Ravindra shines as opener, Williamson all class on comeback as NZ outbat Pakistan in WC warm-up
Hyderabad (PTI): Kane Williamson showed his class in his first competitive outing in six months while Rachin Ravindra sizzled at the top of the order as New Zealand gunned down a 346-run target in their opening World Cup warm-up game against Pakistan here on Friday.
Barring the openers, Pakistan batters including Mohammad Rizwan (103 retired hurt off 91), Babar Azam (80 off 84) and Saud Shaukeel (75 off 53) had a good hit in the middle, helping their team post a daunting 345 for five in 50 overs.
New Zealand cruised to the target in 43.4 overs with contributions from Ravindra (97 off 72), Williamson (54 off 50), Daryl Mitchell (59 retired hurt off 57) and Mark Chapman (65 not out off 41)
While Pakistan had all 15 squad members to choose from in the first of their two practice games before the tournament proper, New Zealand had the option of trying out 14 players with Tim Southee yet to arrive in India as he continues to recover from a thumb injury.
Ravindra, batting at the top in place of Will Young, gave the team management another opening option alongside Devon Conway, who lasted only one ball in the steep run chase.
With the focus firmly on managing players' workload ahead of the main competition, Williamson walked back into the dressing room after scoring a sublime half-century.
Williamson, who continues his knee rehabilitation from the injury he suffered in the IPL in March, only came out to bat on Friday and will not be part of the World Cup opener against England on October 5.
However, considering the way he batted against the Pakistan attack, it certainly seemed he was ready on the batting front if not the other areas of the game.
A couple of back foot punches in the cover region off a seriously quick Haris Rauf showed that Williamson was very much close to his best.
Ravindra at the other end pretty much dealt in boundaries with his first 24 runs coming off only fours. His entertaining innings comprised 16 fours and a six.
Number four Mitchell put New Zealand on the cusp of a comfortable win before retiring out. Chapman and Jimmy Neesham then bullied an ordinary-looking Pakistan attack to pick up a confidence-boosting win for New Zealand.
While the majority of the Pakistan batters would be pleased with their efforts, the bowlers have plenty to worry about.
Star pacer Shaheen Afridi did not bowl in the game, allowing Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali to audition for the new ball in the absence of injured Naseem Shah.
Rauf bowled only a four over spell and leaked 36 runs without a wicket. Hasan Ali, who is back in the Pakistan set up after nine months, was decent in his opening spell before going for runs in the later stages of New Zealand innings.
Leggie Shadab Khan did not bowl and Usama Mir (2/68 in 10) took couple of wickets in his absence. Part-time spinner Salman Agha (1/60 in 8) was easy meat for the opposition and so was left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz (0/55 in 7). Mohammad Wasim Jr (1/58 in 7) too proved expensive on a tough day for the bowlers.
After Pakistan opted to bat, Babar played his trademark drives on the off-side and ended with eight fours and two sixes. The game was played behind closed doors as it coincided with festivities surrounding Ganesh idol immersion.
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'Made in India' must become symbol of excellence, global competitiveness: PM
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called upon states to encourage manufacturing, boost 'ease of doing business' and strengthen the services sector to make India a global services giant.
Addressing the 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries here, Modi emphasised the need for quality in governance, service delivery and manufacturing, and said the label 'Made in India' must become a symbol of excellence and global competitiveness.
He said India has the potential to become the world's food basket and the country must move towards high-value agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries to become a major food exporter.
"Called upon states to encourage manufacturing, boost 'Ease of Doing Business' and strengthen the services sector. Let us aim to make India a Global Services Giant," Modi said in a series of posts on X.
The theme of the three-day conference, which began on December 26, was 'Human Capital for Viksit Bharat'.
Modi observed that this conference marks another decisive step in strengthening the spirit of cooperative federalism and deepening Centre-State partnership to achieve the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat'.
Highlighting India's demographic advantage, he said nearly 70 per cent of the population is in the working-age group, creating a unique historical opportunity which, when combined with economic progress, can significantly accelerate the journey towards a 'Viksit Bharat', according to an official statement.
Modi said India has boarded the "Reform Express", driven primarily by the strength of its young population, and empowering this demographic remains the government's key priority.
He noted that the conference is being held at a time when the country is witnessing next-generation reforms and steadily moving towards becoming a major global economic power.
Underlining the need to strengthen 'atmanirbharta' (self-reliance), he said India must pursue self-reliance with zero defect in products and minimal environmental impact, making the label 'Made in India' synonymous with quality and strengthening the commitment to "zero effect, zero defect".
The PM urged the Centre and states to jointly identify 100 products for domestic manufacturing to reduce import dependence and strengthen economic resilience in line with the vision of 'Viksit Bharat'.
In higher education, too, he said, there is a need for academia and industry to work together to create high-quality talent.
He highlighted that India has a rich heritage and history with the potential to be among the top global tourist destinations.
Modi urged the states to prepare a roadmap for creating at least one global-level tourist destination and nourishing an entire tourist ecosystem.
He said it is important to align the national sports calendar with the global sports calendar.
"India is working to host the 2036 Olympics. India needs to prepare infrastructure and sports ecosystem at par with global standards," he said.
The prime minister said the next 10 years must be invested in the states, only then will India get the desired results in such sports events.
Every state must give this top priority and create infrastructure to attract global companies, he said.
In the services sector, Modi said, there should be greater emphasis on other areas like healthcare, education, transport, tourism, professional services and artificial intelligence, etc. to make India a global services giant.
He said India will soon be launching the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM).
States should work in tandem with the discussions and decisions emerging from the conferences of both chief secretaries and DGPs to strengthen governance and implementation.
The PM said similar conferences could be replicated at the departmental level to promote a national perspective among officers and improve governance outcomes in pursuit of a 'Viksit Bharat'.
In conclusion, he said every state must create a 10-year actionable plan based on the discussions of this conference with one, two, five and 10-year target timelines wherein technology can be utilised for regular monitoring.
The conference featured a series of special sessions that enabled focused deliberations on cross-cutting and emerging priorities.
It marks another important milestone in strengthening the Centre-State partnership through structured and sustained dialogue on national development priorities, according to the statement.
The PM's principal secretaries P K Mishra and Shaktikanta Das, Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan, members of the NITI Aayog, chief secretaries of all states and Union territories, and domain experts attended the meeting.
Anchored in the prime minister's vision of cooperative federalism, this conference serves as the forum where the Centre and states collaborate, designing a unified roadmap to maximise India's human capital potential and accelerate inclusive, future-ready growth.
It has been organised annually over the past four years.
The first conference was held in Dharamshala in June 2022, followed by subsequent conferences in New Delhi in January 2023, December 2023 and December 2024.
