After Bhuvneshwar, Shami Backed To Make India Comeback: "Deserves That"

Can Mohammed Shami emulate Bhuvneshwar Kumar to make an India comeback? The question has been ringing across the country's cricketing landscape since Bhuvneshwar's return to India squad after a four-year hiatus, for the away T20I series against New Zealand. But the situation is far too complex once the layer of hope is peeled off. There was a huge outcry to call the Bhuvneshwar back once he grabbed 45 wickets from 30 IPL matches in 2025 and 2026 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. But Shami has largely remained a forgotten figure in the last two seasons of IPL, taking just 18 wickets from 22 matches at an average economy rate of 10.

In theory, Bhuvneshwar, who bowls at a gentle pace on flat decks, has less chance than Shami to succeed in T20s.

However, the Meerut pacer tides over the lack of pace with his ability to prodigiously swing the new ball in the Power Play, and endless variations -- from an accurate yorker to a befuddling slow bouncer -- in the death overs.

RCB assistant coach Omkar Salvi decoded Bhuvneshwar's success.

"First of all, I'd like to congratulate Bhuvneshwar on his comeback to the Indian T20 team. It's great to see him back in the national team, and it reflects the consistency and hard work he has put in over the last couple of years.

"One of his biggest strengths is the clarity he has about his game. He knows what works for him and keeps things simple. He has continued to adapt to the demands of T20 cricket, whether it's creating chances with the new ball or using his variations in the later stages of an innings," Salvi told PTI.

The stats further validate Salvi's words.

Across IPL 2025 and 2026, Bhuvneshwar has mainly operated between overs 1 to 6 and 16 to 20.

They are, perhaps, the toughest phases to bowl in the ultra-abridged version.

But Bhuvneshwar has taken 25 wickets in the power play across the two seasons, and 18 wickets in the last five-over segment in the same period, way ahead of bowlers such as Josh Hazlewood, Jofra Archer and Mohammed Siraj.

Beyond the numbers, Bhuvneshwar also mentors young RCB bowlers like Rasikh Salam, Suyansh Sharma, Mangesh Yadav and Abhinandan Singh.

Even a modern day star like Hazlewood has tapped in on Bhuvneshwar's wisdom to excel in Indian conditions. Salvi underlined the significance of that role.

"He has been a huge help to our younger fast bowlers at RCB with his experience. He is approachable and always willing to share his knowledge, whether it's about reading conditions, planning against batters or handling pressure.

"Importantly, he encourages the youngsters to understand and back their own strengths, which makes him a very valuable presence in the group," said Salvi.

It's precisely the position the Indian management expects Bhuvneshwar to assume in New Zealand in the absence of a rested Jasprit Bumrah.

But don't count out Shami merely because of his inferior outings in the IPL.

The Bengal pacer excelled in domestic cricket once he returned from a long injury lay-off in late 2024.

But he bloomed in the 2025-26 season across formats. Shami took 37 wickets from seven matches to play a crucial role in Bengal advancing to the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy.

He has 15 scalps from seven Vijay Hazare matches and 16 wickets from seven Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games, indicating the increasing sharpness of his craft.

Shami opened the 2026-27 season also on a promising note, taking seven wickets in East Zone's Duleep Trophy victory after 14 years.

Shami did not deny the flicker of hope inside of him.

"There are plenty of reasons to stay motivated if you look for them. At this level, if you aren't self-motivated, your approach is wrong.

"No matter what stage you're playing at, your eyes must always be set on the next level," Shami had said after the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai.

Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla, whose relationship with Shami goes back to age-group cricket, backed Shami's sentiments.

"Shami is playing for Bengal this season. He's bowling like a youngster. I hope that he will again play for India and end his career playing for India. He is one of the greatest fast bowlers ever world cricket produced. He deserves that," Shukla told PTI.

But what prompts Shami to do the domestic grind even when a return to the national team remains a faint hope?

"He still wants to play for India. But other than that, how many bowlers have you seen maintaining this level of commitment to the state? I have seen him from a time when he was just a net bowler. He made Bengal debut under my captaincy.

"He has developed into a great player and a great human being. He keeps motivating everyone in the dressing room, and he is our brother, and I am sure he will be doing well this season and go on to play for India again," said Shukla, who represented Bengal and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Maybe, another fairytale is loading!

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/OS7w1BK
via

Klay Thompson Opens Up About Giannis Antetokounmpo's Meaningful Gesture

Klay Thompson and Giannis Antetokounmpo are now Miami Heat teammates, but their connection started years before they shared a locker room. Thompson still remembers a moment from 2022 when Antetokounmpo showed him support after a big game. Thompson had just returned from a long injury layoff and scored 38 points against Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks. What happened after the game stayed with him. Antetokounmpo walked across the court to congratulate Thompson, even though Milwaukee had lost. Speaking to The Athletic, Thompson said that small gesture changed how he viewed the two-time MVP. Now, with both players in Miami, Thompson says being Antetokounmpo's teammate feels special.

Klay Thompson Remembers Giannis Antetokounmpo's 2022 Gesture

For Thompson, the 2022 game was about much more than his 38 points. He had spent a long time away from the court because of injuries and was still trying to feel like himself again. Antetokounmpo's reaction gave him a boost at a time when he needed it.

“This is a testament to his humility,” Thompson said, describing the incident to The Athletic. “(That game) made me feel like I could be a great player again. After the game, he walked from the opposing bench all the way down to our bench just to tell me how happy he was for me.”

Thompson then explained why the moment stayed with him.

“I don't want to get emotional, but that meant a lot to me,” he continued. “To be one of the 75 best players ever and not to be bitter in a moment where your team loses, and I have a great game and to just give me those props, that made me look at him in a different light.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo finds ‘Heat Culture' With Klay Thompson

The two now have a chance to build something together in Miami. Antetokounmpo arrived from Milwaukee in July, while Thompson joined the Heat in August. NBA.com confirmed Thompson's two-year deal is worth about $11.5 million.

Thompson is clearly happy about the reunion. “So now, to be his teammate is just awesome,” he said in his interview with The Athletic.

Antetokounmpo has also spoken positively about his new surroundings. He described Miami's approach in simple terms: “Communication. Hard work. Competition. Being direct,” he said, explaining Heat Culture to The Athletic. “The expectations that I have for you, make sure you do your job. It's real. It's very real. Guys are playing hard, playing fast in practice. It's real.”

For Antetokounmpo, that environment has brought back a feeling he had been looking for. “It gives me goosebumps. It's almost like being alive again,” he said.

The Heat now have two players who already understand what it takes to win at the highest level, but their connection goes beyond basketball. Thompson remembers what Antetokounmpo did for him when they were opponents. Now, they get to push each other as teammates.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/wrQLPZf
via

iPhone 18 Pro Burgundy Red Models Reportedly Showing Discolouration, Users Share Photos

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max users have reportedly started noticing discolouration on some units. On Reddit and X, many users have shared images of affected devices. The issue appears to be particularly noticeable on the Burgundy Red colour variant. Some Black models of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have also reportedly been facing the issue. Apple has not yet commented on this discolouration issue.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/Z3VwYq8
via

Gemini AI Paywall: Google Restricts Free Users To Flash-Lite Model From October 9

Google is reworking which Gemini models are available on each of its plans. Starting October 9, users on the free tier and the AI Plus plan will lose access to some models, while AI Pro subscribers are set to gain a feature that was previously exclusive to the top tier. The company also appears to be working on new reasoning controls for the Gemini app.

What Changes for Free and AI Plus Users

According to an updated Google support document, people without a Google AI subscription will be left with only Flash-Lite from October 9. Flash and Pro will no longer be part of the free plan.

AI Plus, which costs $4.99 (roughly Rs 500) a month, will keep Flash-Lite and Flash but drop the Pro model. Google said affected AI Plus users will get an email telling them when their accounts will switch over.

AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers keep all three models: Flash-Lite, Flash and Pro.

ALSO READ | Gemini 4 Argon: Google Unveils New Frontier AI Model — Prices, Features And Key Things Explained

Why Usage Limits Matter More Now

The changes come after Google started measuring Gemini usage earlier this year based on how much computing power each request requires. This means that heavier requests, such as tricky questions, long back-and-forth chats or the more advanced models, draw down a user's quota more quickly.

Deep Think Arrives on AI Pro

Until now, Deep Think was available only to AI Ultra subscribers. It is now coming to the AI Pro plan, priced at $19.99 (roughly Rs 1,900) a month. AI Ultra users, on either the $99.99 (roughly Rs 9,600) or $199.99 (roughly Rs 19,300) monthly plan, will still have it. Deep Think tackles complex tasks using parallel reasoning and works only with the Pro model.

ALSO READ | Google Photos Gets An AI Boost With Redact Tool, 'Vintage' Moods And Expanded AI Wardrobe

New Thinking Levels May Be On The Way

Gemini could let users pick from Low, Medium and High thinking settings to decide how much effort the chatbot puts into a response. Choosing a higher level could use up more of a user's allowance. Right now, the Gemini app has an Extended Thinking option for harder problems. Google AI Studio and Antigravity already give users comparable controls.

Gemini 4 Argon Testing Continues

Google is also preparing to roll out Gemini 4 Argon more widely. The model is currently being tested by trusted cybersecurity professionals under the company's Fairwind programme. AI Ultra subscribers and paying API customers will get access at a later stage. It's still unclear whether Argon will sit within the Pro tier or in a separate, higher tier.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/cGx7ZBk
via

Oppo F35 Pro 5G First Impressions

Oppo F35 Pro 5G has been launched in India, marking 10 years of the company’s F series in the country. Here are our first impressions. The Oppo F35 Pro 5G is offered in three colour options, including Sunset Orange, Twilight Brown, and Wave Blue. I got the orange option, which appears to be the most eye-catching and appealing out of the lot. The smartphone feels light to hold and offers a good in-hand feel. It continues to sport the Smile Curve Design rear camera module, which was also seen last year on the Oppo F33 Pro 5G.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/ZqzLod8
via

'Disappointing' As South Korea Flag Mishap Sees Asian Games End On Sour Note

South Korea's Asian Games football captain called it "disappointing" after the country's flag appeared to get stuck during the victory ceremony following their win over hosts Japan. Eom Ji-sung scored the only goal as South Korea won a fourth straight title with a 1-0 victory over Japan in the final at Toyota Stadium near Nagoya on Saturday evening. However, footage of the victory ceremony afterwards showed ceremonial officials struggling to raise South Korea's flag on the flagpole, sparking boos from Korean fans.

"I believe an awards ceremony should be an occasion for celebration," said captain Lee Gi-hyuk, according to Yonhap News Agency.

"We worked so hard to get here, so it was disappointing that they couldn't even properly unfurl the flag.

"I imagine the players, as well as the fans who came all this way to support us, must have been unhappy about it too."

According to South Korean media, the flag was eventually raised properly, but only after the national anthem ended.

The Games in Aichi-Nagoya, which close later Sunday, have been dogged by organisational issues over accommodation and transport.

South Korea were also victims of a mix-up when the national anthem for North Korea was played for the South's hockey team.

South Korean Olympic officials have been outspoken in their criticism of how the Games have been run. 

Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, said during the first week: "If I were to give them a grade, it would be an F."

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/IB3DJPE
via

Congress Falls Back On A Fullback: Where Pargat Singh Fits In Punjab Poll Play

Perth, 1985. India were trailing West Germany 1-5 at hockey's Champions Trophy with about eight minutes left when a 20-year-old fullback picked up the ball near the halfway line, ran at the defence, skipped past four defenders, and lifted it over the goalkeeper. It sparked a comeback still counted among Indian hockey's greatest. India scored four times in that spell to draw 5-5.

Forty-one years later, the Congress has handed him the ball in Punjab with lots to defend against, and everything to play for.

"It all happened so fast. Maybe the Germans did not expect it from me," Pargat Singh recalled about that match in Australia in a 1991 interview.

On Friday, the party named the former Olympic captain its state unit chief, two days after Amarinder Singh Raja Warring resigned and months before the 2027 Assembly elections.

Picking Pargat was a fallback, though not purely defensive. Former minister Vijay Inder Singla, a Hindu from the Bania (trader) community who heads the party's election management committee, was reportedly the frontrunner in two rounds of deliberation. Instead, the high command replaced one Jat Sikh with another, keeping the community equation intact and bringing a measured, issue-driven skipper to the top.

Lokniti-CSDS survey data from the last few elections shows why the Congress is worried about the numbers. The same data, read against Punjab's history, shows that arithmetic rarely decides the final score, least of all in a contest that's five-cornered this time.

READ | Hockey Legend Pargat Singh Named Punjab Congress Chief After Raja Warring Quits

Pargat Singh, 61, is seen as a measured speaker, unlike the more irreverent Raja Warring whom he replaces.
Photo: FB/@pargatsofficial

Holding The Line

Sikhs make up around 58 per cent of Punjab's population, and every chief minister since the state's reorganisation in 1966 has been a Sikh. Most have been Jat Sikhs, a largely rural, landowning community estimated at 22 per cent of the population. The incumbent, Aam Aadmi Party's Bhagwant Mann, is one.

Not all, though. Giani Zail Singh in the 1970s came from a Ramgarhia Sikh background, of traditional artisans, and Charanjit Singh Channi, who served briefly before the Congress lost in 2022, is a Dalit Sikh.

The Jat Sikh vote is where the Congress is weakest. Only 16 per cent of Jat Sikhs voted for it in 2022, down from 29 per cent in 2017, according to the Lokniti-CSDS post-poll survey. AAP took 46 per cent.

The state chief of every major party is a Jat Sikh this time, except AAP, which has a Hindu state unit chief and a Jat Sikh chief minister. Sections of the Congress are learnt to have argued that dropping the community from the top would have left it the odd one out. The poll field still carries Sikh issues, such as the alleged inaction by the then SAD-BJP government over sacrilege incidents in the mid-2010s.

Flank That Remains Open

The party has to, however, tackle how to give representation to Hindus, about 39 per cent of the population and the majority in most towns and cities. They have been a Congress stronghold in the not-so-distant past.

Pargat Singh started his innings by visiting prominent religious places of both Hindus and Sikhs in Delhi, where he was at the time of his appointment.

Among upper-caste Hindus, the Congress got 49 per cent of the votes in 2017, which halved by 2022, while the BJP's share tripled to reach 20 per cent, Lokniti-CSDS data showed. AAP was the main gainer across Hindu groups in 2022. Still, the Congress held on to more of its Hindu vote than its Sikh vote.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Hindutva-focused BJP, contesting without the traditionally Sikh party Shiromani Akali Dal, took 18.56 per cent of the vote, its highest ever.

The Congress has had Hindu faces at the top before. Sunil Jakhar, state chief from 2017 to 2021, was even in the reckoning for chief minister when the party replaced Captain Amarinder Singh in 2021, before it made Channi the state's first Dalit chief minister. Jakhar later said advisers in Delhi had made his candidacy a Hindu-Sikh issue, and he quit the party in 2022 and went on to lead the BJP's state unit. The BJP recently replaced him with Kewal Singh Dhillon, its first Jat Sikh state president.

AAP has paired a Jat Sikh, Bhagwant Mann, with Aman Arora, a Hindu, as its state unit chief. The Congress has yet to find that balance.

Voters, however, may be more open than the parties. In the 2022 Lokniti-CSDS survey, 73.7 per cent of respondents said Punjab's chief minister can also be a non-Sikh.

Who's The Playmaker?

Dalits, from both Sikh and Hindu Scheduled Castes, make up about a third of Punjab's population, the highest such share in any state; 34 of the 117 Assembly seats are reserved for them. But making Channi chief minister in 2021, months before the polls, did not bring the Congress their votes. The party's share among Dalit Sikhs fell from 42 per cent in 2017 to 27 per cent in 2022, while AAP's rose from 21 to 46 per cent, Lokniti-CSDS found.

AAP won 28 of the 34 reserved seats, and Channi lost both seats he contested.

Channi, now the Jalandhar MP, remains the party's most prominent face, and his camp led the push to remove Warring. "Channi saheb has won," Warring said after his removal.

Channi served briefly as CM, the first Dalit to hold the post in Punjab, before the 2022 debacle of the Congress. Photo: IANS

READ | 'Charanjit Channi Saheb Has Won': Raja Warring Meets Rahul Gandhi After Exit As Punjab Congress Chief

Formally, the party has no chief ministerial face, but Channi is its campaign committee chief. The Congress has had a tradition of the campaign committee chief becoming chief minister in several states. "When we get the majority, the high command will decide," Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, another Jat Sikh contender, has said. Tradition dictates that the high command in Delhi decides.

As it stands today, the Congress has a Dalit Sikh as the de facto face and a Jat Sikh running the organisation, covering the state's two largest Sikh groups.

Geography adds another layer. Malwa, with 69 of the 117 seats, has traditionally decided who governs Punjab. The AAP won 66 of those seats in 2022. With Warring gone, none of the Congress's three most prominent leaders is from Malwa. Pargat and Channi are Jalandhar-based in Doaba, and Bajwa represents Qadian in Majha.

Does A Formula Work?

"Caste and community in Punjab is a current, not a container," historian and political commentator Harjeshwar Pal Singh said, however.

"Leaders win by riding moods, not by filling quotas," he opined.

AAP's 2022 victory cut across groups, described as "a bouquet of support from all castes and communities". In the Lokniti survey, 46 per cent said a candidate's caste mattered "not at all" to their vote.

Clear, rooted, and firm leadership is what matters, according to Harjeshwar. "In a multi-cornered fight, anti-incumbency does not automatically land in the challenger's lap; it has to be harvested, and that needs a sickle in one firm hand," he said.

In 2022, AAP declared Bhagwant Mann its CM face and won by a landslide. The Congress won in 2017 with Captain Amarinder Singh firmly in the saddle; it removed him before the 2022 elections and ended up presenting a fragmented leadership to voters.

In 2024, the vote splintered as the Congress and AAP were level at about 26 per cent, the BJP rose to 18.56, and two independents who campaigned on hardline Sikh platforms, including a jailed Amritpal Singh, won seats.

The 2027 field remains fragmented; it includes the AAP, Congress, SAD, BJP, and Amritpal's Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De). A SAD-BJP alliance remains under discussion. Calculating vote banks too minutely, thus, may end up confusing not just the voters but the leaders themselves.

For the Congress, presenting a united face remains the challenge. Pargat was a part of the Channi camp, though his public statements kept up with his calm but firm demeanour. He is known to write formal letters on specific issues to governments, and gives interviews focused on the public and not on factionalism.

READ | From Badals To Captain: How Pargat Singh's Dissent May Have Scored It For Him

Pargat's Long Game

The hockey champ's political journey has been winding yet moving forward, like that historic goal run in Perth. He served in the Punjab Police before entering politics to win the Jalandhar Cantonment seat for the SAD in 2012. Suspended by that party in 2016 after questioning some of its actions, he joined cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu to form a group that weighed AAP versus Congress. They moved to the Congress, which won. Pargat stayed in Sidhu's corner through the Amarinder years, became a party general secretary when Sidhu rebelled and took over the state unit in 2021. Pargat served in Channi's cabinet.

In the 2022 AAP sweep, Pargat was one of only 18 Congress candidates to win. Sidhu, the six-hitting opening batter, has since drifted away. The long-run defender has stayed.

"Hockey has changed now... Everyone must learn to play in every position, to attack, defend, everything," Pargat Singh said in an interview three decades ago. That's the job he has now.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/41Ubv5N
via