An Air India flight from Chicago was diverted on March 5 due to blocked toilets. In Maharashtra, the government decided against increasing the Ladki Bahini Scheme payout.
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00:00Good evening and welcome. You're with the news today. Start of a brand new week.
00:04This is your destination for news. Newsmakers can talk big talking points.
00:08A big talking point is the Air India mess that's provoked outrage.
00:13Blocked toilets have disrupted and meant that an Air India transatlantic flight went back.
00:19What is ailing Air India's flights? We'll have more on that shocking story in a moment.
00:24Also on the show, the current Indian ODI team, is it the best ever?
00:30Which is India's best ever ODI 11? Sunil Gavaskar will be among others joining me
00:36on that intriguing question a day after India lifted the champion's trophy.
00:40But as always, this is your destination first for the news without the noise.
00:45Let's get you the 9 headlines at night.
00:49An Air India transatlantic flight forced to return to Chicago after numerous toilets clogged
00:56and dysfunctional barely 1 hour 45 minutes into air.
00:59Airline claims sheets, diapers and plastics were flushed down.
01:04Most of the toilets got clogged. There is outrage over Air India's mess.
01:12A fiery showdown over language and delimitation as the parliament resumes.
01:17DMK calls NEP not education policy. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan hits back,
01:23calls talent-led party uncivilized. DMK moves a privilege motion against the minister.
01:32India's champion's trophy win devolves into a clash near a mosque in MP's Mao.
01:37Rioters booked under National Security Act for vandalism and arson.
01:42Gold smuggling accused Talid Rania breaks down in court,
01:49alleges mental harassment by agencies, DRI counters, says Rania not cooperating in interrogation.
02:02Maha war over Aurangzeb escalates now.
02:05Devendra Fadnavis backs removing Aurangzeb's tomb, says tomb removal must be legal.
02:11Shivaji clan's scion joins chorus.
02:18ED raids former CM of Chhattisgarh Bhupel Bagel's son in an alleged liquor scam.
02:24Probe agency team now searches the ex-CM's home. His son is summoned for questioning.
02:36Designers apologize for Gulmarg fashion show,
02:40says regret the hurt caused during Ramzan after a public and political backlash breaks out.
02:52Armed robbers storm a Tanishq showroom in Bihar's Ara.
02:56Loot jewellery worth Rs 25 crores. Dramatic robbery is captured on camera.
03:06And Mark Carney is chosen as Canada's next Prime Minister,
03:11as Justin Trudeau, in place of Justin Trudeau, signals a big shift in India-Canada ties.
03:19But the story that we are breaking this evening is a shocker.
03:33It's coming on Air India's flight, where blocked toilets,
03:37blocked toilets have forced an Air India flight diversion of an international airline.
03:45That's right, Air India 126 on March 5th was diverted back to Chicago.
03:51Air India says polythene bags, rags, clothes were flushed down.
03:56Air India claims the toilets became unserviceable.
04:00Social media storm has forced Air India to admit to the lapses.
04:04Earlier Air India had said technical reasons,
04:07but there are several questions that have been unanswered by what's happened on that Air India flight.
04:14Joining me now at the very top of the news is our Bangalore bureau chief, Nagarjun Dwarkanath.
04:19He is a trained pilot, I can tell you.
04:22Nagarjun, what we are hearing is shocking even by Air India's past standards.
04:27Within an hour of 45 minutes of the flight taking off from Chicago,
04:31the toilets were reportedly, 8 of the 12 got clogged and the flight came back.
04:36Is that possible? Is that really possible that blankets and other material were being stuffed down
04:42or is there a maintenance problem that we are not being told about?
04:45Rajdeep, usually what happens is the passengers end up blaming the pilots usually for any mishaps or the airline for bad services.
04:53For an international flight from Chicago to Delhi which takes around 17 to 16 hours,
04:58I don't think so that the technical officers there or the technicians at the ground at Chicago airport
05:03cleared the aircraft for departure with clogged drains.
05:07In this particular instance, it's most likely that it was the passengers who have flushed down polythene bags
05:13and clothes down the vacuum of the toilet and hence the clogging of the drains that happened.
05:20Usually in the Boeing 777 aircraft, which is a large body aircraft carrying over 300 passengers,
05:25they have at least 8 to 12 toilets depending on the custom make of each airline.
05:31What has happened is here, one of the passengers has flushed polythene bags during the flight as well as clothes
05:37and hence the whole central system of the drain or the toilets have been blocked.
05:41This could have been realized only after the flight diverted back to Chicago
05:46because when the passengers started creating ruckus, shouting at the cabin crew that only one toilet was accessible
05:51for 300 odd passengers and that too was in the business cabin chamber.
05:55So all the economy passengers had to travel to business section, use the toilet and come back.
05:59After a certain point, 300 people, one toilet could become too much and there was hygiene issues.
06:05The passengers were not maintaining hygiene.
06:07But could this be sabotage?
06:09Could this be sabotage as some are suggesting?
06:12Could this have been deliberate sabotage?
06:14Within an hour and 45 minutes, the toilets get clogged?
06:17This could be a sabotage as well as plainly to put that it's bad civic sense of passengers.
06:23These are the two options.
06:25Believe the airline at this point of time because it's unlikely that an international aircraft is clear to take off with clogged drains.
06:32Me being a pilot, most likely the checks are done thoroughly to make sure at least the drains are working.
06:38In this aspect, at least most likely the passengers have flushed polythene bags and clothes
06:43and we will have to believe the airline.
06:45Okay, Nagarjun Dwarkanath joining me there.
06:48I want to go now to Jeetendra Bhargava, former executive director at Air India.
06:54Mr. Bhargava, Air India has had experiences in the past that have damaged the airline's reputation.
07:00Now taken over by Tata's.
07:02Here comes an instance which confirms some of the worst fears that people have that some things haven't changed.
07:08Now you could blame the public, the passengers.
07:10You could blame airline maintenance.
07:12Whom do you blame?
07:14Mr. Rajdeep, let's look at the reality.
07:16What has happened is unfortunate both from the passenger's perspective and from the airline's perspective.
07:22No airline would like to go through such kind of a situation.
07:26It not only damages the image of an airline as you are very rightly saying
07:30that prior to Tata takeover and now nothing appears to be changed.
07:35The reality is what do we do about it?
07:38And Air India has done the right thing of putting in public domain what they got out of the toilets.
07:45How do 8 out of 12 lavatories get unserviceable in 1 hour 45 minutes?
07:52That seems prima facie to be perplexing.
07:55These are high-tech toilets.
07:57Vacuum air suction flush system is there.
08:00So when you have one toilet, this thing, it gets there, number one.
08:04Number two, all toilets are subjected to checks once in 30 days because they're high-tech toilets.
08:12Now Air India has been doing it and this is more frequent than what most other airlines do.
08:16So there is something to be done looking at the airline passenger behavior, number one.
08:22I'm not saying that everybody does it.
08:24A few people may have done it, whether it's an act of mischief
08:27or it has been inadvertently done without realizing the consequences of it.
08:32Now this is what one has to look at.
08:34And you see you've got to give credit to Air India today that look,
08:37they could have rushed, pushed it under the carpet and said, look, we are sorry about it.
08:43The matter ends there.
08:44But what is unfortunate is this kind of an incident has happened twice in four days.
08:51The second incident has not been in public domain.
08:54Now question is, this is what lends to the conclusion that it's probably an act of mischief.
09:00Somebody is deliberately doing it.
09:04Do you fear that someone's done an act of mischief because while you say Air India has come clean,
09:11the fact is that Air India first said that the flight was diverted back for technical reasons.
09:16Then there was a social media storm.
09:18Some passengers and others put out details.
09:20That's when Air India admitted that it was clogging up toilets.
09:24Now, do you see it as an act of mischief?
09:26Are you saying it could be sabotage?
09:28Or does it reflect the very poor hygienic sense of the passengers on the aircraft?
09:33Or Air India's maintenance standards?
09:35I think technical reasons covers every aspect of the aircraft operation.
09:40They may have put this out in public domain that it was diverted or returned to Chicago because of this.
09:46The second point, you look at the constraints.
09:49The flight is into the air.
09:51Now you can't proceed to London or Europe for that matter because it's night curfew there.
09:57So the only option for the pilot was to return to Chicago.
10:00And they did.
10:01They carried out an investigation.
10:03As I said earlier, it's not only a disappointing, unfortunate project from the passenger's perspective.
10:10Equally so from the management's perspective.
10:12Now, what will an airline do?
10:14They will only hope.
10:16And in all toilets, I can remember, it's very clearly written,
10:19please do not throw anything into the toilet.
10:22You must have noticed this as well.
10:24If somebody is disregarding it, something needs to be done seriously.
10:28Now, if it's just pure mischief, some people have played into the game, etc.,
10:33well, one can pass on that it will probably not be repeated again once the airline becomes more vigilant in doing it.
10:39Now, question is, can the cabin crew monitor the toilets?
10:44Who's spending so much time inside it?
10:46But then all people will say, well, you are pervading into our privacy and all those kind of things.
10:52Now, something has to be done.
10:54No, something has to be done, but when?
10:56No, no, but you say, when things like blankets and others are found in the toilet,
11:00then there are question marks there.
11:02I mean, surely that's not what people would be throwing down a toilet.
11:05No, Rajiv, let me exchange here.
11:08I am not saying you can conclude at this juncture that it's after a plane has taken off.
11:14Possibility, when the aircraft is on ground for four, five hours at Chicago airport,
11:21did somebody did mischief at that point?
11:24Now, Air India needs to get into in great detail and say, look, where it happened.
11:28And today with video technology being there at the airport, they can say, all right,
11:32somebody did enter the aircraft, somebody did do this kind of a thing, look at it.
11:36But it's a clear act of mischievous.
11:38You cannot have the kind of item that Air India described in the press release,
11:42that these were the items found in the toilets.
11:45Are you sure it's not a mental act?
11:47Are you sure it is not an act of negligence?
11:49You say mischief, could it be negligence by the airline?
11:52No, tell me, Rajiv, let's put it this way.
11:55How do we come to the conclusion of negligence here?
11:58Will some staff member do it?
12:01Will the airline do it?
12:03Look at the consequences for an airline.
12:06Plane has to go back, you've burned precious fuel,
12:09you've provided hotel accommodation to the passengers,
12:12and yet earned a bad name for yourself.
12:15Now, they need to be more vigilant.
12:17If there is a scope of negligence, they need to mitigate it,
12:20see to it that it is not there.
12:22But something serious needs to be done.
12:24My suggestion to Air India is go deep into this mischief.
12:28If you allege it is mischief, go deep into it,
12:31take all people responsible for it.
12:33And perhaps, this subjecting the toilet to check,
12:37make it a little more frequent,
12:39even if you are above the normal industry standards, do it more.
12:43Maybe the profile of passengers, something has gone wrong,
12:47but you can't have a news report coming or hitting the headlines
12:51for the wrong reasons.
12:53Whether it's your making or somebody else's making.
12:56This must end.
12:57People have expectations that once the government ownership is gone,
13:01our expectations are sky high,
13:04and we want the changes to come in as early as possible.
13:07And as one who articulated for disinvestment for the last 20 years,
13:11I feel sorry at times, but then I know the kind of challenges
13:14that Air India has at the moment.
13:16Expansion is going on,
13:18the kind of number of aircraft which were grounded
13:20at the time of disinvestment which have been put in the air,
13:23building up a management team,
13:25so a lot of jobs were there.
13:28Let me leave it there, sir.
13:30Mr. Bhargava, I'm going to leave it there.
13:32I think you've raised several issues.
13:35If you take Air India disinvestment as a five-day test
13:38and not like a T20 match,
13:40I'll conclude on this note.
13:43Let me leave it there, Mr. Bhargava.
13:45I appreciate your joining us.
13:47The anger, outrage being expressed is a sign that we expected better
13:51from Air India post-disinvestment,
13:53but some things, it seems, haven't changed.
13:55Could it be an act of mischief?
13:57That needs to be investigated.
13:59If so, it is still completely unacceptable.
14:02Let's turn to the other news story of the day
14:05that's making the headlines.
14:07The language war between the Centre
14:09and the Tamil Nadu government continues to escalate,
14:12and today it reached Parliament,
14:14which resumed its budget session.
14:16Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
14:18found himself in a face-off with the DMK MPs
14:21over the Tamil Nadu government's refusal
14:24to implement the National Education Policy's
14:26three-language policy.
14:28The minister called the DMK uncivilised and undemocratic
14:32and later on apologised for those words.
14:35The DMK is planning to move a privilege motion
14:37against the minister, who, as I said,
14:39has withdrawn his comments.
14:41Listen in.
15:05They are doing injustice to students of Tamil Nadu.
15:09They are ruining the future of Tamil Nadu students.
15:12They are not doing justice.
15:14They are undemocratic, uncivilised.
15:17They are debarring the right of Tamil Nadu students
15:20to have a pan-Indian education model.
15:23Very pained and hurt that the minister,
15:26in his reply in Parliament today,
15:28has called the members of Parliament,
15:31the Tamil Nadu government,
15:33the people of Tamil Nadu, uncivilised.
15:35The minister from Tamil Nadu also was there
15:37in the delegation.
15:38And he had clearly said that we have issues
15:41with the NEP.
15:43We cannot accept it in full
15:45because three-language policy
15:47is not acceptable to Tamil Nadu.
15:49And, sir,
15:51the truth is,
15:54the CM of Tamil Nadu
15:57has written to the minister and the prime minister
16:00saying that we cannot,
16:02we have issues with the NEP.
16:05It cannot be accepted in total.
16:10We'll wait and see how that showdown plays down.
16:12But let's stay with what's been happening
16:14across state assemblies as well.
16:16Because today was the day when Maharashtra
16:18brought out its budget.
16:20All eyes, for the 2025-26 budget,
16:23Ajit Pawar's 11th,
16:25were to, as to how will the government
16:28balance its budget.
16:30Remember, the Ladki Bahin scheme
16:32was the government's big ticket
16:34to come back to power in November last year.
16:37The Mahayati had promised to raise the payout
16:40from 1500 rupees to women
16:42below the poverty line to 2100.
16:45Instead, what's happened?
16:47The outlay on Ladki Bahin has come down
16:49from 46,000 crores to 36,000 crores.
16:52And there will be no hike
16:54as was promised before the election.
16:57Not surprising, because the Maharashtra government
17:00has a huge debt at the moment.
17:03The Ladki Bahin scheme was the brainchild
17:05of the previous Eknath Shinde government.
17:07So ahead of elections,
17:09the government had promised to increase
17:11the amount given to more than 2 crore beneficiaries
17:14to 2100.
17:16Post-election, fiscal prudence matters.
17:20And now suddenly the government says,
17:22we're not raising the money.
17:24Listening to what Ajit Pawar had to say,
17:26and what the same government said
17:28just three or four months ago.
17:56We have decided not to step aside.
17:59The schemes that we had given,
18:01the schemes to reduce taxes,
18:03and the Ladki Bahin scheme,
18:05we have implemented them
18:07in a way that will fill the gaps.
18:09The opposition used to say
18:11that once Satyavar comes,
18:13they will stop this scheme.
18:15Do you remember?
18:17When Sushil Kaur Shinde was the Chief Minister,
18:19he took the decision to reduce taxes.
18:21And later, when he became the Chief Minister,
18:23in front of the Mahavikas,
18:25he said,
18:27we have decided to give Rs. 2100
18:29instead of Rs. 1500 to the Ladki Bahin.
18:31We have decided to forgive the farmers' debt.
18:34Because we have already given
18:36free seeds to the farmers.
18:38But we are forgiving the farmers' debt.
18:41And along with that,
18:43we are bringing an alternative scheme.
18:45That is,
18:47if the market starts buying
18:49at a lower rate than we do,
18:51then we will buy at a lower rate.
18:54But where the market will not buy at a lower rate,
18:57we will bring an alternative scheme.
18:59And whatever the difference is,
19:01we have decided to put it
19:03in the farmer's account.
19:25Now the government seems to have decided,
19:27at least for now,
19:29we are not raising the Ladki Bahin
19:31from Rs. 1500 per month to Rs. 2100.
19:33Clearly,
19:35one thing before elections
19:37and one thing after.
19:39What is the reasoning being given?
19:41Well, right now,
19:43there is no reason being given
19:45at this point of time.
19:47Because there seems to be no reason at all.
19:49Everybody knew since the time
19:51that the scheme was implemented
19:53that it is going to be heavy
19:55on the state's exchequer.
19:57And they already knew
19:59that it is going to have
20:01an additional burden on the treasury.
20:03The way the debt is rising,
20:05at this point of time,
20:07the Maharashtra's debt
20:09with respect to the GSDP
20:11is almost 18%.
20:13Though it is below the permissible level
20:15of 25%,
20:17the state government knew already
20:19that it is definitely going to have
20:21an additional burden on the treasury.
20:23So that is the reason why
20:25the high point of the budget
20:27which was presented in June,
20:29which is not a full budget,
20:31but the high point was of course
20:33the Ladli Behna scheme,
20:35the Ladki Bahin scheme
20:37and also the other schemes
20:39which were part of the election manifesto.
20:41In today's budget,
20:43there was no flagship scheme
20:45which was announced.
20:47Even the allocation for the Ladki Bahin scheme
20:49from April to March
20:51to April 2025,
20:53even that allocation
20:55has been reduced to almost Rs. 35,000.
20:57Almost Rs. 10,000 crore drop
20:59in that allocation as well.
21:01So now the government is saying that
21:03yes, we have promised Rs. 2100,
21:05but we haven't told you
21:07whether we are going to do it immediately
21:09in the coming budget or not.
21:11So they are trying to take
21:13a different route altogether.
21:15Now the government is saying that
21:17first we want to understand
21:19whether all the 2.37 crore women
21:21who have benefited from this scheme,
21:23whether they are actually beneficiaries
21:25or there needs to be
21:27some kind of
21:29scrutiny of
21:31the beneficiaries,
21:33whether the right people have got
21:35the benefits from the scheme or not.
21:37So it's very clear now that
21:39Rs. 2100 is a far
21:41ahead dream for
21:43the women who are actually looking forward
21:45to the budget that Rs. 600
21:47will be added
21:49to the kitty of Rs. 1500.
21:51That is not going to happen
21:53for sure.
21:55Okay, so Maharashtra clearly
21:57facing certain financial realities.
21:59Very different, as I said, life for most of our governments.
22:01BJP led Maharashtra,
22:03Congress led Karnataka and Telangana.
22:05Life is very different
22:07before elections and after elections.
22:09Let's turn from there
22:11to our next big story
22:13which is coming from Karnataka,
22:15where the probe into the Karnataka gold smuggling case
22:17has intensified.
22:19The case involving an actor,
22:21Ramya's political
22:23links, including to Congress
22:25ministers and also now
22:27to a former BJP chief minister,
22:29Basav Rao Bommai, have come
22:31under the scanner.
22:33The actress is claiming she was trapped into
22:35smuggling. Remember, she was found
22:37at the Bangalore airport
22:39with gold bars trapped around her
22:41and as per her statement
22:43to the police last week, she has
22:45admitted that she was in possession
22:47of 17 gold
22:49bars when she was held
22:51by the DRI. Ramya
22:53Rao's investigations
22:55are revealing everyday
22:57new angles and putting
22:59the Karnataka government both and the
23:01opposition on the back foot.
23:03Sagai Raj now joins me.
23:05Sagai, today there is a revelation
23:07that Ramya, her
23:09company that she set up had been given
23:11large tracts of land
23:13by the previous Basav Rao
23:15Bommai government. BJP is claiming
23:17that the Congress is trying to hide the
23:19entire scam. What are we
23:21finding? Is Ramya, did Ramya
23:23Rao have major political
23:25connections that are slowly coming out?
23:27The DRI
23:29which has seized her electronic
23:31devices, whether it is a laptop
23:33or mobile phone, they have discovered
23:35that there are plenty of contacts,
23:37especially politicians as well as
23:39police officers in that particular
23:41devices. And they have seized
23:43all those devices
23:45and they are trying to verify whether
23:47she was in contact with them
23:49on a regular basis. And meanwhile
23:51when they had interrogated her,
23:53they had enough evidence to prove that she
23:55had contact. But she distanced herself
23:57and she did not answer. Even in the court,
23:59DRI counsel had categorically
24:01mentioned that she is not cooperating
24:03in the investigation when it comes to
24:05specific questions with the evidences.
24:07For an example, they have evidence of
24:09she calling so-and-so person.
24:11They have evidence to prove
24:13that she has travelled with so-and-so person.
24:15When they show that and ask her what you have to say
24:17about that, she is not revealing, she is not
24:19cooperating. And the DRI says
24:21that she is not cooperating in the entire investigation.
24:23But they feel that
24:25once they get more evidence,
24:27they have already summoned a few people, once they get more
24:29evidence, they will be able to establish
24:31the nexus and the syndicate
24:33which is operating this entire
24:35gold smuggling racket.
24:37But it's not just the gold
24:39smuggling racket. As I said, reports are
24:41coming in that a company which she
24:43apparently was part owner had been
24:45given large tracts of land in
24:47Tumkur when Basavaraj Bommai
24:49was the Chief Minister. So, clearly
24:51she had influential connections.
24:53Absolutely, because
24:55that particular company that she claims
24:57that she owns, she registered
24:59in the year 2022.
25:01Within nine months after a registration
25:03with a proposal, a 12-acre
25:05of land of KIDB
25:07has been allotted to her. Remember, there are
25:09a lot of companies, thousands, lakhs
25:11of companies who apply
25:13for this particular KIDB and land.
25:15But still, nobody gets that
25:17land in that short notice. For example,
25:19they have to wait for four or five years.
25:21But within nine months of time,
25:23the land gets allotted.
25:25When the question is asked to Basavaraj Bommai,
25:27the former Chief Minister, he says
25:29that he doesn't involve in this kind of
25:31allotment. It's the Minister who has
25:33allocated. And probably she has
25:35fulfilled
25:37all the criteria of
25:39what is required for that particular land
25:41and that is the reason they have allocated.
25:43But the BJP says that when she
25:45landed in Bengaluru, on the
25:47day when she got caught, she
25:49made a telephone call.
25:51Sagar, I have to cut you short
25:53because of audio glitches. We'll try and
25:55get those right. But clearly, what it
25:57shows is Rania has a
25:59wide network,
26:01which could include politicians.
26:03Remember, her stepfather is
26:05a DGP of police.
26:07Is this just a gold smuggling
26:09racket or is it much more than that?
26:11Hopefully, the investigations
26:13will reveal more. I want to
26:15turn to another political controversy that's
26:17broken out today where a fashion
26:19show held in Gulmarg in
26:21the Kashmir Valley during the holy month
26:23of Ramzan has triggered a massive
26:25uproar. Now, the event has agitated
26:27the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly,
26:29which is against the fact
26:31that this fashion show took place
26:33during the Ramzan season.
26:35The organizers have been forced to
26:37apologize after the backlash.
26:39Take a look.
26:41A controversy
26:53has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir over
26:55an outdoor fashion show recently held
26:57in Gulmarg.
26:59A video,
27:03which has gone viral, showed models
27:05walking down the snow-covered ramp at
27:07the L India Fashion Show,
27:09organized by the fashion designer duo
27:11Shivam and Naresh.
27:13The Valley's
27:15political parties are agitated as the
27:17event took place during the Ramadan.
27:23The matter was raised in the Jammu
27:25and Kashmir Assembly on Monday.
27:27A video,
27:37which has gone viral, showed models
27:39walking down the snow-covered ramp at
27:41the L India Fashion Show, organized by
27:43the fashion designer duo Shivam and
27:45Naresh.
27:47A video,
27:49which has gone viral, showed models
27:51walking down the snow-covered ramp at
27:53the L India Fashion Show, organized by
27:55the fashion designer duo Shivam and
27:57Naresh.
27:59A video,
28:01which has gone viral, showed models
28:03walking down the snow-covered ramp at
28:05the L India Fashion Show, organized
28:07by the fashion designer duo Shivam and
28:09Naresh.
28:11A video,
28:13which has gone viral, showed models
28:15walking down the snow-covered ramp at
28:17the L India Fashion Show, organized
28:19by the fashion designer duo Shivam and
28:21Naresh.
28:25A video,
28:29which has gone viral, showed models
28:31walking down the snow-covered ramp at
28:33the L India Fashion Show, organized
28:35by the fashion designer duo Shivam and
28:37Naresh.
28:41A video
28:43which has gone viral, showed models
28:45walking down the snow-covered ramp at
28:47the L India Fashion Show, organized
28:49by the fashion designer duo Shivam and
28:51Naresh.
28:55and a bit stage-managed also.
28:58After the backlash, organisers have apologised and said
29:01that they remain committed to being more mindful and respectful.
29:10Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has ordered a probe against the organisers of the fashion show.
29:17With Sunil G. Bhatt and Mir Fareed, Bureau Report, India Today.
29:55The debate is something far more positive and happy.
29:58Because in the space of nine months, India has won two ICC Global titles in cricket.
30:04The icing on the cake is that India has stayed unbeaten through both these tournaments,
30:09the T20 World Cup and now the Champions Trophy.
30:12A day after Rohit Sharma's men lifted that trophy, the big question,
30:17are India simply the best white-ball team of the modern era?
30:21Take a look.
30:26Rohit and his men sent bags full of happiness from Dubai
30:30to the millions cheering for them in India.
30:38In the space of nine months, India won their second consecutive ICC title.
30:44The monkey was off the back in 2024.
30:48The dominance continued in 2025.
30:56The Indian team has unleashed themselves with their ruthless brand of white-ball cricket
31:02under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.
31:11The hitman has done the heavy lifting, both as a captain and then as a batter
31:17in terms of setting the attacking template as a top-order batter.
31:22And with the presence of Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja,
31:27India's depth is a desire for several teams.
31:32I think this is the best betting lineup that I've been part of, personally.
31:37Rohit bhai and Virat bhai, I think, all-time one-day greats in the world.
31:43Rohit bhai, one of the best openers in white-ball.
31:47And there's no need to talk about Virat bhai, one of the best ODI batsmen ever.
31:52So, to bat between them, and we have Shreyas in such a good form,
31:59KL bhai, Hardik bhai, Jaddu bhai, so I think the depth in our batting
32:04makes it a little easier for the top batsmen.
32:09In the last three ICC events, India have lost just one match out of 24 matches.
32:15The only match they lost was the ODI World Cup final.
32:21But staying unbeaten in the next two ICC tournaments spells pure domination.
32:31Boosted with genuine match winners, India have dominated opponents
32:35with clinical aggression and calculated approach.
32:45This is one of them, the 2020 winners, and now the Champions Trophy.
32:50Without a question, they have to be the best white-ball team on the planet.
32:54No doubt whatsoever.
32:56The Indian team can play anywhere.
32:59A lot of people have said, once decided, that India will play in Dubai.
33:04If they had played in Pakistan, which is their team,
33:07they would have won the 2024 World Cup without losing a game.
33:11If they win the Champions Trophy without losing even one game,
33:15that shows the depth in their cricket, that shows the leadership.
33:21Winning an ICC trophy is tough.
33:24Winning two in nine months, even tougher.
33:27Rohit's team are on course to achieve greatness
33:30that is unseen and unheard of in Indian cricket.
33:36Sports Bureau, India Today.
33:42And joining me now is Sunil Gavaskar.
33:46We are going to raise that big question.
33:48Is this the best ODI team?
33:50And we'll also have our selection of India's best ever ODI team.
33:54Mr. Gavaskar, this Indian team has won 22 of their last 23 completed ICC white-ball matches.
34:01Is this, in your view, the best ever Indian ODI team, white-ball team?
34:06This is the best team, white-ball team, in the world at the moment.
34:12Over the last couple of years, definitely.
34:14I'm very, very reluctant to compare players and teams of different eras and different generations.
34:21Because of all the playing conditions, everything's different.
34:24The 1983 team that won the first World Cup played with a red ball and with no field restrictions.
34:31None of the two fielders outside, three fielders outside, none of that.
34:34Bouncers were freely allowed.
34:37The 2011 team was also playing under different conditions.
34:43So it's very difficult to compare teams.
34:46Like I said, this is the best team over the last two or three years in the white-ball game.
34:51This Indian team is the best in the last couple of years because their performances.
34:55You just mentioned 22 out of 23 games that they won.
35:00That just tells you how dominant they have been.
35:01What for you, Mr. Gavaskar, has been the standout aspect of this team
35:06that makes it really such a match-winning side?
35:12The all-round strength.
35:14The all-round strength of this team where the batting could be,
35:17batting order could be shuffled by the captain.
35:20The bowling, the options were such that the bowlers could be brought on
35:24at different times, different ends, depending on who the batter was.
35:27Left-hand, right-hand, depending on what the size of the boundary on either side was,
35:31depending on where the breeze was coming from.
35:34So those options that the captain had was terrific.
35:39But then the captain had to utilize the strengths that he had in the ideal manner.
35:46And that is what was also the difference.
35:49The captain was superb in the way he handled his bowlers,
35:53the way he shuffled the batter.
35:54The way he handled his bowlers, the way he shuffled the batting order up and down,
35:59the field placing, the bowling changes, everything was absolutely top class.
36:04So that was the difference, the all-round strength and the captaincy,
36:07which was not quite seen in other teams.
36:10Interesting the way you're praising Rohit Sharma's captaincy.
36:14But how much of a difference Mr. Gavaskar, at the end of the day, did playing in Dubai,
36:18playing on slow spinning surfaces with a spin quartet?
36:25It was not a question of playing in Dubai or anywhere else.
36:32It's a question of playing good cricket.
36:34And that's what this Indian team did.
36:36Even if they had to play on different surfaces, they would have been able to do that.
36:41When you win 22, like you've just said, 22 out of 23 matches played in different conditions.
36:47Only five matches have been played in Dubai out of the 22 that have been won.
36:52The other 17 matches have been played elsewhere, different pitches, different conditions.
36:58So that actually tells you that if they had to play anywhere else,
37:03the result would still have been the same. India would still have been the champions.
37:07What for you was the turning point though in that final against New Zealand?
37:11Almost went to the wire, but when did that match turn?
37:17Possibly the wicket of Rachid Navendra, because he was batting so well.
37:22Kuldeep Yadav getting out first ball was the reason why the Kiwi slowed down.
37:29Then in the next over, Kuldeep getting Kane Williams and another heavy scorer in the tournament.
37:35That also was a big turning point.
37:37Otherwise, New Zealand could have ended up with maybe 280-290.
37:42If both these informed batters had stitched together a partnership.
37:47Is there any player you want to single out in this Indian team for special praise, Mr. Gavaskar?
37:53I'd single out Kuldeep Yadav, because sometimes he goes under the radar.
37:59He picks wickets for you. I'll also look at KL Rahul.
38:03He kept wickets superbly.
38:05And when needed, when he came into bat, he batted in a very positive manner.
38:10A couple of sixes that he hit in both the semis as well in the final.
38:14Absolutely top class batting.
38:16So these are the two players I would certainly look at.
38:20Just a final question. Do you think Rohit Sharma should now step aside from red ball cricket?
38:26Just focus on white ball and probably hope to lift the 2027 World Cup?
38:32That is for Ajit Agarkar and his selection committee to decide. Not for me.
38:38Sunil Gavaskar leaving that ball outside the off stump with that last question.
38:43I was speaking to him earlier. He was in Dubai.
38:46I want to widen that now to two people who've tracked cricket over the years.
38:52Shishir Atangli is former Mumbai captain.
38:54And I want to go to Ayaz Memon, veteran sports and cricket commentator and analyst and journalist.
39:00I appreciate both Shishir and Ayaz joining me.
39:04Let's turn and look at that question. Is this the best ODI team ever?
39:10Shishir, why don't you take that first?
39:11Is this the best ODI team ever in your view that India has put up on a cricket field?
39:17In my view, Rajdeep, yes.
39:20I'm not going by the changes in the rules, the conditions, the 60 over to 50 over.
39:28All those things taken into consideration.
39:31This team actually looks like a team without any crevice.
39:36And of course, the way that they've played.
39:39Very often, you pick the best team.
39:41But on the given day or in a given tournament, they may not strike good form.
39:46And that's where the problems start.
39:48But in this case, I think they've picked the best team for a tournament and the players have struck form.
39:54And off the field, I think the captain and the coach have been very smart.
39:58They've picked players, given good positions.
40:01KL Rahul's position was a very crucial position.
40:05Because every time he came in, he had to play with a cool head.
40:08He had to manoeuvre the strike and make sure he took India home.
40:12Also, just using him ahead of Rishabh Pant was a bold move.
40:17Then again, you had the spinners.
40:19Four spinners in a one-day team, never happened before.
40:21So, they've picked teams that they can…
40:23Varun Chakravarthy coming in out of the blue and creating those wickets and breaking those partnerships.
40:32So, I think, in my view, this would be the best team I've seen perform for India.
40:39And taking into consideration 1983, 2011 and all those teams that have got us so much glory.
40:47Let's take that to you, Ayaaz.
40:49Because you were there at the 83 World Cup final.
40:50I was also there on that memorable day at Lourdes.
40:54Then you had 2011 at the Wankhede Dhoni's men.
40:58And now you have Rohit Sharma's men reaching the World Cup final.
41:02Winning the Champions Trophy, winning the World T20.
41:05Which is the best of the three teams?
41:10Well, I'm inclined to go with the current one.
41:13And I'll tell you why. I think the one which really competes with this current team
41:16is the one which actually won the 1983 World Cup.
41:18Then it won the Asia Cup in 1984.
41:20Then it won the World Championship of Cricket in 1985 in Australia.
41:24And remember, they also finished in the semi-final in 1987 World Cup.
41:28That team had a lot of balanced stalwarts.
41:30Kapil Dev, Gavaskar, Mohenjo-Ramanath, Vengsarkar, Shastri and so on and so forth.
41:35But this team, current one, and also Dhoni's team,
41:392011 World Champions, 2013 Champions Trophy winners, also, you know, flush with talent.
41:45This current team has an abundance of talent.
41:49And flair. And, you know, multiple options for each position.
41:54You know, you had four spinners as Shishir mentioned.
41:57Three of them were left arm spinners.
41:59And you could leave out one or leave out none.
42:01That was the strength of the team.
42:03You have multiple fast bowling options.
42:05And also a batting order which is very flexible, which didn't exist in the past.
42:09This is the team which has looked capable of winning everywhere that it has played or anywhere it has played.
42:15I would go with this current one.
42:17I think we have had a golden run over the last couple of years in white ball cricket.
42:20Barring, of course, that heartbreaking defeat to Australia in the ODI World Cup final in 2023.
42:26Is it in a sense, Shishir, that because we are also the big boss of world cricket with the IPL,
42:34the biggest tournament, white ball cricket has now got so much of prominence
42:38that all these young players are coming with the attitude that white ball cricket brings.
42:42A certain flair and fearlessness.
42:45We are seeing it in the T20 game and we are now seeing it being transposed to the 50-over game as well.
42:51Is that the big difference between now and in the past when cricketers were raised on red ball games?
42:57You made pertinent points, Rajdeep, but the biggest point is financial security.
43:02I mean, imagine you have enough money to feel financially secure to play a game fearlessly.
43:08I mean, if you didn't have the financial security, fearlessness may have been difficult.
43:13So, I think a lot to do with the IPL, the experience of playing international cricket in a domestic tournament,
43:20but also the financial benefits that have come, that have made cricketers feel a little secure
43:24that this is a profession that I can go out and express myself, which may be a cliched word, but fearlessly.
43:30And that is something that we have seen. The flair, the hostility, the fearlessness with which they have played the game.
43:38I mean, look at Rohit Sharma, for starters. He has gone there with a plan.
43:40It's not come off all the time. Some purists like us, old-timers like us would say,
43:46oh, he's thrown his wicket away after, you know, doing the hard work.
43:49But his job as an opening batsman was to give them those starts and, you know, sort of break open the game for them.
43:56And he's done it. And of course, the other batsmen have supported him.
44:01Ayaz, is that the big difference you see? Because these players who've emerged now,
44:07the likes of Hardik Pandya, for example, are made for white ball cricket.
44:13And that has given us an extra edge. Michael Vaughan says you could have two Indian teams today.
44:1922 players who could take on the world. Yeah.
44:23You are absolutely right. I mean, even what Shishir is saying, the security, the financial security that you get because of the IPL
44:31and the fact that the Indian cricket board is so rich is a tremendous kind of boost for Indian cricket.
44:37But I'll add one more dimension to this, Rajdeep, which is the internal rivalry amongst players to get into the Indian team.
44:44It has just made everybody lift their standard of play. I mean, in this Champions Trophy, you know,
44:49Rishabh Panch, the highest paid cricketer in the IPL, cannot make it to the playing XI.
44:55The team chose, the team management chose to go with KL Rahul as their wicketkeeper batsman.
45:00So, that is the level of competition. Even people like, you know, Pant or KL Rahul or some of the fast bowlers,
45:07the spinners, the top order batsmen, nobody can take his place for granted.
45:12There are three or four options available for the selectors and for the team management in case you don't measure up.
45:19So, I think that has really raised the standard of Indian cricket.
45:23Okay, what we are going to do now is Shishir Ayyaz and me are going to choose our all-time India XI ODI.
45:30Basically, out of these three great sides, the Kapil Dev side, the side of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the side of Rohit Sharma.
45:38I'm going to start with you, Shishir Atangdi. I'm going to read out your XI or you can read it out.
45:43Why don't you go ahead and tell us who is your all-time India ODI XI? White ball, World Cup winners.
45:50You gave me a tough job, Rajdeep. But you know, I should have had two or three days to pick it. But you can read it out.
45:57I mean, I'm going with Rohit Sharma as captain. For me, he is obviously the opening batsman and the captain.
46:03I don't have all the names but you can read them out. I think Sachin Tendulkar is number two.
46:08I'll go with that then. And then you can give them. Sachin Tendulkar, he is chosen at number two.
46:12Virat Kohli at number three. Mohinder Amarnath is your choice at number four.
46:18Yuvraj Singh is your fifth choice. Suresh Raina is your sixth choice. MS Dhoni, seventh. Kapil Dev.
46:25Anil Kumble. Ravindra Jadeja. On the board, of course, I see Varun Chakravorty and Hardik Pandya also in your XI.
46:35You've replaced, in a sense, Kumble and Mohinder Amarnath with the two. Am I correct?
46:40So you're going with Hardik and Chakravorty? Yeah, I replaced them because Rajdeep didn't… Anil didn't qualify for this.
46:46Yeah, because he didn't win a World Cup. That's right. So I had to make a change.
46:51And I thought I'll bring in the X Factor Varun. Because he's been a mystery bowler, actually.
46:58And I'm saying it's early days for him. But India and the Indian team need somebody like him to be able to create those breakthroughs in a 50-over game.
47:11Which can get boring, actually. And he looks like he's going to pick a wicket every time he bowls. So, he's in my side.
47:17There's a bit of recency bias, if I may say so, in choosing Chakravorty in an all-time India ODI XI.
47:25I would say that still has some way to go. But fair enough. That's your choice.
47:29I ask, Memon, should I read out your names? And then you can tell me why you've chosen them.
47:34You've also got Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma at the top. You've got Virat Kohli at three.
47:39You've got Sourav Ganguly at four. Sourav would not qualify in some sides because of course…
47:46No, Rajdeep… Yes, go ahead. You want to list your name?
47:52No, I've actually had Amarnath at number four. I'll tell you what my 11 is.
47:58It's Sachin and Rohit. Sachin, Rohit, Kohli. I've also got Amarnath like Shishir has.
48:04I've got Yuvraj Singh. I've got MS Dhoni, Kapil Dev. I've got Kapil Dev as captain incidentally, not Dhoni or Rohit.
48:12And I'll tell you why very shortly. I've got Jadeja. I've got Ashwin. I've got Zaheer Khan.
48:19And I've got, you know, I mean, I was told that I could include Jasprit Bumrah. So, I've got him there.
48:25Yes, you can. He's won a world title. He's not won a title. He's not been part of a winning team.
48:30Yeah, he's won a world title. So, he's also part of the team. But Kapil Dev, yes, World T20 he was there.
48:36So, we've got to tell our graphics to replace Dhoni with Kapil. Okay. So, you've got Kapil as your captain, not Dhoni.
48:42Yes. Yes. Why is that? The reason being that, you know, it was a breakthrough victory for India.
48:50It was a breakthrough victory for India that winning that World Cup, it just completely redefined, not just Indian cricket, but international cricket.
48:57It just completely redefined the sport. India becoming a major power. Before that we had lost badly in two previous World Cups.
49:04Playing one of the greatest knocks ever seen, in my opinion, the greatest one day century.
49:08175 not out at Tunbridge Wells. And also, I think, kind of inspiring. I mean, a lot of the players we have mentioned here
49:15who've subsequently gone on to represent India with distinction were inspired by that victory.
49:20He just changed the face of Indian cricket through his deeds and I think also his captaincy.
49:25A lot of things, you know, people don't give him enough credit for. They say he was instinctive, he was impulsive, he was this, he was that.
49:32He was not a thinker. But remember, before that India had won nothing. And after that India had won so many other things.
49:38So, clearly there is some contribution that you must give credit to Kapil there for.
49:43Okay. So, we've heard various views. There are some common players in all, as is to be expected.
49:51Let me give you my all-time India 11 in ODI cricket. I start with Rohit Sharma at the top.
49:58I go then with Virender Sehwag. I believe Virender Sehwag was a player who had the kind of impact that very few other players have had.
50:06Just think of Rohit Sharma and Virender Sehwag at the top. I've got Virat Kohli at number 3.
50:11He is the greatest ODI batsman, in my view, across generations. At number 4, I've got Sachin Tendulkar.
50:18I don't have Tendulkar opening. I believe Tendulkar, at the end of the day, can bat anywhere in any team, but he has to be in the team.
50:25At number 5, I have Yuvraj Singh. I believe Yuvraj Singh was the X-factor kind of player who made the impact on ODI games,
50:34was the man of the tournament, remember, 2011. At number 6, I have Mohinder Amarnath.
50:39Again, for some, he may be a surprise choice, but he is just the kind of calming influence you want at number 6.
50:45At number 7, Kapil Dev da jawaab nahi. He has to be in any Indian all-time ODI XI.
50:51I've chosen Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the wicketkeeper and the captain. I believe he just edges out Rohit Sharma,
50:58quite simply because I think Dhoni handled pressure better than any other Indian cricketer that I have seen.
51:04At number 9, I have Ravindra Jadeja. I believe Jadeja brings genuine skills, both as a batsman, bowler and fielder.
51:12He's my left-arm spinner, assured with his 10 overs. Then I have Zaheer Khan.
51:17I've chosen Zaheer Khan because if you look at his bowling average, he gives less than 5 runs an over.
51:22He could bowl with the new ball and he could bowl in the middle over.
51:26At number 11, I've got Jaspreet Bumrah, who for me is going to be a complete all-time great when it comes to both red ball and white ball.
51:34I also have Harbhajan Singh because I chose 12. If the game is played in India, I choose Harbhajan.
51:39Harbhajan, if it's played in England, for example, I would choose Mohinder Amarnath.
51:44Harbhajan Singh too was a very, very skilful cricketer. So, that's my 12. Shishir has chosen his. Ayaz has chosen his.
51:54No, I'm sorry, Rajdeep. I need a rap on the knuckle for forgetting Jaspreet Bumrah, but it's just the nature of the game.
52:00He's unfit and I didn't know about his cricket.
52:04Okay, no, I'll give you that. Also, remember, he didn't win a World Cup as yet. He's won a World T20.
52:09But we made an exception for him. We made an exception for him because he's just won a World Championship six months ago.
52:16So, that's my 11. You're changing. You're bringing in Jaspreet Bumrah. Fair enough.
52:21I think we can dispute who should be captain. The interesting thing is Shishir chose Rohit Sharma.
52:26Ayaz has chosen Kapil Dev and I have chosen Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
52:30So, at least when it comes to captains, we've chosen three very different cricketers as their captains.
52:36Either way, it's fascinating and you too can decide on your all-time ODI 11.
52:42Thank you very much, Shishir Ayaz, for joining me.
53:00A viral video circulating on social media featuring Shami in a skull cap and kurta suggested he did just that.
53:05Here's what the India Today fact-check found out.
53:08You are watching fact-check segment where we bust fake news.
53:11Did Indian pesa Mohammad Shami release a video apologizing to Muslims amid the controversy over fasting,
53:16claiming he was forced to break roza during a Champions Trophy match?
53:19A viral video circulating on social media featuring Shami in a skull cap and kurta allegedly suggests just that.
53:26India Today fact-check found that this video was edited.
53:29The original video, shared back in April 2024, showed Mohammad Shami wishing everyone a happy Eid.
53:34This fact-check on viral fake news is done by India Today's team AFA.
53:38This is AI Sana signing off.
53:59Thanks for watching. Stay well, stay safe. Good night.