The 34-year-old mystery spinner rewrote the record books during the fifth and final T20I against South Africa at Ahmedabad on Friday, casting a spell of his bamboozling spin magic on the Proteas batters, four of them surrendering to his bowling.
The country also mounted bids on some high-profile continental and global events, including the 2031 World Athletics Championships with Ahmedabad as the proposed venue.
Next year's 48-team World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
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.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ethiopia on a bilateral visit, engaging with Ethiopian leadership to strengthen partnerships in various sectors. He was warmly welcomed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and participated in cultural events, highlighting the strong ties between the two nations.
TasteAtlas, the online international food guide, has announced its cuisine awards for 25/26.
A deafening roar at Twickenham capped a 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup that smashed attendance records, while India's first Women's Cricket World Cup triumph sparked nationwide celebrations.
US President Donald Trump, who has campaigned aggressively this year for a Nobel Peace Prize, was given FIFA's inaugural peace prize for his efforts to promote dialogue and de-escalation in some of the world's biggest hotspots.
Nancy Tyagi's sari-inspired look for Tyla's maiden visit to India is the inspiration moment that aptly blends global glam with desi charm.
Indian non-profit 'Educate Girls' wins the Ramon Magsaysay Award for its work in educating out-of-school girls in remote villages. The award recognizes selfless service to the peoples of Asia.
'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.'
Aseem Chhabra ranks the Best of 2025's films that released in theatres, or went directly to OTT platforms.
The actress stood out in an off-shoulder shimmery dust blue gown. She teamed her gown with a classic bob, which is similar to the look that she will be seen sporting in her upcoming film Rangoon.
To digitise Customs processes, the Union finance ministry is planning to integrate the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway (ICEGATE), Risk Management System (RMS), and Indian Customs Electronic Data Interchange System (ICES) into a single unified national Customs platform, according to government sources.
'Judges have transmitted a terrible message to citizens across the nation. All right-thinking individuals will be disturbed by what the Delhi high court judges have done.'
Shah Rukh Khan thanked Shashi Tharoor for not using words like 'magniloquent' and 'sesquipedalian' while congratulating him for winning the National Award. Do you know what they mean? And do you know what these other Tharoorian words mean? Have fun as you find out.
SRK and Aamir Khan lose out to Prakash Raj, among others.
President Droupadi Murmu addressed the people of Manipur, assuring them of the government's commitment to strengthening harmony and ensuring security in the wake of ethnic violence. She highlighted the state's resilience, contributions to the nation, and the government's initiatives for development and inclusivity.
Madhur Bhandarkar's Page 3 wins Best Film award.
Indian Olympic Association president P T Usha is confident about securing the hosting rights of the 2030 Centenary Commonwealth Games during the Commonwealth Sport General Assembly in Glasgow on November 26.
That makes winning the National Award for Arjun Rampal even more special...
From the swag displayed in the King teaser, there is no dimming of the klieg light of his superstardom... yet, notes Deepa Gahlot.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday nominated United States President Donald Trump for the Israel Prize, the country's highest civilian honour, hailing him as 'the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House'.
Though the exact nature of the honour is yet to be decided, sources close to the I&B ministry reveal that the nature and extent of the posthumous recognition will be formulated soon.
'The National Award is our nation's highest recognition, being recognised at the President's hand is our privilege, our honour and our dream.' 'The nation's sentiment got left out in the choices that were made yesterday...'
Om Puri would have been 75 in October. We look back at his early years through these 16 pictures from his life.
'Till late on the night before the National Awards ceremony, Smriti was in talks with the President's office, hoping to make the President change his mind.'
'Of all artists who openly support the current political dispensation, she is far and away the finest,' argues Sreehari Nair. 'With the exception of perhaps Tabu, no Indian actress has done more to extend the range of the feminine mystique in Hindi cinema.'
K V Anand, noted Tamil film director and cinematographer died in Chennai early on Friday due to cardiac arrest, sources close to his family said.
The 66th National Awards have been announced, and Hindi cinema has emerged a major winner.
The Congress leader was Union Home Minister from 2004 to 2008 and the 10th Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996. He was the Governor of Punjab and also served as Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh from 2010 to 2015.
Alia has pushed herself harder on this one than on any other project to date.'
Bollywood makes way for regional cinema at the 65th National Awards.
The actress won her first National Award for her role in Milan Luthria's biopic The Dirty Picture.
Queen, directed by Vikas Bahl, has picked up an award for Best Hindi film as well.
Kamini Kaushal, who began her career with the 1946 classic Neecha Nagar and went on to act in a host of films right till 2022, passed away in her Mumbai home on Thursday night.
'He's been doing something we don't talk about much, working with acid attack survivors.' 'He supports them not just emotionally, but also financially.' 'His Mir Foundation helps them with the surgeries they have to go through to step out again and get back their lives.' 'He doesn't talk about it and I only learnt about this when we were in Kolkata once and some of the girls had come to meet him at the hotel.'
'If Badhaai Ho had not happened, nobody would have talked about me being a good actress.' 'They have never said it before.' 'I would have been nothing.'
Ahmedabad proposed as host city for 2031 World Athletics C''ships and 2028 World U20 C''ships
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