Daily Briefing: India storms into T20 World Cup final with grace, maturity, and inspiration

With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:

• India’s response to IRIS Dena’s distress call
• India beat England
• Maha Cabinet clears ‘anti-love jihad’ Bill

🚨 Big Story

A day after a United States submarine torpedo sank an Iranian warship near Sri Lanka on its way back home after participating in a military exercise in the Indian city of Visakhapatnam, the Indian Navy said it had sent its aircraft and ships to augment the search and rescue (SAR) efforts for IRIS Dena after it put out a distress call. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also visited the Iranian embassy in New Delhi on Thursday and signed the condolence book – the first public gesture from the government ever since the assassination of the Iranian leader.

In a first: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday asserted that “no issue can be resolved solely through military conflict” and Delhi will continue to support every effort to end the conflict and restore peace, be it in West Asia or Ukraine. For the first time, Modi emphasised the need for the “rule of law, dialogue, and diplomacy” in the context of the US-Israel attacks on Iran and Tehran’s counter-attacks on Israel and US military bases and personnel in the region.

Amidst the massive disruption in vessel passage from the Strait of Hormuz due to the West Asia conflict, there are early signs of India increasing its intake of Russian crude. Two crude oil tankers laden with Russian oil, which were earlier showing East Asia as their destination, arrived at Indian ports on Thursday, as per ship tracking data. This comes after India, in recent months, cut down significantly on its oil imports from Russia amid trade negotiations with the US.

The Indian government, meanwhile, was in talks with the US on political risk insurance and guarantees that President Donald Trump promised to merchant vessels, particularly energy cargoes, transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A bulk of India’s oil and gas supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy flows — which has effectively come to a halt. Sources assured that India is in a comfortable position with regard to oil and fuel stocks, and there was no need at present to ration fuels. They also ruled out any increase in retail fuel prices for the time being.

⚡ Only in Express

On March 1, the oil tanker MKD Vyom was hit by an unmanned boat off the coast of Muscat Governorate — a casualty of the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. The attack, allegedly from the Iranian side, resulted in a fire and explosion in the engine room, killing 32-year-old worker, Dixit Solanki. Dixit was a resident of Mahaveer Nagar in Maharashtra’s Kandivali West. Five days later, his family still bears no clarity on whether Dixit’s body has been found. His father Amratlal, who is an ex-seafarer, alleges he has been receiving conflicting information. Amratlal has also refused to garland Dixit’s photo frame. His reason? The body has yet to be found. Since the news broke, the family has kept to themselves, with his father demanding answers.

📰 From the Front Page

Bihar’s longest-serving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday filed nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. This clears the decks for a new CM, likely from the BJP, to take charge, leaving many in the JD(U) in disbelief. Nitish’s impending move comes months after he set a record by taking oath as CM for the 10th time. His departure from Bihar politics will mark the end of the dominance of the socialist parties. While Nitish hasn’t resigned as CM yet, the NDA has started the process of power transfer. Here’s how parties in Bihar are preparing for change.

Reshuffle: As part of major gubernatorial appointments announced by President Droupadi Murmu, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi who had been at loggerheads with the DMK-led government in the state replaced West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, who resigned, citing “personal reasons.” Also, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, retired diplomat will be the new Lt Governor of Delhi, replacing Vinai Kumar Saxena, now posted to Ladakh as L-G. According to BJP insiders, this reshuffle was part of a national exercise that also included a possible Union Cabinet reshuffle. It would likely put in place a fresh team for newly-appointed BJP national president Nitin Nabin and an evaluation of all BJP-run state governments in the country.

India tour: The Iranian sailors, who are now dead or missing after their warship was sunk by a US submarine on Wednesday, had visited India to participate in the International Fleet Review (IFR) and Milan 2026 naval exercises. They spent their time visiting Rushikonda hilltop known as Kailasagiri, the Victory at Sea War Memorial, the submarine museum, and the Sankalp Art Village on the outskirts of Vizag. The foreign naval officers also travelled to see the Taj Mahal and Bodh Gaya. “On their last day, they went sightseeing and shopping. They were impressed with the glass skywalk at Kailasagiri,” one of their Navy guides recalled.

📌 Must Read

The Maharashtra Cabinet on Thursday approved a draft anti-conversion law titled ‘Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 2026′, proposing up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakh for unlawful or forced religious conversions. BJP minister Nitesh Rane told The Indian Express the law would prevent the forcible marriage and conversion of Hindu girls. The Bill is expected to be tabled in the state legislature during the ongoing budget session, sources told this newspaper. The Indian Express on February 27 had first reported that a draft of the anti-conversion law was under consideration.

Legality: The sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the Sri Lanka coast, in which at least 80 sailors were killed, has widened the theatre of the war between US-Israel and Iran — beyond West Asia and the Gulf to India’s immediate neighbourhood. It has also ignited a debate in India about maritime security in the Indian Ocean, a region where New Delhi maintains a significant naval presence. Several Indian Navy officers maintained that once a ship enters international waters, there is not much of a role any country can play in protecting it from an adversarial force. Here’s a look at what maritime law and conventions say.

In our Opinion section today, Shashi Tharoor emphasises the need for India to call for dialogue and de-escalation amidst the escalating conflict in West Asia. Tharoor writes: “Uncomfortable questions persist about the strategic logic of unleashing war. Was this gamble for regime change inspired by a desire to create a unipolar West Asia, integrating currently sanctioned Iranian oil into world markets under a more friendly government? Such a theory is plausible, given that the stated reason, nuclear weapons, had already been settled at the negotiating table, and because regime change would achieve a number of broader geostrategic objectives: Reduce Russia’s energy leverage over Europe and dilute China’s clout in the region by pulling Iran and its energy resources into the West’s orbit.”

⏳ And Finally…

Ever wondered, beyond the obvious captaincy, what might qualify one to be a good leader on the cricket pitch? Well, look nowhere other than Sanju Samson’s acts of gentleness and reassurance at the Wankhede on Thursday. Ever so often, when Samson detected younger partners showing nerves, he would walk across for a chat. In the chase too, he embedded himself thick into the action – often making field changes, running to speak to the bowlers. Sriram Veera, hailing the batsman and the leader, writes: “Samson, the senior player, was truly on show in every sense of the word. For all the mentorship roles that might go unnoticed, it’s his sparkling shots that would linger in the memory of fans for a long while.”

🎧 Lastly, tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss the impact of the US-Israel-Iran war on Indians living in the Gulf. We also delve into Punjab government’s actions to control a water-borne disease outbreak in Ferozepur; as well as IRIS Dena, the Iranian warship torpedoed by a US submarine this week.

That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!

Until next time,
Ariba

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