'King and The Prince': Tons by young Jaiswal, veteran Kohli put India in winning position
Perth (PTI): Virat Kohli brought all his technical expertise into play while dealing with vagaries of variable bounce during his 30th hundred after heir apparent Yashasvi Jaiswal's classy 161 put India in sight of a remarkable Test victory against a nervous and fumbling Australia here on Sunday.
The Indians dominated the third day to first set an improbable 534-run target for the hosts before reducing them to 12/3 at close of play.
Once Kohli reached an unprecedented seventh Test century Down Under, Indian skipper Jasprit Bumrah declared at 487 for 6 with five overs to go flat out.
The skipper then immediately disposed off debutant Nathan McSweeney (0) and Marnus Labuschagne (3), both of whom got balls that kept perilously low.
The nervousness was palpable when rival captain Pat Cummins walked in as the night-watchman and the decision proved to be a not so wise one.
The match would be memorable for many reasons and one of them would be the exhibition of top quality batsmanship by the 'King' and 'Prince' of current India batting but in contrasting conditions and different match situations.
Jaiswal built a fascinating structure with care and Kohli (100 not out, 143 balls) polished it and put a beautiful coat of paint while throwing caution to the wind while reaching the landmark.
The 22-year-old Jaiswal, on Sunday, emerged as the unofficial flag-bearer of Indian batting for the next decade and a half during his 297-ball stay at the wicket, giving a glimpse of his ever-improving technique and composed temperament.
But it was veteran Kohli, who showed how to play on a wicket that consistently misbehaved during his second hundred at the Perth Stadium and 30th overall, which incidentally took him past Sir Don Bradman's 29 Test tons.
There were deliveries that simply didn't bounce. One from Mitchell Starc was upper cut for six over backward point while the shot of the day was an on drive off Cummins.
When Nathan Lyon started turning the ball square, he either got a big stride forward or brought the sweep shot, which he doesn't play often, out of his closet. His hundred, in fact, came off a sweep.
The straight six off Lyon with the turn was exhilarating as young Nitish Reddy (38 not out off 27 balls) only enhanced his reputation with some muscular IPL-like strokes that took India past the 500-run mark.
Before 'King Kohli' took charge, the new 'Prince' Jaiswal, just a month short of his 23rd birthday, notched up a classic fourth century in Tests. The knock has provided his skipper Bumrah with enough ammunition to exploit the treacherous bounce that is starting to trouble batters.
The post-lunch session turned out to be the most productive one for Australia since the opening day as India, starting the session at 275 for 1, slumped to 321 for 5 but by then, the lead was well past the 360-run mark and it didn't hurt the team much.
With no seam movement, Kohli was able to control the other factor -- variable bounce -- and his front-foot stride was way more assured than the first essay.
While he was completely side-on in his stance while facing the pacers, against Lyon, he turned it into a open-chested one. There was a minor back-foot trigger before he would stride on the front-foot for either drive or defence.
However, if India go on to win the Test match, Jaiswal and KL Rahul (77)'s 201-run opening stand would be as important as Bumrah's first innings five-for.
Jaiswal 'Arrives' in Australia
Exactly 32 years ago, 17-year-old Sachin Tendulkar became a global phenomenon with a hundred for the ages at the old WACA ground on a track that had those snake-like cracks and in the last two days, Jaiswal has shown the entire world that he is here to be the torch-bearer of Indian batting for the next decade and a half.
He became the second youngest Indian batter after Sachin Tendulkar to score a hundred at Perth.
Jaiswal completed his fourth Test hundred and first in a SENA country with a beautifully executed ramp shot off a bouncer bowled by Josh Hazlewood.
The celebration was one for the keeps with hands in the air and gratitude towards the almighty before showing his lean but muscular biceps. All his four Test hundreds are now scores of 150 plus.
The six also ensured that Jaiswal and KL Rahul's opening pair surpassed the previous record stand of 191 set by Sunil Gavaskar and Krishnamachari Srikkanth way back in Sydney in 1986.
When Jaiswal was finally out trying to cut a long hop from Mitchell Marsh, the 'Prince' looked distraught even as the entire stadium gave him a standing ovation while the 'King' clapped with his bat at the other end as one witnessed a silent passing of the baton.
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SIT suspects more gold lost from Sabarimala than recovered so far
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold loss case suspects that more gold was lost from the temple than what has been recovered so far from the prime accused.
The suspicion was stated in an application filed by the SIT before the Kollam Vigilance Court seeking custody of three accused — sponsor Unnikrishnan Potty, Smart Creations CEO Pankaj Bhandari and jeweller Govardhan Roddam.
In the petition, the SIT said copper plates clad with gold, with a total weight of 42.100 kg, were handed over to prime accused Potty for electroplating at Smart Creations in 2019.
After the plating process, the remaining gold was allegedly siphoned off by the accused.
According to the SIT, gold-clad copper plates, including those from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols, plates from two nearby pillars and seven plates from the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum), were removed and taken for replating.
The seven plates from the Sreekovil doorframes included two plates depicting the Dasavatar, two bearing rashi symbols, two plates on the upper portion of the doorframes, and one plate on the Prabha Mandalam above the doorframe, which had idols of Siva and Vyali sculpted on it, the application said.
In the custody application, the SIT said Bhandari confessed that around 109.243 grams of gold was taken by him as fees for replating.
On October 25, 2025, Bhandari produced 109.243 grams of gold before the SIT, claiming it was equivalent to what he had taken as fees in 2019.
The gold recovered during the plating process was handed over to Govardhan, the SIT said.
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On October 24, 2025, Govardhan produced 474.960 grams of gold before the SIT, claiming it was equivalent to the quantity he received from Potty after electroplating.
However, the SIT said further investigation revealed that there was more gold in the gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka idols, pillars and Sreekovil doorframes than the quantity produced by Bhandari and Govardhan.
The SIT said the report of scientific analysis of samples of plated gold on copper plates sent to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, is awaited.
So far, the SIT has arrested 10 people, including two former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) who were associated with the CPI(M). The SIT, appointed by the Kerala High Court, has been given a deadline to complete the investigation by this month.
Meanwhile, a political row erupted after reports emerged about the SIT’s reported move to interrogate UDF convenor Adoor Prakash.
The reports claimed that Prakash would be questioned following the emergence of a recent photograph of Potty standing with Sonia Gandhi.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan on Thursday said the High Court should re-examine the decision to appoint two new officers to the SIT, alleging that the appointments were made with the knowledge of two senior IPS officers and a senior Crime Branch official who is a staunch CPI(M) supporter.
“These officers were appointed to leak information from the SIT. Hardcore CPI(M)-leaning officials are acting under pressure from the Chief Minister’s Office,” he alleged, adding that the court-appointed SIT was not being allowed to function independently.
Satheesan said information about Prakash being interrogated was leaked, while the questioning of CPI(M) leader Kadakampally Surendran last week was kept secret.
He said Prakash would cooperate if the police called him for evidence or statements, but alleged that attempts were being made to "balance" the case, as CPI(M) leaders were responsible for the "gold theft."
Similarly, Prakash said he came to know about the SIT’s plan to interrogate him through media reports.
He alleged that the Chief Minister’s political secretary P Sasi was behind the recent developments involving him.
“I am ready to appear before the SIT whenever required. I will request the presence of the media if they call me for interrogation. Otherwise, I will reveal all the details that I convey to the SIT,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s Office issued a statement refuting Prakash’s claims.
It said the SIT was constituted by the Kerala High Court and the probe is being conducted under the supervision of a Division Bench of the court, with a strict directive that investigation details should not be disclosed outside.
Neither the Chief Minister’s Office nor the political secretary has any role or involvement in the matter, the statement said, adding that the allegation made by the MP was completely baseless and false.
On the other hand, CPI(M) leaders alleged that Satheesan questioned the credibility of the SIT after learning that Prakash would be interrogated.
“It is unfortunate that Satheesan has changed his version and is now blaming the SIT when it is going to interrogate Prakash. They see that the Sabarimala gold issue is now coming towards them and are taking measures to prevent it,” CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said.
He said the people of Kerala know the truth and the LDF government has not protected any accused in the case.
“We continue to maintain that no one will be protected and those behind the loss of gold from Sabarimala will be punished. It is the UDF that is changing its stance,” he said.
