TOI correspondent from London: Hindu and Sikh groups have criticised a non-statutory (not legally binding) definition of anti-Muslim hostility and the appointment of an “Islamophobia tsar” by the UK govt, saying it will foster resentment and marginalise other faiths.The Network of Sikh Organisations and the Free Speech Union are drawing up pre-action letters to send to UK communities secretary Steve Reed, ahead of challenging the definition via a judicial review. The Hindu Council UK (HCUK) has criticised the govt for not consulting other faiths.“All faiths and beliefs should be treated equally,” the Network of Sikh Organisations (NSO) said in a statement.“If the govt have a special working group for one faith, what about the others? If a special ‘tsar’ is appointed to protect the interests of one faith, why the exclusivity,” the NSO asked. “Criminal law provides protection for all religious groups. Why do we even need a non-statutory definition,” it asked.The NSO expressed concerns the definition would curtail free speech on important matters such as grooming gangs. “Could the Sikh objection to halal slaughter of animals be interpreted as ‘hostility’,” it said.The definition, introduced on Monday, defines anti-Muslim hostility as criminal acts including verbal harassment directed at Muslims because of their religion; treating Muslims as a collective group with fixed characteristics; and practices designed to disadvantage them. The ministry of housing, communities and local government (MHCLG) said it was needed because hate crimes targeting Muslims were “at record levels”.Vinod Popat, convenor of Hindu Community Organisations Group, has written to Reed asking why there is no recognition of Hinduphobia.“Harrow Siddhashram’s recent Holi celebrations were attacked by a group of 20 youths and yet the Harrow police statement seemed to have played down this vicious attack,” HCUK said in a statement.It referred to a sentence in the social cohesion policy paper “Protecting What Matters”, accompanying the definition, which claimed that the 2022 Leicester unrest was “partly linked to the import of nationalist rhetoric and religious extremism”.“This is misinformation,” HCUK said. “Hindu temples and homes were attacked.” It said Hindus had no faith in the implementation of this policy and said such misinformation was contributing to Hindus being attacked in Harrow and Wembley.

MUMBAI: The city on Wednesday saw a sharp drop in day-time temperatures, with the observatory at the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Santacruz station recording a maximum of 34.2°C, nearly 6°C lower than the previous day, when temperatures had soared to the 40°C mark.Data from automatic weather stations across the city also reflected slightly lower temperatures, though some eastern suburbs remained warmer. The highest maximum was recorded at Vikhroli (36.9°C), followed by Ram Mandir (36.2°C), Vidyavihar (34.5°C), Byculla (34.1°C), Tata Power Chembur (33.4°C), and Dahisar (33°C).The IMD Santacruz observatory recorded maximum temperatures of 34.2 deg C, which was 1.8 deg C above normal, while the IMD Colaba observatory recorded 34 deg C, which was 2.9 deg C above normal. Just a day ago, the maximum temperatures recorded by the IMD Colaba and Santacruz observatories were 35.4 deg C and 40 deg C, respectively, which were 4.3 deg C and 7.6 deg C above normal.IMD scientist Sushma Nair said the drop in temperatures was due to the early onset of the sea breeze and weaker easterly winds compared to the past two days. “The anticyclone that had persisted over south Gujarat for a prolonged period has also shifted,” Nair said. In its forecast early on Wednesday, the IMD stated that hot and humid weather conditions would persist, while for the remaining days of the week, dry conditions are expected to continue.This year, within the first ten days of March 2026, the weather bureau has issued three heatwave warnings for Mumbai, after the first alert was sounded on March 5. A heatwave warning was issued again on March 9 and 10. IMD issues a heatwave warning when the temperature of any coastal station touches 37°C or more, and at least two stations record departure from normal of at least 4.5°.Meanwhile, on Wednesday, minimum temperatures recorded by the IMD Colaba and Santacruz observatories were 24.4 °C and 23 deg C, respectively, which were 2.2 deg Cand 2.9 deg C above normal.

Gambhir, Agarkar tasted success taking harsh calls. Will they stick to their principles as they plan for the LA Games & T20 World Cup In 2028? But wait, there’s an ODI World Cup in the interim…Moments after lifting the T20 World Cup on Sunday night, Suryakumar Yadav stated upfront that winning an Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles in 2028 is the next target for India now. Was an all-conquering team getting ahead of themselves in the immediate glow of victory, or were the captain’s comments of future conquests backed by definite plan and philosophy?Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India’s T20 renaissance began by overhauling the approach on the day England hammered them in the T20 World Cup semifinal in 2022.The triumph in June 2024 vindicated the call taken in Nov 2022. This is where head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selectors Ajit Agarkar stepped in and announced that the process of becoming a T20 superpower didn’t stop in Barbados with Rohit Sharma lifting India’s first ICC trophy in 11 years.

The process got harsher and thankless. Designated vice-captain Hardik Pandya was not considered for leadership role anymore due to his persisting injury concerns. Surya assumed charge as captain. Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, part of the 2024 World Cup-winning squad, fell down the pecking order. Kuldeep Yadav, lead spinner in 2024, became second choice to Varun Chakravarthy. Enough has been spoken about Shubman Gill’s elevation to T20 vice-captaincy and then his eventual axe from the World Cup team.The blink-and-miss nature of T20 cricket doesn’t give you much time to breathe easy. Gambhir and Agarkar have successfully drilled it into the players they backed to defend India’s T20 crown — the composition of T20 squads were based on the conditions expected in the World Cup.ALSO READ: Team India Report Card: Perfect finish to a not-so-perfect T20 World Cup campaignAs much as the skills of the players were important, the ethos of this management drove the performances. Gambhir, for one, will not tire of his ‘team-over-individual’ and ‘results-over-milestones’ philosophy. He set out to eliminate the ‘superstar culture’ in the dressing room.Perhaps, the true test of Gambhir and Agarkar’s philosophies start from here onwards. The emphatic triumph has given Indian fans a new set of superstars. Surya’s name will be placed next to Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma in the list of World Cup-winning captains.Former India selector Devang Gandhi says people must not confuse superstar culture with privilege. “Indian cricket will always throw up superstars. Every sport will have superstars. People need to understand if the player is exercising undue entitlements like travelling alone and staying separately from the rest of the team. Because all that affects the dressing room culture. Big players will go through an odd slump. I am sure the selectors and the team management understand this. It’s all about what the player brings to the team,” Gandhi said.In the lead up to the ODI World Cup in South Africa in Oct-Nov 2027, the primary focus of Gambhir and Agarkar will understandably shift to stabilising the ODI team, which has been experiencing frequent wobbles of late. But the T20 World Cups keep coming thick and fast. With the Olympics and T20 World Cup in 2028, India will be playing two major T20 events inside a year after the 2027 ODI World Cup.Under Gambhir, India have successfully set a T20 template that other teams will try to replicate. Rational thinking says there needs to be continuity. But the greatest conflict here is that Gambhir himself has advocated flexibility (and countered predictability) as the essence of playing T20 cricket.Surya’s prolonged run of poor form and Varun Chakravarthy’s mystery spin getting found out will be at the top of the concern list for the head coach and chief selector. Winning the trophy has given both Gambhir and Agarkar some breathing space when it comes to identifying the next leader, especially after Project Gill crashed a month before the World Cup.“I don’t see there’s any need to bring about immediate changes. This set of boys are more T20 specialists and are extremely high on confidence. That said, I am sure Gambhir and the selectors will not leave any room for complacency in the dressing room. The focus will be on the ODI team. But I am sure they will be closely monitoring the T20 team’s performances after a couple of series. They are known for taking tough calls and I don’t think they will budge from that philosophy,” former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta told TOI. “Just as they prepared for this World Cup in India, surely they will judge the players’ ability in SENA countries since the next cycle of ICC events will happen in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. They will surely keep an eye out for players for those conditions.”Gambhir and Agarkar have endured constant criticism for all the bold calls they have taken over the last 18 months. They have been very tough to bring about this cultural shift in Indian cricket. Perhaps, it’s time to get tougher.

NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday addressed the travel disruption affecting several teams after the conclusion of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, saying the delays were caused by a major crisis in the Gulf region that has severely affected international air travel.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!In a detailed statement, the ICC acknowledged the frustration among players and support staff who have been unable to return home after completing their campaigns in the tournament co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.“We understand that players, coaches, support staff and their families who have completed their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaigns are anxious to return home,” the ICC said.“That they have not yet been able to do so is a source of genuine frustration, and the International Cricket Council shares that frustration.”

According to the global governing body, the delays stem from ongoing instability across the Gulf region that has led to widespread disruption of international aviation.The crisis has resulted in airspace closures, missile warnings, flight rerouting restrictions and last-minute cancellations of both commercial and charter flights. These developments have significantly complicated travel arrangements for teams leaving the subcontinent after the tournament.

“These are conditions entirely outside the ICC’s control, and they have made each travel solution significantly more complex and time-consuming than under normal circumstances,” the statement said.ALSO READ: Reset or continuity? Gambhir & Agarkar face big calls after T20 World Cup triumphThe ICC confirmed it has been working continuously with airlines, charter operators, airport authorities, ground handlers and government agencies across several jurisdictions to secure safe travel arrangements for all affected teams.Among those impacted are the contingents from South Africa and West Indies. The ICC said members of the South African group will begin departing for South Africa on Wednesday night, with all expected to leave within the next 36 hours.Meanwhile, nine members of the West Indies contingent are already travelling back to the Caribbean, while the remaining 16 are scheduled to depart from India within the next 24 hours.The ICC also rejected suggestions circulating on social media that the travel decisions were influenced by factors other than safety and logistics.“The ICC rejects any suggestion that these decisions have been driven by anything other than safety, feasibility and welfare. Suggestions otherwise across a variety of media platforms from people uninformed of the situation are as unhelpful as they are incorrect,” the statement said.It further clarified that the arrangements made for South Africa and West Indies had no connection with travel arrangements earlier made for England or other nations, noting that each situation involved different routes, travel conditions and logistical challenges.Reiterating its stance, the ICC said the safety of players and their families remains the top priority.“Throughout this period, the ICC’s overriding priority has been the safety and welfare of everyone affected, including players travelling with spouses and young children. We will not move people until we are satisfied that the travel solution in place is safe.”The governing body thanked players, boards and partners for their patience and said teams remain in constant communication with officials as efforts continue to bring everyone home safely.