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ENG v IND, 5th Test: The last few months have been fantastic, says Jonny Bairstow

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Before the start of the rescheduled fifth Test against India at Edgbaston, England’s Jonny Bairstow had been earmarked as a batter who could be a threat to India’s plans.

It did come true as Bairstow followed up his 106 in the first innings with an unbeaten 114 in the second innings to play a huge role in England’s record chase of 378 and draw the series for the Pataudi Trophy 2-2 with a cracking seven-wicket win.

“It’s great fun at the moment. The last month has been a fantastic month of Test cricket for all the lads. You can see the smiles on all the boys’ faces, how excited we are for each other when everyone’s doing well, and that’s a massive part of it,” said Bairstow in post-match presentation ceremony after being adjudged Player of the Match.

In his last five Test innings, Bairstow has hit four centuries and overall, six tons against his name in 2022, becoming the leading run-scorer in Test cricket this year with 994 runs in eight innings. Bairstow revealed that keeping things simple has been key to his superlative form.

“Just taking all the simple things back and stripping it back to the basics. The last couple of years have been tough. I’m not a big fan of the bubbles, I’m not someone that likes to sit in a room and play computer games. It’s been tough on me but the last few months have been fantastic.”

At the toss of the Edgbaston Test, captain Ben Stokes had stated firmly that they were looking to chase, which Root and Bairstow proved it right by completing four 250+ chases on the trot.

“Fair play to everyone who went to that. To the crowd as well: Day five was over in 90 minutes. I just have an enjoyment factor now. I am not afraid of failing and just want to put the pressure on the opposition. We are going to lose games with the approach we have, but it is a positive fun brand of cricket to play.”

“The chase was all under control (laughs). They have some world class bowlers and you just have to soak the pressure. They try to intimidate; they have some fantastic players and it was about trying to shift the pressure to them. There are going to be phases when they are going to play really well. There was a period when it started reversing as well. And today morning was a different morning,” elaborated Bairstow.

Bairstow also had some words of appreciation for Root, who remained unbeaten on 142 in a matching winning stand of 269. “Root and me are just two lads from Yorkshire. We have grown up playing together and spent a lot of time together from the Yorkshire academy days to the Test team now. Special to play with him.”

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IPL 2025: Suryakumar set for big celebration after bagging first POTM award in 13 games

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Mumbai, May 22: In a brilliant Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season in which he has emerged as the top scorer for Mumbai Indians and produced 25-plus scores in 12 matches in a row, Suryakumar Yadav’s wife Devisha spotted a big anomaly—the batter known for his 360-degree batting has not won a single Player of the Match award.

Suryakumar Yadav rectified that abnormality on Wednesday as he hammered a 43-ball 73 on a slightly sluggish wicket that was offering a turn to the spinners and helped Mumbai Indians reach 180/5, laying the foundation for a 59-run victory against Delhi Capitals in Match 63 of IPL 2025 at the Wankhede Stadium. He equalled the record for the most successive 25-plus scores in T20 cricket, joining Temba Bavuma at 13.

SKY and Naman Dhir hammered 48 runs in the last two overs, which lifted Mumbai Indians from 132/5 to 180 and gave the bowlers a good target to defend.

Mitchell Santner (3-11) and Jasprit Bumrah (3-12) then helped the five-time winners bundle out Delhi Capitals for 121, secure a 59-run win, and seal the fourth and final spot in the playoffs. Suryakumar Yadav was adjudged the Player of the Match (POTM) for his brilliant knock.

“It has been thirteen games now, my wife told me a sweet story. She said I have gotten all the awards, but not the POTM award. This award is really special today. From the team’s point of view, the knock was important today. And this trophy is for her (my wife), and it was important (for me) to play till the end,” said Suryakumar Yadav after accepting the award.

The 34-year-old batter, who is now third in the Orange Cap race with 583 runs, behind Gujarat Titans duo Sai Sudharsan (617) and Shubman Gill (601), said they will have their usual celebration with a big cake for this innings.

“She waits for such moments, and we celebrate them when we go back, so really looking forward to it. It was really important for a single batter to bat till the end – we knew there was a 15-20 run over somewhere. The way Naman came in and shared that energy with me (was great),” said Suryakumar Yadav.

Delhi Capitals’ stand-in captain Faf du Plessis felt that they were excelled in the field on Wednesday but were disappointed with the bat to lose the match.

He said his bowlers did well for most of the match but were undone by the way Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir snatched it by hammering 48 runs in the last two overs.

“Momentum is a real thing in cricket. The way they counter-punched to get almost 50 in the last two overs…undoing the work of the first 17-18 overs, we lost that momentum. If you look at the two teams, it was a case of David and Goliath. I enjoy that because it gives you the opportunity to play as a team,” said the South African.

“Sums up our season – we have been cold either in the batting or the bowling in the last seven or eight games. Perhaps a fair reflection (that we did not qualify),” said Faf.

He admitted that Delhi Capitals missed their regular captain and top spinner Axar Patel on this wicket.

“Axar on a wicket like that, the way Mitchell Santner bowled…Axar is that kind of class, proven international bowler who, on a wicket like that, would have loved to bowl. But he was very sick. Starcy (Mitchell Starc) is a fantastic bowler, but a spinner on a wicket like this is worth gold. I am a big believer that you never take it (momentum) for granted,” said Faf du Plessis.

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Sports

LSG’s Digvesh gets one game suspension, SRH batter Abhishek fined 25 pc of match fees for on-field altercation

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Lucknow, May 20: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Rathi and Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Abhishek Sharma are penalised for their ugly verbal spat during their IPL 2025 match on Monday.

Digvesh has been fined 50 per cent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct. This was the LSG spinner’s third Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 this season and hence he accumulated two demit point for a total of five, which result in a one-game suspension.

“Digvesh Singh, Bowler, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) has been fined 50 per cent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Monday.

“This was his third Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 this season and hence, he has accumulated Two Demerit Points, in addition to Three Demerit Points he had accumulated earlier – One Demerit Point against Punjab Kings on April 01, 2025 and Two Demerit Points against Mumbai Indians on April 04, 2025.

“As he now has Five Demerit Points this season – which result in a one-game suspension – Digvesh will now be suspended for LSG’s next game – against Gujarat Titans on May 22, 2025 in Ahmedabad,” the statement from IPL read.

Meanwhile, SRH batter has been fined 25 per cent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during the match and accumulated one demerit point as this was his first offences under IPL code og conduct.

“Abhishek Sharma, All-rounder, Sunrisers Hyderabad has been fined 25 per cent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team’s match against Lucknow Super Giants,” the statement further read.

“This was his first Level 1 offence under Article 2.6 this season and hence, he has accumulated One Demerit Point,” it added.

The incident happened during the 8th over of SRH’s chase when Digvesh got Abhishek out with a catch in the deep and celebrated with his usual notebook gesture. But soon after, the two got into a heated argument, and the umpires along with LSG captain Rishabh Pant had to step in quickly.

Replays showed Digvesh making a gesture to Abhishek after the dismissal, which may have led to the argument.

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Crime

Chadian national held at Mumbai airport with gold worth Rs 3.86 cr hidden in slippers

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Mumbai, May 17: In a major crackdown on gold smuggling, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai, arrested a Chadian national who arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) from Addis Ababa, after seizing 4,015 grams of gold worth Rs 3.86 crore ingeniously concealed in the heels of his slippers.

Acting on specific Intelligence, DRI officers intercepted the male passenger shortly after his arrival in Mumbai. Upon conducting a personal search, the officers discovered multiple foreign-origin gold bars cleverly hidden inside the modified heels of the man’s slippers.

In his voluntary statement recorded by officials, the Chadian national admitted to concealing the gold in this unusual manner to bypass customs checks and evade legal detection. The gold was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and the passenger was placed under arrest.

Officials stated that further investigations are underway to trace the origin and intended recipients of the smuggled consignment and to determine if the incident is linked to a broader smuggling network.

This seizure adds to a growing list of recent smuggling attempts intercepted by vigilant DRI officials.

In an earlier case from April 2025, DRI Mumbai had seized foreign-origin gold worth Rs 6.30 crore from a passenger who had arrived at CSMIA from Bangkok. The gold, hidden in specially designed compartments of the passenger’s luggage, was also seized under the Customs Act, with the individual arrested immediately.

The DRI continues to maintain a strict vigil at international entry points, using a combination of Intelligence gathering and surveillance to thwart attempts at smuggling precious metals and other contraband. The agency reiterated its commitment to cracking down on such offenses, which pose a serious threat to economic stability and border security.

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