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Glenn McGrath receiving the International Icon Award during the Sportstar Aces Award from Sunil Gavaskar and Jayen Mehta, Managing Director, Amul, in Mumbai on Friday. | Photo Credit: R. V. MOORTHY Few bowlers embodied the edge of the India-Australia rivalry at the turn of the century quite like Glenn McGrath. His contests with Sachin Tendulkar were among the defining duels of that period, battles shaped as much by calculation and patience as by pace and precision.One of the more curious episodes in that long rivalry unfolded during the 1999 Test at Adelaide Oval.Tendulkar had only just arrived at the crease…

Blessing Muzarabani | Photo Credit: PTI Kolkata Knight Riders signed Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League, KKR announced on Friday.Earlier, Knight Riders had released left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who had been picked at the auction for ₹9.2 crore.Known for extracting good bounce and providing crucial breakthroughs, the lanky pacer has proven his worth in the shortest format in international and franchise cricket across the globe. Muzarabani has claimed 106 wickets in 89 T20Is at an average of 21.34. He is expected to join the KKR squad on Tuesday. Published – March 13,…

Image used for representational purposes. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Silver price plunged by ₹5,354 to ₹2.62 lakh per kg in the futures trade on Friday (March 13, 2026) as rising crude oil prices and persistent inflationary concerns weighed on the investor sentiment.On the Multi Commodity Exchange, the white metal for May delivery slumped by ₹5,354, or 2%, to ₹2,62,608 per kg in a business turnover of 5,900 lots.Analysts said silver prices came under pressure amid a strong U.S. dollar and volatility in the global commodities market.Silver prices declined as rising crude oil prices and strong inflation concerns in the…

Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed reacts during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup Super Eights match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on February 28, 2026. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP) Sunrisers Leeds, a team owned by the Chennai-based media conglomerate Sun Group, on Thursday (March 12, 2026) signed mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed during the Hundred player auction. This action has not gone down with a section of social media users.The Hundred is a professional cricket league organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which uses the 100-ball cricket…

Asian stocks slumped on Friday (March 13, 2026), poised for a second straight weekly decline as fast-dwindling hopes of a resolution to the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran kept oil prices aloft, casting ‌a shadow over global markets and spurring inflation fears.The U.S. dollar has become the safe-haven of choice during the tumult, putting most other currencies under pressure. The dollar was set for a second ⁠consecutive week of gains and is up 2% since the war broke out at the end of February.Oil prices remained close to the closely watched $100 per barrel level, although they eased a…

India’s new labour codes, with draft central rules released in December 2025, have been presented as a reform with transformative potential. The Economic Survey 2025-26 makes an optimistic case: these codes are expected to increase formalisation from 60.4% to 75.5%, generate 77 lakh jobs, reduce unemployment, boost female labour force participation and contribute 1.25% to GDP by 2029-30. These projections assume that simplifying compliance for firms will incentivise formalisation and expand registered employment.However, over 80% of India’s workers are in the informal sector, and they remain outside most of the labour code protections. The scale of informality is increasing. Firms,…

India today presents a striking paradox in research, development, and innovation. Despite unprecedented government ambition, reflected in major funding commitments, regulatory reforms, and improving global innovation rankings, the country still continues to underperform on the fundamentals that drive innovation strength. Headlines suggest momentum, yet outcomes tell a more sobering story: low research and development (R&D) intensity, limited global technological influence, weak research-to-market translation, and persistently inadequate private-sector participation. While recent policy initiatives are necessary and welcome, India’s innovation challenge is no longer one of intent but of execution. An examination of R&D expenditure, patent scale and quality, human capital gaps,…

Sixty-nine needed off five overs. Almost 14 an over. You’d back the bowling side nine out of ten times, especially considering that the opposition has lost five top batters, but this threatened to be the one-out-of-ten instance. Thanks to a 22-year-old who was playing the innings of his life, an innings that should serve as the springboard to greater things.It was the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup, India against England. Or, more like, India against Jacob Bethell.A spectacular batting display with the rejuvenated Sanju Samson leading the way had catapulted the home side to a mammoth 253 for…

Shubman Gill amassed 983 runs in Tests, including a whopping 754 in the drawn away series against England in 2025, at average of over 70. | Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill is set to be named Cricketer of the Year at the BCCI’s annual awards to be held here on March 15.The 26-year-old, who was not picked in the T20 side that defended the World Cup crown last month, enjoyed a stellar run in the other two formats.He amassed 983 runs in Tests, including a whopping 754 in the drawn away series against…

File picture of South Africa and West Indies players after their T20 World Cup match | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji The last batch of South African and West Indian players stranded in India after the T20 World Cup have departed, the ICC announced on Thursday, ending a crisis caused by the closure of Gulf air space in the wake of the raging West Asia conflict.The ongoing war threw travel plans into disarray, leaving the South African and West Indies teams stranded in Kolkata due to closure of air space and airports at major transit points like Dubai.The West Indies and…