Injured Pant smashes fifty before England bowl India out for 358
Manchester, Jul 24 (PTI): Rishabh Pant batted with a fractured toe to score a half-century before Ben Stokes-led England ended India's first innings at 358 on the second day of the fourth Test here on Thursday.
The injured Pant, who walked in awkwardly to a standing ovation a day after retiring hurt on 37 after copping a blow on his right foot, braved pain to make 54 off 75 balls even as Stokes finished with excellent figures of 5/72.
Resuming on 264 for four, India were dealt an early blow as Ravindra Jadeja edged a Jofra Archer outswinger to Harry Brook at second slip in only the day's second over. It was a fine catch by Brooks who dived forward to hold the dipping ball.
Shardul Thakur (41) and Washington Sundar (27) then added 48 runs for the sixth wicket while negotiating a tough phase after England opted to take the second new ball at the start of the day's play.
England skipper Stokes broke the flourishing stand when he had Thakur brilliantly caught at gully by a diving Ben Duckett.
Brief scores:
India 1st innings: 358 all out in 114.1 overs (Sai Sudharsan 61, Yashasvi Jaiswal 58, Rishabh Pant 54, Shardul Thakur 41; Ben Stokes 5/72).
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TN seeks duty-free cotton imports to support textile sector: CM Vijay writes to PM
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the import duty on cotton.
In his first letter to Modi after taking over as chief minister of the state, he said Tamil Nadu is the country’s largest textile and apparel exporting state.
Lakhs of people are dependent on this sector for both direct and indirect employment, especially women from rural and semi-urban backgrounds, Vijay pointed out.
Stating that the industry is facing a severe crisis due to an increase in cotton prices and consequently yarn prices, he said, “I understand this is caused primarily due to a shortage in cotton production and increased trading activity in the country.”
Pointing out that the price of cotton has increased from Rs 54,700 to Rs 67,700 per candy—an increase of 25 per cent over the last two months—while yarn prices have increased from Rs 301 to Rs 330 per kg, he said, “In this situation, the continued supply of raw material can be ensured only through imports.”
However, there is an import duty of 11 per cent on cotton, he said, adding that in such a situation, permitting duty-free cotton imports will help the industry meet increasing export commitments and remain globally competitive.
Vijay said that after agriculture, the textile and apparel sector is one of the largest employment-generating sectors.
“There is a significant responsibility on the government to safeguard the employment of lakhs of people and ensure the sustainability of the textile value chain," he said.
“Hence, I request your intervention to remove the import duty on cotton from the existing 11 per cent to 0 per cent to ensure the availability of raw material. This measure will enable the textile and apparel industry to remain globally competitive, enhance exports, and protect jobs,” he added.
