Shubman Gill loses top ODI batters spot to Babar Azam
Dubai, Dec 20: India opener Shubman Gill's reign at the top of of the ODI batters' list was short-lived as he was replaced by former Pakistani skipper Babar Azam in the ICC Player Rankings issued on Wednesday.
The Indian attained the top spot during the ODI World Cup last month, but since then he has not played any ODI.
Babar is back at the top with 824 rating points, while Gill (810) is the second spot followed by teammates Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Shreyas Iyer has dropped to 12th, while KL Rahul has moved a spot to 16th.
In the bowlers' chart, South African spinner Keshav Maharaj remains at the top followed by Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood.
Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj (3rd), Jasprit Bumrah (5th) and Kuldeep Yadav (8th) are the other Indians to feature in the top 10.
Mohammad Shami is at the 11th spot, while spinner Ravindra Jadeja is ranked 22nd.
The all-rounders' list remains relatively unchanged, with Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan staying at the top spot.
Jadeja (12th) and Hardik Pandya (17th) are the only Indians in the top 20.
In T20Is, India's Suryakumar Yadav remains atop the batting chart.
Adil Rashid holds the number one spot among T20 bowlers, becoming only the second English spinner after Graeme Swann to do so.
Rashid has replaced Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, thanks to his seven-wicket haul in four T20Is against the West Indies, while Ravi Bishnoi (3rd) is the top-ranked Indian.
Shakib leads the chart among T20 all-rounders, with Pandya (4th) being the highest-ranked Indian.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson dominates the number one spot among Test batters, followed by Joe Root (2nd) and Steven Smith (3rd).
Australia's Usman Khawaja has risen to the fourth spot following a stellar show in the opening Test against Pakistan in Perth. Rohit (10th) is the highest-ranked Indian.
Veteran India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin tops the Test bowlers' chart, followed by Kagiso Rabada, Shakib and Jadeja.
A few Aussies have scaled heights, with skipper Pat Cummins climbing to the third place, followed by Nathan Lyon (5th), Mitchell Starc (8th) and Josh Hazlewood (10th), thanks to their dominant display against Pakistan.
In the all-rounders' chart, Jadeja remains at the summit, followed by Ashwin in the second spot, while Axar Patel is ranked fifth.
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Vijayendra slams Cong govt over alleged medicine shortage, irregularities in health dept
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Wednesday hit out at the Congress government over alleged medicine shortages, large-scale irregularities and disruption of services in the health department.
The situation had deteriorated to such an extent that doctors were forced to protest on the streets, he claimed.
Addressing a press conference here, he said the Siddaramaiah-led government lacked the will to resolve pressing public issues and accused it of indulging in "blame politics" instead of governance.
"Due to the irresponsibility of this Congress government, the health department itself is in the ICU. There is a severe shortage of medicines in government hospitals. The 108 ambulance services are facing severe problems. Doctors have been pushed to the streets to protest. The Congress government celebrates 1,000 days in power with achievement conventions, but it has failed to solve real problems," he said.
He criticised the state government for allegedly shutting down Jan Aushadhi centres located on government hospital premises, claiming that needy patients are suffering as they are not getting medicines.
"For the past two months, government doctors themselves have been advising poor patients to buy medicines from private pharmacies because medicines are unavailable in hospitals," he alleged.
Vijayendra further alleged that the state government has reportedly not cleared Rs 143 crore in dues to institutions providing CT scan and MRI services.
"As a result, needy patients in rural and urban areas are unable to access these services. Pregnant women are facing hardships. Doctors are forced to protest on the streets...This government claims to be one that delivers on its promises. But does it have even the slightest concern for how poor people are struggling in the healthcare sector," he alleged.
The BJP state president claimed that the Congress government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and its deputy D K Shivakumar is not pro-poor; instead, it is a government that supports middlemen.
"Who is responsible for the medicine shortage in government hospitals and medical colleges? The state government and the concerned ministers are responsible. According to information available to me, under pressure from influential individuals, irregularities are taking place in medicine procurement. Instead of purchasing medicines through authorised central and state agencies, the government has moved to fragmented district- and taluk-level tenders," he claimed.
He further alleged that due to commission demands of 15-20 per cent, many companies and public enterprises are not participating in tenders, worsening the system.
Vijayendra claimed that the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation's procurement system has been sidelined, leading to an artificial shortage of medicines.
He also alleged that a private individual from Mangaluru is controlling the state's medicine procurement system, supplying medicines to most government hospitals.
"This has led to market prices being inflated. Medicines costing Rs 100 are reportedly being purchased for Rs 300. I will provide more documents and evidence in the coming days," he claimed.
He also alleged that staff associated with the 108 ambulance services have not been paid salaries for the past eight to nine months.
"The government must take responsibility and reform the system instead of protecting middlemen," he added.
