Harshit Rana picks up four wickets as India limit Australia to 236 in 3rd ODI
Sydney (PTI): Matt Renshaw displayed his newly acquired white ball proficiency with a fine fifty, but Harshit Rana-led India bowlers struck at regular intervals to keep Australia to an underwhelming 236 in the third and final ODI here on Saturday.
Batting by choice, the Aussies failed to construct regular partnerships against a tidy effort by the Indians with the ball and on the field, particularly in the middle overs when spinners choked the run flow.
Pacer Rana was impressive during his four-wicket haul (4/39), a spell in which he generated good pace and bounce off a fresh SCG turf.
The first wicket stand of 61 between skipper Mitchell Marsh (41) and Travis Head, and a 54-run association between Renshaw (56) and Alex Carey kept the hosts afloat, but were not enough to carry them to a bigger total.
Marsh and Head played some typically powerful shots around the wicket, and the former had even smoked Prasidh Krishna for a pulled six. But Head guided a rather innocuous delivery from Mohammad Siraj straight into the hands of Prasidh at backward point.
That sharpness on the field soon became a feature of India’s fielding on the day. The catch Virat Kohli took at backward point to get rid of Matthew Short off Washington Sundar could be counted among the best reflex catches.
But Shreyas Iyer bettered that effort with a running catch to oust Carey. The wicketkeeper batter tried to loft Rana, but a leading edge took the ball to the opposite direction.
Shreyas hared off from point and covered a fair bit of distance to make a diving catch, though he suffered a minor hurt in the attempt.
Axar Patel worked his magic in between to dismiss Marsh, as a delivery that came in with the angle breached the West Australian’s defence to disturb the stumps. But Renshaw batted with assurance at one end, showing that he has eventually come to terms with the demands of white ball format nearly a decade after making his Test debut.
His focus was on taking singles and twos to wriggle out of the squeeze that the Indian bowlers applied in the middle overs, and his first boundary came in the 35th ball.
The left-hander fetched his fifty in 48 balls despite hitting just one four, but he could not extend his stay.
Washington beat his little shimmy with a quicker one and pinged his pads to win a leg-before appeal.
Mitchell Owen and Mitchell Starc did not last long either as Australia slipped to 201 for seven. A couple of cameos down the order gave their a touch of respectability.
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LoP Ashoka targets CM govt over corruption, says being 'shameless' in public life not forgivable
Bengaluru (PTI): Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka on corruption, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday said, being foolish was forgivable, but being "shameless" in public life was not.
The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly claimed that in just 30 months of its tenure, the Congress administration has broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies.
He was responding to Siddaramaiah's post on 'X' on Thursday hitting back at the BJP, stating that Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa's claims of "63 per cent corruption" were based on his report in November 2019, when BJP's B S Yediyurappa was the CM.
"But Ashoka, without understanding the Upa Lokayukta's statement properly, has ended up tying the BJP's own bells of sins onto our heads and has effectively shot himself in the foot," the CM had said, as he accused Ashoka of foolishness for trying to twist Veerappa's statement to target the current government.
Responding, Ashoka said, "it is one thing to be called foolish in politics, that can be forgiven."
"But in public life, especially in the Chief Minister's chair, one must never become shameless," Ashoka posted on 'X' on Friday addressing Siddaramaiah.
Noting that the CM himself had admitted on the floor of the Assembly that a Rs 87 crore scam took place in the Valmiki Development Corporation, he said that when a CM acknowledges such a massive irregularity inside the floor of the House, the natural expectation is immediate action and accountability.
"But instead of taking responsibility, you continue in office as if nothing has happened. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
Pointing out that the CM's Economic Advisor and senior Congress MLA Basavaraja Rayareddy had publicly stated that under Congress rule, Karnataka has become No.1 in corruption, Ashoka said, "Yet, you still cling to the Chief Minister's chair without a moment of introspection. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness."
Senior Congress MLA C R Patil had exposed the "money for House" racket in the Housing Department and even warned that the government would collapse if the details he has were made public, Ashoka said.
"Despite such serious allegations from within your own party (Congress), you neither initiated an inquiry nor acted against the concerned minister. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," Ashoka asked the CM.
Highlighting the "40 percent commission" allegation Congress made against the previous BJP government, the opposition leader said, the commission that the Siddaramaiah government appointed concluded that the accusation was baseless.
"After your own panel demolished your own claim, what moral right do you have to continue repeating that allegation. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
For the last two and a half years, Karnataka has been 'drowning' in corruption, scandals, irregularities and allegations across departments. Ashoka said, "If I begin listing every case that emerged under your government, even 24 hours would not be enough."
"And the most tragic aspect of your administration is this: the unbearable pressure, corruption demands and administrative harassment under your government pushed several officers and contractors into extreme distress - including the suicide of Chandrasekharan which exposed the Valmiki Development Corporation scam - a sign of how deeply broken the system has become under your watch," he said.
Instead of fixing this hopeless environment, the government has tried to bury every complaint and silence every voice, he charged.
"Being foolish is forgivable, but being shameless in public life is definitely not."
"When your own ministers admit scams, when your own advisors certify Karnataka as No.1 in corruption, and when your own MLAs expose rackets inside your departments - clinging to power without accountability is not leadership. It is shamelessness in its purest form." PTI KSU
Earlier on Thursday Ashoka had demanded that the corruption case and allegations in the state against the Congress government be handed over to a CBI investigation, citing a reported statement by Upalokaykta Justice Veerappa alleging "63 per cent corruption", following which Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leader.
