Keshav Maharaj shatters records with career-best Test figures
Colombo, July 21 : South African spinner Keshav Maharaj on Saturday shattered a few records when he ripped through the Sri Lankan line-up in the first innings on Day 2 of the second and final Test at the SSC Stadium here.
Maharaj returned career-best figures of 9/129, to become the 19th overall and only the second South African after Hugh Tayfield to achieve the rare feat.
Tayfield achieved the feat in 1957, when he scalped 9/113 against England in Johannesburg.
Till date, only Englishman Jim Laker (10/53) and former India skipper Anil Kumble (10/74) have picked all 10 wickets in an innings of a Test match.
Maharaj, who ended the opening day with eight wickets, picked up his ninth when he packed veteran Rangana Herath's (35) to end the stiff 74-run last wicket stand with Akila Dananjaya (43 not out) as the hosts were bundled out for 338. His effort is also the best against the Islanders by any opposition bowler.
In reply, the South Africans were bundled out for a paltry 124 in their first essay, with Akila Dananjaya (5/52) and Dilruwan Perera (4/40) even as veteran Hashim Amla became the third Protea to notch 9,000 Test runs.
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Mamata calls incoming Bengal Guv R N Ravi 'BJP cadre', alleges Bose was forced out
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged that incoming Governor R N Ravi is a "BJP cadre" and claimed that the sudden exit of C V Ananda Bose from Lok Bhavan was the result of pressure from the Centre.
Addressing supporters at her ongoing dharna against deletions in voter rolls, Banerjee accused the BJP-led central government of attempting to convert Lok Bhavan into a political outpost in the run-up to the assembly elections in the state.
"Have you seen how C V Ananda Bose was removed? I know everything. He was threatened. They want to distribute money from Lok Bhavan. They want Lok Bhavan to be converted into a BJP party office. But everybody may not agree to such whims and fancies of Delhi," she alleged.
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Without citing specific instances, the Trinamool Congress supremo also took a swipe at Ravi's tenure in Tamil Nadu, claiming that the governor had faced "many comments" from the Supreme Court.
"The person who is coming to West Bengal now, I heard that he had to face many comments from the Supreme Court. He is a cadre of the BJP. But remember, West Bengal is a different place. You may have done whatever you wanted in Tamil Nadu, but here you can't do that," Banerjee said.
Escalating her attack on the BJP-led Centre, the chief minister accused it of undermining constitutional institutions and not allowing governors to complete their tenures.
"The Centre is not letting anyone finish their term. You did the same thing with Jagdeep Dhankhar," she said, referring to the former West Bengal governor who later became vice president.
Banerjee said those ruling at the Centre were behaving "worse than Muhammad bin Tughlaq", invoking a phrase often used in the Indian political discourse to describe arbitrary or whimsical governance decisions.
"If you try to threaten us, we will ensure the fall of the BJP government at the Centre," she said.
Banerjee's remarks come amid a fresh political storm triggered by Bose's sudden resignation earlier this week, just days before the Election Commission is expected to announce the schedule for the West Bengal assembly polls.
In a dramatic development on Thursday evening, Bose stepped down from his post in New Delhi, setting off intense political speculation in the state.
Soon after the resignation, Banerjee said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had informed her that Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi would take over as the governor of West Bengal.
Ravi, however, is yet to assume charge.
The developments have added fuel to the already tense political climate in the state, where the Trinamool Congress and the BJP are locked in a fierce battle ahead of the assembly elections, with the Lok Bhavan often emerging as a flashpoint during Banerjee's confrontations with the Centre.
Banerjee's latest remarks also signal a renewed attempt by the ruling TMC to frame the upcoming polls as a fight to "protect West Bengal's autonomy" from what it calls interference by the BJP-led central government, a narrative the party has repeatedly deployed in past electoral contests.
