Absolutely nothing to worry about, Bumrah is ready: Suryakumar Yadav
Nagpur, Sep 22: India batter Suryakumar Yadav on Thursday played down concerns regarding Jasprit Bumrah's fitness, saying there is "absolutely nothing to worry about" and the pace spearhead is ready to return after recovering from his back injury.
Bumrah didn't feature in the opening T20I against Australia with the team management deciding to give the pacer a little more time since he was returning after recovering from a back injury.
The India pacer has been out of action since the end of the England tour and also skipped the Asia Cup due to the injury.
"Actually I am not aware of any such communication, it is not my department, you should not ask me about it (laughs), these are for physios and team management to answer.
"But in the team, the environment is good and all are first-class fit and ready for second T20I," Suryakumar said during a virtual press conference when asked about Bumrah's match fitness and also where Umesh Yadav fit in the scheme of things.
When he was probed further on Bumrah, Suryakumar said: "Absolutely, he is ready, nothing to worry."
India, sans Bumrah, put up a shoddy performance as they failed to defend 208 in the series opener, with the pacers going for 150 runs.
However, Suryakumar came out in defence of the bowlers.
"Actually after the last game, we didn't have any discussion but as you have seen last day the match went on long and there was also dew, and you also have to give credit to them, they kept attacking, we are trying our best," he said.
In his comeback match, Harshal Patel conceded 49 runs for no wicket, which included a 22-run 18th over.
Asked if Harshal's variations are becoming predictable, Suryakumar said: "He is very deceptive. I don't bat in net sessions much, but as much as I have played him and also Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar) bhai is also difficult to decipher...
"But Harshal's slower balls and his different variations are really deceptive and he has just come from an injury, so this much benefit of doubt should be allowed."
In batting, India's aggressive approach reaped dividends as KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav took the team across the 200-mark after top order batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were dismissed early.
"Assessing the pitch is very important. Everyone is playing their role, they know their responsibility, what they have to do in different situations.
"The openers know their role really well and then it comes down to middle order how we need to set up the game of what they have to do so, and it was set up well by the finishers, everything is going on really well and we will look to do it again and again," he said.
Asked if any particular role has been assigned to him to attack the spinners in middle orders, Suryakumar quipped: "I have hit two sixes against fast bowlers also, so I should get a little credit for that, what say?"
"I'm very flexible, no particular role. Actually plan myself for every situation. I am flexible to bat in anywhere, whichever number I'm asked to bat, I know I just have to do my role and I am happy to do it."
Suryakumar had scored a 25-ball 46, which was studded with two fours and four sixes, in the opening match.
India skipper Rohit Sharma was quite animated in Mohali, and on one occasion, he was seen grabbing wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik after the India skipper went with his instinct for a DRS call, which saw Glenn Maxwell walking back to the hut in the 12th over.
Asked about the situation, Suryakumar said, "In the field, there is a lot of pressure, so it is important to have some laughter to lighten the situation but the focus is always there on the game.
"In DRS, what happens is sometimes, the sound of an edge doesn't reach the back and Rohit and Dinesh know each other very well, they have been playing for so long, so they engage in banters."
Karthik was not quite convinced as he didn't hear anything, but eventually, DRS showed that Umesh Yadav had induced a fine nick off Maxwell's bat.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
