Rohit Sharma thanks B'luru crowd for sticking around the rain-marred match, calls them “passionate”
Bengaluru: The rain-hampered opening Test match between India and New Zealand saw significant crowd attendance in Bengaluru, a testament to the enduring popularity of the traditional format despite the steep rise of shorter formats like T20.
While the opening day was completely washed out, it still saw a few hundred odd cricket enthusiasts present at the venue. The remaining four days drew remarkable occupancy at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. India’s captain Rohit Sharma praised the fans in Bengaluru for their genuine support and emphasised that their willingness to wait for the match to begin demonstrates the kind of passion they have for the sport. “Hats off to the crowd. Even though it was raining, I could see everyone sitting in the stands waiting for the game to start,” he said after the match.
Sharma expressed that they are an extremely passionate crowd as seen in Bengaluru over the years. He highlighted the crowd's passion, stating, “They love the game, they love the sport and their team.”
Despite the match not going in India’s favour, the skipper felt the crowd's continuous support. “I could still sense that the crowd wanted us to win the game and they were right behind us, which is what you expect in India,” he shared.
Sharma further emphasised the crucial role fans play, stating, “We respect them and we understand how much of a role they play in our success.”
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
