KL will open innings and I will bat in middle: Rohit Sharma
Adelaide (PTI): India skipper Rohit Sharma said he will bat "somewhere in the middle-order" in the day/night Test against Australia starting here on Friday, allowing K L Rahul to continue in the opening slot.
Rahul looked solid with scores of 26 and 77 as he and centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal combined for a 201-run opening stand during the second innings of the first Test in Perth, which India won by 295 runs.
"He (Rahul) will open the innings. I will play somewhere in the middle," Rohit told reporters on the eve of the second Test.
Rohit is returning to the side after a short paternity break for the birth of his son. The skipper said that continuity wouldbe beneficial for the team.
"We want result, we want success. Those two guys at the top they batted brilliantly in Perth. I was watching from home. Rahul was brilliant to watch. He deserves that place at this point in time."
"There is no need to change that now, may be things will be different in future. Personally not easy for me (to move down) but for the team it made a lot of sense," said Rohit adding that he will bat somewhere in the middle.
Rahul, who spoke to the media on Wednesday, had said that he would have been comfortable batting at any position as he has long overcome the "mental challenges" of being a floater in the line-up.
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Commercial LPG price hike 'direct blow' to common man: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the union government over the recent hike in commercial LPG cylinder prices, calling it a "direct blow" to the common man and warning that rising fuel and tax burdens were quietly fuelling inflation and hurting livelihoods.
In a post on social media platform X, the Chief Minister said the increase would severely impact tea shops, darshinis (Quick service restaurants), small hotels, bakeries and street vendors, who depend heavily on commercial LPG, and accused the Centre of pursuing selective economic logic while burdening citizens.
"The recent hike in commercial LPG cylinder prices by about Rs 111 is a direct blow to the common man. Tea shops, small hotels, bakeries and street vendors depend on commercial LPG. When its price rises, food becomes costlier, livelihoods suffer and inflation quietly enters every household," Siddaramaiah said.
Responding to the Union government's explanation that the LPG price rise was due to an increase in Saudi Contract Prices (CP), the Chief Minister questioned the inconsistency in fuel pricing.
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"The Union Government now argues that LPG prices have increased due to the rise in Saudi Contract Prices (CP). If that is the logic, an important question must be answered honestly by Narendra Modi on why have petrol and diesel prices not been reduced when global crude oil prices have been consistently falling?" he asked.
Siddaramaiah pointed out that while Saudi CP may fluctuate, global crude oil prices, the primary input for petrol and diesel, have softened. "Yet petrol and diesel prices remain unchanged, burdening citizens while generating record revenues. This selective application of 'international price logic' raises serious concerns," he said.
The CM also flagged what he described as fiscal injustice towards states, alleging that Karnataka contributes far more to the national exchequer than it receives in return.
"Karnataka contributes 4.5 to 5 lakh crore every year to the national exchequer, but receives barely Rs 60,000 crore in return, often delayed. This is not cooperative federalism, it is fiscal imbalance," he claimed.
He further criticised the Centre over rising railway fares, additional cesses and surcharges outside the GST framework, and what he termed as the shifting of welfare responsibilities to states.
Referring to the VB-G RAM G Act, Siddaramaiah said states were now being forced to bear nearly 40 per cent of the cost, increasing their financial burden.
"India cannot be built by squeezing its workers, taxing its poor, and weakening its States. Economic governance must be rooted in fairness, transparency and compassion, not selective justifications," he said, adding "a strong nation respects its people, empowers its States, and ensures growth is shared fairly."
