I just focus on execution and stick to what I've practised: Arshdeep
Hobart (PTI): Arshdeep Singh's incisive new-ball burst and ice-cool execution at the death powered India to a series-levelling win over Australia in the third T20 International here on Sunday, and the left-arm seamer credited a clear mind and hard training for his performance.
Arshdeep, who was named Player of the Match, said he has been focussing on clarity and consistency rather than trying too hard for results.
"I've just been working on my process, trusting my skills, and executing the plans I’ve practised," Arshdeep, who took three wickets for 35 runs, said after the game.
"It feels great to contribute when I get the chance. When someone like Bumrah is bowling from the other end, batters often take more risks against me, and that gives me wicket-taking opportunities."
"I just try to enjoy my bowling and keep things simple. No matter the situation — powerplay or death — I just focus on execution and stick to what I’ve practised."
India captain Suryakumar Yadav praised his side’s balanced effort with both the bat and ball, calling the Bumrah-Arshdeep combination “lethal” and applauding the new players in the playing XI for stepping up.
"It was really important to win the toss. Good to break the streak and be on the winning side," Suryakumar said.
"Those guys who came in today were practising really hard. This was a really good combination. Washy (Washington Sundar) is a flexible batter, and both Bumrah and Arshdeep are a lethal combination.
"Shubman and Abhishek are fire and ice; same for Bumrah and Arshdeep. Bumrah did his job brilliantly and Arshdeep was very clear with his plans."
Australia, asked to bat first, were restricted to 186 for 6 despite fighting knocks from Tim David and Marcus Stoinis.
Captain Mitchell Marsh admitted his team was “probably 20 runs short” and credited India’s bowlers for executing better on the day.
"Credit to India — they bowled really well. We gave it our best in the field, but they deserved the win. I liked the intent from our batters, especially Tim David, who came in after early wickets and played superbly. Stoinis too showed great experience at the end," Marsh said.
"In T20s, small margins — one or two good overs or bad overs — can change everything."
The Australian skipper also revealed that Glenn Maxwell was close to featuring in the match but wasn’t fully fit.
"He was close to playing today but not quite ready. Hopefully he’ll be fit and available for Thursday. He’s such an experienced T20 campaigner — we’d love to have him back."
The series now heads to Gold Coast which will host the fourth T20I on Thursday.
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Fascism will not be allowed to enter through the back door of vote rigging: CM Siddaramaiah
New Delhi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday asserted that fascism would not be allowed to enter India “through the back door of vote rigging” and called upon citizens to collectively defend the country’s democratic foundations.
Speaking after participating in an anti–vote rigging protest organised in New Delhi, Siddaramaiah said the gathering was not merely a political demonstration but a stand to protect Indian democracy. “We have come to the heart of our republic not as Congress workers or voters, but as protectors of Indian democracy,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of the right to vote, Siddaramaiah said it was the most sacred right guaranteed by the Constitution and the very foundation of democracy.
“Through voting, a farmer shapes the future of his children, a worker safeguards his dignity, a youth realises dreams, and a nation expresses its collective will,” he said.
He accused the BJP-led Union government of attempting to undermine this right through what he termed systematic vote rigging, including the alleged misuse of the special revision of electoral rolls. “This power is being stolen repeatedly,” he alleged.
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Warning against authoritarian tendencies, Siddaramaiah said history had shown that dictatorship does not begin with violence but with the misuse of institutions and manipulation of democratic systems.
“Across the world, authoritarian regimes pretend to protect democracy while quietly subverting it. This is what the BJP is doing today,” he charged.
He alleged that the ruling party was controlling institutions, intimidating electoral machinery, distorting voter lists, suppressing voter turnout in opposition strongholds, and misusing money and power. “This is not mere maladministration. Vote rigging is an attack on the very idea of India,” he said.
Siddaramaiah further claimed that governments formed through “stolen votes” could not be considered democratic.
“Such regimes survive through fear, fraud and distortion of the people’s mandate,” he said, adding that vote rigging posed the biggest threat to the republic since Independence.
Praising Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah said he had shown exceptional courage in exposing alleged irregularities in voter lists, booth-level manipulation and “systematic, organised vote rigging” across several states, including Karnataka, Haryana and Bihar.
Referring to Karnataka, Siddaramaiah cited Mahadevpura and Aland constituencies as examples highlighted by Gandhi. In Mahadevpura, he said, thousands of allegedly fake and fraudulent voter entries and discrepancies in electoral rolls pointed to a narrow BJP victory. In Aland, he said, attempts were made to remove the names of legitimate voters ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
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He noted that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had recently filed a chargesheet accusing seven persons, including a former BJP MLA and his son, of attempting to delete the names of around 6,000 voters in Aland.
“This is a significant legal step in the fight against vote rigging,” he said.
Siddaramaiah concluded by stating that the fight against vote rigging was rooted in constitutional morality, Ambedkarite thought and the core principle of democracy. “Sovereignty belongs to the people, not to any party, regime or those who seek to steal elections,” he said.
