Spinners shine as India clinch ODI series against SA
New Delhi, Oct 11: India gave a good account of their enormous depth as a young and inexperienced side stunned a strong South Africa unit by seven wickets in third ODI here on Tuesday to secure a memorable series win.
The spin trio of Washington Sundar (2/15), Shahbaz Ahmed (2/32) and Kuldeep Yadav (4/18) picked the right lengths on a slow Kotla pitch to bundle out South Africa for 99, the Proteas lowest ODI total against India.
The home team batters, led by Shubman Gill (49), chased a paltry 100-run target in 19.1 overs.
The series loss further jeopardised South Africa's chances of a direct qualification for the ODI World Cup next year.
Pacer Mohammad Siraj (2/17) too continued his good run to make a strong case for his inclusion in T20 World Cup squad.
While Washington and Shahbaz got wickets up front, left-arm spinner Kuldeep, who missed out on a hat-trick, cleaned up the tail.
The quality of the Indian white-ball squad was on full display in the series as the second-string team came from behind to clinch the three-match series 2-1.
Chasing a small total, opener Gill attacked the South African bowlers from the very first ball while skipper Shikha Dhawan played second fiddle.
The Indians, who looked in a hurry to finish the match, lost a bit of momentum after the wickets of Dhawan, whose woeful run in the series continued as he was run out for eight, and Ishan Kishan (10).
However, Shreyas Iyer (28 not out) continued his stellar run as he whacked three boundaries and two sixes including a match-winning maximum to steer India to victory after Gill was trapped leg before with three runs needed.
Earlier put in to bat, South African batters failed to impress, falling like ninepins.
Quinton de Kock (6) was the first to perish as he half-heartedly cut the ball to top-edge it to Avesh Khan at backward point, giving Washington his first wicket.
India then seemingly got their second wicket when Reeza Hendricks (3) was trapped leg before but the South African took the review to turn the umpire's decision in the seventh over.
Janneman Malan (15) smacked Siraj for three of boundaries in his consecutive overs before the pacer got rid of the opener as he tried to play the pull shot.
South African batters continued to struggle and looked off colour as Siraj claimed his second when he got Hendricks (3) next.
Aiden Makram (9), whose stay in the middle lasted 19 balls, became Shahbaz Ahmed's first victim as he nicked it through to the keeper Sanju Samson.
The visitors dallied to 50 in 17.1 overs but India were all over the visitors.
Skipper David Miller (7) and joined Heinrich Klaasen in the middle but he too couldn't make a mark as he was bowled, the ball slid in from round the wicket to clip the outside of off stump.
Brought into the attack in the 20th over, Kuldeep too joined the party as Andile Phehlukwayo failed to read his googly.
Klaasen and new-man Marco Jansen stitched a 22-run stand that included a four and a six to take South Africa closer to the 100-run mark.
First, Jansen charged down the pitch for a six over long on, a few balls later Klassen hit a boundary but he was dismissed by Shahbaz.
Kuldeep then burst with a three-wicket haul clearing up the lower order as South Africa were bowled out in 27.1 overs.
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
