Australia, South Africa will be India's main hurdles: Ganguly
Kolkata (PTI): Australia and South Africa will remain biggest threats for India in their bid to regain the ODI World Cup, feels former skipper Sourav Ganguly.
Having endured back-to-back defeats against India and South Africa, five-time champions Australia have got their mojo back with four wins on the trot to climb to top-four.
"Australia and South Africa will be the two biggest challengers for India," Ganguly said at Eden Gardens that hosted its first World Cup match on Saturday with Bangladesh taking on the Netherlands.
"They have bounced back really well and are playing really good cricket. Today's win (against New Zealand) was really thrilling," the former BCCI president said.
In an earlier match in Dharamsala on Saturday, Australia rode on Travis Head's brutal 67-ball 109 and David Warner's 65-ball 81 to post a mammoth 388 in 49.2.
Later, Australia overcame a spirited New Zealand challenge to win by five runs in a thrilling last-ball finish.
The record five-time champions are in top-four and are well on course for a semifinal berth.
Often labelled as 'chokers', South Africa have taken the tournament by storm with power-packed batting performances as Ganguly have included the Proteas at the expense of defending champions England.
"Never thought England would play like that but that's what sports is all about," Ganguly said.
South Africa now occupy the top spot in the 10-team standings with five wins from six matches, going past India.
Second placed India will take on England in their sixth round clash in Lucknow on Sunday.
"India is a strong side and is doing well. But championship is too far, first they have to get past the knockout stage."
India also have an injury concern in their premier allrounder Hardik Pandya who is nursing a ligament tear and is likely to miss more matches.
"He is an important player but India are still a very strong side," he said.
India will play South Africa in an eighth round clash here on November 5 and the demand for tickets for the match have gone skyhigh.
"It's India match obviously there will be craze. Thankfully I'm not (BCCI) president anymore. I don't have any tickets with me."
Ganguly was also excited to see so many Bangladeshi supporters in the Saturday's match.
Bangladesh found themselves "at home" as about 70 per cent of the 15,202 attendance in the game against the Dutch were from the neighbouring country.
"Bangladesh is close, so it's obvious so many people have come. It's good to see so many Bangladeshi fans here. They have played well too."
"I hope the crowd attendance will be more for the Pakistan-Bangladesh game on Tuesday," Ganguly signed off.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
