Australia beat India by 5 runs to enter WT20 World Cup final
Cape Town, Feb 23: Defending champions Australia held their nerves as they beat India by five runs in a thrilling Women's T20 World Cup semi-final, here on Thursday.
Chasing a target of 173, India women needed just 31 off the last three overs but only managed 167/8 in the end as spinner Ashleigh Gardner bowled a fantastic final over, giving away just 10 runs.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (52 off 34 balls) and Jemimah Rodrigues (43 off 24 balls) added 69 runs in just 6.4 overs to set the platform but while Jemimah was out trying to play a ramp shot, Harmanpreet couldn't slide her bat in while going for second run.
Richa Ghosh was also out going for a big hit while Deepti Sharma (20 not out off 17 balls) as usual couldn't produce big hits in the end.
Earlier, opener Beth Mooney played a stellar role with a half century, while skipper Meg Lanning hit a 34-ball 49 as Australia scored a challenging 172 for 4 after opting to bat first.
Mooney scored 54 of 37 balls with seven fours and a six while Lanning gave the innings late impetus with four fours and two sixes.
Gardner, WPL's highest paid overseas recruit, smashed 31 off 18 balls with five boundaries while Shikha Pandey took two wickets for India.
Brief Scores:
Australia 172/4 (Beth Mooney 54, Meg Lanning 49, Ashleigh Gardner 31; Shikha Pandey 2/32).
India 167/8 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 52, Jemimah Rodrigues 43, Darcie Brown 2/18, Ashleigh Gardner 2/37).
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Bhojshala complex registered as 'mosque' in old revenue records: Muslim side to MP HC
Indore (PTI): The disputed Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex has historically been registered as a 'mosque' in revenue records and available sources don't clearly mention any Saraswati temple established by then-king Raja Bhoj, the Muslim side has told the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while the Muslim side calls the 11th-century monument Kamal Maula Mosque. The disputed complex located in Dhar district is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
During the hearing before the HC's Indore bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi on Wednesday, Qazi Moinuddin questioned two PILs filed as intervenors in the Bhojshala case by an organisation named Hindu Front for Justice, one Kuldeep Tiwari and another individual.
Moinuddin claims to be a descendant of Sufi saint Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti and the 'Sajjadanashin' (spiritual head, guru, or successor of a Sufi shrine, khanqah, or religious site).
The PILs state that Bhojshala is actually a Saraswati temple and only Hindus should be granted the right to worship at the disputed complex.
Moinuddin's lawyer, Noor Ahmed Sheikh, claimed in the court that his client's ancestors, who are descendants of Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti, have historically held titles to the complex, and the site was also recorded as a "mosque" in government revenue records.
He contended that those associated with the management of the Kamal Maula Mosque, located within the complex, have been in "continuous and peaceful occupation" of the site for a long time.
Citing Muslim law, Sheikh argued that in the case of religious property, particularly a mosque or its related properties, officials such as the Sajjadanashin and Mutawalli (person entrusted with management, maintenance, and administration of a Waqf), and their descendants, not only have the right to intervene, but also have the right to manage and use such a structure.
Citing provisions of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904, the Muslim side's lawyer said the term "in-charge of the property" is used in this law, which makes it clear that the person or party who has been in charge of a property for a long time has rights over it.
During the hearing, Touseef Warsi, the lawyer representing the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society of Dhar, claimed that Hindu parties in both PILs had made "misleading representations" regarding historical facts before the high court.
He further claimed that available historical sources do not clearly mention the existence of a Saraswati temple established by Raja Bhoj, the legendary king of the Parmar dynasty who ruled Dhar from 1010 to 1055.
The ASI, a central government agency, has adopted three different positions in the lawsuits filed regarding the Bhojshala dispute, changing its answers from time to time, and this situation raises serious questions about judicial scrutiny of the complex, Warsi submitted.
He raised objections regarding the ASI's process of scientific survey of the Bhojshala complex, carried out on the HC order in 2024, and the method of videography and requested the court to examine these objections.
The hearing in the Bhojshala case will continue on Thursday.
The HC has been regularly hearing four petitions and one writ appeal since April 6, contesting the religious nature of the monument.
