India beat Australia by 6 wickets in 2nd T20I
Nagpur, Sep 23: Rohit Sharma displayed his six-hitting prowess with an unbeaten 46 after Axar Patel snapped two wickets in a fiery spell as India notched up a series-levelling six-wicket win over Australia in a rain hit second T20I here on Friday.
The India skipper smashed four sixes and as many fours as he single-handedly helped India chase down a target of 91 with four balls to spare in a match which was reduced to eight overs a side due to a wetfield.
Earlier, Matthew Wade smacked an unbeaten 20-ball 43 to fire Australia to a 90 for five.
Wade hit four boundaries and three towering sixes -- all in the final over off Harshal Patel (0/32) -- while skipper Aaron Finch hit 31 off 15 after Rohit invited Australia to bat in a match that was delayed by two-and-half hours.
Chasing the target, Rohit made his intention clear as he went on a six-hitting spree, unleashing three monstrous hits off Josh Hazlewood in the opening over to give a India's chase a flying start.
The India opener then deposited Pat Cummins' (1/23 in 2 overs) slower delivery into the stands before lifting Adam Zampa (3/16 in 2 overs) over long-off for another maximum.
But the spinner came back to disturb the stumps of KL Rahul (10), who looked to go for a slog-sweep.
Virat Kohli (11) then picked up a boundary off Daniel Sams, before smacking one over Zampa's head for another four.
However, the spinner won the battle of wits as his quicker delivery beat the Indian and disloged the stumps.
Zampa dealt a double blow as he trapped Suryakumar Yadav (0) in the very next ball as India slipped to 55 for 3 in 4.3 overs.
Unfazed by the fall of wickets, Rohit continued to go strong as he chipped one over cover and then pulled one wide of short fine as Sean Abbott conceded 11 runs.
Hardik Pandya scored a four off Cummins but he couldn't stay long as he holed out to Finch in the seventh over.
Designated finisher Dinesh Karthik then played his part to perfection, knocking off the remaining runs with a six and a four off Sams.
Earlier, Australia looked to put up a show for the capacity crowd at the VCA stadium but Axar Patel (2/13 in 2 overs) snapped two wickets in an impressive spell to leave them at 31 for 3.
Jasprit Bumrah (1/23 in 2 overs), who has been out of action since the end of England tour due to back injury, produced a sensational yorker to get rid of the dangerous Finch during his spell.
However, Wade ensured the visitors ended things in a flourish as he along with Steve Smith (8) added 44 runs in the final 18 balls.
Harshal had another forgettable evening as he conceded 32 without a wicket in his two overs.
The two teams will now move to Hyderabad for the series-deciding third T20I on Sunday.
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Class 10 admit cards accompanied by pass certificates can be used as ID: SC in West Bengal SIR
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday clarified that Class 10 admit card accompanied by pass certificate can be produced as supplementary documentation for identity verification in the ongoing SIR exercise in West Bengal.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi passed the order after senior advocate DS Naidu mentioned the matter.
The lawyer expressed concerns about whether such admit cards can be permitted to be a standalone identity document.
The top court said it has already directed that the admit card will only be a supplementary document.
"All documents mentioned in para 3(iii) of order dated February 24, 2026 which are not uploaded so far and received before February 15, shall be submitted by the Electoral Registration Officers, Assistant Electoral Registration Officers to the presiding judicial officers by tomorrow 5 PM.
"Similarly, para 3(iii)(c) is clarified to the effect that Madhyamik (Class 10) admit cards may be submitted along with pass certificate for the purpose of birth certificate and purposes of parentage," the bench said.
The apex court on Tuesday allowed the deployment of West Bengal civil judges, in addition to 250 district judges, and the requisitioning of judicial officers from Jharkhand and Odisha to handle 80 lakh claims and objections of those facing deletion from the electoral roll in the ongoing SIR exercise in the state.
It took note of a February 22 letter of Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Sujoy Paul that even if 250 district judges deployed in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise will take around 80 days to deal with the claims and objections of those put under logical discrepancy and unmapped categories.
The logical discrepancies in progeny linking with the 2002 voter list include instances of a mismatch in the parent's name and the age difference between a voter and his/her parent being less than 15 years or more than 50 years.
While issuing a slew of fresh directions, CJI Kant took note of the fact that even if each judicial officer deals with 250 claims and objections per day, the exercise will take around 80 days to conclude. The deadline for West Bengal SIR is February 28.
The bench permitted Chief Justice Paul to deploy civil judges from the senior and junior divisions with a minimum three-year experience to verify the claims and objections filed by the voters.
It asked the Calcutta High Court chief justice to request his Jharkhand and Odisha counterparts for requisition of judicial officers of similar ranks to deal with the situation.
