai moved court seeking directions to compel the police machinery to take appropriate steps for his repatriation to Hong Kong. Pillai submitted that despite being cleared of the charges for which he was brought to India, he is being held in a legal limbo, unable to leave the country, yet possessing no valid visa or legal status to remain. “After being acquitted in all the cases, the applicant (Pillai) was not repatriated to Hong Kong and continue to stay in India with no status in India or visa for stay in India. The applicant states that he had applied with the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office) for exit from the country as well as for valid Indian visa for entering but the same is not yet being approved. It is submitted that it was expected that after he was acquitted of all cases for which he was extradited from Singapore, the concerned police authorities ought to have taken steps to repatriate him to his home nation but despite the same, he continues to be in India,” the plea said. It was further submitted “that the current status of the applicant is not been authorised by any provision of law and due to inaction by the police machinery, the applicant had to face several hardships”.

Attari: As the sun dips over the fields of Amritsar, the road to Attari (India)-Wagah (Pakistan) border — famous for ‘Beating The Retreat’ ceremony — tells a story of decline. There was a time, not long ago, when this stretch of National Highway 3 felt like a pilgrimage. Buses lined the roadside. Vendors waved tricolour flags. Men, women and children painted their cheeks in saffron, white, and green.The buzz is still there, but the crowds have nearly halved after Operation Sindoor, reveals data. According to Attari protocol officer Arun Mahal, the daily footfall was 20,000-25,000 on weekdays and 30,000 on weekends before Operation Sindoor, but this figure has now come down to 10,000-15,000.

After Operation Sindoor, carried out to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack, the ceremony had been entirely suspended from May 8 to 20, 2025. When it resumed, the customary handshake between the Border Security Force and the Pakistan Rangers was gone. The gates, too, no longer opened wide enough for visitors to steal a glance of the neighbouring nation.Ashutosh Biswas, who had travelled from Kolkata with his family to see the ceremony, said he had been watching videos of the ceremony, but it was not like what he saw online. “We kept waiting for the moment when the gates would swing open and the jawans would approach each other, but it didn’t happen. We thought the ceremony would have come back to its usual self, but it hasn’t,” said Biswas.Aradhna, a student from Chennai who saw Beating The Retreat with her parents, questioned the rationale behind toning down the ceremony. “They’re playing cricket. Even if they don’t shake hands, they could open the gates for tourists,” she said.Mahal said the footfall might not be like what it was earlier, but had improved over the past few months. “When we restarted after Operation Sindoor, the footfall was mere thousands. The recovery, though slow, has begun,” he said.Ceremony to start at 5pmDue to a change in weather conditions, the timing of ‘Beating The Retreat’ ceremony at the Attari–Wagah border has been revised from 4.30pm-5pm to 5pm-5.30pm. Protocol officer Arun Mahal informed the decision was taken keeping in mind the late sunset during summer.