'Your warm protective hugs that felt like the cosiest blanket, holding your soft yet strong hands which had unspoken messages and your voice calling out my name that followed with endless conversations, laughter and shayaris.'
India have been served well by Shreyas Iyer in ODIs at No. 4 but with the Mumbai batter unavailable due to injury, the team management entrusted Gaikwad with the job to build the innings and he did it with aplomb, hitting his maiden century in the second ODI against South Africa on Wednesday.
Ignored by the national selectors for T20 set-up, Yashasvi Jaiswal sent another stern reminder to the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee with a blistering 48-ball century as defending champions Mumbai crushed Haryana by four wickets in a high-scoring Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League B match, in Ambi, Pune, on Sunday.
Reeling from injuries to captain Pat Cummins and paceman Josh Hazlewood, Australia have received a boost ahead of the first Ashes Test in Perth starting Friday, with Cameron Green telling reporters he is ready to bowl free of any restrictions.
When you meet someone new or greet a familiar face, a well-executed handshake can instantly set a professional, positive tone for the exchange. Even in a personal or social setting.
Arsenal missed a chance to tighten their grip on the Premier League title race with a 1-1 draw at 10-man Chelsea on Sunday.
Sreejesh accepted that there are a few grey areas which came to light during the recent runners-up finish at the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia.
Keep your feet on ground: Sreejesh stern message to players after narrow win over Belgium
EPF doesn't just build your retirement fund -- it also provides free life insurance up to Rs 7 lakh under the EDLI scheme.
Mohammed Siraj has revealed the close bonding he shares with Test captain Shubman Gill, highlighting both their on-field and off-field camaraderie.
The Briton goes into Sunday's title decider in Abu Dhabi 12 points clear of Red Bull's Max Verstappen with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri a further four behind.
Virat Kohli smashed record-extending 52nd ODI to guide India to a 17-run win in the series opener, getting India off to a winning start in their three-match series.
Oscar Piastri is looking forward to watching Australia beat England at cricket after a F1 season of highs and lows ended in disappointment on Sunday.
Stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can extend their careers till the 2027 ODI World Cup if the two Indian superstars continue their age-defying batting efforts, feels New Zealand pace great Tim Southee.
Where was the Board when a predictable regulatory change brought the country's largest airline to its knees? asks Dr Sudhir Bisht.
Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's touchdown in Kolkata in the early hours of Saturday sent the city into a frenzy.
rediffGURU Dr Shakeeb Ahmed Khan suggests how to recover from pain and injury-related illnesses.
Ask rediffGURU and tax expert Mihir Tanna your income tax-related questions.
Former India batter Suresh Raina has backed under-fire national head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying the team's recent poor run in home Tests cannot be attributed to the support staff, as players must shoulder responsibility for the results.
'If people had a problem, you could probably find him at one of the future events and could talk about specific issues.'
Oscar Piastri led McLaren teammate and Formula One title rival Lando Norris at the top of the timesheets in sole practice for the Qatar Grand Prix on Friday.
'Just the other day, he was smiling when my wife and I visited him at his residence.'
Jitesh Sharma, who has emerged as India's preferred wicketkeeper-batter in T20 format with less than two months left for the World Cup, has played down his 'competition' with Sanju Samson in the squad, saying it only brings out his "A-game" to the fore, strengthening the side.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Sunday
Ravichandran Ashwin hails Travis Head after his 69-ball century, the second-fastest in Ashes history, helped Australia easily chase down 205 runs on Day 2 of first Ashes Test.
Former players Irfan Pathan and Venkatesh Prasad have questioned the Indian team's muddled approach, lack of stability and the increasing reliance on all-rounders.
US President Donald Trump has said that India should not be "dumping" rice into the United States market and he will "take care" of it, while stressing that tariffs will solve the "problem" easily.
Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
He joins ahead of a demanding 2026 season packed with major events, including the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. One of the first things on his agenda will be "tackling" the selection policy.
Anoushka Shankar reports damage to her sitar after an Air India flight, prompting an investigation by the airline. The incident has drawn reactions from fellow artists and highlights concerns about the handling of musical instruments.
'The tailenders should have looked to bat with Jamie Smith. Really poor from the batters towards the end. The plan should have been to give him the strike and let him do the heavy lifting.'
India skipper KL Rahul said his side needed to be sharper in key moments but felt the toss played a decisive role in the home team's four-wicket loss to South Africa in the second ODI, in Raipur, on Tuesday.
'Dilipsaab was an interesting mix of spontaneity and stylised acting.'
Punjab Kings have come a long way in a matter of one season, so much so that co-owner Ness Wadia feels his 'settled' team doesn't even need to go into the IPL auction next month.
England's Stokes praises Australia's Head, supports his own errant batters
Mocked, misjudged, written off, Lando Norris's carves own road to F1 Glory
Hema's father couldn't contain his rage and almost physically pushed Dharmendra out of the house. 'Why don't you get out of my daughter's life? You are a married man, you can't marry my daughter,' he repeatedly yelled. But a pleading, helplessly sentimental and slightly inebriated Dharam could not be budged.
'This so called trend of giving money, in the disguise of marketing a film, to ensure good 'hype' for a film is created or else 'they' will continuously write negative things (even before the film is released), until you pay 'them' money feels nothing but kind of extortion.'
Composer Sidhant Bhatia, singer Raja Kumari, singer-producer Raghav Mehta and mixing engineer Deepak PA talk about Sounds of Kumbha, which is shortlisted for the Grammys in the Best Global Music Album category.
'One who was aggressive in the Powerplay, and the other after the Powerplay when wickets were falling he turned into an adamant batter, who batted sensibly and was not ready to give away his wicket.'
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