2nd T20I: Marauding Maxwell fires Australia to maiden T20 series win over India
Bengaluru, Feb 27: Glenn Maxwell fired Australia to their maiden T20 series win over India with a sensational hundred, overshadowing India skipper Virat Kohli's special effort in the second and final match here on Wednesday.
Maxwell (113 not out off 55 balls) went on a rampage, smashing as many as nine sixes on way to his third century in the shortest format. He took the game away from India, who should have defended 190 for four after Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni shared a 100-run stand for the fourth wicket to take the hosts to a competitive total.
In the end, Australia cantered to a famous seven-wicket win with Maxwell fittingly finishing the game with a six and four.
Prior to the game, Australia had never beaten India in a T20 series, home or away. They had beaten India way back in 2008 at Melbourne but that was a one-off game.
The visitors kept themselves in the chase despite a wobbly start which saw them being reduced to 22 for two in four overs.
Opener D'Arcy Short and Maxwell shared a 73-run standoff 43 balls to keep the game on even knell before the former fell in the 12th over.
India had to defend with only five bowling options which required all-rounder Vijay Shankar to complete his quote of four overs.
Shankar (2/38), who did not bowl in his last three T20s, put up a decent effort, picking up wickets of Short and Finch. Short could not last long after being dropped on 36 by Rishabh Pant.
Australia remained very much in the game with Maxwell plundering the Indian attack in the middle.
It was anyone's game as Australia needed 60 off the last 30 balls with seven wickets in hand.
Maxwell smashed Yuzvendra Chahal for two handsome sixes, including a spectacular reverse hit, to tilt the game in Australia's favour.
Earlier, skipper Kohli and Dhoni delighted the Chinnaswamy crowd with a 100-run stand.
Kohli led from the front in a must-win tie, hammering an unbeaten 72 off 38 balls in a knock including half a dozen sixes while Dhoni played the supporting role well with 40 off 23 balls.
It was a typical Dhoni innings that comprised three fours and as many sixes and came after a rather slow 29 off 37 balls in Vizag on Sunday night.
Opener K L Rahul was amongst runs again, scoring 47 off 26 in front of his home crowd.
Considering the pitch wore a greenish look, India brought in pace all-rounder Vijay Shankar in place of spinner Mayank Markande while fast bowler Umesh Yadav made way for Siddharth Kaul.
India made a third change by resting Rohit Sharma and bringing back Shikhar Dhawan to open alongside Rahul. The southpaw was rested from the series opener.
With a series win at stake, Australia opted to field for the second game in row.
The home team got a move on in the third over of the innings bowled by left-arm pacer Jason Behrendorff.
Local hero Rahul slashed a short and wide ball between cover and point before Dhawan flicked one off pads for another four with the over going for 12 runs.
The fifth over was even more productive for India as pacer Jhye Richardson conceded 15 runs after Rahul dispatched him for consecutive sixes, a top edge that flew over over deep fine leg and a crisp drive that went all the way over cover.
The stylish Karnataka batsman, who recently went through a rough patch both on and off the field, was back in his elements.
Rahul meted out similar punishment to Pat Cummins in the following over, hitting him for back-to-back sixes.
His sublime strokeplay seemed effortless but it was no mean feat to pull a bowler of Cummins' pace over backward square leg a ball after he whipped the Australian for a six over deep midwicket. India reached 53 for no loss in six overs.
With Dhawan a mere spectator at the other end, a third hundred in T20 Internationals for Rahul was very much on the cards before he fell to a soft dismissal, trying to guide a slower one off Nathan Coulter-Nile over third man only to be caught by Richardson.
A struggling Dhawan too departed soon after, albeit to a questionable running catch in the deep from Marcus Stoinis after the on-field umpire referred the decision to the third umpire following his soft signal.
Rishabh Pant's early dismissal made it 74 for three in the 11th over as he mistimed one off chinaman D'Arcy Short and Richardson pulled off a sensational diving catch at long off.
Two quick dismissals brought two heavyweights -- Kohli and Dhoni -- in the middle. They enjoy batting together and that came to the fore as they completed a 50-run partnership off 29 balls.
Dhoni, who was criticised for his knock on Sunday, showed more intent from the word go as he began with a six over mid wicket off Short.
Kohli kept himself busy by rotating the strike early in his innings. He went ballistic in the 16th over that leaked 22 runs as he smashed Coulter-Nile for three sixes in a row before completing his 20th fifty in the shortest format.
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Justice Sanjiv Khanna appointed next CJI, oath on Nov 11
New Delhi, Oct 24: Justice Sanjiv Khanna was on Thursday appointed the 51st Chief Justice of India.
He will take oath on November 11, a day after incumbent Justice D Y Chandrachud demits office on attaining the age of 65.
Justice Chandrachud took over as the CJI on November 8, 2022.
Justice Khanna will have a tenure of a little over six months as CJI and would demit office on May 13, 2025.
"In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, Hon'ble President, after consultation with Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as Chief Justice of India with effect from 11th November, 2024," Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal posted on X.
Justice Khanna was appointed an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005 and was made a permanent judge in 2006. On January 18, 2019, he was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court.
Born on May 14, 1960, he studied law at the Campus Law Centre of Delhi University.
Some of the notable judgments of Justice Khanna in the Supreme Court include upholding the use of electronic voting machines in elections, saying the devices were secure and eliminated booth capturing and bogus voting.
He was also part of the five-judge bench that declared the electoral bond scheme, meant for funding of political parties, as unconstitutional.
Justice Khanna was a part of the five-judge bench, which upheld the Centre's 2019 decision abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution which granted a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Justice Khanna, who is the senior-most judge after the outgoing CJI, and the executive chairman of the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA), had granted interim bail to the then Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, an accused in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam cases, for campaigning in Lok Sabha elections.
He is the nephew of former apex court judge H R Khanna, who was part of the landmark verdict propounding the basic structure doctrine in Kesavananda Bharati case of 1973.
The retirement age of Supreme Court judges is 65 years, while high court judges demit office at the age of 62 years.
The Centre recently asked CJI Chandrachud to name his successor.
According to the memorandum of procedure (MoP) -- a set of documents guiding appointment, elevation and transfer of high court and Supreme Court judges -- the law minister writes to the CJI to name his or her successor.
Law Minister Meghwal had written to CJI Chandrachud asking him to name his successor.
The MoP says the senior-most judge of the apex court is considered fit to hold the office of the CJI and the views of the outgoing head of the judiciary have to be sought "at an appropriate time".
The MoP, however, does not specify the time limit for the initiation of the process of recommending the name of the successor CJI.
In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, Hon’ble President, after consultation with Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as Chief Justice of India with effect from 11th…
— Arjun Ram Meghwal (@arjunrammeghwal) October 24, 2024
