India-Australia series opener called off due to rain
Canberra(PTI): India skipper Suryakumar Yadav was back in his element with some spectacular hits but inclement weather proved to be a complete dampener as the first T20 International against Australia was called off after a steady spell of shower here on Wednesday.
With his deputy Shubman Gill (37 not out off 20 balls) also in good nick, Suryakumar showed controlled aggression before unleashing a flurry of attractive strokes en route his unbeaten 39 off 24 balls. The duo added 62 runs off 35 balls for the second wicket and both looked good for big scores which was not to be in the end.
Suryakumar, who has had a strike-rate of less than 110 and managed only 100 runs in 2025, showed why he was once world's No. 1 ranked T20 batter as he picked up a Josh Hazlewood delivery and deposited it over square leg fence.
That was the shot of confidence that Suryakumar needed in his armoury. It only helped that Manuka Oval strip had good bounce and carry, two essential co-factors in the Indian skipper's game.
He farmed the strike for some time till he reached 20 before breaking the shackles off Nathan Ellis' over, the 10th of the innings, as he uppishly square-cut, followed by an off-drive and then a huge pull over mid-wicket for a six before the heavens opened up.
At the other end, Gill blended caution and aggression with some lusty blows, including a slog-swept six over cow corner off left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann which effectively opened the floodgates.
There were two breaks across the 9.4 overs that India had to endure and after the first break, next 4.4 overs turned out to be very productive for the visitors with 54 runs coming during that phase. The rain also meant that the ball was getting wet and Australian bowlers found it difficult to grip.
Earlier, Abhishek Sharma (19 off 14 balls), who started the onslaught with three fours off Xavier Bartlett, couldn't gauge Ellis' back-of-the-hand slower delivery which was pouched by the mid-off fielder after the southpaw failed to get the required elevation.
This was after Gill had smashed Ellis for a couple of boundaries to get going.
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Congress cites Maniben Patel's diary entries, asks Rajnath to apologise for Babri claim
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Saturday shared diary entries of Vallabhbhai Patel's daughter from a book to rebut Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's claim that India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, wanted to build the Babri masjid using public funds, and demanded that Singh apologise for spreading "falsehoods".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, claimed the defence minister was spreading falsehoods to “improve his relationship” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Here is Maniben's original diary entry in Gujarati on pages 212-213 in the book ‘Samarpit Padchhayo Sardarno’ by CA R S Patel 'Aaresh', published by Sardar Patel Vallabhbhai Patel Memorial Society, 2025,” Ramesh said on X, sharing screenshots of the relevant pages from the book.
“There is a huge difference between what is contained in the original diary entry and what Rajnath Singh ji and his fellow ‘distorians’ are propagating,” Ramesh said.
“The Defence Minister must apologise for the falsehoods he is spreading, simply to improve his relationship with the PM,” he claimed.
The Congress had earlier termed Singh's claim that Nehru wanted to build the Babri masjid using public funds a “lie” and “WhatsApp university story”, and said the defence minister should not walk in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's path.
Addressing a gathering at Sadhli village in Gujarat's Vadodara district last Tuesday, Singh said Nehru wanted to build the Babri masjid using public funds, but Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel didn't allow his plans to succeed.
The BJP had cited a book by Vallabhbhai Patel's daughter to double down on Singh's claims, and said the first prime minister also said he felt "repelled" by some of the temples in south India despite their beauty.
“The source of what Rajnath Singh said is the 'Inside Story of Sardar Patel, Diary of Maniben Patel'," BJP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi had said at a press conference at the party headquarters while responding to media queries on the issue.
Trivedi claimed that on Page 24 of the book, it is written that Nehru also raised the question of the Babri mosque, but Sardar Patel made it clear that the government could not spend any money on building a mosque.
