KL Rahul becomes second India batter after Vengsarkar to score more than one Test ton at Lord's
London, Jul 12 (PTI): Stylish opener KL Rahul on Saturday became only the second India batter to score more than one century at the hallowed Lord's, after yesteryear middle-order mainstay Dilip Vengsarkar.
Rahul reached the landmark with a single off Jofra Archer to covers right after the lunch break on the third day of the third Test against England.
However, Rahul was dismissed by off-spinner Shoaib Bashir immediately after getting to the three-figure mark, which was 10th overall in the game's traditional format and ninth away from home.
In all, the Karnataka man scored exactly 100 in 177 balls with the help of 13 boundaries. This was his second hundred of the ongoing five-match rubber after his century in the series opener at Leeds.
During his stay in the middle, Rahul played some lovely drives and flicks, but the standout shot was his backfoot punch square of the wicket off Brydon Carse.
Vengsarkar has three hundreds at Lord's in 1979, 1982 and 1986.
Overall, 10 Indians, including Rahul and Vengsarkar, have managed to make the honours board at Lord's. Vengsarkar is a visiting batter with most hundreds at the iconic venue, which is also known as the Mecca of Cricket.
Rahul's first hundred at the venue had come in 2021, when he scored 129 in India's 151-run win.
The series is locked at 1-1.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Egg-donation racket targeting poor women busted in Maharashtra's Thane; 3 held
Thane (PTI): Police have unearthed an egg-donation racket, suspected to be involving crores of rupees, that repeatedly exploited vulnerable women in Maharashtra's Thane district, officials said.
The victims were offered Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per cycle and repeatedly used as egg donors, resulting in physical exploitation. They were taken to IVF centres where the eggs were surgically extracted and sold for lakhs, they said, adding that so far, 20 women are believed to have fallen prey to the racket.
Three women have been arrested in connection with the illegal trade operating out of a residential apartment and a sonography centre at Joveli in Badlapur East, the police officials said on Saturday.
Egg donation is a fertility procedure where a woman provides eggs for another person to conceive, usually via IVF (in vitro fertilisation). The donor undergoes screening and hormone treatment, eggs are retrieved, fertilised, and transferred to the recipient.
The arrested persons have been identified as Sulakshana Gadekar (44), Ashwini Chabukswar (29), and Manjusha Wankhede (46).
Following a tip-off from a victim to Thane Sub-District Hospital's Chief Medical Officer Dr Jyotsna Sawant, a raid was recently conducted at Gadekar’s residence in Nano City building, the police said.
“We recovered photos of injections used in connection with pregnancy, sonography reports, affidavits with false names, fake documents, and evidence of financial transactions on the mobile phones of the accused,” a police official said.
The accused targeted needy women, paying them Rs 25,000 to 30,000 per cycle. The victims were allegedly administered hormonal injections to increase egg production and were repeatedly used as donors, leading to physical exploitation, the official said.
“The process involved injecting the women to stimulate egg production and taking them for sonography. Once the eggs were ready, the victims were sent to IVF centres where the eggs were surgically extracted and sold for lakhs of rupees,” the official added.
Ulhasnagar Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Gore said that more than 20 women might have fallen victim to this racket so far.
“The racket was previously operating in Vangani before shifting to Badlapur recently. We are investigating the involvement of IVF centres, doctors, and hospitals. High-profile names are likely to surface as the turnover of this illegal trade is estimated to be in crores,” Gore said.
A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, the police added.
