India selectors handed fast bowler Umran Malik and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh their maiden call-ups to the national team for the T20 series against South Africa on Sunday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's 22-year-old pacer Malik was expected to get selected soon after a standout season in IPL where he regularly clocked speeds well in excess of 150kph, with a best of 157kph, and picked up 21 wickets from 13 games including a five-wicket haul. While Malik's economy in some games was over 10 runs an over, his wicket-taking abilities in the middle overs and incredible pace made him a near certainty.
Singh was also rewarded for consistent performances this season after the Punjab Kings quick emerged as the most economical seam bowler in the competition - ahead of even Jasprit Bumrah, with an economy of 7.31 in overs 16 to 20.
There were a number of young faces in the T20 squad after the selectors decided to rest captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Bumrah.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya returned to the side after impressing with his batting, bowling and leadership at Gujarat Titans in IPL. Also back in the team is wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik, who proved his mettle as a power hitter this season.
KL Rahul was named captain of the team that also includes Ruturaj Gaikwad, who showed good form with Chennai Super Kings and is being seen as a future all-format top-order batsman. The five-match T20 series against South Africa begins in New Delhi on June 9.
Meanwhile, the selectors also named the squad for the one-off Test against England in July, which would conclude the five-match series from last year that was suspended after an outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the Indian camp.
In the red-ball side, Cheteshwar Pujara returns following a good season in the county championship. Ravindra Jadeja has been selected despite currently being injured.
India T20 squad: KL Rahul (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
India Test squad: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna
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How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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