NZ ODIs: Siraj, Pant's ODI future in focus
New Delhi (PTI): The indefatigable duo of Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj is expected to be the big talking point on Saturday when the selectors pick a 15-member Indian ODI squad for a three-match series against New Zealand starting January 11 in Vadodara.
While no major shake ups can be foreseen in the squad that beat South Africa in a preceding series a few weeks ago, two specific concerns could be addressed by the Ajit Agarkar-chaired selection committee.
The first point could be Pant's position as the second wicketkeeper with Ishan Kishan showing his hitting prowess in the middle order for Jharkhand and Dhruv Chand Jurel also smashing a 'Daddy Hundred' for UP in the domestic circuit.
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Whether it is Agarkar or head coach Gautam Gambhir, both have shown an inclination to select personnel based on team combination.
Therefore in T20 Internationals, they have gone for keepers who are openers in Sanju Samson and Kishan.
In ODIs, the same keeper is needed to primarily be a middle-order batter, coming in at No.5 or 6.
To be fair to Pant, since the arrival of Gambhir as head coach, he has played just one ODI between July 2024 to December 2025.
Only 31 ODI games in eight years with an average of less than 35 isn't a true reflection of the resilient Rourkee man's potential.
In terms of impact, even his greatest detractors would agree that he is scores over Kishan and Jurel.
However, his shot selection in the recent lost Guwahati Test against South Africa neither impressed the head coach nor the selection committee. But dropping him without giving a fair run could also raise a few uncomfortable questions.
The second aspect to be discussed is the selection of pacers for the three-match series.
While Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are likely to be rested keeping the T20 World Cup in mind, it will be interesting to see if the selectors opt to give a break to the other two speedsters -- Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh.
Both played in the recent series against South Africa.
But Siraj, who wasn't picked for the Champions Trophy based on conditions, played in the away series against Australia before being overlooked for the South Africa assignment.
He hasn't played in the first four rounds of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy either but might appear for Hyderabad in two of the last three rounds.
His omissions from the 50-over set up after being a regular feature till the 2023 World Cup, has been baffling.
In case of Mohammed Shami, he has played for Bengal across formats but there is a school of thought that he is past his prime as far as international cricket is concerned.
The communication between Shami and the selection committee has also not been particularly clear.
Among the Vijay Hazare Trophy performers, two genuine contenders are Sarfaraz Khan (for the number four slot) and Devdutt Padikkal (opener).
However, with Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal already guaranteed a place, it will be difficult to fit in Padikkal.
Sarfaraz Khan has been brilliant in the domestic circuit but Ruturaj Gaikwad has already surged ahead of him among contenders with a hundred against South Africa.
In the end, all selection debates would be nothing more than a storm in the tea cup if the five wise men decide to maintain status quo.
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86 nations, two int'l organisations sign AI Impact Summit declaration: IT Min Vaishnaw
New Delhi (PTI): As many as 86 countries and two international organisations have signed the AI Impact Summit declaration, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said, adding that the US, UK, Canada, China, Denmark, and Germany are among the signatories.
The strong global backing for the declaration comes at the conclusion of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
Vaishnaw told reporters that nations across the world have formalised and upheld principles of 'welfare of all, and happiness of all'.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's human-centric AI vision been accepted by the world. Democratising Artificial Intelligence resources so AI facilities, services and technology can reach everyone in society has been accepted by all," the minister said.
Balancing economic growth with social good has been prioritised, he added.
"Not just economic growth, even social harmony has to be kept in mind. Safety and trust are at the centre, they have been brought among the main points," Vaishnaw said, adding that a secure, trustworthy and robust AI framework has been focused on.
Other major areas of thrust include innovations and development of human capital, he noted.
"For all these areas, all countries have agreed to work together. Almost all countries that participated, including the US, the UK, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, and Germany... everyone has participated," the minister said.
The mega AI Impact Summit secured investment commitments of over USD 250 billion in infrastructure alone, with Vaishnaw on Friday terming it a "grand success".
Vaishnaw had said participation at the summit crossed five lakh visitors, reflecting strong domestic and global engagement with India's AI push.
The India AI Impact Summit brought together global policymakers, industry leaders and technology experts, positioning India as a key player in shaping international AI governance and infrastructure development.
"More than five lakh visitors participated in the exhibition, learnt a lot, and interacted with many experts from around the world. We had practically every major AI player in the world participating in large numbers. We had so many startups getting the opportunity to showcase their work. Overall, the quality of the discussion was phenomenal," he had said.
Be it the ministerial dialogue, the leaders' plenary, the main inauguration function, or the Summit overall, the quality of participation and dialogue was phenomenal, Vaishnaw had pointed out.
The investment pledges have crossed USD 250 billion for infra-related capital and around USD 20 billion on VC/deep tech investments.
Vaishnaw had said that the Summit reflected the world's confidence in India's role in the new AI age.
Delhi played host to a lineup of global tech heavyweights this week - Google's Sundar Pichai, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Microsoft's Brad Smith and Anthropic's Dario Amodei - as discussions spanned most intensely debated global topics in the tech universe, from AI's opportunities and risks, all the way to AGI, governance and the future of jobs.
