The national selectors brought back wicketkeeper-batter Kishan along with Rinku Singh while dropping Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill who has been struggling in the T20 format.
The Indian men ruled white-ball cricket, while South Africa ended decades of hurt by winning the World Test Championship at Lord's. Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally lifted their maiden IPL title, though the celebrations were dimmed by a deadly stampede. Above all, it was India's women who won a billion hearts by finally adding an ICC World Cup trophy to the cabinet.
Is coconut oil the wonder food it is said to be?
'I won't do anything I don't believe in just for money.'
Intent does not always translate immediately into numbers, and effort however sincere needs to find expression in runs, especially with a World Cup drawing closer.
After Saturday's 2-1 win at Chelsea - their 12th in 13 league matches - Aston Villa have claimed 18 points from losing positions so far this season, more than any other team.
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
He had copped a two-match suspension during the previous series against South Africa for offensive gestures during the Asia Cup games against India that "brought the game into disrepute" in September.
Rohit bhai scolding is mixed with love and indulgence: Yashasvi Jaiswal
'A locked door during intimacy does not mean negligence; it means respect,' says rediffGURU Kanchan Rai, founder of the Let Us Talk Foundation.
Only firms that have scale in content and a technology engine that drives its discovery and monetisation can compete,' explains Vanita Kohli Khandekar.
Lionel Messi's brief appearance in Kolkata was marred by security breaches and crowd management issues, raising concerns about planning and coordination. Eyewitness accounts and social media footage reveal a chaotic scene with organizers and VIPs crowding the player, leading to his early withdrawal and subsequent protests.
With the T20 World Cup less than two months away, India would want their captain Suryakumar Yadav to rediscover his rhythm sooner rather than later.
Sanju Samson boasts of a superb record in T20 Internationals, with 995 runs in 51 matches at a strike rate of 147.40, including three centuries and as many fifties.
Both Suryavanshi and skipper Mhatre are coming into the tournament following a great run of form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
'As soon as Salman saw me, he immediately left Aamir's side and came towards me. He hugged me.' 'Then he introduced me to Aamir, saying, 'This is J K Bihari who launched me in Biwi Ho Toh Aisi".'
Ashwin said bluntly that Lyon is "lucky" to be in a system where a player can vent without fear of fallout.
Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has reversed his retirement from Test and T20I cricket, and wants to represent his country across all three formats before calling it quits.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma feels facing an Indian side with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is nothing new.
'IndiGo abruptly cancelled our Kolkata-Purnea flight citing bad weather, despite clear conditions and another airline operating the same route, causing severe inconvenience.'
'If at all human beings require a religion, the future religion will be Hinduism.'
Public sector banks have written off loans worth Rs 6.15 lakh crore in the last five and a half years, Parliament was informed on Monday.
rediffGURU Anu Krishna suggests how to deal with a partner who doesn't contribute to house chores.
Dhurandhar's most dangerous idea is that Director Aditya Dhar envisions an Indian state run by a deep state -- an intelligence machinery not accountable to Parliament, courts, or voters. A future political system where unelected officials decide when Indian democracy is 'fit' to function, observes Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
'4 lakh to 5 lakh people graduating in computer science getting jobs in software companies will not happen.'
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk voices strong support for the H1B visa program, highlighting the immense benefit the US has derived from Indian talent and cautioning against shutting it down.
'They are most authentic when it comes to being with each over food.'
'You deserve a love you can have wholly, and not just in pieces, and in the shadows,' counsels rediffGURU Ravi Mittal, CEO, of Quack Quack, an online dating Website.
The controversial decision to select Shubman Gill in place of a well-settled Sanju Samson as the opener has backfired for the Indian team so far.
Shubman Gill has been guilty of taking too much load on himself since his T20 comeback and the Indian team wants him to bat as freely as he does in the IPL, said assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland achieved the feat in 111 games, 13 fewer than the previous fastest centurion Alan Shearer.
'I just want my players to play our game, we can't copy-paste. We Indians have our own flavour, and we just need to play our game.'
The enquiry committee pointed out several lapses on the part of the school, noting the relentless bullying faced by the girl, and mentioned that her parents had first raised the issue with teachers in July 2024. The panel observed that the class teacher failed to act on the child's distress, even when the girl approached the teacher five times in the final 45 minutes of her life.
The continued MF buying has pushed the equity holding of MFs to over Rs 50 trillion for the first time.
The accused is a graduate but currently unemployed, while the complainant is an illiterate housewife whose husband is a retired government employee.
Real Madrid suffered a shock 2-0 loss and finished with nine men against Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Sunday.
'I kept urging Salman to see Pokiri, and one day, past midnight, he finally turned up at a Mumbai preview theatre to see it. Nervously, I waited for Salman's reaction to Pokiri. After watching it, he walked past me without a word. I followed anxiously, and before sitting in his car, he just signalled thumbs up.'
Returning to the Brahmaputra for Vijay Diwas was not just a journey across geography, but across memory of war, service, sacrifice, and the enduring bond between the Indian Air Force and the north east, asserts Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
Ichhapur tea-seller Shib Shankar Patra is one of two diehard fans handpicked for a special meet-and-greet with Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.
'A majority of filmmakers cannot truly understand the city because they don't live here,' says Anusha Rizvi, Director, The Great Shamsuddin Family.
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