Rain washes out first India-West Indies ODI
Providence (Guyana): Rain played spoilsport as the first One-Day International between India and the West Indies was called off after the home side scored 54 for one in 13 overs here.
The stop-start match, which was reduced to 34-over-a-side, was abandoned after a second rain interruption. After waiting for more than an hour and a half, the umpires were forced to call off the match on Thursday.
Opener Evin Lewis and Shai Hope were batting on 40 and 6 respectively when the match was called off after Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and asked the West Indies to bat.
The other opener Chris Gayle was out in the 11th over after scoring 4 off 31 deliveries in an agonisingly slow knock. He had come into the match 12 runs short of Brian Lara's 10,405 ODI runs, the most by a West Indies batsman.
The match was already reduced to 43-over-a side contest even before a ball was bowled as wet outfield due to rains had forced the toss to be delayed. The match began two hours later from its scheduled start.
West Indies made a quiet start with Bhubaneswar Kumar and Mohammed Shami exploiting the conditions well to tie down Gayle and Lewis before the first rain interruption.
India did not take the DRS when Lewis looked plumbed in front of wicket in the fourth over off Shami's bowling. Replays showed the ball would have gone on to hit the leg stump but India did not opt for a review. Lewis was on 1 then.
The home side had scored 9 for no loss in 5.4 overs at the first rain break. The match was about to be resumed 30 minutes later but wet area near the bowlers' run-up led to another delay of more than half an hour.
The Indian fielders and the two West Indies batsmen -- Gayle and Lewis -- came out to the ground but Kohli was seen having a discussion with the umpires.
Play did not start immediately as the umpires reckoned the ground staff need more time to get it ready. Kohli and some other Indian players were seen shaking their legs for a while, moving to the tunes of the DJ at the venue.
The players later walked off the field and the ground staff were seen spraying a lot of sawdust on the wet areas. The umpires made another inspection and after more than an hour's interruption, the match resumed for a 34-over-a-side affair.
Gayle and Lewis picked up steam after the long interruption. Lewis hit Khaleel Ahmed for 15 runs with a six and two fours in the eighth over but the introduction of wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav put some brakes on West Indian batsmen.
Kuldeep gave India the breakthrough as he dismissed dangerman Gayle who dragged the ball onto his stumps. Hope came in two overs later, but rains also came back to force the players to the dressing room once again.
The second one-dayer will be played in Port of Spain on Sunday. India had earlier won the T20 series 3-0.
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Telangana to name roads after Ratan Tata, Donald Trump
Hyderabad (PTI): The Telangana government on Sunday said it has decided to name the upcoming greenfield radial road at the proposed RRR in honour of the late industrialist Ratan Tata.
In another proposal, a high-profile road along the United States Consulate General in Hyderabad will be named ‘Donald Trump Avenue’, the government said in a release.
The state government will write to the Union Ministry of External Affairs and the US Embassy to inform them of the plans.
Earlier this year, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, while addressing the annual US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) conclave in Delhi, had proposed naming key roads in Hyderabad after leading global corporations.
Additionally, a prominent stretch will be named ‘Google Street’ to recognise the global impact and contribution of Google and Google Maps.
The road along Google’s upcoming campus, set to be the company’s largest outside the US, in Hyderabad’s Financial District, will receive this recognition, the release said.
The proposals are part of the Telangana government’s initiative to position the state as a hub for innovation-driven development.
Microsoft and Wipro are also expected to receive recognition in the city’s topography, with a Wipro Junction and a Microsoft Road, in line with the chief minister’s vision, the release added.
The state government is considering dedicating additional roads in honour of distinguished individuals and corporations.
