India's hope pinned on Pant after yet another collapse, need 55 more to win 3rd Test
Mumbai (PTI): India's hope of averting a humiliating 0-3 whitewash at home for the first time rests on Rishabh Pant after suffering another batting collapse to struggle at 92 for 6 in pursuit of 147 at lunch on day three of the final Test against New Zealand here on Sunday.
The home team still needs another 55 runs to register a consolation win after having already lost the three-match series.
In yet another inexplicable collapse, India lost five wickets for mere 16 runs after New Zealand folded for 174, setting the hosts 147 to win on a spin-friendly pitch which largely remained docile in the morning session.
Ravindra Jadeja (5/55) had claimed the final wicket of Ajaz Patel to complete his second five-for and 10 wickets in the match.
At lunch, Pant was waging a lone battle on 53 not out off 50 balls with seven fours and a six, and has Washington Sundar on 6 for company.
Once again, Pant took charge to save the blushes for India with a knock that kept the game on tenterhooks, unleashing his rich arsenal of strokes to keep his side in the game.
But in yet another abject surrender at home India's star-studded batting line-up produced arguably its worst performance in time to remember.
India's shocking and inexplicable descent began with skipper Rohit Sharma's (11) erroneous attempt to play his signature pull shot off Matt Henry on a delivery which was barely waist-high.
As soon as Rohit's top edge went up, Henry broke into celebration knowing it was headed towards Glenn Phillips — one of the best fielders — who ran behind from midwicket to take a fine catch.
Coming off a fine 146-ball 90, Shubman Gill shouldered arms on a delivery from Ajaz Patel (4/43) expecting the ball to turn away but it straightened to crash into his off-stump.
He marched onto the ground once again with his bat on his shoulder, perhaps to exude confidence, but Virat Kohli (1) failed to reach the pitch of a floated delivery which took the edge of his bat to the first slip.
From the other end, Yashasvi Jaiswal (5) had watched some part of this surrender and he too became a part of it when he was beaten by Phillips (1/31) for a leg-before.
Sarfaraz Khan (0) went for a premeditated sweep shot on the first ball for the second time in the Test and paid heavy price too, top edging it for Rachin Ravindra to move in from deep square leg and complete a pair for the batter.
Jadeja (6) played second fiddle in a 42-run partnership with Pant in their bid to take India closer to the target but the all-rounder was caught brilliantly at short leg by Will Young off Patel.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
