'What Are They Smoking?' India A Blasted For Suryavanshi's Super Over Snub

In a baffling turn during the semi-final of the Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025 in Doha, the management of India A left 14-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi stranded in the dug-out during the Super Over, even after his explosive 38 off 15 in the match proper. The decision saw India A crash out to Bangladesh A without scoring in the tie-breaker, prompting former India pacer Dodda Ganesh to publicly lambast the leadership with a blunt "What are these guys smoking?" reaction on X.

Not sending Vaibhav Suryavamshi to bat in the Super over? What are these guys smoking? #AsiaCup

— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) November 21, 2025

India A, captained by Jitesh Sharma, were knocked out of the tournament after facing Bangladesh A in what should have been a straightforward Super Over. The main match saw Bangladesh A post 194/6 in 20 overs, powered by opener Habibur Rahman Sohan's 65 and a fiery 48 off 18 from SM Meherob. India A responded with a blazing 50-run opening burst in just 19 deliveries, largely thanks to Suryavanshi's assault of two fours and five sixes. His wicket, however, swung the momentum back to Bangladesh's way. India A's chase came down to the last-ball, in which the side needed four runs but scored three.

In the Super Over, the management went with Jitesh Sharma and Ramandeep Singh as the two hitters, leaving Suryavanshi out. Jitesh was dismissed first ball by a perfect yorker from Ripon Mondal, and Ashutosh Sharma - who came in next - fell on the very first ball he faced. India A thus set a target of one run and Bangladesh A reached home with a wicket in hand.

Ganesh didn't hold back in his social-media blast:

"Not sending Vaibhav Suryavamshi to bat in the Super over? What are these guys smoking?

This pointed critique puts pressure on India A's management to justify their game-time decisions in critical moments.

In the post-match remarks, captain Jitesh claimed the choice was made because he, Ashutosh and Ramandeep were "good hitters at the death". He said that factored into excluding Suryavanshi from the equation.

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How Ukraine Intelligence Used AI Lover, Beer To Nearly Kill Russian Official

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) says it has uncovered a plot to poison a high-ranking Russian officer of the Ministry of Defence in an attack disguised as a gift from an online love interest.

According to the FSB, the officer narrowly avoided consuming beer that investigators say had been doctored with a British-made version of nerve agent VX, a substance capable of killing within 20 minutes. The bottles were intercepted before the officer could drink them, and a resident of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) was taken into custody.

The officer told Russian media that the chain of events began months earlier, when he met a woman named Polina on an online application. Their exchanges soon shifted to Telegram, where she regularly sent photos and videos of herself.

"She sent me photos and videos from the gym several times, all roughly the same. After a few months of our communication, she said she wanted to give me a gift, which she would deliver through a friend," he told Russian media.

The "friend" was the man now under arrest. FSB officials say he had been instructed by Ukraine's military intelligence service, the GUR, and had been promised $5,000 for delivering two packages of British beer.

Polina, investigators say, was never a real person at all but a manufactured profile created by the GUR through artificial intelligence to lure the officer into the trap.

"Based on the results of the tests on the confiscated bottles, it was established that the beer contained a mixture of highly toxic poisons, colchicine and tert-butyl bicyclophosphate (an analogue of the military-grade nerve agent VX, banned by the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention), produced in Britain, which, when consumed, causes an agonising death within 20 minutes," the FSB noted.

The "friend" contacted the officer, arranged a meeting point, and handed over the package. Within moments, FSB personnel intervened and detained him.

"I was ordered to carefully place the package on the ground. After which they explained to me that the bag contained beer, which contained a military-grade poison intended to eliminate me, and that Polina's account was used by Ukrainian intelligence officers," he said.
 

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Hate Lessons: How Kerala Mother Helped UK-Based Man Radicalise Her Teen Son

The Kerala Police FIR into the alleged ISIS indoctrination of a 15-year-old boy identifies his mother as an active participant in the effort to radicalise him, working in coordination with a UK-based ISIS supporter. The document, accessed by NDTV, sets out in detail how the minor was allegedly exposed to ISIS propaganda, instructed to hate other religions, and encouraged to adopt the terror group's ideology.

Filed under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the FIR names two primary accused. The first, identified as Anzar, is described in the document as a member of the so-called Islamic State terror organisation, currently residing in Leicester in the United Kingdom. According to investigators, he allegedly showed the teenager graphic ISIS murder videos on his laptop and presented the group's ideology as the "greatest path of Islam". The FIR states that Anzar urged the boy to embrace ISIS as the "true path of Islam" and sought to cultivate hostility toward other religions.

The second accused is the boy's mother, Fidha Mohammed Ali, who investigators say supported and enabled the radicalisation attempt. The FIR records that she allegedly acted in coordination with Anzar. Police sources say the working assumption is that both individuals jointly influenced, guided and attempted to indoctrinate the minor.

The Kerala Police believe the case may reflect a wider network. Preliminary indications, according to sources, suggest sleeper elements linked to the terror group could be functioning in parts of the state. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has begun a preliminary inquiry and is preparing for a full takeover of the probe. Once jurisdiction shifts, the Kochi NIA office will register a fresh FIR and assume control of the investigation.

The case has further significance because of Anzar's family background. NDTV earlier reported that his brother, Siddhiqul, was convicted in the 2016 Kanakamala ISIS conspiracy case. In that case, eight individuals were charge-sheeted for allegedly plotting attacks in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Sources said that although Anzar was placed under surveillance during the 2016 investigation, he was not charged because he was living in Ukraine at the time. A retired NIA officer told NDTV that investigators may now consider alerting Interpol to facilitate Anzar's deportation.

The ongoing inquiry has also led officers to re-examine all previously listed suspects from the 2016 case to determine whether any dormant networks may have been revived. According to NIA officials, each person earlier chargesheeted or named in the Kanakamala investigation is being tracked again as part of the new assessment.

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Bengaluru Man Kills Younger Brother In Car, Dumps Body In Lake

A 24-year-old man was killed by his elder brother along with the help of two others inside a car and the body was thrown into a lake in Bengaluru, the police said.

Dhanaraj, 24, had a history of violent and criminal behaviour, and his elder brother Shivaraj, 28, was no longer able to tolerate it, the police said. Both are residents of Kalaburagi district.

Shivaraj, who drives a cab to make a living, allegedly planned the murder along with his friends Sandeep, 24, and Prashanth, 26.

The police said Dhanaraj lived with his parents in their home district. He was involved in multiple thefts, drinking, and frequent fights, the elder brother told the police.

Dhanaraj often assaulted his parents and had even attacked his elder brother when questioned about his behaviour.

Their neighbours, too, frequently complained about Dhanaraj's thefts, including stealing mobile phones and livestock.

Unable to endure continuous harassment at home, Shivaraj reportedly decided to kill his brother. On November 2, he called Dhanaraj to Bengaluru on the pretext of helping him find a job.

The three men picked him up from Bannerghatta-NICE Road in Bengaluru. Dhanaraj was in the front passenger seat. While occupied with his mobile phone, Sandeep and Prashanth allegedly grabbed him from behind. At that moment, Shivaraj struck him on the neck with a machete, killing him inside the vehicle.

They dumped the body along the Bannerghatta–Kaggalipura road and got rid of the car's floor mat and the machete near the Electronic City-NICE Road,

On November 6, the decomposed body was discovered, initially leading police to suspect an unnatural but not necessarily criminal death. However, CCTV footage from a nearby private company showed the car stopping and the body being dumped, providing crucial evidence.

Tracing the vehicle number, Bannerghatta police arrested all the three accused. A case of murder has been filed, and the accused have been sent to judicial custody.

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Sarfaraz "Not Even Being Allowed To Fail": Questions Raised On Selectors

Sarfaraz Khan's long absence from the Indian Test team has raised quite a few eyebrows. Several former players feel that the Mumbai batter, who has not played a Test since November 2024, deserves a chance in the squad. Former India player Aakash Chopra believes Sarfaraz has fallen victim to a perception battle. The 28-year-old has so far played six Tests, scoring 371 runs at an average of 37.10. He has three fifties and one century to his name.

"I think there is a clarity issue in the case of Sarfaraz. I think it is a case of perception and understanding. I am trying to think-they might have a perception that he may not do as well in swinging conditions or play fast bowling well. Maybe he is not our guy in SENA countries. So he did not get the chance. But even to make that perception, I have to allow him to fail. He is not even being allowed to fail. And now there is no place in the team as well," Chopra said on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel.

The former India star also spoke about Yashasvi Jaiswal not playing T20Is for India. With Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill being the first-choice openers, Jaiswal has not found a consistent spot in the XI. He said it was unfair. In 23 T20Is, the left-hander has scored 723 runs at an average of 36.15 and a strike rate of 164.31. He has one T20I century and five fifties.

"Jaiswal is a premier player in the Indian team as well. He will be there in the ODI and T20I teams in the near future too. You can cover the sunlight with some clouds for a while, but you cannot hide it. At this point in time, it is unfair to Jaiswal, I will agree (not being in the white-ball teams). I feel he will be in the T20 World Cup squad. I don't think the team playing now is the final team," he said.

He also suggested that Jaiswal should be made captain of the Rajasthan Royals. "You cannot ask for captaincy in your state team. It is not player-centric. But a franchise will have to be player-centric at times because it is a game of supply and demand. How many like Jaiswal are available? If you can maximise that asset and need to give him captaincy to do that, I would say please do it. As long as it is clear that the team will get better by that player becoming captain, give it to them even if they demand it," Aakash Chopra said.

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Viral Video Shows How This Scene From Ghajini Was Copied From A French Movie

Aamir Khan and Asin Thottumkal's Ghajini remains one of the most memorable Hindi films of 2008. A remake of the 2005 Tamil hit of the same name starring Suriya, the film itself was loosely inspired by Christopher Nolan's Memento. But beyond the widely known influences, a resurfaced clip has now revealed that one of Ghajini's most iconic moments may have been directly borrowed from another international film, the 2001 French masterpiece Amelie.

A scene from Amelie, featuring Audrey Tautou in the titular role, has been circulating online for its striking resemblance to a beloved sequence in Ghajini. 

In the French film, Amelie tenderly helps a blind man cross a busy street, narrating the world around him with sensory detail. She says, "We just passed the drum major's widow. She's worn his coat since the day he died. Careful. The horse's head on the butcher has lost an ear. That's the florist laughing and he has crinkly eyes. In the bakery window there are lollipops. Smell that! They are giving out melon slices. Sugarplum ice cream. We're passing the pork butcher. Now the cheese shop. Picodons are 12.90, cabecous 23.50. At the butcher's a baby is watching a dog that's watching the chickens roasting. Now we're at the newspaper kiosk by the metro. I'll leave you here. Bye."

Here's the new addition to my #WednesdayPlagiarism series:-

I've attached a sequence from the French movie #Amelie. A landmark Bollywood movie copied the scene beat-by-beat. Not just the essence, even some dialogues were merely translated into Hindi.

Guess the Bollywood movie? pic.twitter.com/UoeLudkvOx

— Navneet Mundhra (@navneet_mundhra) November 19, 2025

In Ghajini, Asin's character performs a nearly identical act of kindness. She guides a blind man across the road while describing the surroundings. She says, "Girls are playing in the street in their uniform; a woman is beating her husband; radio is being played at a tea shop. Now we are crossing the temple and now we are at the main road and here is the bus stop."

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A post shared by IWTKQuiz by Sai Ganesh (@iwtkquiz)

Fans have pointed out the similarities, suggesting that this moment in Ghajini was not simply inspired but closely modelled on the French original.

The Two Films

Amelie (2001) is a whimsical French romantic comedy directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, while Ghajini (2008) is an action thriller directed by AR Murugadoss. 

ALSO READ: When Aamir Khan Was Paid Rs 16 Lakh For An Advert, More Than Double What Shah Rukh Khan Asked For

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Robbers In Bengaluru Pose As Tax Officers, Loot Crores From Cash Van

In a major daylight robbery in Bengaluru, a group of armed men posing as RBI officers intercepted an ATM cash-loading vehicle near the Ashoka Pillar and looted more than Rs 7 crores.

The CMS cash van was transporting money from the JP Nagar branch of HDFC Bank when a Toyota Innova suddenly blocked its way. The occupants of Innova approached the CMS staff and claimed they were from the RBI and said that they needed to verify documents.

Before the cash van staff could react, the suspects forcibly shifted them along with the cash into their Innova car. The gang then drove towards Dairy Circle, where they abandoned the CMS staff and fled with the money. Police said the van had Rs 7.11 crores.

South Division Police have formed special teams and launched an intensive search to identify and arrest the culprits. Preliminary investigations indicate the involvement of a well-organised gang.

The CMS cash van staff who were inside the Innova had delayed in informing the police about the incident. Four of them have been taken to the police station and are being questioned.

"We have information that about Rs 7 crores have been robbed. Checkpoints have been put up across the city, and multiple teams have been formed, who are working on and off the ground," said Bengaluru police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh.

"Three DCPs and one joint commissioner is handling the case, I can share exact details later, but we know that cash was shifted from this CMS vehicle to another, we are awaiting clear cut details, we are trying to ascertain why the security didn't use their weapons and also why they delayed in informing the police, we are looking into all these angles," he added.

 

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