ICC rates Indore track as "poor", venue gets 3 demerit points
Indore, Mar 3: The ICC on Friday rated the pitch used for the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match at the Holkar Stadium as "poor" after Australia beat India by nine wickets in a little over two days.
The poor rating also earned Indore, three demerit points and will remain active for five years rolling period.
India were all out for 109 and 163 in their two innings while Australia managed 197 in their first essay before knocking off the required 76 runs for a win on the third morning.
"ICC Match Referee Chris Broad submitted his report to the ICC expressing the concerns of the match officials and after consulting with captains of both teams. Following the assessment, the venue has received three demerit points," the release issued by the global body stated.
The consultation with the two captains Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith meant that both concurred with Broad's assessment that it couldn't be termed a pitch which is good advertisement for international cricket.
The report has been forwarded to the BCCI, who now have 14 days if they wish to appeal against the sanction.
Broad said: "The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start.
"The fifth ball of the match broke through the pitch surface and continued to occasionally break the surface providing little or no seam movement and there was excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match."
India had lost seven wickets in the first session itself with the ball turning square during the opening half an hour.
While most of the experts have panned the pitch, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said that he has no regrets playing on a result oriented track and hinted that he won't mind if something on similar lines is on offer for the final game in Ahmedabad.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
