India consolidate second position in WTC standing with five-wicket win against England
Dubai, Feb 26: India consolidated their second spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) standing following their five-wicket win against Ben Stokes' England in the fourth Test at Ranchi on Monday.
The hosts, led by Rohit Sharma, took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-Test series.
India's point-percentage jumped from 59.52 to 64.58 following the hard-fought win and they further extended the gap with Australia (55%) and Bangladesh (50%), third third and fourth-placed teams, respectively.
England, on the other hand, are languishing at eighth with 19.44%, just a spot ahead of bottom-placed Sri Lanka, who are yet to open their account.
India have so far played eight Tests in the current WTC cycle, winning five, losing two and drawing one match.
England's 'Bazball' approach doesn't seem to have given them rich dividends with the visitors having won just three matches, while losing five and drawing one so far.
New Zealand are leading the standing with 75 percentage points and have played just four Test so far.
A total of 12 points are awarded for a win, six for a tie and four for a draw. Teams are ranked according to the percentage of points.
The top-two teams will progress to the final at Lord's in 2025.
India have reached the WTC final both the times since the format was launched. They lost to New Zealand in the inaugural championship final, while bowing to Australia in the second edition.
India have a great chance to further cement their second position if they win the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala, beginning from March 7.
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Karnataka BJP MLA caught taking Rs 5 lakh bribe remanded to judicial custody
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP MLA Dr Chandru Lamani, caught allegedly accepting a Rs 5 lakh bribe from a contractor, has been remanded to judicial custody until March 3.
The Shirahatti MLA, a doctor, was brought from Gadag to Bengaluru on Saturday night and produced before a Special Court for Public Representatives, sources said.
The court remanded him to custody until March 3.
The MLA was caught in a Lokayukta trap following a complaint by Vijay Pujar, a Class-1 contractor from Chinchali in Gadag district.
Lokayukta officials said the alleged bribe was linked to Minor Irrigation Department works, including the construction of retaining walls along a road. The accused had demanded Rs 11 lakh from the complainant to execute the project, and Rs 5 lakh was accepted during the trap.
Along with Lamani, his personal assistants, Manjunath Valmiki and Guru Naik, were also arrested in connection with the case.
