India beat Sri Lanka by 2 runs in first T20I
Mumbai, Jan 3: India prevailed over Sri Lanka by two runs in their first T20 International to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series here on Tuesday.
Sent in to bat, India scored 162 for five at the Wankhede Stadium, reaching the total after being in a spot of bother at one stage of their innings.
In reply, Sri Lanka were all out for 160 in 20 overs with debutant pacer Shivam Mavi (4/20) picking the first two wickets. Skipper Dasun Shanaka top-scored for the visitors with 45 off 27 balls
For India, opener Ishan Kishan made 37 off 29 balls while new T20 captain Hardik Pandya chipped in with 29 in 27 deliveries. Deepak Hooda then blasted 41 off 23 balls while Axar Patel smashed a 20-ball 31.
Brief scores:
India: 162/5 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 37, Deepak Hooda 41 not out, Axar Patel 31 not out)
Sri Lanka: 160 all out in 20 overs (Kusal Mendis 28, Dasun Shanaka 45; Shivam Mavi 4/22).
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First direct US-Venezuela commercial flight in 7 years to land in Caracas
Caracas (Venezuela) (AP): The first direct commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela is scheduled to land on Thursday in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, seven years after the US Department of Homeland Security ordered an indefinite suspension, citing security concerns.
The resumption of a commercial flight between the two countries comes in the wake of the US capture of Nicolás Maduro in a stunning nighttime raid on his residence in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, in early January.
It also comes a month after the US formally reopened its embassy in Caracas following the restoration of full diplomatic relations with the South American country.
Flight AA3599 operated by Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines, was scheduled to depart from Miami at 10:16 a.m. local time and arrive three hours later in the Venezuelan capital, returning to Florida later in the afternoon.
Earlier, the airline said a second daily flight between Miami and Caracas will start on May 21.
In late January, US President Donald Trump said he informed Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez that he would open up all commercial airspace over Venezuela, allowing Americans to visit.
“American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they'll be safe there,” Trump said at the time.
The flights mark the resumption of nonstop travel between the US and Venezuela for the first time since diplomatic ties were severed in 2019. For the past seven years, passengers have relied on international airlines and indirect routes through neighbouring Latin American countries.
In January, when the airline announced the resumption of flights it said it would give customers the opportunity to reunite with families and pursue new business opportunities.
American Airlines was the last US airline flying to Venezuela. It suspended flights in 2019 between Miami and Caracas, as well as flights to the oil hub city of Maracaibo. Delta and United Airlines pulled out in 2017 amid a political crisis that forced millions to flee the country.
