Ranchi/Jamshedpur (PTI): Schools in Jharkhand’s Ranchi and Jamshedpur will remain closed till January 6 in view of the prevailing cold wave conditions, officials said on Sunday.

The decision to suspend classes from kindergarten to class 12 was taken following a special bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Ranchi, which warned of severe cold and cold wave conditions in several parts of the state.

Ranchi has been placed under a ‘yellow’ alert until further orders, officials said.

According to the order issued under Section-163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), academic activities in classes from KG to class 12 in all government, non-government, and private schools operating in both the districts will remain postponed till January 6.

The orders stated that if any school has examinations scheduled during this period, they have been given the discretion to conduct it.

The orders further clarified that classes for students of class 10 and class 12 may be held at the discretion of the respective school authorities.

Government schools are already closed till January 5 due to winter vacations.

On January 6, government schools will reopen for teachers, who are required to attend schools, mark attendance on the eVV system and carry out non-academic work, the order added.

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Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.

Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.

However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.

"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.

The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.

"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.

With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.

"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."

Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.

"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.

"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."