KC Vora

Atul Auto has appointed KC Vora as Designated Additional Director as Non-Executive independent director on its board, with effect from March 15, 2026.

The company’s board approved the appointment at its meeting held on March 14 following the recommendation of the nomination and remuneration committee, the company said in a regulatory filing. The term of appointment will be for three years subject to shareholder approval as per regulatory requirements.

Vora is currently working as Program Director – Automotive Center of Excellence at NAMTECH, IIT Gandhinagar Research Park. He has over 40 years of experience Automotive industry And the world of education.

During his career, he has worked with organizations including Walchandnagar Industries, Emitech, Mahindra & Mahindra and Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). He retired from ARAI in 2021 as Senior Deputy Director and Head of ARAI Academy.

Additionally, Vora is an advisor to the Automotive Skills Development Council and chairs its expert group on electric vehicles. He has written more than 120 technical papers, authored four books and holds four patents related to Automotive Engineering and Technology.

Vora holds a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Birla Vishwakarma College. Automotive Engineering from Veermata Jijabai Institute of Technology, and a PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

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Ships can be seen anchored near Fujairah port as smoke from a burning oil facility fills the sky in Fujairah (AP Photo)

An Indian-flagged crude tanker was attacked when it was loading crude oil at an oil terminal at Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday. The ship floated out safely the next day and everyone on board was safe.According to a government statement, the ship named Jag Ladki departed from Fujairah at 10.30 am carrying about 80,800 tonnes of Murban crude oil and is now headed to India. Officials confirmed that the ship and all Indian sailors on board were safe.

“On March 14, 2026, the Indian flag vessel Jag Ladki was loading crude oil at Fujairah Single Point Mooring when the Fujairah Oil Terminal was attacked. The vessel departed Fujairah today (Sunday) at 1030 hrs IST safely carrying approximately 80,800 tonnes of Murban crude oil and headed for India,” the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a press release.“The ship and all Indian sailors on board are safe,” it said.Jag Ladki is the fourth Indian flag ship to safely leave the conflict affected area. Its safe departure is considered critical as disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz have affected shipping activities and energy supplies in the region.Earlier on Saturday, two Indian-flagged LPG carriers – Shivalik and Nanda Devi – successfully transited the war-torn Strait of Hormuz carrying a combined cargo of about 92,712 tonnes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). Shivalik is expected to reach Mundra port in Gujarat on March 16, while Nanda Devi is scheduled to reach Kandla port a day later.The two ships were among 24 ships stranded on the western side of the strait since hostilities began in the area. The other four ships were stranded on the eastern side.One of those ships, the Indian-flagged tanker Jag Prakash, transited the strait on Friday after loading gasoline from Oman’s Sohar port. It is currently headed towards Tanga, Tanzania and is expected to reach there on March 21.Indian ships and sailors operating in the area are safe, officials said, although the situation is being closely monitored. Currently, 22 Indian-flagged ships carrying 611 sailors remain off the western shore of the Persian Gulf region.India is heavily dependent on energy imports, getting about 88 percent of its crude oil, 50 percent of natural gas and 60 percent of LPG from foreign markets. Before the conflict escalated following the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, more than half of India’s crude oil imports, about 30 per cent of gas and up to 90 per cent of LPG, came from Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.The conflict has disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies. While India has partially mitigated the disruption in crude oil supply by increasing purchases from countries including Russia, gas supplies to industrial users have been reduced and LPG availability has been reduced for commercial establishments such as hotels and restaurants.The government said maritime authorities remain in constant coordination with stakeholders to ensure the safety of Indian seafarers.“The Directorate General of Shipping continues to monitor the situation in coordination with ship owners, RPSL agencies and Indian missions,” the update said.It said that since the activation of the DG Shipping Control Room, officials have handled 2,995 phone calls and over 5,357 emails from seafarers, their families and other maritime stakeholders seeking information and assistance.So far, 276 Indian sailors have been safely brought back from the Gulf region, including 23 in the last 24 hours.Ports across India are also keeping a close watch on vessel movements and cargo operations as the maritime situation evolves, while the Ministry of Shipping continues to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions and shipping companies to ensure the safety of Indian personnel and continuity of maritime trade, officials said.

उत्तर प्रदेश समाचार: उत्तर प्रदेश के देवरिया जिले से एक बेहद चौंकाने वाला मामला सामने आया है। यहां एक कथित गिरोह पर नाबालिग बच्चों को डराकर उनका खून निकालकर बेचने का आरोप लगा है. घटना सामने आने के बाद इलाके में हड़कंप मच गया और परिजनों में जबरदस्त गुस्सा है. यह मामला देवरिया कोतवाली थाना क्षेत्र के उमा नगर कॉलोनी का बताया जा रहा है. स्थानीय लोगों का कहना है कि इलाके में पिछले कुछ समय से एक गिरोह सक्रिय है, जिसे लोग ‘ड्रैकुला गैंग’ कहते हैं. शिकायत मिलने के बाद पुलिस ने मामले को गंभीरता से लेते हुए जांच शुरू कर दी है और आरोपियों की पहचान करने की कोशिश की जा रही है.

बच्चों को डराकर पैसे मांगने का आरोप
स्थानीय लोगों के मुताबिक, इस गिरोह के सदस्य इलाके में नाबालिग बच्चों को रोकते थे और उनसे पैसे मांगते थे. जब बच्चे पैसे नहीं दे पाते थे तो उन्हें डराया-धमकाया जाता था। आरोप है कि गिरोह के सदस्य बच्चों से कहते थे कि अगर वे पैसे नहीं दे सकते तो उन्हें रक्तदान करके इसकी भरपाई करनी चाहिए। बताया जा रहा है कि बच्चों को हथियार दिखाकर डराया गया ताकि वे किसी से शिकायत न करें. इस वजह से कई बच्चे डर के मारे काफी देर तक चुप रहे.

ब्लड बैंक में ले जाकर खून निकाला गया।
मोहल्ले के लोगों का आरोप है कि गिरोह के सदस्य बच्चों को जबरन कोतवाली थाना क्षेत्र के सोनूघाट स्थित एक ब्लड बैंक में ले जाते थे. वहां कथित तौर पर बच्चों का खून निकाला जाता था और बाद में उस खून को बेच दिया जाता था. जब बच्चों ने यह पूरी बात अपने परिवार वालों को बताई तो परिवार वाले हैरान और डर गए। कई बच्चों ने बताया कि गिरोह के सदस्य उन्हें रास्ते में रोककर पैसे मांगते थे. पैसे नहीं देने पर उन्हें जबरन उठा लिया जाता था और ब्लड बैंक में रक्तदान करने के लिए मजबूर किया जाता था.

इसकी शिकायत पुलिस अधीक्षक से की गई
घटना की जानकारी मिलने के बाद अभिभावकों ने सामूहिक रूप से जिला पुलिस अधीक्षक संजीव सुमन से मुलाकात की और पूरे मामले की शिकायत की. शिकायत मिलने के बाद एसपी ने तुरंत जांच के आदेश दिये. पुलिस टीम को मामले की गहनता से जांच कर आरोपियों की पहचान कर कार्रवाई करने के निर्देश दिए गए हैं। फिलहाल पुलिस कई संदिग्ध लोगों से पूछताछ कर रही है और घटना से जुड़े सभी तथ्यों की जांच की जा रही है.

इलाके में गुस्सा और डर बढ़ गया
घटना सामने आने के बाद उमा नगर कॉलोनी और आसपास के इलाके के लोगों में भारी गुस्सा है. स्थानीय लोग आरोपियों की जल्द गिरफ्तारी की मांग कर रहे हैं. इसके अलावा बच्चों की सुरक्षा को लेकर भी चिंताएं जताई जा रही हैं. पुलिस अधिकारियों का कहना है कि मामले की हर पहलू से जांच की जा रही है और जो भी दोषी पाया जाएगा उसके खिलाफ सख्त कानूनी कार्रवाई की जाएगी. जांच पूरी होने के बाद पूरे मामले का खुलासा हो जायेगा.

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner said he no longer apologizes for the Nazi-related tattoo with which he was caught last year and claimed Jewish leaders have accepted his explanation, in comments to ZTE published last week.Plattner, an oyster farmer and Marine veteran who is running for the Democratic nomination for Senate, said the headlines have given voters the impression that his tattoos have a more obvious connection to Nazis, the New York Post reports.“I had a meeting a while ago with a number of Jewish leaders in New York, we started talking about it and when we started, someone said, ‘Wait a second. We thought you had a swastika,'” Plattner told ZTE.“When I explain the real story, almost everyone says again, ‘That sounds like a very reasonable thing.'”Plattner has long claimed that he got a tattoo resembling the Totenkopf or “death’s head” symbol used by the notorious Nazi SS secret police force in Croatia while intoxicated in 2007. He insisted that he was “not a secret Nazi.” Last time, he had a tattoo on it, which he described as a “Celtic knot with some imagery around dogs”.During the interview, Plattner spoke in a more condescending tone than his earlier apology.He said, “I will say frankly: The more they talk about it, the more I’ll talk about the fact that I got that because I was a combat Marine. That’s why I had that.”“It was the battle I participated in in Iraq that resulted in me and other machine gunners getting skull and crossbones tattoos. If we want to continue talking about my military service, I would be very pleased.”At one point, Plattner praised “Come and See,” a 1985 Soviet film about resistance to Nazi forces during World War II, which features the Totenkopf symbol prominently on some uniforms.“There’s no such thing as an anti-war film, except maybe ‘Come and See’.” Everyone should watch ‘Come and See,'” he told the outlet.Plattner previously said he did not know what the symbol was.“I didn’t realize that this tattoo looked like a Nazi symbol until I started hearing from reporters and D.C. insiders,” Plattner told Politico in October. “If I had known this I would not have gone through my life carrying it on my chest – and to hint that I did is disgusting.”A former confidant of Plattner previously told The Jewish Insider that Plattner bragged about it at a D.C. bar in 2012, saying, “Oh, this is my Totenkopf.”“He said it in the sweetest little way.”It also found that Plattner had discussed Totenkopf in a Reddit post seven years earlier, and his former political director later claimed that the oyster farmer is “a buff of military history,” and “he knows very well what it means,” according to Politico.Last year, exposed Reddit and other social media posts revealed that Plattner had said “Police are useless. Actually, all of them,” and responded to a post that said, “White people are not as racist or stupid as Trump thinks,” writing “Living in white rural America, I’m afraid to tell you that they really are.” Plattner also reflected on why black people “don’t tip.” After this he has apologized for those previous posts.Plattner is vying against Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) for the Democratic nod to compete against incumbent Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) in November.

RSS supports Centre’s decisions amid Middle East turmoil

Amidst the ongoing conflict in the Middle East Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Sunday called for peace and said the war should end as soon as possible, while also supporting the central government’s response, saying it was working in the “supreme interest of the nation”.Speaking at a media briefing during the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) meeting in Panipat, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said the Sangh wants the conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel to end swiftly so that common people can return to normal life.

‘We like peace in the world‘

Answering questions on the Middle East conflict, which has entered its third week, Hosabale said the RSS’s position is rooted in its broader worldview of global peace.“We want peace in the world,” Hosabale said, according to news agency PTI.He said, “Our vision is world peace. Wars arise for many reasons; therefore, in the context of this particular conflict, we also want it to end as soon as possible, and the lives of ordinary people return to a state of happiness and peace without any delay.”However, he declined to comment on the reasons behind the war.

RSS supports feedback center

Hosabale also strongly defended the Centre’s handling of the crisis and said the government was taking all necessary steps in the national interest.“They (the Indian government) are doing what is in the highest interest of the nation. What they are doing is right,” he told reporters.The comments come as the Indian government continues to monitor the fallout from the Middle East conflict, which has impacted energy supplies, trade routes, aviation and Indian citizens in the region.

On protests after Khamenei’s assassination

Asked about protests from parts of India following the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Hosabale said expressions of grief were natural, but any such reaction should remain peaceful and not disturb communal harmony.“If such things happen then they should be done in a peaceful manner. It should not be against any sect or community,” he said.He said, “According to Indian tradition, as long as a person is alive he can be his enemy, but after someone dies no one is his enemy. Therefore, if someone expresses grief after death, there is nothing wrong in it. But when this is done, it should be seen that it does not disturb the peace.”

Refused to comment on UGC controversy, spoke on Muslims and Hindutva

On the controversy related to UGC rules, which has been stayed by the Supreme Court, Hosabale said it would not be appropriate to comment on a matter which is sub-judice.He said, “When any decision comes, the union will comment after considering it.”Answering another question, Hosabale said that RSS founder Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar had not formed the organization to oppose Muslims.“When Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar founded the RSS, he did not say that the organization was formed to oppose Muslims,” ​​he was quoted as saying by PTI.He also referred to a historic debate during British rule in the Central Province, in which a Muslim leader had defended the RSS against restrictions, arguing that the organization and Hedgewar were not communal.Reiterating the long-standing RSS position, Hosabale said, “We have said from the beginning that the ancestors of all the people of India were Hindus.”

Message to Indians abroad

Referring to a recent program held in Hyderabad, Hosabale said that the Sangh had urged him to work for the welfare of those countries also, in which NRIs and people of Indian origin from 71 countries had participated.“We gave a message to the representatives of 71 different countries… that you should do good for the country where you live and eat. Because this is the vision of Hindutva: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – the whole world is one family,” he said.He said, “It is not that you are only with India. It is your duty to be with the society there.”

ABPS meeting ends with organizational uproar

The three-day ABPS meeting, which began at Pattikalyana in Panipat on March 13, was inaugurated by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Hosabale and concluded on Sunday with a pledge to expand organizational work, strengthen social harmony and encourage participation of “positive forces” in the national interest.Hosabale said the number of RSS shakhas has increased by about 6,000 last year and has now crossed 88,000, while the number of places where shakhas are held has crossed 55,000, PTI reported.He also said that the Sangh’s reach has extended to remote areas including Andaman, Arunachal Pradesh, Leh and tribal areas and a total of 96 training camps will be organized in the coming year.

मुजफ्फरनगर आपसी विवाद में चली गोली से एक युवक गंभीर रूप से घायल हो गया। घटना नई मंडी थाना क्षेत्र के अंतर्गत आने वाले गांवों की है. शेरनगर बताया जा रहा है. फायरिंग की सूचना मिलते ही इलाके में अफरा-तफरी का माहौल हो गया और बड़ी संख्या में ग्रामीण मौके पर जमा हो गये.

घटना की जानकारी मिलते ही पुलिस तुरंत गांव पहुंची और पूरे मामले की जांच में जुट गई. घायल युवक को पहले स्थानीय अस्पताल ले जाया गया, जहां उसकी हालत को देखते हुए डॉक्टरों ने उसे उच्च चिकित्सा सुविधा के लिए रेफर कर दिया.

गांव शेरनगर में पारिवारिक विवाद ने हिंसक रूप ले लिया

प्राप्त जानकारी के अनुसार शेरनगर गोलीकांड इसकी शुरुआत पारिवारिक विवाद से हुई. बताया गया कि वह गांव शेरनगर का रहने वाला है याकूब और उसका भतीजा नौमान किसी बात को लेकर उनके बीच बहस हो गई।

शुरुआत में यह विवाद सामान्य बहस के तौर पर शुरू हुआ, लेकिन धीरे-धीरे स्थिति गंभीर हो गई. ग्रामीणों के मुताबिक, दोनों के बीच बहस इतनी बढ़ गई कि गुस्से में आकर भतीजे नौमान ने अपने चाचा याकूब पर गोली चला दी.

गोली लगते ही याकूब गंभीर रूप से घायल होकर जमीन पर गिर पड़ा। इस घटना से पूरे गांव में हड़कंप मच गया और आसपास के लोग तुरंत घटनास्थल की ओर दौड़ पड़े.

फायरिंग से गांव में दहशत फैल गई

जैसे ही गोलीबारी की घटना यह खबर गांव में फैल गई, जिससे वहां अफरा-तफरी का माहौल हो गया। लोग तेजी से आसपास के घरों से निकलकर घटना स्थल पर पहुंचने लगे।

कुछ ही देर में दर्जनों ग्रामीण मौके पर एकत्र हो गए। घायल युवक की हालत देखकर लोगों ने तुरंत पुलिस और एंबुलेंस को सूचना दी।

ग्रामीणों ने बताया कि अचानक हुई इस घटना से पूरे इलाके में दहशत का माहौल बन गया. लोग समझ नहीं पा रहे थे कि मामूली विवाद इतनी बड़ी घटना कैसे बन गयी.

घायल युवक को अस्पताल में भर्ती कराया गया

घटना के तुरंत बाद ग्रामीणों की मदद से घायल युवक को इलाज के लिए अस्पताल भेजा गया. प्राथमिक उपचार के बाद डॉक्टरों ने उसकी हालत गंभीर देखते हुए उच्चतर केंद्र के लिए रेफर किया गया.

डॉक्टरों के मुताबिक गोली लगने से युवक को गंभीर चोटें आई हैं और उसे बेहतर इलाज के लिए उच्च स्तरीय चिकित्सा सुविधा की जरूरत है.

इस बीच परिजन व ग्रामीण भी घायल युवक को लेकर अस्पताल पहुंचे और उसके शीघ्र स्वस्थ होने की कामना करने लगे.

सूचना मिलते ही पुलिस गांव पहुंच गई

सूचना मिलते ही नई मंडी थाना पुलिस मौके पर पहुंच गई। पुलिस ने घटना स्थल का निरीक्षण कर ग्रामीणों से घटना की जानकारी जुटाई। पुलिस अधिकारियों ने बताया कि शुरुआती जांच में मामला आपसी विवाद का लग रहा है. हालांकि घटना के सभी पहलुओं की गहराई से जांच की जा रही है. पुलिस ने मौके से जुड़े साक्ष्य भी जुटाए हैं और आसपास के लोगों के बयान दर्ज किए जा रहे हैं.

आपसी विवादों के कारण अपराध की घटनाएं बढ़ रही हैं

विशेषज्ञों का मानना ​​है कि कई बार छोटी-मोटी नोकझोंक या पारिवारिक विवाद अचानक हिंसक रूप ले लेता है। ऐसे में गुस्से में उठाया गया एक कदम पूरे परिवार और समाज पर भारी पड़ सकता है. शेरनगर गोलीकांड यह भी एक ऐसा ही मामला माना जा रहा है, जहां एक पारिवारिक विवाद ने अचानक गंभीर रूप ले लिया।

सामाजिक विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि ऐसी घटनाओं से यह भी पता चलता है कि विवादों को बातचीत और समझ से सुलझाना कितना जरूरी है.

घटना को लेकर ग्रामीणों में चिंता

घटना के बाद गांव शेरनगर में लोग चर्चा करते दिखे कि ऐसी स्थिति क्यों उत्पन्न हुई। ग्रामीणों का कहना है कि गांव में आमतौर पर शांति का माहौल है, लेकिन ऐसी घटनाएं समाज को झकझोर देती हैं.

कई ग्रामीणों ने कहा कि पारिवारिक विवादों को बढ़ने से पहले ही सुलझा लेना चाहिए ताकि ऐसी दुखद घटनाओं से बचा जा सके.

पुलिस मामले की विस्तृत जांच कर रही है

पुलिस अधिकारियों के मुताबिक विस्तृत जांच की जा रही है. घटना से जुड़े सभी तथ्य सामने लाने के लिए जांच टीम सक्रिय है.पुलिस का कहना है कि जांच के आधार पर आगे की कानूनी कार्रवाई की जाएगी. साथ ही घटना में शामिल लोगों की भूमिका भी स्पष्ट हो जायेगी.

अधिकारियों ने यह भी कहा कि कानून-व्यवस्था बनाए रखने के लिए पुलिस पूरी तरह अलर्ट पर है और किसी भी तरह की आपराधिक गतिविधि बर्दाश्त नहीं की जाएगी.

मुजफ्फरनगर के शेरनगर गांव में हुई इस घटना ने एक बार फिर यह संदेश दिया है कि अगर समय रहते आपसी विवादों को शांतिपूर्वक नहीं सुलझाया गया तो ये गंभीर परिणाम दे सकते हैं. फिलहाल पुलिस पूरे मामले की जांच कर रही है और घायल युवक का इलाज चल रहा है. गांव के लोग भी इस घटना के बाद शांति और सौहार्द बनाए रखने की अपील करते नजर आ रहे हैं, ताकि इलाके में जल्द से जल्द सामान्य स्थिति बहाल हो सके.

उत्तर प्रदेश के फ़तेहपुर जिले के औंग थाना क्षेत्र के होलापुर गांव में एक हैरान कर देने वाली घटना सामने आई है. यहां एक युवक ने शराब के नशे में अपनी पत्नी समेत चार लोगों पर ट्रैक्टर चढ़ा दिया. इस घटना में चारों लोग गंभीर रूप से घायल हो गये. घायलों को तुरंत इलाज के लिए नजदीकी स्वास्थ्य केंद्र ले जाया गया, जहां से डॉक्टरों ने प्राथमिक उपचार के बाद उन्हें जिला अस्पताल रेफर कर दिया। सभी घायलों का इलाज अस्पताल में चल रहा है, जबकि आरोपी की पत्नी की हालत गंभीर बताई जा रही है.

आरोपी नशे का आदी बताया जा रहा है
जानकारी के मुताबिक, होलापुर गांव निवासी महेश नाम का युवक शराब पीने का आदी बताया जा रहा है. कहा जाता है कि वह अक्सर शराब के नशे में अपना आपा खो देते हैं। बताया गया कि घटना की रात भी वह नशे में था. इसी बीच गुस्से में आकर उसने अपनी 45 वर्षीय पत्नी आशा देवी समेत चार लोगों पर ट्रैक्टर चढ़ा दिया.

चार लोग घायल
इस घटना में महेश की पत्नी आशा देवी के अलावा गांव निवासी भगवान दास, अंशिका देवी और कल्लू भी घायल हो गये. भगवान दास की उम्र करीब 62 साल बताई जा रही है. अंशिका देवी संतोष कुमार की 14 वर्षीय पुत्री और कल्लू रंजीत कुमार का 22 वर्षीय पुत्र है. घटना के बाद गांव में अफरा-तफरी मच गई और लोगों ने तुरंत घायलों को इलाज के लिए गोपालगंज सामुदायिक स्वास्थ्य केंद्र पहुंचाया.

जिला अस्पताल में चल रहा इलाज
गोपालगंज सीएचसी में डॉक्टरों ने घायलों का प्राथमिक उपचार किया. इसके बाद सभी को सरकारी एंबुलेंस से जिला अस्पताल भेजा गया। जिला अस्पताल पहुंचने पर ड्यूटी पर मौजूद डॉक्टरों ने सभी घायलों को भर्ती कर इलाज शुरू कर दिया। डॉक्टरों के मुताबिक, महेश की पत्नी आशा देवी की हालत गंभीर बनी हुई है.

मैंने पहले भी ऐसा किया है
घायल भगवान दास के बेटे नीरज ने बताया कि महेश शराब पीने का आदी है और पहले भी इस तरह की घटना को अंजाम दे चुका है. हालांकि उस वक्त किसी को चोट नहीं आई थी. बकौल नीरज, इस बार भी उसने वही हरकत दोहराई, जिससे चार लोग घायल हो गए। घटना के बाद गांव में दहशत का माहौल है और लोग आरोपियों के खिलाफ सख्त कार्रवाई की मांग कर रहे हैं.

Shubman Gill and Smriti Mandhana were awarded the top individual honors at the Naman Awards 2026 in New Delhi. On Sunday, March 15, Gill received the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award for the Best International Cricketer in men’s cricket, while Mandhana was named the BCCI’s Best International Cricketer in women’s cricket.

For Gill, it was his second Cricketer of the Year award after winning it for the first time in 2023 following his stellar performances with the bat for India. As an opening batsman at that time, he scored 1,584 runs in 29 ODIs at an average of 63.36 and a strike rate of 105.45, including five centuries.

For Mandhana, this was the fifth time she won the award after 2018, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Gill emerged for India

Gill has had a stellar 2025 for India, especially in the longer formats, and has established himself as one of the team’s most reliable batsmen. On the England tour, he led from the front in the five-Test series. Became India’s highest run scorer with 754 runs in 10 innings. At an average of 75.40, which included four centuries and a top score of 269.

At one point, he had scored 585 runs in the first two Test matches alone, his first Test series as captain after replacing Rohit Sharma.

Gill also played a key role in India’s victorious Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. He entered the tournament as the world No. 1 ranked ODI batsman and made an immediate impact by scoring an unbeaten 101 against Bangladesh in India’s opening match. He finished the tournament with 188 runs, making him India’s third-highest run-scorer, cementing his position at the top while winning the title.

However, after being left out of India’s squad for the T20 World Cup as the selectors opted for a different combination at the top, Gill has not enjoyed the best start to 2026. Nevertheless, the BCCI made sure to honor his contribution at the Naman Awards last year, a fitting recognition of his impact in India’s Test and ODI setup.

Smriti Mandhana continues to shine

Mandhana has been one of India’s standout performers since the start of 2025, delivering record-breaking performances across formats and further cementing her position as the face of Indian women’s batting.

She scored 1,703 international runs in 2025, including 1,362 runs in ODIs, the most by any woman in a calendar year. In doing so, Mandhana became the first batsman in Women’s ODI history to score 1,000 runs in a single calendar year, a historic feat during the Women’s World Cup.

Mandhana also played a key role in India’s 2025 Women’s World Cup campaign. She finished the tournament as India’s leading run-scorer and second-highest overall, with 434 runs in nine matches at an average of 54.25. His consistency at the top played a major role in India’s title win and underlined his importance in big tournaments.

This left-handed batsman once again wrote history in September 2025, when He scored a century in 50 balls against Australia in New Delhi To record the fastest ODI century by an Indian batsman, male or female, surpassing Virat Kohli’s 52-ball century.

Later in December, she became the first Indian and second player overall to cross 4,000 runs in Women’s T20I by achieving the feat against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam.

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After Devendra Chaplot announced that he is joining SpaceX and XAI and working closely with Elon Musk and team to create superintelligence, the story resurfaced on social media that all the tech jobs in the US are going to Indians. The announcement came with a photo of him along with Musk, which drew criticism from Musk as he had once again hired an Indian. Social media users mocked Elon Musk, saying that he talks about multiculturalism and saving mass migration and then hires an Indian two minutes later. Elon Musk has been a strong supporter of the H-1B visa program, on which Silicon Valley companies are largely dependent. Chaplot wrote in his announcement, “SpaceX and“I’m excited to pursue areas I’ve been passionate about for years, from robotics research to building AI models on the founding teams of Mistral and TML. Both were extraordinary journeys with extraordinary people that shaped the way I think about building intelligence from the ground up. I’m grateful for everything that got me here, and I can’t wait to get started,” the announcement said. Chaplot graduated from IIT-Bombay in 2014 with a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering and a minor in Applied Statistics. He received his PhD from the Machine Learning Department of Carnegie Mellon University. He worked at Samsung Electronics in South Korea. His AI work includes positions at Facebook AI Research, Mistral AI, and Thinking Machines Labs. He won several awards for his AI research. Given his extensive work in the field of AI, many social media users defended the appointment and said Elon knows the talent. Responding to the hate post, one wrote, “For you the guy is Indian but for Elon he is a genius.” Another wrote about Chaplot, “He is from IIT Bombay, you know how to get into that college, you have cracked two of the toughest exams in the world JEE Main and JEE Advanced, every year 1.3 million students compete for these exams and IIT Bombay has only 1300 seats, they study 10 hours a day.” A third wrote, “It’s all about hiring the best people for their outstanding abilities, nothing to do with where they come from.”