India-Australia series opener called off due to rain
Canberra(PTI): India skipper Suryakumar Yadav was back in his element with some spectacular hits but inclement weather proved to be a complete dampener as the first T20 International against Australia was called off after a steady spell of shower here on Wednesday.
With his deputy Shubman Gill (37 not out off 20 balls) also in good nick, Suryakumar showed controlled aggression before unleashing a flurry of attractive strokes en route his unbeaten 39 off 24 balls. The duo added 62 runs off 35 balls for the second wicket and both looked good for big scores which was not to be in the end.
Suryakumar, who has had a strike-rate of less than 110 and managed only 100 runs in 2025, showed why he was once world's No. 1 ranked T20 batter as he picked up a Josh Hazlewood delivery and deposited it over square leg fence.
That was the shot of confidence that Suryakumar needed in his armoury. It only helped that Manuka Oval strip had good bounce and carry, two essential co-factors in the Indian skipper's game.
He farmed the strike for some time till he reached 20 before breaking the shackles off Nathan Ellis' over, the 10th of the innings, as he uppishly square-cut, followed by an off-drive and then a huge pull over mid-wicket for a six before the heavens opened up.
At the other end, Gill blended caution and aggression with some lusty blows, including a slog-swept six over cow corner off left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann which effectively opened the floodgates.
There were two breaks across the 9.4 overs that India had to endure and after the first break, next 4.4 overs turned out to be very productive for the visitors with 54 runs coming during that phase. The rain also meant that the ball was getting wet and Australian bowlers found it difficult to grip.
Earlier, Abhishek Sharma (19 off 14 balls), who started the onslaught with three fours off Xavier Bartlett, couldn't gauge Ellis' back-of-the-hand slower delivery which was pouched by the mid-off fielder after the southpaw failed to get the required elevation.
This was after Gill had smashed Ellis for a couple of boundaries to get going.
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Regulator DGCA eases flight duty norms for pilots amid IndiGo crisis
Mumbai (PTI): Aviation watchdog DGCA on Friday eased the flight duty norms by allowing substitution of leaves with a weekly rest period amid massive operational disruptions at IndiGo, according to sources.
As per the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, "no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest", which means that weekly rest period and leaves are to be treated separately. The clause was part of efforts to address fatigue issues among the pilots.
Citing IndiGo flight disruptions, sources told PTI that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to withdraw the provision 'no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest' from the FDTL norms.
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"In view of the ongoing operational disruptions and representations received from various airlines regarding the need to ensure continuity and stability of operations, it has been considered necessary to review the said provision," DGCA said in a communication dated December 5.
The gaps in planning ahead of the implementation of the revised FDTL, the second phase of which came into force from November 1, have resulted in crew shortage at IndiGo and is one of the key reasons for the current disruptions.
#BREAKING: #DGCA relaxes a clause which debarred airlines to club leaves with weekly rest to mitigate #IndiGo crisis
— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) December 5, 2025
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