India player Murali Vijay calls time on international career
Chennai (PTI): Out-of-favour India player Murali Vijay on Monday announced he was retiring from international cricket.
The right-handed batter who featured in 61 Tests, 17 ODIs and nine T20 Internationals last played for the country in the Perth Test against Australia in December 2018.
His Test debut was against Australia in the 2008-09 season at Nagpur as a replacement for Gautam Gambhir.
He featured in first-class and List A cricket for Tamil Nadu late in 2019. As far as professional cricket is concerned, he last turned out for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League in 2020.
"Today, with immense gratitude and humility, I announce my retirement from all forms of international cricket," Vijay said in a statement on Twitter.
"I am excited to announce that I will be exploring new opportunities in the world of cricket and the business side of it, where I will also continue to participate in the sport that I love and challenge myself in new and different environments," the 38-year-old Vijay added.
"I believe this is the next step in my journey as a cricketer and I look forward to the new chapter in my life."
He thanked the BCCI, TNCA, CSK and Chemplast Sanmar and said, "I am grateful for the opportunities given to me by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, Chennai Super Kings and Chemplast Sanmar."
"To all my team-mates, coaches, mentors and support staff: It has been an absolute privilege to have played with you all, and, I thank you for helping me turn my dream into reality," he further said.
Thanking fans for their support through his ups and downs, he said, "I will forever cherish the moments I spent with you all and your support has always been a source of motivation for me.
"Lastly, I would like to thank my family & friends for their unconditional love and support throughout my career. They have been my backbone and without them, I would not have been able to achieve what I have today," he said.
In 61 Tests, Vijay scored 3982 runs at an average of 38.28 with a highest score of 167. He hit 12 hundreds and 15 half-centuries.
In 17 ODIs, he made 339 runs and in seven T20Is, he got 169 runs.
In the IPL, he shone for CSK and the runs he scored turned the attention on him. In the 2010 season, Vijay scored 458 runs for the Super Kings with a century and two fifties, including a blistering 127 against Rajasthan Royals in Chennai, which brought him into the national reckoning.
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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
