Gambhir leads Delhi to Vijay Hazare semifinals
Bengaluru, Oct 14: Captain Gautam Gambhir smashed 104 off 72 balls after left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya broke the backbone of Haryana batting to set-up a five-wicket win, sending Delhi into the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy here Sunday.
Batting first, Haryana were all out for 229 with Khejroliya collecting six wickets for 31 runs in 10 overs, his career-best performance in List A cricket. Navdeep Saini, with figures of three for 39, was a good foil for Khejroliya.
Birthday boy Gambhir then ensured his team cantered with a whirlwind knock comprising 16 fours. In the end, Delhi got home with 64 balls to spare and five wickets in hand. The other major contribution from the bat came from Dhruv Shorey (50 off 85).
Chasing 230, Umukt Chand (15) and Gambhir gave a good start, putting on 54 runs for first wicket before the former was caught by C N Saini off Arun Chaprana.
The skipper was at his furious best against Yuzuvendra Chahal, smashing him for three consecutive boundaries in the 16th over.
Gambhir and Shorey then put together a 118-run partnership as Delhi cruised towards the target.
After Gambhir was caught by Nitin Saini off Rahul Tewatia, Nitish Rana (37 off 28) nearly ferried the team to victory post, before getting out.
Earlier, Chaitnaya Bishnoi top-scored for Haryana with 85 off 117 balls with six boundaries and two sixes, while Pramod Chandila struck 59 off 88 balls with three boundaries and a six.
In the other quarterfinal, Mumbai sailed into the semifinals after comprehensively beating Bihar by nine wickets.
Bihar were skittled out for 69 runs in 28.2 overs with Mumbai riding high on the back of Tushar Deshpande's five-wicket haul.
He finished with figures of five for 23 in nine overs. Deshpande was ably supported by Shams Mulani who bagged three wickets after conceding 18 runs in 8.2 overs.
Opting to bat, Deshpande wreaked havoc by removing the top three batsmen - Vikram Ranjan, Vijay Bharati and Babul Kumar - leaving Bihar struggling at 29 for three.
No Bihar batsmen reached double figures, except M D Rahmatullah (18) and Babul Kumar (16).
Mumbai chased down a paltry 70-run target in 12.3 overs as openers Akhil Herwadkar (24) and star India player Rohit Sharma (33 not out) shared a 53-run stand.
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Cong seeks thorough probe into Goa nightclub fire; Rahul alleges criminal failure of governance
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Sunday demanded a comprehensive investigation and strict accountability for the tragic fire at a nightclub in Goa that killed 25 people, with Rahul Gandhi claiming it was a criminal failure of safety and governance.
The fire broke out at Birch by Romeo Lane, a popular nightclub at Arpora village in North Goa, early Sunday, killing at least 25 people, including four tourists and 14 staff members, and injuring six others.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed his deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the blaze.
“This avoidable tragic incident is an irreparable loss, and I pray for the speedy recovery of all those who have been injured.
ALSO READ: Cong seeks thorough probe into Goa nightclub fire; Rahul alleges criminal failure of governance
“Such tragedies call for a comprehensive investigation, strict accountability, and immediate steps to ensure that all fire safety norms are enforced, so that such devastating incidents are never repeated,” Kharge said in a post on X.
The veteran leader also appealed to all the Congress workers in the coastal region to extend every possible support and assistance to the affected families and stand with them in this hour of grief.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said he was deeply pained by the tragic fire in Arpora.
“My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured. This is not just an accident; it is a criminal failure of safety and governance. A thorough, transparent probe must fix accountability and ensure such preventable tragedies don't occur again,” Gandhi said in an X post.
Congress general secretary in charge of organisation, K C Venugopal, sought fixing of accountability for the tragic blaze so that such incidents are not repeated.
"The fire at a night club in Arpora, Goa, is shocking and I convey my heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims who lost their lives.
"This tragedy took place because of the negligence of the authorities in enforcing fire safety norms. We urge a thorough and impartial investigation to identify those responsible and to ensure accountability, so that such a tragedy is never repeated," he said in a post on X.
Deeply pained by the tragic fire in Arpora, Goa that claimed more than 20 lives. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 7, 2025
This is not just an accident, it is a criminal failure of safety and governance. A thorough,…
