Sourav Ganguly (BCCI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Former India captain and current Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly described Sanju Samson’s match-winning 97* as “outstanding” and termed him a “very good player” after the wicketkeeper-batter powered India into the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2026 with a crucial win over West Indies in a must-win Super 8 clash.Samson smashed an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls as India chased down a stiff 196-run target to secure a five-wicket victory in the do-or-die encounter, guiding Suryakumar Yadav’s men into the last four.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Ganguly heaped praise on Samson and underlined that the Kerala batter deserves consistent opportunities in India’s white-ball setup.“Outstanding. He’s a very good player. He should consistently play for India in the white-ball,” Ganguly said.With both India and West Indies tied on points in the Super 8 standings, the Kolkata fixture effectively turned into a knockout, with the winner advancing to join South Africa, New Zealand and England in the semifinals. India’s victory set up a last-four clash against England on March 5.Ganguly termed the India-West Indies encounter a virtual quarterfinal and lauded Samson’s composure, stressing how dangerous he can be once he settles in.“You know, when he gets in, he’ll hurt the opposition. He played to the situation which is important,” Ganguly added.Looking ahead to the semifinal against England, the former India skipper noted that the Three Lions would pose a tougher challenge than West Indies.In the match itself, India won the toss and opted to field. West Indies openers Roston Chase (40 off 25 balls, five fours and a six) and captain Shai Hope (32 off 33 balls, three fours and a six) added 68 for the first wicket. However, despite a quickfire cameo from Shimron Hetmyer (27 off 12 balls, one four and two sixes), the hosts slipped to 119/4 in 14.1 overs.A late onslaught from Jason Holder (37* off 22 balls, two fours and three sixes) and Rovman Powell (34* off 19 balls, three fours and two sixes) saw the duo stitch together a 76-run stand in just 35 balls, lifting West Indies to 195/4 in their 20 overs.Jasprit Bumrah (2/36 in four overs) was India’s standout bowler, while Varun Chakaravarthy and Hardik Pandya claimed one wicket each, conceding 40 runs apiece in their four-over spells.In reply, India were rocked early, reduced to 41/2 inside the powerplay. A 58-run partnership between Samson and Suryakumar Yadav (18) steadied the innings and revived the chase. Samson then combined effectively with Tilak Varma (27 off 15 balls, four boundaries and a six), Hardik Pandya (17) and Shivam Dube (8*) to guide India home with five wickets in hand, sealing a memorable win and a semifinal berth.

Sanju Samson said time away from his phone and social media, along with self-reflection, helped him return to form as he scored an unbeaten 97 to guide India into the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2026.India defeated West Indies by five wickets in their Super 8 match on Sunday at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Chasing 196, Suryakumar Yadav’s side reached the target with Samson making 97 not out from 50 balls.Samson had struggled for runs before the tournament. In the five-match T20I series against New Zealand at home, he scored 46 runs in five innings and was left out of the playing XI for the match against USA in the World Cup. He also did not feature against Pakistan, Netherlands and South Africa. He returned for the match against Zimbabwe, scoring 24 off 15 balls, before producing the match-winning knock against West Indies.Speaking on JioHotstar, Samson spoke about dealing with a difficult phase and making small technical adjustments.“Our human nature is that we often start from a negative thought like, ‘Can I do it? I don’t think I can.’ When I have that thought, I try to alter it with a very positive one. When I had a series like New Zealand where I wanted to perform and be part of the World Cup team, things did not work out well, but luckily I got a 10-day gap. I did not play any games and was not in the side. I kept thinking, ‘Sanju, what else? Why didn’t it work? What else should I do?’ So I did some soul-searching. I worked on my base, how I set myself up, and came back to it,” Sanju Samson said.He said he chose to step away from outside opinions during that period.“A lot of people had suggestions and I saw a lot of valid points, but at the same time I felt, ‘Sanju, you have scored three international hundreds with the same setup.’ Shot selection was something I kept working on. I did not want to change too much because I knew I had performed with the same setup, so I kept believing in myself, switched off my phone, switched off social media and listened to my own self. I am very happy it happened in a very special game,” he added.Samson described the innings as a moment he had long imagined.“More than a hundred cricketers in India dream about a day like this. I dared to dream. A young guy from Trivandrum, Kerala, dreaming about playing for the country and winning a game in such a crucial match. I dared to dream and it happened,” Samson said.In the match, India won the toss and chose to field. West Indies openers Roston Chase (40 off 25 balls, five fours and a six) and captain Shai Hope (32 off 33 balls, three fours and a six) added 68 for the first wicket. Despite a quick 27 off 12 balls from Shimron Hetmyer, West Indies were 119/4 in 14.1 overs.Jason Holder (37 not out off 22 balls, two fours and three sixes) and Rovman Powell (34 not out off 19 balls, three fours and two sixes) then added 76 runs in 35 balls to take West Indies to 195/4 in 20 overs.Jasprit Bumrah was India’s leading bowler with 2/36 in four overs. Varun Chakaravarthy and Hardik Pandya took one wicket each, conceding 40 runs in their four overs.India lost two early wickets and were 41/2 in the powerplay. A 58-run partnership between Samson and Suryakumar Yadav (18) steadied the chase. Samson then added runs with Tilak Varma (27 off 15 balls, four boundaries and a six), Hardik Pandya (17) and Shivam Dube (8 not out) to seal the win with five wickets in hand.

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Gen Z uprising last Sept did not begin with a speech or a scandal. It began with screenshots. Images of politicians’ children posing beside designer shopping hauls, on luxury holidays, stopping traffic with lavish weddings. Those pictures travelled rapidly across social media platforms, becoming symbols in a widening argument about privilege in a country where youth unemployment stood above 20% and nearly 30 lakh citizens worked abroad. What had once been curated displays of wealth became fuel for public anger.Six months later, as campaigning fell silent ahead of Thursday’s vote, many of the social media accounts once linked to that backlash have gone quiet. During last year’s protests, “#nepokids” was among the most widely used hashtags appended to screenshots as they ricocheted across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Profiles that once documented luxury and proximity to power are now locked or pared back. Search for them and you find little.At the height of the trend, one photograph stood out. Saugat Thapa, the 28-year-old son of a former minister, posed beside Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Gucci boxes stacked into the shape of a Christmas tree. By evening, the image was in university WhatsApp groups; by the next day, it was clipped into TikTok loops. Someone added music.Far away in Doha, a construction worker forwarded the same screenshot to a group chat called ‘Home’. The caption read: “See.” The hashtag followed soon after, and it stuck. What might once have passed as aspirational content became shorthand for inherited privilege. “When you’re on a 12-hour shift and you open your phone and see that,” said Manoj Gurung, a 27-year-old electrician from Pokhara working in Qatar, “it makes you quiet for a while.“Six months on, the digital noise has faded. “I think many people have forgotten the nepo babies trend,” said Radhika Mugar, 24, a postgraduate student. “That trend is over and there is a shift in focus.”

NEW DELHI: The home ministry Friday constituted two more empowered committees for Bengal to fast-track processing of citizenship requests received under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. This takes the number of empowered committees functional in the state to four.CAA provides for grant of citizenship to immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh belonging to their six minority faiths — Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain and Parsi — who entered India before Dec 31, 2014, fearing religious persecution in their home countries.In a gazette notification issued Monday, MHA said West Bengal’s two additional empowered committees — meant to take the final call on citizenship applications forwarded by district level committees after verification of documents — will be headed by the deputy registrar general, directorate of census operations of the state. The arrangement is in consonance with that for the empowered committee notified by the ministry on Feb 20.The original empowered committee — set up as per a notification issued by the ministry in March 2024 and headed by director, census operations of Bengal — will continue to be in existence. With the three additional empowered committees now sharing work with the original committee, central govt sources told TOI, the high volume of applications under CAA will be tackled more efficiently and the processing time compressed.Bengal has a significant number of Hindu immigrants, such as those belonging to Matua community. BJP has been making an outreach to Matuas to strengthen its electoral prospects ahead of assembly polls in WB.The new empowered committees on CAA allow certain members of the original committee as notified on March 11, 2024 — like the jurisdictional foreigners regional registration officer (FRRO) and state informatics officer — to nominate an officer each not below the rank of under secretary. Other members like an officer of the subsidiary intelligence bureau and post master general or a postal officer nominated by him, remain the same.The new panels will include a representative from the office of Bengal principal secretary (home) or additional chief secretary (home), and a representative of the jurisdictional divisional railway manager, as invitees.

NEW DELHI: Holding that a welfare legislation, enacted to extend benefit to a certain section of society, should be given a “liberal and purposive interpretation” in favour of beneficiaries, Supreme Court has said an employer has to pay penalty from his pocket for delay in payment under the Employees’ Compensation Act, even if the compensation amount – in case of accident – was covered under insurance.A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P B Varale said that SC in multiple decisions has stressed upon the liberal interpretation of the law in favour of employees and fastened the liability of paying the penalty component under Section 4A(3)(b) – pertaining to compensation – to the employer.SC passed the order on a plea filed by New India Assurance Company against the Delhi high court ruling that penalty had to be paid by the company and not the employer in case of delay in payment of compensation. The apex court set aside the high court’s order.“The perusal of the statement of objects of the legislation makes it crystal clear that the legislation is a social welfare statute brought in by Parliament to redress grievances of employees in case of accidents that may occur in or during the course of employment by payment of adequate compensation expeditiously so as to enable the employee or his family to defray medical expenses of an employee in case of injury or sustain livelihood in case of death of an employee,” the bench said.In this case, an employee died while driving his employer’s vehicle in Feb 2017 and the deceased’s family approached the labour commissioner in July after compensation was not paid as per the law. The commissioner awarded compensation of Rs 7.36 lakh, with 12% interest, as compensation and imposed a penalty of 35% upon the employer – Rs 2.57 lakh – for delay in payment. As there was a valid insurance policy for the vehicle, the compensation amount was to be paid by the insurance company, except the penalty.The Delhi High Court, however, said that penalty amount was also to be paid by the insurance company and not by the employer.While setting aside the HC’s order, the bench said the law was amended in 1995 by separating the penalty component from compensation and interest component. The legislative intent behind severing the penalty component was to address the larger predicament of easing the burden of the insurance companies, which were adversely impacted by the obligation to pay the penalty that was not even the natural corollary of their obligation, it said.“The employers were reluctant to pay the compensation and interest expeditiously within the stipulated time of one month from the date it fell due, which resulted to levy of penalty upon them, but since the penalty formed part of compensation and interest component by virtue of expression together with the indemnifier (insurance company) was compelled to pay the component of penalty as well, as such, there remained no deterrence for the employers to deposit the compensation amount within a span of one month making the obligation of depositing the compensation within the time frame – one month – redundant and the consequent penalty a mere dead letter,” it said.

The Afghan Air Force’s drone aircraft carried out strikes on key Pakistani military installations, including the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, the 12th Corps headquarters in Quetta, the Khowizoo Camp in Mohmand Agency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Ghulni military bases, all considered important defence facilities and operational centres.In a social media post on X, Afghanistan’s defence ministry said that the operations were carried out in response to the recent aerial incursions by the Pakistani military.

“Today, the Air Force of the Ministry of National Defense conducted precise and coordinated aerial operations against key military installations in Pakistan targeting the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, the 12th Division headquarters in Quetta (Balochistan), the Khwazai Camp in the Mohmand Agency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as several other significant Pakistani military facilities and command centers,” the ministry said.“Based on preliminary assessments, the strikes successfully caused significant damage to the intended targets. These operations were carried out in response to the recent aerial incursions by the Pakistani military, which struck Kabul, Bagram, and several other regions last night and earlier today. It should be emphasized that any further violations of our airspace or acts of aggression by hostile Pakistani elements will be met with a swift, decisive, and proportionate response, Inshallah,” it added.Afghanistan also shared a video of a kamikaze drone and images of Pakistani air base.Tit-for-tat between neighboursThis comes after Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan, including capital Kabul, with Islamabad’s defence minister declaring the neighbours at “open war” following months of tit-for-tat clashes.Pakistan claimed to have killed more than 270 Taliban fighters and injured over 400 others in airstrikes while Afghanistan’s Taliban govt spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said its forces killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and targeted what he described as “important military objectives” inside Pakistan.Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan made every effort to keep the situation normal through direct means and through friendly countries, and it also engaged in full-fledged diplomacy, but the “Taliban became a proxy for India”.The Afghan Taliban attacked several check posts along the border late Thursday, apparently to avenge the air strikes carried out by Pakistan in Afghanistan’s border areas. Pakistan responded by hitting targets in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia under ‘Operation Ghazab lil Haq’ early Friday. The 2,611kmlong border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is known as the Durand Line, which Kabul has not formally recognised.In recent days, tit-for-tat military actions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have escalated, with several rounds of exchange of fire. Earlier, Afghan forces also claimed to have shot down a Pakistani fighter jet over Jalalabad and captured its pilot alive.“A Pakistani fighter jet was shot down in the sixth district of Jalalabad city, and its pilot was captured alive,” police spokesman told news agency AFP.Wahidullah Mohammadi, spokesman for the military in eastern Afghanistan, confirmed the Pakistani jet was downed by Afghan forces “and the pilot was captured alive”.Meanwhile, Pakistan said Afghanistan’s jet crash claim was “totally untrue”.

Former Indian World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth has openly blamed West Indies captain Shai. Hope for his team’s heartbreaking five-wicket loss to the defending champions in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 game on March 1 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

On a flat pitch made for big shots, Shai Hope struggled badly, scoring only 32 runs from 33 balls. He never looked free. He never looked dangerous. His slow knock hurt the team badly, as West Indies could not cross the 200-run mark in their do-or-die Super 8 clash against India.

Still, the West Indies reached 195/4 in 20 overs, thanks to big hits from Rovman Powell (34*) and Jason Holder (37*) after Roston Chase’s brilliant knock of 40 runs off 25 balls against India. Later, Sanju Samson (97*) took the defending champions over the line with four balls to spare in Kolkata.

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After the West Indies missed that semifinal spot, Hope admitted that he could have scored faster. But when reporters questioned him again, he angrily said he would take the blame if that made people happy. That reply did not go down well with Srikkanth.

Kris Srikkanth blasts Shai Hope for slow batting and avoiding responsibility

The former Indian captain slammed Hope’s batting and captaincy. He said Hope wasted balls and slowed the innings. He also accused him of shifting focus towards other players instead of taking full responsibility for his team’s failure to make it to the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal.

Srikkanth even questioned the decision to make Hope captain, saying the team paid the price for poor leadership in a do-or-die match. Notably, Hope managed only 62 runs in three games in the Super 8 round after decent outings in the group stage of the tournament.

Kris Srikkanth said in a video posted on his YouTube channel, “He just plays for himself every match. In the post-match interview, he was trying to blame Powell and Holder by saying they didn’t score enough at the end. You were the one who finished the West Indies with your batting. Yet, he never blamed himself. Making you captain was the biggest mistake.”

Kris Srikkanth slams Shai Hope over captaincy blunders

The former Indian chief selector also attacked Shai Hope’s captaincy calls. He pointed out that the skipper used his three spinners for only six overs in total despite the pitch offering some turn. He also felt the power hitter Romario Shepherd should have opened the innings against India instead of Hope.

Srikkanth signed off by saying, “Shai Hope playing in the 11 itself is a waste. He should be inside as a non-playing captain. He should only give directions. He was just wasting balls with the bat. Someone else could have done that. You could have even sent Romario Shepherd to open instead.”

Kishore Shallow hails West Indies for strong T20 World Cup 2026 campaign

Interestingly, the Cricket West Indies (CWI) President Kishore Shallow has praised the West Indies team for their strong fight in the tournament. He congratulated Captain Hope and the players for reaching the Super 8 stage, saying this highlighted how serious they were about their goal.

Shallow also said the team showed great unity and fighting spirit. He also noted that their performance has given new hope and confidence to fans across the Caribbean and brought back pride in West Indies cricket.

Read Also: Anil Kumble tears West Indies apart after their negative mindset against India

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have released video footage of closed-door depositions given by Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton as part of their investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, bringing hours of previously unseen testimony into the public domain.The recordings show both former Democratic leaders repeatedly distancing themselves from Epstein and denying any knowledge of his criminal conduct. Lawmakers from both parties questioned the pair for roughly four and a half hours each last week in Chappaqua, New York.During his deposition, Bill Clinton was asked whether President Donald Trump should be compelled to testify. “That’s for you to decide,” he replied, before volunteering details of a conversation he said he had with Trump in the early 2000s at a golf course fundraiser. According to Clinton, Trump told him he had fallen out with Epstein over a property deal. “He never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper,” Clinton said, adding that there was no “sexual spin” to the exchange.

Lawmakers pressed the former president over photographs drawn from justice department files, including an image of him in a hot tub with a woman whose identity was redacted. Clinton said he did not know the woman and denied any sexual activity. He told the panel he believed the photograph was taken in Brunei at the end of an official trip, recalling that he had briefly used a hotel pool at the suggestion of the Sultan before going to bed exhausted. He insisted no children were present and that he had “done nothing wrong”.Clinton also faced questions about his name appearing in flight logs for Epstein’s private plane and Epstein’s appearances in White House visitor records. He acknowledged flying on the aircraft in the early 2000s in connection with foundation work but denied ever visiting Epstein’s private Caribbean island. He maintained he had ended contact before Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor.Hillary Clinton told investigators she had never met or communicated with Epstein and had no knowledge of his activities. In a pointed remark, she suggested lawmakers should question Trump “directly under oath” about his own appearances in Epstein-related files.

Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. Democrats have accused Republicans of weaponising the inquiry for political purposes, while the committee says it is seeking accountability from anyone who may have been aware of Epstein’s abuse.

Gautam Gambhir Head Coach of India during a net session at Eden Gardens on February 28, 2026 in Kolkata, India. (Photo/Getty Images)

India head coach Gautam Gambhir said every effort in a team game deserves recognition, stressing that contributions often overlooked are as important as headline performances.After India’s win over West Indies on Sunday, which ensured them a semi-final birth, Gambhir pointed out that Shivam Dube’s two boundaries in the penultimate over were crucial to the result, just like Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 97.“Glad you’re talking about every contribution because for many years, we’ve only spoken about certain contributions. This is a team sport, and this will always remain a team sport,” Gambhir said.“For me, Shivam’s two boundaries are as important as Sanju’s 97 because if he hadn’t hit those two boundaries, you won’t even spoken about it (97-run knock).”“The big contribution makes headlines. The small contribution, the contribution that can help the team win, cross that line, are very important,” the India coach said.Gambhir said this approach would define his tenure as coach.“And that’s why I say that this is going to be the philosophy going forward till I am there.”

My coaching mantra is based on instinct not data

While data analysis plays a key role in modern T20 cricket, Gambhir said he relies more on instinct than numbers.“I don’t believe in data, honestly. I’ve never seen the data. I don’t even know what data is all about. I absolutely do not believe in it, because I feel it’s more about instinct,” Gambhir said, despite the team working closely with data analyst Hari Prasad.“T20 cricket is about instinct and backing your instinct as well. Whatever knowledge I have about the game and T20 format, I try and probably give it to the captain, try and help him out as much as I can.Looking ahead to the semifinal against England at the Wankhede Stadium, Gambhir described the opposition as strong and the venue as challenging.“They (England) are a world-class team, they’re a quality team, they’ve got a lot of quality players as well and we all know that Wankhede is a tough venue.“Hopefully, we can turn up and see that we have another opportunity to do something special for the team, for the country and hopefully we play a best game as well. That is going to be very important,” Gambhir said.