KL Rahul ruled out of first Test, Suryakumar Yadav added to squad
Kanpur(PTI): Senior India opener KL Rahul was on Tuesday ruled out of the first Test against New Zealand, starting Thursday, due to an injury. Suryakumar Yadav, who was a part of India's Test squad that travelled to England, has been added to the side.
"KL Rahul is not playing the first Test," a BCCI source told PTI.
Rahul was missing from the Indian team's customary practice session, attended by almost all the players on Tuesday at the Green Park stadium.
The nature and extent of Rahul's injury could not be confirmed.
Shubman Gill was seen opening the batting along with Mayank Agarwal during the team's net session as Cheteshwar Pujara, the vice captain for the series-opener, also batted.
It is understood that one among Shreyas Iyer or Suryakumar Yadav will make his Test debut and bat in the middle order.
Shubhman was expected to bat in the middle order but now in the absence of Rahul, the youngster will be asked to play in his usual opening slot.
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24,000 quintals of worm-infested jowar worth Rs 6 crore found in Ballari
Ballari: A shocking discovery has come to light in Ballari, where nearly 24,000 quintals of jowar, valued at Rs 6 crore, were reportedly found infested with worms in a godown managed by the Karnataka State Warehousing Corporation (KSWC).
The contaminated grain was distributed to fair price shops in and around the district, as reported by The New Indian Express on Saturday.
The issue was exposed when Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa visited the KSWC's Unit-2 godown. During the inspection, he found that 48,000 bags of jowar, each weighing 50 kg, had become unsuitable for consumption due to worm infestation.
When Justice Veerappa, deputy registrar Aravind NV and others questioned about the condition of the grain, Sharavathi, the manager of the Ballari unit of KSWC, and Sakina, the deputy director of Food and Civil Supplies, explained that they obtained a certificate from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) on March 29, 2024, that “jowar is fit” for consumption, TNIE added. The grain had subsequently been sent to Haveri and other districts for distribution through fair price shops.
However, Justice Veerappa pointed out that the jowar was not even fit for animals to consume. Expressing his displeasure, he stated that negligence by officials had resulted in the wastage of 48,000 bags of jowar.
Meanwhile, Sharavathi reportedly questioned Justice Veerappa's visit to the godown, asking him to provide photographic evidence linked to GPS for confirmation. This demand left him enraged, as he remarked, "This shows they have reached a stage of even questioning us."
Justice Veerappa called the situation "unfortunate" and urged the concerned minister to take immediate action against the officials involved. He emphasised that taxpayers' money had been used to procure the jowar, and its wastage was unacceptable. "We will definitely take action under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act," he vowed.
