Padma Bhushan for Jhajharia; Bhagat, Antil, Lekhara to be honoured with Padma Shri

Diksha Dagar and Vani Kapoor made steady starts at the Women's Australian Open, each returning an even-par 72 in the opening round to sit tied for 24th place on the leaderboard

The highlight of the day came in the Men's Javelin Throw F43/F44/F64, where Paralympic champion Sumit Antil led an all-Indian podium. Antil clinched gold with a powerful throw of 69.25 metres, while Pushpendra Singh secured silver with 56.91m and Poonam Ram won bronze with 49.48m

The MOC also approved financial assistance worth Rs 27.51 lakh for Sumit Nagal to support his international training and competition programme from March to October 2026. Nagal's calendar includes participation in ATP Challenger events, ATP Tour events, ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, Grand Slams such as Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, as well as the Davis Cup 2nd round tie and Asian Games 2026.

Diksha Dagar will once again spearhead the Indian challenge as the LET stays in Australia with the Women's Australian Open

Suryakumar was India's third-highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup. The right-handed batter amassed 242 runs in nine matches at an average of 30.25. The Indian skipper notched up one half-century.