Plan was to fight till the end without thinking about result: Rahane
Sydney: The talk going into day five was to fight till the end without thinking about the result, said India skipper Ajinkya Rahane after his team pulled off a memorable draw against Australia in the third Test here on Monday.
Before Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin batted out the entire evening session to deny the home team, India was even in contention for a win when Rishabh Pant (97) and Cheteshwar Pujara (77) were in the middle.
"Our talk coming this morning was to show character and fight till the end. Not to think about the result. Really happy with the way we fought especially today but also throughout the game," Rahane said at the post-match presentation.
"Even in the first innings when Australia were 200 for 2 and getting them all out for 338 was really good," he added.
Pant came ahead of Hanuma Vihari at number five, a move that was made keeping the left-right combination in mind, said Rahane.
"There are few areas we can improve (ahead of the fourth Test) on but special mention to Vihari and Ashwin. The way they batted in the end and showed character was really good to see. Credit to him (Pant) for the way he played," said the skipper.
Australia skipper Tim Paine rued the dropped chances for which he had only himself to blame. He dropped Pant twice and Vihari once.
"I thought we created enough chances to win the game, this one's a tough one to swallow. Our bowlers were superb, Lyon bowled well. Just that we (especially me) didn't hold onto our catches," he said.
"Looking forward to Brisbane now. We didn't play our best in the last two games, but we were somewhat good with the bat in this Test. There were a few positives for us, our bowlers created plenty of chances."
However, Paine praised the efforts of debutant Will Pucovski and fellow rookie Cameron Green.
"I think having two young kids (Pucovski and Green) playing Test cricket, it's a great thing as they were sensational. I thought Green was fantastic yesterday," he said referring to his 84.
It was another special performance from Steve Smith who was back among runs with a 131 and 81 in the game.
"On day three or four, we felt that a few kept low, few that bounced a bit more. But there was not much of it today. They fought really hard," said the Australian mainstay.
On his man of the match performance, Smith added: "Always means a lot when you score a hundred for your country. To be able to do that here on my home ground is pretty special. Doesn't mean a lot now as we didn't win the game."
"I wanted to be a little bit more aggressive at times, went up and down through the gears throughout my innings, absorbed the pressure when needed to. Not too much else, just watched the ball hard and concentrated well."
Australia have not lost a Test at the Gabba since 1988. The final Test begins on January 15.
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Bengaluru to Ernakulam; Vande Bharat carries over 55,000 passengers in first month
Bengaluru: The Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Bengaluru to Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express, launched on November 11 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has received a huge response in its first month, carrying more than 55,000 passengers and recording over 100% bookings in both directions.
According to a report published by The New India Express, the train is the first inter-state semi high-speed premium train connecting the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. According to South Western Railway (SWR) data, the Bengaluru to Ernakulam leg carried 11,447 passengers in November with an average booking of 127%. In December, the number increased to 16,129 passengers, with 117% average booking.
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The Ernakulam to Bengaluru service reportedly carried 12,786 passengers in November, with an average booking of 141%. In December, the number rose to 14,742, with 106% average booking, the data showed.
The Railways calculates occupancy by including the total number of bookings. As per the report, if a train has 100 seats and 27 people are on the waiting list, occupancy is counted as 127%.
Railway officials reportedly said, they expect ticket demand to rise further in December due to Christmas and New Year holidays, along with the Sabarimala pilgrimage. The train is a popular choice among daily commuters, business travellers, students and tourists.
