Late on Thursday evening, nearly 350 Keralites from Abu Dhabi and Dubai arrived at Kochi and Calicut International Airport, in the first batch of repatriated stranded Indians in UAE.

Three special Air India Express flights left for Abu Dhabi and Dubai to bring them back. "As per the state health department directives, all passengers will be screened and have to undergo compulsory quarantine / isolation for 14 days, a regular check up and a swab test. If someone has COVID-19 and shows symptoms within the first seven days, they will be shifted to the district (Ernakulam) Medical College for treatment. Those who show negative results will be allowed to go home, but must complete remaining seven days of quarantine at home and health officials will contact them regularly to check on symptoms," explained a senior health officer from State Health Ministry.

Hari Krishna Namboothiri, CEO, Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs, (NORKA) informed mid-day, "We are anticipating around 3,000 Indians to return to Kerala. Early Friday morning we are expecting another Air India Express flight to get around similar number of (177) passengers excluding crew to arrive from Riyadh to Calicut."

When asked about the three warships which have headed to the Maldives and Dubai, Hari Krishna said, "The Naval warship will leave from the Maldives by Friday and we are expecting them to reach Kochi within two days. We haven't got the entire list of passengers coming by ship, so far we have 500 peoples' names, and the number might go further up, which will be clear by Friday. Passengers repatriated through both the air and water ways mode of transport, will be quarantined and so far we have got around 4.50 lakh requests registered on our portal.

Dr Prasanna Kumari, Superintendent Aluva Government Hospital said, "We are a 227-bedded hospital but not a COVID-19 designated hospital. We have made arrangements for suspected cases, for which nine single bed isolation rooms are ready, also in case any of the suspects require hospital support, we will shift them to Ernakulam Medical College, which is a COVID-19 designated hospital in the district."

" We can easily arrange for 350 beds, and have 30 to 40 isolation rooms for suspected cases, and a similar number of beds in the ICU, with nearly 30 ventilator support facilities. Only those passengers who show COVID-19 symptoms will be transferred to our medical college for further line of treatment," said Dr Peter Vazhyail, medical superintendent at Ernakulam Medical College.

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With a surge of 3,390 new cases and 103 new fatalities, the total tally of novel Coronavirus cases in India stood at 56,342 on Friday, the Union Health Ministry said. Of the total cases, 37,916 are active while 1,886 people have lost their lives. A total of 16,593 though have recovered as India undergoes the third-phase of the nation-wide lockdown. The total tally also includes 111 foreign nationals and one migrated patient, said the Health Ministry.

Maharashtra continues at the top of the tally with 17,974 cases and 694 fatalities, while 3,301 people were cured in the state. It is followed by Gujarat with 7,012 cases and 425 deaths and 1,709 recovered. There are at least 5,980 cases in the national capital with 1,931 recoveries and 66 deaths. Other states which saw an increased number of cases are Tamil Nadu (5,409), Rajasthan (3,427), Madhya Pradesh (3,252) and Uttar Pradesh (3,071).

States which have reported more than thousand cases are Andhra Pradesh (1,847), Punjab (1,644), West Bengal (1,548) and Telangana (1,123).

While Goa conyinues to be Corona-free, in the Northeast it is Tripura that surpassed Assam and now has 65 cases as Assam reported 54 cases. Other NE states that have reported COVID-19 cases are Meghalaya (12) Manipur (2), Mizoram (1) and Arunachal Pradesh (1).

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Total number of Covid-19 cases in the country mounted to 59,662 on Saturday, with 3,320 cases and 95 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said. Of the total, 39,834 are active cases, 17,846 people have recovered, and 1,981 people have succumbed to the disease. Maharashtra remained the worst hit state with a total number of cases rising to 19,063, followed by Gujarat which has reported 7,402 cases. Delhi has reported 6,318 cases and Tamil Nadu 6,009 cases, according to the Health Ministry data.

Maharashtra has also recorded 731 deaths so far, the highest number of casualties among all the states. Other states which have jumped the 3,000 mark are Madhya Pradesh (3,341), Rajasthan (3,579), Tamil Nadu (6,009) and Uttar Pradesh (3,214). Among other major cities, Andhra Pradesh has reported 1,887 and 41 deaths, Bihar stood at 571 cases and five deaths, Haryana at 647 and eight deaths, Jammu and Kashmir at 823 cases and nine deaths, Karnataka at 753 and 30 deaths and Kerala was docked at 503 and four deaths.

States which have reported less than 10 cases are -- Tripura, Mizoram, Puducherry, Manipur, Goa and Arunanchal Pradesh.

On the global front, the total number of cases are about to touch four million mark and over two lakh people have died due to coronavirus till now.

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We're asked to first wait at the Breakout Room, before being led to the Vetting Room (have spelt that right). After quite a few minutes, finally, allowed in to the Interview Suite. Felt like going past check-in, through security, into immigration.

Except, this passage to the Hollywood home of Australian-born superstar Chris Hemsworth — globally, best-known as the superhero Thor — with various check-points in place, is happening over Zoom, the video-conferencing app. There's a posse of international press logging in at their designated time-slots, from respective homes, across the world. All of them, like Hemsworth at his place, it appears, are living under lockdown, due to COVID-19 spread/scare.

"If you think about it, what we're doing is unbelievable," says Sam Hargrave, referring to the unusual manner of this junket. This is before formal conversations begin, with a moderator rotating questions, as per a pre-decided order. Everyone but the specific questioner's microphone is on mute. No doubt, these are extraordinary times.

Chris Hemsworth and Sam Hargrave (encircled) during the interview  

Hargrave, placed in the window to my right, is the director of the Netflix film Extraction, starring Hemsworth, that drops on April 24. If it wasn't for the pandemic, they'd both have been in Mumbai promoting this film. Which is where I am. And where, along with Ahmedabad, mostly, Extraction was shot.

What was that like? Hemsworth offers the common adjectives — life, energy, people, positivity —that the uninitiated usually refer to mean an overwhelming experience, which India, without a national curfew, can certainly be. He recalls, "The [crowds] couldn't have been more accommodating, supportive — thousands of people standing in buildings and bridges, watching and applauding. The shoot felt like being in a coliseum, or live theatre!"

For Hargrave though, besides sanity, there was also the question of maintaining safety: "We were doing intricate action sequences, with cars flying over locked-up streets, at 50 miles per hour. [At any point in time], you'd have 300 people for security personnel alone, to make sure no one got hurt."

A working still of Extraction

Hargrave is one of Hollywood's top stunt-coordinators, with films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe under his belt, including the Avengers blockbusters directed-produced by (Anthony and Joe) Russo Brothers.

Extraction however is Hargrave's first film as director, and evidently furthest from his comfort zone, given its setting to start with: "Joe Russo, who wrote the script, actually set the film in Dhaka [Bangladesh] and India. Because western audiences haven't seen much of that side of the world. It offered lots of opportunities, visually."

Directing, as a job, is challenging enough. Double whammy for the debutant was, as he puts it, "Directing actors in two different languages — Hindi and Bengali. Neither of which I speak! We had an interpreter with us. But because of the prep we'd put in during rehearsals, while I couldn't understand what they were saying [in the dialogue], I could tell the intention.

Randeep Hooda

"I knew when we'd nailed a take. And if something was off, I knew if we'd missed a line. With cinema, you can tell the scenario. Especially with action — once you've set up the hero and the villain, and they're at odds — the film speaks for itself."

One of the major Indian actors Hargrave directed for Extraction was Randeep Hooda, who comes up rather often in this conversation, as Hemsworth specifically refers to the "major [fight scene], involving hand-to-hand combat. It was so exhausting for both [Randeep and I]. Yet, when you've got an actor who's putting in a 110 per cent, neither of you is willing to quit, it's the best."

Which gives you fair sense of the film's genre — sort of a pure, street-style actioner in the old-world, Western mould. Hemsworth elaborates, "[It's] everything they used to do in the '80s and prior, [without] relying on special effects and green screen, because you couldn't. It was refreshing and rewarding to shoot like that."

Hargrave recalls, "When Randeep and I met, we spoke about the characters, relating them to the classic Westerns — Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good the Bad the Ugly..." Randeep has come again — maybe we could go further on that route (him and I went to the same school).

Or talk more about other Indian actors Hemsworth was referring to hanging out a lot with, while he was here. Or, perhaps mildly pick his brains on his last huge release, Avengers: Endgame — hugest one in the history of films!

Oh, I'm on mute. Chatting on a screen through a moderator is at best interviewing an interpreter, with a dysfunctional hearing aid. Feels rather distant. Upside? Could casually roll out of bed in boxers in Bombay, find myself seated opposite Thor for a few minutes, and then back to bed again. Done. Hoping it's not the new 'normal' though.

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Actor Chris Hemsworth found shooting in India "overwhelming" because of the positivity and enthusiasm that he experienced while filming the upcoming Netflix film "Extraction" in the country.

"I loved shooting in India. The people were incredible. I didn't realise how popular the Marvel films were in India. So that was, at times, overwhelming," Hemsworth told IANS during a special video call before the release of his Netflix movie.

"There was such positivity and enthusiasm for all of us and our crew… During shooting, we had hundreds and thousands of people on certain days lining up on the streets and up on top of bridges and in buildings, you know, after every takes, cheering and applauding. I've never experienced anything like it. And as I said, I have such fond memories of India and the people there," he added while recounting his time in India.

Hemsworth shot for the Netflix film in India in 2018. He shot in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The "Thor" star was scheduled to be in Mumbai on March 16 to promote the film that has been shot in India. The promotional tour was called off due to the global coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier in an interview to IANS, Hemsworth, whose daughter is named India, revealed the reason behind naming his daughter after the country.

"My wife (Elsa Pataky) spent a lot of time in India and that was where the name originally came from," Hemsworth said in that interview, adding: "I love the place and the people. It was sort of intimidating as it was exciting because there were so many people… We felt like rock stars in a stadium. But the warmth and support we got while shooting there, no matter how disruptive we were to their daily lives, it was so good. "

Originally titled "Dhaka", the film also stars Indian actors Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi, Priyanshu Painyulli, and Rudraksh Jaiswal. It revolves around Tyler Rake (essayed by Hemsworth), a fearless, black market mercenary, who embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he is enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. The film, directed by Sam Hargrave, will release on Netflix on April 24.

Talking about working for a streaming platform for the first time, Hemsworth said: "It's my first time working on a streaming platform. I was excited to do it, strangely enough, you know, it's probably the best place to be at this point.

"We put in, you know, the same amount of commitment and passion and enthusiasm as we would with anything else, whether it was a cinema release or a streaming space. I am beyond proud of the film. From the very beginning, I loved the script. I love the story that we were able to tell and the opportunity to shoot action, unlike anything I'd certainly been a part of before."

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US Ambassador to India, Ken Juster has condoled the demise of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan who passed away on Wednesday.

"Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go to the family and friends of Irrfan Khan, renowned and respected Indian film actor. He was a true talent in the cinema industry, and his loss will be deeply felt," Juster said in a tweet.

Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go to the family and friends of Irrfan Khan, renowned and respected Indian film actor. He was a true talent in the cinema industry, and his loss will be deeply felt. #RIPIrrfanKhan. pic.twitter.com/OqF4BV2JKf

— Ken Juster (@USAmbIndia) April 29, 2020

The internationally renowned actor passed away at Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital on Wednesday while battling rare cancer. He was 53. Irrfan was last seen on screen in 'Angrezi Medium'. He was not a part of the film's promotions owing to his ill health.

With critically acclaimed films like 'The Lunchbox' and 'Paan Singh Tomar' to his credit, Irrfan was regarded as one of the finest actors in Hindi cinema.

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Over petty issues of attending lectures and mass bunking, Pune-based college students got into a fight, which degenerated into a Marathi and non-Marathi issue. On Friday, a 20-year-old engineering student, Anurag Deepchand Kumar, who hails from Bihar, was asked not to attend a lecture by another local student at Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering.

According to senior inspector Vishnu Pawar, "The boy threatened Anurag not to attend the lecture as non-attendance by the whole class would lead to no class." After the initial altercation, Kumar was allegedly beaten up by a gang of five on Saturday within the college premises. Kumar approached the Bharati Vidhyapeeth police station and registered a criminal case. The police have booked a case of assault. After the attack, Kumar was rushed to Bharati Hospital & Research Centre, where he was treated for injuries on his head, hand, leg and toes.

While police claim it was a petty fight and had no connection to any regional bias, students, especially from North India, tell a different story. A friend of Kumar's, on condition of anonymity, said, "The fight was petty, but the local student raised the issue of Maharashtrian and non-Maharashtrians. This is not just about one incident. As North Indians, we face this bias on a day-to-day basis, as few local students abuse us regularly."

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Pune: Weeks after getting Indian citizenship, around 25 Sindhis, who migrated from Pakistan years ago and made Pimpri-Chinchwad their home, had another reason to celebrate when they got an opportunity Monday to cast their votes for the first time. One of them, Rajendra Thakur, migrated to India from Pakistan 37 years ago.

Today, Thakur looked a happy man after voting for the first time in India. The 52-year-old is among nearly around 25 Sindhis from the Pimpri-Chinchwad area, that falls under the Maval Lok Sabha constituency, who voted for the first time. Those who exercised their franchise for the first are among the 45 Sindhis from the city who got permanent citizenship of India early last month.

"It has been over 37 years that I have been living in Pimpri-Chinchwad. All those years, except discussing politics, I could not take part in any democratic process such as election and could not cast my vote. "But today, for the first time, I voted," said an elated Thakur, who is into the business of supplying electrical items. He said several Sindhis have migrated to India from Pakistan over the years for a better future and all of them, including himself, had been living on long-term visas (LTVs) till they became Indian citizens after a prolonged wait.

These visas needed to be renewed after every two years and the process was very lengthy and tedious, he said. Thakur thanked Balasaheb Runwal of 'Mere Apne' Foundation and Pune district collector Naval Kishore Ram for helping in getting citizenship.

"It was Balasaheb Runwal of Mere Apne Foundation, who all those years fought for our cause. Credit also goes to Pune collector Naval Kishore Ram who expedited the process to issue citizenship certificates in March," said Thakur.

"I came to India in 1982 along with my sister when I was 15 as the situation back in Karachi was not good. "When we got the Indian citizenship certificates in March, we felt like winning a long-fought war and I can not express my happiness in words after casting my vote," he added.

Dr Vijay Bulani has a similar story to tell as he, too, was among the voters. "I am very happy that we got a chance to participate in the democratic process of our country," he said. Talking to PTI, district collector Ram said the applications of all these people were pending before him.

"I decided to look into the long-pending issue and expedited the entire process of issuing permanent citizenship certificates by bringing all authorities concerned together. "And in one go, all these people were issued their citizenship certificates," the bureaucrat said. He said while issuing the certificates, the district administration also got them to fill their voter registration forms and it is good that out of 45, 25 people could vote.

Runwal said these people had faced many hardships as they used to run from pillar to post to get their LTVs renewed. "So I decided to take up the issue through my organisation and followed it up with several authorities, including the Union home ministry. In all this process, BJP's Pune MP Anil Shirole helped me," he said.

Runwal said the district collector expedited the entire process to issue the certificates. "Now after these 45 people, there are more 200 applications from the city are in the pipeline and we are sure that all these people will get their permanent citizenship certificates soon," he added.

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Spanish drama Money Heist aka Le Casa De Papel on Netflix has quickly become of the most-watched shows on the streaming giant. From El Profesor to Tokio, fans absolutely love the characters. Bollywood Hungama recently shared the dream cast if Bollywood adapted it as a film.

During a recent interaction with Behindwoods, Money Heist director Alex Rodrigo was asked who would he select from the list of the Indian actors for the Indian version. Alex chose South superstar Thalapathy Vijay for the role of El Profesor whereas he said Shah Rukh Khan would be best suited for Berlin's role. He further said Ajith Kumar could play Bogota, Ranveer Singh as Denver. He wanted Mahesh Babu and Suriya to take on the roles Tamayo and Suarez. Thalapathy Vijay's fans trended 'Money Heist' in India on Thursday night on Twitter.

Created by Álex Pina, Money Heist aka Le Casa De Papel stars Álvaro Morte as The Professor, Itziar Ituño as Raquel, Úrsula Corberó as Tokyo, Miguel Herrán as Rio, Jaime Lorente Lopez as Denver, Alba Flores as Nairobi, Darko Peric as Helsinki, Esther Acebo as Monica, Hovik Keuchkerian, Rodrigo de la Serna, and Pedro Alonso as Berlin.

ALSO READ: From Shah Rukh Khan to Alia Bhatt, here’s the dream cast of Money Heist if remade in Bollywood

Kal Penn who played Irrfan’s son in The Namesake can’t get over the loss. “Irrfan was such an incredible artist. What a loss. It was magical. He was so gracious and giving as an artist and a person.”

Not many know about Irrfan’s wicked sense of humour. Says Kal, “He could be so funny! He had a wonderful sense of humor and I remember his approach to the craft being particularly warm.”

Kal recalls Irrfan as an actor sheared of vanity. “He was friendly. Friendly and down to earth. There was never any attitude with Irrfan, he was so comfortable in his own skin and so fully and truly embodied his character when the cameras were rolling.”

But what according to Kal really made Irrfan special was the way he embraced silences. “I've never worked with an artist who communicates so beautifully without needing to speak. When we would shoot scenes for The Namesake, so often, Irrfan would play beat after story beat with intimacy and in silence that made me immediately at ease and in the moment.”

Kal Penn learnt a lot from watching Irrfan not only while they worked together but also when they didn’t work together. “I learned a lot from working with Irrfan but also from watching him work across different mediums, different languages, and different continents. I will always admire his work more broadly, and to have had that kind of range is so remarkable.”

Kal will remember Irran as an actor who at once no one and everyone. “He was such a commensurate artist whose performances are simultaneously intimate and reflect the humanity in each of us.”

Also Read: 5 Years Of Piku: Deepika Padukone bids farewell to Irrfan Khan with an unseen picture

Indian football team striker Jeje Lalpekhlua has come to the rescue of people in dire need of blood when it is not readily available in Mizoram due to the extraordinary situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic. India is under a lockdown enforced to contain the Coronavirus.

"Due to the lockdown blood units are not readily available nowadays. So the hospital connected with the Young Mizo Association is seeking help. The news reached me and I knew immediately what I needed to do," he stated. "You cannot keep quiet and sit idle during such circumstances." He immediately rushed to the Synod Hospital in Durtlang, Mizoram to donate blood.

"Upon receiving the information, we chalked out our plan. We headed to the hospital from the Durtlang branch of YMA. Out of 33 who had reported, 27 were deemed fit to donate," Jeje informed. "It's not about me or someone else, it's about the human race that needs to fight together now, more than ever." The Young Mizo Association (YMA) is the largest non-governmental voluntary organisation which operates primarily in Mizoram and some parts of the other north-eastern states as well.

"It is so satisfying that I have been able to play a minor role. I thank the Almighty for giving me the strength." This is not the first time that Jeje has been involved in philanthropic activities. He has time and again rose to the cause in Mizoram whenever the situation has demanded. "Someone had to stand by them. If a hospital is falling short of blood units, we need to help. We all need to play our part during the crisis. The most difficult part, I understand is to stay at home. But it's very necessary. The longer we stay at home, the faster will India heal," added Jeje.

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Tennis star Sania Mirza on Thursday became the first Indian player to be nominated for the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Group I Heart Award. Former world number one and multiple Grand Slam winner, Sania, returned to Fed Cup competition for the first time since 2016 and guided Team India with her stunning performance, recording three doubles wins in the Asia/Oceania Group I tournament earlier this year in March. Her performance, along with another senior compatriot Ankita Raina, proved decisive in India's historic qualification to the Fed Cup Play-offs.

Reflecting on her nomination, Sania said the Fed Cup result at the Asia/Oceania tournament is one of the greatest achievements of her playing career. "Stepping on to the court for the first time in India colours was a moment of pride for me, back in 2003. It has been an eighteen-year long journey since then and I feel extremely proud and privileged to have contributed to the success of Indian tennis. The Fed Cup result at the Asia/Oceania tournament last month is one of the greatest achievements of my playing career. These are the moments an athlete plays for and I am grateful to the Fed Cup Heart Awards selection panel for this recognition" Sania said in a statement.

The Fed Cup Heart Award is an International Tennis Federation (ITF) initiative that was established in 2009 to recognize Fed Cup players. This year, six players have been nominated for the three regional Group I Fed Cup Heart Awards. In Fed Cup Heart Award's 11th edition this year, Priska Madelyn Nugroho of Indonesia is the second player nominated from the Asia/Oceania region. They are joined by Anett Kontaveit (Estonia) and Eleonora Molinaro (Luxembourg) from Europe/Africa; Fernanda Contreras Gomez of Mexico and Paraguay's Veronica Cepede Royg from the Americas, as the remaining four regional Group I nominations.

The winners of the Heart Awards will be determined by online voting by fans which will go live on 1st May and will go on until 8th May.

In 2019, Zarina Diyas from Kazakhstan emerged victorious from Asia/Oceania Group I.

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Indonesia is hoping for an "exponential" increase in tourist inflow from India and has set its visitor arrival target at seven lakh from the country in 2018, a senior official from the island nation has said. The country received 485,314 Indian visitors in 2017, which is nearly a 30 per cent rise from the year before, he noted.

With several low-cost airlines providing affordable deals between India and Indonesia, the island country is hoping to make the most of the opportunity, Pupung Thariq Fadhillah, the deputy director in the Ministry of Tourism, Indonesia, said during his recent visit to the city. "The exotic Bali island remains one of the most-favoured destinations for Indian tourists, over 50 per cent of whom enter the country through Denpasar airport in the island," senior tourism official DAL Janapriati said.

Seeking to offer 'Greater Bali' to the travellers, Fadhillah, who led a delegation from Indonesia to promote the country's tourism sector, said the country would also love to introduce ten more destinations to the Indians in the near future. Lake Toba, Tanjung Kelayang, Tanjung Lesung, Seribu Islands, the Borbodur, Bromo-Tengger-Semeru cluster are among the new hotspots in the Indonesian province, Janapriati said. "If we achieve the target of seven lakh tourist footfall from India, the country will rise to the fifth position in Indonesia's tourist footfall ranking, with Japan now at the top," she added.

Taiwan

Those caught up in the hustle bustle of a city life -- and craving for someplace pristine, calm and relaxed -- will fall in love with Taiwan. But along with its tranquillity and peace, there is also the effervescence of a place celebrating its culture and language with aplomb.

This small island nation in the South China Sea is truly the heart of Asia - and it is fast catching the attention of Indian travellers, offering as it does a perfect combo of fabulous food, superb night life, bustling markets, hot springs, culture, history, architecture and stunning natural beauty - from gentle mountains to lovely coastal landscapes.

It was around the Taiwan Lantern Festival 2018 that we landed at Taichung International Airport here to be greeted by our tour guide, the friendly and ever-smiling Charles Tung. And he wanted all of us - a group of travelling journalists - smiling as well. "Say cheese," he said as he got us to pose for a group photo before we embarked on our journey of exploration. And there is much to explore.

"Taiwan has a truly unique natural beauty. There are beautiful places like Sun Moon lake, Yangmingshan National Park, Black Dwarf Cave... to name just a few. These places provide an escape from the chaos of urban living," Noel Saxena, Country Head, Taiwan Tourism Bureau India Office, told IANS. Saxena said Taiwan is also very rich when it comes to art.

"Be it dance, music or even folk art, the Taiwanese have earned critical acclaim with an exceptional display of talent. Taiwanese hand puppetry and Taiwanese opera are two foremost examples of art forms that are authentically Taiwanese, in that they use the Taiwanese language, not Mandarin," he informed.

The Taiwanese love for music and art was evident at Ten Drum Ciatou Creative Park, located in Kaohsiung. Once a sugar processing plant, it is now the hub of a percussion group -- the Ten Drum Percussion Group that has won accolades globally, including a Grammy in the Best World Album category.

While taking a walk around the former factory, we had to take a path made up of the branches of trees... Quite literally, we were walking on trees without fear of falling down -- a unique experience.

Other stops included the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, a comprehensive recreational area featuring Taiwanese indigenous people's cultural relics as well as amusement park facilities; and the Sun Moon Lake, situated near Yuchi township, was truly mesmerising. One of the most beautiful alpine lakes in Taiwan, it is shaped like a crescent moon; hence the name.

The Buddha Memorial Centre at Fo Guang Shan is a landmark in the country. Touching 108 metres in height, the Buddha is made up of 1,872 metric tonnes of copper and iron and is currently the world's tallest bronze seated Buddha.

"Taiwan is blessed with natural beauty, scenic areas, great food, astonishing history and culture -- and Taipei 101. This makes it a great destination. It is a destination for all age groups," said Saxena.

The country is home to only about 20 million people and is a technology powerhouse. This was quite evident even at the traditional Lantern Festival - held earlier this month -- where all the work displayed was high-tech.

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Representational picture

New Delhi: With travel bug catching up in India, European countries are a preferred destination for Indians this summer, according to a survey.

Searches were conducted by travel search engine KAYAK.co.in between October 1, 2017 to March 23, 2018 for travel dates between May 5, 2017 and August 31, 2018.

As per the search, Moscow and Istanbul are taking the lead with year-on-year increase in flight searches by 269 and 252 per cent respectively.

Other trendy destinations this summer show that Indians are interested in travelling not only to the well-known European destinations like Spain, Germany and Greece but also to some less conventional ones like Norway, Hungary and even Iceland.

Europeans on the other hand are travelling to Palma Mallorca in Spain the most, followed by London and Lisbon.

Considering the budget, several European locales are emerging as good options for travel from India without burning a big hole in the pocket.

Istanbul, which is also the second top-trending destination, is seeing a price drop as high as 95 per cent compared to the average trip cost.

This is followed by Milan, Italy, with a 37 per cent drop in the average trip cost. With warm weather in Europe, this represents a good opportunity to travel to these European destinations for a summer adventure at a reduced price.

Abhijit Mishra, Director of India and Middle East, KAYAK, said in a statement: "With the summer holiday period quickly approaching, travel planning is on the rise and it was interesting to see how European countries have emerged as the preferred destination for Indians this year."

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The recently-released Emma Stone film, Battle of the Sexes, takes a relook at the debate on gender equality. Four Indian women, all in a minority in their professions, share mantras to come up trumps at the workplace

Go beyond misogyny
Priyanka Kochhar, Model and professional racer
Motorcycling remains a male-centric field. I model for a living so that makes it even stranger for men to see me on a bike. Luckily, I am my own boss but for every motorcycle I ride or event I participate in, I'm usually the lone woman. It used to be intimidating at first because I knew I wasn't as well-read about the technicalities of motorcycles.

But now, after two years of BikeWithGirl [her Instagram account], many male riders have begun to see me as they see their colleagues. I'm happy to note that motorcycle brands treat me the same way they treat male bikers. Maybe my hunger to do this is what they see and not my gender. The way I've tackled misogyny is by going beyond it. It used to rile me up at one point.

But work still has to get done, so I figured there was no point mulling over it. It has been hard, there's no denying it. And yes, there are still some critics but I've received a lot of support as well.

Be proactive at work
Archana Savleram Hadawale, Code-maker and software engineer
I am the only woman in a team of 11 men. I love to accept challenges, and coding offers a new challenge every day, which is why I picked the profession. You press an enter key, and the world changes. I come from a simple family where no one is a post graduate.

It wasn't easy to pick software engineering. My parents weren't supportive at first; they wanted me to get a nine-to-five job and pay attention to household work too. They also didn't want me to stress too much due to a health condition. There is a solution for everything. I meditate to deal with the stress that comes with the job.

If someone says you can't do it, tell him or her, 'Maybe I can't, but I will sit with you to get it done.' Don't wait to get work, ask for it. Whenever I work late, I see to it that there is someone whom I can trust around. Having a good senior helps. Since I don't come from the same social background as my colleagues, my manager provides me guidance to tackle hurdles. In the end, your work will do the talking.

Women must support women
Devita Saraf, Technology entrepreneur
Technology is challenging, engaging and futuristic; it's why I chose this field. I have two challenges, one that I am a woman, and two, I am a leader; people don't take this combination seriously. Whenever I am meet somebody or am at a meeting with a retailer, I show that I am in charge.

Your confidence should be high and your words must carry weight. This helps people take you seriously. It gets difficult in towns and cities outside metros where the older generation might show disregard. But you need to react graciously as they may not have dealt with women in business.

The number of women in technology is increasing; I interact with several female technology graduates but many suffer from parental pressure to choose marriage over career. I push for women in my company; women must support other women. Several department heads in my company, be it corporate sales or R&D, are women. Technology is a good industry for women as you are known for your IQ, and if you walk the talk, men respect you.

Set up pro-women systems
Seethalakshmy Narayanan, Investment banker
The female:male ratio in my company is 10 women to 65 men. However, the men are supportive. It is important for workplaces to set systems in place to help women produce a solid output.

An action as simple as having a peon stay back for the safety of a woman when she is working late makes a big difference. Give your 100 per cent, no one will hold you back.

Steve Vai at 2015 Rock in Rio concert. Pic/Getty images

You visited India 23 years ago. What are your memories?
I came to India as a spiritual soldier. Most people know me as a musician, but perhaps my most focused attention throughout my life has been on spirituality. There was a period I went through when I was researching various eastern philosophies and this brought me to India on several occasions. It was a tremendously rewarding experience.

How did you manage to keep your personal style of music intact?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a composer and so, I started studying music. But when I was an early teenager in the '70s, I discovered rock music by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Queen, Jethro Tull and Deep Purple. I've always loved the energy of rock music. When the opportunity came to join those bands in the '80s, I felt that a part of my musical sensibilities would work well with them. So, a particular style of my music was used during that time. But when I started doing my solo music more, my innate musical style emerged more powerfully. All the artistes I've worked with in the past have shaped what I do.

How would you describe the journey of your music?
I was very emerged in Zappa and his music while I was working with him from the age of 18 to 23. During that time, I was also writing my own music and, to some degree, it was highly influenced by Frank (Zappa). When I started working on the music of Modern Primitive, it was directly after my Zappa years and there was still much residual leftover Zappa influence in it.

Tell us about your life as a 20-something rock star in the '80s...
Well, it was certainly a good time to be a rock star. We could wear the oddest clothes, had a gigantic stage to run around on and were playing our a***s off! To be honest, I enjoyed it very much. I took great advantage of all the situations, but never lost myself in them. I knew they were all fleeting moments. Dave Roth threw the best parties, though. They were notorious. I saw and discovered things that could fill volumes of books and which you would not believe even if they were written and truthful. Imagine having at your disposal an abundance of fame, drugs, sex, money, etc. But as mentioned, I never got lost in any of it… except perhaps the fame, ha!

Will the heydays of rock ever return?
I don't know what young artistes do backstage anymore, but any time I've been there, they were nothing like what I remember in the '80s. For some, the heyday is now. There is still enough fame, drugs, sex and money to go around that could spin the head of any young artiste. But then again, there seem to be 'rock stars' in every field.

Any Indian musicians you admire…
I was fortunate to do some work with violinist L Shankar in the '80s. He's a phenomenon. I also enjoy the work of Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, U Srinivas, Ali Akbar Khan, Anoushka Shankar and others.

Who are your all-time favourite guitarists and why?
Jimmy Page was my first real guitar discovery and is, in my books, the best arranger, writer and producer of rock music. Allan Holdsworth has an inner ear unlike that of anyone.
Jimi Hendrix. Well, because he's Hendrix. When I heard Al Di Meola play as a teenager, I became aware of the extremes that a human being can achieve in terms of tone and chops.
Brian May has the most identifiable tone and touch. Joe Satriani, he speaks through his guitar in a way that is deeply moving and creative. He is the master of inspired instrumental guitar melody. I could go on and on.

What have you planned for your performance here?
I was happy to discover Mohini Dey, an extraordinarily talented Indian bass player. She played on a track on Modern Primitive called Bop. She's truly a marvel and if everything works out, she will be joining us at the show for a jam. Also, I have a backing video screen that has some of my friends appearing on it, who I will jam with from the stage. They include Joe Satriani, Brian May, John Petrucci, Tommy Emmanuel and Frank Zappa. I want to be connected to the evolutionary impulse of the universe when I play, thus, bringing an experience to the people that is captivating and even shocking.

Steve Vai performs at the Meghalaya (October 28) and Pune (December, date to be announced) edition of Bacardi NH7 Weekender 2017
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An article he had read a little over two years ago changed Rohit Ingle's life forever. It espoused the cause of veganism so persuasively that Ingle says he was convinced overnight to give up eating meat. "I can't remember where I read the article," he confesses. "But it had a very simple line - if you are an animal lover, you can't eat them. If you love someone, how can you be the cause of their misery?" he adds.

Rohit Ingle while flagging off his journey from Ahimsa Fest this week. Pics/Sneha Kharabe

That message is what he now hopes to spread across the country, riding a cycle. Ingle embarked on his epic journey - and it can only be described as that - from Bandra on Thursday, a week ahead of World Vegan Day on November 1. The plan is to cover 19,000 km over one year, stopping not just at different state capitals, but especially in the hinterland. "Hardly anyone in India knows about veganism," he says, adding, "I'll pitch my tent at places like highway dhabas. There, I can interact with the customers and tell them more about what I am doing, hopefully inspiring some of them [to take up veganism] in the process."

Does he feel any apprehension? "Yes, I am nervous, I won't lie about that. But I am motivated by my cause. There are also people who will be there to welcome me at Ahmedabad and Surat initially, and that will hopefully give me further encouragement. So, as the journey goes by, I am sure this feeling will go away."

But, Ingle adds, he's not quite sure about how he will sustain himself financially to get through an entire year. "I have raised `60,000 [of his `3.5-lakh target] through crowdfunding. I have also received money from The Pollination Project, an organisation based in the US that has sponsored me for $1,000. So, I have around `1.3 lakh and can easily start my journey for at least three to four months."

After that, he hopes to keep going till November 2018, inspiring as many people as possible along the way. "See, the message is very simple - if you want to eat meat or wear animal products, an animal that doesn't want to die is definitely going to be killed. So, you have to keep that in mind."

Ahead of her first trip to India, biker Leslie Porterfield, the world's fastest woman on two wheels, relives her record, worst crash and the growing number of Indian women on the riding circuit

At 16, Texas-based Leslie Porterfield bought a Yamaha Virago 1000, her first motorcycle, as an inexpensive mode of transport. It arrived in a box, and most people told her she wouldn't be able to get it running. However, she bought a manual, sought the advice of local mechanics, and put it together.

Leslie Porterfield

In fact, Porterfield loved riding it so much that just a year later, she went on to buy a sports bike (Honda CBR600). This was in the early '90s. "That's when my interest in racing began," recalls the 41-year-old mother of twins. She holds the Guinness World Record for being the fastest woman in the world on a motorcycle, which she set in 2008 with a speed of 232.522mph at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA.

On November 24 and 25, Porterfield will be in Goa for the fifth edition of India Bike Week, a fest that will witness a gathering of over 20,000 bikers to celebrate all things riding. Here, she will host a motorcycle stand and present awards for various achievements. Excerpts from an email interview:

Tell us about your most interesting motorcycle journeys.
Motorcycles gave me a sense of freedom and connection with nature while riding. One of my favourite trips was to the Baja 1000 (off-road race in Mexico's Baja California Peninsula) in 2005. I was on a dirt bike for the first time, and realised how difficult the race is. I went through 20 miles of deep sand whoops and fell 20 times. I have never been so sore. Another one is from the time I was 17, when I rode for 1,500 miles from Dallas to Los Angeles. On my way back, I was tired. I was riding at about 120mph. Unfortunately, I passed a police car and didn't see it. They set up a roadblock on the highway. When I stopped, I realised there were four police cars behind me. They were mad after chasing me for so long. I was lucky; the officer let me go without a citation. This prompted me to hit the racetrack.

What challenges have you faced in your racing career?
During my first year [2007] in Land Speed Racing [at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah], the salt was in poor condition - wet, sludgy and hard to get traction. My bike got into a speed wobble at over 200mph. I tried to save it, but ended up coming off the bike at over 100mph. It was the worst wreck I've been in. I was unconscious, with seven broken ribs and a punctured lung. Fortunately, I recovered and made a point of testing different set-ups for the bike. I didn't push myself to make runs when conditions were bad. Racing comes with risks, which I try to minimise.

How did you crack the world record in Utah in 2008?
I had to make an effort to not think about what could go wrong, and put the accident out of my mind. I focused solely on what I needed to do to achieve my record. To set a land speed record, you have to make two runs — one in each direction - holding your top speed for a mile. My bike's engine was hot and as I entered the measured mile at full throttle, it started to sound rough. By the end, I had set the record but blown my engine, and there was oil everywhere!

What's your take on Indian motorcycle culture?
It's fascinating. The selection of motorcycles is vast, and I love that more women in India are riding motorcycles now. When I started in the '90s, men dominated the speed and racing scene; it was difficult for women to break into it.

Is Mumbai part of your itinerary?
I hope to see it during my visit. It is such a diverse city with much history. I've wanted to visit India for some time. I can't wait to experience its architecture, art, culture and beauty. I love Indian food, but have tried it only in America.

What kind of bikes do you ride now?
I have a Honda CBR1000, and several classic bikes from the '60s. I enjoy restoring old bikes. They aren't very fast, but they are a lot of fun.

Tips
>> Invest in proper motorcycle gear.
>> Never quit learning. Take up rider courses. Even if you have no desire to race, a day on the track with guidance will make you a better and safer rider.

Matt Preston likes to dress and stand out in the crowd, and over the nine seasons of food reality show MasterChef Australia, we've seen his dapper style evolve. A flamboyant dresser, he exuded elegance this season with his well-cut suits and tasteful cravats. The 55-year-old journalist and food writer juggles writing and television with equal élan, calling the former his "happy place". "I love nothing more than sharing my adventures in food, whether from my own kitchen or around the world, in recipes and stories. I worked that out with my newspaper and magazine columns plus five cookbooks, last year I wrote my 2,000,000th word about food! Three million here I come!"

The balance, he says, is simple as there is so much waiting when making a TV show, that it gives him the time to write while filming. "Then I travel for five months when we aren't filming," he tells us in an email interview. Edited excerpts:

Matt Preston

Your connection with India is strong. Which Indian chefs do you admire? Any particular dish that makes your mouth water?
So much of the great food I've enjoyed around India is from street stalls and holes in the wall, where the chef doesn't have a PR team, a cookbook or his/her own line of branded chutneys! Largely, I enjoy these simpler places better than the fancy ones. I do, however, try and enjoy the company of Manu Chandra whenever I'm
in India.

Where does Indian cooking stand on the global platform?
Indian cuisine in undoubtedly one of the world's great cuisines and stands proudly alongside the likes of French or Italian in that ranking. The way India is embracing unique, indigenous and wild ingredients — like the gongura I enjoyed in Hyderabad or the kachampuli vinegar I fell in love with in the south west — it's bang on trend. Indian cuisine is also receiving new global prominence, thanks to the explosion of interest in vegan and vegetarian food around the world. With this in mind, Gary [Mehigan, fellow judge] came back from his most recent trip to India raving about fresh green chickpeas and green sorghum; something we seldom see here but which could easily find a place in my kitchen.

Tell us about the creative process of setting the challenges on the show.
A crew of over 200, including a department of challenge producers, is responsible for this. We look for challenges that seem impossible but are achievable, so when accomplished, the excitement, pride and pleasure of the contestants is palpable. This means that a pressure-test dish might be cooked a dozen times to ascertain how long the contestant should be given to achieve it.

What are some of the funny off-the-camera incidents that occurred this season?
Our trip to Japan was a lot of fun. As was spending the week with [Israeli-British chef] Yotam Ottolenghi. Most of the anecdotes are scurrilous, so you'll have to wait for my autobiography!

How did you get into food writing?
A friend gave me a restaurant review column as she knew I was a good cook and had written a column back [about life, music, the arts and politics] in the UK.

How different was food writing back then?
Very much. In many ways, I was once like you are now, I was young but I was happy. I'm still happy but much older and wiser!

What was your first job?
I made tea at the offices of the UK's biggest tea importer. I had a rickety trolley and in a radical move, introduced coffee for the first time.

The show airs Monday to Friday at 9 pm on Star World.

Sharan Parekh with his rug inside Massimiliano Locatelli's 3D-printed house at the Milan Design Week

When Italian architect Massimiliano Locatelli of CLS Architetti called rug company ILO's Sharan Parekh and said he wanted one of their rugs, Parekh thought it would be for a party at his home.

"But he said he would using it inside his 3D-printed house, which was going to be showcased at the Milan Design Week, that too, in the bathroom!" he said. Parekh, also the managing director of ILO's parent company, Splendour (a known name in furnishings), tells us he had been meeting Locatelli many times as part of the Milan social scene. "We have worked with CLS for many ventures. We have designed carpets for the Belagio in Las Vegas, for the Miss Sixty and Philip Klein stores. It all started off socially. Also, we have been given space at Nilufar, known as the world's best design gallery, and that's how we have inroads in Milan," says the 30-year-old.

ILO, which means Joy in Finnish, is a Mumbai-based company, working in sustainably produced rugs, which are hand-tufted and hand-knotted by Tibetan artisans working in Nepal and North India. The aim is to combine traditional techniques with an edgy, contemporary design aesthetic. Not just is this ILO'S first outing, exhibiting on an international platform, but also the first Indian company showcasing at Fuorisalone (2018 Milan Furniture Fair).

The 3D-printed house is Locatelli's way of showcasing creativity, sustainability, flexibility, affordability and rapidity, at Piazza Cesare Beccaria, which is a square in the middle of Milan. It's also an experiment in low-cost housing, but with a slight difference. "The house is extremely low cost, but inside, everything is super expensive." There are lights by Italian architect, Gio Ponti, which are vintage, solid brass chairs, furniture by Nilufar, and the rug by ILO. "This is what the rug looks like — it's oval with an oval cutout in the middle. It's made of bamboo silk, silk and pashmina. It's almost like standing on a cloud. When Locatelli saw it, he said he couldn't have done better himself. He wanted the juxtaposition of low-cost housing which is super luxurious from within," explains Parekh.

Now, that they are back, they are focusing on many more such collaborations, and are now fielding offers from royal families from the Middle East. But, as Parekh says, the main thrill is in knowing that an Indian company, working with traditional craft, can understand the European aesthetic and be accepted there. "At the end of the day, it's about showcasing India."

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

Shawna Pandya

While the world is already counting Dr Shawna Pandya in the league of Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams, the lady in question feels it's all "a bit premature".

Canadian scientist and astronaut, Dr Pandya, is known for her work as part of Citizen Science Astronaut (CSA) candidate with project PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere) and PHEnOM (Physiology, Health and Environmental Observations and Microgravity) that she has been pursuing for two years now to understand several aspects of outer space, ranging from cloud formation to physiology and microgravity. She was one of the two candidates to be shortlisted from 3,200 people enrolled in the CSA programme.

While she has been working extensively in the field of outer space, and has in the past even worked with NASA, she clarifies that there has been "no announcement, flight assignment or selection of missions" [scheduled to take flight] yet. They will soon head off to a Mars simulation for two weeks though, that will help them prepare better for the mission, as and when it happens.

In a telephonic interview from Canada, where Dr Pandya is based, she tells us, "We are still developing our science and our mission. Our programme has done a phenomenal job of recruiting great candidates regardless of gender, ethnicity and country of origin. In fact, India has better representation in PoSSUM now. It is interesting that there is so much international representation in space programmes. It's not a competition to say, 'I will be the first such and such...' It's only about working with the passion and excitement."

Pandya is now part of a show on Sony BBC Earth titled Astronauts — Toughest Job In The Universe. Ask her what makes her job the toughest and she says, "I think everyone is serious and passionate about their job and consider it the toughest in the universe. This job, however, requires a tremendous amount of dedication and time. It's team-based and there is much risk involved. You cannot afford to let anyone down and that really raises the stakes."

Ever since she was a child, Pandya had been fascinated by space. "I remember when I was in grade seven, I'd read books on astronomy and the universe. I think that's where it all began for me," says the 33-year-old, who works as a general physician. When it comes to the areas that she has dabbled in, it's an extensive laundry list. From a black belt in Taekwondo to baseball, to motivational speaking, to walking the ramp and crooning as an opera singer, Pandya seems to have done it all. Ask her how does she pack in so much, and she says, "When I am asked this, I tell people, 'relax, I'm not doing all this in the same 24-hour period'. The trick is to prioritise what you do with your time, line up goals, set deadlines for yourself and act accordingly."

Pandya shares a deep connect with Mumbai and tries to visit the city once every five years. The last time she was here was last February. "I have most of my extended family here, my uncles, cousins and up until recently, my grandmother. There's no other city in the world like Mumbai, for me. There's so much going on here all the time but there's always something that comes out of the constant commotion. This city is always home away from home for me."

Also Read: Virender Sehwag Pays Heartwarming Tribute To Astronaut Kaplana Chawla

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Raorchestes charius, Coorg

Looking for new subjects to shoot? Try dropping to the ground. That's where you will find the best true-life models for macro photography, suggests wildlife photographer Dr Caesar Sengupta. "Macro photography, which is producing larger than life images of small objects, is oriented around reptiles, amphibians and insects. While some insects and amphibians can be found in our backyards, reptiles aren't that common in an urban set-up," says Dr Sengupta.

He says the best times to shoot are before, during and immediately after the monsoon. "That's the time reptiles and amphibians come out. India has two biological hotspots - the Western Ghats, and the sub and eastern Himalayan region," says the expert, adding that, the quality of output from a dedicated macro lens cannot be compared to that achieved with a regular lens. Here's your guide to clicking small wonders.

Insectivorous plant, Kaas plateau

The macro checklist
* Take care of your gear and yourself in the rains, where the forest floor can be treacherous. Carry high ankle shoes or
gumboots.
* Macro photography is mostly done in low-light conditions - in the evening or at night. You need to have an external flash; organisms won't be bothered by it as their retina is not the same as ours.
* There are no venomous frogs in India, but you need to be careful with insects as they may bite or cause allergies. Personal protection is always important when entering a jungle. For reptiles, you need to know your subject well. You must know the striking distance of the reptile. It helps to travel with a biological or field expert.

Saw scaled viper, Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa. Pics Courtesy/Dr Caesar Sengupta

Top spots for hot shots
* Agumbe Rainforest Research Station in Karnataka is famous for king cobras and other species of reptiles and frogs. While the cobras aren't easily sighted, you can get permission to be a part of a rescue operation when the reptile has strayed into human territory. Dandeli and Coorg in Karnataka are also great spots.
* Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa is famous for various snakes such as Indian rock python, Russell's viper, as well as butterflies.

Indian Violet Tarantula, Goa

* Matheran is great for spotting green vine snakes, bamboo pit vipers, tarantulas and frogs.
* Within Mumbai, head to Sanjay Gandhi National Park (including Yeoor in Thane) and Maharashtra Nature Park in Mahim. Phansad, Bhimashankar and Amboli are must-visits, too. From September to October, head to Kaas plateau in Maharashtra to photograph insects and flowers.
* Thar desert is home to the Keeled rock, Sind sand, Persian micro and other geckos.

Coronavirus fears have spooked the investors worldwide with BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty falling over 25% this month, in line with many other global indices.

After sharp corrections in three trading sessions on March 9, March 12, and March 16 by 5.1%, 8.1% and 7.9% respectively, the Sensex crashed by an overall 22% this month.

Let's dive a bit deeper and look at how the impact has been on individual sectors...

1. While all sectoral indices are in a sea of red since the outbreak of coronavirus, here's a look at the worst hit sectors since coronavirus outbreak:

   Sector	Since 1 March (%)	Since 1 Jan (%)
   BSE Metal	-30%	-45%
   BSE Bankex	-31%	-37%
   BSE Oil & Gas	-24%	-36%
   BSE Auto	-24%	-36%
   BSE Finance	-30%	-36%
   BSE Realty	-31%	-36%
   BSE Capital Goods	-25%	-33%
   BSE Power	-22%	-32%
   BSE Basic Material	-26%	-32%
   BSE Consumer Discretionary	-24%	-28%
   BSE IT	-25%	-27%
   BSE FMCG	-18%	-22%
   BSE Consumer Durables	-24%	-20%
   BSE Healthcare	-15%	-15%
   BSE Telecom	-18%	-14%

   *Note that prices are as on 19 March 2020
2. As you can see in the table above, metal sector has been hit the worst on year-to-date (YTD) basis. Note that, the sector has been witnessing selling pressure since last two years. The coronavirus situation has only exacerbated the situation.
3. Another sector that is largely impacted is banking and NBFCs. After being the most preferred in the Indian equity indices for over half a decade, things have changed for stocks in the financial sector. In India it is a double blow for financial sector in the form of YES Bank fallout and prolonged slowdown which increased the chances of credit quality deterioration.
4. To put things into context, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were heavily positioned in the Indian financial space, and stocks in the sector witnessed maximum inflows during good times. Downward spiral for financial sector began since IL&FS crisis.
   
   Both, BSE Bankex and BSE Finance Index have plunged over 30% since the beginning of the month.
5. Shares of most hotel, leisure and airline firms have tumbled over 60% year-to-date, as the coronavirus outbreak across the world has forced people to cancel vacation plans. India also stand to lose foreign tourists due to the entry restrictions that have been put in place. And this has meant things getting worse for hotels and airlines sector.
6. Out of the 90 stocks listed on BSE from tourism, hospitality and film distribution segments, only 15 have given positive returns YTD.
7. Another sector that's facing the brunt is the automobile sector. Coronavirus couldn't have come at a worse time for India's auto sector that is battling a prolonged slump in demand. The virus outbreak has added to the pain, hitting production and lowering the demand even further as consumer spending is unusually low. Reportedly, the correction in the auto index is now close to what was seen during the 2008 global financial crisis. BSE Auto Index is down 36% on a YTD basis.
8. The fall in other indices like FMCG, consumer durables, capital goods and IT is relatively moderate as they do not have any direct impact of the pandemic. However, they too have been witnessing selling amid the sharp correction in Indian share markets.
9. Interestingly, Indian pharma has been doing much better than the overall index. Since the beginning of March 2020, the Sensex is down by 26% while the BSE Healthcare index is down only by 15% (till 19 March 2020).
   • One factor is the rupee weakness which has weakened well beyond the Rs 75/$ mark. A weak rupee helps exporters and pharma obviously benefits.
   • Another factor is the spread of the novel coronavirus has led global investors to rush for pharmaceutical stocks recently, on back of a rise in demand for generics and branded generics leading to shortages and over-pricing for drugs.
10. However, as the markets took a breather on Friday, the sectors that rallied the most were BSE FMCG, BSE IT and BSE Oil & Gas indices, gaining over 8% each.

What do you think will be the long-term impact for these sectors? Well, you can let us know by dropping your views in the comments section below.

While most sectors have been falling, our co-head of research, Tanushree Banerjee believes in long term, Indian auto ancillaries, textiles, chemical companies, Pharma R&D contract manufacturers, will all be the major beneficiaries of what she calls the Rebirth of India megatrend.

Also, in times like these, our special report, How to Trade the Coronavirus Crash, will help you get a grip on the current market situation...and figure out ways to profit from it.

This is the most comprehensive report on how to trade the coronavirus, both from a short-term and long-term perspective. I strongly recommend you read it now. Claim your FREE copy here...

Happy Investing!

Stock markets around the world witnessed one of the most painful correction phases in the month of March 2020.

Indian stock markets too mirrored the trend.

Here are six charts showing how Indian financial markets performed in March 2020.

1. Record Wealth Destruction
   
   

   In the month of March 2020, the Sensex fell as much as 23%.

   It is not the month where the market has fallen the most. That honor goes to October 2008 where markets tanked 23.9%, beating the 23.1% the market lost last month by a whisker.

   However, March 2020 wins hands down in wealth destruction.

   Wealth destruction of Rs 4.4 lakh crores back in 2008 pales in comparison to the Rs 14.6 lakh crores worth of wealth destroyed on the Sensex in the last month alone.

   March 2020 the Second Worst Month in History

2. Huge Selling Pressure for Individual Stocks
   
   

   Except two, all the stocks in the BSE Sensex plunged in March 2020.

   The decline was mainly led by banking stocks and financial stocks.

   Stocks such as IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, and Axis Bank fell as much as 40%-70%.

   Top BSE Gainers and Losers in March 2020

3. All Sectors in a Sea of Red
   
   

   Among sectors, all the BSE indices gave negative returns in March 2020.

   BSE Realty, BSE Bankex, BSE Finance, and BSE Auto Index fell more than 30%.

   It was a double whammy for banking and finance stocks that witnessed most of the brunt on the back of coronavirus outbreak and Yes bank crisis.

   Worst Hit Sectors in March 2020

4. Crude Oil Slumps Over 50%
   
   

   Crude oil crashed over 50% in March 2020.

   The fall was seen because of oversupply amid subdued demand.

   Oil prices crashed last month in what was the worst price dip since the 1991 Gulf War with Brent prices plunging to US$ 31 per barrel.

   Oil markets faced a double whammy from the coronavirus outbreak and a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia after OPEC and other producers failed to agree on deeper cuts to support oil prices in early March.

   Shares of oil marketing companies such as Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), GAIL, ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Indraprastha Gas were in focus in March amid record low crude oil prices.

   They witnessed buying interest and capped most losses led by the stock market crash.

   In his latest video, Ajit Dayal shares his views on the impact of the coronavirus crisis and the oil price war on the Indian economy and the stock market. You can view the same here.

   Crude Oil Continues Free Fall

5. Gold Prices Shine
   
   

   Base metals also remained under pressure as lockdown imposed in several parts of the world curbed demand, pushing stockpiles higher.

   However, gold prices rose 3% in March 2020 as demand for the safe haven asset rose with market participants bracing prolonged uncertainty in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

   To know more about gold, you can check one of Vijay Bhambwani's recent articles here: Is the Price of Gold About to Go Higher?

   Gold Witnesses Buying

6. Rupee Hits Record Low in March 2020
   
   

   Massive sell-off in equities and bonds led to a huge fall in rupee against the dollar in the month of March.

   The rupee hit a record low of 76.32 against dollar earlier this week.

   Most of the selling pressure for rupee was seen on the back of slump in equities and currencies globally. Investors were concerned that support measures from governments and central banks may be insufficient to halt the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

   Rupee Continues Downtrend

So, that was a round-up on how Indian financial markets performed in the month of March 2020.

At times like these, while we must do everything we can to guard against the coronavirus, we must not ignore our money.

Our special report, How to Trade the Coronavirus Crash, will help you get a grip on the current market situation...and figure out ways to profit from it.

This is the most comprehensive report on how to trade the coronavirus, both from a short-term and long-term perspective. I strongly recommend you read it now. Claim your FREE copy here...

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Most sectors in the Indian share markets have been drowning in a sea of red due to the crash led by coronavirus outbreak. The biggest blow, however, has been felt by the banking sector.

The sector was already reeling under pressure due multiple factors for quite some time. And things started getting worse since the start of 2020.

Here's a timeline showing some major events that happened in the Indian banking sector and led to the slowdown we are witnessing in the past few months...

1. Mounting Pile of Bad Loans: Indian banks have for years worked to beat down mounting piles of bad loans of the sort that led to the Yes Bank fallout. The ratio of gross non-performing assets (NPAs) at Indian banks rose to 11% in 2018 from about 2% in 2008, before starting to ease off.
2. IL&FS Crisis Kicks Off the Downward Spiral: Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were heavily positioned in the Indian banking and financial space, and stocks in the sector witnessed maximum inflows during good times. However, they started noticing cracks with consistent negative performance in the banking and financial sector and started moving out of them. The downward spiral for these sectors began since IL&FS crisis camec out into the open.
3. Credit Quality Deteriorates: After being the most preferred sector for over half a decade, things started changing for stocks in the banking sector since 2020. This came as the sector witnessed a double blow in the form of YES Bank fallout and prolonged economic slowdown. And all this only led to credit quality deterioration for banks.
4. YES Bank Crash: The Yes Bank crisis and the sight of Rana Kapoor being taken to court in early March came in as one of the worst months for India's banking sector.
5. Bailout for Yes Bank: To save Yes Bank, a range of Indian lenders led by the State Bank of India (SBI), infused funds in return for an equity stake. The episode came as a jolt to investors, who worried it could exacerbate vulnerabilities in the financial system.
6. Panic Selling Amid SC Order: Then came another blow. Before the dust settled on Yes Bank, the Supreme Court ruled that telecom operators must pay dues worth billions owed to the government. This caused panic-selling in bank stocks due to their heavy exposure to the telecoms sector.
7. Coronavirus Threat: The challenges now facing India's banking sector have reached another order of magnitude due to the coronavirus threat to the economy. Banking stocks have been among the hardest hit.
8. Sharp Fall for BSE Bankex: The BSE Bankex has fallen about 46% so far this year, outpacing the 32% fall in the BSE Sensex. Shares of Axis Bank and IndusInd Bank have lost the most during this period.
9. Relief Measures: Owing to all these shocks, banks have sought various relief measures. On 27 March 2020, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) came out all guns blazing to arrest a potential slowdown caused by coronavirus (Covid-19). It did not just lower the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 1% to 3% but also cut the repo rate by 0.75%. Also, there is a three-month moratorium on payment of loan installments.
10. PSB Merger: Then came the major announcement effective from 1 April 2020. First announced in August 2019, the government's ambitious plan to merge 10 state-owned banks into four came into effect from 1 April 2020. The move, aimed at strengthening the banking system and creating more large institutions with size and scale, has seen...
    • Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India merged into Punjab National Bank,
    • Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank merged into Union Bank of India,
    • Allahabad Bank merged with Indian Bank, and
    • Syndicate Bank amalgamated into Canara Bank

So, that were some top pointers on what the Indian banking sector has been going through amid the coronavirus led stock market crash.

I reached out to Tanushree Banerjee, who is closely tracking the banking sector in the current scenario. Here's her view on the sector...

• The Covid-19 lockdown has hit cash flows of both individual borrowers and corporates. This, in turn, will impact their loan repayment capability.
  
  The RBI's repo rate cut came as a temporary lifeline for Indian companies with debt on books. It will offer both companies and retail borrowers some breather. If banks use this phase judiciously, it may save the NPA ratios from worsening significantly.
  
  However, only the banks that have adequate capital and provisioning cushion may be able to tide over the economic crisis. Eventually, another round of consolidation in private sector banks, like the one after 2002, cannot be ruled out.

Tanushree's latest StockSelect recommendation is one such midcap bank.

You can read the entire report here (requires subscription).

Also, speaking of ongoing stock market crash, our special report, How to Trade the Coronavirus Crash, is the most comprehensive report on how to trade the coronavirus, both from a short-term and long-term perspective. You can claim your FREE copy here...

And rest assured, Equitymaster is with you all the way on this journey. To that end, we have decided to offer you two of our premium learning courses free!

From the comfort of your home, you can learn the basics of fundamental investing with Equitymaster Secrets and the ins and outs of making money using derivatives with Derivantage. Get started right away.

Happy Investing!

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to haunt the global financial markets, the rupee has been hit badly.

The domestic currency has been continuing its downtrend and hit its record low level against the dollar last week.

Here's a timeline showing how the Indian rupee has performed lately and the factors behind it...

1. Rupee in 2018:
   
   

   The Indian rupee was the worst performer in Asia in 2018. As can be seen from the chart below, it fell by around 12% against the US dollar. This was seen due to a strong dollar and high oil prices in 2018. Similarly, the spill-over from the emerging-market turmoil in Argentina and Turkey weighed on the rupee in 2018.

   Indian Rupee: The Worst Performing Currency in Asia in 2018

2. Rupee in 2019:
   
   

   The rupee traded on a volatile note last calendar year. However, for most of 2019, it traded on a negative note against the US dollar.

   While it started the year at 69.71 against the US dollar and also witnessed some uptrend from April 2019 to August 2019, it went on to depreciate during the end of the year. On December 2019, it ended at 71.31 against the US dollar.

   Rupee Trades was Volatile in 2019

3. Rupee in 2020 So Far:
   
   

   On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, the rupee has depreciated sharply against the US dollar. While it started the calendar year 2020 at 71.28 against the US dollar, it is currently trading at 76.27 against the US dollar. This translates to a depreciation of around 7% for the domestic currency.

   YTD Performance of the USD/INR

4. Downtrend in March 2020:
   
   

   The massive sell-off in equities and bonds led to a huge fall in rupee against the dollar in the month of March 2020. Most of the selling pressure was due to the slump in equities and currencies globally.

   Investors were concerned that support measures from governments and central banks may be insufficient to halt the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

   Here's how the currency performed in the month of March:

   Huge Depreciation of the Rupee in March 2020

5. Rupee Hits Record Low in April 2020:
   
   

   The rupee fell to a new record low of 76.55 against the US dollar on 9th April, 2020.

   This was seen as a rise in coronavirus cases fanned fears of the government extending the lockdown to contain the pandemic.

6. Factors Behind the Rupee's Fall:
   
   

   Some major factors behind the recent fall in rupee are...

   • Weak sentiments in the currency markets due to global risk aversion
   • Sharp fall in the Indian stock markets
   • Sharp fall in global financial markets due to coronavirus fears
   • Strengthening dollar
   • Thin liquidity due to reduced participation

These are some top pointers on how the Indian rupee has been performing in recent years and amid the coronavirus led stock market crash.

I reached out to Vijay Bhambwani, editor of Weekly Cash Alerts, who is closely tracking the Indian rupee in the current scenario. Here's what he has to say...

The onset of Corona virus has not been kind to the INR.

The Rupee futures (USDINR ) opened in March at 72.36 and have closed at 76.61 on April 09 2020. That is a decline of 5.87% in 6 short weeks.

The implications of the same will be widespread. India is a net importing Country. Everything that we import will now be more expensive. Approximately two thirds of all our imports are fossil fuels. Fuels are what we call multiplier effect commodities. If fuel prices rise at the petrol pumps, everything from fruits, vegetables, grains to dairy and poultry products get expensive.

That impact will be felt at a later date. I expect the trickle down effect to start appearing in prices after the April-June quarter is over.

I have already factored in this aspect in my statistical data model and plan to identify such events to generate profitable trading opportunities for my WCA plan subscribers.

Vijay has also talked about the Indian currency in a special edition podcast from Investor Hour. He shares what's around the corner for Indian rupee and how to should position oneself for potential gains.

You can listen the entire episode here...

Speaking of ongoing stock market crash, our special report, How to Trade the Coronavirus Crash, is the most comprehensive report on how to trade the coronavirus, both from a short-term and long-term perspective. You can claim your FREE copy here...

And rest assured, Equitymaster is with you all the way on this journey. To that end, we have decided to offer you two of our premium learning courses free!

From the comfort of your home, you can learn the basics of fundamental investing with Equitymaster Secrets and the ins and outs of making money using derivatives with Derivantage. Get started right away.

Happy Investing!

With the fate of the IPL hanging in balance, the future of former skipper M.S. Dhoni has been the talk of the town since the cash-rich league was set to be the platform to decide if Dhoni will make a return to the Indian team for the World T20 in Australia. And former opener Aakash Chopra feels it is highly unlikely Dhoni will play for India again.

"MS Dhoni has not told anyone anything. He has a different story. What almost everyone thinks is that he might return to the Indian team if he performs well in the IPL. But I personally feel he played his final match for India at Manchester against New Zealand," he said in a YouTube video with former Pakistan skipper Ramiz Raja.

"Since then, he has not made himself available to the team. He has not been dropped. I feel he has made up his mind that he is no longer going to play for India."

But the former opener feels there can be a change in stance if either BCCI President Sourav Ganguly or the team management calls for his services.

"Unless, of course, Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli or Ravi Shastri pick up the phone and tell Dhoni to help the team out in the T20 World Cup. If they tell Dhoni that they want him to play the World Cup, then there is a chance he could return," he said.

"Otherwise, in my opinion, Dhoni has made up his mind that 'I am not going to play, I don't need a farewell match. I came quietly, I will leave quietly'. He doesn't need grandstanding. He is not that kind of player."

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Pakistan Cricket Board has suffered massive revenue losses but it doesn't need India to "survive" and keep its finances flowing, PCB chairman Ehsan Mani said on Tuesday.

Terming the BCCI as "unreliable", Mani said Pakistan cricket is vibrant and strong enough despite not playing any bilateral series with India for long. "We have suffered losses but they (India) are not in our thinking or planning. It is like a Pie in the Sky situation. We have to live without them and we don't need them to survive," he said in a podcast released by the PCB's media department.

"I am clear if India doesn't want to play we have to plan without them. Once or twice they have made promises to play against us but pulled out at the last moment," the former ICC head added. India had avoided playing Pakistan in a full bilateral series since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

Mani said resumption of bilateral cricketing ties with India in the foreseeable future is uncertain. "Right now we play against them (India) in ICC events and Asia Cup and that is okay because we are interested in playing cricket. "We want to keep politics and sports apart," he said.

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Indian women's cricket team has qualified for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's ODI World Cup 2021, the cricket governing body announced on Wednesday. "The ICC Women's Championship Technical Committee (TC) has decided that teams will share points in all three series in the ICC Women's Championship that did not take place during the competition window," the ICC said in a statement.

The series between India and Pakistan could not be played because of a 'Force Majeure' event after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) demonstrated that it was unable to obtain the necessary government clearances to allow India to participate in the bilateral series against Pakistan that forms part of the ICC Women's Championship.

Also, the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of two series. South Africa was to host Australia and Sri Lanka was to host New Zealand in the last round of matches. New Zealand, the hosts of the World Cup 2021, and four highest-placed team on the ICC Women's Championship points table, has qualified for the premier tournament.

Australia topped the table with 37 points followed by England (29), South Africa (25) and India (23). Pakistan (19), New Zealand (17), West Indies (13) and Sri Lanka (5) completed the table. The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier is scheduled to be played from 3-19 July in Sri Lanka, this is subject to review due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Binge watching has become the most common activity in the Coronavirus-forced lockdown. Mumbai's India all-rounder Shivam Dube is no different than the rest but his choice is rather unusual.

Dube, 26, who was drafted in the Indian team in place of injured Hardik Pandya (India v Bangladesh T20I series in November 2019), has been watching India's World Cup title campaigns spearheaded by MS Dhoni, for motivation.

India lifted the inaugural World T20 trophy in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup in 2011. "To keep my mindset healthy, I am watching India's two World Cup titles. They inspire me and provide me a pathway for what I can do for my country in the future. It keeps me motivated," Dube told Sunday mid-day on Saturday.

All-rounder Shivam Dube (right) with father Rajesh, mother Madhuri and sister Pooja at their Andheri East residence on Saturday

"I watched the 2011 ODI World Cup final many times because I am confident India can do it again [in 2023]. I also watched the T20 World Cup games several times. I think India are the best team in any format. I am sure we can win these two World Cups again," said Dube, who has featured in 13 T20Is and one ODI. Dube is working hard on his fitness at his Andheri East home. He was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the last IPL, where he scored 40 runs in four games. He was looking forward to playing the IPL again but it has been indefinitely suspended.

"I am missing everything of the IPL. It's difficult but we don't have a choice. We have to stay home and fight the virus," remarked Dube. But there are positives: "I am with my family after a long time, so I am helping my mother, father and sister as much as I can with household chores. I sometimes help my mother with cooking and cleaning. This also helps in bonding."

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Educating about the importance of face mask, Indian cricketers- both men and women- on Saturday came together in a video, making an appeal to fellow countrymen to use a home mask and join the 'team mask force'. Wearing a facial mask for anyone stepping out was made compulsory in Delhi on April 8. Several other states had also made wearing maks compulsory as coronavirus in the country continues to rage. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video in which cricketers were urging people to wear a homemade mask.

The video features the likes of former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Indian captain Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Mithali Raj, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Rahul Dravid. At the end of the video, Tendulkar also reminded everyone to wash hands at least for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.

#TeamIndia is now #TeamMaskForce!

Join #IndiaFightsCorona and download @mygovindia's @SetuAarogya mobile application 📱@PMOIndia @narendramodi 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/M06okJhegt

— BCCI (@BCCI) April 18, 2020

Meanwhile, according to the Union Health Ministry, a total of 14,378 people have tested positive for the infection so far in the country and 480 deaths have been reported from across the country due to the coronavirus till now.

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The threat of online corrupt approaches does not cause much anxiety to BCCI's head of Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) Ajit Singh, who says Indian players are well aware of the modus operandi of fixers and are quick to report anything suspect. The ICC ACU head Alex Marshall, in an interview to 'The Guardian', said that prolonged lockdown and players using various social media platform could lead to corrupt approaches being made and people need to tread carefully. Singh said BCCI ACU is in control. "...we have made our players aware about the way people approach you and modus operandi through social media. We have told them 'look this is how they (potential fixers and bookies) would approach you'," the veteran IPS officer told PTI in an interaction. "(They will) try and behave like a fan and then try to meet you through someone who may be your acquaintance," he added. "Somehow these elements try and touch base with players. Most of them (India players), whenever it happens, they do report to us that I have got a contact."

Most of the top players, with millions of followers, have been very active online with Q and A sessions on twitter, interactive chats on instagram and Facebook live. So is the BCCI's ACU team tracking the online content? "Whatever can be tracked online, we do that. But obviously the physical verification part of going out and checking locations is out of question in times of a lockdown," he spoke about practical problems. "But if something comes to our notice, it automatically goes into our database and once lockdown is over, we will verify those if the need arises." Singh said the easiest aspect of tracking social media content is that it doesn't require too much manpower. "A few men who know their jobs can do it pretty well," the former DGP of Rajasthan said. But Singh said that, in his two year stint, all current India players have been honest and upright, very aware about their responsibilities. "We are not adversaries of players. The players and ACU are one team. It's the people who are trying to corrupt the games, they are the ones we need to track down." He said that both tracking social media and physical verification of corrupt approaches has its own set of challenges.

"Those who were trying to corrupt the players with physical presence and those using fake IDs on social media handles, converge at some point," he said. "Either it's the same person with a fake ID who tries to approach the player or uses someone on his behalf. So there is a pattern of convergence. One has to follow both the lines," he added. Singh said even former players have approached the ACU when they have found something unusual. "There have been things coming from current players and also retired players. There has been information coming from them. Things that they doubted, which look suspicious. "Any information is useful. Even if it's a false alarm, it raises the awareness level of the players as well as the skills of the team investigating it," the retired top cop said. There are some structural plans for the BCCI's ACU which will only materialise once normalcy returns after the COVID-19 pandemic. "Every zone will have a zonal head as it had been said earlier. A few zones don't have zonal heads, so we will fill those posts," he said.

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Cricket is rightly considered as a religion in India and is the most celebrated sport in the country. Whoever makes a career in cricket has one longing wish to play for the country and Indian cricketers rightly inspire with their story and innumerable achievements. With a dream to become a cricketer since childhood, Jeel Pareshbhai Gajipara grew up looking at his hero Mahendra Singh Dhoni's journey as a sportsperson. Gajipara born on October 24, 2001, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat is a notable name in the cricket. Since his school, he was fascinated by the sport after which he decided to make become a cricketer.

Currently, he is pursuing his B.Com from GLS University. The young and good looking guy also loves to do modeling. However, he considers cricket as his only passion in life. He has played for both domestic as well as international tournaments. He has played for many tournaments from Nepal, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. The batsman has also created many records for himself including his smashing batting of 97 runs from 32 deliveries for the Mumbai domestic team. Some of his other best scores include 136 runs in 67 deliveries, 116 runs in 71 deliveries and 177 runs in 122 deliveries respectively.

These batting scores totally show his love for the sport and prove that he is here to stay. His hard work and passion for cricket will one day surely fulfill his dream. Calling MS Dhoni as his idol, Jeel has a dream of playing for India and be successful as the former Indian skipper. "Before playing for India, I want to play in the IPL (Indian Premier League)", he quoted. For his achievements, Jeel was also featured in a Gujarati newspaper and had his interview on E24 news channel. The young blood's journey is commendable and we hope to see him play for the Indian Cricket Team one day.

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Sunil Gavaskar says India can swap the T20 World Cup with Australia and host it this year instead of the scheduled 2021 edition, provided the COVID-19 curve flattens in the country. Global sporting activities have come to a halt due the COVID-19 pandemic, jeopardising events like the 2020 T20 World Cup, scheduled in Australia from October 18-November 15.

India are supposed to host the next edition in 2021. "As we all know, Australia has barred foreigners from entering the country till September 30. The tournament starts mid-October so it is looking difficult at the moment," Gavaskar told India Today.

"Next year the T20 World Cup is in India. If India and Australia come to an agreement and the COVID-19 curve in India flattens out, they can swap. It can be held in India this October-November and next year in Australia around the same time."

The IPL too has been indefinitely postponed but there is a possibility of it being held in September. "If it (T20 WC swap) happens that way, IPL is just held prior to T20 World Cup so there is enough practice for the players. Then you can have T20 World Cup in November and Asia Cup in December in UAE. December is a much better time to host a tournament in the UAE," said the 70-year-old.

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Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts has expressed the board's desire to host a five-Test series against India later this year. India's tour of Australia currently consists of four Tests and three ODIs. However, Roberts has hinted that there could be an additional Test in the series when Virat Kohli and company reach their shores in November. Terming their relationship with the BCCI as 'strong', Roberts said a five-Test series is a possibility but not a certainty at this stage. "There's no certainty about that [five-Test series] for the coming season, but what I can say is that the relationship between the BCCI and Cricket Australia is really strong," Roberts told reporters on a video call.

"We've discussed a shared desire to evolve to five-Test series between Australia and India in the future. "It's something we've both committed to in principle in the future, the big question is whether or not we can bring that in before the next future tours cycle in 2023. "We don't know what prospect there is of that next season, but certainly with a changing landscape...we won't rule out a possibility of that until we get closer to the time," he added.

Kevin Roberts

Roberts also revealed the board is looking at the prospect of hosting all the matches at a single venue in their bid to keep the players and staff safe amid Coronavirus pandemic. "We won't rule anything out in terms of the Indian series. Along with the BCCI and Indian players, we want to stage a series that inspires the cricket world, whether or not there are people in the stands," Roberts said.

"We need to face into all possibilities. Fortunately, we have a little bit of time to work out the scenarios," he added. The cancellation of the Test series against India could cost Cricket Australia potentially up to $300 million (R2307 crore) in lost TV revenue.

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Former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq believes the difference between India and Pakistan teams during his playing days was that Indian players played for themselves while Pakistani players played for the team.

"When we played against India, their batting was more powerful than us on paper. But even our batsmen scored 30 or 40 runs, it was for the team, but for India, even if they scored 100 runs, they played for themselves," Inzamam said during the chat show with Ramiz Raja on YouTube.

"So, that was the difference between the two sides," he added.

Inzamam, who represented the national team in 120 Tests, 378 ODIs and 1 T20I between 1991 to 2007, played at a time when Pakistan used to dominate India on the cricket field.

However, in recent times, the tables have turned with India having an upper hand over their Asian neighbours.

Overall, Pakistan and India have played 59 Tests, 132 ODIs and 8 T20Is against each other in which India have won 9, 55 and 6 matches respectively while Pakistan have emerged victorious in 12, 73 and 1 games respectively.

When it comes to 50-over World Cup, India have won all the seven matches they have played against Pakistan. In T20 World Cup, India have won four out of five matches against Pakistan while the remaining one yielded no result.

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Veteran India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Thursday said the current Indian team lacks a match-winner down the order and is too dependent on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

"This team is too dependent on Virat and you (Rohit). After Virat and you are gone, we lose 70 percent of the matches. Lower down the order few (players are there who can) win matches," Harbhajan said during an Instagram chat with India limited overs vice-captain Rohit.

"During our time, we had the trust that someone will make runs even after top three is out, taaki match na nikal jaaye haath se (match does not slip out of our hands). This is one area I think this team can work on. You need to find more match-winners," said Harbhajan, India's third highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.

"Like you (Rohit) had great World Cup (2019). But one had a great World Cup and we reach the semi-finals. Had we got three who did well in the World Cup, we could have won"

The ace offie, who helped India win the 2011 50-over World Cup, also heaped praise on K.L. Rahul saying he is another match-winner besides Virat and Rohit and can bat anywhere in the order.

"Apart from you (Rohit) and Virat, K.L. Rahul is a real match-winner. He can play at No. 5, No. 6 and can open as well," said the Turbanator, as he is fondly called.

Harbhajan also urged the team management to give longer ropes to players who can then express themselves better.

"They play well in the IPL but I don't see them playing like that for the national team. They are a totally different player in IPL. I think they are scared of their place being gone. If you give them a run of 9-10 games, they have a better chance to succeed," said the 39-year old.

"Same in Tests also. The team won in Australia we played well in India too. But in New Zealand you (Rohit) were injured, Prithvi Shaw was brought back which is a good thing. My concern is someone like Shubman Gill..he was in team from before. Now Rohit is a successful Test opener. But Gill...if he is not playing it is not healthy for him and the team as well. So he has to get a chance. It is not just for Gill I am saying."

Harbhajan also said it is good to see Shreyas Iyer doing well at No. 4 and the team management has done well by giving him a long rope.

On M.S. Dhoni making a comeback to the Indian team, he said: "When I was in Chennai Super Kings camp, people asked me about Dhoni. I don't know its upto him. You need to know whether he wants to play for India again.

"As far as I know him, he won't want to wear India blue again. IPL he will play but for India I think he had decided World Cup (2019) was his last."

Harbhajan, who now plays for CSK but has also turned out for Mumbai Indians, said while the former are a chilled out unit under Dhoni, the pressure of expectation is there in MI.

"It is a chilled out setup here. MI... we were under pressure that you need to win. There was pressure of expectation always."

Harbhajan also named the likes of Jacques Kallis, Mathew Hayden, Brian Lara, Younis Khan, and Inzamam-ul-Haq as the foreign batters he found it tough against.

As far as the best spinners are concerned, he named Nathan Lyon, Muttiah Muralitharan, Graeme Swann and Saqlain Mushtaq among those that come to his mind.

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Former India skipper Kapil Dev was pulled up by former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi after he turned down Shoaib Akhtar's proposal for a India-Pakistan series to raise funds to fight the Coronavirus outbreak. But Kapil has made it clear that he is standing his ground.

"You could be emotional and say that yes, India and Pakistan should play matches. Playing matches is not a priority at the moment. If you need the money then you should stop the activities at the border. The money which will be spent can be used to build hospitals and schools. If we really need money than we have so many religious organisations, they should come forward. It is their responsibility. We offer so much money when we visit the religious shrines, so they should help the government," Kapil told Sports Tak.

In fact, he wants everyone to look at the larger picture and not even think about cricket at present. "I am looking at the larger picture. Do you think cricket is the only issue we can talk about? I am rather worried about the children who are not being able to go to schools and colleges because that is our young generation. So, I want schools to reopen first. Cricket, football will happen eventually," he added.

Afridi had earlier said: "Kapil's reaction has surprised me. I expected better from him and feel one should not talk like this in these crisis times. Sport is supposed to bring people together and build bridges. It is pretty disappointing," he said.

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Jasprit Bumrah has risen rapidly to become one of the leading fast bowlers in the world but he says many thought that he would be the "last person to play for India" given his unusual bowling action. The Indian pacer made this revelation during a live session on Instagram with former India batsman Yuvraj Singh.

"Many people told me that I won't play for long, there was an expectation that the last person to play for the country would be me," said Bumrah when Yuvraj asked him about his high-arm bowling action. "They told me that I would just play one or two Ranji Trophy games, that it (the action) is difficult for the body. But I kept on improving and I persisted with my action," said the 26-year-old, who made his India debut in January 2016 following his exploits in the IPL. Bumrah, without taking names, also revealed the inspiration behind his action. "I have not taken special coaching and whatever I have learnt is from seeing the TV. I used to replicate the action of a tennis ball bowler. "I don't know when this action was developed.

Till under-19, I had a different action. That used to change, but when this action got developed, then nobody allowed me to change it and I worked on it," he said. Bumrah has gone on to play 64 ODIs, 50 T20s and 14 Tests for the country since breaking into the side. He made his Test debut in January 2018 and in quick time, became Virat Kohli's go to bowler even in the five-day format. "...I value Test cricket as we have to work hard for every wicket and it's satisfying. Every Test is important for me, even though I haven't played (a Test) in India, I'm waiting (for it)," he said. During the chat, Yuvraj reminded Bumrah that he had predicted that the pacer would go on to become the "number one bowler in the world". And he did in 2017 when he reached the top spot in the T20 rankings.

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Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth has heaped praise on legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's son Arjun and said that the 20-year-old will definitely play for India.

The speedster also said that Arjun has a brilliant action and a great rhythm.

In 2019, Arjun was picked for Rs five lakhs, after an intense bidding process, by Akash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburb for the second season of the Mumbai T20 League.

The all-rounder was one of the favorite players as almost every team had bid for him which led to an intense bidding session.

Sreesanth first wished Sachin Tendulkar a happy birthday on Twitter and the batting legend replied to the former pacer on social media as well. 

Thanks for the wishes Sree! My best wishes to you and everyone at home. Stay healthy Stay safe.

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 27, 2020

"Thanks a lot Sachin Paaji..u made my day, great to hear from you..love and warm regds to all at home..nd great to c Arjun doing well ..he is got a brilliant action nd great rhythm..he will surly play for India," Sreesanth said while replying to Sachin in a tweet.

Thanks a lot Sachin Paaji..u made my day, great to hear from you..love and warm regds to all at home..nd great to c Arjun doing well ..he is got a brilliant action nd great rhythm..he will surly play for 🇮🇳✌🏻🤗🤗🤗

— Sreesanth (@sreesanth36) April 27, 2020

Sreesanth has played 27 Tests and 53 ODIs for India. He has also played 10 T20Is and was a key cog in the bowling wheel of team India during ICC T20 cup 2007 in South Africa.

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Kumar Sangakkara and Brett Lee were the only overseas players that made it to veteran South African pacer Dale Steyn's best XI of players he has faced or played with.'

Interestingly, the team included his "school bowling partner", "best friend" and his "club captain," Cricket South Arica said in its tweet.

Steyn picked his former South African skipper Graeme Smith and former Sri Lankan captain Sangakkara as openers. Jacques Kallis, widely rated as one of the greatest all- rounders of all time, slots in at no.4 while Jhonty Rhodes comes in at no.5.

Wicketkeeper and current South African limited overs skipper Quinton de Kock came in at no.6.

Australia's Lee, former South African spinner Paul Harris and Proteas fast bowling great Allan Donald made up the bowling department.

A notable omission from Steyn's XI is AB de Villiers, with whom he played most of his international matches with and was considered among the batsmen in the world throughout his international career. Also, there was no India in the XI picked up by Steyn.

Steyn's Best XI he played with or against: Kumar Sangakkara, Graeme Smith, Dave Hawken, Jacques Kallis, Jonty Rhodes, Quinton de Kock, Bret Bargiachi, Peter Lombard, Brett Lee, Paul Harris, Allan Donald.

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As the ace cricketer Rohit Sharma turns 33 today, let us go down the memory lane and relive the three double tons scored by the right-handed batsman in the ODI format.

Rohit, popularly known as the 'Hitman' made his ODI debut on June 23, 2007, but the batsman came into his known once he became the full-fledged opener in the limited formats.

Opening the batting, Rohit played his natural game and dominated the bowling attacks from the very start of his innings.

It is a testament to Rohit's aggressive batting abilities that the batsman has three double tons to his name in the ODI format.

Now, let's relive Rohit's three double tons in the 50-over format.

209 vs Australia, Bengaluru, 2013

Batting first, Rohit was slow off the mark and he took his time in building the innings. However, as soon as he got the scheme of things, Rohit started to go after the spin bowlers and in no time went past the 100-run mark. After reaching his century, he shifted gears and went on to bring up his first double century in ODIs. He went on to play a knock of 209 off just 158 balls. This innings helped India post 383 runs on the board, and the effort helped the side win the match by 57 runs.

264 vs Sri Lanka, Kolkata, 2014

Rohit went on to score 264 runs off just 173 balls against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata and this knock remains the highest score by any batsman in the 50-over format to date. The 32-year-old was given a reprieve when he was just on a score of four runs, and the batsman went on to make the most of it as he scored 260 more runs to make the Sri Lankan bowlers toil on the field.

208 vs Sri Lanka, Mohali, 2017

Batting first, Rohit Sharma went on play a knock of 208 runs off just 153 balls to take the Men in Blue's score to 392/4. The right-handed batsman's innings was studded with 13 fours and 12 sixes. This effort helped India win the match by 141 runs.

In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Rohit Sharma finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer after registering 648 runs from just nine matches at an average of 81.00.

During the tournament, he had also become the first batsman to score five centuries in a single edition of the World Cup.

Rohit, who is now the vice-captain of the ODI team, has played 224 ODIs, 108 T20Is and 32 Tests so far.

The limited-overs vice-captain has so far scored 14,029 runs across all formats.

In the longest format, he has also reinvented himself as the batsman started opening the batting in Test cricket last year.

Rohit would have been in action for the Mumbai Indians had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Australia have moved to the top of the Test and T20I rankings for men while England continue to lead the men's ODI rankings after the annual update carried out on Friday, which eliminates results from 2016-17. In the latest update, that rates all matches played since May 2019 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent, Australia (116) have taken over from India as the top-ranked side in the ICC men's Test team rankings with New Zealand (115) remaining in second place. India are now third with 114 points.

With only two points separating them, this is the second closest the top three teams have been since the Test rankings were launched in 2003. The closest for the top three teams were in January 2016, when India had led Australia and South Africa by a single point. India have yielded the top spot for the first time since October 2016. This is largely because India had won 12 Tests and lost just one Test in 2016-17, the records of which were removed in the latest update. They had won all five series during this period including against Australia and England.

On the other hand, Australia had lost to South Africa as well as to India in the same period. South Africa have suffered the biggest rating fall of eight points, which sees them drop below Sri Lanka into sixth place. They had won three series in the period culled, while they have lost eight of their nine Tests since February 2019, playing against Sri Lanka, India and England. India still lead the ICC World Test Championship, a league comprising six series played by each of the top nine Test sides.

In the ICC men's ODI team rankings, reigning World champions England (127) have increased their lead over India from six to eight points. New Zealand remain in third place, three points behind India, The top ten rankings remain unchanged. By contrast, the updated ICC Men's T20I team rankings see plenty of changes. Australia (278) top the list for the first time since the T20I rankings were introduced in 2011. Pakistan, who had overtaken New Zealand to reach top position in January 2018 and then spent 27 months there, are now fourth with 260 points.

England have moved into second position with 268 points while India are up one place to third, just two points behind. Afghanistan are down from seventh to tenth while Bulgaria are the biggest gainers, up 12 places to 51st in the 84-country list of teams that played the requisite six matches in the past three years.

When the global T20I rankings were launched 12 months ago, there were 80 ranked teams. Since then seven teams have joined the table (Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania and Turkey), while three countries (France, Isle of Man and France) have lost their rankings having played insufficient matches.

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With so much of disarray caused in cricket scheduling by the Coronavirus, it's a time to expect the unexpected. And that includes some plans which appear far-fetched yet do-able. Probably, the cricket establishment worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic-caused chaos is Cricket Australia, who is scheduled to host October's T20 World Cup and a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in the Australian summer of 2020-21. Not only has the India-Australia rivalry become the only second to the Ashes in terms of significance, but it is also a major money-spinner. It is safe to assume that no more virus-related threats to this summer's Border-Gavaskar Trophy will give the rulers of Australian cricket much hope to regain lost ground on the financial front.

Five-match Test series likely

A source in the know of cricket administration in Australia says that there could well be a five-Test match India v Australia series and an equal amount of ODI and T20 matches between the two nations. "The administrators here have it all planned. An Australian airline giant will step in to fly the Indian cricketers on a special flight. Social distancing norms will be maintained on board, ruling out all health threats to the players. Matches could be held in no more than two venues with no spectators in the stands of course," said a source. What happens to the Indian Premier League and the T20 World Cup dates? "From what I hear, the T20 World Cup will be held in February-March and India's tour of Australia for the five Tests and limited overs series will be staged from November to early January. The IPL will hopefully take place in the months of October to November," said the source.

Adelaide to host most games

It is learnt that the Australian authorities will propose to hold most matches at the Adelaide Oval, where a hotel is situated at the ground's premises. The Indian players will be extremely busy considering England are to tour India for a series which will be held on the Indian team's return from Australia.

India and Australia have not engaged in a five-Test battle on Australian soil since 1991-92 when the hosts won 4-0. Post the 1999-2000 Border-Gavaskar series which comprised three Tests, both countries have always engaged in a four-Test series Down Under.

India won their first Test series in Australia in January 2019 while Australia have not won a Test series in India since 2004-05.

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The two-month wait endured by India's Physical Disability T20 World Series-winning team for their prize money from the BCCI finally ended on Saturday after the Indian cricket board ensured that the Rs 3 lakh [to each player and support staff member] was remitted in their respective bank accounts.

mid-day on Friday had highlighted the hopes players had from the BCCI after the cash reward was announced on March 4. The BCCI deposited Rs 2.70 lakh [after tax] to all 18 players and five support staff members of the winning team.

It was a huge relief for Suganesh Mahendaran, son of an auto rickshaw driver. "I didn't expect the money to come so soon. When my teammate Ramesh Naidu informed me, I just couldn't believe it. This money is quite precious and we will use it very carefully," said the hard-hitting Tamil Nadu all-rounder, who changed the complexion of the final v England with his 11-ball 33 to help clinch the title in August 2019 at Worcestershire.

Naidu was thrilled too. "It is a huge amount for jobless cricketers like me. I will give this money to my father as he knows how best to utilise it," said Naidu, who is doing his M Tech from IIT Chennai.

Coach Sulakshan Kulkarni thanked mid-day for highlighting the players' cause. "We all received the money from BCCI. mid-day's article has made a lot of difference. So, a big thank you," said the former Mumbai wicketkeeper and Ranji Trophy-winning coach.

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Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has recalled how he and Zaheer Abbas went after the Indian spin attack -- comprising of Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna -- and scored bulk of runs in the three-match Test series in 1978-79.

Both Miandad and Abbas took the famous Indian spin troika to cleaners in the series which Pakistan won 2-0.

"Chandrasekhar, Bedi, Prasanna... India's strength was this, their spinners. And they did well around the world but when they came here (Pakistan), they were taken to the cleaners. Our players robbed them for so many runs," said Miandad in his Youtube channel.

Miandad recounted the first Test of the series played in Faisalabad and said how he and Abbas went after the Indian spinners.

"I remember that Chandrasekhar was giving some troubles to Zaheer bhai. Then he told me 'Javed please tackle him for me'. I obviously said yes. Meanwhile from the other end, Zaheer bhai was taking a lot of runs off Bedi sahib and Prasanna," said Miandad.

"Then I said, 'Zaheer bhai please allow me to take some runs too, I will also use my feet against them. I'm stuck here. I won't take a single off the last ball'," he added.

Both Miandad (154) and Abbas (176) scored big hundreds in that match which ended in a draw.

In the second Test in Lahore, there was still no respite for the Indian spinners as Abbas scored a brilliant double hundred as Pakistan won the match by eight wickets.

In the final Test in Karachi, it was the turn of Miandad to score a century as India lost the Test and ultimately lost the series 0-2.

Chandrasekhar took eight wickets in that series at an average of 48.12 while Bedi scalped six wickets at an average of 74.83. Prasanna managed to pick just two wickets in the two matches he played in the series at an average of 125.50.

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With the world coming to a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic, former and current sportspersons have been interacting on social media to keep fans engaged and former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has said that he would love to take up an offer to coach the Indian fast bowlers.

In an interview on social networking app Helo, Akhtar said that he has never stepped back from sharing his knowledge and he would be more than happy to do the same with Indian bowlers.

Asked if he was open to coach the Indian team if such an offer came, he said: "I will definitely. My job is to spread knowledge. What I have learned is (ilm) knowledge and I will spread it. I will produce more aggressive, fast and more talkative bowlers than the current ones who will tell-off the batsmen in a way that you will enjoy a lot."

Earlier, Akhtar had proposed a series between India and Pakistan to help raise funds to fight the pandemic. While former India skipper Kapil Dev was against the idea, Akhtar found the support of former captain Shahid Afridi.

"The entire world is fighting against coronavirus and we need unity in our region to defeat this common enemy. Such negative comments don't help at all. I don't see anything wrong with Shoaib Akhtar's suggestion for Pakistan and India to play cricket.

"Kapil's reaction has surprised me. I expected better from him and feel one should not talk like this in these crisis times. Sport is supposed to bring people together and build bridges. It is pretty disappointing," he said.

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Amidst the break from cricketing events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, legendary Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf picked his favourite Indian batsman of the current era.

During a recent Question and Answer session on social media with fans, Yousuf was asked to name his favourite Men In Blue cricketer.

The legendary middle-order batsman then picked Indian skipper Virat Kohli and swashbuckling batsman, Rohit Sharma, as his favorite cricketer.

Rohit, who is now the vice-captain of the ODI team, has played 224 ODIs, 108 T20Is, and 32 Tests so far. The limited-overs vice-captain has so far scored 14,029 runs across all formats.

In the longest format, he has also reinvented himself as the batsman started opening the batting in Test cricket last year. Rohit is the only player in the world to have three double tons to his name in ODI cricket.

He also holds the record for the highest individual score in the 50-over format as he played a knock of 264 runs against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens.

On the other hand, Kohli is widely hailed as the run-machine and has many records under his belt.

In 86 Test matches, he had 7,240 runs studded with 27 centuries and 22 half-centuries. In 248 ODIs, he has amassed 11,867 runs with an average of 59.33.

In the shortest format of the game, he has played 82 games in which he slammed 2,794 runs at an average of 50.80 with the help of 24 fifties.

Both Rohit and Kohli would have been in action for their respective franchise had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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India's limited-over vice-captain Rohit Sharma in an Instagram Live with Australian opener David Warner said India's tour of Australia, which is scheduled after the T20 World Cup, will be a "great way" to restart international calendar.

'Love playing Australia'

"I love playing against Australia. When we won last time [in 2019], it was great for us. You guys [Warner and Steve Smith] were missing [due to ball-tampering bans]. "What our bowlers and batters did there was amazing. I am looking forward to the upcoming tour already. Hope both boards manage to get the series underway. Will be a great way to kick off cricket in the world," Rohit said.

India won their first Test series in Australia, and Warner said he was feeling helpless watching his team lose. "Watching that series was hard as you can't do anything from the outside. But I want to say that India has the best pace attack against left-handers. They zero in one spot and keep bowling there. "Mentally, it was great for Indian cricket but it was hard to watch. I felt helpless," said Warner.

The southpaw said it is unlikely that the T20 World Cup will be staged in his country in October-November because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The ICC World Cup will not go ahead here by the looks of it. It will be difficult to get everyone (16 teams) together," he said. Warner is also not enthused by the idea of playing in front of empty stands, like Australia did against New Zealand in Sydney in March before the ODI series was called off.

Bizarre experience

"It was a bizarre experience. You could only hear echo of the cricket ball. It was bizarre. We are used to calling 'yes and no' while running between wickets but we did not need to do that. It was literally like playing a warm-up game."

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