The smoke has dissolved from the pyrotechnics above Dubai International Stadium. The laser show has been switched off. The ticker tape has been swept from the field. Even Sunil Gavaskar has finished dancing his jig.
But the show will go on, according to Rohit Sharma. “I’m not going to retire from this format, just to make sure that no rumours are spread moving forward,” he said after leading India to the Champions Trophy on Sunday night. “What is happening will keep happening.”
Why change a winning formula? Under Rohit’s leadership, India have been to four finals in ICC events in a row. In the past two years, they have won two of three major tournaments, and won 23 out of 24 matches in the process. Before that, they also won the Asia Cup.
It goes without saying they are the dominant side of the era. But how much do they have left in the tank, and what does the future look like after the stars vacate the scene?
Experience counts. Between them, India had almost precisely double the amount of ODI caps (1,376) as their final opponents New Zealand (689). New Zealand put up a plucky fight, but India were the more assured side.
This India side are the oldest great side of modern cricket. Shubman Gill, the vice captain, is the only player under 30. Rohit is 38 next month. Even their new guy, Varun Chakravarthy, is just starting out aged 33.
The average age of the XI who won the Champions Trophy is 32. That is older than any of the teams who have won multiple ICC titles this century.
For example, Australia had an average age of 31 and a half when they completed their treble of World Cup titles in 2007.
History suggests moving on after a great side have grown old together can be fraught with problems. Collectively, England were 29 when they won the 2019 World Cup. Some of that side managed to stay together for them to later win a global T20 crown, too. Since then, though, the side has broken up and their form has fallen off a cliff.
India themselves went 11 years between winning the Champions Trophy of 2013 and the T20 World Cup of 2024. In 2011 they had won the World Cup on home soil with a side that had an average age of 29.
The kept it together enough to take out that Champions Trophy two years later, but, again, there were lean times that followed the end of the Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and MS Dhoni era.
Much as India’s fans would love it, the old guard cannot carry on forever. So, what is to follow them?
If any side can replenish its stocks without undue stress, then surely it is India. When the Champions Trophy was in its knockout phase, the Indian Premier League posted a list on social media of the past winners of its emerging player award.
There are not many misses among them. The early years include the likes of Rohit, Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer. They have not done too bad in the time since.
More recently there are players such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, players who could foreseeably slot right in without the team missing a beat.
For now at least, the Dad’s Army are going to stick around and drive standards, just as they have been doing all this time, according to Rohit.
“The guys in the squad are quite mature, and they want to make the most of their time playing for India,” Rohit said.
“There’s not too much work that is done there. At the end of the day, you’re representing your country, and everyone understands that.
“My job is to make sure that whoever we pick to play gets the job done for the team. Like I said, there is a lot of hunger, even for the guys who have played a lot of cricket.
“Obviously it rubs down to a lot of younger players as well. If they see some of their other senior members showing that hunger and going out there and doing the job again it shows this is how this team is built.
“This is how we want to play our cricket, with a lot of hunger and a lot of passion.
“These things are not supposed to be taught. It is very natural to a lot of guys. And luckily, in the squad we've got five or six guys who real stalwarts of this game and then their attitude, their hunger, their passion rubs down to the other guys as well. That makes the job a little easier for all of us.”
And while they are all still enjoying it so much, why go? You are a long time retired, after all.
“I am just so happy we were able to play as a unit and really enjoy ourselves,” Virat Kohli said after the final against New Zealand. “We have had such an amazing time as a team. It has been an amazing tournament for us.”
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Need to know
Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.
Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
INFO
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
