India's wait for ICC trophy gets longer as Australia annex sixth ODI World Cup title
Ahmedabad, Nov 19: India's dreams of winning a third World Cup title lay in tatters after an inexplicable meltdown saw them crash to a six-wicket defeat against an indefatigable Australia here on Sunday, plunging the cricket-obsessed country into deep mourning.
Australia thus won a record-extending sixth World Cup title, stretching their dominance in the tournament that started way back in 1975.
Put in to bat, India ended up with a below-par 240 despite contributions from Rohit Sharma (47 off 31 balls), Virat Kohli (54 off 63) and K L Rahul (66 off 107).
Just like his performance in the WTC final against India in June, Travis Head made a match-winning 137 off 120 balls as Australia chased down the target in 43 overs.
Indian hopes were raised when Australia lost three wickets for 47 but a 192-run partnership between Head and Marnus Labuschagne (58 not out) shut the door on the opposition.
Australia's brilliant bowling and fielding also went a long way in their emphatic win. The dew in the evening also made batting easier on a slow and dry surface.
India, who were the only unbeaten side going into the final after 10 wins on the trot, fell flat in the final hurdle. Their last world title came way back in 2011 and their last ICC trophy was the Champions Trophy triumph in 2013.
India's defeats in the ICC events over the past decade include the loss in 2014 World T20 final, 2016 World T20 semifinal, 2017 Champions Trophy final, 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal, 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal and back-to-back runners-up finish in the 2021 and 2023 World Test Championship cycle.
Brief scores:
India: 240 all out in 50 overs (KL Rahul 66, Virat Kohli 54; Mitchell Starc 3/55).
Australia: 241/4 in 43 overs (Travis Head 137, Marnus Labuschagne 58 not out; Jasprit Bumrah 2/43).
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BJP will be in power at Centre for at least 30 years: Amit Shah
New Delhi, Mar 29 (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah has exuded confidence the BJP will remain in power at the Centre for at least 30 years due to its consistent performance.
In a democracy, he said, the victory of any party depends on its hard work and if it toils day in and and day out and "if you live not for yourself but for the country, victory will be yours".
"When I was the national president of the BJP, I had said the BJP will remain in power for the next 30 years. Only 10 years have gone now," he said at the Times Now Summit 2025 Friday night.
The senior BJP leader said when a party performs well, it gets the trust of the public and the confidence to win. "But those who do not perform do not have this confidence," he said.
Asked about the Uniform Civil Code, the home minister said all BJP-ruled states will introduce the UCC one-by-one as it is one of the key agendas of the BJP since was formed.
The home minister said since its inception, the BJP's resolve has been to introduce the UCC in the country.
"It will come. It was the decision of the Constituent Assembly (to introduce UCC). The Congress might have forgotten it but we have not. We said we would abrogate Article 370. We have done that. We said we would construct a Ram temple at Ayodhya. We have done that too. Now UCC remains. We will do that too," he said.
Shah said the Uttarakhand government has already enacted the law for implementation of the UCC in the state.
"One by one, all the BJP-ruled state governments will introduce it. Gujarat has already set up a committee for it. It is an ongoing process. All states will bring it as per their convenience," he said.
Asked about the alleged discovery of a huge amount of cash at the Delhi residence of High Court judge Yashwant Varma, the home minister said the Chief Justice of India has taken cognisance of the issue and ordered an inquiry (through a committee of three high court judges).
"We are cooperating with it. We should wait for the outcome of the committee constituted by the chief justice," he said.
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a PIL seeking Delhi Police to register an FIR over the alleged discovery of burnt wads of cash from Justice Varma's residence.
Shah said, "When no FIR can be registered, how can a seizure be carried out? The FIR can only be registered with the Chief Justice of India's permission."
Asked whether the RSS interferes in the functioning of the Modi government, the home minister said there has been no interference from the Sangh, the BJP's ideological fountainhead.
"The RSS has been preparing patriots for the last 100 years. I have learnt from the RSS how to keep patriotism at centre while keeping many dimensions together. There is no question of interference," he said.
Asked about the prevailing internal security situation, Shah said as union home minister he got three problems as legacy issues: Naxal violence, terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and insurgency in the Northeast.
"In last 10 years, 16,000 youths have surrendered in these three theatres. As the home minister of the country, it is my duty to bring peace in all these places. It is the priority of the prime minister and naturally it is my priority too. Because of the problems, development stopped in these places," he said.
Asked about the government's stand on the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, the home minister said he did not want to comment on it as it is subjudice.
"I am sure the Supreme Court will deliver an appropriate order on it. We will definitely obey the court order," he said.
The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, prohibits the conversion of any place of worship and aims to maintain the religious character of such places as it existed on August 15, 1947, with the exception of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case.
The Supreme Court is currently dealing with multiple petitions challenging the Act.
Asked why the government has not yet filed an affidavit in the court on the subject, Shah said, "We will certainly file an affidavit".
