WTC Final: India take 32-run lead, lose Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill
Southampton, Jun 22: The World Test Championship Final seems to be heading for a tight finish after both India and New Zealand battled hard on the fifth day of the rain-hit showpiece match here on Tuesday.
India pacer Mohammed Shami sizzled with a four-wicket haul but could not stop New Zealand from taking a crucial 32-run lead as the Black Caps scored 249 runs after resuming at 101 for two.
India, who scored 217 runs in their first innings, then ended the fifth day at 64 for two with a 32-run lead in their pocket.
Rohit Sharma (30) was watchful until he misread a straighter one from Tim Southee that caught him in front of the wicket towards the end of day's play. This was after Southee had already dismissed Shubhman Gill (8).
Ever-reliable Cheteshwar Pujara (12) and skipper Virat Kohli (8) were at the crease at stumps.
With three full sessions to play and a favourable forecast announced for the reserve day on Wednesday, the sixth day will come with the possibility of a draw as well as a result.
India took the upper hand in the morning session by removing three batsmen but Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson (49) and his lower-order colleagues Kyle Jamieson (21) and Tim Southee (30) seized the momentum with their smart batting approach.
Shami, who hit the good length consistently, scalped Ross Taylor (11), BJ Watling (1), Colin de Grandhomme (13) and Kyle Jamieson (21).
Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin shared five wickets between them while Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket.
New Zealand had ended the third day at 101 for two. Not a single ball was bowled on the fourth day due to inclement weather.
Brief Scores:
India: 217 and 64 for 2 in 30 overs (R Sharma 30; T Southee 2/17)
New Zealand 1st innings: 249 all out in 99.2 overs. (Devon Conway 54, Kane Williamson 49, Tom Latham 30; Mohammed Shami 4/76, Ishant Sharma 3/48).
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
