Antigua: India A's top-order, led by opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, fired in unison to steer the team to a convincing eight-wicket win in the fifth and final unofficial one-dayer against the West Indies A, completing a 4-1 series triumph here.

Rahul Chahar (2/53) and his cousin Deepak (2/39), along with pacer Navdeep Saini (2/31) -- all of whom made the cut for India's limited over squad on Sunday --, picked up two wickets each to help India A dismiss West Indies A for 236 in 47.4 overs.

Gaikwad (99) then led the chase but missed out on a well-deserved century. His fellow opener Shubman Gill (69) and first-down Shreyas Iyer (61) also blasted half-centuries as India A overhauled the target in 33 overs at Coolidge Cricket Ground here.

Gill hit eight fours and three sixes in a 40-ball 69 to share an opening stand of 110 with Gaikwad. He was dismissed by the off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall in the 12th over.

Gaikwad then took India A to the brink of victory before being removed by Keemo Paul with the visitors needing just 15. His 89-ball innings was laced with 11 fours and three sixes. 

Iyer, who added 112 runs for the second wicket with Gaikwad, remained unconquered with 61 off 64 balls. He had three hits to the fence and cleared the ropes twice.

Earlier, electing to bat, West Indies A made a good start with opener Sunil Ambris cracking a 52-ball 61 studded with seven boundaries and two sixes to give the team early momentum.

But India A's bowlers triggered a collapse, reducing the hosts from 77 for no loss to 103 for six. 

Sherfane Rutherford then came up with a 70-ball 65 to lift West Indies A to 236. Khary Pierre hit four boundaries and a six in his unbeaten 35 off 34 balls before running out of partners.

India A 237 for 2 (Gaikwad 99, Gill 69, Iyer 61 not out; Keemo Paul 1/37) beat West Indies A 236 (Rutherford 65, Ambris 61; Navdeep Saini 2/31, Deepak Chahar 2/39, Rahul Chahar 2/53) by eight wickets.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday said a boy and a girl before marriage are "total strangers" and they should be cautious while indulging in pre-marital physical relationships.

A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan, which was hearing the bail plea of a man accused of rape on a false promise of marriage, questioned the woman why she travelled all the way to Dubai where they indulged in physical relationship.

"It's consensual. We may be old-fashioned but a boy and girl before marriage are total strangers. They should be circumspect in indulging in physical relationships before marriage," the bench observed.

"Whatever may be the thick and thin of their relationship, we fail to understand how they can be indulging in physical relationship before marriage. Maybe we are old- fashioned but you must be very careful, nobody should believe anybody before marriage," Justice Nagarathna said.

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Counsel for the woman said they met on a matrimonial website in 2022 and he allegedly established physical relations with her on a false promise of marriage on multiple occasions in Delhi and later in Dubai.

Justice Nagarathna questioned the woman about what was the need for her to travel to Dubai and observed that it appears to be a case of consensual relationship.

"She should not have gone before marriage if she was so strict about it. We will send them to mediation. These are not cases which are to be tried and convicted when there is consensual relationship," she said.

Justice Nagarathna asked the counsel for the man to pay some compensation to her and be done with it.

The bench also asked the woman’s counsel to explore the possibility of settlement and posted the matter for hearing on Wednesday to see the views of both the parties. The woman has claimed in her complaint that on his insistence, she travelled to Dubai where he allegedly established physical relations with her on false pretext of marriage and recorded intimate videos without her consent, threatening to circulate them if she resisted.

The woman said that later she learnt that he had married a second woman in January, 2024 in Punjab.

The Delhi High Court and the trial court had dismissed the bail application of the man.

The high court rejected bail, saying the allegations prima facie indicate that the promise of marriage was false from inception, particularly as the petitioner was already married and had married again on January 19, 2024.

Aggrieved by the high court's order, the man approached the top court for bail in the case.