India beat England by seven wickets in first T20I
Kolkata, Jan 22 (PTI): Abhishek Sharma struck a magnificent 79 off 34 balls as India beat England by seven wickets in the first T20 International here on Wednesday.
Chasing a paltry 133 for a win, India overhauled the target with 43 balls to spare as they reached 133 for 3 in just 12.5 overs.
Abhishek made England pay for a dropped catch as he hit five fours and eight sixes during his hurricane 34-ball innings. His opening partner Sanju Samson made 26 off 20 balls.
Earlier, India bowled England out for 132 in 20 overs after the visitors were asked to bat by home team captain Suryakumar Yadav.
Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy (3/23) was the most successful Indian bowler while seamer Arshdeep Singh (2/17), Axar Patel (2/22) and Hardik Pandya (2/42) chipped in with two wickets apiece.
For England, captain Jos Buttler played a lone hand with 68 off 44 balls.
Brief Scores:
England: 132 all out in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 68; Varun Chakravarthy 3/23, Arshdeep Singh 2/17, Axar Patel 2/22, Hardik Pandya 2/42).
India: 133 for 3 in 12.5 overs (Abhishek Sharma 79; Jofra Archer 2/21).
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Opposition raking up Dalit CM issue to divert attention: Karnataka Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday accused the opposition of "unnecessarily stoking" the debate over a Dalit Chief Minister to deflect attention from governance.
He asserted that only the Congress has the commitment to elevate a Dalit leader to the top post.
Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said the ongoing discussion on a Dalit Chief Minister was being amplified by opposition parties.
“This is the work of the opposition. To hide their own failures, they are raising the issue of the Chief Minister. Isn’t the administration running smoothly? Isn’t the Chief Minister governing?” he asked.
The Minister noted that for the past 10–12 days, detailed budget discussions had been held across departments and governance was progressing normally.
Parameshwara, who is a Dalit, said the Congress alone had the history and political will to make a Dalit Chief Minister.
“Yes, it must be the Congress party. Who else will do it?” he said, while clarifying that the timing of any such decision would be determined by the party high command.
On Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s media statement targeting the JD(S) and invoking social justice, Parameshwara said Siddaramaiah had earlier been part of the JD(S) and even served as its president before being expelled.
He noted that the internal history of that party was best known to those within it and declined to comment on specific internal matters.
Defending the Chief Minister’s ideological position, Parameshwara said Siddaramaiah’s politics had always been rooted in social justice and that there was nothing new or opportunistic about his stance.
The Chief Minister, he said, had consistently built his political career on that foundation.
