‘Test cricket needs Virat’: Lara says Kohli will be persuaded to not retire before England tour
New Delhi: West Indies batting great Brian Lara has voiced strong support for Virat Kohli to continue his Test career, amid reports that the Indian superstar recently expressed a desire to retire from the longest format of the game.
According to reports, the 36-year-old informed selectors of his intention to step away from Test cricket ahead of India’s five-match tour of England, scheduled to begin on June 20. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly urged the former captain to reconsider his decision.
Amid growing speculation, Lara urged that Kohli needed to be persuaded to stay on in the red-ball format. Posting a photo of himself with Kohli on Instagram, Lara wrote: "Test cricket needs Virat!! He is going to be persuaded. He is NOT going to retire from Test cricket." He further added that Kohli is going to average above 60 for the remainder of his Test career, underlining his confidence in Kohli's ability to remain a force in Test cricket.
Meanwhile, BCCI sources have reportedly stated that a “highly influential cricketing figure” is expected to reach out to Kohli in the coming days to convince him to stay on, especially with a high-profile England series on the horizon. Squad selection for the tour is expected around May 16.
Kohli, widely regarded as one of the modern greats, has played 210 Test innings, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of over 45, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties, which stands as an extraordinary record that has defined India’s dominance in red-ball cricket.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
