Tea: Jaiswal smashes his way to 7th ton, Sudharsan on 71 as India score 220/1
New Delhi (PTI): Yashasvi Jaiswal was class personified en route his seventh hundred while Sai Sudharsan also displayed his potential as India clobbered the West Indies attack to reach a comfortable 220 for 1 at tea on the opening day of the second Test here on Friday.
Jaiswal, who missed out on a big score during the first Test, was in no mood to let go the second opportunity with some eye-catching strokes as he remained unbeaten on 111 off 162 balls with 16 boundaries to his credit.
Sudharsan was undefeated on 71 off 132 balls with 11 boundaries in a second wicket stand of 162 runs. Kotla is a happy hunting ground for the youngster and he had scored a hundred for Tamil Nadu when he played here the last time.
KL Rahul (38) would rue his luck. There was just one delivery from left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican that turned and bounced at the same time and beat the outside edge of his bat.
In the session between lunch and tea, India plundered as many as 126 runs to leave the West Indies bowling in complete tatters.
The spinners erred in length and the pacers neither got length nor the lines correct with too many easy boundary balls.
After scoring 94 in the first session, the two left-handers were aggressive during the first hour post lunch and boundaries just flowed from their willows.
At one point, they were scoring at nearly six an over before slowing down marginally in the second hour.
The only time in the session when West Indies got anywhere close to getting a second wicket was when Justin Greaves hurried Sudharsan with a climbing ball as he closed his bat face.
The leading edge flew at a comfortable height towards short mid-wicket where Warrican grassed a dolly.
The best shot of the second session was a fierce cut by Sudharsan. He landed his bat like a sledgehammer on a widish delivery from Seals and it raced to the point boundary.
Under pressure after the Ahmedabad Test, Sudharsan didn't look in any sort of trouble against pacers or spinners as the track remained conducive for batting. It also didn't help that the visiting attack was pedestrian as usual.
Jaiswal, who was cautious and aggressive in equal measure during the first session, showed his aggressive streak after lunch.
Both left-arm spinners -- Warrican and Khary Pierre -- bowled short balls and batters got enough time to rock on the back-foot and play on either side of the ground.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
