Rahane’s blazing 61 in vain as LSG survive KKR scare in high-scoring thriller
Kolkata, Apr 8 (PTI): Lucknow Super Giants held their nerve in a high-scoring contest to edge past Kolkata Knight Riders by four runs in a pulsating IPL clash at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday.
On a night dominated by batters, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane rolled back the years with a power-packed 61 off 35 balls, nearly pulling off KKR’s highest-ever run chase.
But LSG's spin attack, led by Ravi Bishnoi and Digvesh Rathi, applied the brakes just in time to seal a thrilling win, limiting KKR to 234/7 after the away team amassed 238 for three .
It was the third win of the season for LSG in five games while KKR suffered their third loss in five matches.
Mitchell Marsh (81 off 39) continued his sensational form with a fourth fifty of the season, while Nicholas Pooran (87 not out off 36 balls) launched a brutal assault with a 21-ball half-century as LSG posted a challenging target.
In a transformed avatar, Rahane tore into the Indian pace attack -- Akash Deep (43 in 3 overs), Shardul Thakur (30 in 2 overs), and Avesh Khan (17 in 1 over) -- setting up KKR’s best-ever powerplay score since 2017, racing to 90/1.
Rahane’s sparkling knock ended against the run of play, falling victim to Shardul Thakur’s wide-ball ploy.
Incidentally, LSG bowled 20 wides in a tactical strategy that seemed to have worked in the end.
At 162/3 in 13 overs, KKR were cruising with a current run rate of 12.46, comfortably ahead of the required 11 per over, needing just 77 off 42 balls.
But Rahane’s dismissal stalled the momentum and triggered a collapse as KKR lost four wickets for just 15 runs, slipping to 177/6 in 15.2 overs.
Ravi Bishnoi, who conceded 24 runs in his final over, managed to hold his nerve and defend the same in the last over despite Rinku Singh’s presence at the crease.
LSG leaked 38 runs in the 18th and 19th overs combined -- with Avesh Khan giving away 14 -- but Bishnoi closed out the game.
Left-arm spinner Digvesh Rathi, a find of the season for LSG, impressed again with 1/33, including the prized wicket of Sunil Narine -- his idol -- off his very first ball.
His very first ball against Narine (30 off 13) had the Trinidadian mistiming a slash straight to long-off.
Aiden Markram completed the catch as Rathi, already under the scanner for his 'notebook' celebration (three demerit points), reprised it -- this time writing on the Eden grass.
Earlier, Quinton de Kock (15) fell to a DRS call in the third over before Rahane and Sunil Narine counter-attacked in stunning fashion, dismantling LSG's Indian pace attack with disdain.
On a sultry afternoon, LSG's opening pair of Aiden Markram (47 off 28; 4x4, 2x6) and Marsh gave them a blazing start, adding 99 runs off just 62 balls.
Pooran then lit up the evening with his 36-ball unbeaten 87, studded with seven fours and eight sixes, to power them to their second highest IPL total.
Such was the domination that LSG reached 95 without loss at the halfway stage and then added 143 in the last 10 overs with Pooran leading the carnage.
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Illegal sand mining has created environmental crisis in National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said rampant illegal riverbed sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the gharial (long-snouted crocodile) preservation project.
Slamming the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their utter failure in dealing with the issue, the apex court directed them to install high-resolution Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining in the area.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed that live feed of such surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision and operational oversight of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the concerned district and the divisional forest officer.
It said these officers shall ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the CCTV feeds by designating appropriate officers.
"It can't be gainsaid that the issues involved are of great concern in as much as the rampant illegal mining activities in the river bed have created an environmental crisis and havoc in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary causing a grave risk to the very project of gharial preservation of which the state governments themselves were proponents and were under an obligation to foster and promote," Justice Mehta said while pronouncing the order.
The bench directed the authorities in these three states to initiate prompt and necessary action under law if any instance of illegal mining or allied activities comes to light.
It said the authorities shall ensure seizure of vehicles or machinery found involved in illegal sand mining and also initiate prosecution of persons involved in it.
The bench, which passed several other directions, posted the matter for hearing on May 11.
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400-sq km tri-state protected area.
Besides the endangered gharial, it is home to the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
Located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long and narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states.
On March 13, the top court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about rampant illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal river.
