West Indies beat India by 8 wickets in 2nd T20I; levels series 1-1
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 8: Indian team's frailties while batting first were thoroughly exposed by a disciplined West Indies, which kept the three-match T20 series alive with a comfortable eight-wicket victory in the second game here on Sunday.
A below-par score of 170 for 7 with only 38 runs in the final five overs was never going to be enough keeping the dew factor in mind and senior opener Lendl Simmons (67 no off 45 balls) along with Evin Lewis (40 off 35 balls) added 73 for the first wicket to seal the issue. West Indies reached the target with as many as nine balls to spare.
With another poor day on the field barring an exceptional sideways running catch from skipper Virat Kohli, the Indian bowlers were way of target, especially spinners Ravindra Jadeja (1/22 in 2 overs) and Yuzvendra Chahal (0/36 in 3 overs) were off the mark.
West Indies' dominance was evident by the half-dozen sixes that they hit apart from 11 boundaries compared to five maximums by the hosts, four of which were hit by rookie all-rounder Shivam Dube.
Simmons hot four sixes while Lewis hit three and it helped that the spinners didn't vary the length of their deliveries.
Unlike first innings, when hitting through the line was difficult, it became easier in the second innings with ball coming onto the bat easily. Nicholas Pooran (38 off 18 balls) coming back after a brief ban on charges of ball tampering, also added insult to injury with a couple of sixes and four boundaries.
After the Bangladesh T20 in Delhi, this is the second time in last five games that India have lost trying to post a competitive score.
Dube justified his promotion in batting order with a smashing half-century but it was struggle for the other Indian batsmen after being put into bat.
Despite Dube's 54 off 30 balls, which had four huge sixes apart from three fours, India didn't get the required momentum during the death overs on a track where Caribbean seamers used a lot of back of length slower deliveries along with well disguised short balls.
The last five overs India couldn't get the required momentum as Rishav Pant (33 not out off 2 balls) tried his best couldn't connect the big shots.
The variation enabled West Indies to compensate for the 13 wides and two no-balls that they bowled during the evening.
Kesrick Williams after being subjected to humiliation from Virat Kohli, came back well with figures of 2 for 30 in four overs including the prized scalp of the Indian captain (19 of 17 balls). There was no 'Notebook Celebrations' but just a quiet 'finger on lips' this time around.
The other bowler, who impressed was leg-spinner Hayden Walsh (2/28 in 4 overs), who pitched the ball good areas and was also able to get some sharp turn on his leg breaks.
Left-arm spinner Khary Pierry who gave away only 11 runs from his 2 overs in the Powerplay, was surprisingly not called on to bowl again.
The highlight of the Indian innings was giant Mumbai all-rounder Dube's big-hitting prowess which he finally displayed at the international level.
The southpaw took a liking to the bowling of West Indies captain Kieron Pollard, smashing three huge sixes in the ninth over. He reached his maiden international fifty in 27 balls (4 sixes, two fours).
Skipper Kohli, who decimated the Windies attack in the game on Friday, saw Dube go big, but couldn't get going, falling to Williams as he mistimed a cut.
West Indies' ploy of bowling back of the length did work as the deliveries were not easily coming onto the bat making it difficult for hitting through the line. Only briefly, it was Dube, who got a hang of Pollard's slower ones and picked them up over deep mid-wicket region.
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Don't rush back home, stay at safer places: J-K Police to border village residents
Srinagar/Jammu, May 11 (PTI): The authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday asked border villages residents, who were evacuated to safer places in view of cross border shelling by Pakistan, not to rush back to homes as they are yet to sanitize and clear these areas of any unexplored shells.
More than two lakh residents of villages close to the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border were evacuated to safer places amid intense Pakistani artillery and mortar shelling from May 7 onwards owing to vulnerability of their habitations in both divisions of Kashmir and Jammu.
"Do not return to frontline villages. Lives are at risk as unexplored munitions remain (scattered) after Pakistani shelling," said an advisory issued by the police in Kashmir Valley.
Bomb disposal squads will be sent to the affected areas to sanitize and clear the villages of any unexplored shells, which can lead to loss of human lives, it said.
“As many as 41 lives were lost in explosions of leftover shells near the LoC in 2023 alone," the advisory read, highlighting the dangers of civilians rushing back to villages.
In Jammu region, the police vehicles fitted with a public address system were seen making rounds in the worst-hit Poonch district and asking people not to touch any suspicious object lying at their residential houses, compounds or open fields.
“People returning to their homes are advised to be cautious and immediately inform police or the nearest security camp about any suspicious object, which could be dangerous to human life,” the police said.
The Poonch district accounted for the highest 20 of the total 27 fatalities with over 50 others injured since Wednesday, shortly after India carried out Operation Sindoor, striking nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and PoK to avenge the April 22 Pahalgam attack that left 26 people dead.
India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea with immediate effect after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
However, hours later New Delhi accused Islamabad of breaching it.
In a late night media briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with "seriousness and responsibility".
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Poonch, Shafket Hussain, also visited Mankote village of Mendhar sub-division and urged the general public to remain vigilant and immediately report the presence of any unexploded live shells or suspicious objects to the nearest police or security camp.
“Timely reporting can help prevent further loss of life and enable swift action by the Bomb Disposal Squad,” he said interacting with the local residents, who have returned to the border village.
The SSP assured the public of enhanced safety and security measures in the border area.
“Police remain committed to the safety and well-being of citizens and will continue its dedicated efforts to ensure peace and security in the region,” he said.
Hussain also visited the family of Balvinder Kour, who lost her life due to cross-border shelling in the village and expressed condolences with her family.
The SSP assured the bereaved family of all possible assistance from the police department and civil administration.
Reports from Rajouri and Akhnoor in Jammu districts also speak about police and other security agencies actively searching for unexploded shells besides asking people to remain cautious and not to come closer to suspicious objects for their own safety.
