Kanpur, Nov 25: India were 258 for four at stumps on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand here on Thursday.

Shreyas Iyer was batting on 75 while Ravindra Jadeja was unbeaten on 50 at stumps.

Electing to bat, Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara shared 61 runs after the fall of Mayank Agarwal (13) early.

India lost three wickets in the afternoon session before debutant Iyer and Jadeja added an unfinished 113 runs to take India across the 250-mark.

Kyle Jamieson (3/47) troubled the Indian batters, scalping three wickets, while his pace colleague Tim Southee (1/43) took one wicket.

Brief Scores:

India 1st innings: 258 for 4 in 84 overs (Shubman Gill 52, Shreyas Iyer 75 not out; Kyle Jamieson 3/47).

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Ballari: A shocking discovery has come to light in Ballari, where nearly 24,000 quintals of jowar, valued at Rs 6 crore, were reportedly found infested with worms in a godown managed by the Karnataka State Warehousing Corporation (KSWC).

The contaminated grain was distributed to fair price shops in and around the district, as reported by The New Indian Express on Saturday.

The issue was exposed when Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa visited the KSWC's Unit-2 godown. During the inspection, he found that 48,000 bags of jowar, each weighing 50 kg, had become unsuitable for consumption due to worm infestation.

When Justice Veerappa, deputy registrar Aravind NV and others questioned about the condition of the grain, Sharavathi, the manager of the Ballari unit of KSWC, and Sakina, the deputy director of Food and Civil Supplies, explained that they obtained a certificate from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) on March 29, 2024, that “jowar is fit” for consumption, TNIE added. The grain had subsequently been sent to Haveri and other districts for distribution through fair price shops.

However, Justice Veerappa pointed out that the jowar was not even fit for animals to consume. Expressing his displeasure, he stated that negligence by officials had resulted in the wastage of 48,000 bags of jowar.

Meanwhile, Sharavathi reportedly questioned Justice Veerappa's visit to the godown, asking him to provide photographic evidence linked to GPS for confirmation. This demand left him enraged, as he remarked, "This shows they have reached a stage of even questioning us."

Justice Veerappa called the situation "unfortunate" and urged the concerned minister to take immediate action against the officials involved. He emphasised that taxpayers' money had been used to procure the jowar, and its wastage was unacceptable. "We will definitely take action under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act," he vowed.