T20WC 2024: Indian pacers mow down Ireland for 96
New York, Jun 5: India's quartet of fast bowlers were simply menacing on a pitch offering variable bounce and seam movement dismantling Ireland for a lowly 96 in their opening T20 World Cup match here on Wednesday.
Arshdeep Singh (2/35 in 4 overs), Mohammed Siraj (1/13 in 3 overs), Jasprit Bumrah (2/6 in 3 overs) and Hardik Pandya (3/27 in 4 overs) didn't give any breathing space to Irish batters who were made to look like novices in front of swing, seam and extra bounce that the four-pronged attack produced during the 14 out of 16 overs they bowled.
Such was their plight that none of the Irish batters save one --- Gareth Delany (26 n.o, 14 balls) could even cross 20-run mark individually. Delany's innings took them close to the 100-run mark.
Rohit Sharma was lucky with the coin and the overcast conditions was just the kind of help Arshdeep needed first up as he bowled an ideal Test match length with the white Kookaburra.
Most of his deliveries were pitched up and reared up from length making life miserable for the seasoned duo of Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie.
It only helped that Mohammed Siraj also kept up the relentless pressure from the other end as the two openers found it difficult to even put bat on balls that were jagging around allowing Rishabh Pant to dive full stretch on both sides of the track.
Stirling tried to pull one which climbed up on him from good length and Pant ran backwards to pouch the skier.
For Balbirnie, his 'one-leg' stance turned out to be a wrong strategy to counter Arshdeep as he bowled one that was pitched on middle and moved a shade towards off with the batter with no footwork unable to cover the line of the swing.
The Powerplay gone horribly wrong at 26 for 2 for Ireland, and there was no coming back for them.
Pandya as the second change pacer bowled a perfect nip-backer with a wobbly seam to breach through Lorcan Tucker's defence.
Bumrah then scarred an already rattled Harry Tector with a nasty bouncer that took his gloves and almost blew away his head lobbing off the helmet.
At the halfway stage, Ireland, who recently beat Pakistan in a T20I at home, were 49 for 6 and the match had already becoming lopsided.
The biggest gain from the game was Pandya bowling his full quota of overs and the lengths that he hit during his spell which will give his skipper a chance to play an extra batter or bowler as per the demands of the conditions in coming games.
His three dismissals were different deliveries -- first one was swing, the second seam and the third extra bounce.
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Governor urges enhanced budgetary support for higher education in state budget
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Saturday urged the state government to provide stronger budgetary backing to the Higher Education department in the forthcoming state budget.
Presiding over the Karnataka State Public Universities Vice Chancellors’ Conference–2026, organised by Lok Bhavan in collaboration with the Higher Education department and the Karnataka Higher Education Council, the Governor stressed that public universities require structured and sustained financial support, a press release issued by Lok Bhavan said.
“Universities, having limited internal revenue sources, require special financial care and structured budgetary support,” the release quoted Gehlot as saying, while appealing to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to ensure the March 6 State Budget is more beneficial to higher education.
The Governor expressed satisfaction over the Chief Minister’s participation in the conference and voiced confidence that the upcoming budget would prioritise higher education.
He specifically called for filling long-pending vacancies in institutions such as Karnataka State Dr Gangubai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University, Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Kannada University, Karnataka Janapada University, and Dr B R Ambedkar School of Economics University, along with adequate financial provisions for their development.
Emphasising the need to strengthen government universities, Gehlot said deliberations at the conference reflected Karnataka’s readiness to steer higher education in a new direction.
He also called for increasing admissions in government institutions and examining why students prefer private universities despite higher fees.
The Governor stressed strict adherence to academic calendars to ensure timely admissions, examinations and declaration of results.
Improved coordination between Vice Chancellors and Registrars, upskilling of academic staff, curriculum updates aligned with present-day needs and the introduction of job-oriented courses were identified as priorities.
Highlighting campus development, he stressed the need to improve quality, cleanliness and greenery, and urged active implementation of initiatives such as “One Tree for Mother.”
He also encouraged universities to promote sports participation to enable students to represent institutions at district, state, national and international levels.
On governance and transparency, Gehlot pressed for strict compliance with central and UGC guidelines within stipulated timelines.
The release said he emphasised that institutional credibility depends on resolving internal disputes democratically and maintaining transparency in financial matters.
He added that the Chancellor must foster harmony among stakeholders to avoid unnecessary inquiries and administrative disruptions.
The Governor suggested that universities expand international collaborations for academic and student exchange, enhance national rankings and address faculty shortages and infrastructure gaps.
Leveraging central schemes and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds was suggested as a way to bridge financial constraints with State support.
According to him, universities should preference to Indian traditional dress as uniform attire during annual convocation ceremonies to promote cultural heritage.
The conference commenced with the rendition of Vande Mataram, Jana Gana Mana and Naada Geethe. Higher Education Minister M C Sudhakar welcomed participants and outlined the objectives of the conference.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar were among those present on the occasion.
