South Africa storm into semis, top Group B with commanding win over England
Karachi, Mar 1 (PTI): South Africa cruised into the Champions Trophy semifinals in dominant fashion, defeating England by seven wickets to top Group B here on Saturday.
Opting to bat, England were bundled out for 179 in 38.2 overs as South Africa’s bowlers delivered a disciplined performance.
With the modest target ensuring their semifinal berth by the innings break, the Proteas comfortably chased it down in 29.1 overs to finish with five points, two ahead of Australia.
They will now face the Group A runners-up in the semifinals, with India and New Zealand set to battle for Group A placings in Dubai on Sunday.
Rassie van der Dussen anchored the chase with a composed 72 not out off 86 balls (6x4, 3x6), while Heinrich Klaasen, returning from injury, smashed a fluent 64 off 56 balls (11x4) in a 127 run stand.
Brief Scores:
England 179; 38.3 overs (Joe Root 37; Marco Jansen 3/39, Wiaan Mulder 3/25, Keshav Maharaj 2/35).
South Africa 181/3; 29.1 overs (Rassie van der Dussen 72, Heinrich Klaasen 64).
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Ikkis box office Day 1: Agastya Nanda’s war drama earns ₹7 crore, beats trade projections
Mumbai: Ikkis, the latest war drama directed by Sriram Raghavan, has delivered a stronger-than-expected opening at the box office, earning an estimated ₹7 crore net in India on its first day, Hindustan Times reported on Friday.
The film, starring Agastya Nanda, opened in theatres on January 1 across nearly 4,000 screens nationwide. Trade analysts had earlier projected a modest opening of ₹2–2.5 crore, especially given stiff competition from Dhurandhar, which continues to perform strongly at the box office.
Despite these expectations, Ikkis exceeded projections by nearly three times, helped largely by positive word of mouth. As per the report, the film had around 12% occupancy in the morning shows across the country, which jumped to 35% by afternoon, and 47% in the evening, indicating growing audience interest as the day progressed.
While Dhurandhar dominated the day with a reported ₹15 crore collection, trade observers note that Ikkis holding its ground amid such competition is a promising sign, particularly for its performance over the extended opening weekend.
Ikkis is based on the life of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of India’s highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra. The film chronicles Khetarpal’s exploits and bravery during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. Agastya plays Khetarpal in the film.
While screen legend Dharmendra appears as his father in his final performance, Dharmendra died a little over a month before the film’s release. Ikkis is also among the final films of the late Asrani, who also died late last year. The film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Deepak Dobriyal.
