Karnataka speedster Prasidh Krishna added to Indian squad for fourth Test against England
London, Sep 1: Karnataka speedster Prasidh Krishna, who has been a standby player with the Indian team for the past three months, was on Wednesday added to the main squad ahead of the fourth Test against England here.
The decision is an indication that Prasidh could be in line for a first XI call-up either at the Oval or in Manchester with the team management keen to monitor the workload of frontline pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami.
"The All-India Senior Selection Committee - based on the request of the team management - has added fast bowler Prasidh Krishna to India's squad for the fourth Test," BCCI secretary Jay Shah stated in a release.
However, bowling coach Bharat Arun maintained that Krishna's inclusion was a "precautionary" measure.
"He (Prasidh) has been included in the team, mainly because, considering all the workload management issues an...there is nothing more to it than that," Arun said at the virtual press conference before the fourth Test starting here on Thursday.
"So Ishant's (Sharma) form was a bit of concern, I think, but we have things sorted out. But Prasidh Krishna is just you know, a precautionary inclusion," added Arun.
The 25-year-old has played only nine first-class games with 34 wickets in his kitty. Earlier this year, he played three ODI matches at home against the same opposition, taking six wickets.
The five-match India-England series is currently locked 1-1.
India's squad for the fourth Test: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.
Standby player: Arzan Nagwaswalla.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
