December 6, 2025 - IndiaVerve

Jaiswal’s first ODI ton powers India to dominant series win over South Africa

December 6, 2025 by India Verve Desk

Visakhapatnam: A sparkling maiden ODI century from Yashasvi Jaiswal carried India to a commanding nine-wicket victory over South Africa in the series decider here on Friday, sealing the three-match contest 2-1 and offering another glimpse of the country’s next-generation batting firepower.

Chasing 271 under the ACA–VDCA Stadium lights, the 23-year-old left-hander didn’t just score a hundred — he owned the moment. Calm early and clinical later, Jaiswal finished unbeaten on 116 off 121 deliveries, ensuring India crossed the target with 61 balls remaining. His innings featured maturity beyond his years, pacing the chase through two major partnerships that deflated South Africa’s hopes of forcing a thriller.

Ex-captain and opening partner Rohit Sharma set the tone from the top with an assured 75 off 73 balls, peppering the powerplay with clean strikes before handing over the baton. Virat Kohli then added urgency to the pursuit, smashing 65 off just 45 deliveries as the hosts sliced through the required runs without any panic. Their 116-run stand alongside Jaiswal’s opening partnership of 155 laid the path to a convincing win.

Earlier in the afternoon, South Africa appeared well placed at 168 for two after Quinton de Kock unleashed a fluent century (106 off 89 balls) in what felt like a classic rebuild for a challenging total at this venue. But India’s bowlers turned the innings on its head. Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav teamed up to dismantle the middle and lower order, picking four wickets each and sparking a collapse that saw the visitors lose their last eight wickets for just 102 runs, finishing at 270 all out.

India, for the first time since the 2023 World Cup semi-final (after losing 20 consecutive times), won the toss and backed their bowlers on a surface offering enough grip for spin and bounce for the pacers. That decision paid off once Kuldeep’s variations and Prasidh’s hit-the-deck aggression kicked in. Tilak Varma also returned to the playing XI, while the Proteas made changes to bolster their top order and seam options, but the hosts ensured those tweaks had little impact.

The night, however, belonged to Jaiswal. Known for audacity in the powerplay and patience in Tests, he blended both qualities to produce an innings that felt like an arrival statement in ODI cricket. He became the sixth Indian to score centuries in all three international formats — a sign of how rapidly his reputation is growing.

For India, the emphatic win not only clinches the series but also strengthens confidence as the team shapes its future batting core beyond its decorated senior icons.

Next, India and South Africa will engage in fice T-20 matches starting from December 9 in Cuttak, Odisha. The 2ns T20 will be played in New Chandigarh on December 11, followed by Dharamsala on December 14, Lucknow on December 17, and the final encounter in Ahmedabad on December 19.

Indian researchers discover new Nicobar snake named after Steve Irwin

December 6, 2025 by India Verve Desk

Indian researchers have unveiled a remarkable new species of snake on Great Nicobar Island — and in a heartfelt tribute, they have named it after global wildlife icon Steve Irwin. The newly recorded Irwin’s wolf snake (Lycodon irwini) adds to the rich but still-hidden biodiversity of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The species was identified by R. S. Naveen and S. R. Chandramouli of Pondicherry University, working with Zeeshan A. Mirza from the Max Planck Institute for Biology and Girish Choure of Pune. Their findings were published in the open-access journal Evolutionary Systematics, which specialises in evolutionary and taxonomic research.

The scientists said they chose to honour Stephen Robert Irwin — the celebrated Australian conservationist and television personality — because his lifelong passion for wildlife inspired naturalists across the globe, including the authors themselves. The gesture immortalises Irwin’s legacy in a region known for extraordinary species that are still being discovered.

Irwin’s wolf snake is visually striking: a sleek, glossy black serpent, growing up to about a metre in length. Despite its fierce-sounding name, it is a non-venomous creature, likely hunting small reptiles, amphibians and rodents under cover of darkness. Like other wolf snakes, it relies on agility and stealth rather than venom.

So far, researchers have found the species only on Great Nicobar Island, indicating that its natural distribution is extremely limited. Wildlife restricted to such small geographic pockets can be highly vulnerable to disturbance, especially in ecologically sensitive islands. Acknowledging this fragile status early, the authors recommend listing the snake as Endangered — a step that could help ensure protective measures before threats escalate.

Even though scientists have been studying the Andaman and Nicobar region for decades, much of its deep forest terrain remains inaccessible, and many species — especially reptiles — are poorly documented. This discovery reinforces how much remains to be understood. As the research team noted, “New species continue to be discovered, exemplified by Lycodon irwini, highlighting the ongoing progress in taxonomy and the incomplete understanding of herpetofaunal diversity in the region.”

Steve Irwin (1962–2006), affectionately known as “The Crocodile Hunter”, dedicated his life to educating people about reptiles and other overlooked animals. His fearless curiosity and contagious enthusiasm changed how millions of viewers perceived wildlife. Today, his influence lives on through conservation programmes, community awareness initiatives — and now, through a living species in India’s far south.

The discovery of Irwin’s wolf snake is not just a scientific milestone. It is a tribute to a man who brought the world closer to nature and a reminder that precious species continue to emerge in hidden corners of our planet. As Great Nicobar reveals yet another secret from its forests, the hope is that this new reptile will inspire greater protection for the fragile ecosystems it calls home — just as Steve Irwin inspired a generation to care for the wild.

IndiGo meltdown triggers nationwide chaos as Centre orders probe

December 6, 2025December 6, 2025 by India Verve Desk

New Delhi: India’s largest airline, IndiGo, plunged into an unprecedented operational crisis on Friday as more than 1,000 flights were cancelled across major airports, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and prompting the Centre to order an urgent high-level investigation into the airline’s failure to maintain schedules.

The disruption crippled services in Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and several other airports, with travellers waiting for hours in packed terminals. From families travelling for ceremonies to devotees en route to religious destinations, many broke down in frustration as queues grew longer and flight information remained uncertain.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers issued a public apology, acknowledging widespread delays and cancellations and admitting that attempts made in recent days to stabilise operations had “not worked”. He said the airline was now “rebooting all systems and schedules,” adding that fewer than 1,000 cancellations were expected on Saturday and that normal operations were likely to be restored between December 10 and 15.

He said IndiGo’s immediate priorities included communicating with impacted passengers, arranging travel for stranded flyers, and adjusting its schedules to align crew availability. However, the assurances did little to calm the chaos unfolding at airports.

The crisis is rooted in the implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which increased pilots’ weekly rest requirements to 48 hours and restricted them to only two night landings per week — a sharp shift from earlier norms. IndiGo attributed the meltdown to “planning gaps” during the transition.

Following mounting public anger, the Union government placed the revised FDTL rules in abeyance and demanded detailed accountability from the airline. Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said the ministry had taken “urgent and proactive steps” to address the disruption, adding that a comprehensive probe would examine operational lapses and crew-roster failures.

But the temporary relaxation triggered pushback from the Airlines’ Pilots Association, which warned that reversing duty-time safeguards set a “dangerous precedent’’ and undermined the very principles designed to prevent pilot fatigue and ensure flight safety.

Political reactions also intensified. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi blamed the chaos on the “monopoly model” of the BJP-led government, saying that shrinking competition had left the aviation sector vulnerable to breakdowns. BJP MPs, meanwhile, urged the aviation ministry to make immediate arrangements for stranded passengers, noting that even lawmakers were unable to travel due to cancellations.

As the crisis escalated, flight fares skyrocketed. The only available Mumbai–Delhi ticket on Friday touched nearly ₹52,000, while Delhi–Bengaluru fares for Saturday started at ₹39,000. Several sectors showed zero flight availability for nearly 48 hours.

IndiGo said passengers whose flights were cancelled would receive automatic full refunds and free rescheduling for travel between December 5 and 15. The airline claimed to have arranged hotel rooms, food and surface transport in multiple cities, though passengers reported uneven support at various airports.

In an unusual move, the Northern Railway added an extra AC coach to the Jammu–New Delhi Rajdhani Express for a week to accommodate stranded flyers, urging them to book seats as air travel bottlenecks continued.

Scenes of distress continued to surface throughout the day: a woman carrying an infant and rushing to a family function, a passenger with his father’s ashes en route to Haridwar, and devotees travelling to Sabarimala were among those stuck at Bengaluru airport. At Srinagar, flyers complained that neither IndiGo nor airport staff gave clear information on connecting flights.

With cancellations expected to persist for the next few days, the aviation sector is bracing for one of its worst operational breakdowns in years, as the government pushes IndiGo to restore stability and prevent further disruption to air travel across the country.