New Delhi, June 24: Even as the Indian team management is yet to provide a fresh update on Bhuvneshwar Kumar's hamstring niggle suffered during the game against Pakistan Navdeep Saini flew in on Monday to join the Indian team in Manchester.
The timing of the arrival combined with the pacer's injury has raised quite a few eyebrows, but the Indian team has made it clear that he has joined the camp only as a net bowler. Interestingly, Saini was named as one of the stand-by players when the Indian selectors had announced the 15-member squad for the World Cup.
The BCCI sent out an official message saying: "Navdeep Saini has arrived in Manchester. Navdeep is the only net bowler here and he will train with the Indian cricket team."
Speaking to , sources in the know of developments said that Saini didn't come to England as a cover like Rishabh Pant. "He has joined as a net bowler and not as anybody's cover like Pant had come in as cover for Shikhar Dhawan."
After the game against Pakistan, skipper Virat Kohli had said: "Slight niggle for Bhuvi, he slipped on one of the foot marks. He's out for two maybe three games, but he should come back for us at some stage during this tournament. He is very important for us."
The team management had said that Bhuvneshwar would take around eight days to start bowling again post the injury sustained on June 16. While Monday was the eighth day, the Indian team didn't train. With India's next game against the West Indies on Thursday, the team should ideally train on Tuesday and it will be interesting to see if Bhuvneshwar restricts himself to only working with physio Patrick Farhart or if he does mark his run-up and has a bowl at the nets.
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.
Thiruvananthapuram: Fathima Thahiliya, a 34-year-old advocate, has won the Perambra Assembly constituency, defeating CPI(M) leader T.P. Ramakrishnan by 5,087 votes. She secured 81,429 votes in a closely contested election.
Thahiliya is a postgraduate in law from the University of Calicut. She began her journey in student politics and rose through the ranks of the Muslim Students Federation before entering mainstream politics. She later served as a councillor in the Kozhikode Corporation and is currently practising at the Calicut District Court.
She completed her B.A. LL.B from Government Law College, Kozhikode, and LL.M from Government Law College, Thrissur. She also serves as State Secretary of the Muslim Youth League.
Her candidature was among the few women candidates backed by the party and drew attention in a constituency considered a Left stronghold.
Soon after her candidacy was publicized, she faced intense cyber harassment, with her social media flooded with sexually explicit and derogatory remarks. She was abused and targeted for her identity as a young Muslim woman wearing a hijab, questioning her ability to contest elections.
Another controversy erupted during the campaign over the “Kauminte Kutti” remark, after allegations that campaign messages linked to the Left Democratic Front portrayed her as a “community candidate,” triggering political backlash and complaints to the Election Commission.
