Fit-again Saha set to return to action after nine months
Kolkata, Feb 17: Bengal on Sunday selected a fit-again Wriddhiman Saha in their 15-member squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 domestic tournament.
The former India Test wicketkeeper batsman, who went under the knife for a shoulder injury, is set to return to action for the first time since May 25 when he last played for his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens here.
"I'm approaching the tournament as just like returning from a normal break. It's like the start of the season for me," Saha said of his comeback.
Bengal will open their campaign against Mizoram in their group D fixture in Cuttack on February 21.
Things have changed dramatically for Saha in this nine months with Rishabh Pant establishing his place in the national side.
"I've never played cricket thinking about selection. It's not in my hands. I'm focused on what is in my control and that is my performance. I'm keen to make full use of the opportunities that come my way," the 34-year-old said.
India's next Test assignment will only be after the World Cup when they visit the West Indies for a two-Test series in July.
Manoj Tiwary will lead the Bengal side with Abhimanyu Easwaran as his deputy. Bengal had last won the title in 2010/11 season.
Bengal are clubbed along side Mizoram, Karnataka, Assam, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha in group D, the matches for which will be held in Cuttack.
Bengal squad: Manoj Tiwary (captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vice-captain), Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Vivek Singh, Writtick Chatterjee, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury, Shahbaz Ahamad, Pradipta Pramanik, Kanishk Seth, Ashok Dinda, Sayan Ghosh, Ishan Porel, Prayas Ray Barman and Ayan Bhattacharjee.
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Women BJP MLAs protest against opposition in UP assembly premises
Lucknow (PTI): Women BJP MLAs held a protest in the Vidhan Bhawan complex before the one-day special session of Uttar Pradesh assembly, slamming the opposition for defeating the passage of a bill, which would have led to implementation of the Women's Reservation Law, in the Lok Sabha.
This followed another demonstration by Samajwadi Party MLAs, who alleged that the BJP was misleading public in the name of women's reservation.
The women BJP legislators assembled in front of Chaudhary Charan Singh's statue in the assembly premises, holding banners inscribed with the slogan "Insult to Matrushakti (women's power), India will not tolerate it". The protesting members entered the main hall of Vidhan Bhawan carrying the banners.
Participating in the protest, the state Minister for Women Welfare and Child Development, Baby Rani Maurya, told reporters that all opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, had opposed the women's reservation, a stance for which they would have to pay a heavy political price.
"On this issue, all of us women stand united. We will ensure that we secure our reservation," she said.
BJP MLA Ketki Singh remarked that their protest represents the collective outrage of millions of women across the state.
Singh asserted that the opposition has betrayed women by creating hurdles in the path of women's reservation. The current demonstration is merely the beginning, and very soon, women from every street, intersection and household will join the protest movement, she said.
Minister Vijaylakshmi Gautam said, "We strongly condemn the despicable act committed by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in an attempt to hold back 'half the population' (women). Their action was directed against the very bill that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had introduced to empower and strengthen Nari Shakti (women's power), and which he strived to pass expeditiously."
Uttar Pradesh assembly is holding a one-day special session on Thursday. During the session, the government is set to move a censure motion against the opposition parties over their failure to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill, which would have led to implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, in the Lok Sabha.
