Michael Clarke credits former India captain: Team India progressed into the T20 World Cup 2026 Final, defeating England in a close contest. After scoring a mammoth total of 256, the Suryakumar Yadav-led brigade managed to win the contest by only a 7-run margin, which shows the level of the contest.

From Sanju Samson’s 89-run knock to some great efforts with the ball, in major points of the match, India made the difference, and eventually won the match to confirm a berth in the Final for the second straight campaign in the T20 World Cup. Former Australia captain Michael Clarke said that some brilliant moves in the fielding also helped the Men in Blue to win the high-octane contest.

How did Virat Kohli help India to defeat England? Michael Clarke explained

Axar Patel took a brilliant running catch to dismiss England skipper Harry Brook. Patel was also involved in the dismissal of Will Jacks at key junctures of the game. Clarke said that it was Virat Kohli who inspires the team most to improve their fitness and fielding levels.

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Michael Clarke said, “The other thing that was defining and the difference between India winning and not England was the fielding. A couple of absolute screamers from India. They probably haven’t gotten enough credit for their fielding over the years.”

“I reckon Virat Kohli played a big part when he had a heavy focus on fitness and also transitioned into this Indian fielding. Those two catches were match-winners,” Michael Clarke said on the ‘Beyond23 Cricket Podcast’.

While the Indian national cricket team made some terrific efforts while defending the total, England missed multiple opportunities in the first innings. When Sanju Samson was batting on 15, Brook dropped a sitter inside the circle. The dropped chance eventually cost them the match.

Michael Clarke expects a 50-50 contest in the T20 World Cup 2026 Final

Despite India’s dominating win, Clarke felt that New Zealand would be a very tough opposition to overcome in the final match, which is scheduled to be held on March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. As the Kiwis outclassed an undefeated South Africa in the semi-finals with ease, Clarke believes the last lap of the title race will be ended through a 50-50 contest.

“Before the semifinal against South Africa, if you say New Zealand is going to make the final against India, I think it’s black and white that India are the favorites by a distance. After watching this game now, New Zealand beat South Africa, I reckon it is 50-50. But I am going with India to beat New Zealand”, the former cricketer further added.

Clarke predicted the winner of the T20 World Cup 2026 Final

Yadav and his boys are on the verge of making history in the T20 World Cup. For the first time in the tournament, they can become the first team to defend the title, if they are able to beat New Zealand, that too in front of their home crowd.

The atmosphere and the stats can cause extra pressure on the team. But the former opinions that despite all the pressures, Team India can successfully defend their title.

“The challenge for India will be that no team has won T20 World Cups back-to-back. They will know that. They will know they are playing in their home ground, and they’ve been the best team in the competition so far, and are expected to win. If they can release that, and play with the freedom they did against England, I still think they will win the game”, Michael Clarke concluded.

Read More: NOT Virat Kohli! Ex-Australia captain picks this India player as ‘GOAT’

Mumbai: Maharashtra government has proposed to raise nearly Rs 1.9 lakh crore in loans in the year 2025-26 of which Rs 1.5 lakh crore or 78.1% is to be raised from the open market. This constitutes nearly 73.4% of the fiscal deficit, states the Medium-Term Fiscal Policy Statement and the Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement.In addition, various government undertakings, corporations, special purpose aid companies, and cooperatives have to raise loans for building infrastructure, for which the state government provides guarantees. The total outstanding guarantee given in 2025-26 is Rs 1.8 lakh crore and in case of failure of the guarantee, the entire responsibility lies with the state government.The statement observed that there is a significant increase in state’s liabilities due to investments in infrastructure and communication projects, but for 2025-26, the target fixed for the fiscal deficit as a percentage of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has been achieved. Government is permitted to undertake annual borrowings within the limit of 3% of GSDP.The strategy statement stated that as per the projections for the year 2025-26, Maharashtra’s economy is expected to grow by 7.9% as compared to 2024-25, while the national economy is expected to grow by 7.4%. “It is expected to maintain the direction of fiscal policy such that the growth rate of the state’s economy remains permanently higher than that of the national economy. The state is focusing on infrastructure and communication projects, which have far reaching implications for medium to long-term economic growth and employment generation,” reads the strategy statement. Capital investment is being increased in the state to achieve a $1 trillion economy and Maharashtra needs to raise debt for development work.The strategy statement also pointed out that the government is taking various measures to reduce the amount of interest through efficient debt management, including measures like raising and reissuing short-term and long-term debt securities. “Reserve Bank of India has formulated the Medium Term Debt Management Strategy for Maharashtra for easy management of debt portfolio risk, reduction of long term financial risk, strengthening of fiscal policy and proper functioning of the government bond market. The state government has agreed to accept the said policy,” reads the statement. Also, local self-government bodies, authorities and government depts have been instructed to return the unspent funds to the government.Increasing urbanisation is being touted as the reason for the strain on the state’s financial system as it has led to increasing electricity demand, water supply, housing demand, transport system and other infrastructure facilities.“The state has been successful in keeping debt within the prescribed fiscal indicators by achieving a balance between deposits and expenditure. Keeping the financial health of the state sound will be the direction of the fiscal policy of the state government. The state’s fiscal policy will help take the state’s economy to $1 trillion by 2029-30 and $5 trillion by the nation’s centennial year,” reads the statement.

NEW DELHI: India legend Sunil Gavaskar lavished praise on vice-captain Axar Patel for his breathtaking fielding display in India’s nerve-wracking T20 World Cup semifinal win over England at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Gavaskar even compared Axar’s impact in the field to that of Ravindra Jadeja, saying the all-rounder has stepped up to fill the void left by one of India’s greatest fielders.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India had earlier piled up a mammoth 253/7, powered by a blistering knock from Sanju Samson. England’s chase, however, threatened to derail India’s hopes as Jacob Bethell produced a sensational century to keep his side firmly in the contest.

But Axar’s brilliance in the field repeatedly halted England’s momentum.The first moment of magic came early in the chase when Jasprit Bumrah deceived Harry Brook with a slower delivery. Brook miscued the shot high over cover, and Axar sprinted back nearly 24 metres before diving forward to complete a stunning catch inches above the turf.ALSO READ: Axar Patel picks tougher of his two ‘out of this world’ catches — Watch & choose yours“Axar Patel’s catch to dismiss Harry Brook was unbelievable. Brook can take the game away and you have to grab every chance to get his wicket and Axar did that,” Gavaskar said while speaking on JioHotstar.“He ran 24 meters away from his fielding spot, kept his eyes on the ball, balanced himself and took the catch. Unbelievable stuff.”Axar wasn’t done yet. Later in the innings, when Will Jacks threatened to push England closer to the daunting target alongside Bethell, Axar produced another moment of brilliance. Chasing a sliced shot toward deep point, he ran hard across the turf, grabbed the ball while losing balance near the boundary rope and cleverly relayed it to Shivam Dube, who completed the catch.“He also played a key role in Will Jacks’ dismissal. The Bethell-Jacks partnership was taking the game away. But Axar ran to his left, grabbed the ball and smartly passed it to Shivam Dube,” Gavaskar added.Gavaskar believes Axar’s rise as a complete cricketer mirrors the impact Jadeja once had for India.“With his batting and bowling, Axar is going to be one of India’s great players. We had Ravindra Jadeja before him and Axar is filling that void well,” he said.

In a shocking Malviya Nagar incident, police found two sisters dead and their mother unconscious. Authorities suspect the mother, Sunita, killed her daughters, Radhika and Gunisha, before attempting suicide. Crushed naphthalene balls and a crepe bandage were recovered from the scene. Investigations into potential depression and domestic discord are ongoing.

NEW DELHI: Crushed naphthalene balls and a strip of crepe bandage were what police found in the Malviya Nagar flat where two sisters were found dead and their mother unconscious on Thursday. Police suspect the 50-year-old woman, Sunita, killed her daughters Radhika (33) and Gunisha (28) and then tried to die by suicide. Police suspect that Gunisha was strangled with the crepe bandage. The elder daughter, Radhika, was smothered with a pillow. Cops said they found signs of struggle that indicated smothering. “The elder daughter was a special child. She used to assist a teacher working with specially-abled children, but quit working a few years ago. The younger daughter had completed a law course,” a source said. Sources added that the mixture of naphthalene balls may have been used to sedate one of the daughters, and Sunita may have consumed it as well. “These are our suspicions. We are awaiting the post-mortem reports of the sisters and medical reports of the woman, who was receiving treatment,” the source added. Police also found cut marks on the hands of one of the daughters. When the cops entered the house through a ventilation window after breaking the glass pane, they found Sunita lying on the floor and Gunisha on a bed in a room. Sunita’s husband had left for the garment shop that he runs in south Delhi. Several family members live in the same building where Sunita and her family occupied the ground floor. A senior police officer said they suspect Sunita first killed her daughters, then attempted suicide. “We learned that the family was not social and may have been dealing with some form of depression. All angles are being investigated, including possible domestic discord,” the officer said.

Neighbours in Malviya Nagar’s F Block seemed shocked. They described the mother and daughters as well-behaved and good natured, though they mostly kept to themselves. The family had lived in the area for the last 50 years. On Friday, senior officers visited the spot and spoke to family members for over an hour. Lalit, a neighbour, said Sunita was a caring mother and accompanied her daughters whenever they went out. “They mostly kept to themselves and rarely came out of their home,” he added. The family lived in a four-storey building. Sunita’s mother-in-law lived on the second floor, and the remaining two floors were occupied by her husband’s brother and his family. Ranjana, who works in homes in the area, said the last time she spoke to Sunita, she mentioned that she wanted a house help. “She was polite.” Neighbour Ramesh Thakur (75) said that Sunita’s husband returned home around 5 pm and kept knocking on the door. No one opened it. He also went to the rear of the house, but was not successful in entering the flat. “He tried to contact key makers but came to know that the door cannot be opened by key makers. Other neighbours also came, and after half an hour, the police was contacted,” he said.

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CHANDIGARH: A 45-year-old social media influencer of Punjabi origin, Nancy Grewal, who was stabbed to death in Canada earlier this week, had clarified her stand on Khalistani extremism groups just weeks before the attack. In a video posted on February 22 on her YouTube channel, ‘Nancy Grewal Canada CA’, titled “I respect only original Khalistan## jo India da flag di disrespect karday#i hate ## (I hate those who disrespect Indian flag)”, Nancy spoke about allegations that she opposed Khalistanis.

She said there were “a lot of rumours that she was against Khalistanis and that she abused them”. “I clarified several times that I am not against genuine Khalistanis; people have their rights. But I am against those Khalistanis who abuse women and issue dirty threats. I am against violence and burning the Indian flag,” she said.Grewal was stabbed on March 3 in LaSalle in Ontario. According to the LaSalle Police Service, emergency responders were called to the 2400 block of Todd Lane shortly before 9:30pm following reports of a stabbing. Police said a 45-year-old woman was found with injuries and was taken to hospital by Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Services, where she later died. Authorities later identified the victim as Nancy Grewal and said the homicide investigation was ongoing. “To ease public concern, we are sharing that investigators are viewing this as an isolated incident,” the LaSalle Police Service said in a statement, urging anyone with information or video surveillance footage to come forward. Grewal was active on social media and often expressed views on social and political issues related to Punjab. She had spoken against Khalistan supporters and had also made remarks about pro-Khalistan activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. In recent weeks, she had also commented on Radha Soami Satsang Beas head Gurinder Singh Dhillon after he met Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia in Nabha Jail on February 2. Her mother alleged that Nancy had been receiving threats for some time. “She was stabbed multiple times,” Kaur said, claiming that some hardliners based in Windsor had developed hostility towards her daughter. Kaur also said Nancy had earlier survived another attack when her house was allegedly set on fire. “Nancy continued to receive threats,” she said. According to Kaur, a masked youth had once come near Nancy’s residence to conduct a recce. “Nancy had installed CCTV cameras at her residence. When she spotted him, he got scared. Had the CCTV cameras not been installed, he could have killed Nancy at her residence,” she said. Kaur said Nancy moved to Canada in 2018, where she completed a nursing course and worked for two companies. The mother said she last spoke to her daughter on March 2. Nancy did not answer her calls the next day. “Nancy used to share everything including about her patients,” she said.