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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Israeli strike on Gaza shelter kills 17 as Blinken says cease-fire talks will resume
Deir al-Balah (Gaza Strip), Oct 24: An Israeli strike on a school where displaced people were sheltering in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 17 people on Thursday, nearly all women and children, Palestinian medical officials said.
The strike came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel had accomplished its objective of “effectively dismantling” Hamas, and that negotiations over a cease-fire and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages would resume in the coming days.
Another 42 people were wounded in the strike in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. Among the dead were 13 children under the age of 18 and three women, according to the hospital's records.
The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas group inside the school, without providing evidence. Israel has carried out several strikes on schools-turned-shelters in recent months, saying it precisely targets Hamas members hiding out among civilians. The strikes often kill women and children.
Blinken, speaking to reporters in Qatar, which has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, said negotiators would reconvene “in the coming days”.
“What we really have to determine is whether Hamas is prepared to engage," he said on his 11th visit to the region since the start of the war.
The United States hopes to renew the negotiations after Israeli forces killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza last week, but neither side has shown any sign of moderating its demands from months of negotiations that sputtered to a halt over the summer.
Blinken also announced an additional USD 135 million in US aid to the Palestinians, while again urging Israel to allow more assistance to enter the territory.
Health workers in besieged northern Gaza meanwhile warned of a catastrophic situation there, where Israel has been waging an air and ground offensive for more than two weeks.
