India’s Jasprit Bumrah (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

AHMEDABAD: For a nation of just 5.3 million people — smaller than many of the world’s major cities — New Zealand’s cricketing rise over the past decade has been remarkable. The Black Caps have reached eight major ICC finals, including the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cups, the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. They also lifted the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021 and made the semifinals of the 2023 ODI World Cup.Their women’s team are the reigning 2024 T20 World Cup champions while the men’s side now stand on the brink of their maiden T20 title when they take on India in the final of the T20 World Cup here on Sunday night.On Friday, New Zealand allrounder Glenn Phillips highlighted the contrast between the two cricketing nations. With India’s population exceeding 1.4 billion, Phillips noted the depth of talent available to the hosts, suggesting they could easily field three competitive sides in a T20 World Cup. New Zealand, by contrast, must rely on a far smaller talent pool.“Obviously we have a few less people in our country to choose from, which means our highperformance programs have to be very specific and tailored to the population we have,” Phillips said ahead of New Zealand’s training session. “But the talent that comes out of India is phenomenal. They could probably pick three sides that would compete just as evenly in this World Cup. So for us to go out and compete with teams around the world with such a small population is fantastic.”Phillips, meanwhile, refused to discount India’s out-of-form mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who conceded 64 runs in four overs against England in the semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. “We’ve played him quite a few times now, which helps,” Phillips said. “We’ll just try to face one ball at a time. He’s allowed to have a good day, but we’re also allowed to have a good day.”‘Bumrah is human as well’Phillips also acknowledged the threat posed by pacer Jasprit Bumrah, whose spells have proven decisive in the hosts’ last two matches. “We had a really good trip against him in the bilateral series but he’s a class bowler,” Phillips said. “Bumrah has so many variations and hits the blockhole at the death incredibly well. But he’s human as well.”

NEW DELHI: Highway users who fail to pay toll charges on NHs due to a faulty or blacklisted FASTag, insufficient balance or absence of a tag, will get three days to make the payment after receiving an e-notice. If payment is not made within this period, double the toll amount will be charged and all vehicle (registration certificate)-related services, such as change of ownership, transfer and renewal, will be suspended.Details on procedure for e-notice for non-payment of toll charge will be notified in the next few days, a senior road transport ministry official said.The procedure to pay the pending toll charge and also to challenge it will be spelt out in the notification. “This is crucial as we start multi-lane free flow (MLFF), or barrier-less toll collection, on NH stretches. The first MLFF tolling is set for roll out at Choryasi in Gujarat,” said an official.So far, NHAI’s electronic tolling entity IHMCL has bid out MLFF for 16 toll plazas. These include Gharaunda in Haryana, Mundka in Delhi, and Manoharpura, Shahjahanpur and Daulatpura in Rajasthan where the new system will be operational soon. TOI has learnt that govt will now bid out MLFF projects in bundles for accelerated implementation.“The provision of e-notice is key to the success of MLFF as in this tolling system, vehicles will pass seamlessly and won’t be stopped. The e-notice for failing to pay toll will mention double charge, but if vehicle owners pay within three days, there will be a 50% discount, meaning paying the exact toll,” said an official.Earlier, the ministry amended the NH Fee Rules specifying that failure to clear unpaid toll dues will result in not getting a ‘NOC’ for transfer of ownership or transfer of a vehicle from one state to another.

Women staff at toll plazas

New Delhi: NHAI has deployed over 5,100 female staff during day shifts at more than 1,140 toll plazas. It said the exclusive deployment of women staff in frontline operational roles will improve the user experience by fostering an efficient and user-friendly environment for commuters, as well as “reduce the likelihood of disputes at the toll booths on NH fee plazas”. The decision was taken after discussions with stakeholders, including fee plaza operators and industry associations.

NEW DELHI: Congress on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the recent US 30-day waiver allowing New Delhi to buy Russian oil. The attack was charged with the quote of Donald Trump’s aide Scott Bessent, who said the US had given “permission” to India to accept oil from Moscow.The largest opposition party took to X to condemn and question the diplomacy of the Modi government, saying that a country as vast as India with 1.4 billion people is “waiting for Washington’s approval”, reiterating its charge that the prime minister is “compromised”.Quoting US treasury secretary Scott Bessent, the Congress wrote on X: “Permission? For India? A country of 1.4 billion people waiting for Washington’s approval. This is the cost of a compromised Prime Minister.”“India fought for freedom so that no foreign power could dictate terms to us. Yet today, under a weak Prime Minister, the US is openly talking about giving India ‘permission’,” it added.Slamming India’s diplomacy, the party called the situation a “humiliation”. Calling on the prime minister to explain, Congress added: “Indians are not actors in someone else’s script. PM Modi, your silence on this statement is deafening. The people of India deserve an explanation.”Earlier to this, the US has said it has given “permission” to India to buy Russian oil that is already on ships at sea, in an effort to maintain global supplies during the Middle East conflict.“The world is very well supplied in oil. Yesterday, the Treasury (Department) agreed to let our allies in India start buying Russian oil that was already on the water,” US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview to Fox Business on Friday.“The Indians had been very good actors. We had asked them to stop buying sanctioned Russian oil this fall. They did. They were going to substitute it with US oil. But to ease the temporary gap of oil around the world, we have given them permission to accept the Russian oil. We may unsanction other Russian oil,” he said.Bessent added that there are hundreds of millions of sanctioned barrels of crude currently on ships. He said that by removing sanctions on these shipments, the US treasury could quickly increase supply in the market.“There are hundreds of millions of sanctioned barrels of sanctioned crude on the water, and in essence, by unsanctioning them, Treasury can create supply. And we are looking at that. We are going to keep a cadence of announcing measures to bring relief to the market during this conflict,” he said.Several other officials in the Trump administration have also said that the US has now allowed India to buy Russian oil. This comes months after President Donald Trump imposed 25 per cent punitive tariffs on India over its purchases of oil from Russia.US energy secretary Chris Wright also spoke about the move in a post on X on Friday. He said the United States is “allowing our friends in India” to take the Russian oil that is already on ships near Southern Asia, refine it and quickly move it into the market to ensure steady supply during the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran.“We have implemented short term measures to help keep oil prices down. We are allowing our friends in India to take oil that is already on ships, refine it, and move those barrels into the market quickly. A practical way to get supply flowing and ease pressure,” Wright said.In an interview to ABC News Live, Wright said global oil supplies are strong in the long term, but there is a need to quickly bring more oil into the market in the short term.

The White House has released an unusual propaganda-style montage celebrating the recent US–Israeli strikes on Iran, stitching together real drone footage from the operation with scenes and dialogue from Hollywood films, television shows, anime and video games, edited in a slick, trailer-like style that feels less like a government communiqué and more like something an amateur YouTube editor might assemble, complete with the colour tweaks and audio distortions often used online to slip past copyright filters. Posted on the official White House account on X on 6 March, the 42-second video carried the caption: “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY” alongside a US flag and fire emoji. Within hours the clip had amassed more than 12.4 million views, drawing both bewilderment and criticism online.

The video arrives less than a week after the 28 February US–Israeli air campaign against Iran, which Washington says was intended to destroy the country’s missile and nuclear capabilities. The strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggered retaliatory attacks across the Middle East and pushed the region closer to a broader conflict. Against that backdrop, the White House montage adopts the language and aesthetics of blockbuster cinema.

A mash-up of war footage and pop-culture mythology

The montage opens with Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark from Iron Man 2 (2010). declaring: “Wake up, Daddy’s home!” Followed by JARVIS responding: “Welcome home, sir.” From there, the clip rapidly cuts between fictional characters and real bombing footage from the Iran strikes. Among the scenes and characters used in the montage are:

The clips are intercut with actual aerial strike footage, explosions and drone imagery from the ongoing conflict. The video also strings together a series of well-known lines from those characters. Among the quotations included: Maximus in Gladiator “Strength and honor.” William Wallace in Braveheart “What will you do without freedom?” Tom Cruise in Top Gun “Maverick’s inbound!” Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul “You can’t conceive of what I’m capable of!” Master Chief from Halo “Finishing this fight.” Keanu Reeves in John Wick “Yeah! I’m thinkin’ I’m back!” Christopher Reeve’s Superman “I’m here to fight for truth and justice in the American way.” Bryan Cranston as Walter White “I am the danger!” The montage then shifts briefly to real political footage. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appears in the sequence saying: “F.A.” The final stretch moves into gaming and anime references. Optimus Prime “Time to find out.” Deadpool “Maximum effort!” Yu-Gi-Oh! “Here it comes!” Dragon Ball voiceover “Now end this!” Mortal Kombat announcer “Flawless victory!”

Hollywood, war messaging and a familiar Trump tactic

The use of entertainment imagery in official political messaging is not entirely new for the Trump administration, though critics say the tone of the latest video is unusually overt. The post comes weeks after a separate White House social media clip used Kesha’s song Blow under footage of a missile strike labelled “Lethality”, prompting the singer to protest online. “Stop using my music, perverts,” Kesha wrote in response. Artists and entertainment companies have frequently objected to the use of their work in political messaging. While studios and rights holders rarely intervene immediately, musicians and actors have repeatedly asked Trump’s campaign and administration not to use their songs, films or characters to promote policies or military actions. The White House has also leaned heavily into superhero imagery before. When a new Superman film released recently, the administration posted a meme showing Trump’s face edited onto Superman’s body with the caption: “THE SYMBOL OF HOPE. TRUTH. JUSTICE. THE AMERICAN WAY. SUPERMAN TRUMP.”

Social media reactions: confusion, irony and criticism

The montage quickly spread across social media, where reactions ranged from disbelief to pointed cultural critique. One user wrote: “Imagine explaining this country to the Founding Fathers.” Another warned about possible copyright implications: “Wow! Had no idea you got the rights to use Braveheart and Gladiator content to promote war. It’d be a shame if you didn’t and were sued as a govt and as the Digital Media team individually.” A widely shared comment highlighted what the writer saw as the irony behind several of the film choices: “lol interesting movie choicesBraveheart: The entire movie is about resisting imperial occupation by a more powerful nation. Using it to celebrate American military power is exactly backwards — we are the empire.Saul Goodman: A corrupt, morally bankrupt lawyer who helps a meth dealer and ends up in witness protection. His entire arc is about the rot inside the American dream.Keanu Reeves: Canadian. Born in Beirut. Raised partly in Australia. Using him as an avatar of American might is weird.Christopher Reeve: Died paralyzed after a horse riding accident. His legacy is disability advocacy and stem cell research… causes the right largely opposed. Walter White: Poisons children, murders people, destroys his family, and dies alone in a meth lab. Cranston himself is openly liberal.” Another user added a similar observation about the opening clip: “Tony Stark turning his back on the US arms industry after his capture after a struggle, not trusting the US government is also a top choice for the opening seconds of this video.” Others reacted simply to the surreal tone of the post. “Holy sh*t what timeline is this.” Another wrote: “I need to know the millennial running this account.” And one commenter offered a more pointed political response: “Very creative but I can’t help but notice I voted for peace.”

A war framed through blockbuster language

The video arrives as President Donald Trump has suggested the conflict with Iran could last four to five weeks, with the administration pledging to do “whatever it takes” to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities and prevent the regime from directing armed groups beyond its borders. Supporters of the administration see the montage as a dramatic piece of wartime messaging.Many, however, argue the montage trivialises real strikes, turning deadly conflict into a flashy spectacle that ignores human suffering.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the official match officials for the highly anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 final between India and New Zealand. The championship clash will take place on Sunday, March 8, at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Richard Illingworth set for second consecutive T20 World Cup final

Veteran English umpire Richard Illingworth will officiate his second consecutive Men’s T20 World Cup final, further strengthening his reputation as one of cricket’s most trusted officials.

Illingworth previously stood in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, where India defeated South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. His appointment in this year’s title clash highlights the ICC’s continued confidence in his experience and decision-making in high-pressure matches.

The 62-year-old has been involved in several major ICC tournament finals in recent years. His resume includes the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup final, also played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy final.

Having officiated previously at the same venue during the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Illingworth brings valuable familiarity with the stadium and its playing conditions. His presence is expected to add stability and credibility to the crucial encounter between India and New Zealand.

Alex Wharf to officiate first senior World Cup final

Joining Illingworth in the middle will be fellow English umpire Alex Wharf, who will officiate in his first senior ICC World Cup final.

The 50-year-old former cricketer represented Yorkshire and Glamorgan during his playing career before transitioning into umpiring. Over the years, Wharf has steadily built a strong reputation through consistent performances in international cricket.

He has previously officiated in several major tournaments, including the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Wharf was promoted to the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires in 2025, a recognition of his growing stature among international officials. Earlier in the tournament, Wharf and Illingworth also worked together during New Zealand’s dominant semi-final victory over South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Their experience as a pair could help ensure smooth officiating in what promises to be a high-intensity final.

South Africa’s Allahuddien Paleker will serve as the TV umpire for the final. Paleker was elevated to the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires in March 2025 and has officiated in six matches during this year’s tournament.

Another South African official, Adrian Holdstock, will perform the duties of fourth umpire. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s Andy Pycroft, a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, will oversee the match as referee and ensure all regulations are followed during the final.

Also READ: India or New Zealand? Brad Haddin picks the winner of T20 World Cup 2026

Narendra Modi Stadium ready for the grand finale

The India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 final will be staged at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, widely recognized as the world’s largest cricket stadium.

With a seating capacity of more than 130,000 spectators, the venue is expected to host a packed crowd for the grand finale. Interestingly, this will be the second consecutive ICC event final contested between India and New Zealand, following their meeting in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship final.

With two strong teams ready to battle for the trophy and an experienced panel of match officials in charge, the stage is perfectly set for a thrilling conclusion to the T20 World Cup 2026. Cricket fans across the globe are eagerly awaiting what promises to be a memorable championship clash.

Also READ: Brendon McCullum reveals ‘defining factor’ behind England’s narrow defeat to India in T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final

Israeli strikes hit Tehran on Saturday as the conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States intensified, with explosions reported at the capital’s Mehrabad International Airport and other parts of the city.Footage posted on social media showed strikes and large fires at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, with eyewitnesses reporting burning planes on the tarmac after explosions rocked one of the Iranian capital’s main commercial airports.Israel said it had launched “broad-scale” strikes on targets in Tehran, while Iranian state media reported an explosion in the western part of the city. “The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has begun a broad-scale wave of strikes” on government targets in the Iranian capital, an Israeli military statement said.

Follow US-Israel-Iran War Live UpdatesWitnesses described the Israeli airstrikes as particularly intense, saying the blasts shook homes and sent columns of smoke rising. Others reported explosions around the Iranian city of Kermanshah, an area home to several missile bases. The witnesses spoke anonymously for fear of retribution, as reported by AP.The Israeli military earlier said it had detected another round of Iranian missile fire headed toward Israel. A series of explosions was later heard in Tel Aviv following the launches.Israel’s emergency services, the Magen David Adom, said it received no reports of casualties after the barrage. The military later issued a statement saying people were free to leave their shelters “in all areas of the country.”As Israeli warplanes bombed Tehran and Beirut, Iran launched more retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf countries on the seventh day of the war. Many thunder-like booms were heard over Jerusalem shortly after midnight local time as Israel said it was working to intercept missiles launched from Iran.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a television interview that the “biggest bombing campaign” of the war was still to come.The United States and Israel have carried out repeated strikes on Iran targeting its military capabilities, leadership and nuclear programme, as the goals and timelines of the war have continued to shift.The latest developments come after tensions in West Asia escalated following a joint US-Israel military strike on February 28 on Iranian territory that killed its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with other senior figures.In retaliation, Iran launched waves of drone and missile attacks across multiple Arab countries.

The United States has given “permission” to India to buy Russian oil already stranded at sea issuing a temporary waiver aimed at stabilising global oil supplies amid disruptions caused by the escalating conflict in West Asia.US President Donald Trump’s aide Scott Bessent referred to India as a “very good actor” for previously complying with Washington’s request to halt purchases of sanctioned Russian oil and said the temporary measure would help ease supply pressures in the global market.

The move comes a day after Washington issued a 30-day waiver permitting the sale of Russian crude currently stranded at sea to continue to India.

US cites temporary supply concerns

Speaking to Fox Business, US treasury secretary Bessent said the decision was intended to ease short-term supply constraints during the ongoing crisis.“The world is very well supplied in oil. The Treasury (Department) agreed to let our allies in India start buying Russian oil that was already on the water,” Bessent said.“The Indians had been very good actors. We had asked them to stop buying sanctioned Russian oil this fall. They did. They were going to substitute it with US oil,” he said.“But to ease the temporary gap of oil around the world, we have given them permission to accept the Russian oil. We may unsanction other Russian oil,” he added.Bessent also noted that a large volume of sanctioned crude remains stranded at sea stating that, “There are hundreds of millions of sanctioned barrels of sanctioned crude on the water,” he said, adding that “by unsanctioning them, Treasury can create supply.”“And we are looking at that. We are going to keep a cadence of announcing measures to bring relief to the market during this conflict,” he added.

‘Short term measures to help keep oil prices down’

Other officials in the Trump administration have also confirmed that Washington has “permitted” India to buy Russian crude that is already loaded on ships.Earlier, US energy secretary Chris Wright said the step was intended to quickly move existing oil supplies into the market.“We have implemented short term measures to help keep oil prices down. We are allowing our friends in India to take oil that is already on ships, refine it, and move those barrels into the market quickly. A practical way to get supply flowing and ease pressure,” Wright said in a post on X.In an interview with ABC News Live, Wright emphasised that the measure was temporary.“But as oil gets bid up a little bit because of those constraints coming out of the Strait of Hormuz, we’re taking a short-term action to say all this floating Russian oil storage that’s around Southern Asia, it’s China just backed up, China does not treat their suppliers well, so there’s a bunch of floating barrels just sitting there,” he said.“We’ve reached out to our friends in India and said, ‘Buy that oil. Bring it into your refineries’. That pulls stored oil immediately into Indian refineries and releases the pressure on other refineries around the world to buy oil that they’re no longer competing with the Indians for in that marketplace,” Wright added.“So we have a number of measures like that that are short-term and temporary. This is no change in policy towards Russia. This is a very brief change in policy just to keep oil prices down a little bit better than we could otherwise,” he further noted.

Waiver amid Strait of Hormuz tensions

The US Treasury earlier issued an order granting a 30-day licence allowing delivery and sale of Russian crude and petroleum products to India. The decision comes as shipping routes through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz face disruptions due to the ongoing conflict in the region.“President Trump’s energy agenda has resulted in oil and gas production reaching the highest levels ever recorded. To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil,” Bessent said earlier.He stressed that the step was a limited measure and would not significantly benefit Moscow.“This deliberately short-term measure will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government, as it only authorises transactions involving oil already stranded at sea,” he said.“India is an essential partner of the United States, and we fully anticipate that New Delhi will ramp up purchases of US oil. This stop-gap measure will alleviate pressure caused by Iran’s attempt to take global energy hostage,” he added.

India’s oil supply position

The move comes months after the Trump administration imposed 25% punitive tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil, arguing that such imports were helping finance Moscow’s war against Ukraine.However, the tariffs were later lifted after the two countries agreed on a framework for an interim trade agreement and India committed to reducing imports from Russia while increasing purchases of American energy.India currently imports nearly 5.5–5.6 million barrels of crude oil per day, accounting for about 90% of its domestic consumption. Officials say the country’s energy position remains comfortable despite the regional tensions.Around 15 million barrels of crude are currently on tankers in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, while vessels carrying another seven million barrels are waiting near Singapore. Additional tankers in the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal are also heading towards Indian ports and could arrive within a week.According to data from Kpler, India imported slightly over 1 million barrels per day of Russian crude in February, compared with 1.1 million bpd in January and 1.2 million bpd in December.Before the Ukraine war in 2022, Russian crude accounted for just 0.2% of India’s imports, but purchases increased sharply after Moscow began offering deep discounts.

Infosys has reportedly asked more employees to work at least four days every week from the office. In an email to employees, the company noted that “it is imperative for us to lead by example” and that it would extend its existing four-day office mandate to employees at job level 6A and above in specific units. The policy previously applied to employees at job level 7 and above, including delivery managers, senior managers, and programme directors. The recent HR communication broadens that requirement to a lower job band, pointing to a phased rollout of stricter in-office expectations across the organisation.In the letter (seen by the Economic Times), Infosys wrote, “Please note, as per our unit guidelines, JL6+ have to be in office four days a week,” adding that some employees had fallen short of the mandatory 10-day-a-month office attendance requirement. “We continue to follow a hybrid model of work that enables self-development, collaboration, innovation, and business deliverables, and as managers, it is imperative for us to lead by example and ensure our teams adhere to the hybrid working guidelines,” the email added. The email also noted that HR managers would be reviewing monthly return-to-office data for employees.]

How Infosys has been changing its hybrid work policies

The email follows a series of steps Infosys has taken to increase employee presence in the office. In January, the company added new conditions for employees seeking extra work-from-home days.At Infosys, each job level has two sublevels: B and A, with employees in band A moving to the next level upon promotion. A senior employee, who asked not to be named, told ET that while staff could previously choose any 10 days in a month to visit the office, recent emails have directed them to spread those visits across all four weeks.A second employee told ET “We haven’t been told to come to the office four days a week yet, but we are being asked to tell junior employees that they must come to the office regularly.”“My bosses come in only once a week, and it’s hard for me to convince my reportees to come in,” a third employee added.During the January earnings call, Infosys CEO Salil Parekh said there was no change to the company’s approach to the hybrid work model.

What Infosys rivals are handling hybrid working and what experts said

Like its competitors, Infosys has now done the same. In 2026, Wipro implemented a new policy requiring workers to report to work three days a week and spend at least 6 hours there. In a similar vein, TCS implemented a new policy at the start of the year mandating that its workers report to work five days a week, with their variable pay based on attendance.According to Anil Ethanur, co-founder of specialist staffing firm Xphen, “Productivity did improve for organisations that started allowing flexible working. However, the challenge for organisations is to maintain that over the long term.”“As market conditions tighten and margins come under pressure, organisations are focusing more on operational efficiency and output. Enterprises are integrating AI and automation into their processes, which requires tighter coordination and quicker iteration between teams… particularly for senior and critical talent, to maintain productivity and drive high-value outcomes,” Ethanur told ET.

An Iranian intelligence operative has been convicted by a US federal jury for terrorism and murder-for-hire offences linked to a foiled plot to assassinate American political figures, including President Donald Trump. Prosecutors said the man was sent to the United States by Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to organise political killings and other covert operations on American soil.The US Department of Justice said Asif Merchant, also known as Asif Raza Merchant, was found guilty of attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries and arranging murder for hire. Merchant faces up to life in prison. Authorities said he travelled to the United States in April 2024 with orders from the IRGC to recruit operatives and prepare an assassination plot targeting US politicians and government officials.Attorney General Pamela Bondi said Merchant had arrived in the country intending to assassinate Trump but was stopped before any attack could take place. “This man landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement,” she said, adding that the Justice Department would remain vigilant in preventing terrorist attacks.According to prosecutors, Merchant had been working with the IRGC since late 2022 or early 2023 after receiving training in tradecraft and counter-surveillance techniques in Pakistan. He travelled repeatedly to Iran to meet with his handler before being tasked in 2024 with recruiting individuals in the United States to steal documents, organise protests and assassinate a senior political figure.Investigators said Merchant contacted an acquaintance in New York, Nadeem Ali, seeking help to recruit “mafia” members to carry out the plot. Instead, Ali alerted authorities and became a confidential source for law enforcement. During meetings in early June, Merchant allegedly described the assassination plan, making a finger-gun gesture to signal the killing he wanted arranged.Ali later introduced Merchant to individuals he believed were hired hitmen but who were actually undercover law enforcement officers. In meetings in New York, Merchant requested three services: stealing sensitive documents from a target’s home, staging protests at political rallies and killing a “political person.” He also conducted online searches for the locations of political rallies and sent reports on security arrangements to his IRGC handler.On June 21, 2024, Merchant paid the undercover officers $5,000 in cash as an advance for the planned assassination. He planned to leave the United States shortly afterwards and communicate with the conspirators from overseas using coded messages. Authorities arrested him on July 12, 2024, before he could depart the country.FBI Director Kash Patel said the case showed Iran’s continued efforts to target Americans. “Merchant tried to hire someone to kill a politician or a US government official, but the FBI and our partners stopped that deadly plot,” he said, adding that previous attempts by Tehran to harm US citizens on American soil had also failed.The conviction comes amid escalating tensions between Washington, Israel and Tehran during the ongoing Middle East war. Israel has carried out broad strikes on targets in Tehran while Iran has fired missiles towards Israeli territory. The conflict has widened across the region, with rockets targeting bases hosting US forces in Iraq and drone attacks reported in the Gulf. President Trump has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender”, even as oil prices surge and global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slows dramatically, raising fears that the conflict could further destabilise the region.

India’s Jasprit Bumrah (ANI Photo)

Two evenings before the Super-8 match against South Africa in Ahmedabad a fortnight ago, Jasprit Bumrah opted to bowl in an empty net, with two boots placed on either side of the batting crease. He kept hurling yorkers for a good 45 minutes. It was a drill he had started in Dharamshala during the T20I series against South Africa last December.Mohammed Siraj arrived at the practice area to bat in the adjacent nets, walked up to Bumrah and said, “ Aapko kya zarurat hain yorker practice karne ka? Aap toh beech raat ko neend se uthke bhi yorker maar sakte ho (Why do you need to practice bowling yorkers? You can get up from sleep in the middle of the night and land those yorkers)!” Bumrah smiled, nailed another perfect yorker which displaced one of the boots, and said, “ Bahut zarurat hain bhai (it’s very important).”

At 32, after multiple injuries and many match-winning performances across formats for over a decade, Bumrah still puts himself through drills that a 16-year-old would do at academy level. It just speaks of his constant hunger to be the best and remain at the top.Bumrah has been bowling up to the stumps and the boots in the nets throughout this World Cup campaign. One of his yorkers even landed on the left toe of Ishan Kishan ahead of the match against Namibia last month in Delhi.

Match by match

On Thursday night, in a tense semifinal against England in Mumbai, every yorker sent down by Bumrah was on point, helping to choke England’s chase.Finding another gear in tense situations, on the biggest stage, is nothing new for Bumrah. His spell of 2/20 in the last T20 World Cup final against South Africa was T20 bowling perfection. In this edition, he has shown he can improve on it.Thursday’s spell of 1/33 in a match that saw a match aggregate of 499 runs, and that too with a lot of dew present at the Wankhede Stadium, was the performance of a bowler in supreme control of his craft. That captain Suryakumar Yadav chose to bowl Bumrah out in the 18th over, when Jacob Bethell was on a rampage, proved he is still the No. 1 option when the Indian team is under pressure.

Bumrah in T20Is

Bumrah usually wears a coy smile after the perfect execution of his deliveries, be it the dipping slower balls, the zippy bouncers or the toe-crushing yorkers. He has also mastered the art of mentally distancing himself from ‘outside’ chatter and remains detached from any possible criticism. He has looked cold-blooded in the way he has gone about his job in this World Cup.India came into the tournament flaunting Varun Chakravarthy’s mystery spin as the trump card, but it is Bumrah who has covered up for him and risen to the occasion. It didn’t come as a surprise when England captain Harry Brook said, “Bumrah is a very good bowler, arguably the best of all time at the minute. He’s been a very good bowler for a long time.”Bumrah knows he is the most complete pacer going around. He also knows that to maintain that, he has to train like a rookie every day.