More than 12 lakh devotees take holy dip at Sangam on Makar Sankranti; Magh Mela begins
Prayagraj (PTI): More than 12 lakh devotees took a dip at the Sangam - the confluence of three holy rivers - on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Monday, officials said.
The one-and-a-half-month-long 'Magh Mela' also began with Makar Sankranti celebrations.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath extended greetings to people on Makar Sankranti, and said extensive arrangements have been made across the state for the celebrations.
Magh Mela officer Dayanand Prasad said around 12.50 lakh devotees took a dip in the Ganga river by 12 noon.
Rajendra Mishra, a priest, said devotees had started coming to the Sangam since late last night.
Sangam is the confluence of three rivers - the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati.
A district administration official said two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed to prevent any untoward incident at the venue.
Eight ghats and six pontoon bridges have been built for the pilgrims.
The official said 18,000 street-lights have been installed in the fair ground.
Two make-shift hospitals, 14 police stations, 41 police chowkis and 14 fire stations have been established for the fair.
In Gorakhpur, the chief minister offered sacred 'khichdi' to Mahayogi Gorakhnath at the Gorakhnath Temple at 4 am on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
Talking to reporters later, he said adequate arrangements have been made and the government is making all efforts to ensure that there is no inconvenience to devotees throughout the state.
Several lakh devotees thronged the Gorakhnath Temple to offer 'khichdi' to Mahayogi Gorakhnath, an incarnation of Lord Shiva.
Makar Sankranti is considered an auspicious date for various holy and significant events.
The chief minister said that people, by taking a dip in rivers and ponds, are strengthening their faith in Bharat's ancient tradition.
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Mohsin's fifer helps LSG restrict KKR to 155/7 despite Rinku's 83
Lucknow (PTI): Lucknow Super Giants pacer Mohsin Khan added another sordid chapter to Kolkata Knight Riders' batting woes, taking five wickets to restrict the three-time champions to a modest 155 for seven in their IPL match here on Sunday.
Mohsin’s 5 for 23, a personal best for the left-arm pacer in this format, tore apart an already struggling KKR batting unit, as he snaffled the cream wickets of Ajinkya Rahane, Tim Seifert, Cameron Green, Rovman Powell and Anukul Roy.
Rinku Singh (83 not out, 51 balls) made a well-paced fifty and punished Mohammed Shami in the 19th over for 6, 4, 4 and the smoked four sixes in a row against spinner Digvesh Rathi as KKR made 43 runs in the last two overs to go past the 150-run mark.
But his fifty remained a lone act, as Mohsin firmly stood in the limelight.
His bowling ethos were rooted in simple tactics — bang the ball into the black soil pitch to gain bounce or use cutters at various pace to keep the batters guessing.
Mohsin, who started the night with a wicket maiden, showed his variety across two dismissals.
He followed Rahane with a fuller ball as the batter tried to go over the covers, but the ball’s trajectory forced the KKR skipper to just slice the ball up for a simple catch for Aiden Markram.
The 27-year-old stayed calm when Green, who looked comfortable out there while smashing George Linde for two successive sixes, slammed him for a huge maximum.
Two balls later, Mohsin dug one short, challenging Green (34) to go for the pull and the Australian all-rounder took the bait.
The into-the-body angle worked again as Green could only sky the ball to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
Green’s ouster also ended a fifth wicket alliance worth 42 with Rinku Singh.
Bizarre dismissal of Raghuvanshi
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If the existing turmoil was not enough, KKR had to bear the dejection of seeing Angkrish Raghuvanshi getting dismissed obstructing the field.
On the final ball of the fifth over from Prince Yadav, Raghuvanshi nudged one towards mid-on and set off for a single, only to be rejected by Green.
Raghuvanshi put in a dive to save himself but he came in the line of the throw from Shami.
Subsequently, third umpire Rohit Pandit accepted LSG’s appeal and decided that the batter’s turning radius was more than required, eventually resulting in the batter’s dismissal in a rare manner.
