CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ TIRUCHY l monday l february 16, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Bolt from the Blues: Meek Pak surrender without fight No handshake, no rivalry either as Ishan’s heroics and precision bowling do the job s w ar o o p s w ami n atha n @ Colombo THE rain stayed away. But so did the ‘spirit of the game’ as India and Pakistan continued their recent policy of not engaging at the toss. Suryakumar Yadav didn’t greet Pakistan’s Salman Agha. The game itself was reduced to a non-event as a dominating Indian display meant they won the game by 61 runs to advance to the Super Eight stage of the World Cup where stiffer tests will arrive. After weeks of theatrics and threats of boycott, more drama arrived even before a ball was bowled in front of a capacity crowd as the two captains refused to engage with each other. Both of them stood within handshaking distance but the hands never shook. This game of political chess was made all the more inexplicable as Wasim Akram, here on media duties, and Rohit Sharma, the World Cup ambassador, greeted each other like long lost friends. They hugged and shook hands in front of the world cricket media 10 minutes before the beginning of the first innings. By the time game started, the city came to a standstill with heightened security and loud fans from the subcontinent. All pre-match discussions were immediately put to the background as Ishan Kishan continued his coruscating bat- Om Birla to attend B’desh oath ceremony RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Bangladeshi government led by BNP’s Tarique Rahman in Dhaka on Tuesday . According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Speaker’s participation underscores the deep and enduring friendship between the people of the two countries. “As neighbours united by a shared history, c u l t u re, a n d mutual respect, India welcomes Bangladesh’s transition to an elected government under the leadership of H E Tarique Rahman, whose vision and values have received an overwhelming mandate of the people,” the MEA stated. Bangladesh had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the event. The newly elected MPs are scheduled to take their oath on Tuesday morning, followed by the swearing-in of the cabinet in the evening. Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner, AMM Nasir Uddin, is expected to administer the oath to the MPs, while President Mohammed Shahabuddin is to administer the oath to the new cabinet. India opener Ishan Kishan leads the charge with 40-ball 77 against Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday. India’s 175 was too much as Pakistan folded for just 114 | AP 8-1  Today’s Matches 11am: UAE vs Afghanistan (Delhi) 3pm: England vs Italy (Kolkata) 7pm: Sri Lanka vs Australia (Pallekele) 175 India continue to dominate Pakistan in T20 World Cups, extend record to 8 wins of 9 ting form to reduce Pakistan’s mix and match spinners. His batting has been thoroughly incandescent since the World Cup began: 20 off 16 against US, 61 off 24 against Namibia and, now, 77 of the most murderous runs you will see at a global event. He did edge a few but the only way you win the lottery is when you buy yourself a ticket. He bought a few and helped the team win the jackpot. Pakistan helped them by opting to bowl but it seemed likely the stage got to them. They were India's 175/5 is the highest total in T20 WC matches between these two teams never on the money and the Men In Blue didn’t need a second invitation to punish them on a night when they played like champions elect. For all the psychodrama and hype associated with this fixture, it has not been worthy of the build-up in terms of results. Long after the lights were switched off at the Premadasa, one thought dominated. This makes it six games on the trot for India against them in T20Is. Game. Set. Match. The Championship will follow at this rate.  P11 Step up, share gains with workers, PM to India Inc India as next AI hub Modi pitched India as a global hub for digital infrastructure and AI saying the country is ready to host the world’s data and lead the next wave of the technology revolution We now have FTAs with 38 nations, an unprecedented milestone in India’s trade history, including countries of varying economic strength Narendra Modi Press Trust of India @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the private sector to step in “more aggressively” and “boldly”, while hailing the latest Budget and a spate of global trade deals signed by his government as foundations for Viksit Bharat. In a wide-ranging interview with PTI, the prime minister urged the dynamic private corporate sector to invest “more aggressively” in research and development, adopt frontier technologies, deepen supply-chain capabilities and compete on quality and productivity rather than on protected margins. “Policy can only create the enabling framework,” he said. “The next phase of transformation requires a decisive response from private sector. In- centives and tariff preferences catalyse growth, but competitiveness rests on innovation, efficiency and scale.” The PM said gains of private sector must be shared fairly between workers, shareholders and owner-managers as productivity rises. “Sustainable growth requires social legitimacy. Rising real wages, skill upgrade, and stable employment reinforce domestic demand and social cohesion,” he said. On India concluding trade deals with the European Union and the UK, securing tariff reductions and expanded market access for goods and services, while reaching an understanding with the US to ease tariff frictions, Modi said “There is a new confidence in our nation...we are a bright spot of growth even in difficult global circumstances.” E x p r e s s Re a d Publication of TN’s final poll rolls deferred to Feb 23: CEO Chennai: The final electoral rolls after the Special Intensive Revision in TN will be published on February 23, instead of February 17, CEO Archana Patnaik said on Sunday. The ECI had given 10 days to the voters on the ‘discrepancies’ list to submit objections. The final rolls will be out after considering the objections, she said | P4 TN Cong unit asks Kharge to press DMK for share in power Madurai: Stepping up pressure on ally DMK, the district executive committee of the Congress’s Madurai south unit passed resolutions on Sunday urging party president Mallikarjun Kharge to demand share in power, more seats in Assembly poll, & 30% share in local body posts as part of the alliance arrangement with DMK in TN | P4 Water level dips in TN, western dists hit hard S G U R U V A N M I K A N AT H A N @ Chennai Thirty-five of the 38 districts in Tamil Nadu have recorded a sharp decline in groundwater level, with the western districts of Coimbatore, Erode and Tiruppur witnessing almost a three-metre drop compared to last year. The last time the state witnessed such a widespread decline in groundwater was in 2017, one of its worst drought years, though the overall groundwater level that year was much lower than it is now. In 2017, all districts, except the Nilgiris which recorded a marginal rise of 0.18m, reported a fall. Data accessed by TNIE from the Water Resources Department reveal that groundwater level has marginally increased in only three districts in January 2026 compared to January 2025. While Vellore recorded an increase of 0.19m, Tenkasi and Tirunelveli recorded a rise of 0.45m and 1.25m, respectively . As per the data, there seems to be a significant stress on water resources in western TN, with water available at a depth of 10.37m in Coimbatore, 8.28 metres in Tiruppur, 6.42m in Namakkal, and 6.33m in Erode. Officials warned that if the declining trend continues, it could pose a serious challenge in meeting drinking water needs, particularly in rural areas, during peak summer months.  P5 People queue up to offer prayers at the Shankaracharya Temple in Srinagar, J&K, on Sunday on the occasion of Maha Shivratri and Herath festivals | PTI