Australia beat India by 3 runs, win series
Mumbai (PTI): Australia eked out a three-run win over India in the second women's ODI to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series here on Saturday.
Opting to bat, the tourists rallied to post 258/8 on the back of opener Phoebe Litchfield's 63 and Ellyse Perry's 50 despite Deepti Sharma's five-wicket haul.
In reply, Richa Ghosh scored a valiant 96 but the Australians tightened the screws to limit India to 255/8.
Annabel Sutherland (3/47) snared three wickets including that of Richa.
Earlier, despite Deepti's spectacular performance which saw her register figures of 5/38, India were sloppy in the field, dropping as many as seven catches.
Pooja Vastrakar, Shreyanka Patil and Sneh Rana picked a wicket each.
Alana King played a vital 28-run knock towards the end for Australia.
Brief Scores:
Australia: 258/8 in 50 overs (Phoebe Litchfield 63, Ellyse Perry 50; Deepti Sharma 5/38) beat India 255 for 8 in 50 overs ( Richa Ghosh 96, Jemimah Rodrigues 44; Annabel Sutherland 3/47 ) PTI APA
AH
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Vijayan, Tharoor present at Vizhinjam port : Modi says it will give 'sleepless nights' to many
_vb_57.jpeg)
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took a swipe at the Congress, saying the presence of its MP Shashi Tharoor at the commissioning of the Vizhinjam International Seaport here will give "sleepless nights" to many.
Modi's direct mention of Tharoor's presence at the event comes at a time when the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram is being accused by his own party colleagues of going soft on the BJP after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Tharoor has also been criticised by some Congress leaders for praising India's deft diplomacy on the Russia-Ukraine conflict under Modi's leadership.
The Prime Minister also described Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan, who was also present at the inauguration, as a "pillar" of the opposition INDIA bloc.
"I would like to say to our chief minister, you are a big and strong pillar of the INDI Alliance. Shashi Tharoor is also sitting here, and I would like to say that today's event will take away the sleep of many," Modi said.
However, the person translating his speech did not translate it properly, and it prompted Modi to say: "The message has gone across to whom it was meant".
Tharoor, who received Modi on his arrival on Thursday, posted on X:" Despite delays at the dysfunctional Delhi airport, managed to land in Thiruvananthapuram in time to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival in my constituency. Looking forward to his officially commissioning Vizhinjam port, a project I have been proud to have been involved with since its inception."
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala assembly V D Satheesan did not attend the commissioning of the Vizhinjam port, protesting the late invitation extended to him for the function.
Satheesan had expressed his ire against the government for not acknowledging the pivotal role played by the previous UDF government led by Oommen Chandy in establishing the port by signing an agreement with the Adani Group and carrying out the initial works.
In March, Tharoor praised the government's handling of the Russia-Ukraine war as an endorsement of India's deft diplomacy under Modi's leadership.
Tharoor was also criticised by his party colleague Udit Raj for his reported "no country has 100-per cent foolproof intelligence" remarks after the Pahalgam terror attack. Being a Congressman, how did Tharoor become the BJP's lawyer and give the ruling party a "clean chit" on the Pahalgam terror attack, Udit Raj wondered. Tharoor hit back at Raj, saying the latter is a former Bharatiya Janata Party MP and "is better qualified to understand who speaks for the BJP".
