International
Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur work really hard on their batting, says Vikram Rathour

India batting coach Vikram Rathour acknowledged that all-rounders Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar have been working very hard on their batting skills. He added that the advantage with enhanced batting credentials of Chahar and Thakur helps the team management in flexibility of structuring the playing eleven.
In the absence of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja in the white-ball side, Chahar and Thakur have stepped up with the bat, scoring half-centuries as part of lower-order in different times during ODIs against South Africa and West Indies.
“Both of them are batting well. The reason for that is both of them work really hard on their batting. It’s not now but in the past few years, they have been working and practising hard on their batting. Now, you can see the result. So, really good to have two all-rounders. That gives us a lot of flexibility in what kind of team you want to play with. It’s good to see the competition happening in the team as well. They will be competing and are batting well,” said Rathour in the virtual press conference.
In the recent ODI series against the West Indies, India had players like Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant get runs in the middle order. Rathour was pleased that different batters in the middle-order stepped up after the top-order fell early.
“It was good, the ODI series we played in Ahmedabad. The wicket was a little challenging and was little tricky. It was good to see people stepping up after losing early wickets. We still manged to put up decent scores and won the series 3-0. It’s good to see people like Surya, Shreyas, Pant doing well in the middle-order. It was good.”
“It’s always beneficial when batters are in form. The more are in form, the better it is for the team. I have never been really concerned for our middle-order batting. Lately, we had been doing well in ODIs and T20Is with our middle order. That never has been a concern.”
Rathour felt that Pant, who had surprisingly opened in the second ODI at Ahmedabad, can be used well in the middle order. “We have options in many players. Rishabh is a fantastic player. He can play good cricket at the top of the order but it really depends on what the team needs, what we are looking at and where the team wants Pant to bat.”
“I have no doubt that he will be in team post-2023 and will be a very important factor too but we can utilize him more precisely in the middle or lower order, which can be very challenging. Left-hander in the middle order, we don’t have much options. Whether he will be useful there or at the top, we cannot really comment on that.”
Rathour insisted that the world is yet to see the full capabilities of all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer with the bat. Iyer, dropped from the ODIs against the West Indies after debuting in South Africa, is a part of the upcoming T20I series, starting from February 16.
“We are yet to see full (abilities) of him. He’s a young kid who has come into the team. He’s newly arrived. So, coming to the selection, it is the job of selectors to pick the squad. Opportunities have started to come for him. He’s a very good player and we all hope that he will do well and establish himself in the team in any format. We haven’t taken a call yet where he can’t play. He can come in any format.”
Rathour signed off by saying that their main focus will be to win the T20I series first. “We haven’t been to the ground yet. We are yet to look at the conditions and once we assess it, we need to have a look at the balance of the team. I understand experimenting but we still have a series to win.”
“I am pretty sure that West Indies will be a very competitive team in this format. We need to see the balance and then see what we can do. We want to give opportunity to youngsters but the first thing is to start well and win the series.”
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.
International
Houthis say 123 civilians in Yemen killed in one month of US airstrikes

Sanaa, April 15: A total of 123 civilians have been killed and 247 others injured, mostly women and children, since the US military resumed airstrikes across Yemen in mid-March, Houthi-run health authorities said in an statement.
The statement was issued following US airstrikes against a ceramic factory on the western outskirts of Yemen’s capital Sanaa late on Sunday night, which killed seven people and injured 29 others.
The health authorities’ previous statement on April 9 put the death toll from the renewed US air raids at 107 and the number of injuries at 223.
The Houthi group rarely discloses casualties among its fighters. However, the US military has repeatedly said the strikes have killed dozens of Houthi leaders, which the group has denied, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier on Sunday, Yemen’s Houthi group announced that it had shot down another US MQ-9 drone, the 19th it has downed since November 2023.
“A US MQ-9 drone was shot down while carrying out hostile missions in the airspace of Hajjah province” in northwestern Yemen, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
Sarea added that the drone was downed by a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile, stressing “the ongoing US aggression” has not crippled the group’s military capabilities.
The statement affirmed the group’s support for the Palestinian people, saying its operations will continue “until the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and the siege on it is lifted.”
The US resumed its air campaign against Houthi forces on March 15, stating that its strikes were aimed at deterring the group from launching attacks against Israeli and US naval assets in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, who control vast areas of northern Yemen, have been attacking Israeli targets since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip.
Business
Indian talent can be valuable partner in economic progress of Slovakia: President Murmu

Bratislava, April 10: Asserting that India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday urged business leaders from Slovakia to seize the opportunities and convert them into concrete results
Slovakia, President Murmu said while addressing the Slovakia-India Business Forum in Bratislava, with its strong industrial base and strategic location in Europe, presents great opportunities for deeper trade and investment ties.
“Slovakia is looking for hard-working skilled workers and professionals from overseas to help meet its workforce requirements. I am convinced that Indian talent can be a valuable partner in the economic progress of Slovakia,” President Murmu said in her address at the event.
“India is committed to enhancing trade relations with Slovakia. The large business delegation, representing diverse fields, which has accompanied me, clearly shows the interest of Indian businesses to explore opportunities in Slovakia. We have seen a similar interest from Slovakia,” she added.
Addressing the forum, President Murmu thanked Slovakia President Peter Pellegrini for his commitment in strengthening economic ties between the two countries. She said that India is undergoing remarkable transformation and has emerged as a global leader in technology, innovation and sustainable development.
President Murmu added that the Slovakia-India Business Forum serves as an excellent platform to explore synergies and build mutually beneficial partnerships.
Earlier, President Murmu visited an exhibition of paintings by Slovak children. The Slovak-Indian Friendship Society, in collaboration with the Indian Embassy, has been organising the painting competition ‘Beauty Hidden in Fairy Tales – India through the Eyes of Slovak Children’ since 2015.
She also witnessed a puppet show on Ramayan conducted by Lenka Mukova. Lenka is part of the Babadlo Puppet Theatre in Presov, which has been educating children through puppetry for 30 years.
President Murmu also attended a banquet hosted in her honour by Slovakia President Pellegrini at the historic Bratislava Castle. The Slovak artists presented captivating musical performances including that of the National Anthem, signifying the strong cultural bond between the two countries.
Thanking the Slovak government and the people of Slovakia for the warm welcome and hospitality, she said that from yoga and ayurveda to Indian cuisine, the love for Indian culture in Slovakia is a testament to the strong people-to-people connections. She also reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two countries.
On Wednesday, President Murmu held productive talks with the Slovakia President in Bratislava as both leaders reviewed various facets of India-Slovakia relations and agreed to work towards strengthening the bilateral partnership across diverse sectors.
During their one-to-one meeting and delegation-level talks, President Murmu and Pellegrini also discussed issues of shared global and regional interests. The participants in delegation-level talks from the Indian side included the accompanying Minister of State, Nimuben Bambhaniya, as well as Members of Parliament Dhaval Patel, Sandhya Ray and senior officials.
President Murmu also met the Speaker of National Council of the Slovak Republic, Richard Rasi in Bratislava, congratulating him on his recent election as Speaker while reaffirming the high priority attached by India to the historic friendship between the two countries.
“President Murmu said that Parliamentarians have an important role in enhancing goodwill and mutual understanding between India and Slovakia. She noted that there has been a tradition of a Slovak-India Friendship Group in the National Council of Slovakia, and said that it would help promote exchange of knowledge and experience among our Parliamentarians,” the President’s Secretariat stated.
This is the first visit by an Indian President to Slovakia in nearly three decades.
“The two-day visit to Slovakia spotlights the importance India places on its bilateral relations with the Slovak Republic. It is also expected to pave the way for deeper cooperation and new initiatives in various sectors, including defence, science and technology, and education,” stated the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
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