Rishabh Pant overtakes Kohli in Test rankings
Dubai, Oct 23: Rishabh Pant on Wednesday overtook his superstar India teammate Virat Kohli to reach the sixth spot in the ICC Test rankings for batters.
Fresh from a counter-attacking 99 in the second innings of the opening Test against New Zealand, Pant gained three spots in the rankings while Kohli, who made a fluent 70 in Bengaluru, dropped a place to be eighth.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal remains India's highest ranked batter at four. India captain Rohit Sharma dropped two places to be joint 15th alongside Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne.
England star Joe Root maintains a healthy lead at the top of the charts.
New Zealand duo of Rachin Ravindra (up 36 places to 18th) and Devon Conway (up 12 spots to 36th) also made good ground on the latest list for Test batters, while teammate Matt Henry (up two rungs to ninth with a new career-high rating) was the big winner in bowlers' category.
Henry picked up eight wickets during the Black Caps' drought-breaking eight-wicket victory over India in Bengaluru, while teammate Will O'Rourke (up two spots to 39th) was also rewarded for his seven scalps from the same match.
Pakistan spinner Noman Ali was re-instated at 17th on the rankings following his 11 wickets across two innings against England, while teammate Sajid Khan gained 22 places to move to 50th after he was adjudged Player of the Match in the same contest.
India's pace spearhead remains at the top of the bowlers' rankings followed by teammate R Ashwin. Retaining the seventh sport, Ravindra Jadeja is another Indian in the top-10.
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Air India pilot detained in Vancouver over suspected alcohol use; Delhi flight delayed
New Delhi: An Air India pilot was detained by Canadian authorities at Vancouver International Airport after concerns were raised about his fitness to operate a flight due to a suspected smell of alcohol, leading to a delay of a Delhi-bound flight last week.
The incident occurred on December 23, just ahead of Christmas, when the pilot was scheduled to operate Flight AI186 from Vancouver to Delhi. According to reports, a staff member at the airport’s duty-free store alerted authorities after either seeing the pilot consume alcohol or noticing the smell while he was purchasing it, NDTV reported.
The authorities subjected the pilot to a breath analyser test, which he failed, and he was subsequently detained, the reports said.
In a statement, Air India said the delay was caused after authorities raised concerns regarding the pilot’s fitness for duty.
“Flight AI186 from Vancouver to Delhi on December 23 experienced a last-minute delay after one of the cockpit crew members was offloaded prior to departure. Canadian authorities raised concerns regarding the pilot's fitness for duty, following which the crew member was taken for further inquiry,” the airline said.
"Air India regrets the inconvenience caused to its passengers and is fully cooperating with the local authorities. The pilot has been taken off flying duties during the process of the enquiry. The airline maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards violations of applicable rules and regulations. Pending the outcome of the investigation, any confirmed violation will attract strict disciplinary action in line with company policy." he statement said, adding that passenger safety remains its highest priority.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to an Air India cockpit crew for operating multiple flights between Delhi and Tokyo despite being aware of serious compliance lapses. The pilots have been asked to submit their explanation within two weeks.
