India lose Shubhman Gill after bowling out England for 205 on Day 1 of fourth Test
Ahmedabad, Mar 4: India lost opener Shubhman Gill early after bundling out England for 205 on the opening day of the fourth and final Test here on Thursday.
England opted to bat on a track that had bounce and turn, though not vicious, and managed to cross the 200-run mark only for the second time in this series.
It was a much better show by the visitors though they could have done better had the batsmen applied themselves more.
India were 24 for one at stumps with a watchful Rohit Sharma (8) and ever-steady Cheteshwar Pujara (15) at the crease. Gill could not even open his account, losing his wicket to James Anderson in the third ball of the innings.
Indian spinners, led by Axar Patel (4/68), yet again troubled the visiting batsmen even as all-rounder Ben Stokes (55) resisted the attack quite well before being trapped in front by Washington Sundar.
Once he got his eye in, Stokes even employed the risky reverse sweep.
Dan Lawrence, coming out at number seven, also batted well, helping England get close to the 200-run mark with his 46-run knock.
Had Lawrence shown a bit more patience, it would have served England's purpose even more.
For the hosts, spinners Axar Patel (4/68) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3/47) shared seven wickets between them, while pacer Mohammed Siraj (2/45) also accounted for two batsmen.
India are leading the series 2-1 and need just a draw to qualify for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand to be held in June.
Brief Scores:
England 1st Innings: 205 all out in 75.5 overs (Ben Stokes 55, Dan Lawrence 46 ; Axar Patel 4/68, Ravichandran Ashwin 2/47, Mohammed Siraj 2/45).
India 1st Innings: 24 for 1 in 12 overs. (C Pujara batting 15, R Sharma batting 8; J Anderson 1/0).
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Charred body of teen found after fire destroys over 100 shanties in Delhi's Rithala
New Delhi (PTI): A massive fire swept through a cluster of shanties in Delhi's Rithala area early on Thursday, killing a 17-year-old girl and destroying more than 100 huts that left dozens of migrant families homeless.
Firefighters pulled out the charred body of the girl who was initially reported missing after the fire.
The blaze that was reported to authorities at 4.15 am spread rapidly through the densely packed shanties, triggering panic among residents who rushed out of their huts to escape the flames.
Residents said the shanty cluster was home to migrant labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and other states who worked as daily wage workers in nearby factories, construction sites and small establishments.
The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) launched a large-scale firefighting operation and deployed more than 18 fire tenders to control the blaze.
After the fire was brought under control, firefighters recovered the charred body of a teenage girl from the debris.
"Teams reached the location soon after the call was received and began firefighting operations. The fire had already engulfed several shanties in the cluster," a fire official said.
Officials said the blaze spread quickly because the huts were built very close to each other and many contained highly inflammable materials such as plastic sheets, wooden planks and cloth.
Firefighters and local police personnel carried out rescue and cooling operations and managed to bring the fire under control by around 6.30 am.
"The fire had spread to more than 100 huts and a adjacent godown of paper rolls and cardboard and the doors and windows of some residential flats also caught fire. A 17-year-old girl charred body was also recovered. Her body was sent to BSA Hospital by PCR," the officer said.
Police said the girl has been identified and further legal procedures are underway.
Many families said they lost everything in the fire as they had to flee with no belongings during the fire.
"We ran out to save our lives when the fire started. Within minutes everything was burning. Our hut, clothes, money and documents -- everything has turned to ashes," said Ramesh Kumar, a labourer from Bihar who has been living in the area.
Another person from West Bengal, said the flames spread so quickly that people barely had time to wake their children and escape.
"We woke up to screams and saw fire everywhere. We somehow managed to take the children outside. We could not save anything from the hut. All our belongings are gone," she said.
Some residents were seen searching through the burnt remains of their huts in the hope of finding salvageable items. "We worked for years to build this small hut and collect household items. In just a few minutes, everything we had earned was destroyed," said a migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh.
Police said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and an investigation is underway.
