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IPL 2021: Jaiswal, Dube fifties overshadow Gaikwad ton as Rajasthan win

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Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube hit blazing half-centuries to lead Rajasthan Royals to a splendid seven-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in match 47 of IPL 2021 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium here on Saturday. Rajasthan made an imposing chase of 190 look easy by hunting down the target with 15 balls to spare. The win means that Rajasthan now have ten points from 12 matches and leapfrog Mumbai Indians to be at sixth place in the points table which has four teams at ten points.

Rajasthan got off to a flying start, making 81 runs in the power-play against a Chennai bowling attack missing Deepak Chahar and Dwayne Bravo. Yashasvi Jaiswal came out all guns blazing, smashing boundaries against every bowler. Josh Hazlewood came under severe thrashing from the youngster, taken for seven boundaries, including the last one, a flat-six over long-off, taking him to a whirlwind half-century in just 19 balls.

Evin Lewis supported Jaiswal well before pulling to fine leg off Thakur. Jaiswal fell on the first ball after power-play to a short ball from KM Asif. Despite losing both openers in quick succession, Rajasthan didn’t lose the run-making assault.

Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson put up a match-defining partnership of 89 runs in 58 balls. Dube, promoted to number four, was more aggressive of the duo, welcoming Ravindra Jadeja with a six over long-on in the ninth over. He extended the thrashing by hitting Moeen Ali for back-to-back sixes in the next over.

Dube brought the half-century of the partnership with a four clubbed over mid-wicket off Sam Curran followed by a six over the same region in the 12th over. The all-rounder then reached his half-century in 31 balls with a single off Thakur.

Though Samson fell while pulling off Thakur in the 16th over, Rajasthan were well on course to chase the target. Debutant Glenn Phillips walloped Curran for a four and six, before finishing off the chase with a single off Moeen Ali.

Earlier, Gaikwad displayed an exhibition of timing and classical hitting to reach his first century in the IPL. It was a fine batting effort by the youngster, whose first 50 runs came in 43 balls while the next 51 runs came in a jaw-dropping 17 balls and feasted ‘n Rajasthan’s listless bowling. Gaikwad was well-supported by Ravindra Jadeja’s blitzkrieg in the end apart from useful contributions by Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali.

Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis added 44/0 in power-play. While Gaikwad creamed debutant Akash Singh for two fours in the opening over, du Plessis took back-to-back boundaries against Chetan Sakariya in the fifth over. Tewatia broke the partnership in the seventh over, getting du Plessis easily stumped by Samson. Tewatia had his second wicket of the match as Suresh Raina’s promotion to three in his 200th match for Chennai ended with a slog-sweep to deep mid-wicket.

Despite the two quick dismissals, Gaikwad and Ali struck boundaries and rotated the strike to keep the scoreboard ticking. Gaikwad brought up his half-century in 43 balls, his second of the UAE leg of the tournament. From there, Gaikwad accelerated, hitting Tewatia for two sixes on the trot in the 15th over.

Though Tewatia had Ali stumped, it didn’t make Gaikwad slow down. In the next over, he took two fours and a six off Akash Singh to enter into the 80s. Though Ambati Rayudu fell cheaply, Gaikwad continued to collect boundaries with pristine timing.

Jadeja took two fours and a six on the first three balls of the final off Rahman. Gaikwad finished off the innings by smacking a six over deep mid-wicket, which took him to his first IPL hundred. But it wasn’t enough to prevent Chennai’s first loss in the UAE leg of the tournament.

Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 189/4 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 101 not out, Ravindra Jadeja 32 not out, Rahul Tewatia 3/39, Chetan Sakariya 1/31) lost to Rajasthan Royals 190/3 in 17.3 overs (Shivam Dube 64 not out, Yashasvi Jaiswal 50, Shardul Thakur 2/30, KM Asif 1/18) by seven wickets.

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Desperate Pakistan ‘pleads’ with India to reconsider Indus Waters Treaty suspension

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New Delhi, May 15: Nearly a few days into the understanding with Pakistan after the Indian Armed Forces left the Pakistani defence and military shattered, Islamabad has now reportedly written a letter to New Delhi, urging it to reconsider the decision of putting the Indus Waters Treaty which it has put into abeyance.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources has reportedly written a letter to New Delhi to resume the flow of rivers into its territory under the Indus Waters Treaty, media reports have claimed.

The Indus Waters Treaty is a pivotal water-sharing accord that has endured for more than six decades.

The plea comes after India halted the 1960 agreement in the wake of yet another Pakistan-backed terrorist attack, this time in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, which left 26 civilians dead, mostly tourists.

India, invoking its national security prerogative, has placed the treaty in abeyance until Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably” ends its support for terrorism.

The move was endorsed by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the apex decision-making body on strategic affairs, marking the first time New Delhi has hit pause on the World Bank-brokered agreement.

In a letter sent to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the Pakistani Ministry warned that suspending the treaty would trigger a crisis within the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first address since Operation Sindoor, underlined the government’s uncompromising position.

“Water and blood cannot flow together,” he declared.

“Terror and talks cannot happen at the same time. Terror and trade cannot happen simultaneously.”

However, Indian officials have dismissed these concerns, pointing to Pakistan’s longstanding use of terrorism as a state policy.

The treaty allocates three western rivers, Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab, to Pakistan, while the eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, remain with India.

India has now announced a three-tier strategy — short-term, mid-term, and long-term to prevent any flow of Indus waters into Pakistan.

Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil said that steps are being taken to ensure not a single drop of water is allowed to leave Indian territory unutilised.

India’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reinforced the government’s stance, saying, “The Indus Waters Treaty was founded on goodwill and friendship. Pakistan has trampled on these values by supporting cross-border terrorism for decades.”

The strong response follows Operation Sindoor, a swift military campaign launched after the Pahalgam attack, which resulted in a brief ceasefire agreement. But New Delhi has made it clear: dialogue with Islamabad will now be limited to one agenda — ending terrorism and ensuring the return of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

As per the 1960 treaty, India got around 30 per cent of the total water carried by the Indus River System located in India, while Pakistan got the remaining 70 per cent.

With the Indus Waters Treaty suspended, the Narendra Modi government is expected to take major steps toward completing the stalled hydroelectric projects.

A key meeting is likely to be held this week with Home Minister Amit Shah, along with Water Resources Minister Paatil, Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and senior officials from all related Ministries. Since the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, two meetings have already taken place between Amit Shah, Paatil, and top officials of the Ministry.

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Centre approves reopening of 32 airports as tensions ease on India-Pakistan border

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New Delhi, May 12: The Centre on Monday issued the NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) to reopen the 32 airports that had been shut down since May 9 due to the cross-border drone and missile attacks following heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam massacre of 26 tourists by Islamabad-backed terrorists.

The airports that will gradually reopen include Chandigarh, Srinagar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Bhuntar, Kishangarh, Patiala, Shimla, Kangra-Gaggal, Bathinda, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Halwara, Pathankot, Jammu, Leh, Mundra, Jamnagar, Hirasar, Porbandar, Keshod, Kandla and Bhuj.

The airports will be opened gradually as, although the ceasefire announced following the Pakistan DGMO’s (Director General of Military Operations) request is largely holding, the government does not want to take any chances.

“The night remained largely peaceful across Jammu and Kashmir and other areas along the International Border. No incidents have been reported, marking the first calm night in recent days,” according to a statement issued by the Indian Army on Monday.

The opening of these airports which are close to the Pakistan border reflects a de-escalation in the cross-border hostilities which saw India successfully launching ‘Operation Sindoor’ to avenge the Pahalgam killings.

The reopening of these airports will help to restore normalcy in flight operations which have undergone widespread disruption due to the conflict.

Meanwhile, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said on Monday that operations at the airport are “currently smooth,” however, due to changing airspace conditions and increased security measures, some flight schedules and security checkpoint processing times may be affected.

The airport management has advised passengers to follow updates and instructions from their airlines, allow extra time for security checks due to heightened measures and adhere to hand baggage and check-in luggage regulations.

Passengers have been advised to check the latest flight status through their airline or the official Delhi Airport website.

Although an agreement for a ceasefire was reached on Saturday, the government is not taking any chances on the security front.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting on Sunday with the three service chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff to take stock of the latest situation.

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High alert sounded in Rajasthan border districts, leaves of govt employees cancelled

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Jaipur, May 8: A high alert has been issued in districts near the Rajasthan border following India’s airstrikes on nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. As a precautionary measure, all flight operations at Kishangarh and Jodhpur airports have been suspended until May 10.

Rajasthan shares a 1,037-km border with Pakistan, which has been sealed with the Border Security Force personnel maintaining high vigilance. The Indian Air Force is also on high alert.

All government and private schools, along with anganwadi centres in the border districts of Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, and Sri Ganganagar have been declared closed until further notice.

The government employees in these areas have had their leaves cancelled and were instructed to remain at their headquarters.

The state authorities have called for heightened surveillance on social media platforms and reinforced security at sensitive locations.

Hospitals have been directed to maintain an adequate blood supply and life-saving medicines, while fire services remain on high alert to handle any emergencies.

The Home Department has instructed all District Collectors, especially those in border districts — Ganganagar, Bikaner, Phalodi, Jaisalmer, and Barmer — to maintain close coordination with the army and central agencies.

Key instructions issued include ensuring hospitals are equipped with life-saving medicines and sufficient blood supplies, identifying and preparing safe zones with backup power (generators) for emergencies, acting swiftly against any provocative content or misinformation on social media, monitoring food supplies, discouraging hoarding, and ensuring availability of essentials.

Fuel pumps have been asked to stock adequate quantities of petrol and diesel.

Directions to prepare evacuation plans for border villages in case of escalations and compiling a list of vulnerable locations, and strengthening security at these sites have also been issued.

In Jodhpur, District Collector Gaurav Agrawal announced late at night holidays for all government, private schools, colleges, anganwadi and coaching institutes. Also, exams to be held on May 8th have been postponed.

Barmer District Collector Tina Dabi has announced holidays for all government and private schools, anganwadis, and madrassas from May 8 in response to any emergency situation.

In Jaisalmer, District Collector Pratap Singh Nathawat has issued closure orders for all educational institutions. Additionally, a 4-hour blackout was imposed in Jaisalmer from 12 midnight to 4 a.m. on Thursday to enhance operational security.

Sri Ganganagar and Bikaner District Collectors Dr. Manju (Sri Ganganagar) and Namrata Vrishni (Bikaner) have announced school closures until further notice, citing heightened tensions along the border.

These precautionary steps have been taken as India prepares for potential retaliation from Pakistan following Operation Sindoor.

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