Sai Sudarshan of Gujarat Titans (ANI photo)

Sai Sudarshan continued his sensational rise in world cricket by becoming the fastest batsman to reach 3000 T20 runs during Gujarat Titans’ clash against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday.Fewest innings to score 3000 runs in T2078 – Sai Sudarshan*85 – Shaun Marsh86 – D’Arcy Short86 – Devon Conway87 – Chris Gayle The stylish left-handed batsman achieved the feat in just 78 innings and broke the previous record of Shaun Marsh, who had achieved the feat in 85 innings. SAI also overtakes names like D’Arcy Short, Devon Conway and Chris Gayle in the elite list. Despite losing to Gujarat Titans by 29 runs, SAI once again looked in great form during the chase. The opening batsman retired for some time after suffering an injury, but later returned to the crease and remained unbeaten on 53 runs in just 28 balls.Consecutive scores of over 50 for GT4* – Sai Sudarshan (2026)3 – Hardik Pandya (2022)3 – Sai Sudarshan (2024-25)3 – Shubman Gill (2025)3-Shubhman Gill (2026) The half-century continued his extraordinary consistency this season as well. Sai has now recorded four consecutive 50-plus scores for GT, becoming the first player in franchise history to achieve the feat. The previous best for Gujarat Titans was three consecutive scores of 50-plus, achieved by Hardik Pandya in 2022 and later equaled by Sai himself and Shubman Gill. The Gujarat opening batsman is now the leading run-scorer of IPL 2026 and currently holds the Orange Cap with 554 runs in 13 matches. He has scored these runs at an excellent average of 46.17 and strike rate of 157.83. SAI’s latest milestone came in a high-scoring encounter at the Eden Gardens, where Gujarat Titans’ five-match winning streak finally came to an end. Chasing a tough target of 248, GT fought hard through half-centuries from Sai, Gill and. jos buttlerBut eventually finished at 218/4. Earlier in the match, KKR completely dominated the batting after explosive innings. finn allen And Angkrish Raghuvanshi took them to 247/2. Allen scored 93 runs in just 35 balls with the help of 10 sixes, while Raghuvanshi remained unbeaten on 82 runs. GT’s poor fielding proved costly as he dropped four catches during the innings, including crucial chances given by Allen, Raghuvanshi and. cameron green. Those missed chances ultimately hurt Gujarat badly as KKR kept their playoff hopes alive with a crucial win.

A private bus bound for Bengaluru caught fire near Shantigram in Hassan district in the early hours of Saturday.

Mangaluru: What started as a routine overnight journey from Surathkal to Bengaluru turned into a fight for survival Vaishnavi And then her 10 year old daughter The private bus in which they were traveling caught fire near Shantigram in Hassan district Early on Saturday.Vaishnavi said that the falling AC vent probably saved her life. She had boarded the bus at lower berths 8 and 9 with her daughter at 9.30 pm on Friday night. After working on her laptop until the bus entered the ghat section, where network connectivity stopped, she went to sleep.She told TOI, “Around 1.30 am, I closed my laptop and went to sleep. An hour later, the bus stopped somewhere in Hassan and I saw the driver and cleaner moving around as if something had gone wrong. We thought the crew might have sensed some problem, but we still decided to continue as Bengaluru was less than 200 km away.”The bus resumed its journey but stopped again near Shantigram. A stampede broke out within some time. “Smoke started entering the bus. But the crew did not shout or ask the passengers to leave,” he said. “The moment that probably saved my life was when the AC vent suddenly fell on my face and I woke up completely. Then I smelled a strong smell of smoke.”As the passengers urged the driver to stop, Vaishnavi woke up her daughter and got out. “We had no slippers, no bag, nothing. I only had my phone as I usually keep it in my pocket while traveling through the ghat section. Everything else – my laptop, purse with important cards, jewellery, clothes – were inside,” she said.As the bus burst into flames, Vaishnavi shouted for the passengers to get out before pulling her daughter to safety. She said, “I ran as far as I could, I thought the bus might explode. At that moment, I only wanted to save my child.”Later he noticed that passengers were still getting out and passing motorists, bus drivers and locals rushed to help with water and fire extinguishers. Fire and emergency services personnel arrived at around 3.15pm.She said, “My clothes smelled of smoke. I could still hear voices and it felt like there was smoke everywhere around me.” As most of the Bengaluru-bound buses were full due to the busy travel season, some buses offered standing space to stranded passengers. Eventually, Vaishnavi and her daughter boarded the KSRTC Sarige bus.“I had no money. I held my daughter tightly all the way to Bengaluru and tried to control my tears. She was still in shock. It was only after we reached home that I broke down completely,” she said.He said, “I lost my documents, jewellery, clothes and laptop. My daughter also took her dance costume and jewelery to perform in front of the family after completing her junior dance exams recently. We are grateful to have escaped alive, but strongly feel that the crew should have warned the passengers earlier.”

Yash Asarasa has become the first Indian American to be elected to the Rusk City Council in East Texas.

Yash Asarsa arrived in the United States more than two decades ago with $950. On May 14, 2026, he was sworn in as a member of the Rusk City Council, becoming the first person from India to hold elected office in the small East Texas city. Assarsa, owner of the TruCarz gas station in Rusk, won the District 3 seat unopposed in the May 2, 2026 election. His victory is a milestone in the community of about 5,000 residents in Cherokee County, about 130 miles southeast of Dallas.Born in India, Asarasa said he was attracted to Texas western culture and cowboy imagery. What kept him at Rusk, he said, were the people there. After operating and growing his business for more than 15 years, he has become a familiar face behind the counter at TrueCare, interacting daily with residents from all walks of life.“This community embraced me,” Asarasa told CBS19. “This community made me who I am, so I think I’m very grateful to this community.”After seeing the division in the community he decided to contest the elections. Asarasa said, “I believe God has given us two ears and one mouth, so listen twice and speak once.” “I’m a good listener and that’s what makes me different. I can understand people’s problems.”He believes his experience in retail has prepared him well for public service. “You see people from all walks of life and you learn how to understand people better,” he said.As a new council member, Assarsa has outlined several priorities: fixing roads, hiring a police chief, addressing the city’s budget deficit, and revitalizing Downtown Rusk. Most of all, he wants residents to feel heard. He also sees his role from a broader perspective. “I feel like I am a representative of India – an ambassador of India,” Asarasa said.The election of an Indian-origin man to a city council in Texas comes at a time when the state is angry over Indian takeover. Dallas and Frisco have become centers of anti-India sentiments. But Asarasa doesn’t care. “If you work hard and have passion, all dreams are possible in this wonderful country,” Asarasa said.Assarsa ran unopposed for the seat and will work closely with other council members as the city tackles local challenges. His swearing-in took place at Rusk City Hall. In the city where he started out as an immigrant business owner, Asarsa’s choice reflects the community that embraced him more than 15 years ago. From the gas station counter to the council chamber, his story is rooted in service to the very people who embraced him.

New Delhi: India has finally succeeded in retrieving the ‘Chola Plates’ considered one of the most important surviving inscriptions of the dynasty, with the Netherlands formally restoring the property on Saturday in a formal ceremony in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and PM Rob Jetten, marking another success of the Modi government in recovering stolen artefacts in foreign jurisdictions.“A joyous moment for every Indian! 11th century Chola copper plates to be brought back to India from the Netherlands. Prime Minister Rob Jetten attended the same ceremony in presence.” PM Modi Said in a post on X.“The Chola Copper Plates are a set of 21 large plates and 3 small plates and contain texts largely in Tamil, one of the most beautiful languages ​​in the world. They relate to the formalization of a verbal commitment made by the great Rajendra Chola I to his father, King Rajaraja I. They also demonstrate the greatness of the Cholas. In India we are extremely proud of the Cholas, their culture and their sea power.He also particularly thanked the Government of the Netherlands and the University of Leiden, where the copper plates had been housed since the mid-19th century.The compensation marks the culmination of a 14-year-long effort since 2012 to bring them back. Of the 668 antiquities brought back to India from various countries so far, 655 have returned after the Modi government came to power in 2014.The return of the Anaimangalam Copper Plates, known as the Leiden Plates in the Netherlands, will further expand the list. The inscriptions on these plates are among the most important artefacts of Tamil heritage preserved anywhere outside India. The plates record important agreements regarding the rights of a Buddhist temple and several monasteries at Nagapattinam on the revenues of the villages.Dating back to the reign of Emperor Rajaraja Chola I (985-1014 CE), considered one of the greatest rulers in Indian history, one of the objects includes 21 copper plates, weighing about 30 kilograms each. The plates are divided into two volumes: one in Sanskrit and one in Tamil. The second item being restored includes three copper plates with Tamil inscriptions. Both are tied with bronze rings bearing the royal seal of the Chola dynasty.According to sources, India’s efforts to recover the Chola plates received a decisive impetus on October 30, 2023, when India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UNESCO formally requested to include the Chola Dynasty Copper Plates in the agenda of the 24th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP).The 24th session of the ICPRCP found that India’s claim as a nation of origin was legitimate. By November 2023, the UNESCO committee encouraged the Netherlands to engage in constructive bilateral dialogue with India regarding the return of the plates, which ultimately culminated in an agreement to hand over the plates during PM Modi’s visit.The plates were brought to the Netherlands around 1712 by Florentius Camper, who was in India as part of a Christian missionary at the time when Nagapattinam was under Dutch control. The plates were eventually donated to Leiden University in 1862 and have been housed in its library ever since.According to officials, the exact legal and personal circumstances under which Camper obtained the plates from India are not fully documented.

Bengaluru: The High Court has canceled the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against Abdul Khader Nihad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Dakshina Kannada district, who was working as a driver in Saudi Arabia.Justice Sachin Shankar Magdum, in his order passed on April 29, said, “The State cannot economically pauperize a citizen under the guise of investigation. The constitutional guarantee under Article 21 is not limited to mere animal existence, but extends to dignified existence and economic freedom.”The 27-year-old petitioner is facing proceedings in a criminal case registered against him under sections 351(2), 352, 353(1)(c) and 192 of the Indian Justice Code, 2023, in connection with an inflammatory social media post and was arrested upon arrival at the Bajpayee airport in Mangaluru last year. Although Nihad was released on bail and his mobile phone returned, the LOC issued against him continued and he was not allowed to travel abroad. Due to this he had to approach the High Court.After perusing the materials on record, Justice Magdum pointed out that Nihad has already been arrested and interrogated, a competent court has released him on bail and he no longer has any incriminating material. “The petitioner has cooperated with the investigation; he is on bail and his presence can be ensured through conditions. Nevertheless, the State seeks to impose a blanket travel ban, which is neither necessary nor proportionate. The LOC, in its present form, acts as a civil death to the livelihood of the petitioner, especially when his place of employment is located abroad,” the judge pointed out.Therefore, the impugned action fails the test of fairness, reasonableness and non-arbitrariness. He said, continuation of LOC despite the petitioner being on bail is arbitrary and disproportionate.