India vs New Zealand: India show intent for fight, reach 194 for 5 at tea
Christchurch: Prithvi Shaw's attacking half-century was complemented by seasoned Cheteshwar Pujara and gutsy Hanuma Vihari's contrasting knocks as India reached 194 for five at tea on the opening day of the second Test.
While Shaw counter-attacked for a quickfire 54 off 64 balls, Pujara showed his customary patience (53 batting off 135 balls) in company of a calm Hanuma Vihari (55 off 70 balls) with India displaying both intent and guts to fight it out on a seamer-friendly wicket.
Pujara and Vihari added 83 runs for the fifth wicket after India were in dire straits losing skipper Virat Kohli (3) and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane (7) to some top quality seam bowling from Tim Southee (2/38).
From 80 for 1, India slumped to 113 for four just after lunch before the Pujara-Vihari pair fought back with lot of vigour. Pujara's innings so far has six fours while Vihari hit 10 boundaries.
The Andhra batsman counter-attacked Neil Wagner's (1/29) short balls before being dismissed by one such delivery at the stroke of tea.
Earlier, put in to bat on a green-top, Indian batsmen, especially Shaw, got value for his shots as his 54 off 64 balls had eight fours and a hooked-six off Wagner.
A rush of blood just after reaching his half-century brought about his downfall.
Shaw lunged into a drive to an over-pitched delivery from Kyle Jamieson (1/35) and Tom Latham at second slip plucked a one-handed stunner from thin air.
Other opener Mayank Agarwal (7) wasted a DRS as he was plumb in-front to an incoming delivery from Trent Boult (1/51).
The 50-run stand between Shaw and Pujara was dominated by the talented Mumbaikar, who hit some delightful drives off Southee and Colin de Grandhomme.
The bounce and carry made it easier to hit on the rise and Shaw's improved footwork saw him drive elegantly through the covers.
There were square drives and a few on-drives while he also played and missed a few. He did live dangerously but more importantly had the scoreboard ticking even as Pujara was stuck at the other end.
Wagner wasn't used much with the semi-new kookaburra ball and it was his bouncer that Shaw hooked well enough to evade a 6 feet 8 inch Jamieson for maximum.
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Australian woman fined for stealing Chanel perfume from airport duty-free store after two years
Singapore: A 35-year-old Australian national, Raj Varsha, was fined $750 by a Singapore court on April 11 after pleading guilty to stealing a bottle of Chanel perfume valued at nearly $250 from a duty-free store at Changi Airport in March 2023.
According to court proceedings, the incident occurred at around 4:10 a.m. on March 22, 2023, when Varsha entered The Shilla Duty Free store located in the Terminal 1 departure transit area.
State Prosecuting Officer Zakir Hussain informed the court that Varsha had concealed the perfume bottle in her bag and exited the store without making payment.
Security personnel, upon noticing the missing item, alerted store employees. CCTV footage confirmed the theft, after which the store supervisor notified the Airport Police Division. Varsha departed for Thailand with her family at approximately 9:10 a.m. on the same day.
She was detained on March 31, 2025, upon re-entering Singapore. During investigations, Varsha admitted to the theft and stated that she had given the stolen item to her mother as a gift.
In court, Varsha, who did not have legal representation, expressed remorse and apologized for her actions. She told District Judge A. Sangeetha that she accepted full responsibility and had no prior legal infractions. Full restitution for the stolen item has since been made to the store.
Under Singapore law, theft is punishable by imprisonment for up to three years, a fine, or both.
