New Delhi: Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has taken an indirect dig at former captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri for his exclusion from the playing XI in the 2019 World Cup semi final against New Zealand. Despite being one of India's best bowlers in the tournament, Shami was left out of the crucial match at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Shami had an impressive performance in the 2019 World Cup, picking up 14 wickets, including a five-wicket haul, in just four matches. However, the 33-year-old was surprisingly not included in the playing XI for the semifinal, where the team management opted for two pacers and a spinner.

Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra's podcast, Shami expressed his frustration about his exclusion despite his strong performance in the tournament. He mentioned the lack of proper communication regarding his omission from the semifinal.

"Mere dimaag mein sawaal aata hai, team ko joh players chaiye joh perform karta hai. 3 matches mein 13 wickets li hai, aur kya loge aap mere se? Nahi mere pass sawal hai naa uska answer hai. Mujhe mauka doge toh mein jaake baat karunga. Apna skills dikhaunga jab mere haath mein ball hogi," Shami said.

("My mind is filled with questions. The team needs players who perform. I have taken 13 wickets in 3 matches, what more do you expect from me? Neither have I questions nor the answer. If you give me a chance, I will go and talk. I will show my skills when the ball is in my hand.")

India's hopes of winning the ODI World Cup for the third time were dashed when they lost to eventual runners-up New Zealand in the semifinal. Chasing a target of 240 runs, India was bowled out for 221 in 49.3 overs. Ravindra Jadeja top-scored with 77 off 59 balls, but his effort was in vain as India fell 19 runs short.

Four years later, in 2023, India reached the final of the ODI World Cup without losing a single match. However, Rohit Sharma and his team suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Australia, who clinched their sixth title in the final held in Ahmedabad in November.

 

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Agra, Dec 23: A truck driver dragged two people for about 300 metres in Agra under his vehicle, police on Monday said.

Some locals forced the driver to stop the truck and extricated the men from under the vehicle.

Police arrested the driver and seized the truck.

The two men, both residents of Nunhai in Agra, were going towards Rambagh from Waterworks when they met with an accident around 11 pm Sunday.

The driver, instead of stopping the truck sped up, trapping both of them underneath, police said.

"In the accident, two youths were dragged by a canter driver for about 300 metres. Later, some residents saved the youths by stopping the driver using force," Chhatta Police Station Inspector Pramod Kumar told PTI.

"The youths were sent for treatment at a nearby hospital and are still being treated, but are in stable condition. The youths were from Agra. The canter driver was arrested and the canter seized after the incident," he said.

A video of the incident that surfaced on social media showed the men shouting for help.

The video was purported to have been shot by a person passing by on a two-wheeler.