History has not seen a cricketing rivalry as fierce as this this century, every ball bowled every run taken, coming with no quarter given. Ahead of India's five Test tour of Australia, Norma Astrid Godinho/Rediff.com takes a walk down memory lane, recounting India's sojourns Down Under from 1947 to 2021, in a 4-part series.
Voters, it is said, get the government they deserve. We will soon see what voters in Maharashtra choose. Till then, a sense of helplessness and scepticism hangs in the air, notes Ramesh Menon.
After a quiet April-June quarter in 2024-25 (FY25), the operational and financial performance of India's largest listed hotel company, Indian Hotels Company, clearly rebounded in the July-September quarter (Q2) of FY25. With double-digit growth in the average room rate (ARR) and higher occupancy, the Taj Hotels chain owner reported a 16 per cent revenue increase and a 30 per cent rise in operating profit.
Vivrant Sharma and Abid Mushtaq made contrasting fifties in Jammu and Kashmir's four-wicket win over Tripura on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match in Jammu on Friday.
Rajasthan's Mahipal Lomror put the IPL franchises on alert ahead of the mega auction with a sensational triple hundred comprising a staggering 13 sixes and 25 fours in their Ranji Trophy Group B match against Uttarakhand here on Thursday.
Roundup of matches across the country in the ongoing BCCI Ranji Trophy
Punjab, starting the penultimate day on 73/3 and needing 144 more runs, crumbled under pressure from Sindhu's relentless spin and Jayant Yadav's precise off-spin (3/35 in 10.4 overs), collapsing well before lunch and handing Haryana their second outright win in four matches.
Shreyas Iyer continued with his red-hot form, smashing a stroke-filled 233 to lead Mumbai to a massive 602/4 declared in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match against Odisha.
From the 30-share Sensex pack, Tata Motors, Tech Mahindra, UltraTech Cement, JSW Steel, Sun Pharma, Asian Paints, IndusInd Bank and ICICI Bank were the major losers. State Bank of India emerged as the only gainer from the pack.
'They need batters who can bat out a full session in Australia.' 'You have seniors like Pujara and Rahane, who are scoring runs in domestic cricket. They have experience of Australian conditions too.' 'They should be given a chance to make a comeback, no harm in trying especially when your batting line-up is not even lasting a full session.'
While this may not secure qualification outright, it would certainly keep them in contention. New Zealand head coach Gary Stead drew inspiration from the inaugural WTC cycle in 2019-21, when New Zealand won six consecutive matches enroute to securing the title.
In Agartala, the Group A match between Mumbai and Tripura ended in a draw with the reigning champions earning three points by virtue of the first-innings lead.
Rohit has managed just one half-century in his last eight innings in which he has tallied 104 runs. Kohli's freefall in Test cricket continues. He has fallen to spin three times in the first two Tests. Ashwin, usually, dominant at home, managed just six wickets in the first two Tests at an average of 43.
Mitchell Santner played through the pain barrier as New Zealand secured their maiden series win in India going back to 1955 and the left-arm spinner said picking up wickets regularly in the second test had helped him persevere.
It was a stunning defeat for India, who were dismantled by eight wickets in seamer-friendly conditions in the opening match at Bengaluru, as they suffered their first series loss on home soil since falling to England in 2012.
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Saturday.
Indian women's cricket team batter Jemimah Rodrigues' father Ivan on Friday refuted allegations that he used her membership at the prestigious Khar Gymkhana here to hold "conversion meetings" at its premises, claiming that he merely conducted prayer gatherings "in complete accordance with procedures".
He overtook Australian spinner Nathan Lyon to become the seventh highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
Crude oil prices could dip to the low $60s by the end of 2025 after rising to $80 a barrel in the last quarter (October-December) of 2024 - up nearly 10 per cent from current levels, suggest analysts at JP Morgan. The main players in West Asia, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have a strong incentive to keep the conflict contained, according to the JP Morgan report.
Middle order batsman Mehidy Hasan Miraz led a Bangladesh fight back with an unbeaten 87 on the third day of the first Test against South Africa on Wednesday to turn a precarious position into a tight contest.
rediffGURU Dr Vinod Kumar, a kidney health specialist at the Aster RV Hospital, Bengaluru, offers advice on how to keep your kidneys healthy and functioning well.
Former England captain Alastair Cook believes at the "precise moment in time" the in-form Joe Root is only matched by New Zealand's Kane Williamson.
Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd Bank, Adani Ports, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finance, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Bharti Airtel, Hindustan Unilever and JSW Steel were the other big laggards.
ICICI Bank, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, NTPC, JSW Steel, State Bank of India and Adani Ports were the other big gainers. Asian Paints, Nestle, Tech Mahindra, HCL Technologies, Hindustan Unilever, Infosys and ITC were the other big laggards.
Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane flopped with the bat as defending champions Mumbai were shocked by Baroda by 84 runs.
'The quality of a leader should be such that even if the leader is not there, the institution carries on.'
Captain Nigar Sultana top-scored for Bangladesh with a 44-ball 39 but she did not get enough support from her batting colleagues.
Australia colts lost as many as 17 wickets on the third day after commencing on their overnight score of 142 for 3 in reply to India's massive first-innings total of 492.
Saud Shakeel missed out on a hundred but Salman Agha smashed a brisk 79 not out to propel Pakistan to a commanding 515 for eight at tea on the second day of the contest on Tuesday.
ISRO said the upper stage of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle - C37 (PSLV-C37) re-entered the earth's atmosphere on October 6, 2024 and the impact point was the North Atlantic Ocean.
Reigning champions Triveni Continental Kings secured a 10-8 win over upGrad Mumba Masters in the opening match on day five of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League in London on Monday.
The American Gambits scored a crucial victory against the Ganges Grandmasters in the opening round of day four of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League on Sunday. Hikaru Nakamura and Elisabeth Paehtz lead the winning charge for the American Gambits.
Khushi secured a hard-fought bronze in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions at the ISSF Junior World Championship.
Nikhil Kumar showed excellent temperament on way to an unbeaten half-century under pressure and guided India U-19 to a nervy two-wicket win over Australia U-19 on the third day of the first unofficial Test in Chennai on Wednesday.
Opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi struck a quick hundred but India U19's middle and later order batters crumbled against Australian spinners Thomas Brown and Vishwa Ramkumar to throw away the advantage on the second day of the four-day first unofficial Test, in Chennai on Tuesday.
His blistering 58-ball century is now the second fastest in Under-19 Test history, behind only Moeen Ali's 56-ball hundred in 2005.
The 18-year-old from Manipur also bettered her own junior national record in snatch. She, however, could not finish on the podium in all the three sections.
Power generation decelerated 4.7 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to 155 billion units (BU) in August 2024. This was the first downtrend in many years, albeit on a high base - generation had increased 19 per cent Y-o-Y to 163 billion units (BU) in August 2023. The dip was partly due to excess rainfall, which pared cooling demand and also reduced need for irrigation.
The Indian junior team had won the first and second Youth ODIs by seven and nine wickets respectively.
From January 1, 2021 to September 9, 2024 -- during which Joe Root hit 17 centuries, Kane Williamson has hit, Steve Smith has made six tons but Virat Kohli has managed just two centuries.