T20 series: India faces stern bowling test in final, Iyer may replace Virat Kohli
Indore(PTI): It may be an inconsequential game on paper but Indian bowlers await another tough test against South Africa ahead of the T20 World Cup when the two teams meet in the final game of the three-match series here on Tuesday. Having sealed their first-ever series against South Africa at home, Indian team management has decided to rest its premier batter Virat Kohli for the final game.
"He has been rested from the final T20I," said a BCCI official.
After the final game against the Proteas, Kohli will link up with the squad in Mumbai from where the team is scheduled to leave for Australia on October 6 for the T20 World Cup. It is expected that standby batter Shreyas Iyer will replace Kohli for the final game in the playing XI.
Since their early exit from the T20 World Cup 12 months ago, the Indian batting has come a long way and looks formidable ahead of the next edition beginning later this month. Majority of the batters remain the same from the UAE edition but it is the drastic change in approach which has made the difference.
Heading into the ICC event, India's high-profile top three have hit top form including K L Rahul who allayed concerns about his strike rate with a sublime effort on Sunday.
Kohli has batted a 140-plus strike rate since the Asia Cup that includes three 50s and a much-awaited hundred. Skipper Rohit has come up with impactful innings over the course of the six games at home against Australia and South Africa.
Number four Suryakumar Yadav is in a league of his own and seems to be batting at a much higher level than his teammates, so much so that Rohit is contemplating to play him straight in the team's World Cup opener against Pakistan on October 23.
Rishabh Pant is yet to bat in the series and though Dinesh Karthik got seven balls in the second T20, he too would be hoping to get a hit in the middle.
Jasprit Bumrah's absence has compounded India's bowling woes, especially in the death overs, but the team needs to find a way if the star pacer doesn't get fit in time for the ICC event.
Deepak Chahar, who is among World Cup reserves, has been impressive with the new ball but question marks remain over his efficacy towards the back end of the innings.
Arshdeep Singh has made an impact both with new and old ball but was unusually expensive on Sunday. Having bowled as many as three no-balls, it was a forgettable night for the left-arm pacer who would be eager to bounce back.
The variations that Harshal Patel relies on to keep the batters in check have not been producing the desired results since his return from injury. Red ball great R Ashwin is yet to get a wicket in the series and India will be looking to him for wickets in the middle overs.
Drafted into the squad in Bumrah's absence, Mohammad Siraj could also get to play at Holkar Stadium but India might continue with the out-of-rhythm Harshal Patel as he would need more game time post-injury.
In the extreme humidity of Guwahati, the South African pacers struggled to grip the ball and ended up offering far many full tosses to the Indian batters. They would want to rectify that.
Despite the series loss, there has been plenty of positives for the visitors in the batting department. Continuing his menacing form this year, David Miller smashed an unbeaten hundred while Quinton de Kock got much-needed runs before the World Cup.
The biggest concern for the Proteas is the form of their skipper Temba Bavuma, who is yet to score a run in the series.
Teams (from)
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Shahbaz Ahmed and Mohammad Siraj.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.
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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
