This team never gives excuses of conditions or pitch: Shastri
Chelmsford, July 25 : Rubbishing media reports that suggested that the Indian team decided to cut their originally scheduled four-day practice game against Essex to a three-day affair due to the nature of the pitch, head coach Ravi Shastri said the current unit isn't concerned about these issues.
Various media reports on Tuesday suggested that the Indian team management decided to cut their practice game by a day after taking a look at the pitch and the outfield.
"There was no complaint from the Indian management about anything. On this entire trip, you will never see an Indian team giving excuses with regard to conditions or the pitch," Shastri was quoted as saying by the BCCI website.
"One thing, on this trip, you will never see this Indian team giving an excuse as regarding conditions or the pitch. Our challenge is to beat them. We take pride in performing wherever we go and we want to be the best travelling side in the world.
"The last person to complain will be this Indian team, so I want to clarify this very clearly," he added.
Shastri also explained the "cricketing reason" behind the team's decision to curtail a day of practice before the first Test starts on August 1 in Birmingham.
"The game was reduced from four days to three because of the logistics and the weather prevailing," he said referring to the hot weather conditions. "We had an opportunity to practice three days in Birmingham which is the Test venue. If we had played four days here we would have lost one day there because of travel," he said.
"As simple as that because the prerogative whether to play a two-day, three-day or four-day game lies entirely with the travelling team," he added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
ISKCON urges Indian intervention following priest's arrest in Bangladesh
Dhaka: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has called on the Indian government to take immediate steps to secure the release of its priest, Chinmoy Krishna Das, detained by Bangladeshi authorities. The arrest occurred near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
Das, a prominent ISKCON leader and former divisional organising secretary for Chattogram, faces sedition charges stemming from an October 25 incident. According to a case filed on October 31, 19 individuals, including Das, allegedly placed a saffron flag over the Bangladeshi flag on the Independent Pillar (Shadhinata Smathamva) during a rally organised by the Hindu community under the banner Sanatan Jagaran Mancha.
ISKCON has strongly denied any involvement in terrorism, describing the allegations as "baseless and unacceptable." In a statement, ISKCON declared, "It is outrageous to make baseless allegations that ISKCON has anything to do with terrorism anywhere in the world. ISKCON urges the Government of India to engage with Bangladesh to secure the release of Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das."
Hindu communities in Bangladesh have staged protests demanding better legal protection and the establishment of a minority affairs ministry under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Meanwhile, Bangladeshi police have arrested two other suspects, Rajesh Chowdhury and Hriday Das, in connection with the case. The remaining accused include Ajay Dutta, Leela Raj Das Brahmachari, Gopal Das Tipu, and several others. ISKCON spokesperson Radharamn Das expressed concerns over Das's safety, stating that he had been moved to an undisclosed location by the police.
