Asian Games: India win gold in men's cricket due to higher ranking as final gets washed out
Hangzhou (PTI): The Indian men's cricket team clinched the gold medal on its Asian Games debut after their final against Afghanistan was called off due to rain, and the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side was adjudged winners by virtue of being seeded higher in the continental showpiece on Saturday.
Put in to bat, Afghanistan were 112 for 5 in 18.2 overs when persistent rain halted the proceedings at the Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field, and the match never restarted from that point.
The Afghans had a jittery start and were reduced to 12/3 inside four overs after their top-three -- Zubaid Akbari (5), Mohammad Shahzad (4) and Noor Ali Zadran (1) -- fell cheaply.
Shivam Dube (1-0-4-1) got the first breakthrough when he had Akbari in his first over. Akbari perished going for a hook shot to a rising delivery by the Indian pacer.
In the next over, wicketkeeper-batter Shahzad was caught behind off a delivery from left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh (3-0-17-1).
The Afghans committed a harakiri when Zadran was run out after a Ravi Bishnoi throw from deep square-leg helped Jitesh Sharma uproot the stumps.
Shahidullah then revived their innings scoring an unbeaten 43-ball 49 (3x4, 2x6) in a partnership with Afsar Zazai (15).
But India struck back when leg-spinner Bishnoi (4-0-12-1) broke the 37-run partnership, cleaning up Zazai with a wrong one.
From the other end, left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed castled Karim Janat for 1.
That brought skipper Gulbadin Naib to the crease and he shared a 60-run partnership with Shahidullah to give some respectability to the Afghanistan total before their progress was hindered.
The match could not resume and the match referee from Sri Lanka Graeme Labrooy abandoned the match as India sealed their maiden gold in cricket at the Asian Games.
Brief scores: Afghanistan 112/5 in 18.2 overs (Shahidullah 49 not out) vs India. (Match abandoned)
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BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
