Sports
Champions Trophy: It’s been already decided, there’s no point dwelling, says Bracewell on advantage to India

Dubai, Feb 28: New Zealand’s off-spin bowling all-rounder Michael Bracewell gave his take on India playing all of their Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Dubai, saying it was something that has already been decided and that there’s no point dwelling on it.
The decision for India to play all of its Champions Trophy matches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, especially after being denied permission to play their matches in Pakistan, came under limelight this week, with former England skippers Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton, and Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed claiming that India has got an upper hand from the start as compared to other teams.
“Look, it is what it is. It’s been already decided, and that’s the way that it is, and there’s no point dwelling on that. It’s part of what makes it exciting. I personally think it is that coming to a different ground and trying to figure out those different conditions. Not much more to say on that, other than we’re excited to try and learn and play in different conditions,” said Bracewell to reporters outside New Zealand’s training session at the ICC Academy on Friday.
New Zealand is all set to play against India in Dubai on Sunday, with both teams already qualifying for the semifinals. The match will also mark Virat Kohli’s 300th ODI appearance, making him the seventh player to achieve this landmark after Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, M.S. Dhoni, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh.
“That’s obviously a massive achievement. 300 games across a career is very impressive, and then to put that in just one format is amazing. It’s a testament to the way that he’s gone about his career.”
“I saw it first-hand at RCB – how he prepared for each match, and it’s very impressive. He’s one of a number of class players in the Indian line-up, and they’ve all played a lot of cricket now. So, they’re going to be a challenging team to come up against, but we’re really excited about that challenge,” added Bracewell.
Asked if New Zealand would take their match against India lightly, Bracewell stated, “No, it’s definitely an important game for us. Anytime you take on India at an ICC event, it’s always a big occasion. We’re excited about the game and obviously, if you can win the game, then it takes a lot of momentum through to that semifinal.”
“It’s always a challenge getting through to the semifinals, first of all. Once you get there, then it’s a one-off match and then another one-off match. So obviously, it’s great to be involved in that, but we’ve got a huge match against India first. If we can look at this like another playoff match, then we’re going to put ourselves in a good position to be able to win critical moments,” he said.
Quizzed on whether New Zealand would bring back Daryl Mitchell, who missed their game against Bangladesh due to illness, Bracewell said, “I’m sure if Daryl’s fit, he’ll be back playing. He’s obviously just had a little bit of illness in the last game, so he’s looking really healthy around the group. So it’ll be exciting to have him back in the group. He’s a massive part of our middle order and has done well for a number of years now.”
“I haven’t been privy to those conversations, but I’m sure we’ll be putting our best team out there and trying to get another win on the board. Mitch and Gary will come together and decide on the final 11, which they’ve done for the last couple of games. We haven’t seen the conditions yet here, so they’ll make a final decision on the team at the top,” said Bracewell.
With New Zealand having their first training session in Dubai, Bracewell said the side’s intention will be to try and get used to the wickets as quickly as they can.
“The wickets here have looked like they’ve taken a bit of a spin. We’ve obviously enjoyed the pitches in Pakistan, and I think we’ve got a pretty well-balanced side to play in any conditions. So hopefully we can continue to do that and adjust to what’s in front of us.”
“That’s been the strength of our side, which is adjusting to the surface and really throwing different looks at teams that are suited to that surface. So hopefully, we continue to do that as a side. I haven’t played any cricket here in Dubai before, so I’ll be trying to do that on the practice wickets and then take that out into the middle.”
“As a bowler, you try and find out what ball was the most challenging on that wicket and then try to bowl that ball as many times as you can. We’ve got a lot of experience in our spin bowling group, with Mitch Santner leading the way there. He’s a great person to talk to about what’s effective on a wicket,” he said.
“We work really closely as a spin bowling unit with GP (Glenn Phillips) there as well and Rach (Rachin Ravindra), of course, to find out what’s actually challenging on that surface and perhaps set fields accordingly as well,” Bracewell concluded.
National
Kill terrorists and show us their bodies, say families of Pahalgam attack victims

Mumbai, April 24: The mortal remains of Santosh Jagdale and Kaustubh Ganbote, who were killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, were brought to Pune early Thursday morning.
Chants of ‘Pakistan jala do (burn down Pakistan)’ were raised during Jagdale’s funeral procession. NCP(SP) president Sharad Pawar met the families of Santosh Jagdale and Kaustubh Ganbote and expressed grief.
The Jagdale family, shattered by the brutal killing of Santosh Jagdale, burst into tears. “Today my life has been completely ruined, I cannot see my husband anymore,” said Jagdale’s wife, Pragati Jagdale, while venting out her emotions. She also demanded in front of Sharad Pawar that those terrorists should be shot the same way they killed her husband and others.
Pragati Jagdale further narrated the entire incident. “They (terrorists) had come wearing masks. There was no one there, there should have been an officer or security guard. Further, there was a delay in treatment. They didn’t tell us anything,” she said.
She added that the terrorists did not even spare the horse puller as he resisted and told them that they should not shower bullets on the tourists. “Don’t put people’s lives in danger, people’s lives are being ruined, tell me where I am going to look. My husband is not with me, what should these children do?” she asked in despair.
“I have not been able to see my husband’s face since yesterday. While in Kashmir, we could not see his face; here, too, his face is not being revealed. Terrorists shot my husband in the head. Do something for us. Find and kill those terrorists. Terrorists shot our people in the head and took out the flesh, took out the blood, do the same with them and show us the bodies of the terrorists. Terrorists shot their father in front of the children. The children were crying then. While coming down from there, we fell into the mud. Because of this, I cannot even stand on my feet,” said Pragati Jagdale.
“The local people there also cried for us, they felt bad because everything the terrorists did was against tourists, and they attacked tourists. The officers there also cried for us, they felt bad about what had happened. The lives of family members of 26 people killed in the terror attack have been completely destroyed,” she claimed.
Meanwhile, Kaustubh Lele, who lost his cousins Sanjay Lele, Hemant Joshi and Atul Mone from Dombivli in the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday, slammed the government, asking it to first ensure safety to its citizens instead of making tall claims about becoming a trillion-dollar economy.
“Focus on bringing ‘acche din’ of safety and security in the lives of Indian citizens, then show them the dream of becoming a dollar economy. Stop show-offs, branding and making loud claims. Take adequate steps for the safety of the people,” he said, expressing his anguish. “It is a big loss for three families as they have lost the head of the families. It has created a big vacuum which cannot be filled. Terror attacks are taking place unabated. Now take some concrete and firm steps against terrorism,” he said.
International
Murder of Hindu leader: India slams Bangladesh, says killing follows pattern of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities

New Delhi, April 19: India on Saturday issued a sharp condemnation of the abduction and brutal killing of Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a prominent Hindu community leader in northern Bangladesh, calling it part of a “pattern of systematic persecution” of minorities under the country’s interim government.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal voiced India’s grave concern, stating that the incident reflects an alarming trend of targetted violence against Hindus and other minority groups in Bangladesh.
“We have noted with distress the abduction and brutal killing of Shri Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu minority leader in Bangladesh. This killing follows a pattern of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities under the interim government, even as the perpetrators of previous such events roam with impunity,” Jaiswal said in a post on social media platform X.
He added, “We condemn this incident and once again remind the interim government to live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities, including Hindus, without inventing excuses or making distinctions.”
India has previously expressed similar concerns over rising attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, but this latest incident has drawn particular attention due to Roy’s prominence in the Hindu community.
Roy, who served as the Vice-President of the Biral unit of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, was abducted from his residence in Dinajpur district on Thursday evening. According to police and family accounts, he received a phone call around 4:30 p.m., after which four unidentified men arrived on motorcycles and forcibly took him to Narabari village. He was reportedly assaulted and later found unconscious. He was rushed to a hospital in Dinajpur, where he was declared dead on arrival. His wife, Shantana Roy believes the attackers used the call to confirm his location before carrying out the abduction.
Opposition leaders in India also slammed the shocking incident in the neighbouring country.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge highlighted that religious minorities, especially Hindus, are being persecuted in Bangladesh.
“Attacks on other religious minorities are also continuing. Recently, the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh made a very condemnable and disappointing comment about the northeastern states of India. The persecution of religious minorities in Bangladesh, human rights violations, and the attempt to erase the memories of the 1971 Liberation War are efforts to weaken the relationship between India and Bangladesh. From 1971 till today, India has always wished for peace and prosperity for all the people of Bangladesh. This is in the best interest of the subcontinent,” he said.
International
Death toll from US airstrikes on Yemeni fuel port rises to 38: Houthis

Sanaa, April 18: The death toll from US overnight airstrikes on the Yemeni fuel port of Ras Isa has increased to 38, with 102 others wounded, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported on Friday, citing Houthi-controlled local health authorities.
According to al-Masirah, the casualties include five paramedics who were killed upon arriving at the scene, when the US military launched another wave of airstrikes on the port just minutes after the first on Thursday night.
More than 14 airstrikes on the fuel port were reported during the two waves, igniting massive fires in tanks storing imported fuel. The fires were extinguished within hours, said the report.
The US Central Command said earlier in a statement that it struck and destroyed the Ras Isa port on Thursday to “eliminate this source of fuel for” and “degrade the economic source of power of” the Houthis, Xinhua news agency reported.
In mid-March, US President Donald Trump ordered “decisive and powerful military action” against the Houthis after the group announced plans to resume attacks on Israeli vessels in the Red Sea, citing Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza as the reason.
Earlier on April 17, Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi had said his group had launched 26 attacks against Israel and 33 strikes on the US aircraft carrier and warships in the Red Sea since March 15.
In a televised speech aired by the group’s al-Masirah TV on Thursday, the Houthi leader said the attacks on Israel were carried out using “30 ballistic missiles and drones,” while those targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and its escorts involved “122 ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones”.
However, the Israeli military has reportedly intercepted many of the Houthi projectiles before they reached targets, Xinhua news agency reported.
The US Central Command dismissed the Houthi claims of daily attacks on the US aircraft carrier as “outlandish” in a post on the social media platform X.
Meanwhile, the Houthi leader noted that the US military had conducted more than 900 airstrikes against his group’s positions across northern Yemen during the past 30 days.
Tensions between the Houthi group and the US military have escalated since Washington resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15 to deter the group from attacking Israel and US warships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, which control much of northern Yemen, said their attacks aim to press US-backed Israel to stop the offensive against the Gaza Strip and allow humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave.
Israel’s Channel 12 News reported last Saturday that a Yemeni drone was intercepted near the Dead Sea within the Jordanian airspace before it could reach Israel.
The Jordanian army confirmed later last week that an unidentified drone entered Jordanian airspace and crashed in the Ma’in area of Madaba governorate, near the Dead Sea, and no casualties were reported.
Even since Israel renewed its intensive strikes in March across the Gaza Strip, the Houthis have been launching frequent attacks against Israeli and US targets.
Earlier last week, the Houthi military spokesperson claimed fresh attacks against the US aircraft carrier, USS Harry S Truman, and other US warships in the northern Red Sea.
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