Last year, Devdutt Padikkal was seen as the next big batting hope of Indian cricket.
The tall Karnataka batsmen is a rarity in Indian cricket - a left-handed opener with a free-flowing style and shots all around the wicket.
A superb Indian Premier League season with his then franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he scored more than 400 runs in 2021 and also hit a century, put him in front of the queue of young Indian batsmen.
Given that Shikhar Dhawan is the only specialist left-handed white-ball opener in India, it seemed international cricket was going to be the next step.
However, 2022 did not pan out the way Padikkal hoped for. Firstly, he was no longer at Bangalore; Rajasthan Royals was his new home in the IPL. And even though his franchise dazzled the way to the final, where they lost to Gujarat Titans, it was an underwhelming campaign for Padikkal.
He could not breach the 400-run mark while his teammate Jos Buttler scored almost 900. Plus, he was pushed down to the middle order, which automatically restricted the amount of time at the crease. And just like that, Padikkal drifted away from the cricket conversation as other young batsmen like Deepak Hooda and Suryakumar Yadav grabbed their opportunities with the national team.
This is the T20 World Cup year. While many players are looking to impress selectors one last time before the squad and back-up list of players for the tournament in Australia is announced, Padikkal is focusing on regaining his touch in domestic cricket.
Currently participating in the Maharaja KSCA T20 Trophy in Karnataka, the 22-year-old is not looking too far ahead and instead is focusing on taking small steps.
"I never look at Indian team selection. I try to focus on my game. It has not changed for the past few years," Padikkal told The National. "I look to improve my game every time I go to bat. I just want to continue to learn."
Padikkal is back opening the innings, for Gulbarga Mystics, and that has translated into good starts in every match, with a couple of fifties. Returning to his familiar position at the top of the order, and at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, has been a breath of fresh air.
"It is a great platform. I came to the limelight through a similar domestic tournament. To have this league in Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is something every youngster in Karnataka dreams of," added Padikkal, who has represented India in two T20 games - against Sri Lanka last year.
While his IPL 2022 season wasn't exactly stellar, he did enjoy the relaxed environment of the Rajasthan dressing room and also received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - playing an IPL final in front of 100,000 fans.
"There was a lot to learn for me throughout the IPL. It was a new role for me at Rajasthan Royals. Hopefully I can build on that. It was a relaxed and laid back dressing room. Everyone was really together as a family.
"[The final] was incredible. That stadium is out of this world. To play in front of that many people was amazing."
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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
'Ashkal'
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South Africa World Cup squad
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (w), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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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.”
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Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
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