Gill-Pant duo set to take charge of Indian Test team, BCCI silent on Kohli
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI): Flamboyant keeper-batter Rishabh Pant, in all likelihood, will be India's new vice-captain in Tests with talented batter Shubman Gill set to take charge of the national team in the traditional format.
The choice of vice-captain seems to be a straight forward one as Pant is one of India' finest Test batters in overseas conditions and Jasprit Bumrah can't be considered for the role of deputy due to his stature and also when his own fitness is iffy, making him uncertain for full series.
An average of 42 plus with hundreds in Australia, England and South Africa along with seven scores between 90 and 99 makes Pant of the best batters in the format.
"If Bumrah isn't the captain, then there is no point offering him vice-captaincy," a BCCI source told PTI.
While the cricket fraternity is taken aback by talismanic Virat Kohli's wish to retire from Test cricket, it has been learnt that selection committee did ponder over the idea of handing over leadership to him in England to allow Gill some more time to groom.
As of now, Kohli has not made any official announcement and it is believed that he will be requested to compete in the upcoming five Test series in England as his experience will be required in challenging conditions, especially when Rohit Sharma has also announced his Test retirement.
The BCCI however is tight-lipped on its conversation with Kohli with regards to his Test career. PTI reached out to chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia but they are yet to respond to the query.
"It is true that selectors did think about having Kohli as India skipper for the England series. This would have given Gill some time to grow into leadership role but at 25-and-a-half years of age, he is yet to hit his peak. Due to Bumrah's fitness issues, Gill looks like the obvious choice for Ajit Agarkar's committee," a BCCI source privy to development said.
It is understood that KL Rahul isn't being considered as an option as he is already 33 plus and consistency has been an issue with the Bengaluru player even though he was one of the better performers in Australia.
After 11 years of Test cricket an average of less than 35 in 50 games isn't impressive.
The Indian team for the tour of England will be announced during the end of third week of May while India A team will be announced early next week.
If there is one certainty among the rookies for the Test tour, it has to be Tamil Nadu southpaw Sai Sudharsan, who has made an impression. If all goes well, he will either open or come to bat at No.3.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
