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Rishabh Pant played well in second innings; no need to jump here and there, advises Madan Lal

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Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant must spend more time in the middle and not just look to hit every ball, “jumping here and there”, feels former Indian cricketer Madan Lal.

“Yesterday he (Pant) applied himself very well in the second innings. In the first three Tests, he didn’t play well. He is an exciting player and very valuable too… needs to spend some time in the middle. No point in jumping here and there and gifting wicket,” Madan Lal told IANS.

The left-handed batsman from Delhi smashed 50 off 106 to bring up his first half-century of the series. However, no sooner he smashed his fifty, he was outplayed by Moeen Ali in the successive delivery.

“Getting out to some brilliant delivery is fine but gifting a wicket is not good. I liked the way he played yesterday. This is how you play Test cricket or say any format. He must keep this momentum going,” said the former cricketer.

The fourth Test between India and England hangs in the balance after an intriguing day’s play at The Oval on Sunday. The hosts reached 77 for no loss and needed another 291 runs on the final day after Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns fought back for England.

If chased down, it will be England’s highest successful Test chase ever. And according to Madan Lal, the match is currently sixty per cent in favour of India. “England need to do something special to chase down this total. But they have started really well and if they manage to go on till lunch on Day 5 without losing any wicket then there will be trouble (for India). The wicket is fine and I would look to take quick wickets.

“Chasing 271 on the final day is not an easy thing, but everything is possible in cricket. Currently, I would say the match is 60-40 in favour of India. 60 per cent India and 40 per cent England,” the former Indian cricketer said.

In the 141 years Test cricket has been played in England, only twice has a team managed to chase down a target greater than 350 to win. “India know how important it is to win this Test because in the final encounter, it will be really difficult to bounce back,” he said.

Madan Lal further showered praise on Rohit Sharma from his brilliant knock. India’s opening batsman finally crossed the hurdle and brought up his first Test century outside India, eight years after his debut in Test matches for India.

Rohit has been one of the consistent Indian batters throughout this series with two fifties before Saturday. “He (Rohit) is of a different class. He adapted to the situation very well. His knock, when India needed it the most, would be remembered for long. Letting him open the innings also boosted his confidence and helped him,” Madan Lal concluded.

National

Market volatility over Greenland issue to continue due to ‘few sticking points’: Report

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New Delhi, Jan 24 : Investors are likely to remain on edge over the proposed US framework on Greenland, and near-term volatility related to this issue can continue, a report has said.

The report from Bank of Baroda said that market participants are awaiting more details that could determine whether negotiations succeed or unravel.

“Going ahead, investors are likely to await more details of the deal, as there are a few sticking points which can derail the negotiations. Hence, some volatility can be expected,” the report said.

Several analysts expect the arrangement to resemble an update of the existing security agreement between the US and Denmark, which was signed in 1951, the report noted.

Further negotiations will follow in due course which will cover areas such as US military presence in Greenland, as well as use of its mineral resources and sovereignty, said Aditi Gupta, Economist, Bank of Baroda.

US President Donald Trump has framed Washington’s interest in Greenland as driven by national security concerns, but the island’s largely unexplored mineral wealth including oil, gas and rare earth elements is of interest to US, the report said.

“The announcement of a framework deal between the US and NATO has helped to soothe investors’ nerves, however the details of the deal are still fuzzy,” it added.

Geo-political tensions escalated and markets went into turmoil after the US President intensified rhetoric to annex Greenland and threatened economic measures against European countries that oppose US plans. In response, several European nations, including France, Germany, Sweden amongst others increased military deployment in Greenland, further escalating tensions.

Trump had announced a 10 per cent additional tariff on goods from the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Netherlands and Finland from February 1, 2026. The rate was expected to increase to 25 per cent by June 1, 2026.

Later, he backed off from his threat of imposing tariffs on European countries along the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.

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Crime

Two Held With ₹68 Lakh Cash Near India-Myanmar Border In Mizoram; Heroin Worth ₹78 Lakh Seized

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Aizawl: Two persons were arrested with Rs 68 lakh in cash near the India-Myanmar border in east Mizoram’s Champhai district, officials said on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, the Assam Rifles intercepted a vehicle at Zote village on August 11, they said.

Upon thorough checking, Rs 60 lakh in cash was recovered from two persons in the vehicle.

The duo, identified as Joseph Lalthansanga and Vanlalruati, could not state any proper reason why they were carrying such a huge amount of cash. They were subsequently handed over to the police for legal action, officials said.

In another operation, the Assam Rifles recovered 94.6 gram of heroin, worth Rs 78 lakh, from the village on Wednesday.

The drugs were handed over to the Excise and Narcotics Department, officials said.

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National

India’s AI Tech Spending Projected To Reach Rs. 92 Thousand Crore By 2028: Report

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India’s AI technology spending is projected to grow at an annualised rate of 38 per cent from 2023 to reach $10.4 billion (approximately Rs. 92 thousand crore) in 2028, a report said on Thursday.

Around 40 per cent of organisations in India have already implemented agentic AI, and close to 50 per cent are planning to use the technology within the next 12 months, IDC InfoBrief and UiPath said in a joint report.

In 2025, AI investments are focused on building the foundational infrastructure required to power transformative, high-value use cases.

According to the report, the adoption is surging, fueled by a tech-savvy workforce, expanding digital infrastructure, and government-backed initiatives.

Organisations’ spending on enterprise automation, multilingual AI models, and agentic deployments is driving this momentum further.

The benefits are already visible, as 80 per cent of Indian companies say agentic AI boosts productivity, while 73 per cent say it improves decision-making, the report said.

According to the report, agentic AI is gaining strong traction across the manufacturing, retail and wholesale, healthcare, and life sciences industries, which heavily rely on data and repetitive decision-making cycles.

“Agentic automation is rapidly redefining business operations across India. While enterprises in this region are embracing the full potential of AI agents to streamline workflows and autonomously execute complex business processes, trust and security remain barriers to widespread implementation,” said DebDeep Sengupta, Area Vice President, South Asia, UiPath.

Our agentic automation platform directly addresses these challenges, breaking down barriers to enterprise AI adoption by enhancing security and compliance, improving accuracy and reliability for agentic outcomes, Sengupta added.

About 69 per cent of Indian organisations are using agentic AI to enhance productivity, 59 per cent to drive personalised customer engagement, while 57 per cent apply it to risk and fraud detection, highlighting how agentic AI is being applied across front and back-office functions, the report highlighted.

“Becoming an AI-fueled business is no longer an option in today’s unpredictable climate. For many organisations, it’s fast becoming a strategic necessity,” said Deepika Giri, Associate Vice President, IDC Asia/Pacific.

Across the region, organisations are embracing agentic AI and agentic automation at scale, Giri added.

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