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Good evening, Hope you had a great weekend. There’s something about India’s quiet, unassuming, yet lethal off-spinning all-rounder, Washington Sundar. On Sunday, he delivered a body blow to England’s hopes of reaching a 200-plus target when he took wickets: Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes, and at the very end, Shoaib Bashir. But it was the three wickets before Bashir, where Sundar made his mark, especially the one that dismissed Smith, that set up beautifully in a sequence. It wasn’t spin, but the drift and the perfect length of the delivery that dismissed Smith, who chose to play on the backfoot against Sundar, rather than forward. The ball didn’t turn, but that was more than enough to gazump Smith. By the time you read this, Sundar’s batting skills might well be on display, but most importantly, it will be his nerves that India would be betting on, as they inch closer to polishing off that 135-run target. (Update: Sundar got out for a duck to Jofra Archer within the first hour of play) On that note, let’s dive in 👇🏽
📝 The Debrief
What the preliminary Aircraft Accident Incident Bureau report says and doesn’t say
On Friday, India’s Aircraft Accident Incident Bureau (AAIB) published its preliminary report on last month’s crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 heading to Gatwick near Ahmedabad airport, seconds after take-off. The switches: The report, as the Indian Express reported, focuses on the aircraft’s fuel control switches, one for each of the two engines. The report notes that moments after take-off, both switches moved from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’. In simple terms, the initial switch movement (from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’) effectively cuts off the fuel supply to both engines, and these switches are usually only moved when the aircraft is on the ground, to start the engines before take-off and to shut them down after landing. The only mid-air scenario in which these switches are operated involves an engine failure during a flight or a significant performance issue with the engines, to ensure flight safety. The actions: The investigation, though still in its early stages, states that in their attempt to recover thrust in the engines, the pilots did move the switches back from CUTOFF to RUN. However, with the aircraft at an extremely low altitude, time was critical, and it was not enough for the engines to recover sufficiently to enable a climb. In the case of these spring-loaded fuel switches, they have to be moved manually, which makes their accidental movement “next to impossible,” according to pilots and experts. Now, since these switches were moved, the action immediately affects the engine, cutting off power. Limited release: The report cites paraphrased conversations between the two pilots—co-pilot Clive Kundar (pilot flying) and commander Sumeet Sabharwal (pilot monitoring)—where one pilot asks the other why he cut off the fuel, and the other responds that he did not. The report remains silent on the conversations before and after this exchange, and does not specify which pilot asked the question or who answered. Including the entire exchange, along with timestamps, in the final report could help clarify the discussion and actions within the cockpit. Not happy: Pilot associations in India are furious with the findings of the initial report and the reactions to those in the media, particularly over theories (and further social media-led conjectures) hinting at pilot action or error. The Indian Commercial Pilots Association, which represents the narrow-body fleet pilots at Air India, termed suggestions of deliberate actions (including pilot suicide) based on preliminary information as “reckless and unfounded”, besides being “irresponsible and deeply insensitive.” On Saturday, another association, the Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA-I, called out the “tone and direction” of the preliminary findings as suggesting “a bias toward pilot error,” while also rejecting “this presumption,” while calling for a “fair, fact-based inquiry.”
✍️ From our newsroom
Tailor, mole, parcel: Three high-profile terror suspects – accused in a string of bombings across Tamil Nadu – were finally arrested after decades on the run, in a breakthrough for the newly formed Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). Among them: “Tailor” Raja, a key accused in the 1998 Coimbatore blasts, lived quietly as Shahjahan Shaik, a chilli trader in Karnataka, for 25 years. What cracked the case? An old tailor from Hubbali spotted a mole on his face. Alongside him, parcel bomb-maker Abubacker Siddique, the man behind the 1995 attack that killed a Hindu Munnani leader’s wife, was found running a petty shop in Andhra. Siddique led officers to a third suspect, Mohammed Ali Mansoor, running a textile shop in the same town. The ATS used AI-enhanced sketches, decades of HUMANINT, and quiet fieldwork. “We had 10 failed tip-offs. The 11th worked,” said one officer. All three had remarried and blended into everyday life.
🔎 Need to know
No issues: Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said on Monday that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report does not mention any cause of the crash on June 12 near Ahmedabad Airport. He added that the report did not find “mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines.”
Up and up: Bitcoin breached the $120,000 mark for the first time on Monday. The boost for the cryptocurrency comes ahead of a week called—Crypto Week—where the US House of Representatives will debate a slew of bills aimed at providing the industry with a regulatory framework. Bitcoin is up 29% for the year so far. Thaw time: India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Beijing that the ties between the two countries have been “steadily improving” following his meeting with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.
🎙️Expresso Playlist
In today’s playlist, I’ll recommend an episode from The Sporkful podcast, which explores the story of the man behind the world’s best-selling tequila brand — José Cuervo. It’s a captivating listen and undoubtedly worth your time.
✋🏽 One last thing
I’ll leave you with this rather intriguing Economist piece on the “shadowy oligopoly” of four companies that control an industry that turns raw material into “fragrances and flavours for brands.”
Until tomorrow, Venkat Ananth |
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