There’s something about a World Cup campaign that evokes thoughts of completion and a curiosity in other aspects of life.

The Delhi police FIR and NYT reporting on foreign influence operations share the same outlook

Many in India view Israel as a model for its own security and progress. They have a lot to ponder.

In denying visas for fans from Pakistan for the cricket world cup, India have displayed a churlishness that sits badly on a nation of its size and influence

Diplomacy has been democratised. But there is a little trouble — the grand plans of strategic elites are increasingly constrained by public opinion, in India and all democracies, as the world stares into a new abyss.

Bishan Singh Bedi always spoke his mind; diplomacy was an alien concept. Yet, even if you didn’t agree with him, you knew his ideas came from a place of purity and concern.

Why healing others can come at a personal price, and words of comfort can cause more harm than good

If England is a shining example for its approach to Test cricket, their One-Day International approach is a warning.

This is sport. Unexpectedness and upsets are what it thrives on.

Why are we often obsessed with what others are going to think, asks Phuphee

In a country of a billion and a half, you can’t make a statement without millions finding fault with it. Social media trolls are a menace, so players keep out of their way.

A win abroad overcomes a mental barrier. The series following the one where India won in Australia for the first time, they won again. That is why it is important for India to win in South Africa.

Test cricket may be rushing to its end faster than we imagined, and in the next decade younger fans will need to be told what it was and why it no longer existed

From kuzhi paniyarams with Dutch ties to the local cousin of the East African injera, Tamil Nadu’s coastal food shows us that history is preserved not just in our museums but also in our kitchens

You can put down the below-par performances in the Cape Town Test to technical deficiencies in batting, yet you come to the philosophical question: Can we really know anything for certain? Also, does everything have to make sense?

Fifty years on, since Karnataka famously won the Ranji Trophy at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, we should ask ourselves, wouldn’t it be wonderful to sit in the Viswanath stand or cheer from the Prasanna enclosure?

Will Bazball work in India? Theoretically, there is no reason why it shouldn’t, but in practical terms, there are two reasons. One of them is Ravichandran Ashwin and the other Ravindra Jadeja.

If fortune favours the brave, it also tends to desert the timid, which is what India were in the Hyderabad Test

The government stuck to the theme as it raised the capex outlay for the coming financial year to Rs.11.11 lakh crore, an increase of 11%

The continued focus on increased capital investments will result in generation of employment opportunities while MSME-centric initiatives will help them compete globally; the Budget also promotes sustainable growth  

‘The underlying theme was clearly fiscal consolidation with an ability to maintain the infrastructure spends at the existing run rate’

Selection cannot be an exact science; there are too many variables from differing match conditions to untested mental abilities of the players. And luck, of course.

Not all ‘curses’ should be ignored, as Phuphee proves — this time with medical help and a bowl of ice cream

Not so long ago our best players came from the cities and traditional centres: Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai. For a little over a generation now, they have emerged from the old backwaters. This continues.

In many ways, Ashwin stands alone. He is constantly experimenting, constantly pushing himself, and always fighting two battles every time he steps onto the field.

Kuldeep Yadav made his mark over a decade ago and now, as he says, he has begun to understand his bowling. Wrist spin is a difficult art, one of the toughest in the game.

Ahead of the T20 World Cup, the progress made by India’s two best batters will be followed even more keenly as the IPL unfolds

With the birth of a baby you gain something precious, but you also lose something of yourself. This is when support and a sisterhood become essential

Surely in the thousands of spectators across the country, there is someone with a sense of humour, someone who can raise a heckle without raising a hackle.

Occasionally a line emerges that causes the kind of surprise a maiden over might.

Patrons of fashion and design, tawaifs weren’t mere entertainers. Their stories still inspire, as explored in Netflix’s new series, Heeramandi

Phuphee’s lesson on celebrating the power of individuality