3rd T20I: Mayers' 73 takes West Indies to 164/5 against India
Basseterre (St Kitts & Nevis), Aug 2: Indian bowling unit was disciplined for the better part before Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh's relative inexperience saw West Indies put up a competitive 164 for 5 against India in the third T20 International here on Tuesday.
Left-handed Kyle Mayers (73 off 50 balls) did punish the Indian attack with eight fours and four sixes in his kitty as he added 50 in 7.2 overs with skipper Nicholas Pooran (22 off 23 balls) after an opening stand with Brandon King that yielded 57.
While Avesh Khan's (0/47 in 3 overs) poor show stuck like a sore thumb, the other bowlers put up a more than decent show without being exceptional.
Just like Dinesh Karthik is team's designated finisher in the batting order with 20 balls reserved for him, Arshdeep Singh (1/33 in 4 overs) is being prepared as death overs specialist for his ability to bowl those wide yorkers.
However, in pressure cooker scenario of international cricket, the Punjab lad is still a work in progress.
The last two overs yielded 27 runs courtesy Shimron Hetmyer (20 off 12 balls) and Rovman Powell (23 off 14 balls).
The revelation in India's bowling attack was Hardik Pandya, who used the change of pace effectively, mixing his cutters and slowers with an occasional block-hole delivery, which accounted for King.
Having hit a half-century in the last game, King looked scratchy during his run-a-ball-20 before Pandya castled him. His final figures of 4-0-19-1 with 12 dot balls was certainly important in the final context of the innings.
During the middle overs, Ravichandran Ashwin (4-0-26-0) was also impressive as he also had a dozen of dot balls to his credit.
Deepak Hooda, who was brought back into the playing XI in place of Ravindra Jadeja, bowled a steady over with the new ball while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4-0-35-2) was steady like he always is on most of the occasions.
He got rid of Pooran with extra pace and bounce and then removed the dangerous Mayer with a fuller delivery that gripped, with Rishabh Pant taking both catches.
If there was one area of worry for India, it was Avesh's game awareness as he looked intent on bowling back of the length stuff with its pace being a cannon fodder for the batters. On other occasions, he overpitched with as many as four sixes coming off his bowling.
Arshdeep, despite being hit for a six and a four by Mayers, stuck to his gameplan, coming mostly wide off the crease and executing those wide yorkers or low full-tosses, which are difficult to get away with.
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Modi govt by changing name of MGNREGA exposed its 'hatred' towards Gandhi: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attempting to change the name and structure of the MGNREGA, has itself exposed its "hatred" towards the poor and towards Mahatma Gandhi.
He also accused the Centre of "altering" the very structure of the scheme, by shifting nearly 40 per cent of the cost onto the state governments, and called Modi "anti federal".
Suggesting that the NDA government at the Centre start a "Ministry of Name Change", with the Prime Minister himself holding that portfolio, the CM warned of a statewide agitation against this name change move.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, that seeks to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid strong objections by the opposition to the "removal" of Mahatma Gandhi's name from it.
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"The Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is attempting to change the name and structure of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), has itself exposed its hatred towards the poor and towards Mahatma Gandhi," Siddaramaiah said in a statement.
Implemented by the UPA government 20 years ago, the MGNREGA scheme has played a crucial role in eradicating unemployment and poverty in rural areas, he said, adding that "this scheme, which guarantees the right to employment to every individual, has received praise from economists both in India and abroad."
Noting that MGNREGA was a genuine form of employment guarantee, the CM said the proposed new structure under the Modi government strips away that guarantee and places the assurance of work at the whims of political leaders.
"This will further deepen caste discrimination and social inequality," he claimed.
Highlighting that the NDA government has altered the very structure of MGNREGA, a scheme whose entire expenditure was earlier borne by the Central government, by shifting nearly 40 per cent of the cost onto the state governments, Siddaramaiah said this stands as clear evidence of the "anti-federal attitude" that Prime Minister Modi has followed ever since coming to power.
"This move will also increase the migration of poor people in search of work as the proposed form does not guarantee employment in their own location -- forcing families to travel long distances to survive," he said.
Naming this scheme after Mahatma Gandhi, who sowed the dream of Gram Swaraj, was a meaningful decision, the CM said, "While Prime Minister Narendra Modi indulges in praising Gandhi during his foreign tours, within the country he has consistently engaged in attempts to erase Gandhi's legacy from key national programmes. From a parivar that seeks to glorify Gandhi's assassin Godse, what different conduct can one really expect?"
"Narendra Modi is widely known for simply changing the names of landmark schemes launched by the UPA government rather than preserving or strengthening them. It would be more appropriate for this government to start a 'Ministry of Name Change,' with the Prime Minister himself holding that portfolio," he said.
More than 25 flagship programmes launched during earlier governments were merely renamed or repackaged by the present regime, the CM further said, listing out that the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan was rechristened as the Swachh Bharat Mission, while the Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account scheme was rebranded as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, among others.
"These changes reflect a consistent pattern of altering names rather than fundamentally strengthening or expanding the original intent of these welfare initiatives," he added.
Stating that the Congress party and state government strongly condemn this "anti-people" decision of the Narendra Modi government, which has snatched food from the plates of the poor, insulted Bapu, and attempted to strangle state governments financially, Siddaramaiah warned about launching a statewide agitation against this move.
"The responsibility of preserving the MGNREGA scheme in its original form must also be taken up by the lakhs of beneficiaries of the scheme. They must hold the BJP leaders of the state accountable and exert pressure on them to raise their voices against this injustice, rising above party lines," he said.
