Kohli's 52nd ODI hundred leads India to 349/8 against SA in 1st ODI
Ranchi (PTI): Senior batter Virat Kohli's awesome genius in 50-over format was on full view during his 52nd hundred that guided India to a strong 349 for eight against South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series here on Sunday.
Kohli's 120 (135 balls, 11b, 7x6) and his 136-run stand with long-time associate Rohit Sharma (57, 51b) was the engine room of India's charge to a 300-plus total.
Kohli went past the three-figure mark with a boundary of SA left-arm pacer Marco Jansen, raising bedlam in the stadium, even forcing a spectator to invade the ground to touch the master's feat.
Kohli also went past the legendary Sachin Tendulkar as the batter with most hundreds in one format of the game. Tendulkar has 51 Test hundreds, and Kohli now has 52 ODI tons.
Rohit too had his own moment when he smashed a world record 352nd six in ODI cricket to go past former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi's mark of 351.
KL Rahul gave a late thrust to the innings with a 56-ball 60.
Brief scores: India: 349/8 in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 120, Rohit Sharma 57, KL Rahul 60; Ottneil Baartman 2/60, Nandre Burger 2/65).
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
