Rahul, Pujara fail as India totter at 88 for 4 at lunch
New Delhi (PTI): KL Rahul's bad patch continued while Cheteshwar Pujara had a forgettable first innings outing in his 100th Test as premier Australian spinner Nathan Lyon reduced India to 88 for four at lunch on day two of the second Test here on Saturday.
Only skipper Rohit Sharma (32) looked in good touch as a vintage Lyon (11-1-25-4) was in his element, troubling the top-order repeatedly.
The Kotla track had a bit more pace off the track compared to Jamtha and hence Lyon's deliveries at times hurried the batters. Also giving a bit more air created doubts in the minds of the batters.
Rahul (17), who survived two DRS appeals by Australia, was trapped leg-before as Lyon tossed one from round the wicket and got it to deviate enough and find his pads.
Rahul's saga of failures continued and now a question would be asked whether the Indian team management is being unfair by forcing Shubman Gill to cool his heels in the dugout.
Rohit seemed to carry from where he had left in the first Test and was also playing the sweep shot to good effect. However he played across the line to a straighter one from Lyon and was castled in the process.
Rarely has Pujara walked into bat amid such fanfare and 20,000 plus Kotla crowd chanting his name but his milestone match turned out to be some sort of an anti-climax as he failed to bother the scorers.
In case of Pujara, it was another flighted one and it turned back enough with the orthodox Rajkot man trying to play a half forward defensive stroke. The turn was enough for the umpire to raise his dreaded finger.
Coming back from injury, Shreyas Iyer (4) looked confident in his brief stay at the crease but a stroke of bad luck brought about his downfall.
He played one of his legs towards the leg-side and Peter Handscomb latched on to a reflex catch which wouldn't get stuck nine out of 10 times. Handscomb actually fumbled but the ball simply stuck between his legs to see Iyer's back.
At the break, Ravindra Jadeja (14 batting), one of India's best Test batters in recent years, was at the crease along with Virat Kohli (15 batting).
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Minister Patil chairs industry meetings to chart growth for key sectors in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Tuesday chaired meetings with industry representatives from the aerospace and defence, machine tools, auto/EV, and green energy sectors to discuss sector growth and government support measures.
The meetings were attended by leading industrialists and their representatives, with some participating virtually.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister for Large and Medium Industries said Karnataka is at the forefront of the country’s aerospace and defence sectors.
He noted that Suzuki and Toyota plan to launch aerial taxi services in Japan by 2028, with Bengaluru-based Sasmos supplying electrical equipment for the project.
Industrialists suggested introducing similar “fly-taxi” services in Karnataka through an appropriate policy, which Patil said would be examined seriously.
The minister highlighted the need to establish testing centres and Common Facility Centres for the aerospace and defence industries and assured that these facilities would be provided.
Suggestions were also made to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for sector growth.
Karnataka has urged the Central Government to approve Defence Corridor projects in the Bengaluru North–Kolar–Chikkaballapur and Dharawada–Vijayapura–Belagavi regions.
Industrialists also suggested a corridor between Bengaluru and Mysuru, Patil said.
He said Karnataka aims to become a hub for defence electronics manufacturing, with plans to establish a 200-acre Defence Electronics Park and a 100-acre Avionics and Sensor Park.
These projects will be implemented once the Special Investment Region is operational, and land availability will not be an issue.
On the machine tools sector, Patil said the industry has recorded an annual turnover of Rs 36,500 crore and is witnessing steady growth.
Large-scale exhibitions have increased demand, and the state must strengthen its capabilities to develop control systems for heavy machinery. One testing unit is already operational in Bengaluru, with another planned for Tumakuru. Expansion of vocational training institutes in industrial areas is also underway.
In the Auto and EV sector, Vision Group members highlighted the need for a network of dry ports and more EV charging stations across the state.
Patil noted that the Tata Group is manufacturing EV buses in Dharawada for nationwide supply. Plans for mini excavator production and export facilitation were also discussed, along with the establishment of a testing facility for two-wheeler EVs.
For the Green Energy sector, the group emphasised the need for a suitable policy on battery-based energy storage and the establishment of data centres.
Patil assured that the government will seriously consider all suggestions and respond positively.
_vb_21.jpeg)