Sports
Siraj has solid fundamentals; he is cut out for Test cricket: RCB’s Mike Hesson

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) director of cricket operations Mike Hesson has cited “solid fundamentals” as the reason for pacer Mohammed Siraj’s incisive bowling in the rescheduled fifth Test between India and England here.
Siraj was the most destructive of the five bowlers India employed against England in the first innings on Sunday, as the 28-year-old RCB bowler snared four wickets in the 11.3 overs he bowled to help the tourists restrict the Ben Stokes-led side to 284.
He took the prized wicket of Joe Root, and then wiped out the England tail, comprising Sam Billings, Stuart Broad and Matthew Potts.
“For me, Siraj had a good change of pace and a really good skillset for white-ball cricket but he had solid fundamentals behind him. You need your base skills; I think that’s where first-class cricket and Test cricket come in. He has bowled a lot of overs, so it showed that he’s fit,” said Hesson on royalchallengers.com.
Siraj was among three players retained by RCB, along with Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell, ahead of the IPL mega auction earlier this year.
“He (Siraj) had a repeatable action, so I knew what I was going to get day in and day out. And as a coach, that’s so important. He didn’t need to have his timing right for his action to work on the day and for the ball to come out right. He’d done the work in first-class cricket, he’s now doing the work in Test cricket,” added Hesson.
Siraj has been exceptional in the longest format of the game ever since he came up against the Australians in the Test series Down Under.
“If there was one format he was going to do well at the start of his international career, it was probably Test cricket. I think the meeting that Simon (Katich), myself and Virat (Kohli) had initially, where we were talking about players, Virat was really confident about Siraj and had confidence in him at the death. And on different grounds at different times, he felt Siraj had the skillset that would still give him success,” opined Hesson.
Hesson added that with his learning attitude, Siraj had made himself “hugely valuable” for RCB in the Indian Premier League.
“He’s always the guy who wants to bowl. As a captain, you genuinely want to throw the ball to someone who is saying ‘give it to me’. He’s that type of character. When we took over, the easiest thing was for Siraj to say ‘I want to bowl with the new ball and in the middle overs, I’m not so good at the death’. Because he had some tough experiences but he wanted to get better and by doing that, he’s made himself hugely valuable to our setup and to other setups as well.
“The beauty of Siraj is that he has always wanted to be in a battle. He has always wanted the ball in tough times, and not everybody does. Whether it’s bowling the long overs in Test cricket or the tough overs in T20 cricket, he’s always put his hand up. Those are the guys you want to do well,” added Hesson.
Crime
Two Held With ₹68 Lakh Cash Near India-Myanmar Border In Mizoram; Heroin Worth ₹78 Lakh Seized

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

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.
Maharashtra
MUMBAI’S CRICKET MUSEUM SET TO OPEN SOON

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is pleased to announce the upcoming inauguration of the MCA Sharad Pawar Cricket Museum in the second half of August 2025. Located at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, the museum is a tribute to Mumbai’s rich cricketing heritage and the legendary figures who have shaped its success.
At the museum’s entrance, visitors will be welcomed by life-size statues of Shri Sharad Pawar and cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar who remains one of Mumbai’s and India’s most iconic sporting figures. Gavaskar’s statue, in particular, stands as a symbol of excellence and dedication that will inspire aspiring young cricketers for generations to come.
The highlight of the museum is a priceless collection of rare and iconic memorabilia donated by Mumbai’s legendary cricketers. These historic items reflect the deep-rooted legacy of Mumbai cricket and its contribution to Indian and world cricket.
The museum also features a cutting-edge audio-visual experience centre, bringing to life the stories, milestones, and memorable moments of Mumbai’s cricketing journey.
“The MCA Sharad Pawar Cricket Museum is our heartfelt tribute to the stalwarts of Mumbai cricket and a testament to the visionary leadership of Shri Sharad Pawar. This museum stands as a living chronicle of Mumbai cricket’s unparalleled legacy, dedicated to preserving its rich history and inspiring future generations.
The statue of Shri Sunil Gavaskar, one of India’s greatest cricketing legends, will serve as a powerful symbol of excellence and determination. His monumental contributions to Indian and Mumbai cricket will continue to motivate young cricketers to dream big and aim high,” said MCA President Shri Ajinkya Naik.
“The MCA invites all cricket lovers and the public to visit and experience this one-of-a-kind tribute to Mumbai cricket” said Shri Abhay Hadap, Secretary MCA.
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