Guwahati, Nov 22: Ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah brought a long-awaited breakthrough for India by dismissing Aiden Markram on the stroke of tea, as South Africa reached 82/1 in 26.5 overs against India at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Bumrah had created an opportunity earlier in the first session, but KL Rahul failed to hold on to a sharp chance at slip, giving Markram a life on four. But the right-handed opener eventually fell in the final over before the 20-minute tea break by chopping on to his stumps off Bumrah.

Until that dismissal, Markram and Ryan Rickelton looked largely assured. It would be interesting to see if India, who toiled hard for the majority of the first session, will be able to capitalise on the breakthrough from Bumrah and gain an edge over the Proteas in the second session.

In the morning, after electing to bat first on a fresh red soil pitch, Markram and Rickelton ensured South Africa had a steady start against new ball bowlers Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. The duo got decent carry and swing, though two sets of byes went against wicketkeeper and skipper Rishabh Pant’s name.

Though the atmosphere was subdued at India’s newest Test venue due to sparse attendance, which was in complete contrast to the well‑attended Eden Gardens Test last week, Bumrah and Siraj continued to keep the openers in check. Markram finally opened his account with a solid punch off Bumrah for four, before surviving a dropped catch by Rahul at slip.

With Siraj bowling touch too full and wide, Markram and Rickelton found a few boundaries off him, as South Africa reached 34/0 at the first drinks break. Nitish Kumar Reddy struggled for consistency – drifting onto the pads too often and conceding boundaries to Markram, while Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar found some turn and bounce, though Rickelton got streaky boundaries off them.

Captain Pant’s decision to bring Bumrah late in the session to deliver the breakthrough paid off when he dismissed Markram and Rahul, who had earlier spilled a chance of him, had a smile full of relief on his face as India finally had a wicket before tea.

Brief Scores: South Africa 82/1 in 26.5 overs (Aiden Markram 38, Ryan Rickelton 35 not out; Jasprit Bumrah 1-7) against India.

Ambernath: A shocking accident occurred on Friday evening on the Ambarnath flyover, leaving four people dead and four others seriously injured. CCTV footage of the incident has surfaced, showing the intensity of the crash.

According to reports, Shiv Sena’s female candidate Kiran Chaubey was traveling to the Buvapada area for an election campaign with her driver Laxman Shinde. During the journey, the driver reportedly suffered a sudden heart attack, causing him to lose control of the vehicle. The car crossed the divider and collided with four to five vehicles coming from the opposite direction, as per Chaubey’s statement to the police.

The deceased have been identified as Laxman Shinde, driver, Chandrakant Anarse, Municipal Council employee, Sumit Chelani, local youth, Shailesh Jadhav

The accident was particularly severe for Chandrakant Anarse, who was riding a motorcycle and fell off the bridge, later succumbing to injuries at the hospital.

The injured include Kiran Chaubey, Shiv Sena candidate, Amit Chauhan Abhishek Chauhan.

Local residents broke the car’s window to rescue Chaubey, who has been admitted to a private hospital for treatment. Chaubey stated that the driver became motionless suddenly, and before she could comprehend the situation, the vehicle went out of control at high speed.

The Ambernath Police have registered a case and launched further investigation into the incident. Authorities are examining CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts to determine the exact sequence of events.

Burhanpur, Nov 22: The administration in Burhanpur district, Madhya Pradesh, is working diligently to ensure the timely completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. SIR-related tasks are now being carried out both during the day and late into the night to ensure that all forms are uploaded online without delay.

Rajesh Patidar, the Burhanpur District SIR Officer, told Media that the work related to the SIR is steadily gaining momentum in the district. He said that Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) are conducting door-to-door verification, while the office teams continue uploading completed forms until late hours to keep the process on track.

Patidar stated that the administration is making every effort to finish the SIR process in both Assembly constituencies of the district before the prescribed deadline. To achieve this, continuous monitoring and coordinated data entry are being carried out through a team-based approach. With this proactive effort, the administration expects the voter list update to be completed successfully and without any delay.

The BJP has welcomed the clean-up exercise, calling it a step toward ensuring greater transparency in the electoral rolls.

However, the exercise has drawn sharp opposition from several parties. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, objecting to the SIR. She claimed that the manner in which the exercise is being imposed on electoral officials and citizens is “unplanned,” “chaotic,” and “dangerous.” CM Banerjee is scheduled to address an anti-SIR rally at Bangaon in North 24 Parganas district on November 25.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission on November 4 launched the second phase of the SIR of electoral rolls in nine states and three Union Territories, covering around 51 crore voters. Booth-level officers have begun distributing enumeration forms to electors as part of the process.

During the enumeration phase, which will continue until December 4, more than 5.3 lakh BLOs will visit households at least three times for the distribution and collection of forms.

After the rally, Banerjee will participate in a protest march at Bangaon. This will be her second anti-SIR rally and protest march, following the first one held in Kolkata on November 4.

In addition to BLOs, 7.64 lakh BLAs appointed by political parties, 10,448 electoral registration officers and assistant EROs, and 321 district election officers have been deployed to conduct the SIR exercise in a smooth, orderly, and voter-friendly manner.

The 12 states and Union Territories where the SIR is being conducted are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Among these, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Puducherry are scheduled to go to the polls in 2026.

The first phase of the SIR exercise was carried out in Bihar earlier this year, after which more than 68 lakh names were removed from the electoral rolls.