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On a Sunday morning at Aqsa Fatima’s farmhouse near Shamshabad Airport, Hyderabad, guests sip fresh coconut water plucked straight from the surrounding trees. On the expansive lawn, banquet-style tables are laid with flowers that, like the coconuts, appear to have been sourced from the farm itself. One by one, diners arrive for a traditional Hyderabadi breakfast: khichdi, khatta (a Hyderabadi special tangy dal), keema (minced meat curry), khagina (egg dish), papad, naan (bread), paya (lamb trotters), and more. Bhojanam Banter’s Onam spread | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement This is Dakhni Dastarkhan, is Aqsa Fatima’s (a hobby chef) ticketed dining experience…

Brian Bennett’s measured fifty and Sikandar Raza’s raw power propelled Zimbabwe to a facile six-wicket win over a fancied Sri Lanka as the Africans entered the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup with a clean slate, here on Thursday.Chasing 179 on a rather sluggish surface, Zimbabwe needed pragmatism and force in equal measure, and those elements were offered to them by Bennett (63 not out, 48 balls) and Raza (45, 26b) respectively.Zimbabwe scaled down the target in 19.3 overs.Both the teams have already entered the Super Eights from Group B, and African outfit can be proud their show in…

Shivam Dube credits all the work done in training in helping him become a better all-rounder. Here he is seen in action during The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Cricket match between India and Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Wednesday February 18, 2026. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI A year ago, it would have been hard to imagine that Shivam Dube would be so pivotal to India’s T20I set-up. It took hard work, self-belief and trust for the 32-year-old to emerge from Hardik Pandya’s shadow as an all-rounder in his own right. “It’s been a…

For a brief while around tea break on the final day of the Ranji Trophy semifinal at the Ekana Cricket Stadium here, Karnataka players resembled a pack of moody school children who were denied their favourite toy.Uttarakhand was 184 for six in pursuit of 827, an impossible target Karnataka had set in the morning. The latter, having secured the first-innings lead, was in no need of an outright win.A handshake was initiated and out came the presentation flex boards, only for the umpires to turn into strict parents and not call off play.The officials reckoned that Karnataka could force a…

The 17-year-old Raichandani top-scored for Uttarakhand in the first-innings with a gutsy 55 | Photo Credit: R.V. MOORTHY Once Karnataka made a mammoth 736 in the first innings of its Ranji Trophy semifinal, it was clear that Uttarakhand was on the mat. And as it turned out, Devdutt Padikkal & Co. progressed by virtue of a massive 503-run first-innings lead.While these huge numbers are indicative of the gulf in class, it would be harsh to judge Uttarakhand based on these figures alone.The hill State became a First Class team only in 2018-19, and has steadily improved, reaching the last-eight thrice,…

Abhishek castled by Aryan in the Netherlands game. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI Even as India ended its T20 World Cup group stage with a 17-run win over the Netherlands here on Wednesday, there was an unease despite the defending champion’s unbeaten run.The apprehension stemmed from the host’s poor handling of spin. While the left-arm spin of Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus (four for 20) kept the Indian batters on a leash in New Delhi, off-spinner Aryan Dutt accounted for Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan inside the PowerPlay in Ahmedabad.India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate admitted that the team’s vulnerability to…

Ibrahim Zadran of Afghanistan plays a shot during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Group D match against Canada at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday. | Photo Credit: S.R. Raghunathan Opener Ibrahim Zadran’s career-best T20I score and Mohammad Nabi’s four-wicket haul were the highlights of Afghanistan’s 82-run win against Canada in a T20 World Cup game at Chepauk on Thursday (February 19, 2026).Zadran’s unbeaten 95 was the cornerstone of Afghanistan’s first-innings batting effort that culminated at 200 for four.Canada never posed a real challenge in the chase after its top-order batters were left confounded by Afghanistan’s…

Last weekend, the Indian Super League (ISL), the highest league in Indian football, kicked off after months of uncertainty. The disruption, which compelled some clubs to halt their operations and consigned the players and coaches to a state of desperation, emanated from the absence of a commercial partner for the league once the Master Rights Agreement between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) expired in December. The Indian football team, which is 141st in the FIFA rankings, failed to even qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup after a loss to Singapore last October.…

A pro-Israel group is wading into nearly a dozen contentious House primaries as it tries to shape the Democratic Party’s approach to the controversial issue. The Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, which backs pro-Israel Democrats, is endorsing 11 House candidates, including several in expensive and crowded primaries the party must win in order to retake the House. The group’s initial endorsement list was shared first with POLITICO. DMFI, first launched in 2019, is one of several groups across the political spectrum looking to influence the party’s views on Israel, even as its military operations in Gaza have divided the Democratic…

Zimbabwe’s captain Sikandar Raza plays a shot during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 19, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP Skipper Sikandar Raza said Zimbabwe’s wonder run in the T20 World Cup group stages has earned his side respect from everyone, and he hoped to recreate the universally loved underdog’s victory story in the Super Eights against tough opponents.The Africans showed a glimpse of their ability to spring surprises while sweeping aside Australia and Sri Lanka in Group B matches in Colombo.“We keep our sights forward. If I keep…