Panaji: For the first time in his three years as coach at FC Goa, Manolo Marquez handpicked Muhammed Nemil for a starting role in the team’s Indian Super League (ISL) opener against Inter Kashi at home last week. That too as the team’s lone striker.For many, the choice seemed like a compulsion. After all, Goa do not have any recognised foreign striker; the two new arrivals – Ishan Pandita and Daniel Lalhlimpuia – haven’t had much time with the team, leaving the Super Cup champions with Nemil, in an unfamiliar role, as their best hope. For Manolo though, regardless of the players at his disposal, Nemil deserved a start.“This is a changed Nemil, one who has trained for long with good consistency,” Manolo told TOI during the pre-match media interaction on Wednesday. “He has had ups and downs, injuries. In his position, there are a lot of foreigners and it’s a problem for him. But we’ve been speaking, this season, Nemil deserved the chance to be a starter.”Manolo was impressed with Nemil’s 15-minute appearance in the Super Cup final against East Bengal. It came in the second half of extra time, and “he pressed a lot when the team was tired.”One of the more exciting young prospects to have graduated from Reliance Foundations Young Champs’ first batch in 2020, Nemil can score with both feet. This season alone, he has scored nine in friendlies.“Everyone knows he has quality, (now) it’s more about consistency,” said Manolo.As starter against Inter Kashi, Nemil’s performance was flawless, winning a late penalty that helped the hosts rescue a point. At the post-match media interaction, there was praise for the forward from the experienced Spanish coach, something Nemil wasn’t aware until questioned by reporters on Wednesday.“Yes, I am happy (with the start), but I wanted to score,” said Nemil. “The feeling was great because I’ve been waiting for a long time for this moment. All thanks to coach and the staff for giving me this opportunity.”Since joining the club in 2021 after an encouraging stint in Spain, this was only his third ISL start. The first two came in his debut season (2021-22), and he had to wait four years, spanning 30 matches that he featured, to be among the starting 11 again.“It’s frustrating (to be on the bench) but I knew that I would get my chance. The coach has been telling me to train hard and be patient. I was waiting for this moment. Of course, because there are less foreigners – and they play most games – there are lot of opportunities for Indian players like me (this season). I must make it count,” said Nemil.The 23-year-old does not have a goal contribution in the ISL. Had it not been for a close-range reflex save from Spanish goalkeeper Lluis Tarres, he would have opened his account against Kashi.His goal for the 12 remaining matches is now clear: “get as many minutes as possible, score as many goals and help the team.”

41-year-old Dutchman Roelof van der Merwe took a spectacular catch to dismiss Tilak Varma, who was in good touch against the Netherlands for their last group match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

Varma tried to clear the long off for a maximum with a big swing, but the timing was not correct. The experienced Netherlands spinner rushed to grab the ball near the boundary rope. Roelof van der Merwe threw his body in the front and took a catch, making no mistake.

India vs Netharlands: A dead rubber

Team India and the Netherlands—both teams have nothing to gain from today’s (February 18) match. India, the co-hosts, and the defending champion have already confirmed their spot in the next round of the tournament, while the Netherlands cricket team is all set to pack their luggage to return to their home.

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Before heading towards the airport, the Dutch national cricket team tried to take one last bite, and that too was against the mighty Team India, who are considered among the hot favorites to claim the title again.

Netharlands started strong

The Netherlands started the match in a top manner, dismissing Abhishek Sharma for a duck. It was the third duck for Sharma in the three matches he played in the tournament. His opening pair, Ishan Kishan, also headed back quickly for only 18 runs.

Those two early wickets did not help the Netherlands in a long way, as the middle-order batters played their parts significantly well. Tilak Varma, captain Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube played some brilliant knocks to secure a total of 193 in 20 overs. Dube smashed a half-century in the process.

Roelof van der Merwe, 41, took a diving catch to dismiss Tilak Varma

Despite the brilliant batting display from the Indian batters, the catch taken by Roelof van der Merwe is among the most spectacular visuals of the first innings. On the last ball of the 9th over, Varma swung his blade sharply against a fuller and well outside off delivery of Logan van Beek. At first glance, the shot looks perfectly placed, and the ball was travelling at a good speed.

Varma might have targeted the over-the-cover region, but the ball eventually went towards the long-off region. Roelof van der Merwe moved to his right and threw himself to grab the ball. Despite a hard landing, the ball stayed intact with the safe hands of the fielder. Varam had to go for a well-made 31 off 27.

Undoubtedly, the Greatest ever catch by 41-year-old Roelof van der Merwe in T20 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/3YqgqGROY4

— World Monitor (@MonitorWarnow) February 18, 2026

Read More: “Feel for Abhishek Sharma”: Netizens react as opener registers three ducks in a row

New Delhi: The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is likely to constitute a high-powered committee to study its investment objectives, policy and guidelines as it eyes higher returns on its nearly Rs 31 lakh crore corpus based on contribution from over 30 crore members. The issue was discussed at last week’s investment committee meeting, which was weighing the feasibility of investing in the equity markets beyond exchange traded funds (ETFs), tracking the benchmark NSE Nifty and BSE sensex indices. The panel, proposal for which came from a govt representative, will see experts from multiple fields and govt departments, a person who attended the meeting told TOI. According to its current investment pattern notified in April 2015, EPFO allocates 45-65% of fresh accretions to govt securities, while 20-45% goes towards investments in corporate debt papers, with up to 5% permitted to be allocated towards short-term debt instruments. That leaves around 5-15% of the flow for equities, via index funds. As of Dec 31, it had invested nearly 88% in govt bonds and 10.6% in equities, officials said.

How’s your PF invested

In the meeting, Crisil, which is the consultant, presented the feasibility of investing in emerging, sunrise sectors such as rare earths, railways and defence, along with examining yields of sectoral, factor and style-based indices. Some of the possible sectoral indices included those tracking banking and financial services, information technology, global indices, and FMCG. It also assessed indices that track momentum stocks, value stocks, and low volatility stocks. The retirement fund body is at work to increase its income as it is announcing significantly higher annual returns for its members than prevailing yields on govt bonds in recent years, where most of its funds are parked. It is set to announce the interest rate for the current financial year next month. Last year, the RBI had suggested a series of measures to “improve” its investment management and accounting practices. It has appointed the IIM Kozhikode to examine its equity exit policy and the interest stabilisation reserve. Besides, the investment panel also approved the proposal to introduce performance-linked incentives for its fund managers, wherein it will allocate greater funds to those who give better returns, as part of the new benchmark methodology for its debt investments. “The new benchmark methodology includes an accelerated negative marking provision for any fund manager who fails to meet it, which will adversely affect its portfolio allocation. The new methodology also discourages the fund managers from parking funds in low-yielding TREPS which are basically short-term, low-risk money market instruments,” the source added.

Pakistan’s Babar Azam during a practice session ahead of an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between India and Pakistan, at R Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (PTI Photo)

Pakistan batter Babar Azam drew fresh online criticism during his team’s Group A match against Namibia national cricket team at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in Colombo after he did not get a chance to bat. The experienced batter, long seen as one of Pakistan’s leading run-scorers, has struggled for form in the competition. On X and other platforms, fans have questioned why he has not made an impact, even when opportunities might have arisen earlier in the tournament.The 31-year-old had originally been picked as a fail-safe option. He was expected to anchor the innings at number four and steady the side if wickets fell, an area where Pakistan have faced problems in the past.However, against the Netherlands and India, he did not play that role effectively when Pakistan’s batting collapsed. In the must-win game against Namibia, Pakistan made a strong start, and team management — including coach Mike Hesson and captain Salman Ali Agha — chose to send more aggressive batters ahead of him.Pakistan lost their second wicket, that of skipper Agha, in the 13th over. Instead of sending Babar at number four, Khawaja Nafay was promoted. Even after Nafay managed only 5 off 5 balls, Babar was still not sent in. Shadab Khan joined Sahibzada Farhan in the middle instead.Online reaction was swift, with users posting memes, questions and criticism about his lack of runs and Pakistan’s batting approach.“Babar Azam ko team puri krny ke liay khilaya gaya hai?” asked one viewer.Another user edited a well-known “depression mein hain” video using Babar’s voice after his demotion.A third user wrote on X, “I think babar azam is promoted as finisher.”In the match, Pakistan rode on Sahibzada Farhan’s scintillating, maiden hundred and their spinners’ excellent display to beat Namibia by a handsome margin of 102 runs and enter the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup on Wednesday.

Mumbai: Observingthat evidence of victim and her mother were not cogent, trustworthy and reliable, a special Pocso court on Tuesday acquitted four men charged with the gangrape of a 16-year-old girl in 2014, citing a lack of medical evidence, discrepancies regarding the girl’s age, and unreliable testimony. A fifth accused was discharged from the case and the sixth, a minor is being tried separately.The verdict concluded a trial that spanned over a decade, involving allegations of sexual assault in the Aarey Colony forest after the girl was purportedly forced to consume alcohol by her friends.The court found that the prosecution failed to conclusively prove the girl was a minor at the time of the incident. While she claimed a birth date in 1997, no birth certificate was produced in court, and medical testimony suggested her age could have been 18. Special judge Mahesh K Jadhav observed that the investigating officer did not collect documentary evidence or record statements from the school authorities to verify the age. The judgment noted that “prosecution has failed to prove that on the date of incident, the victim was minor”.The prosecution’s case was that the four men had sexually assaulted her on two consecutive nights in March 2014. However, the court found the girl’s conduct and the timeline of events inconsistent. The judge pointed out that despite claiming to be in pain, she did not inform her parents or seek medical help for several days. “This conduct of the victim itself shows and proves that nothing had happened during the night,” the judge said regarding the first night of the alleged incident.Represented by advocates Amrish Salunke and Durgesh Pandey, the accused denied the allegations. They were out on bail.The prosecution’s case states that the girl, who was residing at a shelter and working as a domestic help, visited her mother’s house in March 2014. On the evening of March 15, 2014, she contacted her friend, one of the accused. She met him and the other accused on a ground in Sher-E-Punjab where they consumed beer. The girl reported feeling giddy and, after being taken to an unknown location on a motorcycle, lost consciousness. She was later dropped back to the ground and returned home to sleep.The following day, March 16, 2014, the girl contacted the same accused again and met the group at the same location in the evening. Despite initial resistance, she consumed beer after being pressured by her friends. She alleged that the group then forced her onto a vehicle and took her to an unspecified location. She was eventually returned to her house at 6am the next morning. On the afternoon of March 17, 2014, the girl woke up experiencing physical pain and suspected she had been sexually assaulted. When she confronted her friend over the phone, he allegedly admitted that the four had engaged in sexual acts with her in a forest. Fearing her father’s reaction and social stigma, she remained silent until March 20, 2014, when she confided in a mentor who took her to the hospital and subsequently to the Meghwadi police station to file a report.However, the judge noted failure in the collection of technical and forensic evidence. Although mobile phones were seized, investigators did not collect Call Data Records (CDR) to verify the communication between the accused and the girl. No CCTV footage was recovered from the areas near the Sher-E-Punjab ground or the route to the forest. “In absence of these above-mentioned proofs, prosecution has failed to connect accused with crime,” the judge said.Medical evidence also failed to support the prosecution’s claims of forcible assault. Doctors deposed that there were no external injuries on the girl’s body, which the judge found unlikely if the incident had occurred in a forested area under babul trees. Chemical analysis reports of the seized clothing and swabs were inconclusive, showing no traces of semen. The judge noted that “medical evidence is not corroborating the version of victim” and that the forensic data was “crucial for establishing the crime” but remained absent.The judge noted that the name of the fourth accused was added to the case months after the initial complaint and the girl failed to identify him during a test identification parade. The judge found that the prosecution provided no explanation for this delay or evidence of his involvement.that evidence of victim and her mother were not cogent, trustworthy and reliable, a special Pocso court on Tuesday acquitted four men charged with the gangrape of a 16-year-old girl in 2014, citing a lack of medical evidence, discrepancies regarding the girl’s age, and unreliable testimony. A fifth accused was discharged from the case and the sixth, a minor is being tried separately.The verdict concluded a trial that spanned over a decade, involving allegations of sexual assault in the Aarey Colony forest after the girl was purportedly forced to consume alcohol by her friends.The court found that the prosecution failed to conclusively prove the girl was a minor at the time of the incident. While she claimed a birth date in 1997, no birth certificate was produced in court, and medical testimony suggested her age could have been 18. Special judge Mahesh K Jadhav observed that the investigating officer did not collect documentary evidence or record statements from the school authorities to verify the age. The judgment noted that “prosecution has failed to prove that on the date of incident, the victim was minor”.The prosecution’s case was that the four men had sexually assaulted her on two consecutive nights in March 2014. However, the court found the girl’s conduct and the timeline of events inconsistent. The judge pointed out that despite claiming to be in pain, she did not inform her parents or seek medical help for several days. “This conduct of the victim itself shows and proves that nothing had happened during the night,” the judge said regarding the first night of the alleged incident.Represented by advocates Amrish Salunke and Durgesh Pandey, the accused denied the allegations. They were out on bail.The prosecution’s case states that the girl, who was residing at a shelter and working as a domestic help, visited her mother’s house in March 2014. On the evening of March 15, 2014, she contacted her friend, one of the accused. She met him and the other accused on a ground in Sher-E-Punjab where they consumed beer. The girl reported feeling giddy and, after being taken to an unknown location on a motorcycle, lost consciousness. She was later dropped back to the ground and returned home to sleep.The following day, March 16, 2014, the girl contacted the same accused again and met the group at the same location in the evening. Despite initial resistance, she consumed beer after being pressured by her friends. She alleged that the group then forced her onto a vehicle and took her to an unspecified location. She was eventually returned to her house at 6am the next morning. On the afternoon of March 17, 2014, the girl woke up experiencing physical pain and suspected she had been sexually assaulted. When she confronted her friend over the phone, he allegedly admitted that the four had engaged in sexual acts with her in a forest. Fearing her father’s reaction and social stigma, she remained silent until March 20, 2014, when she confided in a mentor who took her to the hospital and subsequently to the Meghwadi police station to file a report.However, the judge noted failure in the collection of technical and forensic evidence. Although mobile phones were seized, investigators did not collect Call Data Records (CDR) to verify the communication between the accused and the girl. No CCTV footage was recovered from the areas near the Sher-E-Punjab ground or the route to the forest. “In absence of these above-mentioned proofs, prosecution has failed to connect accused with crime,” the judge said.Medical evidence also failed to support the prosecution’s claims of forcible assault. Doctors deposed that there were no external injuries on the girl’s body, which the judge found unlikely if the incident had occurred in a forested area under babul trees. Chemical analysis reports of the seized clothing and swabs were inconclusive, showing no traces of semen. The judge noted that “medical evidence is not corroborating the version of victim” and that the forensic data was “crucial for establishing the crime” but remained absent.The judge noted that the name of the fourth accused was added to the case months after the initial complaint and the girl failed to identify him during a test identification parade. The judge found that the prosecution provided no explanation for this delay or evidence of his involvement.

NAIROBI: A strike by workers at Kenya’s main gateway — Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta Int’l Airport (JKIA) — has severely affected flight operations out of here, with some airlines including IndiGo cancelling flights on Tuesday. As a result, hundreds of Indians are among the scores of foreigners of stuck in Kenya, unable to leave the country. And those who need to fly in are also unable to do so.India, which sent over 1.3 lakh tourists to the East African country last year and is its fifth largest source market for international tourists, has only one direct flight to the country — IndiGo’s daily flight between Mumbai and Nairobi. A majority of Indian travel via Gulf carriers like Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways.IndiGo cancelled its Mumbai-Nairobi-Mumbai flight on Tuesday (Feb 17). Whether Wednesday’s flight operates remains to be seen. Since the cancellation is not attributable to the airline, it is not providing hotel accommodation to travellers stuck in Nairobi. Since Kenya’s main airline that has its hub at JKIA is only reporting delays and not cancellations, IndiGo passengers stranded in Nairobi have kept their fingers crossed.In a travel advisory on flight disruptions at JKIA, Kenya Airways said: “….we are experiencing delays of up to four hours for departures out of JKIA and have adjusted our network accordingly.”Many stranded passengers are now trying to find affordable hotel accommodation. One of them who was supposed to fly out of Nairobi on Tuesday got the flight cancellation message on Monday night. “We were at the end of our Nairobi visit and had spent almost all the money we had for this trip. I contacted hotels and the minimum rate we got was $140 a night. One of the managers happened to be an Indian and advised us to check-in on Monday night itself as he said he was getting calls for booking rooms by other airlines for their stranded guests. He warned us that coming to check-in on Tuesday (to save one day’s charge) may mean not getting a room,” said the passenger. This family then opted for a cheaper Airbnb. “We just hope IndiGo operates its flight and takes us back home,” the passenger said.Meanwhile, the Kenya Airways advisory added: “We sincerely regret the inconvenience and are working closely with the relevant aviation authorities and airport stakeholders to minimise the impact on our customers and maintain safe operations. Our teams are doing everything possible to ensure the safety, security, and comfort of our customers, which remains our highest priority. Passengers are advised to expect schedule adjustments.”