Dhawan, Prabhsimran take Punjab Kings to 197/4 against RR in IPL
Guwahati, Apr 5: Young Prabhsimran Singh (60) and veteran skipper Shikhar Dhawan (86 not out) pummelled the Rajasthan Royals attack to propel Punjab Kings to a challenging 197 for 4 in the IPL, here on Wednesday
Prabhsimran, who hit seven fours and three sixes, mercilessly punished the Rajasthan bowlers during the first 10 overs to bring up his IPL maiden fifty off 28 balls as Punjab was off to a rollicking start. He and Dhawan added 90 runs for the opening stand off just 61 balls.
On the other hand, Dhawan, switched gears effortlessly as he was 30 off 30 balls at one stage playing second fiddle to Prabhsimran. Once his opening partner was dismissed, Dhawan upped the ante as he scored 56 off next 26 balls that he faced.
The Punjab Kings skipper was dropped on 50 and made most of his reprieve as he played the role of sheet anchor, ensuring his team had enough runs on the board with dew setting in. His inning was studded with nine fours and three maximums that came in the second half.
Prabhsimran started by smacking Trent Boult for lacerating drive in the first over, making his intentions clear. He followed that up by slapping a six over backward square off KM Asif in the second over. Dhawan joined the party briefly with back-to-back fours in the next over.
But the young opener was brutal on Asif, whom he hammered for three fours and a six in the fourth over. He also didn't spare Boult and Ravichandran Ashwin.
The 22-year-old first smacked a length ball over mid off before cutting one behind point for a second boundary. He followed that up with a short-arm pull over the midwicket region for a maximum.
The introduction of spin didn't bother Prabhsimran either as he continued his boundary hitting spree, hitting Ashwin to two consecutive fours as Punjab raced to 63/0 in the Powerplay.
With a half-century in his kitty, Prabhsimran welcomed back Boult for his second spell with a flat-batted six down the ground.
His fabulous innings came to an end, courtsey Jason Holder and Jos Buttler, who took a sensational catch, diving forward from long on.
Punjab were handed another blow as Dhawan's powerful drive hit the big-hitting Bhanuka Rajapaksa in his right arm, forcing the Sri Lankan to retire hurt on 1.
A spectator for most part of Prabhsimran's innings, Dhawan upped the ante as he played some well-timed shots to get to his half century in 36 balls.
Jitesh Sharma showcased his batting proweress in his 15-ball 27 that included in 89m monstrous six off Boult.
Spinners Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal were able to stem the run flow momentarily as they picked the wickets of Jitesh and Sikandra Raza in quick succession.
Holder (2/29) then took a wicket and conceded just seven runs to restrict Punjab under the 200-run mark.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
