India opt to bat in pink ball Test against Australia
Adelaide (PTI): India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat in the pink ball Test against Australia here on Friday.
India made three changes with Rohit, Shubman Gill and Ravichandran Ashwin returning to the playing XI, replacing Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar.
For Australia, Scott Boland replaced injured pace-bowling colleague Josh Hazlewood.
India lead the five-match series 1-0 after winning the first Test in Perth by 295 runs.
"I'm batting in the middle order, which is different but I'm ready for the challenge. I have been here for two weeks now. Ready to go now," Rohit said at the toss.
"What the boys did in Perth was superb. It's a long series, we'll try and do most things right. The fast bowlers are happy (with the break). We want to carry from where we left.
"Looks like a good pitch, looks a bit dry at the moment, enough grass covering as well. There will be something in it for everyone."
The teams:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (w), Nitish Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (w), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
