New T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav affirms unchanged role for Hardik Pandya
Mumbai: The newly appointed captain of the Indian T20 cricket team, Suryakumar Yadav, confirmed that Hardik Pandya's role in the team would remain unchanged. In a media interaction, Yadav emphasized Hardik's importance to the team and praised his contributions during the 2024 T20 World Cup in England.
"Hardik's role has always been the same. He is a very important player for the team. The way he performed in the World Cup, I hope he will continue to do the same," Suryakumar told PTI.
The announcement of Yadav as the new T20I captain raised questions among fans about his relationship with Pandya, particularly after the close race for captaincy. However, both players respect each other and often bond during training sessions.
Addressing the change of captaincy, Yadav reassured fans that the team's aggressive brand of cricket would only grow stronger.
"The same train will go ahead; only the engine has changed and the bogies remain unchanged," Yadav explained. "Nothing changes; the brand of cricket remains the same. It doesn't change anything. It has given me an added responsibility. It is good that now I can do a 'walk the talk'."
Reflecting on Rohit Sharma's leadership, Yadav expressed his admiration for his predecessor. "What I have learned from Rohit is that he was always a leader on the ground and off it. He was not just a captain, there is a lot of difference between the two. He was a leader who stood in the middle of the group and showed people the way. How to play T20 cricket and how to win a tournament? That is what I have learned from him," he elaborated.
In addition to the captaincy change, Shubman Gill has been declared the vice-captain for both the ODI and T20I teams, replacing Hardik Pandya. Hardik Pandya will continue as an all-rounder for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, scheduled to begin on July 27.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
