JAMMU, Oct 24: Surinder Cricket Club (SCC) beat Amriteshwar Cricket Club (ACC) by 36 runs in the ongoing KPL Veteran Cup played at KC Sports Club Ground, here today.
Superb all round performance by Rajesh Salhotra helped SCC to trounce ACC in the ongoing tournament.
Batting first, SCC made 137 wherein Rajesh Salhotra scored 47 runs while Vijay and Sanjay contributed 28 and 21 runs respectively. For ACC, Ronak Koul took 5 important wickets.
In reply ACC bundled out at 101 runs and lost the match by 36 runs. From SCC, Rajesh took 3 wickets while Sunny Bhan and Vicky took 2 wickets each.
Rajesh Salhotra was declared as Man of the Match for his outstanding performance with bat and ball.
ABU DHABI, Oct 24: Skipper Rohit Sharma’s fitness would be a concern for defending champions Mumbai Indians as they aim to continue their dominant run, while a depleted Rajasthan Royals would hope to stay afloat when the two teams clash in an IPL match here on Sunday.
Mumbai roared back to form by crushing Chennai Super Kings by 10 wickets on Friday after their Super Over loss to the Kings XI Punjab. RR, on the other hand, lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets in their last game.
Table-toppers MI are on course to make it to the play-offs but the game is crucial for Rajasthan, who are languishing at seventh place and a loss would mean a step closer to elimination.
Questions remain on whether Rohit, who suffered a hamstring injury and missed the game against CSK, will be available on Sunday for MI.
But Rohit’s absence was hardly felt on Friday as the young Ishan Kishan (261 runs) launched into CSK bowlers with gusto.
So did Quinton De Kock (368 runs), continuing his sublime run. In the event of Rohit missing out on Sunday as well, the two will open again.
Mumbai’s middle-order has also been among runs — be it Suryakumar Yadav (243 runs), Hardik Pandya (164 runs), swashbuckling West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard (208 runs) or Krunal Pandya (82 runs).
With their big-hitting ability, the Pandya brothers and Pollard are a threat to any opposition.
MI bowlers are also wreaking havoc, especially New Zealand left-arm pacer Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah, who are lethal upfront and in the death.
The two have accounted for 33 wickets, while Australian Nathan Coulter-Nile (2 wickets) has supported the duo.
Spinners Krunal (5 wickets) and Rahul Chahar (13 wickets) are equally aggressive in the middle overs.
For Rajasthan, the biggest worry is the form of skipper Steve Smith, who has made 265 runs from 11 matches and a mis-firing top-order.
In the course of the season, Rajasthan have made constant changes at the top and that has hurt them badly.
The team does possess quality players like Ben Strokes (110 runs), Sanju Samson (272 runs) and Jos Buttler (271 runs), but the trio has failed to deliver collectively.
With two crucial points at stake, the management would be hoping that the three click on Sunday, something which has not happened this season.
All-rounder Rahul Tewatia (224 runs and 7 wickets) has been a revelation with both the bat and ball, but too much is being left for him to achieve.
On the bowling front too, RR lack consistency.
Only Jofra Archer (15 wickets) has been effective with his pace but has failed to get support from fellow pacers Karthik Tyagi, Jaydev Unadkat and Ankit Rajpoot, who have 12 wickets combined. Spinner Shreyas Gopal has leaked 343 runs from 11 games.
Stokes, as a bowler, has also been unimpressive and has failed to get a single wicket so far.
RR head coach Andrew McDonald said the team has not been able to be at its best and it chances of making the play-offs are fading.
“Our destiny is probably in other teams’ hands now and as for us we need to keep believing, our challenge is seven wins and we’ll try to give our best to achieve that,” he conceded.
ABU DHABI, Oct 24: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan on Saturday said his team produced its most complete performance of the season so far when it upstaged the fancied Delhi Capitals by 59 runs to stay alive in the IPL here.
Having suffered a massive defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore after putting up 84/8 in their last outing, KKR were not given much of a chance against the high-flying Delhi Capitals.
But Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine stepped up in style to lift them to 194/6 and then Varun Chakravarthy’s five-wicket haul (5/20) along with Pat Cummins’ three-wicket effort choked DC, who are sitting pretty on second in the points table.
“I think the timing of this couldn’t be any better. Playing against a side who are second coming towards the business end of the tournament, two points is huge,” Morgan said in the post-match press conference.
“We had the most complete performance as a group in this tournament so far. Until today, we feel as if we hadn’t played our best cricket. Today I think it was close to that,” he added.
It was Narine (64) and Rana (81) who set it up for KKR in a 115-run partnership from 56 balls. Playing his first match after being cleared of a suspect bowling action, Narine batted at five and fired on all cylinders in his 32-ball 64.
“…I think that rubbed off on Nitish Rana as well. Watching them play with the freedom that they did was outstanding.”
“Sunil has been an integral part of this franchise for a number of years now. His ability as an all-rounder is key in our team.
“To have him back and come in and perform not only with the ball but with the bat, I think is outstanding. He has just proved how valuable he is to the team.”
Promotion to open the innings also worked for left-handed Rana, who shrugged off his poor scores of 9, 2, 9, 5, 29 and 0 in his last six innings to slam 81 from 53 balls.
“This now can be the start of his campaign taking things forward. Today, against one of the best bowling lineups in the tournament, he played absolutely outstanding,” Morgan said all praise for Rana.
He also spoke very highly of mystery spinner Chakravarthy who returned with the first five-wicket haul of this season.
“He has gelled really well in the team. I think he’s been one of the positive stories out of our campaign so far,” he said of the man who has been their leading wicket-taker this season with 12 from 10 matches.
DC had two well-set batsmen in Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant at the crease when Chakravarthy was pressed into the attack with the opposition needing 131 from 60 balls.
A win would have virtually sealed a play-off spot for DC but they suffered a second straight loss.
Their star pacer Kagiso Rabada rejected criticism that the team was being complacent.
“That’s the nature of the tournament, it’s quality versus quality. Any team can rock up on their day. I guess we just need to analyse a few points where we let the game slip away.
“I don’t think it’s a big area that we need to focus on. We back ourselves all the time. I don’t think we need to worry too much. It’s just a little bit of a concern,” he said.
“It can happen to any team, it wasn’t our day. I don’t think we got into the game being complacent. You cannot just take the foot of the gas. These things happen,” he added.
Iyer’s captaincy looked baffling as he did not bring Rabada in when Rana and Narine were firing.
“Myself and Nortje had bowled two overs already. We back all the bowlers in our team to get wickets and stop runs,” Rabada said, defending his captain.
“We have a quality bowling lineup. We pride ourselves on that. And today I guess it just didn’t happen. (PTI)
SHARJAH, Oct 24: The usually indefatigable Mahendra Singh Dhoni conceded to being hurt at the way Chennai Super Kings’ IPL campaign has hurtled from one disaster to another but ruled out benching himself from the remaining three games, saying “a captain can’t run away”.
CSK are all but out of reckoning from a play-offs spot and Dhoni said the three remaining games would be an exercise in understanding how the side should plan for the next season. They next take on Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.
“We have to make the most of the next three games and it is good preparation for the next year. Identify the batsmen, who will bowl at the death and hopefully the players will soak up the pressure,” he said after the 10-wicket loss to Mumbai Indians here on Friday.
“Captain can’t run away, so I’ll be playing in all the games,” he added.
CSK have just six points from 11 matches and are at the bottom of the IPL points table. Dhoni said several factors have contributed to the dismal run.
“…It hasn’t been our year. Whether you lose by 8 or 10 wickets, it hardly matters, but where we are at this stage of the tournament, it does hurt. What you need to see is where we actually went wrong, right from the second game,” he said.
“There can be a 100 reasons, but one of the main things you ask yourself is whether you’ve played to the potential you’ve got no matter the conditions. When you put a good team on paper, have we done enough to back up the stats? And this year we haven’t.”
The former India captain said luck also did not favour CSK this time.
“It was more about the bowling. Rayudu got injured, the other batsman were maybe not there 200% and in cricket when you’re going through a tough phase, you need a bit of luck.
“The games we wanted to bat first, we haven’t won the toss, and there’s no dew and all of a sudden when we bat first there’s dew,” he said.
He said there have been just too many batting failures this season.
“You can’t always think the result will go your way. Even when you’re hurting, you try to smile and take it on the chin. I feel the boys have done that, they’ve tried to perform.
Dhoni said the remaining three games will be an ideal opportunity to give a platform to the youngsters.
Victorious Mumbai Indians’ stand-in captain Kieron Pollard, on the other hand, described the win as a team effort.
“We wanted to bowl them out under 100 but Sam batted well. I think it was a total team effort,” said Pollard who led MI in the absence of injured Rohit Sharma.
“Two-three wickets early puts you in the game and to get 4-5 is fantastic. Then the openers going out and finishing off and not leaving any uncertainty was good.”
He said MI would want to finish in top-two in the league phase but said it’s about getting the points and not thinking about play-offs opponents.
“There’s always room for improvement, myself making some mistakes on the field, guys not being aware in certain situations. Maybe it’s no technical, but it’s things you need to speak about.”
On leading the side, he said, “It (captaincy is part and parcel of it, sometimes you don’t actually have to be a leader to be a leader.
“I know a thing or two. So it was just a matter of me stepping in and it came off tonight. It was just matter of making right decisions, not giving them freebies.” (PTI)
Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said today that he had tested positive for coronavirus.
The BJP leader was admitted to a Government-run hospital in the city and his condition was stable, a party source said.
Fadnavis himself took to Twitter earlier in the day to announce the diagnosis.
“I have been working every single daysince the lockdown, but now it seems that God wantsme to stop for a while and take a break! I have tested #COVID19 positive and in isolation. Taking all medication & treatment as per the advice of the doctors,” he said.
“Those who have come in contact with me are advised to get COVID-19 tests done. Take care, everyone!,” the former Maharashtra Chief Minister added in the tweet.
After returning to Mumbai on Friday evening, Fadnavis got himself tested as some of the BJP leaders who had travelled with him during the Bihar poll campaign tested positive for coronavirus, a party source said.
“Fadnavis has been admitted to the isolation ward of St George Hospital. His condition is stable,” he added.
Between October 19 to 21, Fadnavis had toured the flood-affected areas of western Maharashtra and Marathwada. (PTI)
NEW DELHI, Oct 24: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday reviewed the combat preparedness of the Indian Army at the Sukna-based headquarters of its 33 Corps which is responsible for guarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in the Sikkim sector, officials said.
The defence minister arrived at the key military base, popularly known as ‘Trishakti’ Corps, in Darjeeling district in late afternoon as part of his two-day visit to West Bengal and Sikkim to review the military preparedness in view of the border row with China in eastern Ladakh as well as to celebrate Dussehra with soldiers.
Singh is accompanied by Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane.
The Army has significantly bolstered deployment of troops and weaponry along the nearly 3,500 km-long LAC including in the Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh sectors.
The officials said top commanders of the 33 Corps gave detailed briefing to the defence minister and Gen Naravane on the situation along the LAC in Sikkim sector as well as about deployment of troops and weapons.
In an interaction with a group of Army personnel, the defence minister conveyed his wishes to them on the occasion of Vijayadashami and hailed their dedication in securing the nation’s borders.
“Due to brave soldiers like you, the borders of this country are protected. The whole country is proud of you,” he said.
The defence minister also talked about the rich history of the Trishakti Corps.
“The Trishakti Corps has a great golden history. Especially in 1962, 1967, 1971 and 1975, this Corps demonstrated examples of valour. It has been excellent,” he said.
“I extend my best wishes to all of you and your family for the festival of Vijayadashami,” the defence minister’s office tweeted quoting him as saying.
Officials said Singh will perform ‘Shastra puja'(worship of weapons) at Sherathang area in Sikkim on Sunday morning on the occasion of Dussehra.
The defence minister had performed ‘Shastra Puja’ in the French port city of Bordeaux during Dussehra last year as he was on a bilateral visit to the country then.
Singh has been performing ‘Shastra Puja’ during Dussehra for the last several years including during his tenure as the Union Home Minister in the previous NDA government.
Almost all formations of the Indian Army along the LAC are on a very high-level of alert in view of the border row with China in eastern Ladakh.
India and China are locked in an over five-month-long bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh that has significantly strained their ties.
Both sides held a series of diplomatic and military talks to resolve the row. However, no breakthrough has been achieved to end the standoff. (PTI)
NEW DELHI, Oct 24: Delhi Congress leaders and workers on Saturday staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar against spiralling prices of onion and other essential commodities in the city.
Delhi Congress president Anil Chaudhary, who was leading the protest, alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal government in the national capital and the BJP at the Centre have been unable to check the activities of hoarders and black marketeers.
The Delhi government should give an immediate cash relief of Rs 10000 to each of the 72 lakh ration card holders in the city to meet festival expenses, Chaudhary demanded.
A number of women workers of the party, including Mahila Congress president Amrita Dhawan, wore garlands of onion, tomatoes and other vegetables and raised slogans against the BJP and the AAP governments.
Chaudhary claimed that when the Modi government amended the Essential Commodities Act in Parliament, profiteers took advantage of it and prices of all items started going up.
It is shocking that the Delhi government has been silent when the prices of onions are soaring higher and higher, instead of ensuring that enough supply of the vegetable is made available in the market to tide over the crisis, he said.
He demanded the Modi government immediately apply the Essential Commodities Act to stop the price rise and create a buffer stock of onions through NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation) so that people do not face hardships. (PTI)
AYODHYA, Oct 24: Organisers of the Ayodhya Ramlila being shown on different media platforms claimed that the number of their viewers has crossed the 10-crore mark.
The nine-day Ramlila is being telecast from the Laxman Qila, a temple situated on the banks of the Saryu river here. It is being performed by Bollywood stars and actor-turned politicians.
It is being shown in 14 languages, including Urdu.
Subhash Malik, director of the Ram Lila, said Ayodhya has now another record in its name as the viewership of the Ramlila being shown on Doordarshan, YouTube and other social media platforms has crossed 10 crore.
“We hope that it will double up by the time we finish the telecast,” he added. Due to the coronavirus protocol, people are not allowed to watch performance at the venue.
LED screens have been installed at different places and mobile vans have been sent to remote areas in villages to make watch the enactment of the epic. Around 120 crew members from Mumbai and 85 artistes are involved in the enactment with a 55-member Doordarshan team filming it from nine different angles.
This Ramlila had started on October 17 and will finish on October 25 with the “Ravana dahan”.
“For this, a 100-ft-tall effigy of Ravana is being prepared,” Subhash Malik said.
“We have sent an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be the chief guest on this occasion,” he said. (PTI )
The death toll from the suicide attack today in Afghanistan’s capital has risen to at least 18 killed and 57 people wounded, including schoolchildren, the Interior Ministry said.
The explosion struck outside an education centre in a heavily Shiite neighbourhood of western Kabul, Dasht-e-Barchi.
The Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian says that the attacker was trying to enter the centre when he was stopped by security guards.
According to Arian, the casualty toll may rise further as family members of victims of the suicide bombing are still searching the several different hospitals where the wounded have been taken.
No group claimed immediate responsibility for the bombing. The Taliban rejected any connection with the attack.
An Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility for a similar suicide attack at an education centre in August 2018, in which 34 students were killed. Within Afghanistan, IS has launched large-scale attacks on minority Shiites, Sikhs and Hindus, whom it views as apostates.
Hundreds of Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan fled the country in September after a gunman loyal to the militant group killed 25 members of the shrinking community in an attack on their share a place of worship in Kabul.
The US signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February, opening up a path toward withdrawing American troops from the conflict. US officials said the deal would also help refocus security efforts on fighting the Islamic State, which is a rival of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
There has been an upsurge in violence between Taliban and Afghan forces in the country recently, even as representatives from the two warring sides begin their own peace talks in Doha to end the decades-long war in Afghanistan.
Earlier Saturday a roadside bomb killed nine people in eastern Afghanistan after it struck a minivan full of civilians, a local official said.
Ghazni province police spokesman Ahmad Khan Sirat said that a second roadside bomb killed two policemen, after it struck their vehicle that was making its way to the victims of the first explosion.
Sirat added that the bombings had wounded several others, and that the attacks were under investigation.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks. The provincial police spokesman claimed the Taliban had placed the bomb. (AP)
The Centre today set up a high-level committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate the 400th birth anniversary of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur.
The mandate of the 70-member committee includes approval of policies, plans, programmes and supervision and guiding the commemoration, besides deciding broad dates for detailed programmes of celebration.
The members of the committee include former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Hardeep Singh Puri, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Chief Ministers of Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan.
Other members include Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Akali Dal leaders Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal, SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal, former Chief of Indian Army J J Singh, former chief of Indian Air Force Birender Singh Dhanoa, and sportspersons Milkha Singh and Harbhajan Singh.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla will be the member secretary of the high-level committee. (PTI)
