Fans Booing Hardik Pandya To Be Detained? MCA Clarifies Amid Rumours

Fans haven’t been kind to Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Hardik, who is making his captaincy debut for MI in IPL 2024, was booed by the crowd in the franchise’s first two matches so far. The 30-year-old received a hostile reception on his return to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the Gujarat Titans fans booing him at the toss. MI have lost both their games so far, first against GT, and then SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

For the unversed, fans have not been happy with Hardik replacing Rohit as captain of MI, following his trade from GT ahead of the IPL 2024 players auction.

On Monday, MI will take on Rajasthan Royals in their first home game of the season and reports have suggested possible crowd trouble at the Wankhede Stadium.

Rumours have also been rampant that Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) have started planning steps against fans targetting Hardik.

However, MCA have denied the same, saying that they will be following BCCI’s guidelines on crowd behaviour.

“No instructions given for this specific game. There have been set guidelines issued by BCCI on spectators behaviour over the years, that is process that is followed,” an MCA statement read, as quoted by News 18.

Amid Hardik’s troubles, Ravinchandran Ashwin came out in vehement support of the MI captain.

Ashwin squarely blamed the prevailing atmosphere of “fan wars” and “cinema culture” for the hostile treatment of Pandya by the spectators and in social media spaces, which started after the all-rounder replaced Rohit Sharma as MI captain ahead of IPL 2024.

“Fan wars should never go this ugly a route. One should remember which country these players represent – our country. So, then what warrants a cricketer getting booed? “I don’t understand. If you don’t like a player and boo a player, why should a team come out to issue a clarification,” Ashwin said in his YouTube Channel while answering a question from one of the fans.

Ashwin also brought out examples from the past when legends like Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly played under MS Dhoni, a much younger cricketer then, setting aside their egos.

“Sourav Ganguly played under Sachin Tendulkar and vice versa. These two have both played under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy. These three have played under Anil Kumble and all of them have played under Dhoni.

“When they were under Dhoni, these players were cricket jambhavans (veterans). Dhoni too played under Virat (Kohli),” he said.

(With PTI Inputs)

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Netanyahu To Undergo Hernia Surgery Amid Raging War In Gaza

Netanyahu To Undergo Hernia Surgery Amid Raging War In Gaza

Deputy PM, Justice Minister will stand in while Netanyahu undergoes full anaesthesia (File)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to undergo hernia surgery on Sunday, his office said, as fighting raged almost six months into the Gaza war.

The news comes with Netanyahu under increasing domestic pressure over his failure to bring home all of the hostages still held by Palestinian militants.

Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Yariv Levin will stand in while Netanyahu, 74, undergoes full anaesthesia, his office said.

It added that doctors had discovered the hernia on Saturday during a routine checkup, and that after consultations the decision was made for the premier to undergo surgery after completing his daily schedule.

Deadly air strikes again pounded the Gaza Strip as talks towards a truce between Israel and Hamas were set to resume in Cairo on Sunday, according to Egyptian television, though a Hamas official expressed pessimism about the process.

To help alleviate the suffering of Gaza’s 2.4 million people, an aid ship was sailing from the Mediterranean island-nation of Cyprus to bring 400 tonnes of food, as part of a small flotilla.

Foreign powers have ramped up aid airdrops, although United Nations agencies and charities warn this falls far short of the dire need and say trucks are the most efficient way of delivering aid.

Several people have died in stampedes or drowned trying to retrieve packages from the sea.

Pope’s Easter appeal

On Thursday the world’s top court ordered Israel to “ensure urgent humanitarian assistance” in Gaza without delay, saying “famine is setting in”.

At least 77 people were killed in bombardment and combat during the previous 24 hours, most of them women and children, said the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.

A UN Security Council resolution on March 25 demanded an “immediate ceasefire” and the release of all hostages held by militants, but the binding resolution has failed to curb the fighting, including in or around hospitals.

Tensions have risen between Israel and its chief backer the United States over the spiralling civilian death count, and especially over Israeli threats to send ground forces into Gaza’s crowded far-southern city of Rafah.

Washington has nonetheless approved billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets for Israel in recent days, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed officials.

Pope Francis, in his Easter message, renewed his appeal that “access to humanitarian aid be ensured to Gaza and call once more for the prompt release of the hostages seized on October 7”, when Hamas attacked Israel and triggered the war.

Speaking at the Vatican, Francis called again “for an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.

Mass protests in Tel Aviv

Hamas’s attack resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 32,782 people, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Palestinian militants also seized around 250 Israeli and foreign hostages. Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza, including 34 who are presumed dead.

Under intense pressure to bring the captives home, Netanyahu on Friday approved a new round of ceasefire talks to take place in Doha and Cairo.

Egyptian TV station Al-Qahera, which is close to the country’s intelligence services, said that the talks would resume in Cairo on Sunday.

But a Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP the Islamist group had not decided on whether to send a delegation to the new round “in Cairo or Doha.”

The official also expressed doubt the process could bring results because Netanyahu is “not interested.”

Netanyahu has vowed to continue the fight by sending troops in against Hamas fighters in Rafah, where around 1.5 million civilians are sheltering.

Relatives and supporters of hostages held by Hamas have held regular protests, including Saturday night in Tel Aviv, where police used water cannon against demonstrators who lit fires and blocked highways.

“Prime minister, on behalf of the hostage men and women, on behalf of the people of Israel, give the negotiators in Qatar the order: Do not return without a deal,” said Raz Ben Ami, a survivor of Hamas captivity.

Anti-government demonstrators and hostage supporters planned to rally again Sunday evening outside the Knesset, the parliament in Jerusalem, and every night until Wednesday, said organisers.

Battles near hospitals

In Gaza, vast areas of which have been reduced to a rubble-strewn wasteland, heavy fighting has rocked areas around several Gaza hospitals.

Israel accuses Palestinian militants of hiding inside and in tunnels beneath the medical facilities, and of using patients and medical staff as cover, charges which the groups deny.

The army said Saturday that it had “continued to eliminate” militants around the largest hospital, Al-Shifa in Gaza City, after earlier reporting around 200 killed in the operation which began two weeks ago on Monday.

The Gaza health ministry said 107 patients remained inside Al-Shifa, including 30 with disabilities, and that the army had stopped attempts to evacuate them.

The army said soldiers raiding the hospital’s maternity ward had found “many weapons hidden inside pillows, hospital beds, ceilings and the walls of the compound, including dozens of mortar shells, explosive devices, sniper rifles, Kalashnikov rifles, pistols, magazines, mortars and additional ammunition”.

It added that during a sweep of the compound, troops encountered “senior terrorists” in a stairwell and killed them during a subsequent exchange of fire.

Israeli military operations were also ongoing at two hospitals in the southern city of Khan Yunis — at Nasser hospital, according to the Hamas government press office, and at Al-Amal hospital, according to the Red Crescent.

The UN World Health Organization warned that Gaza now has just 10 “minimally functioning” hospitals, down from 36 before the war.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that 9,000 patients need to leave Gaza for “lifesaving health services, including treatment for cancer, injuries from bombardments, kidney dialysis and other chronic conditions”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

"If Merely Winning Elections Was My Goal, I Would Not…": PM Modi

'If Merely Winning Elections Was My Goal, I Would Not...': PM Modi

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that his every action is not driven solely by electoral considerations or pursuit of power, adding that if electoral victory was his sole aim, he would not have prioritized the development of the northeastern region.

In an interview with Thanti TV in Tamil Nadu, the Prime Minister said, “Just because I am a politician does not mean every action I undertake is only to win elections or for power or for votes. If merely winning elections was my goal, I would not have worked for the development of the northeast. I have visited northeastern states more than all of the former Prime Ministers’ combined.”

On development works undertaken in Tamil Nadu, PM Modi emphasised catering to the state’s huge potential.

“Viksit Bharat’ is Viksit Rajya which means every part of the country should be a recipient of development. It is also Viksit Tamil Nadu. To build a Viksit Bharat, we first need to develop each state. Tamil Nadu has huge potential which must not be wasted. I believe that Tamil Nadu has the potential to become the driving force behind our dream of a Viksit Bharat,” he said during his conversation with Thanti TV.

The Prime Minister also hailed BJP state president K Annamalai for his ground-level works to attract the youth to politics.

“We worked for Tamil Nadu even when we did not have a single municipal candidate. Annamalai is attracting the youth. They see him and think that if money and corruption were the reasons behind his conduct, then he could have joined the DMK or AIADMK. It was not for selfish or personal reasons that Annamalai chose the BJP but to work for the nation. He is working for the country and for Tamil Nadu,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi further asserted confidence in the BJP-led NDA’s victory in Tamil Nadu, adding that the votes weren’t just anti-DMK but pro-BJP.

“The NDA is a very strong alliance that connects the different sections of society. It is an organisation of parties representing different economic and social sections. It represents the aspirations of the people. The votes that the BJP-NDA receives aren’t ‘anti-DMK’ but ‘pro-BJP’. People have witnessed the work we have done over the past 10 years. Tamil Nadu has decided that this time it will be the BJP-NDA!,” he said.

During the interview, the Prime Minister also expressed his anger, pointing out the ‘injustice to the great heritage’ of Tamil Nadu.

“We should promote the use of the Tamil language like the cuisine of Tamil Nadu has been globalised. I am angry because we have done injustice to the great heritage of Tamil Nadu. India has the world’s oldest language, yet we don’t show any pride in it. The praise of this rich heritage should reach all over the world,” the Prime Minister outlined.

On the opposition parties criticising the placing of Sengol in the new parliament building, PM Modi highlighted its connection to the country’s independence.

“Only a few people are aware that the initial moments of our independence are connected to the sacred Sengol. It was a symbol of the regime change. I have done a lot of research before bringing it to Parliament. Then I decided that in the new Parliament, Sengol would inspire us. It will not be merely an ornament to the shelf, but it will receive the dignity that it deserves,” he said.

When asked to name three top foreign policy achievements, PM Modi said, “For me, every work is top, every work is important. I have given equal time, attention and energy to all the work I have undertaken. To me, a small nation is as important as a big nation and so today, India is seen as ‘Vishwabandhu’ by the world.”

On the BJP’s name linked to receiving a huge amount of funds through electoral bonds, PM Modi said, “People who are protesting against the electoral bonds will soon regret it. Before 2014, there was no trail of funds given to political parties during elections. I introduced the electoral bonds. Thanks to the electoral bonds, we can now trace the source of funding. Nothing is perfect, imperfections can be addressed.”

When asked if he has ever considered contesting from Tamil Nadu, the Prime Minister said he never even imagined contesting elections nor does he aspire to be a politician. But destiny brought him to where he is now.

On the slogans raised regarding NDA winning 400 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Prime Minister said that it is the public’s decision.

“The people of the country have decided ‘Mission 400’. Not me. People have realised the importance of political stability and the power of their vote,” PM Modi said.

“It’s their vote that will feed the poor and empower them. It is their vote that will help in ‘Nari Shakti’. So it’s public’s decision,” he added.

There are 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu. The state is voting on April 19 in a single phase of polling.

During the 2019 general elections, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which comprised INC, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, AIFB, registered a landslide victory by winning 38 of the 39 seats.

The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases starting April 19.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Israeli forces kill Palestinian over alleged stabbing attack in occupied territories


File photo of Israeli forces in an area of the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli regime’s forces have fatally shot a Palestinian man over an alleged stabbing attack near the city of Ashdod in the occupied territories.

According to the Palestinian Information Center, the late Sunday attack took place at a shopping center in Gan-Yavne settlement, leaving three settlers with serious injuries.

Later the same day, the Israeli military announced that the Palestinian man carrying out the attack was killed by the regime’s forces.

A large number of Israeli forces, accompanied with military vehicles, invaded the town of Deir Samit south of the occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil, attacking the home of the Palestinian man, who has been identified as Moemen Al-Masalmeh.

The Israeli occupation forces opened fire in the vicinity of his home, wounding one person.

The regime’s media claimed that Israeli forces were also looking for a second person involved in the attack.

The operation came a few hours after the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas resistance movement, republished a message from its commander-in-chief, Mohammed Deif, who called on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to use all resources at their disposal to fight against Israeli forces.

“Today is the day. Whoever has a rifle should come out with it, for this is the time. And whoever does not have a rifle should come forth with their machetes, their pickaxes, or a Molotov cocktails, with their trucks or bulldozers or cars,” Deif said.


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

Asaduddin Owaisi Meets Mukhtar Ansari's Family At His Ghazipur Home

Asaduddin Owaisi Meets Mukhtar Ansari's Family At His Ghazipur Home

Asaduddin Owaisi at Mukhtar Ansari’s residence in Ghazipur.

New Delhi:

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi paid tribute to Mukhtar Ansari and visited his residence in Ghazipur.

Taking to the social media platform X, he expressed grief over Mukhtar Ansari’s death and wrote, “Today we went to the house of the deceased Mukhtar Ansari and paid tribute to his family. In this difficult time, we stand with his family, supporters and loved ones.”

Taking a veiled jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said, “Insha Allah, the light will break through this darkness. If you are ‘Pharaoh’ then ‘Moses’ will also definitely come.”

Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was laid to rest at the Kali Bagh burial ground in Ghazipur on Saturday. His mortal remains were buried near the graves of his parents.

There was heavy security deployment in Ghazipur on account of his last rites. Police personnel were deployed along the route leading from his residence to the graveyard.

Following the postmortem, the body of Mukhtar Ansari was brought to his Ghazipur residence on Friday night. The postmortem report, however, said that Mukhtar Ansari died due to cardiac

Mukhtar Ansari died at a hospital in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday. His family, however, claimed that he was “given poison in the food.”

According to the official release from the hospital, Mukhtar Ansari was brought to the hospital around 8:25 pm on Thursday. A team of nine doctors attended to him before he died, the release added.

Meanwhile, a three-member team has been formed that will conduct a magisterial investigation into the death of Mukhtar Ansari.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate Banda issued orders concerning the judicial probe.

In April 2023, Mukhtar Ansari was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai by an MP-MLA court. He was sentenced to life in prison on March 13, 2024, in a case related to the use of forged documents for obtaining an arms licence in 1990.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Palestinians Starve As Hamas And Israel Battle For Control Of Gaza

Palestinians Starve As Hamas And Israel Battle For Control Of Gaza

Some aid groups have accused Israel of using hunger as a weapon in its war against Hamas.

A top Hamas police commander met in mid-March with the heads of a Gaza clan who’d been commandeering aid meant for hungry Palestinians. He told them to stop taking the shipments or they’d be killed. A week later, that commander was killed – by Israeli troops.

The Israelis weren’t acting at the clan’s request. Rather, all three – Hamas, clans and the Israeli military – are engaged in a bloody battle for control of north Gaza and aid distribution, making an already troubled process more dangerous and unreliable. Famine is a threat, and people are beginning to die of hunger, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The dead commander, Fayeq al-Mabhouh, had organized a safe route so that those who’d been desperately making bread from animal feed got wheat flour, according to a senior Hamas official and several others on the ground, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Israeli troops killed several others working with Mabhouh, Gazans say, and the safe route died with them.

Israeli military officials acknowledge killing Mabhouh and colleagues during their operation in Shifa Hospital, along with almost 200 other Hamas operatives, but say it had nothing to do with aid. “We are at war against Hamas, he was a top Hamas terrorist and therefore was killed,” said Major Nir Dinar, a spokesperson.

International aid groups are also central players in Gaza and in frequent conflict with Israel. UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, is essentially a Palestinian organization that Israel is trying to shut down on charges that it’s too cozy with Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the US and European Union.

A number of governments have stopped funding UNRWA because of those charges, and UNRWA said last week that although it’s best positioned to get aid to those in need, Israel is stopping it from doing so, worsening hunger and suffering. While everywhere in the coastal strip is in need of food, the north is the most dire.

A recent UN-backed report said famine is imminent in northern Gaza where 70% of the population is on the brink of starvation. Some two dozen people, including babies, have died from starvation in the north, the Hamas-run health ministry says. This is why many, including the US, are seeking an immediate cease-fire. Israel says it must finish the destruction of Hamas and that the aid difficulty isn’t its fault.

Some aid groups have accused Israel of using hunger as a weapon in its war against Hamas, which began on Oct. 7 when Hamas operatives broke into Israel, killing, abusing and abducting hundreds. Israel’s retaliatory war has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas officials who don’t distinguish between civilians and fighters.

The International Rescue Committee said in a statement that “US-funded humanitarian assistance has been consistently and arbitrarily denied by the Israeli authorities.”

A spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in response to queries from Bloomberg, said, “Between March 1 and 15, every fifth humanitarian mission to the north was denied access. This is in addition to delays, impediments and multiple dangers, including live fire. The Israeli authorities have impeded the import of items critically needed to save lives in Gaza, including generators to power medical operations.

Shimon Freedman, a spokesperson for the Israeli military’s civilian affairs department, denied the accusations, saying Israel has been facilitating aid into northern Gaza but international aid groups haven’t increased the number of trucks, workers or working hours as needed.

He added, “It is absolutely not true that we stop generators from going in. Some have been delivered by our soldiers to hospitals. We prioritize water, food and shelter equipment.”

His department issued a rebuttal to the UN-backed report on starvation, saying it “contains multiple factual and methodological flaws, some of them serious.” The rebuttal adds, “We outright reject any allegations according to which Israel is purposefully starving the civilian population in Gaza.”

In recent days, Gazans in the southern city of Rafah say some prices have dropped dramatically. Frozen chicken, which used to cost 80 shekels ($22) per kilo has fallen to 20 shekels.

Khaled al-Hams, who runs a charity in Gaza, said one of the biggest problems is that farmland is located next to the border with Israel which has been off-limits since the war.

“The lands are inaccessible, the sea is closed to fishermen and Gaza relies on food that is coming in the form of aid shipments which are slow,” he said, adding that Hamas “has not managed the crisis efficiently.”

Shira Efron, a policy adviser at Israel Policy Forum, a liberal US-based group, and former consultant to Israel’s Defense Ministry, said the battle over aid is a proxy for a battle over control. “If you have aid, you have power,” she said, “so there are unintended consequences from the fight to control it.”

She said foreign groups and the UN are right that Israeli inspections of aid trucks are a major bottleneck. “Israel closes the crossings at 4 every day and for Shabbat and holidays,” she said. She added that Israel’s complaints about a lack of trucks and drivers from aid groups are also valid.

Israel says its job is to “facilitate” the aid, not to provide and distribute it – that’s the role of aid organizations. But Efron said international humanitarian law requires the occupying army to get the aid to the people.

“The overall responsibility for aid coming in is on Israel,” she said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Asaduddin Owaisi Meets Mukhtar Ansari's Family At His Ghazipur Home

Asaduddin Owaisi Meets Mukhtar Ansari's Family At His Ghazipur Home

Asaduddin Owaisi at Mukhtar Ansari’s residence in Ghazipur.

New Delhi:

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi paid tribute to Mukhtar Ansari and visited his residence in Ghazipur.

Taking to the social media platform X, he expressed grief over Mukhtar Ansari’s death and wrote, “Today we went to the house of the deceased Mukhtar Ansari and paid tribute to his family. In this difficult time, we stand with his family, supporters and loved ones.”

Taking a veiled jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said, “Insha Allah, the light will break through this darkness. If you are ‘Pharaoh’ then ‘Moses’ will also definitely come.”

Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was laid to rest at the Kali Bagh burial ground in Ghazipur on Saturday. His mortal remains were buried near the graves of his parents.

There was heavy security deployment in Ghazipur on account of his last rites. Police personnel were deployed along the route leading from his residence to the graveyard.

Following the postmortem, the body of Mukhtar Ansari was brought to his Ghazipur residence on Friday night. The postmortem report, however, said that Mukhtar Ansari died due to cardiac

Mukhtar Ansari died at a hospital in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday. His family, however, claimed that he was “given poison in the food.”

According to the official release from the hospital, Mukhtar Ansari was brought to the hospital around 8:25 pm on Thursday. A team of nine doctors attended to him before he died, the release added.

Meanwhile, a three-member team has been formed that will conduct a magisterial investigation into the death of Mukhtar Ansari.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate Banda issued orders concerning the judicial probe.

In April 2023, Mukhtar Ansari was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai by an MP-MLA court. He was sentenced to life in prison on March 13, 2024, in a case related to the use of forged documents for obtaining an arms licence in 1990.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

IPL 2024: Mohit's Masterclass, Miller's Brilliance Propel GT To Win vs SRH

Dishing out an all-round show, Gujarat Titans brought down high-flying Sunrisers Hyderabad with a clinical seven-wicket win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Ahmedabad Sunday. Veteran seamer Mohit Sharma was at his deceptive best in the last over for his splendid figures of 3/25, while Afghan spin twins Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad bossed the middle overs as GT restricted the marauding SRH to a modest 162/8 after Pat Cummins opted to bat. SRH must be disappointed with themselves after putting on board an astonishing 277 for five in their last outing.

South African batter David Miller found his flair in his 44 not out from 27 balls to anchor the small chase despite suffering cramps and finished the game with a six off Jaydev Unadkat in the first ball of the final over.

Sai Sudharsan also lifted his game, top-scoring for GT with his 45 from 36 balls as GT won with five balls to spare.

GT now have won both their matches at home. Their only loss came against Chennai Super Kings in an away match.

SRH have suffered two losses and with one win they have two points from three matches.

GT had things under control in pursuit of the small target at their home venue and Wriddhiman Saha did his job to set the tone. He stepped out to Bhvneshwar Kumar for a boundary, and then pulled Jaydev Unadkat over square leg.

But Saha could not convert his start and mistimed Shahbaz Ahmed to be dismissed for 25.

From going at nine runs per over, GT suddenly struggled to pace the innings with Sai Sudharsan typically slow at one end.

Gill was looking fluent at the other end but Sudharsan was unable to rotate the strike and ate up a lot of deliveries, putting pressure on his skipper.

Gill eventually threw his wicket away, holing out to Abdul Samad at long on in a soft dimissal.

With Miller also struggling to get going, the Cummins-led side fancied their chances at the halfway mark where GT were 78/2, needing 85 from the back-10.

With 18 from 20 balls, the Tamil Nadu youngster Sudharsan once again found himself at the receiving end as he broke free against Unadkat in the 12th over, hitting the leftarm pacer for a boundary.

Miller too soon get into the act and the small target didn’t help the cause for SRH.

Fresh from smashing a record 277 in their last game, SRH were going great guns with 56/1 inside the power-play but the young and experienced Afghan duo of Noor (1/32) and Rashid (1/33) turned the match on its head in the crucial 7-15th over phase.

Noor dismissed the in-form SRH opener Travis Head (19), while Rashid sent back explosive Heinrich Klaasen (24) before taking a splendid forward-diving catch at long-on to see the back of Aiden Markram (17).

Having dismissed the in-form Abhishek Sharma in the 10th over, Mohit returned to shine at the death by taking two in two balls in the final over — Shahbaz Ahmed (22) and Washington Sundar (0).

The 35-year-old cleverly varied his pace, bowled wide yorker, slow off-cutters to stifle SRH in the final over that saw three runs for three wickets, including the run out of Abdul Samad (29).

The 2014 Purple Cap winner and 2015 World Cup semi-finalist, Mohit who returned from the oblivion at GT two seasons ago conceded just one boundary — a six — in his four overs.

In the last five overs, SRH managed just 40 runs and lost five wickets.

After plundering runs at an astonishing pace in their last game, the Orange Army had little hesitation in opting to bat first and dictate the pace of the game with Head up front.

The Aussie left-hander kept charging in, while Mayank Agarwal (16) once again looked out of sorts before being dismissed by Azmatullah Omarzai.

Last match hero Abhishek smashed Rashid for two sixes on both the sides and it revived memories of his last match partnership with Head.

But left-arm wrist spinner Noor bowled a superb first over to peg SRH back.

The in-form destrcutive SRH opener Head unleashed a slog sweep as the 19-year-old Afghan spinner tricked him with a wrong one. The ball pitched on his off-stump before sharply turning in to crash into the middle-stump.

Runs suddenly dried up with Rashid conceding just four runs from his second over as both the wrist spinners bowled superbly in tandem to squeeze SRH in.

A captaincy masterstroke by Gill to bowl Mohit the 10th over resulted in another wicket when the veteran seamer dismissed a well-set Abhishek (29).

The left-hander sliced it straight to Gill at extra-cover in what seemed a perfect set-up for the young Indian batter.

But Klaasen ensured that the lull does not stay longer as he charged the young Noor in his last over for two slog sweeps over midwicket boundary.

Rashid however had the last laugh as he cut short the innings of SRH six-hitting machine Klaasen in the 14th over.

The South African completely missed Rashid’s googly to be cleaned up against the run of play.

In the next over, Rashid made all the difference with his splendid diving catch at deep to dismiss Aiden Markram (17).

Markram took charge of a Yadav slower delivery as Rashid at long on ran forward, adjusted at the last moment to take a stunning diving catch tumbling forward.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Topics mentioned in this article

Russia Demands Ukraine Hand Over Head Of Security Service, Others

Russia Demands Ukraine Hand Over Head Of Security Service, Others

Russia-Ukraine was has been going on for over two years now (File)

Russia is demanding that Ukraine hand over all persons connected with terrorist acts committed in Russia, including the head of the country’s SBU Security Service, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

“Russia has turned over to Ukrainian authorities its demands…for the immediate arrest and extradition of all those connected to the terrorist acts in question,” a ministry statement said, after listing a number of violent incidents in the country.

The ministry statement said those to be handed over included SBU head Vasyl Maliuk, who has acknowledged his service was behind attacks on the bridge linking Crimea to the Russian mainland since the Kremlin’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

BRS MLA Kadiyam Srihari, Daughter Join Congress Ahead Of Lok Sabha Polls

BRS MLA Kadiyam Srihari, Daughter Join Congress Ahead Of Lok Sabha Polls

Kadiyam Srihari served as Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana from 2014 to 2018 .

Hyderabad:

In what is seen as a boost to the Congress party in Telangana ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Kadiyam Srihari and his daughter Kadiyam Kavya joined the Congress in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Sunday.

Kadiyam Srihari served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana and Minister for Education of Telangana from 2014 to 2018 under the K Chandrashekhar Rao government.

“BRS MLA Kadiyam Srihari and Kadiam Kavya joined the Congress party in the presence of Chief Minister Shri Revanth Reddy and AICC Incharge Mrs. Deepa Das Munshi,” the Telangana Congress said in a post on ‘X’.

This comes at a time when BRS chief and former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao began his day-long tour to visit Jangaon, Suryapet, and Nalgonda districts to take stock of withered crops due to the lack of water and to interact with farmers who suffered losses.

Earlier on Saturday, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi joined the Congress party in the presence of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and AICC in-charge Deepadas Munshi.

Gadwal Vijayalakshmi is the daughter of former BRS leader Keshav Rao. Keshav Rao and former Deputy CM of Telangana State, Kadiyam Srihari, quit the BRS party on Friday.

After quitting the BRS party, Mr Rao confirmed that he would join the Congress party. He also met Telangana CM Revanth Reddy at his residence in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, on Saturday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)