Shifting to T20 from ODI wasn't easy but we want to raise the bar: Harmanpreet Kaur
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur on Tuesday acknowledged shifting from ODIs to T20Is was tough, but said the 5-0 series win over Sri Lanka has given her side the motivation to raise its standards ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.
The five-match T20I series was India’s first outing after winning the 50-over World Cup in November, and they blanked a hapless Sri Lanka to underline their form and skill sets across white ball formats.
“2025 has been great for us. All the hard work we have done, this year we have got the credit. Now, it’s about repeating these habits. Going forward, we want to look at this series and think of what we can do ahead,” Harmanpreet said during the post-match presentation.
Sri Lanka challenged India at various junctures, but India managed a 15-run here on Tuesday in the fifth match to wrap an excellent outing for them.
“Shifting to T20 from ODI wasn't easy but everyone was excited to play. We fought for this and were happy how all things came together. Next is WPL which is important for all of us.
“Hopefully, we play our best cricket and enjoy ourselves. Next six months are important, we want to keep working hard and raising the bar,” she added.
The 36-year-old said the dressing room talks were centred around improving the strike-rate.
“All of us have played a lot of T20 cricket together. It was about believing we can do that. Sir (head coach Amol Muzumdar) spoke about strike rates and lifting the standards. Everyone was happy and we wanted to set that standard,” she said.
Shafali Verma, who was adjudged Player of the Series after hammering three fifties in a row, said she has been working hard on her game.
“My work throughout the year has paid off. I will ensure that I don't make the mistake I did today (getting out for 5). I will work harder and come back the next time.”
The opener said T20 is her favourite format. “Both are different games. In ODI you have to play along the ground. T20 is my favourite, day by day I am improving and I will become a better player for the team,” she noted.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu conceded that her side was not able to produce its best in the series.
“We are not playing our best cricket. We have to improve our power-hitting and batting. Some youngsters played well in the middle. We are looking forward to playing our best cricket in the next few months.”
“We played good cricket 6-7 months ago. Our coach asked us to play freely. Some of the batters executed the right plans in the middle. We gave India a fight but unfortunately we lost” said Athapaththu.
Athapaththu said SL will have a lot to ponder before next year’s T20 World Cup.
“A few seniors are here with me, they are playing well but we aren't playing our best cricket as seniors. Some youngsters have taken their opportunities. We have to think a lot before the T20 World Cup,” she added.
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Kannur dental student death: Case registered against loan app operators, parents allege murder
Kannur (PTI): A case has been registered against unidentified loan app operators in connection with the death of a Kannur Dental College student in Anjarakandy, officials said on Monday.
However, the victim’s parents alleged that their son was murdered and held the college faculty responsible for his death.
The Kannur Cyber Police registered the case on Sunday night based on a complaint by an assistant professor of the college.
According to police, Nithin Raj R L, a first-year BDS student, had taken a loan through an online loan app.
After he defaulted on repayment, the app operators allegedly began contacting the assistant professor.
The FIR stated that the accused contacted the woman faculty member via MMS and WhatsApp, threatening her over repayment and attempting to siphon off money illegally.
Sources said that in cases of default, such loan app operators often send messages to all available contacts of the borrower.
Raj (22), a native of Uzhamalackal, Puthukulangara in Thiruvananthapuram district, was found critically injured near the medical college block after falling from a building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.
The family alleged that Raj was subjected to emotional harassment on caste and complexion grounds by two faculty members, following which a case was registered against Dental Anatomy Department Head M K Ram and Associate Professor K T Sangeetha Nambiar for abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Even though notices were issued to both accused to appear for interrogation, they are yet to respond to the police, officials said.
Police officials said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case is also examining whether Raj’s death was linked to threats from the loan app operators.
The cyber case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 308(3) (extortion), along with Section 66D of the Information Technology Act (cheating by personation using computer resources).
Police said Raj’s mobile phone will be examined to gather details about the loan app, and a detailed statement will be recorded from the assistant professor who received the threatening messages and calls.
Meanwhile, the SIT has recovered chat details from Raj’s phone, which indicate that he had sought more time to repay the loan.
According to police, Raj had taken a loan of Rs 14,000, and the app operators had demanded immediate repayment of Rs 8,000.
As his family was facing financial difficulties, he had requested a few weeks’ time to settle the dues.
The SIT, led by the Station House Officer of Chakkarakkallu police station, visited Raj’s house on Monday and recorded statements of his parents and sister.
The four-member team also collected digital evidence from them.
The family also met the State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar and filed a petition seeking a detailed probe into the incident.
Raj’s father Rajan said his son had taken the loan for his mother’s treatment.
“We were repaying it. But recently, the repayment defaulted. If the teacher was aggrieved by the loan app’s calls and my son had done anything wrong, they should have informed us. You can check my phone, there is no call from the college,” he said.
Rajan said he had little hope of getting justice.
“They all killed my son. What justice can I expect? I worked hard for his education. We lost everything,” he said.
He also alleged that even three days after Raj’s death, there had been no communication from the college authorities.
“He was a student of that college. Not even a word from the authorities. Students there, fearing for their future, are not speaking out. At least one student should speak out for us,” he said.
Meanwhile, protests erupted at Kannur Dental College on Monday, with final-year BDS students also joining the agitation.
The college has granted leave to students of other batches following the incident.
Students alleged that the accused faculty member, M K Ram, misbehaved with students by body-shaming and physical assault.
“We were living under severe pressure. Ram was involved in body-shaming. Verbal abuse was frequent. Apart from it, he used to hit students on the head. There were also complaints against him and disciplinary action taken earlier,” a student told reporters.
Political organisations, including KSU of the Congress, SFI and DYFI of the CPI(M), MSF of the IUML and ABVP of the BJP, carried out protest marches.
KSU and SFI activists who entered the college compound were later detained and removed by police.
Kerala SC/ST Commission Chairperson Shekaran Miniyodan visited Raj’s house and interacted with his family.
He said the Commission has registered a case and sought a report from the police.
“We will collect information along with the SIT about the incident. Apart from the preliminary investigation report, we will also examine the postmortem report,” he said.
Similarly, the Kerala Youth Commission has also registered a case and recorded statements of students of the college.
Commission Chairman M Shajar said students have raised serious allegations against M K Ram and that a detailed probe would be conducted with police support.
Earlier, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission had also registered a case and sought a report from the police.
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