Ravindra Jadeja smashes 175 not out as India declare at 574 for 8
Mohali(PTI): Ravindra Jadeja stamped his authority as India's premier all-rounder with a career-best unbeaten 175 as the home team piled up a mammoth 574 for 8 declared at tea on the second day of the opening Test against Sri Lanka here.
Jadeja (175 no off 228 balls) scored his second Test hundred with 17 boundaries and three sixes, making a mockery of a below par Sri Lanka attack, which seemed to have given up the fight long before the first ball on the second day was bowled.
The hundred would be an immense confidence booster for the Saurashtra man, who missed four Tests this season due to a knee injury.
India slowly but surely have batted Sri Lanka out of the game. The seventh wicket partnership of 130 runs between Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin (61 off 82 balls), has in all likelihood, put the final nail in their coffin unless there is an out of the world batting effort from Sri Lanka.
The 111-run off 27 overs during the session came at brisk pace, courtesy India's spin twins.
In the second session, Jadeja shielded Mohammed Shami (20 not out off 34 balls) but even then managed to add 103 runs for the unbroken ninth wicket before Rohit Sharma decided to declare the innings.
Jadeja paced his innings to perfection and at one point was hitting boundaries at will after refusing singles on a spread out field.
The Sri Lankan team looked despondent at the start of the day and Dimuth Karunaratne's defensive field placings was a testimony to how they were just trying to bide time rather than think of getting wickets.
Their left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya (46-3-188-2) at one point was bowling with a long-off, deep mid-wicket, deep fine leg and deep point trying to save boundaries.
The result was that the Jadeja-Ashwin pair milked the bowling for singles and doubles besides also getting their share of fours. The home team has hit more than 50 boundaries and four sixes so far.
There was a point when both the batters just casually drove the half volleys to the fence and there was not a single Sri Lankan bowler who put in any extra effort.
Finally, after having faced 81 deliveries and hitting eight boundaries, Ashwin was dismissed when Suranga Lakmal dug one short and the batter gloved a hook shot to keeper Niroshan Dickwella.
But that didn't deter Jadeja from reaching the three-figure mark by pushing an Embuldeniya delivery towards cover for a single which brought out the customary sword celebration.
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Kho Kho World Cup: Indian women's team crowned champion
New Delhi: The Indian women's team emerged champion in the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup with a dominant 78-40 victory in the summit clash against Nepal here on Sunday.
On a memorable night at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here, India produced a masterclass of speed, strategy and skill, dishing out a clinical show.
A brisk start marked Turn 1 as the Indian attackers took charge of the proceedings. Three batches in the Nepal women were out by simple touches on 7 occasions, putting 14 points to India's kitty.
Skipper Priyanka Ingle was in the best form with multiple touch points to her name, as the hosts started off in an excellent manner. This was enough to take the Women in Blue to 34 points and preventing a single Dream Run for the Nepal team.
Manmati Dhami got Vaishnavi Pawar, and B Samjhana eliminated Priyanka Ingle but B Chaithra took India's first batch of Turn 2 into the Dream Run.
๐ธ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐
— Kho Kho World Cup India 2025 (@Kkwcindia) January 19, 2025
Congratulations to #TeamIndia women for claiming the ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ-๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ก๐จ ๐๐ก๐จ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐#KhoKhoWorldCup #KKWC2025 #TheWorldGoesKho #Khommunity #KhoKho #KKWCWomen pic.twitter.com/tqlBPbTIdc
It wasn't for long, though, as Dipa completed the ALL OUT just moments later. This got the side back into the game but they only managed to score 24 points at the end of Turn 2, with an 11-point deficit at half time.
India were once again the dominant force in Turn 3, never allowing the Nepal defenders to settle in their stride. BK Dipa was a regular for Nepal but it went in vain throughout, ensuring that the Indians edged closer to the trophy.
Chaithra was the orchestrator of the Dream Run for India, taking the score to a massive 78 points in Turn 4. Their batch went on for a massive 5 minutes and 14 seconds, closing out the game for India and confirming them as the first-ever champions of the Kho Kho World Cup.
India's path to glory had included commanding victories over South Korea, Iran and Malaysia in the group stages, followed by triumph against Bangladesh in the quarter-finals and a masterful win over South Africa in the semi-finals.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐||
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) January 19, 2025
Indian๐ฎ๐ณ Women's Team beats Nepal 78-40; Clinches the inaugural #KhoKhoWorldCup Trophy. #Finals | #KhoKhoWorldCup | #TheWorldGoesKho | #BharatvsNepal | @Kkwcindia | @Media_SAI | @YASMinistry | pic.twitter.com/mh8NJuD6RX
