Karthik stepping down from KKR captaincy incredibly selfless: new skipper Morgan
Abu Dhabi: Kolkata Knight Riders' new skipper Eoin Morgan on Friday hailed Dinesh Karthik's decision to step down as captain of the IPL side as an "incredibly selfless" act of putting the team ahead of an individual.
Karthik handed over the reins to his deputy Morgan hours before their IPL match against Mumbai Indians here.
"Yes, I was surprised as was everybody. Yesterday, DK informed he want to step back and focus on his batting as he feels that is the best option for the team," Morgan said in an interview with Darren Ganga.
"I think it is incredibly selfless and that also shows a lot of courage from him to do that, putting the team first ahead of him being the skipper."
He said he will continue to take help from other players in the leadership group, including Karthik.
"I am delighted to continue the leadership role within this side. Obviously captain and not vice-captain now, and hopefully, continue to work alongside our players.
"I think between me and Dinesh, captain and vice-captain, we can be at the forefront of that, obviously the driving engine, with these guys behind us."
Morgan said a lot of youngsters, such as Shubman Gill, have also been "leading from the front".
"I have been quite myself. Within any good side or great side in the world, you have to have a number of leaders within the change room and we have them in abundance.
"We have a lot of young guys coming through, lead from the front. Gill, Rana to name a few. Nagarkoti stepped up at different stages and we have an abundance of overseas players to lead as well.
"We are halfway through the tournament at the moment. We have shown some potential and have not yet achieved the majority of... Tonight will be another test and hopefully, we will be up to it."
Karthik had told the KKR management that he wants to "focus on his batting and contributing more to the team's cause." Appointed skipper in 2018, the 35-year-old led KKR in 37 matches.
"We are fortunate to have leaders such as DK, who has always put the team first. It takes a lot of courage for someone like him to make a decision such as this," team CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.
"While we were surprised by his decision, we are respectful of his wishes."
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
