Virat Kohli completes 13,000 runs in T20 cricket
Mumbai, Apr 7 (PTI): Virat Kohli on Monday became the first Indian to complete 13,000 runs in T20 cricket during the Indian Premier League contest between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians here.
Kohli reached the landmark with his second half-century this IPL season to become only the fifth batter overall to have scored 13,000 runs in the shortest format of the game.
The right-handed modern day great achieved the feat in a little over 400 matches in his career.
Kohli had retired from T20 Internationals in the middle of last year after helping India win their second T20 World Cup in the Americas, having played 125 matches to score 4,188 runs with one century and 38 fifties at an average of 48.69 and strike rate of 137.04.
He is the third-highest run scorer in T20Is after Rohit Sharma (4,231 runs) and Pakistan's Babar Azam (4,223).
Rohit is the second in the list among highest run-scorers in overall T20 cricket with 11,851 runs in 451 matches.
Overall, Kohli had scored 12,983 runs before the IPL clash on Monday with nine centuries and 98 fifties at an average of 38.93 and strike rate of over 132.
The IPL season-opening contest between RCB and Kolkata Knight Riders on March 23 was Kohli's 400th game in the shortest format.
Chris Gayle leads the list of highest run-scorers in T20 cricket with 14,562 in 463 matches, followed by Alex Hales at the second spot with 13,610 runs, Shoaib Malik at third with 13,557 runs in 555 matches and Kieron Pollard at the fourth position with 13,537 runs in 695 matches.
Ma𝓥erick’s Massive Milestone! 👑🙇🏼♂️
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) April 7, 2025
1️⃣3️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ T20 runs with 9️⃣ centuries and 9️⃣8️⃣ fifties! 🤯
keep the runs flowing, VK! 💪#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2025 #MIvRCB pic.twitter.com/rz5jaAXSdg
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Illegal sand mining has created environmental crisis in National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said rampant illegal riverbed sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the gharial (long-snouted crocodile) preservation project.
Slamming the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their utter failure in dealing with the issue, the apex court directed them to install high-resolution Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining in the area.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed that live feed of such surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision and operational oversight of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the concerned district and the divisional forest officer.
It said these officers shall ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the CCTV feeds by designating appropriate officers.
"It can't be gainsaid that the issues involved are of great concern in as much as the rampant illegal mining activities in the river bed have created an environmental crisis and havoc in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary causing a grave risk to the very project of gharial preservation of which the state governments themselves were proponents and were under an obligation to foster and promote," Justice Mehta said while pronouncing the order.
The bench directed the authorities in these three states to initiate prompt and necessary action under law if any instance of illegal mining or allied activities comes to light.
It said the authorities shall ensure seizure of vehicles or machinery found involved in illegal sand mining and also initiate prosecution of persons involved in it.
The bench, which passed several other directions, posted the matter for hearing on May 11.
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400-sq km tri-state protected area.
Besides the endangered gharial, it is home to the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
Located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long and narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states.
On March 13, the top court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about rampant illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal river.
