Yashasvi Jaiswal breaks into top 10 in ICC rankings for Test batters
Dubai, Mar 6: Young India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal on Wednesday broke into the top-10 of the ICC rankings for Test batters for the first time in his career on the back of his tremendous form in the ongoing home series against England.
Jaiswal, who made his Test debut in 2023, jumped two places to be at 10th spot with 727 rating points to his kitty.
In red-hot form with the bat against England, Jaiswal has already created history by joining an exclusive club of Indian batters to have scored 600 and more runs in a Test series. He is the lone left-handed batter to have achieved the feat.
The 22-year-old is only the fifth Indian ever to have crossed the 600-run mark in a Test series with others being Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Sardesai, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli.
With 655 runs in four Tests at 93.57 which includes two fifties and as many centuries -- both converted into double hundreds -- Jaiswal could well be targeting the legendary Sunil Gavaskar's record of most runs (774) for any Indian batter in a Test series.
Meanwhile, a fine knock of 131 in Rajkot in the third Test against England has propelled Rohit Sharma to the 11th spot with the Indian skipper moving up two positions.
Star batter Virat Kohli, who has missed the entire five-Test series against England, also moved up one spot to be at eighth.
Among the top three batters, Joe Root replaced Steve Smith at the second spot after the English batter scored a quality century in the fourth Test in Ranchi but the Australian's struggle persisting for big scores at the opening slot.
A loss in form with the bat for Marnus Labuschagne meant the right-handed Australian batter slipped as many as five positions after twin failures in the Wellington Test against New Zealand.
Among bowlers, India's Ravindra Jadeja slipped one spot to be at seventh but Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon both moved up in the rankings to get to fourth and sixth respectively, following Australia's huge win by 172 runs over New Zealand.
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China tests new Hydrogen bomb without nuclear fusion
Beijing: China has reportedly tested a new kind of explosive device that uses hydrogen but does not involve any nuclear materials. This new weapon was developed by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). It works differently from traditional hydrogen bombs, which rely on nuclear fusion. Instead, this device uses a chemical reaction with a substance called magnesium hydride. The explosion creates a powerful fireball that gives off extreme heat for a longer time, reported Economic Times.
The explosive weighs only 2 kilograms and uses a unique method to create a powerful blast. Magnesium hydride, which stores hydrogen at high densities, breaks down quickly when triggered by a normal explosive. This releases hydrogen gas, which then mixes with air and catches fire. The result is a fireball with temperatures above 1,000°C much hotter than regular explosives like TNT.
Quoting Wang Xuefeng, a top scientist at the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), The Economic Times reported that hydrogen explosions require very little energy to ignite and can spread rapidly. Wang explained that such fires possess the intensity to burn through strong materials, including aluminium alloys. Due to its precision and destructive power, the device could be highly effective in targeted military strikes.
During a field test, the explosive showed a peak pressure of 428.43 kilopascals at a distance of two meters. This is around 40% of the pressure made by TNT. But the real strength of this device lies in the heat it produces. While most explosives create a quick shockwave, this one keeps burning at very high temperatures for more than two seconds.
This long-lasting heat could make the explosive useful for hitting specific military targets, such as power plants or communication centers. It could also be used to block enemy forces by burning roads or transport routes, making them unusable.
