Connect with us
Saturday,24-May-2025
Breaking News

International

Will not be easy to fill big shoes of Rahane, Pujara: Rohit Sharma

Published

on

The last time India played a Test match without Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, it was in the 2012 Adelaide Test against Australia. At that time, Virat Kohli didn’t have a Test hundred against his name.

Cut to now, after a run of 98 Tests, Rahane and Pujara are not in the playing eleven while Kohli is on the verge of completing a century of Test appearances.

For now, Rahane and Pujara are still in the reckoning as they try to get runs and rhythm back in Ranji Trophy. This leaves India with three contenders in Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari to fill the vacant spots in the batting order. It will not be an easy task to figure out who will be the closest to being the next dependable Test middle order batters, something which even Rohit Sharma conceded during the pre-match virtual press conference.

“Look, those guys (Rahane and Pujara) are big shoes to fill in, it’s never easy for the guys who will come in. Even I don’t know who is going to come in place of Rahane and Pujara. You have to wait till tomorrow morning for who’s going to play. What Pujara and Rahane have done for this team, you can’t put it out in words. There’s years of hard work and playing 80-90 odd Tests respectively; all those overseas Test wins. India getting to No.1 in Test format, these guys helped us in that situation and have played a big part in that.”

“There is no way that these guys would not be looked upon in the future, they will definitely be in part of our plans. That’s for sure; it’s just that, like the selector (Chetan Sharma) also said, it is just for now that we did not consider them. But there is no guarantee or there is nothing written about them not being considered for any of the series thereafter.”

Gill had a great start when he was impressive in the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But a tough run and shin injuries meant Gill had to miss series against England in 2021 and South Africa later on. With him being the local lad, expect Gill to make a fresh start in middle-order. Same goes for Iyer, who had a fabulous introduction to Test cricket with 105 and 65 in first Test against New Zealand at Kanpur and Vihari, averaging 34.20 in 13 Tests, including a century and four fifties.

“Whenever there are changes in the squad, it’s always a fresh start for the guys coming in. It’s never easy but those guys who are going to replace these two guys, Pujara and Rahane, I mean those guys have done exceedingly well. Whenever those guys have gotten an opportunity, whether it’s first-class cricket at home or in India A tours and the limited opportunities of playing Test cricket, we need to back these guys to come good for us.”

“At times, you need to look forward and those guys have been waiting for a while now. Hopefully, if they get an opportunity, they can turn things around for us. It’s not just about one or two games, I am looking at number of years for them playing for India and doing well for us.”

Sharma didn’t give much hint into who will be edging whom in the three-way race for two spots in the middle order or in the potential toss-up between Gill and Mayank Agarwal for being his opening partner in the first Test against Sri Lanka on Friday.

“I am a captain; I’ll prefer everyone to part of the team and have no preferences like that. We will see and analyze everything and then we will take a call. Mayank, Shubman, Vihari, Iyer, all are brilliant and they are the future of Indian cricket. I think they need to be given a solid run for them to excel in this particular format and it is important for us to do that.”

“It will start from the management to show enough support and backing. So hopefully, these guys with enough backing and support, not just from me, but also from you guys (media), will help.”

With Rahul Dravid, under whom Gill, Iyer and Vihari got chances with the India A side, now at the helm in the senior side, expect the team to take time in deciding the ideal middle-order batters who could potentially fill in for Rahane and Pujara in future.

International

UNSC asks all countries to cooperate in bringing Pahalgam terrorists, backers to justice

Published

on

United Nations, April 26: The Security Council has “condemned in the strongest terms” the Pahalgam terrorist attack and urged all countries to cooperate in bringing all those involved in the massacre, to justice.

The members of the Security Council “stressed that those responsible for these killings should be held accountable, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard”, Council President Jerome Bonnafont said in a Press statement on Friday.

A front organisation of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Laskhar-e-Tayiba has owned responsibility for the attack.

The statement issued by France’s Permanent Representative Bonnafont who is the Council president for this month, took a broad view of those involved in the massacre by including the financiers and sponsors.

“The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice”, the statement said.

Pakistan, which is on the Council as an elected member, went along with the other members in endorsing the statement, committing itself – at least on paper – to bringing those involved to justice.

A Press statement expresses the consensus of the Council and carries moral authority, while not being legally binding like a resolution.

The statement also shot down the attempts by some in Pakistan to give terrorist attacks a veneer of justification.

“The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed”, it said.

The Council members “reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts”, the statement added.

Earlier, the spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hinted that a diplomatic effort by him may be afoot.

Asked by a reporter, if Guterres would speak to leaders of India and Pakistan, Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that he hoped to have something to share on that later.

Reiterating the condemnation of the terrorist attacks, Dujarric said, “We again urge both the Government of India and the Government of Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint to ensure the situation does not deteriorate further.”

When a reporter asserted that the possibility that “two nuclear countries” might “go to war” was getting insufficient attention, Dujarric said, “I don’t agree with your comment. We are paying very close attention to the situation between India and Pakistan.”

Continue Reading

International

Wagah-Attari border closure leaves several families in limbo

Published

on

Islamabad, April 25: Pakistan and India’s decision to shut down the Wagah-Attari border crossing after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack has forced several citizens from both countries to cut short their visit and rush back home.

On Thursday, after both countries announced closure of border crossing and gave a deadline for citizens to leave for their respective countries, at least 28 Pakistanis nationals returned from India while 105 Indian citizens in Pakistan crossed over into India.

A Hindu family from Balochistan’s Sibi was reportedly denied entry into India after the closure of border crossing.

“We were on our way to Indore in Madhya Pradesh to attend a wedding. Seven members of our family were excited to join our relatives in India and take part in the celebrations. But upon reaching Wagah, we learned that the border had been sealed. We will spend the night at Dera Sahib in Lahore and head back home tomorrow,” said Akshay Kumar.

Meanwhile, a Sikh family from India, in Pakistan to attend a wedding, decided to leave for India immediately.

“We had come to Pakistan for a wedding. While the ceremony took place, several important rituals remained. Once we heard the border was closed, we decided to return immediately,” said Raminder Singh, an Indian national.

A Hindu family from Ghotki in Pakistan’s Sindh province, now residing in New Delhi, was visiting Pakistan for the last two months to meet their relatives. However, they are now unsure about getting permission to return to India.

“There are five of us, including my young son and daughter, uncle and aunt. We all hold Pakistani passports and were granted No Obligation to Return to India (NORI) certificate by India. But uncertainty looms now, said a family member named Indira.

“Families with cross-border ties often bear the brunt of rising tensions between the two neighbours. With tensions between Pakistan and India once again on the rise, human connections across borders are becoming the first casualty,” said Asif Memood, a Lahore-based journalist.

“The closure of the Wagah-Attari border has left many families in limbo, uncertain when they will next reunite with their loved ones,” he added.

Continue Reading

International

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

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Trending