Salil Parekh, CEO and MD, Infosys (File photo)

New Delhi: Infosys CEO Salil Parekh suggested that stock market investors may be misreading the impact of AI tools from companies like Anthropic, arguing that rather than shrinking opportunities for IT services firms, such technologies are likely to expand and reshape the demand for their capabilities. He said the tools can automate parts of software development, but that’s only a slice of the enterprise technology lifecycle. Integrating the software into complex legacy systems, testing it, securing it, deploying it into production and maintaining it at scale are entirely different challenges, he said. Most large enterprises, he noted, operate in “brownfield” environments built over decades. Introducing AI into such landscapes requires orchestrating and integrating multiple elements, as also understanding the nuances of specific industries and companies-capabilities IT services firms have built over years of digital transformation work. The share prices of leading IT services companies have dropped by 15-20% since early this month when Anthropic announced a slew of new and enhanced AI tools. Parekh said AI is a $300-$400 billion opportunity for IT services companies by 2030-including in areas like helping enterprises with creating an AI strategy, getting their data ready for AI training, transforming their processes with AI, modernising their legacy systems, and ensuring the AI systems can be trusted. Clients, he said, are seeking Infosys’ help in all of these areas. He said the world is heading into an era where the amount of software required would explode because of AI. That he said will also ensure the IT services workforce will continue to expand. Even as investors worry that tools like Anthropic and Cognition will reduce the need for large teams, Infosys is still hiring at scale. Parekh said the company is on track to add about 20,000 college graduates this year and hire a similar number next year. Net headcount has risen in the first three quarters as new work comes in. The shift, Parekh said, is not fewer jobs, but different skills. Even if AI tools lift engineering productivity many times over, he said demand could still rise faster than productivity, requiring more engineers. Infosys is betting on reskilling its employees. Parekh said that’s what the company did even during the cloud and digital transformation years. Thousands of employees are already being certified on AI tools, platforms and delivery methods. He also pushed back against the idea that AI makes learning computing and programming fundamentals optional. Freshers at Infosys, he said, are still trained to programme without AI tools first. Only then are they given AI copilots and agents. “If you cannot write code yourself, you cannot assess whether the machine’s output is correct,” he said. The most valuable talent in the AI era, he said, will blend strong engineering with deep domain understanding. AI agents, he said, can automate tasks, but they struggle with industry nuance. However, he acknowledged that AI tools would raise expectations of clients, who will now demand faster delivery, tighter integration and measurable impact.

Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan (AP Photo)

Sahibzada Farhan etched his name into the record books with a maiden T20I century during Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 Group A clash against Namibia on Wednesday. However, while the milestone was significant, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was not entirely impressed with how the opener approached the closing moments of the innings. Farhan reached his hundred in the penultimate over but did so in a manner that raised eyebrows. On the second ball of the 20th over, he calmly pushed the delivery towards long-on for a single to bring up the landmark. In doing so, he became only the second Pakistan batter after Ahmed Shehzad to score a century in the T20 World Cup.

Pathan, though, questioned the timing and intent behind the approach, suggesting that the team’s total should have been the sole focus in the final over. “He definitely has scored a century, but taking a single? Unbelievable. Unbelievable. You would be happy that you have scored a century and that Pakistan have reached 199,” Irfan said on air. “But in the last over, you play a defensive shot, then you leave the last ball. Kamaal hai,” he added. Farhan also failed to capitalise on the final delivery of the innings, unable to reach a wide ball bowled by Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus. The last over wasn’t fully maximised, and had Shadab Khan not struck two crucial sixes, Pakistan may not have pushed their total to 199. The 29-year-old eventually finished unbeaten on 100 from 58 balls, an innings decorated with 11 fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 172.41. In the broader context of the match, Farhan’s century laid the foundation for Pakistan’s imposing 199/3 in Colombo. Captain Salman Ali Agha contributed 38, while Shadab remained unbeaten on 36 to provide a late flourish. In reply, Namibia were outclassed as Usman Tariq’s mystery spin (4/16) dismantled the middle order and Shadab claimed 3/19. Namibia were bowled out for 97 in 17.3 overs, handing Pakistan a commanding 102-run victory and confirming their place in the Super 8 stage.

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.