Former India opener, two-time World Cup winner and IPL stalwart Gautam Gambhir was on Tuesday appointed as coach of the senior men's team, marking the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket.
Gambhir's appointment was a formality after the Indian cricket board expressed their interest in him following a remarkably successful stint at Kolkata Knight Riders. As mentor, Gambhir guided the team to the Indian Premier League title this summer having also won the title twice as captain.
Gambhir became the top candidate for the job after Rahul Dravid's tenure was extended until the T20 World Cup earlier this year as the board searched for a replacement.
The hunt was made complicated by the fact that many high-profile coaches are already employed in the IPL. Few are ready to give up lucrative positions in franchise cricket that only require a few months of their time each year, unlike the national team job that involves extensive travel all year round.
That narrowed the pool of candidates down to a handful. And it was clear that the management were looking for a local name with good credentials.
Gambhir was top of that list but had formed an excellent working relation with KKR management and its owners. However, the BCCI have managed to bring Gambhir on board, giving him extensive powers to guide the next set of Indian cricketers.
What happens to senior players?
The transition phase has started in Indian cricket. After their T20 World Cup win in Barbados, captain Rohit Sharma, star batsman Virat Kohli and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirements from T20 Internationals.
The challengers for those vacant spots are currently participating in a five-match T20 series in Zimbabwe. It is in the longer formats, though, where the situation gets tricky.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah has announced that Rohit will captain the team in next year's Champions Trophy and the World Test Championship finals if India qualify.
Kohli has an impeccable record in 50 overs and Test cricket and looks good to carry on for a few more years. However, the two major tournaments next year could decide how much longer he is guaranteed a place in the team.
The frosty relations between Gambhir and Kohli also needs addressing. The two had clashed on the field previously in the IPL as players, and also when Gambhir was managing at Lucknow Super Giants.
However, they patched things up this year and hugged it out on the field during the IPL, drawing a line under their acrimonious past.
The other senior players of the team could find themselves under more scrutiny. Fast bowler and 2023 ODI World Cup star Mohammad Shami, 33, has been on the sidelines this year after undergoing foot surgery. Jadeja, 35, has challengers for his spot in the ODI team, particularly from Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.
Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have been superb in home conditions in Test cricket but are inching closer to the end of their careers, which means the next in line need to be blooded in sooner rather than later.
With at least one ICC event every year, India will have to act quickly to put up competitive teams in each format, especially because it is almost certain that there will be separate squads going forward.
Next generation
It is Gambhir's work with local players at KKR and his grasp over grassroots cricket that made him the top target for the India job. At Kolkata, Gambhir helped to get the best out of bowlers such as Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy and also saw young batsman Angkrish Raghuvanshi show promise. Also, it was under Gambhir that previously misfiring West Indies all-rounder Sunil Narine enjoyed his best season this year, both with bat and ball.
Dashing openers like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma should expect to be central to the plans of Gambhir in white-ball cricket.
Others could be brought back into the fold. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, who have found themselves slipping away from public memory, could form the core of the longer format teams.
Gambhir is said to have a particular liking for low profile but hardworking players, much like he himself was during his playing days. That is set to be reflected in the squads India select from now on.
Squads
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Babar Azam (vc), Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hasnain, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne (c), Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Avishka Fernando, Oshada Fernando, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, Minod Bhanuka, Angelo Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara
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Engine: Electric
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Torque: 650Nm
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Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
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Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
RESULT
RS Leipzig 3
Marcel Sabitzer 10', 21'
Emil Forsberg 87'
Tottenham 0
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
