India lose third T20 International to England despite Suryakumar special
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Nottingham(PTI): Suryakumar Yadav gave a 360 degree masterclass enroute to a special hundred but England pulled off a consolatory 17-run win over India in the third T20 International here on Sunday.
Dawid Malan made a sublime 77 off 39 balls as England put India's second string attack to sword to finish with a mammoth 215 for seven.
Suryakumar (117 off 55 balls) kept India in the hunt with his classy effort but lacked support from other batters while chasing the huge target. India's innings ended at 198 for nine in 20 overs.
India sealed the three-match series 2-1, having won in Southampton and Birmingham. India were on the backfoot at the start of the run chase, struggling to 31 for three in five overs.
Openers Rohit Sharma (11) and Rishabh Pant (1) perished cheaply and it was another failure for Virat Kohli (11), who was caught at cover while trying to manufacture a third consecutive hit after collecting a four and a straight six off David Willey.
Suryakumar brought India back into the game with a 119-run stand with Shreyas Iyer (28 off 23) who was a spectator to his partner's brilliance for the major part of the partnership.
As he often does, Suryakumar toyed with the opposition bowlers and picked his shots all around the ground.
The highlights of his glorious innings was the two lofted square drives off pacers Richard Gleeson and Chrish Jordan that went all the way for six.
He became the fifth Indian to score a hundred in T20 Internationals by opening the face of the bat and guiding a low full toss off Willey between backward point and short third man.
His innings comprised 14 fours and half a dozen sixes.
Suryakumar single-handedly brought the equation down to gettable 66 off 30 balls before running out of partners at the other end.
Earlier, skipper Jos Buttler (18 off 9 balls) and Jason Roy (27 off 26) helped England reach 52 for 1 in six overs. Malan and Liam Livingstone (42 not out off 29) then shared an entertaining 84-run partnership to set the platform for a massive total.
Having already sealed the series, India rested their frontline bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah, in-form Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal, besides star all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
The Indian next gen were taken to the cleaners by a power-packed England batting lineup which had disappointed in the first two games. Ravi Bishnoi's effort of two for 30 in four overs was the only silver lining in an otherwise ordinary bowling performance.
Buttler punished the inexperienced Umran Malik during his brief stay, collecting two fours and a six off the Indian's opening over that yielded 17 runs.
Avesh Khan foxed Buttler with a slower ball that he played on to the stumps. After Roy was caught behind off Malik, Malan changed gears and played proper cricketing shots that he is known for.
He comfortably swept the spinners for maximums and was quick on the pull and cut against the pacers.
Out of the five sixes, Malan's slog sweep off Ravindra Jadeja over square leg and pick up shot over cow corner off a low full toss from Avesh stood out.
As he often does, Livingstone dealt in sixes as he hit four of them and alongside Harry Brook (19 off) and Chris Jordan (11 off 3) fired England past 200.
Livingstone got a life when he was dropped by Virat Kohli in the deep.
England amassed as many as 129 runs in the last 10 overs.
Malik leaked the most runs for India, ending with figures of one for 56 in four overs.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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