Jaiswal slams fastest fifty in IPL history as Royals demolish KKR
Kolkata (PTI): Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his sensational run in the IPL by smashing the fastest fifty in tournament history as Rajasthan Royals cruised to a nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders to resurrect their playoff hopes here on Thursday.
Records tumbled at the Eden Gardens as Yuzvendra Chahal became IPL's leading wicket-taker before completing a brilliant 4/25 to restrict KKR to a below-par 149/8.
On a day KKR batters struggled to time the ball, 21-year-old Jaiswal showed the way by bringing up fastest fifty in the history of IPL in just 13 balls, bettering the previous record held by KL Rahul and Pat Cummins (14 balls each).
Jaiswal remained two runs shy of a century (98 from 47 balls), a knock studded with 12 fours and five sixes as RR cantered to victory 13.1 overs.
Samson gave fine support to the southpaw with a 48 not out from 29 balls as the duo shared an unbroken match-winning partnership of 121 runs off just 69 balls. The win with 41 balls to spare also took them to third spot (12 points from 12 matches), giving a massive boost to their net run-rate (0.0633) as the play-off race heats up.
It is all but over for KKR who slipped to seventh place (10 points, 12 matches). Jaiswal made his intention clear in the first over itself when KKR skipper Nitish Rana made a bold move to bowl himself.
Wasting no time, Jaiswal seized on the opportunity and smashed Rana for two sixes and two fours in a row in a 26-run over.
He hit Shardul Thakur with a hat-trick of fours to race to his fifty in the third over itself as RR virtually sealed the issue scoring 78/1 inside powerplay. To pile on the KKR misery, Sunil Narine dropped an easy catch when Samson was on 16.
The skipper then came on his own when he smoked Jharkhand leftarm spinner Anukul Roy for three sixes in a 20-run over.
On a day RR dished out an eye-grabbing fielding display, Chahal (187 wickets) eclipsed Dwayne Bravo (183) to become the all-time leading wicket-taker of the IPL when he struck off his second ball to dismiss KKR skipper Rana (22; 17b) in the 11th over.
Chahal's breakthrough came just when KKR looked to step up after a pathetic start when two astonishing catches of Shimron Hetmyer and Sandeep Sharma set the tone.
Both came in Trent Boult's successive overs as the Kiwi leftarm pacer returned with 2/15 from his three overs on his return. After an expensive second over when he leaked 15 runs, Chahal came back in the death overs and dismissed KKR topscorer Venkatesh Iyer (57; 42b) and Shardul Thakur (1) in four balls.
He ended his spell dismissing the the latest KKR sensation Rinku Singh (16) in the penultimate over to also become the leading wicket-taker this season (21). Put in on a dry Eden wicket, KKR frontline batters came a cropper, as Venkatesh held the fort and returned to form with a fighting fifty.
From being two off 12 balls, Venkatesh paced his innings well and raced to a 39-ball fifty. But he slashed a wide delivery from Chahal to be brilliantly caught by Boult. Andre Russell (10) failed to make it big after he was promoted to No 5 and fell to KM Asif (1/34).
KKR, who were 58/2 after nine overs, looked to seize the momentum after taking a strategic time out in the 10th over. Venkatesh finally broke free smashing Ashwin for back-to-back sixes, while Rana ended the over with an elegant four through extra-cover to take them to 76/2 at the midway mark.
KKR looked on course for a decent total before Chahal triggered a mid-innings collapse.
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Congress sharpens attack on Kejriwal with old video of his 'remarks on reservation'
New Delhi(PTI): Stepping up its attack on former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Congress on Tuesday referred to an old video in which the AAP convenor is purportedly talking about reservation and said it has now understood why he remains mum on caste census and removing the 50 per cent cap on quota.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared an old undated video of Kejriwal in which he is purportedly heard telling the audience that if someone benefits from reservation then that family should not get reservation again and another family be benefited from it.
"We also believe that if a family, from these sections of the society...if someone is economically well-off then that person should not get reservation someone else should get reservation," Kejriwal purportedly says in the video.
There was no immediate reaction from AAP and the veracity of the video could not be independently ascertained.
"Kejriwal's views must be heard on the issue reservation. Now it is understood --Why he remains silent on the removal of 50% cap on reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs in government employment and government educational institutions, and on caste census," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X.
Ramesh's remarks come a day after former Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kejriwal, saying there is no difference between the two leaders and they do not want backwards, Dalits, tribals and minorities to get their due share.
Specifically targeting Kejriwal at his first public meeting for Delhi assembly polls, Gandhi said the AAP convenor was following "Modi's strategy of propaganda and false promises" despite rising pollution, corruption and inflation in the national capital.
He also promised a caste survey in Delhi if the Congress formed the government in the national capital.
Gandhi hailed the work done under three successive Sheila Dikshit-led governments and asserted that neither Kejriwal nor the BJP can match the Congress' track record.
The former Congress chief had urged Kejriwal to make his stand clear on the issue of caste census and the demand for the removal of the 50 per cent cap on reservation.
Taking to X, Kejriwal had said Rahul Gandhi "abused" him a lot but he will not comment on the Congress leader's statements. "His fight is to save Congress, my fight is to save the country," the AAP chief said.
The Congress and AAP are part of the INDIA bloc. The two parties had fought the Lok Sabha election together in Delhi, but are contesting the assembly polls separately.
ख़ुद केजरीवाल जी को आरक्षण पर ज़रूर सुना जाये 👇
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 14, 2025
अब समझ आया यह
सरकारी रोज़गार और सरकारी शिक्षा संस्थानों में अनुसूचित जाति, अनुसूचित जनजाति, और अन्य पिछड़े वर्गों के आरक्षण पर 50% सीमा हटाने और जातिगत जनगणना पर क्यों चुप रहते हैं pic.twitter.com/rw9i26zKU1
