We were not good enough on the day: Rohit Sharma after World Cup final loss
Ahmedabad, Nov 19: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on Sunday admitted that his side was not good enough, especially as a batting unit, in the World Cup final against Australia here.
The Aussies bowled out India for a below-par 240 on a tricky pitch and then chased it down in 43 overs for a six-wicket win to bag a record sixth 50-over world title.
"The result hasn't gone our way and we know that we were not good enough on the day. But I am proud of the team. Honestly, 20-30 runs (more) would've been good. We didn't bat well enough," said Rohit in the post-match presentation.
Rohit said the team was looking to score around 280 when Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were batting. Kohli and Rahul stitched together a rearguard stand for the fourth wicket to steady India after early blows.
"I thought when KL and Virat were batting, we were looking at 270-280 at that point but we kept losing wickets," said Rohit.
The 36-year-old credited the way centurion Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne batted and put up a massive 192 runs for the match-winning fourth-wicket stand for the Aussies.
"Australia stitched a big partnership after losing three wickets. With 240 on the board, we wanted early wickets but credit to Travis Head and Marnus. They put us completely out of the game."
Rohit said the surface got better to bat under lights without using it as an excuse for their poor show.
"I thought the wicket got better to bat under lights. I mean we knew it would be under lights, but I don't want to give that as an excuse.
"But credit to those two guys (Head and Labuschagne) in the middle for stitching that big partnership for the Aussies," Rohit noted.
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T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
