IPL: Rinku Singh conjures up magical knock under pressure to script sensational win over GT
Ahmedabad, Apr 9: Kolkata Knight Riders' Rinku Singh slammed five consecutive sixes to pull off a sensational three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League here on Sunday.
Needing 29 runs off the last over, Rinku slammed left-arm pacer Yash Dayal for five sixes on the trot to register a last-ball victory.
Rashid Khan led from the front and returned with impressive figures of 3 for 37, while Alzarri Joseph (2/27) picked up two wickets, but all their efforts went in vain.
Venkatesh Iyer made 83 off 40 balls for KKR while skipper Nitish Rana played a fine 29-ball 45-run knock.
Rinku played the knock of his life and struck one four and as many as six hits over the fence to seal a famous win for KKR.
Earlier, electing to bat, GT rode on Sai Sudharsan and Vijay Shankar's fifties to post a mammoth 204 for four.
Hardik Pandya missed the game as he is unwell and in his place Rashid led GT.
Sudharsan made a 38-ball 53 while Shankar scored an unbeaten 63 off just 24 balls.
Besides Sudharsan and Shankar, opener Shubman Gill made 39.
For KKR, Sunil Narine picked up three wickets by giving away 33 runs.
Brief Scores:
Gujarat Titans: 204 for 4 in 20 overs (Vijay Shankar 63 not out, Sai Sudharsan 53; Sunil Narine 3/33).
Kolkata Knight Riders: 207 for 4 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 83, Rinku Singh 48 not out, Nitish Rana 45; Rashid Khan 3/37, Alzarri Joseph 2/27).
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
