India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India’s opening night of the T20 World Cup had both chaos and class, and two standout numbers from the match told the story better than anything else. Saurabh Netravalkar finished with figures of 0 for 65, the most expensive spell ever recorded in T20 World Cup history. It surpassed Sanath Jayasuriya’s 0 for 64 against Pakistan in Johannesburg back in 2007. The numbers were harsh, but they also reflected the damage done at the death by an Indian captain who refused to let his team sink.

Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 84 off 49 balls was more than just a rescue act. It also placed him second on the list of highest scores in a debut innings as captain in T20 World Cups. Only Chris Gayle’s iconic 88 against Australia in 2009 stands above it. Highest score in debut innings as captain (T20 WC)88 Chris Gayle vs Aus The Oval 200984*Suryakumar Yadav vs USA Wankhede 202668*Babar Azam vs Ind Dubai 202165 Mahela Jayawardene vs Ken Joburg 200761 Mohd Ashraful vs WO Joburg 2007 India’s innings began on a nervous note after USA captain Monank Patel won the toss and chose to bowl. Abhishek Sharma fell for a duck off the very first ball he faced, setting the tone for a difficult powerplay. The pressure only intensified as wickets kept tumbling. Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan departed in quick succession, and Shadley van Schalkwyk ripped through the middle order. Although Suryakumar walked in earlier at number four, the situation worsened rapidly around him. India slid to 77 for 6, with Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh both caught in the deep. The Wankhede crowd, stunned into silence, watched their defending champions teeter on the brink.From that point on, Suryakumar took complete control. He paced the innings with remarkable calm, shepherded the tail, and then shifted gears decisively. The counterattack began in the 16th over when he exploded against Saurabh Netravalkar, hammering three fours and a towering six to swing momentum India’s way. His fifty came off 36 balls, and he was far from done. The final over summed up his authority, as Suryakumar smashed 21 runs off Netravalkar, including two more sixes, dragging India past the 160 mark and giving their bowlers something to work with. Van Schalkwyk finished with an impressive 4 for 25, but the night ultimately belonged to India’s captain. From 77 for 6 to 161 for 9, Suryakumar Yadav turned a collapse into a contest, and etched his name into T20 World Cup history in the process.

KUALA LUMPUR/NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Saturday chose an Indian community event in Kuala Lumpur to shower praise on Tamil culture and highlight the presence of several Tamilians in key positions in India. The focus on Tamilians was, though, very much in order as they make up an overwhelming majority of people of Indian origins in Malaysia. Tamil literature is eternal and its culture global, he emphasised, noting that Malaysia is home to the second largest population of Indian-origin community in the world. In India, he said, Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan is a Tamilian and so are key members of his govt, EAM S Jaishankar and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. A junior minister L Murugan is from Tamil Nadu as well, he added. Though he has often voiced his admiration for Tamil language and culture, his generous praise at the event in Kuala Lumpur had political significance as well, as Tamil Nadu is headed for the assembly polls. At the ‘Selamat Datang Modi Ji (welcome Modi)’ event, Modi recalled that when he first visited Malaysia in 2015, India was in the 11th spot of the economic ladder and today, a decade later, in the top three. “With the world’s largest digital public infrastructure propelling country’s economy, creating third largest start-up hub in the world, the country is ensuring clean and green growth,” he added, announcing that “UPI would be available in Malaysia very soon.“ He announced India’s decision to open its first consulate in Malaysia to strengthen ongoing cooperation between India and Malaysia and expand outreach to the Indian community in Malaysia. He said Tamil is India’s gift to the world. Noting that Tamil diaspora has been present in Malaysia for many centuries, he said inspired by its history, India had established the Thiruvalluvar Chair at the University of Malaya and would now set up a Thiruvalluvar Centre to further strengthen shared heritage. The Prime Minister praised his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim for the warm welcome accorded to him and said it emphasised his love and respect for India and the Indian community. Anwar who was present at the meeting had called Modi “a great friend”.

Sanjay Ghadi and Ritu Tawde (PTI image)

NEW DELHI: BJP corporator Ritu Tawde is set to become Mumbai’s next mayor after being elected unopposed, marking the party’s return to the post after 44 years and ending the Shiv Sena’s uninterrupted 25-year hold over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).The contest turned uncontested after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) decided not to field a challenger against Tawde, effectively clearing her path to the mayor’s office. Though the mayor’s role is largely ceremonial, it carries strong political and symbolic significance in Mumbai’s identity-driven civic politics.Tawde’s elevation will be the BJP’s first mayoral win in Mumbai since Prabhakar Pai’s tenure in 1982–83. It also means the undivided Shiv Sena, which controlled the BMC from 1997 to 2022, will not hold the mayor’s post after nearly three decades.On the final day of nominations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, a BJP ally in the ruling Mahayuti, nominated Sanjay Ghadi as its candidate for deputy mayor. The party announced that the deputy mayor’s tenure would be split, allowing multiple corporators to serve during the term.A senior BMC official told PTI that only one nomination each was received for the mayor’s and deputy mayor’s posts before the 6 pm deadline. “We have received just one nomination from BJP’s Ritu Tawde for the mayor’s post and another from Sanjay Ghadi for the deputy mayor’s post,” the official said.Although opposition parties have not filed nominations, the election process will be formally completed on February 11, which is also the last day for withdrawal of nominations. The mayor’s post has been reserved for a woman candidate from the open category following a draw of lots by the Urban Development Department.Tawde (53), a corporator from Ghatkopar East, filed her nomination at the municipal secretary’s office in the presence of senior Mahayuti leaders, including minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha and BJP Mumbai unit chief Ameet Satam. Speaking to reporters, she said a safer and more developed Mumbai was her priority and that she wanted to work for citizens of the cosmopolitan city.The Shiv Sena (UBT) was expected to challenge the BJP nominee but decided against it after a meeting at party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s residence. Former Mumbai mayor and Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar said the decision reflected respect for Marathi identity.“The BJP had to accept that Marathi manoos is a Hindu. If the mayor of Mumbai is Marathi manoos, we won’t do anything that amounts to a bad omen. We have accepted the arithmetic and will play the role of a strong opposition and fight for Mumbai,” Pednekar said.The Sena (UBT) had raised the Marathi identity plank in last month’s BMC elections, where it contested in alliance with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats in the 227-member civic body. The ruling Mahayuti alliance, with a combined strength of 118 corporators, comfortably crossed the halfway mark of 114.Addressing a press conference earlier in the day, BJP’s Satam said that the city was set to get a BJP mayor after four decades. “We have the backing of 118 corporators and the support of more members. The Mahayuti will work to free the BMC from the clutches of corruption,” he said.Satam also said that the alliance had asserted from the beginning that Mumbai’s mayor would be Marathi and Hindu. “The city will now get a Marathi, Malvani, Konkani and Hindu mayor,” he added.Reacting sharply, the NCP (SP) criticised the BJP’s choice, saying selecting a former Congress leader as mayor had demoralised party loyalists. NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, “By choosing a former Congresswoman as mayor, the BJP has insulted its own loyal corporators who have given their blood, sweat and tears for the party.”Tawde, who joined the BJP in 2012 after quitting the Congress, was elected as a corporator the same year. During her first term, she chaired the BMC’s Education Committee and raised issues related to infrastructure, water supply and public safety. She was also in the spotlight for raising objections to mannequins displaying objectionable clothing in shops.Ghadi, a corporator from Ward No. 5 who defected from Sena (UBT) to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, will serve as deputy mayor for 15 months, party secretary Sanjay More said.The BMC, India’s richest civic body, has been under a state-appointed administrator since March 2022 following the end of the previous term. Its budget for 2025–26 stands at Rs 74,450 crore, higher than that of several Indian states.

Rohit Pawar and Ajit Pawar (Images/Agencies)

NEW DELHI: NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar on Saturday said that he will present a detailed presentation on February 10 on the air crash that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. He said that questions and doubts persist over the circumstances of the incident, which will be addressed during the briefing in Mumbai.Speaking to reporters after casting his vote in the Zilla Parishad elections in Baramati, Rohit Pawar said that several questions remained unanswered about how and why the crash occurred. He added that the forthcoming presentation would address these concerns in detail.“Everyone has questions and doubts in their minds. Why the crash happened and how it might have happened—these issues will be raised on February 10,” he said.The Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in Maharashtra were held on Saturday for 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis. The polls had earlier been postponed following Ajit Pawar’s death in the air crash on January 28.Ajit Pawar was killed along with four others when a chartered Learjet aircraft crashed while attempting to land at the table-top airstrip in Baramati, Pune district. Those killed included his personal security officer, the pilot, co-pilot and a flight attendant.Rohit Pawar said that the late leader had wished for unity between the rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party and that efforts toward a merger would continue. The NCP (SP), led by Sharad Pawar and the NCP have jointly contested the Zilla Parishad elections, with candidates fighting on the latter’s ‘clock’ symbol.“Ajit Dada sincerely wished that everyone should come together as one family. Everyone has come together today. Dada had made efforts, and we will continue to make efforts in the same manner. The family is still united,” Rohit Pawar said.Earlier, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that Ajit Pawar’s death could be the result of a political conspiracy and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe.Citing reports that Pawar was considering leaving the BJP and rejoining the NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar, Banerjee said, “I demand a proper investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court. We have trust only in the Supreme Court. All other agencies have been completely compromised.”She described Pawar’s death as a major loss and said he was expected to return to the original faction of his party.The Opposition MLA, who represents the Karjat-Jamkhed constituency in Ahilyanagar district, also said that he would explain the reasons and intent behind the proposed party merger on February 12.“I will explain why the merger was supposed to happen and for what purpose. Whether Ajit Dada’s intention was political or emotional, I will clarify this on February 12,” he said.On the investigation into the crash, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) were making rapid progress.Providing an update, Mohol said the aircraft’s black box had been recovered and was being analysed.“The black box has been recovered, and the AAIB team and the DGCA are working on it. The data will be downloaded, followed by analysis and an inquiry. A preliminary report will be released after that,” Mohol said.He added that investigation teams from the AAIB and the DGCA’s Mumbai Regional Office reached the crash site on the day of the incident and that the AAIB Director General personally oversaw the initial probe.The investigation is being conducted under Rules 5 and 11 of the AAIB Rules, 2025, to determine the sequence of events during the aircraft’s attempted landing amid reported poor visibility.Authorities have cautioned against drawing premature conclusions, stating that the findings will be based on technical analysis of the black box data.

Union minister for commerce and industry Piyush Goyal on Saturday described the India-US trade agreement as a landmark step in India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047. Addressing a media briefing, he said the day would be remembered as a major achievement in strengthening economic ties between the two countries. He said discussions on the bilateral trade agreement began in February 2025, keeping the future in mind and considering the diplomatic relationship between India and the United States, as well as the friendship between the leaders of the two nations.Goyal said the key objective of the agreement is to achieve annual bilateral trade of 500 billion dollars between India and the United States.Calling the day historic, he said it would be remembered for opening new opportunities for India and said there is a wave of happiness and enthusiasm across all sectors of the country regarding the future.Goyal said the agreement has been structured in a way that protects the interests of Indian farmers and the dairy sector.He said some people in the country are against the interests of farmers, do not worry about farmers’ welfare, and mislead the public, adding that they are surprised to see that no steps in the India-US trade agreement go against farmers’ interests.Highlighting benefits for exporters, Goyal said the reciprocal tariff on Indian exports to the US has been sharply reduced from 50 percent to 18 percent under the agreement.He said the 18 percent tariff is lower than the tariffs imposed by neighbouring countries and other competing nations, which will give Indian exporters a clear advantage.Referring to public response, Goyal cited the example of a handicrafts artisan from Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh who said the tariff reduction would bring new orders, benefits and progress for his sector.Goyal said several categories of Indian exports will now attract zero duty when sent to the United States.He said gems and diamonds exported from India will be subject to zero duty under the agreement.Goyal said pharmaceutical products, which are exported from India in large quantities, will also face zero duty in the US market.He added that smartphones exported from India to the United States will continue to enjoy zero duty.In the agricultural sector, Goyal said many products will be exported to the US with zero reciprocal tariff, meaning no additional duty will be applied.He listed spices, tea, coffee and products made from them, coconut and coconut oil, vegetable wax, areca nut, Brazil nut, cashew nut and chestnut among the agricultural items covered.Goyal said several fruits and vegetables are also included under the zero-duty provisions of the agreement.He said the agreement is expected to open up new opportunities across sectors and will significantly benefit Indian exporters in the coming days.