Yashasvi Jaiswal's intense and innovative pre-tour training against short-pitched balls at the Thane Stadium contributed to his unbeaten 90 in Perth

As the verdict for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections is out, here is how some of the big faces fared in the contest.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance was on Saturday on course to retain power in Maharashtra, maintaining sway over 231 of the 288 assembly seats, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi's dream of wresting power fizzled, with the opposition combine ahead in just 49 seats.

Tilak Varma became the first batter ever to notch three successive hundreds in T20s, while Shreyas Iyer underlined his credentials with a smooth century

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance won a resounding victory in the Maharashtra assembly elections, while the opposition INDIA bloc was set to win in Jharkhand, according to trends on the Election Commission website. In Maharashtra, the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP partnership was leading in 218 of the 288 seats, while the Maha Vikhas Aghadi (MVA) alliance was ahead in just 50. In Jharkhand, the BJP was ahead in 26 seats, while the opposition alliance with JMM leading in 30 seats, the Congress in 13, the RJD in five and the CPI-ML in one. These results were seen as a boost for the BJP, which had won a hat-trick in Haryana last month, and a setback for the Congress.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party secured its hold over Uttar Pradesh with its candidates winning from two constituencies and leading in four of the nine seats that went to polls, while the Trinamool Congress maintained its foothold over West Bengal and the Congress in Karnataka, according to trends available on Saturday for bypolls to 46 assembly seats in 13 states.

The Mahayuti, which comprises the BJP, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, is leading on more than 210 of the 288 assembly seats.

Devendra Fadnavis, a seasoned politician with deep roots in the RSS, is set to become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the third time, after his party, the BJP, won a landslide victory in the state assembly elections. Fadnavis' political journey has been marked by resilience and strategic maneuvering, as he has navigated through challenging times, including political upheavals and controversies.

The dawn of a new era had begun under Sourav Ganguly's aggressive leadership. With Ganguly and Coach John Wright at the helm India had transitioned into a force to be reckoned with.

As the auction approaches, here are the 10 wicketkeeper-batters who are poised to attract significant attention making them among the most sought-after players for IPL 2025.

After several losses in the early years of the new century, a resurgent India notched up two consecutive series wins in Australia to become the Aussies' nemesis.

The counting of votes for the bypolls to 46 assembly seats in 13 states and in the Lok Sabha segments of Nanded in Maharashtra and Wayanad in Kerala, a crucial electoral exercise since the parliamentary polls in April-May, will begin at 8 am on Saturday.

Ten Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Friday, a senior police official said. The gunfight broke out in the morning in a forest within the jurisdiction of the Bhejji police station when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation. The operation was launched based on inputs about the presence of Maoists belonging to Konta and Kistaram area committees of Naxalites on forested hills of Korajguda, Dantespuram, Nagaram and Bhandarpadar villages. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai hailed security forces and said the era of peace and progress has returned to the Bastar region, which includes Sukma.

CA said it had produced a documentary in conjunction with Hughes's family to mark the occasion, which will be broadcast before play at Adelaide Oval.

The Prime Minister's XI team will be led by uncapped all-rounder Jack Edwards of New South Wales.

The legendary Sunil Gavaskar is confident that the stylish K L Rahul can excel on Australian tracks, just like he did in South Africa last year.

'Russia is aiming at demoralising Ukraine as a nation.' 'They want to bomb the infrastructure, the electric stations so that regular citizens will not to be able to live, to cook, to give comfort to their kids.'

Queenie Hallegua, who passed away at 89 in August, was almost the last of the Sephardi Jews in Fort Kochi. Her son Dr David Hallegua reflects on his mother's death and of his life growing up in Kerala.

This period saw big stars of the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev fade into the sunset while it was witness to the birth of slew of young Indian cricketers that made their mark home and abroad.

About 68 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm on Wednesday in 38 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand where voting in the second and final phase ended, officials said.

Young striker Deepika turned out to be the star again, scoring a fine reverse hit goal as India retained the women's Asian Champions Trophy hockey title after edging past Olympics silver medallist China 1-0 in a pulsating final at Rajgir, Bihar, on Wednesday.

Suryakumar Yadav casts vote during Maharashtra Assembly polls

Hardik Pandya reclaims top spot among T20I all-rounders, Tilak Varma jumps 69 places to third among batters

Yash Dayal has been added to India's reserve pacers' list after Khaleel Ahmed had to be sent back home due to an unspecified niggle.

The election campaign was one of the most vitriolic in the state, but you would not have guessed it from the smiles and selfies from the politicians.

Police have arrested a 23-year-old man on charges of sexually harassing a woman co-passenger on a flight from Delhi to Goa, officials said on Wednesday.

'I am pretty happy that Puj (Pujara) isn't here.'

'I think he's got the technique, he's got the patience to partner up with Uzzy (Khawaja) to allow himself to score big.'

Before the IPL Auction 2025, Rediff.com delves into the top 10 most expensive players in IPL history, exploring their impact on the game and the factors that have made them so valuable.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) candidate Amit Thackeray and his Shiv Sena rival Sada Sarvankar on Wednesday came face-to-face outside the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai where both of them shook hands.

What was once a solemn Vedic ritual is today a celebration for the entire extended family. And why not? With families living in distant cities, even continents, weddings are seen as an occasion for cousins and uncles to congregate under one roof for two or three days, observes Ambi Parmeswaran.

Australia's mouthwatering clash with India sees the two behemoths of the modern game go head-to-head in five tests over six weeks with the tourists eyeing a third straight series triumph Down Under.

IMAGES from the South American World Cup qualifiers played on Tuesday.

'When honest, wealthy people come forward to serve India, people should feel proud and welcome them.'

'No political party can antagonise Ambedkarite voters, particularly the neo-Buddhists.'

Mumbai, home to 1 crore voters and 420 candidates vying for 36 assembly seats, is gearing up for the Maharashtra Assembly elections on November 20. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has completed all preparations for smooth conduct of the polls, ensuring a robust security arrangement and dedicated facilities for senior citizens and differently-abled voters. The BMC has also urged citizens to exercise their franchise, emphasizing the importance of active participation in strengthening democracy.

Talks on global climate finance virtually ground to a halt last week at COP29, the annual United Nations (UN) Climate Change event in Baku, Azerbaijan, as the developed world, led by the European Union (EU), and developing countries including India, Brazil, South Africa, and a clutch of island nations and African countries faced a wide chasm between their expectations. This has raised doubts about whether an agreement can be reached this week or whether talks will spill over to COP30, to be held next year in Benem, Brazil.

Japan's march to the 2026 World Cup continued on Tuesday as Hajime Moriyasu's side handed China a 3-1 defeat in Xiamen while Iran eked out a late 3-2 win over Kyrgyzstan and South Korea were held to a 1-1 draw by Palestine.

With Kohli and Rohit misfiring, the pressure has mounted on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and India's middle order to put the kind of scores on the board their bowlers can defend.

South African pacer Gerald Coetzee has been reprimanded for showing dissent at the umpire's decision during the fourth T20 International against India in Johannesburg, the ICC said on Tuesday.