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Kaif’s suggestion to Samson: Bat lower down the order, start finishing games

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Sanju Samson has played 13 T20Is for India since his debut in 2015 and has the highest score of 35 averaging 14.50 and a strike-rate of 121.67. Despite being backed publicly by an awe-struck Rohit Sharma on the eve of India’s first T20I against Sri Lanka in February this year, Samson hasn’t been able to translate the promise and elegance he shows in almost every season of the IPL on the international circuit.

In IPL 2022, while captaining Rajasthan Royals to being runners-up, Samson emerged as the ninth-highest run-scorer with 458 runs at an average of 28.63 and strike-rate of 146.79. Apart from scoring two half-centuries, Samson has mostly been out in the 30s and 40s while going hard on the ball from word go.

With Samson behind in the reckoning for a place in the Men’s T20 World Cup squad with Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik and Ishan Kishan ahead in the race, the timing of two T20Is against Ireland couldn’t have come at a better time to boost his credentials in the shortest format of the game.

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif feels that Samson should look to finish matches in order to justify the talent he has. “Sanju Samson has not done justice to the talent he has got. He plays well in the IPL; he starts really well at number three, gets good 50-60 runs for Rajasthan Royals.

“But probably he’s not been that consistent. He’s got the x-factor, can win games for India on his day. But I feel Sanju Samson can bat a touch lower. My suggestion would be to Sanju Samson that he should start batting like to finish the game,” said Kaif in a virtual interaction organised by Sony Sports.

Kaif strengthened his case for Samson being a finisher citing his 19-ball 46 against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022. “I remember one innings he played against Delhi Capitals; where (Jos) Buttler got (a) century, then he got to bat like four-five overs and made a quickfire 45 (46). He should come down and start to finish games for India and for Rajasthan Royals. Having said that, he’s got talent, skill and whenever he got the opportunity to play for India, he has not grabbed it with both hands. Maybe now if he gets a chance (against Ireland).”

One of the key features of India’s upcoming two-match T20I series against Ireland is the opportunities it can provide to youngsters like Rahul Tripathi and Umran Malik. Kaif is eager to see Malik, who earned a maiden call-up in the T20I series against South Africa, play for India when the time is right.

“I would like to see Umran Malik play for India one day. But at the same time, I don’t want to make him rush. Like, Rahul Dravid is making sure he is sitting in the dugout, watching the game from outside. He’s got the pace; he’s strong and has got the form going at the moment.

“I am not the only one, the whole of India wants to watch him play for the country one day. His time will come but Rahul Dravid is doing a good job of settling his nerves down and when the time arrives, he will do a great job for India. He’s got the skill, pace and right temperament as a bowler.”

On Tripathi, who amassed an impressive 413 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad at an average of 37.54 and a strike rate of 158.23 in IPL 2022, Kaif thinks that the right-handed batter is ready to play for India. “I was very happy when Rahul Tripathi was picked for the Indian team because someone who has been doing so well in domestic cricket, in IPL whenever he plays for any franchise, either KKR or SRH, he’s fantastic.”

“The way he strikes the ball after coming at number three and he can play well against spinners as well as the pacers, I was very happy and I hope he gets a chance to play. Someone like Tripathi can grab the chance with both hands. He looks ready for India. Let’s hope he gets a chance and plays a fantastic knock for India.”

International

Murder of Hindu leader: India slams Bangladesh, says killing follows pattern of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities

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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.

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International

Death toll from US airstrikes on Yemeni fuel port rises to 38: Houthis

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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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Houthis say 123 civilians in Yemen killed in one month of US airstrikes

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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.

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