Granting Test status to Afghanistan a hasty decision: Azharuddin

Agencies
June 16, 2018

New Delhi, June 16: Former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin has said that though Afghanistan are a good side, the International Cricket Council 's (ICC) decision to give them Test status at such initial stage was a `hasty` one.

Azharuddin's comment comes in the light of Afghanistan's crushing defeat by an innings and 262 runs at the hands of top-ranked India in their maiden Test match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Talking to ANI, the 55-year-old said, "Afghanistan are good as a team but there is a difference between playing a one-day international and a Test match. I believe the ICC has taken a hasty decision giving them the Test status. The team should have been given more time. They experienced an embarrassing defeat against India. They were dismissed twice in a day."

The former cricketer further believes that the historic Test would be a learning curve for the Afghanistan side, adding that the Asghar Stanikzai-led side should now focus on working harder and improving their game.

"They will have to play more matches in future. This match will be a lesson for them and they need to improve. They require gaining more experience," the former Indian captain said.

Meanwhile, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) acting president CK Khanna also reflected his views on one-off Test match.

Khanna congratulated the Afghanistan team for their efforts and applauded them for winning the hearts of the entire nation. He further called on the side not to be disheartened by the defeat.

"Undoubtedly, they won the hearts of the entire nation. They played their best. And this is not first time that two innings are over in one day. It has happened earlier as well. And lowest score as far as my information was 84 by South Africa against England. So there is no issue of any disappointment for Afghanistan team," Khanna said.

When asked about the kind of support given by the BCCI to Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), Khanna assured that the Indian cricket board would continue to support Afghan cricketers.

In the historic one-off Test, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side dismissed Afghanistan twice in two sessions on Day Two- first bundling the visiting side for 109 runs in the first inning before bowling them out for 103 runs in second --in reply to India's huge first-innings total of 474 runs.

With the win, India became the first Asian team to win a Test match inside two days.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan, who have fast established themselves as a force to reckon with in the shorter formats, have become the 12th side to feature in men's Test cricket after Ireland debuted against Pakistan last month.

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News Network
February 12,2020

New Delhi, Feb 12: Unidentified people opened fire at the convoy of the newly elected Aam Aadmi Party legislator Naresh Yadav in Southwest Delhi when he and his supporters were returning home after visiting a temple after his victory, killing a party volunteer, police and a senior AAP leader said.

The firing incident happened in Kishangarh village late Tuesday night.

Police said they have detained a person for questioning and the incident appears to be a case of personal enmity. Sources said seven rounds were fired at the MLA's convoy.

Another person injured in the incident has been admitted to a hospital.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh identified the dead party volunteer as Ashok Mann.

“Convoy of MLA Naresh Yadav attacked in Mehrauli, Ashok Mann killed. Naresh Yadav was returning home after visiting a temple,” Singh said in a tweet in Hindi.

“At least one volunteer has passed away due to bullet wounds. Another is injured,” AAP tweeted.

Ankit Lal, AAP's social media in-charge, added that miscreants in another car opened fire on the MLA's convoy near Fortis Hospital.

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News Network
January 23,2020

Melbourne, Jan 23: Sania Mirza's return to her first Grand Slam after a two-year break was cut short on Thursday when the former world number one was forced to retire midway through her first round match in women's doubles at the Australian Open due to a calf injury.

India's Mirza, who won six Grand Slam doubles titles, took a break from the game after the China Open in October 2017 and gave birth to her son a year later.

The 33-year-old made a winning return to the WTA Tour at this month's Hobart International with Ukrainian Nadiia Kichenok, picking up her 42nd WTA doubles title and the first since winning the women's doubles in Brisbane in 2017.

Mirza said she strained her calf muscle in her right leg during the Hobart final.

"It just got worse in the match. It was bit of a bad strain, but I had a few days off," she told reporters. "So I obviously had to try to do whatever I could to try to get on the court.

"It felt okay when I went on the court, but it was tough to move right. I just felt like I'm gonna tear it or something pretty bad."

Mirza won her first Grand Slam in mixed doubles at the Australian Open in 2009 and also bagged the women's doubles in 2016.

Mirza always believed there was tennis left in her which inspired her comeback, she told Reuters on Sunday.

She had already pulled out of the Australian Open mixed doubles, where she was to partner compatriot Rohan Bopanna.

Mirza and Kichenok were trailing the Chinese pair of Xinyun Han and Lin Zhu 6-2 1-0 on Thursday when the Indian had to call it quits due to the injury.

"As a tennis player you want to compete, it is the Grand Slam. If it's any other tournament, you would probably take a call and be like 'I don't want to risk it'," she said.

Mirza, who is married to former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik, said she would take two weeks to recover and was hoping to play at next month's Dubai championships.

"When you play a professional sport, injuries are really part of it. And it's something that you have to accept," she said. "Sometimes the timing is really not ideal, it's tough that it happened in a Grand Slam, or just before a Grand Slam."

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News Network
January 17,2020

Mumbai, Jan 17: A 68-year-old convict of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, Jalees Ansari, went missing on Thursday morning while being on parole, officials said.

Ansari, a resident of Mominpura in Agripada here who is serving a life term, is suspected to be involved in many bomb blast cases across the country, an official said.

He was on parole for 21 days from the Ajmer Central Prison, Rajasthan, and was expected to surrender before prison authorities on Friday, he said.

During the parole period, he was ordered to visit the Agripada Police Station everyday between 10.30 am and 12 pm to mark his attendance, he said.

However, Ansari did not visit the police station on Thursday during the designated time, the official said.

In the afternoon, his 35-year-old son Jaid Ansari approached the police station with a complaint about his “missing” father, he said.

According to the complaint, Jalees Ansari woke up in the early hoursand told family members he is going to offer namaz, but did not return home.

On his complaint, the Agripada Police registered a missing case, he said.

The Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police and the Maharashtra ATS have launched a massive manhunt to trace him, he said.

Jalees, who is known as Doctor Bomb, was allegedly connected with terror outfits like SIMI and Indian Mujahidin and taught terror groups how to make bombs, he said.

He was also questioned by the NIA in 2011 in connection with the 2008 bomb blast in Mumbai, he said.

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