KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer push India to 174/5 in T20 series decider
Nagpur, Nov 10: Shreyas Iyer and K L Rahul smashed sublime half-centuries to propel India to 174 for five in the series-deciding third and final T20 International against Bangladesh here on Sunday.
It was a maiden T20 half-century for Iyer (62 off 33) and the sixth one for Rahul (52 off 35). Iyer's entertaining knock came after he was dropped on 0.
Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah followed the template set in the series by winning the toss and opting to field.
India made an unexpected call by dropping a bowler in Krunal Pandya for middle-order batsman Manish Pandey.
The hosts were dealt a body blow in the second over when pacer Shafiul Islam removed their skipper Rohit Sharma (2), who had made a sublime 85 in the series-levelling win in Rajkot. Rohit tried to whip a length ball but only managed to get an inside edge on to the stumps.
Rahul joined Shikhar Dhawan (19 off 16) in the middle and with both the batsmen under pressure having not made an impact in the first two games, the situation provided them an ideal platform to deliver.
Dhawan, who has found it tough to accelerate of late, got going with successive boundaries off Al-Amin Hossain. Rahul too began his innings in similar fashion, going for the aerial straight drive before punching Islam through point.
However, Dhawan could not last long after hitting four boundaries, mistiming a slog to be caught in the deep by Mahmudullah.
India once again could not get to a good start batting first, struggling to 41 for two in six overs. It would have been three down at that stage if Aminul Islam had not dropped a regulation catch off incoming batsman Iyer at backward point.
Rahul and Iyer gave a much needed boost to the Indian innings with a 59-run stand.
Rahul in full flow is always a treat to the eye and that is what the Nagpur crowd witnessed. He completed his fifty off 33 balls before getting caught at mid-off two balls later, leaving India at 94 for three in the 13th over.
Iyer, who made a sedate start to his innings, went ballistic after Rahul's departure. He was especially brutal against the spinners and hit three sixes over long-on off Afif Hossain.
Iyer, who raced to his 50 off 27 balls, ended up hammering five sixes and three boundaries.
Rishabh Pant (6), who has copped a lot of criticism of late both for his batting and wicket-keeping, disappointed once again when the team needed him to provide the big hits. He struggled in his nine ball stay and was eventually bowled after being deceived by a slower one from medium pacer Soumya Sarkar.
Pandey (22 not out off 13), playing his first game of the series, came up with welcome boundaries in the death overs to take the total beyond 170.
With 149 being the average first innings score here, Bangladesh will have to bat really well to chase down 175.
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Over 350 illegal religious structures removed along Nepal border
Lucknow, May 11 (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday said that more than 350 unauthorised religious sites, including madrasas, mosques, mazars and Eidgahs, have been identified and subjected to sealing or demolition in recent days, an official statement issued here said.
Acting on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's clear directive that no religious encroachment will be tolerated, the administration in districts such as Pilibhit, Shravasti, Balrampur, Bahraich, Siddharthnagar and Maharajganj has launched a sweeping campaign, it said.
The authorities have systematically identified illegal structures and taken strict action, continuing operations even on Sunday.
The chief minister has made it clear that encroachment in the name of any religion will not be allowed and all violators, especially those running unrecognised religious institutions, will face legal consequences, the statement said.
On May 10 and 11, 104 madrasas, one mosque, five mazars and two Eidgahs built illegally on public and private land were identified in Shravasti. All were issued notices and sealed, it said.
One illegal madrasa on public land was demolished and two unrecognized madrasas on private land were sealed, the statement added.
In Bahraich, officials identified 13 madrasas, eight mosques, two mazars and one Eidgah illegally constructed on government land.
After issuing notices, five were sealed and 11 were demolished, including eight madrasas, two mosques and one mazar, the statement said.
In Siddharthnagar, the authorities identified four mosques and 18 madrasas and one more madrasa for illegal construction. Notices were issued to these structures. Five madrasas were sealed and nine were demolished. In total, action was taken against 23 illegal structures in the district, it said.
In Maharajganj’s Nautanwa tehsil, Parsamalik village, an unrecognized madrasa operating on Maktab land was shut down based on a report submitted by the District Minority Welfare Officer.
The building’s keys were handed over to the local police station in-charge. So far, 29 madrasas and five mazars constructed through encroachment on public and private land have been demolished in the district.
In past two days in Lakhimpur Kheri, two mosques, one Eidgah on public land along with eight madrasas on private land were found to be illegally constructed.
Of the 13 structures identified, one was served a notice, nine were sealed and three have been demolished so far, the statement said.
The district authorities in Pilibhit have identified an illegal mosque built on public land in Bharatpur village, covering an area of 0.0310 hectares.
According to the district magistrate, a notice has been issued to the parties involved, seeking a response within 15 days. Action against the illegal construction will be taken after the notice period ends, it said.
On Sunday, an under-construction madrasa on public land in Virpur Semra village, Tulsipur tehsil, was demolished in Balrampur. So far, 30 madrasas, 10 mazars and one Eidgah have been demolished in the district.
Ten of them were built illegally on public land, while 20 were constructed without authorization on private land, the statement said.
