Pant, Gill smash centuries, India set Bangladesh mammoth 515-run target
Chennai (PTI): India declared their second innings at 287 for four, setting Bangladesh a daunting 515-run target to win the opening Test, here Saturday.
Resuming at 81/3, India continued their domination on day three with comeback-man Rishabh Pant (109) and Shubman Gill (119 not out) completing their centuries with dominant batting.
Making a splendid return to Test cricket after 634 days following his horrific car crash in December 2022, Pant showcased his trademark strokeplay, bringing up his sixth Test century off just 124 balls.
With this he also equalled the talismanic former captain MS Dhoni for most centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper.
Following Pant's dismissal for a well-made 109 (128b; 13x4, 4x6), Gill reached his fifth Test century, taking 161 balls to get there. Gill faced 176 balls in his innings, hitting 10 shots to the fence and four over it.
Bangladesh were bundled out for a meager 149 on day two in response to India's 376, as a record 17 wickets fell in a dramatic day’s play at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Brief Scores:
India 376 and 287/4 in 64 overs (Shubman Gill 119 not out, Rishabh Pant 109)
Bangladesh 1st innings: 149 all out.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
