Leander Paes betters Davis Cup record, India secure tie against Pakistan
Nur-Sultan: Veteran star Leander Paes bettered his own Davis Cup record by winning his 44th doubles match along with debutant Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan as India took an unassailable 3-0 lead against Pakistan with victory in the third rubber, here on Saturday.
Pakistani teenagers Mohammed Shoaib and Hufaiza Abdul Rehman were no match for the Indian combination of battle-hardened Paes and Jeevan, who needed just 53 minutes to win 6-1 6-3.
Paes last year had become the most successful doubles player in the history of Davis Cup when he won his 43rd doubles match, surpassing Italian great Nicola Pietrangeli during the tie against China.
Paes had taken 56 ties for his 43rd win while Pietrangeli competed in 66 ties and won 42 doubles matches. Paes' record of 44 wins is unlikely to be broken anytime soon as except him, none of the active doubles player feature in the top-10 list.
Belarusian Max Mirnyi, at number three, has 36 wins but has not played on Tour since 2018.
Hufaiza and Shoaib began with a hold of serve in the opening game of the match but the Indians broke the teenagers in the third game before holding their own for a 3-1 lead.
Paes and Jeevan then took control of the match with another break of serve in the fifth game. Jeevan served a double fault at 30-15 but the Pakistanis could not put pressure on their rivals as India zoomed to a 5-1 lead.
Serving to stay in the set, Shoaib was down 0-40, giving India three chances to close the opening set. Paes and Jeevan grabbed the second.
The Indians had a few chances to break their rivals early in the second set but the Pakistani duo held its nerves to save them. There was some fight in the second set, which was locked 3-3.
Paes and Jeevan got a break in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead and the former served out the match in the next.
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Jagan accuses Sharmila of 'illegally' transferring shares, moves tribunal saying "no love left"
Hyderabad (PTI): YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has moved the NCLT accusing his sister and AP Congress president YS Sharmila of illegally transferring shares of Saraswati Power and Industries holding by him and his wife Bharathi, on her and their mother Vijayamma's name.
The feud between Jagan and Sharmiala took a new turn in the form of the legal battle with the petition filed last month in the Hyderabad Bench of National Company Law Tribunal being taken up and posted to November for further hearing.
In the petition, Jagan said he entered into an MoU with Sharmila wherein he said that "out of love and affection" would transfer his and his wife's shares of Saraswati Power and Industries through gift deed to his estranged sister, subject to pending cases in respect of some properties including attachments by the Enforcement Directorate.
Jagan in a letter to his sister opined that the share transfer without fulfilling the legal obligations and clearance from court would potentially have adverse implications.
He, however expressed his desire to revoke the memorandum of understanding saying, "it is no secret that we are no longer on the best of terms, and in view of this changed situation, I wanted to formally intimate you and put you on notice that I have no further intent to act upon my original intent as expressed in the MoU."
Jagan said the properties, acquired by their father, former chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy and the ancestral ones, were divided among the family members.
He intended to transfer the shares (Jagan's own property), in addition to Rs 200 crore he, directly or through their mother, gave to his sister during the past decade.
The former chief minister in his petition said he and Sharmila entered into a MoU on August 31, 2019 wherein he will transfer his and Bharathi's shares to his sibling at a later date after completing due process "unrelated to any consideration and purely out of love and affection".
"It is humbly submitted that to the utter shock and surprise of the petitioners…respondent No 1 (Saraswati Power and Industries) company wide board resolution has transferred the entire shareholding of petitioner no 1 and 2 (Jagan and his wife, respectively) in favour of respondent no 2 (Sharmila) and entire shareholding of petitioner number three (Classic Realty, owned by the family), herein in favour of respondent No 3 (Vijayamma)..." Jagan alleged.
The YSRCP chief said Sharmila, without gratitude and regard to the well-being of her brother, conducted a series of actions that deeply hurt him and that she also made several untrue and false statements publicly.
She also conducted actions that have not only been politically opposed to Jagan but are also blatantly untrue and have caused deep personal dissemination to him, Jagan said in his petition.
"The actions of Respondent No 2 (Sharmila) herein have strained the relationship between the siblings and have further resulted in melting down of all the love and affection the brother had for his sister," his petition said.
Due to actions by his sister, there is "no love left between the two siblings", and he decided not to proceed with his expression of intent to transfer the shares/properties as envisaged under the MoU and gift deed.
After differences cropped up with his brother, Sharmila joined the Congress party earlier this year and was made the president of its Andhra Pradesh unit. She unsuccessfully contested from Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency in the May general elections.
