Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya help India put a fighting 169/6 against SA
Rajkot, Jun 17: Dinesh Karthik scored his maiden fifty close to 16 years after his T20 debut and alongside vice-captain Hardik Pandya, took India to a fighting 169 for six in the fourth game against South Africa here on Friday.
The Indians were struggling at 81 for four before a 65-run stand between Hardik (46 off 31) and Karthik (55 off 27) brought the home team back into the game.
Thanks to Hardik and Karthik, India were able to amass 73 runs in the last five overs.
South Africa put the Indians on the back-foot in the powerplay despite the absence of their lead bowler Kagiso Rabada due to an injury.
The other pacer, who missed due to an injury was Wayne Parnell while star opener Quinton de Kock made a welcome return at the expense of Reeza Hendricks.
The first ball after the powerplay made matters worse for India as the hosts struggled to 40 for three in 6.1 overs.
Ishan Kishan, who played some fine strokes en route to his 27 off 26, was dismissed on the very ball of Anrich Nortje's opening spell.
The southpaw tried to guide a short ball to third man but got himself in an awkward position to top edge it to de Kock.
India's top three has not looked comfortable against high quality pace in the series and it was evident here once again.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who had found form in the previous game, was the first one to depart after the extra bounce from Lungi Ngidi induced the outside edge.
Iyer, who has been troubled by the short ball in this series, missed a good length ball from Marco Jansen that pitched on middle and seamed back a little.
The Proteas had to take a DRS review for a LBW to send Iyer back in the hut, giving Jansen his first wicket on his T20 debut.
Post the powerplay, skipper Rishabh Pant and Hardik, gave the innings a move on with a 41-run stand.
Indian batters have targeted South Africa's weak link, the spinners, throughout the series and that trend continued on Friday.
Hardik hammered Tabraiz Shamsi was successive sixes for much needed runs while Pant was trying to find his range at the other end.
However, the India skipper once again went for the big one against a wide ball and that led to his downfall. On this occasion, Maharaj purposely bowled wide and Pant took the bait only to edge it back to short third man.
It was the fourth time in the series Pant perished to a ball wide of off stump.
The momentum changing stand came via Hardik and Karthik who swept his way to a memorable knock.
Having made his T20 debut back in December 2006 when India played their maiden game in the shortest format, the man of comebacks finally completed his first half century.
Standing deep in the crease, Karthik relied on the sweeps -- conventional towards square-leg, slogs over cow corner and reverse over '45' both against spinners and pacers, to get the bulk of his boundaries.
The most attractive stroke of his innings was the slog sweep off pacer Dwaine Pretorius that sailed over deep square leg.
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BJP intimidating people and asking them to vote in its favour, alleges Gujarat Cong chief
Ahmedabad (PTI): Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil on Wednesday alleged that the BJP was intimidating voters and asking them to either vote in its favour or refrain from voting in the Lok Sabha elections.
The ruling party in the state was misusing the government machinery to pressure the voters, he claimed.
The opposition party also released a phone number for voters to share the evidence, if they have any, against police or administrative officials trying to intimidate or pressure them to vote in favour of the BJP.
"It is a fundamental principle of democracy that the sacred festival of elections should be held neutrally without fear or bias. I have received representations from voters that they are being intimidated or pressured by the police and the administrative officials to vote in favour of the ruling party or refrain from voting," Gohil said in a video message.
He then urged the voters to make a video or audio recording of the criminal act of intimidation on their mobile phones, and if they have access to CCTV footage or stealth camera, they should collect the evidence and send it to WhatsApp number 8200059989 at the Congress party's war room at its state headquarters.
The development comes days after the nomination form of a Congress candidate from Surat, Nilesh Kumbhani, was rejected over discrepancies in proposers' signature, which Gohil claimed happened because the party candidate was intimidated by the BJP.
"The police and government employees are public servants, and your religion is to act neutrally without fear and you are expected to perform your sacred duty as a public servant," he said.
He also urged the voters to collect and save the evidence against officials or ministers or functionaries of the party in power so that they can use them when those who asked them to threaten people back out.
They can use the evidence against them as and when needed, Gohil added.
He also accused the people in power of approaching Congress candidates across the state and using various means to force them to withdraw their candidature.
"But they stood their ground and are worthy of salute," the Congress leader said.
On Sunday, Gohil claimed that the nomination form of the party's Surat Lok Sabha seat candidate Kumbhani was rejected at the behest of the BJP as it has sensed its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.
Kumbhani's form was rejected and other candidates eventually withdrew their nominations, leading to BJP's Mukesh Dalal winning the election unopposed.
Gohil claimed that Kumbhani was intimidated by the BJP.
"It hatched a conspiracy to get the forms of Congress candidates cancelled by hook or by crook. Kumbhani was their target ever since he filed his nomination form because BJP sensed defeat in Surat seat," he said.
Elections to the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will be held on May 7.
