India ensure second WTC final berth, on verge of series win as Australia reach 158/2 at tea
Ahmedabad (PTI): India enjoyed some eventful gains on an uneventful day of cricket as they made the World Test Championship (WTC) final for the second time in a row and are on the verge of clinching the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth successive time, with the final game against Australia set to end in a drab draw.
At tea, Australia were 158 for 2, leading by 67 runs with the match likely to be called off in the final session once the mandatory overs start.
India have now beaten Australia by an identical 2-1 margin in their last four series -- 2017 (home), 2018-19 (away), 2020-21 (away) and the current one (2023).
The Indian team had already booked their summit date with the Aussies at The Oval in London from June 7-11 just before the post-lunch session had begun as Kane Williamson's magnificent hundred saw New Zealand eke out one of the most thrilling wins against Sri Lanka in Christchurch.
With a featherbed of a track on offer, which former Australian opener Mark Waugh sarcastically said can host a "22-day Test match", an outcome favouring either side was almost impossible, with only two completed innings in four days.
For Australia, it was important that their batters made best use of the flat surface and lack of pressure, as they have already qualified for the WTC final. Travis Head (90 off 163 balls) will certainly put pressure on David Warner when he comes back while Marnus Labuschagne (56 batting, 174 balls), after an underwhelming series, won't mind a quality consolation knock.
The Indian team could feel chuffed after back-to-back WTC final qualification but head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma would know well that Australia will be a different proposition in the final where the track will certainly not aid the Indian spinners like it did in the first three Tests.
An Australian attack, comprising Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, skipper Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon on an early June English track, could prove to be a handful but India have won two series against this attack in Australia.
The designer tracks, meant to help Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, did serve their purpose but in cricket, ends don't always serve the means.
In England, India will have to play with a single spinner and that will be all-rounder Jadeja if he remains injury free. But not having Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant will hurt them in England way more than it would have in Indian conditions where pitches have done bulk of the job.
Kona Bharat (101 runs in 4 Test) isn't cut out for elite cricket and as a wicketkeeper isn't great shakes as he looked shaky against turning deliveries as well as when the wobbly seamers were bowling.
KL Rahul's form deserted him big time but there were two very significant gains that will boost the Indian team's confidence.
No one would have believed at the start of the series that Axar Patel (264 runs) will end up as the team's No. 2 run getter behind Virat Kohli (297 runs) with three half-centuries in four games. His batting has improved tremendously but less than five wickets in a four-Test series, where he was grossly under-bowled, doesn't do justice to his abilities.
Also, the Indian spin attack's limitations on a batting belter was once again exposed.
Ashwin had a tremendous first innings where he took six wickets and also ended up as the highest wicket-taker in the series. Ashwin, by far, looked the best spinner when the going got tough but the same couldn't be said about Jadeja and Axar, who were pedestrian and slightly out of sync the moment the surface had nothing to offer.
On the day, Head and Labuschagne hardly faced any difficulty while playing the two left-arm spinners as they moved between front-foot and back-foot at will. The only delivery from Axar that turned and bounced was the one that denied Head a well-deserved century.
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Another incident of alleged insult to Islamic prayer reported in Belthangady
case lodged against 47 individuals
Belthangady: Another incident involving individuals allegedly dancing indecently, dressed in a denigrating manner, and insulting the Azan (Islamic call to prayer) has come to light under the jurisdiction of the Venoor Police Station. A case has been lodged against 17 accused persons and 20 to 30 others who were allegedly involved in the act.
Based on a complaint filed by Mohammed Rafiq, a resident of Poyyegudde house in Padangady village, a case has been registered at Venoor police station against Savya residents Vasantha, Rajesh, Harish, Peradi residents Dayanand, Ranganath, Mohan, Shamit, Ravi, Ramesh Kulal, Suresh, Ashoka Kulal, Dhanush Haradottu, Harish Banthottu, Ramesh R.K, Suresh Barottu, Pramod, Prakash Peradi and 20 to 30 other individuals.
A case has been registered under Section 353(2) along with Section 3(5) Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 for disrespecting Islam, Prophet Muhammad and the Islamic prayer Azhan by wearing Muslim attire during a 'Purusha Kattuna' event on April 14th.
A video of the incident is reportedly circulating on various social media platforms. In the purported video, a group of individuals can be seen wearing traditional Muslim attire and allegedly insulting the Azan by dancing indecently during a 'Purusha Kattuna' (a ritualistic dance performed by men of different castes, typically marking the end of agricultural activities) event held in Peradi near Venoor.
This incident follows a similar episode reported just days ago during a Purushara Puja ceremony, where Islam was allegedly disrespected. A complaint had already been filed with the Venoor police regarding that incident.
Leaders from the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) had also approached the Venoor police and submitted an official complaint, and demanded immediate action against those who are responsible for creating unrest in the society by wearing Muslim attire and hurting religious sentiments.
The Venoor police have now registered a case following widespread outrage over the alleged video denigrating Islam.
