India thrash Australia in first Test to go 1-0 up in 4-match series
Nagpur (PTI): India thrashed Australia by an innings and 132 runs inside three days in the opening Test to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series here on Saturday.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (5/37) returned with a five wicket haul as India
shot off Australia for 91 in 32.3 overs in their second innings just before tea.
Australia conceded a massive first innings lead of 223.
Bowling a probing length, Ashwin ran through the Australian top order and annexed his 31st fifer in just his 10th over, before Ravindra Jadeja (2/34), Mohammed Shami (2/13) and Axar Patel (1/6) completed the formalities.
Earlier, Patel hit a career-best 84 (174 balls; 10x4s, 1x6) in an entertaining 52-run ninth wicket partnership with Shami who was at his aggressive best in his 37 from 47 balls (2x4s, 3x6s).
In reply to Australia's 177, India were bowled out for 400 at lunch on a turning Jamtha wicket.
The left-handed Patel, who was overnight 52, looked calm and was in control to give India a solid batting depth at No 9.
For Australia, debutant off-spinner Tod Murphy was the pick of of their attack to return with impressive figures of 47-12-124-7.
Brief Scores:
Australia 1st innings: 177 and 2nd innings: 91 all out in 32.3 overs (Ravichandran Ashwin 5/37).
India 1st innings: 400 all out in 139.3 overs (Rohit Sharma 120, Axar Patel 84, Ravindra Jadeja 70; Todd Murphy 7/124). India win by an innings and 132 runs.
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Nearly 4,000 pilgrims set sail for Katchatheevu islet to participate in annual two-day festival
Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): Nearly 4,000 Indian pilgrims on Friday set sail for the uninhabited Katchatheevu islet to participate in the annual two-day festival, which will officially commence at 4 pm at the St Antony’s Church, officials said.
The festival marks a significant moment of shared cultural and religious heritage between India and Sri Lanka.
The first batch of devotees was flagged off from the Rameswaram fishing harbour at approximately 6 am by Ramanathapuram District Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon.
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According to official records, a total of 3,996 registered pilgrims -- comprising 3,033 men, 726 women, and 150 children -- are crossing the Palk Strait in a fleet of 118 boats, which includes 92 mechanised trawlers and 26 country boats.
The festival will officially commence with a traditional flag-hoisting ceremony. This will be followed by the 'Way of the Cross' procession and a late-night chariot festival, where the statue of the patron saint will be carried around the shrine by Sri Lankan Navy personnel, sources said.
Strict security measures are in place, with the Indian Coast Guard and Customs department conducting a three-tier verification process at the Rameswaram jetty. All pilgrims were required to produce their Aadhaar cards and a mandatory Police No Objection Certificate (NOC).
Authorities have strictly prohibited the carriage of plastic items, alcohol, and excessive jewellery.
According to official sources, all vessels are equipped with adequate life jackets and are being escorted by Coast Guard hovercrafts up to the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
The festivities will reach their peak on Saturday morning with a Special High Mass conducted by the Bishops of Jaffna and Colombo in both Tamil and Sinhala. The event will conclude with the lowering of the flag, after which the Indian pilgrims will begin their return journey.
To facilitate the event, the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department has enforced a total fishing ban in the region until March 1, leaving over 1,000 local boats moored at the docks to ensure clear passage for the pilgrim fleet.
The islet was ceded to Sri Lanka by India by ways of two agreements in 1970s.
