Shashi Tharoor slams Indian Cricket Team's selectors for sidelining Sanju Samson again
New Delhi: The exclusion of Sanju Samson from India's T20I squad has sparked controversy, drawing criticism on social media. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed the squad for the upcoming 5-match series against Australia, with uncapped Jitesh Sharma selected as the second wicketkeeper-batter alongside Ishan Kishan. Samson, who has experienced intermittent inclusions in the team recently, found himself sidelined once again.
The decision raised eyebrows, prompting Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor to express his disapproval. Tharoor, the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, questioned the omission of the Kerala-born cricketer and suggested that, in the absence of senior players, Samson should have been named the captain for the series against Australia. Tharoor also inquired about the absence of spinner Yuzvendra Chahal from the squad.
"This is truly inexplicable. Sanju Samson should have not just been selected, he should have led the side in the absence of all the seniors. His captaincy experience with Kerala and Rajasthan Royals is more current than SKY’s. Our selectors need to explain themselves to the cricket-loving public. And why no Yuzvendra Chahal either," posted Shashi Tharoor on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Following their participation in the World Cup 2023 final, India is set to face Australia in a T20I series beginning on Thursday. Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, India will compete in a five-match T20I series against the newly crowned world champions.
The T20I squad for the Australia series features a mix of new and experienced players, with Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, and others getting an opportunity. Notably, experienced wicketkeeper Sanju Samson did not secure a place in the squad.
The first T20I between India and Australia is scheduled for Thursday in Visakhapatnam, with the series concluding at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on December 3.
India’s T20I squad for Australia series: Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (Vice-Captain), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (Wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.
This is truly inexplicable. @IamSanjuSamson should have not just been selected, he should have led the side in the absence of all the seniors. His captaincy experience with Kerala and @rajasthanroyals is more current than SKY's. Our selectors need to explain themselves to the… https://t.co/W251o89jzs
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 21, 2023
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K’taka to launch special drive for drinking water tests in gram panchayats amid rising temperatures
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Bengaluru: As summer intensifies across Karnataka, the state government is preparing to initiate a special campaign to test drinking water across the state.
A directive is expected to be issued to all chief executive officers of zilla panchayats, instructing gram panchayats within their jurisdictions to conduct water quality tests, as reported by The New Indian Express on Thursday.
Karnataka has around 6,000 gram panchayats and their staff have been trained to conduct field tests. They check the water quality for 12 parameters, including potential of hydrogen (PH), chloride, fluoride, iron, nitrate, alkalinity, residual chlorine, and total dissolved solids. The hydrogen sulfide test is also conducted to check the presence of bacteria.
The testing has been made mandatory after several drinking water contamination cases have been reported over the years across the state, added the report.
Anjum Parvez, Additional Chief Secretary for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, said that water quality testing is routinely mandated twice a year—once before and once after the monsoon season.
“During pre-monsoon, groundwater level goes down and the quality of water has to be checked. Post monsoon, the flow of water is more, and the threat of contamination is not high, but even then water is tested. Potable drinking water is our priority,’’ TNIE report quoted Parvez as saying.
He also noted that panchayat development officers and engineers regularly inspect water supply pipelines for leakages.
The state government has taken disciplinary action in past cases involving supply of contaminated water and is now conducting special campaigns to prevent such incidents.
