Kohli, the IPL's highest scorer with 5,878 runs, is set to open the innings to give his team the early momentum.

While T20 is primarily a batsmen-dominated format, the bowlers have evolved over the years and left a mark with their clever innovations.

The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday retained the economic growth projection for the current financial year at 10.5 per cent, while cautioning that the recent surge in COVID-19 infections has created uncertainty over the economic growth recovery. In its last policy review, the RBI had projected a GDP growth rate of 10.5 pc for FY'22. Taking various factors into consideration, it said, "the projection of real GDP growth for 2021-22 is retained at 10.5 per cent consisting of 26.2 per cent in Q1, 8.3 per cent in Q2, 5.4 per cent in Q3 and 6.2 per cent in Q4."

India's economy has bounced back amazingly from the Covid-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown over the last one year, but it is not out of the woods yet, according to the World Bank, which in its latest report has predicted that the country's real GDP growth for fiscal year 21/22 could range from 7.5 to 12.5 per cent.

Interestingly, in his entire remarks, Modi never once mentioned regional security, Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar points out.

'Washington has been doing really well for us. You cannot have two players (Washington and Aswhin) of the same discipline playing in one spot'

The road ahead will be long and winding and much resistance can be expected from the high-flying 'hawks' in our skies. But that should not deter the policymakers from planning a road map with the 'big picture' in mind, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

United States President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American lawyer and rights activist Kiran Ahuja to head the Office of Personnel Management, a federal agency that manages America's more than two million civil servants.

Neither Biden nor his successors can any longer ignore the threat China has come to pose to the US in both economic and military fields, observes Virendra Kapoor.

Recognising that peaceful protests are a hallmark of a thriving democracy, the United States has said that it encourages dialogue between the protesting farmers and the Indian government to resolve their differences.

The US is not going to be able to mount a concerted 'Western strategy' against China or Russia in the present international milieu, predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

'Governments, democratically elected governments, are custodians for a short- specified time.' 'Parents don't let baby sitters decide the course of their child's future.'

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the recent violent insurrection at the Capitol heavily impacted the inauguration proceedings, as no crowds were allowed to fill the National Mall and no large post-ceremony celebrations took place.

Scenes from Inauguration Day in Washington, DC as Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States.

Following is the list of players who have been released by the different franchises ahead of the auction for the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League.

Harris, the daughter of an Indian immigrant from Chennai, scripted history by becoming the first-ever woman Vice President of the United States. She is also the first female, first Black and first South Asian American vice president.

The 78-year-old veteran Democrat leader was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice John Roberts at the West Front of the Capitol -- the traditional location for presidential inaugural ceremonies where the deadly violence took place just two weeks ago.

Donald Trump on Wednesday exited the White House for the last time as the United States President to board a flight to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, which will be his permanent home after he failed to win his re-election bid.

Earlier this month, pacer Dale Steyn had announced that he would not be available for selection for IPL 2021 and as a result, he has also been released.

Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath of office to Biden just after the clock strikes 12 (local time) at the West Front of the Capitol -- the traditional location -- under the unprecedented security umbrella of more than 25,000 National Guards, who have transformed the capital into a garrison city, mainly because of the threat of violent protest by Trump's supporters.

'They've played really good, tough, hard Test match cricket day-in and day-out. India have won all the big moments in every Test match and Australia have fallen short. That's been the difference between the two teams.'

The Capitol Hill, the complex comprising of US Congress and its buildings, was briefly put under lockdown on Monday due to "an external security treat", local police said after a fire was reported a few blocks away.

More than 25,000 National Guards have been deployed along with thousands of local police personnel and those from other security agencies. The area in and around Capitol Hill, a large part of Pennsylvania Avenue and the White House has been made out of bounds for the general public with eight-feet high iron barricades being erected.

At some stage this fall in the quality of life will begin to hurt anybody's popularity, observes Shekhar Gupta.

What is the guarantee that another Trump will not arise and reach out to the American people directly? The fact of the matter is that Trump's support base remains the envy of any American politician, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

BWith a distracted president brooding in the White House, Pompeo seems to think his day has come. He seems to be pushing a personal agenda before a target audience in America, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Posts on pro-Trump and far-right online networks have called for protest action on a number of dates, including armed demonstrations in cities across the country on January 17 and a march in Washington DC on inauguration day itself.

The emergency in Washington DC will be effective from Monday till January 24.

Here are some photographs of the violence.

The police, outnumbered by the maskless protesters, had a tough time in managing the mob, as hundreds of protesters breached security and entered the Capitol building

A violent group of Khalistani separatists on Saturday desecrated Mahatma Gandhi's statue outside the Indian embassy in Washington during a demonstration by Sikh-American youths in support of farmers protesting against the recently enacted agriculture laws in India.

'On Saturday, I drove my wife over to Beverly Hills for sushi.' 'Two blocks before Rodeo, we turned the car around, because we saw hundreds driving pickup trucks and marching down sidewalks, yelling, donning MAGA gear, and waving huge Trump flags.' I tell you... It was scary.' 'And this didn't look like a defeated throng.' 'These folks looked like they knew something we didn't,' notes Rajiv Satyal, the Los Angeles-based comedian and host.

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has once again called for Rohit Sharma to lead India's T20 team instead of Virat Kohli.

Thousands of people had turned up in the US capital on Saturday to show support to Trump and protest against the results of the presidential elections.

Pakistan's close ties with China and its lack of democracy and disregard for human rights will not be overlooked, said Haqqani, who currently is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute think-tank in Washington.

Leslie's granddaughter Sonia Biden Francis, a Nagpur-based psychologist, said that 'Bidens in Nagpur and everywhere' are elated with Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential election.

Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2020's 50 Most Valuable Players before the IPL 2020 Final.

Decades after he received a letter from someone by the last name of Biden from Mumbai, soon after becoming a senator, Biden learned that his 'great, great, great, great, great grandfather' had worked in the East India Company. "There are five Bidens in Mumbai, India," Biden, then Vice President, told a Washington audience in 2015 at an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of India-US civil nuclear deal.

'The hardliners in Delhi are in for a big disappointment,' predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Kane Williamson made the difference as he finished unbeaten on a splendid 50 from 44 balls, putting on an unbroken stand of 65 runs with Jason Holder (24) to steer Sunrisers to a hard-fought victory in a difficult run chase.