Times of India

Hardik Pandya made an immediate impact in Ahmedabad. He hit a six off his first ball, which struck a cameraman. Pandya then smashed three sixes and two fours in one over. He reached his half-century in just 16 balls. Pandya was dismissed after scoring 63 runs off 25 balls. India won the match.

With the T20 World Cup approaching, India's batting dominance has waned, marked by a drop in strike rate and uncertainty in the opening combination. While past success was built on aggressive intent, recent struggles from key players like Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill raise concerns about team balance and leadership form.

India's space agency ISRO is set to launch a US commercial satellite, 'BlueBird Block-2', on December 24th using its LVM-3 rocket. This mission highlights India's growing prowess in space, capable of launching large satellites for global leaders. The advanced satellite aims to provide high-speed cellular broadband to smartphones worldwide.

In the match between India and South Africa, there was a concerning moment that saw umpire Rohan Pandit getting struck on the knee by a powerful Sanju Samson shot. Play paused as medical staff attended to the official. India were in a dominant position at 95/1 in the ninth over when the incident occurred.

Donald Trump has never been a president comfortable with abstraction. His idea of power is tactile. You can walk through it, host a dinner in it, point to it from across the street. This is why his second term has been accompanied not just by policy reversals but by an unusual fixation on physical space.

Famous Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud completely changed the way we look at the human mind by discovering psychoanalysis. It was a talking therapy for mental issues rooted in unconscious thoughts which people fail to realize and accept. His famous book "Interpretation of Dreams" said that dreams reveal hidden desires of human beings.

Gujarat has removed nearly 74 lakh names from its electoral rolls, reducing the total voter count from 5.08 crore to 4.34 crore. This extensive clean-up, part of the Special Intensive Revision exercise, targeted deceased, absent, and duplicate voters. The updated draft rolls are now public, with a deadline of January 18 for objections and claims.

Rohit Sharma will play Mumbai's first two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, while Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shivam Dube are absent. Shardul Thakur will captain the squad, which also includes Sarfaraz Khan and his brother Musheer. Ajinkya Rahane will rest due to a hamstring issue.

India’s government schools still educate most children, but the system is increasingly mis-sized. In 2024–25, over 65,000 government schools reported zero or near-zero enrolment, even as teacher postings stayed intact. In several states, private schools now enrol more students than government schools. The data points to misalignment, not collapse—enrolment shifts faster than consolidation and redeployment.

The Enforcement Directorate has seized assets worth Rs 7.93 crore in a crackdown on the illegal betting platform 1xBet. Action has been taken against several celebrities, including cricketers and actors, for promoting the platform through surrogate brands. These endorsements involved payments routed through foreign entities to conceal illegal funds derived from betting activities.

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed at the toss that Gill was unavailable due to a "niggle". Sanju Samson was selected in place of Gill.

India's Under-19 Asia Cup campaign faced a setback in the semi-final against Sri Lanka. Star batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dismissed early. Sri Lanka posted 138 runs. India struggled in their chase of 139 in the rain-affected match. The winner will proceed to the final.

On December 1, 2025, the talented singer B Praak and his beloved wife Meera Bachan celebrated a special milestone as they welcomed their precious baby boy. Taking to Instagram, the ecstatic couple shared their joy and gratitude with their fans, sparking an outpouring of love and congratulations from their dedicated followers.

Tamil Nadu's draft electoral roll after the SIR has 5.43 crore voters. The SIR exercise removed over 97 lakh names. The exercise, opposed by chief minister MK Stalin, aimed to ensure accuracy but drew criticism for potentially deleting legitimate voters. Similar revisions are under way in West Bengal, which lakhs of voters were deleted.

The Lok Sabha's 19-day Winter Session concluded with a productivity of 111 percent, marked by the passage of key bills like the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill. The session witnessed heated debates, protests, and viral moments, including accusations of vaping, a Congress MP bringing a puppy, and unruly scenes during bill passages.

"Shanaka's role will be of an all-rounder. When I stopped being a selector, Shanaka was the captain. Charith (Asalanka) was in our long term plans then," Wickramasingha said.

Lionel Messi’s India tour exposed a stark paradox: Indians passionately celebrate global football icons but neglect their own game. While crores were spent on celebrity appearances, Indian football leagues struggle for survival, sponsors, and audiences. The frenzy highlighted misplaced priorities, where social media clout outweighs sustaining domestic football, leaving Indian players, clubs, and the sport itself at a crossroads.

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry left the game against the Boston Bruins after a slide across the crease appeared to injure his lower body. Backup goaltender Calvin Pickard took over in the net. Head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that Jarry’s condition will be reviewed by medical staff, with the severity of the injury still unclear.

India's $5 trillion economy target has been pushed to 2028-29, primarily due to currency depreciation and lower-than-expected nominal GDP growth. While the real economy continues to grow, this delay impacts imported goods, foreign education costs, and potentially government finances, urging a focus on long-term financial planning over political timelines.