Ferocity, fitness and fast bowling: how Virat Kohli revolutionised Indian cricket

Kohli’s collision with Sam Konstas during the Boxing Day Test versus Australia.

Vaughan Cruickshank, University of Tasmania and Brendon Hyndman, Charles Sturt University

Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday.

While his Instagram message just said this was the “right time”, his poor recent Test form, mental fatigue and desire to spend more time with his family, charity foundation and expanding business empire have been suggested as other influential factors.

During his 14-year Test career “King Kohli” has been the backbone of the Indian batting line-up, and his absence is a huge blow as the Indians prepare to tour England next month.

The megastar scored 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries.

These numbers put him in the top five Indian test batsmen of all time, but his legacy extends far beyond his batting achievements.

Kohli, 36, quit Twenty20 Internationals last year (after India won its second world title). He may continue to play one-day internationals.

Rising to the top of Test cricket

Kohli has been the greatest Indian batsman of his generation.

He made his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies and played his final match against Australia in January.

He scored centuries against every country he played against, with more than half of these coming overseas.

His seven Test centuries in Australia is the second most by an overseas batsman.

He was at his peak between 2014 and 2019, when he averaged more than 60 in Test cricket and became one of the “fab four” (the world’s best Test batsmen) alongside Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root.

This period also included six double-hundreds in 18 months, and 13 months as the number one ranked Test batsman in the world.

Kohli the leader

Kohli is India’s greatest ever Test captain.

His tenure from 2014 to 2022 was a golden age for Indian Test cricket.

India won 40 of 68 Tests (59%) in this period and did not lose a Test series at home. India was the number one ranked Test team in the world from 2016–20 and won its first Test series in Australia in 2018–19.

These statistics make Kohli one of the most successful Test captains of all time.

Beyond these numbers, he was a charismatic and aggressive captain who redefined India’s approach to Test cricket by bringing a more competitive edge to the team.

He drove higher expectations around fitness, training intensity and fast bowling that continue to shape Indian cricket.

Mandatory fitness testing and improved dieting and recovery practices, which redefined the team’s standards, are attributed to Kohli’s leadership.

Similarly, Indian success was strongly contributed to by Kohli encouraging the development of a world-class pace bowling attack, which marked a significant shift from the spin-heavy approach of Indian cricket.

Controversies

While Kohli’s energy, passion and intensity contributed to his success as batsman and captain, they also led to numerous confrontations with opposition players, which some believed to be disrespectful and arrogant.

His intense celebrations and assertive body language also drew criticism from conservative cricketing audiences.

Many of these controversies have occurred in Australia, where Kohli enjoyed a love-hate relationship with Australian players and crowds.

Examples include flipping the bird to the crowd, making sandpaper gestures (in reference to the 2018 Australian ball tampering scandal, also known as Sandpapergate) and shoulder-barging young Australian batsman Sam Konstas.

What will his Test legacy be?

For more than a decade, Kohli has been the heartbeat of the Indian Test team, and his retirement marks the end of an era.

He reshaped the mindset of Indian cricket and cultivated a faster, fitter, fiercer, more successful team.

Kohli was also one of the greatest ambassadors of Test cricket, and has played a significant role in ensuring the game remains relevant in an era increasingly dominated by T20 cricket.

He made Test cricket aspirational again because he wanted it to thrive. He knew India needed to dominate the hardest format to be respected.

His social media reach (272 million followers on Instagram and 67.8 million on X) is more than Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Tom Brady combined, and was even referred to by LA2028 Olympics organisers when they announced cricket’s entry into the games.

In recent days, Kohli has been described as “a modern-day giant”, a “provocateur in chief”, and “his generation’s most profound figure”.

Love him or hate him, he elevated the spectacle of Test cricket. His electric energy brought the best out of India and its opponents and made him impossible to ignore when batting or fielding.

As respected cricket writer Peter Lalor noted recently:

Nobody is irreplaceable, but nobody can replace Virat.

Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania and Brendon Hyndman, Associate Dean (Academic), Charles Sturt University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read More........ → May 22, 2025

Gali Janardhan Reddy daughter wedding 400 crore in era of currency crisis

Gali Janardhan Reddy daughter wedding 400 crore in era of currency crisis !

The common man is waiting in long queues outside the banks to get Rs 4000 exchanged, but Gali Janardhan Reddy is celebrating the wedding of his daughter with 400 crores. Neither the cases nor the ED attachments and not even the demonetisation is effecting Gali daughter's wedding plans and this has
become the talk of the nation. Huge settings are setup for the wedding in 36 acres in Bengaluru and lavish dinner with entertainment programmes would be a feast to the guests attending this wedding. Source: IndionTV

Read More........ → November 17, 2016

Indian Express Editor Stuns PM Modi

At the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards held on 2nd of November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored 37 journalists across the country. The announcement of the PM giving away the awards this year did not please two journalists. Senior journalist from TOI Akshaya Mukul won the award for his non-fiction books ‘Gita Press and the making of Hindu India’. He said, “I cannot live with idea of Modi and me in the same frame.” to The Caravan. He was against the power of the government over Freedom of Speech. The second journalist to boycott the event was Anna MM Vetticad. She was awarded in the Commentary and Interpretative Writing category for her report on the stereotypical portrayal of women in TV and films. She has criticized Modi and his government over the times, hence, no surprise there. Apart from this, what caught the audience’s attention was Indian Express’ Editor Raj Kamal Jha’s speech. He, very conveniently said what is wrong in today’s journalism. He said that Ramnath Goenka once had ‘sacked’ a journalist  when he received appreciation from a Chief Minister. What he said next stunned the PM. He said, “Criticism from a government is a badge of honour”. An excerpt from his speech: “Thank you sir, for your speech. You made some wonderful points. I think the most important point was credibility. We cannot blame the government for that. That is our job, we need to look within and we will surely reflect on your remarks. …those who say that good journalism is dying, that journalists have been bought over by the government, good journalism is not dying; it is getting better and bigger. It’s just bad journalism makes lot more noise than it used to do five years ago. And that is why I think the remote control should get the R&G award for excellence in journalism.“ With this powerful speech he sure did send a strong message to the ‘loud’ journalists and also to the government. Source: http://yovizag.com/

Read More........ → November 07, 2016

India, Singapore ink strategic partnership

Nine deals signed, Modi pays homage at INA memorial SINGAPORE, Nov 24: India and Singapore signed a joint declaration on strategic partnership and nine bilateral accords on Tuesday, the second day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to this city state. Modi and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong signed the joint declaration on strategic partnership to elevate bilateral relations to a “strategic partnership to deepen and broaden engagement in existing areas of cooperation and catalyse new ones ranging from political, defence and security cooperation to economic, cultural and people to people contact”, an official statement said. “The strategic partnership is also a framework to contribute to greater regional stability and growth,” it added. Besides this, two agreements on defence cooperation and loan of artifacts from India to Singapore, two executive programme/operationalisation documents on arts and culture, and white-shipping, and five memorandums of agreement (MoUs) on cyber security, civil aviation, knowledge exchange in the field of planning, urban planning, and combating drug trafficking were also signed. The agreement on defence cooperation enhances cooperation in the field by providing for defence ministers’ dialogue, joint exercises between armed forces, and cooperation between defence industries to identify areas of co-production and co-development, the statement said. The second agreement “extends the loan of Indian artifacts to the Asian Civilisations Museum of Singapore”. The operationalisation document on arts and culture is on an “executive programme on cooperation in the fields of the arts, heritage, archives and library” between the Indian and Singaporean governments for the years 2015-2018. The second operationalisation document has been signed following the technical agreement on sharing white-shipping or commercial shipping information about movement of cargo ships between the Indian and Singapore navies signed on July 21, 2015. “Following the signing of technical agreement between the two navies on sharing white-shipping information in July 2015, both navies have established a two-way linkage. This has enhanced bilateral cooperation in the area of maritime security,” the statement said. The MoU on cyber security was signed between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and the Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team (SingCERT). “The MoU promotes closer cooperation and exchange of information pertaining to cyber security between the computer emergency response teams of the two countries by establishment of a broader framework for future dialogue; exchange of information on
such  cyber-attacks; research collaboration in smart technologies; exchange of information on prevalent cyber security policies and best practices as well as professional exchanges,” the statement said. The MoU on civil aviation “facilitates mutual cooperation in a number of mutually agreed areas of civil aviation services and airport management beginning with Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports”. The third MoU promotes knowledge and information exchange in areas as urban planning, waste water management, solid waste management and public-private partnerships between India’s NITI Aayog and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE). The MoU on combating drug “facilitates and enhances cooperation by exchange of information on trends in the illicit manufacture and those arrested on drug trafficking charges and establishes direct contact points” between the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of India and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) of Singapore. “Capacity building, skill upgrading and knowledge development are also identified as areas of cooperation,” the statement said. The fifth MoU was signed between the Town and Country Planning Organisation of India and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise in Capacity Building in the field of urban planning and governance. It provides for participation of government officials from India in capacity-building programmes in areas such as urban planning and management. The documents were signed following bilateral talks between Modi and Lee here. After the signing of the documents, External Affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted that the two prime ministers noted the importance of culture between the two countries and encouraged more exhibitions, exchanges and interactions. Modi and Lee noted their shared interest in furthering cooperation in the areas of science and technology, particularly in space, biomedicine and ayurveda, the spokesperson added. The two prime ministers also released two postal stamps showing Rashtrapati Bhavan and Istana, the Singaporean presidential palace, to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Earlier on Tuesday, Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Istana following which he met Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. Modi arrived in Singapore from Malaysia on Monday on a bilateral visit in the second and last leg of his four-day visit to southeast Asia. On Tuesday, he paid his respects at the INA memorial here. (IANS). Source: The Sentinel, Image: flickr.com

Read More........ → November 25, 2015

Students are the identity of a teacher, says Narendra Modi on eve of Teachers Day

..

• A relaxed Modi responded to a range of questions including his school days and dress sense: New Delhi: On the eve of Teachers Day on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged in a candid interaction with students across the country during which he gave tips on how to ignite their minds, improve oratory and advised parents not to impose choices on children. During his interaction, Modi also said that he aims to ensure 24x7 power supply across India by 2022. The Prime Minister also underscored the need for having good people in politics to take the country to greater heights. Addressing students and later replying to their questions via video conferencing in the second such initiative, Modi said he has issued direction to replace 'Character certificates' with Aptitude certificates which will reflect the personality of the students when they leave schools. A relaxed Modi responded to a range of questions including his school days and dress sense during his 105-minute interaction with 800 students and 60 teachers from schools in Delhi who participated in the event at the Manekshaw auditorium here. Students from nine other states joined the programme through video conference. The Prime Minister spoke highly about the role of teachers in nation-building and said he interacts with students on the occasion of Teachers' Day as students are their identity. "Mother gives birth to a child, (guru) teacher gives life (jeevan). There will hardly be anyone in the world who will not admit the role of their mother and teacher in their life," Modi said. The Prime Minister said there must have been great teachers behind every successful doctor, engineer and scientist and exhorted the parents to not force choices on their children. "Sometimes people wonder why spend time with students on Teachers' Day. It is because students are teachers' identity," he said. There was criticism last year that the Prime Minister had ignored the teachers when he interacted with students on Teachers' Day last year. The Prime Minister also launched two commemorative coins -- one of Rs 125 denomination and another of Rs 10 on the occasion. "A teacher can never retire. Being a teacher is not like any other occupation," he said. Modi also said that education should not create "robots" as he emphasised the importance of art and culture in students life. When a student from Goa asked him about his favourite sport, Modi in a lighter vein responded, "We all know the games politicians play." He than narrated, how he used to climb trees and learnt swimming. On politics, he said "Unfortunately politics has acquired a lot of bad name. Talented people from all walks of life are required in politics." Elaborating on his direction to issue Aptitude certificates, Modi said, "Everybody gets a character certificate from school. I have issued direction to replace character certificate with aptitude certificate," he said. Listing various initiatives of his government, Modi said "My aim is to ensure 24X7 power supply across the country by 2022." He said 18,000 villages where there is no power will be electrified in the next 1,000 days. Seeking to give a new dimension to teaching, Modi asked doctors, engineers and civil servants and others who have excelled in their fields to devote one hour every week or hundred hours every year to teaching children. "This would give new strength to teaching in the country," he said. In a lighter vein, he then remarked that politicians would not be the best persons for such a thing. He said that a good teacher may come from anywhere. He cited an instance of an Anganwadi teacher who taught her students about the use of handkerchief to stay clean. The students posed a range of questions to the Prime Minister from his choice of clothes, to his inspirations in life, waste management and how to inculcate leadership qualities. The Prime Minister said he doesn't have a fashion designer. "I only dress sober and simple," he said. On a question on leadership, Modi said that politics has got much maligned but there is need for good, intelligent people to step in this field. He added that the Independence movement under Gandhiji gained strength because people from all walks joined it. The Prime Minister also told children that they should not get deterred by failure in the pursuit of their goals. There would be hardly any person who has not faced failure, he said while suggesting to them to read Eleanor H Porter's Pollyanna to inculcate a positive outlook in life. When a student asked him about how he managed mastery in oratory, Modi offered tips on how to become a good speaker. "To be a good orator, you need to be a good listener...Don't worry about what people will say. Don't be nervous. You should be confident." The Prime Minister said a habit of keeping notes would also help in a big way. He urged the students to listen to speeches of renowned orators on YouTube. "You are Google guru vidyarthi (students) after all. If you see other speeches online, you will gain confidence," he said. Earlier, HRD Minister Smriti Irani welcomed the Prime Minister and the students. 
• The Prime Minister answered questions posed to him by young achievers from select schools across the country. If with a receptive mind we meet people, everyone influences and teaches us something. I was always a curious child: Modi. Leadership quality is essential. You must also be clear why you want to be a leader: to fight elections only or to make a difference. 
• Sarthak Bhardwaj from Uttarakhand asks PM - Digital India is a great effort but many places in India do not have electricity. You are right, there are villages with no electricity. In next 1000 days we have taken up the effort to give power to 18,000 villages. My aim is to ensure 24X7 power supply across the country by 2022. Everybody knows what politicians play. When I was a boy, I had not heard of fancy sports. Kabaddi and kho kho only. I learnt swimming because I had to wash my own clothes and had to go to the lake. Whenever a woman shines on the sports field, the mother of the child has a very important contribution.
• Another student asked: I want to be a great leader and contribute to politics. What should I do to become one? Good people and people from all walks of life are required in politics. Do you recall how people from all walks of life joined Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle? It benefitted the nation. Leadership quality is essential. You must also be clear why you want to be a leader: to fight elections only or to make a difference. Can serve the nation not only by joining the armed forces or being in politics. Several ways to contribute to nation building. I don't think India lacks good teachers
• S K Visalini, a B.Tech student from Tamil Nadu asks, How can I help the country? We can do that with very small and simple things. If a child saves even Rs 10 worth of electricity, that's a great help. Sometimes we waste food...if we don't do that, that's a great help. If we ensure that we don't don't waste natural resources, that's a huge help. If you teach your maid for half an hour and educate her, that's a huge help. Classroom gives a sense of mission and a sense of priority To speak well you need to be a good listener. And this will increase your confidence level Nearly 800 students and 60 teachers from various schools in New Delhi will interact with the Prime Minister. Age Correspondent With Agency Inputs: Source: The Asian Age, Image: flickr.com

Read More........ → September 05, 2015

Atal Bihari Vajpayee,Madan Mohan Malviya to be conferred with Bharat Ratna

.........

            Videos            Books           Collection            Wiki             Speech      |      Books           Videos            Wiki            Speech

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and educationist Madan Mohan Malviya were on Wednesday chosen for the country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. The announcement came ahead of Vajpayee's 90th birthday on Thursday. A meeting of the Union Cabinet was convened in Delhi today where the was taken. "The President has been pleased to award Bharat Ratna to Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya(posthumously) and to Atal Bihari Vajpayee," a press communique from Rashtrapati Bhavan said. One of India's most charismatic leaders, Vajpayee is lauded as a statesman  and has been often described as the moderate face of BJP. Vajpayee, who has been ailing for sometime, has been credited for taking bold initiatives, notable being the attempt to bridge Indo-Pak differences. India's longest serving prime minister outside of Congress party, Vajpayee's detractors called him "mask" of the RSS. Several BJP leaders and

MPs, including Murli Manohar Joshi, have demanded that the top honour be awarded to Vajpayee. NDA partner Shiv Sena too came out in support of conferring Bharat Ratna to the first BJP Prime Minister. An educationist with a vision, Malviya's main achievement was the establishment of the Banaras Hindu University. Born on December 25, 1861, Malviya was catapulted into the political arena immediately after his first moving speech at the second Congress session held in Kolkata in 1886. He was President of INC in 1909 and 1918. Malviya is also remembered for his stellar role in the Independence movement and his espousal of Hindu nationalism. He was one of the initial leaders of the right-wing Hindu Mahasabha. The recommendation for Bharat Ratna is made by the Prime Minister himself to the President. No formal recommendation for this is necessary. Source: The Asian Age, Image: flickr.com

Read More........ → December 24, 2014

Surat diamond merchant's massive Diwali bonus for employees: houses, cars and jewellery

A Surat based diamond baron has gifted his employees brand new cars, diamond jewellery and even homes as a Diwali gift for meeting targets for the year. The diamond industry in Surat district of Gujarat may not be passing through the most dazzling phases in its history but diamond baron Palki Savjibhai Dholakia's employees were still rewarded for their hard work. Palki Savjibhai Dholakia, a diamond merchant based in Surat who runs Hrishikesh Exporters, showered his employees with a massive bonus. He gifted 200 workers houses, 525 have received diamond jewellery and 491 have been gifted brand new cars. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Source: youtube.com

Read More........ → October 21, 2014

Nifty surges past 8,000 to mark record high

.
The 50-share broader index marked a record high of 8,011.15

Mumbai: The Nifty surged past the psychologically important 8,000 level for the first time to mark its latest record high as blue-chips such as Larsen & Toubro gained after better than expected quarterly economic growth data. The after-glow of Narendra Modi's election victory nearly four months ago helped India's lumbering economy register its fastest growth in two-and-a-half years for the quarter ending in June, according to data on Friday. The 50-share broader index marked a record high of 8,011.15. L&T gained 1.7 per cent, while ICICI Bank Ltd rose 1.2 per cent. Source: The Asian Age

Read More........ → September 01, 2014

Amitabh Bachchan wraps up ‘Shamitabh’

.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has finished shooting for R. Balakrishnan’s directorial ‘Shamitabh’ and is ready to take up the next project. “Shamitabh’ hits the last day for me … after a hard day on location several miles away from the city, they cheer for me as I leave … to continue the next work and schedule on hand,” he posted on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com. The movie, also starring Dhanush, marks the Bollywood debut of southern superstar actor Kamal Haasan’s daughter Akshara. Amitabh Bachchan records for Shamitabh, Superstar Amitabh Bachchan is all set to get behind the mic once again. The actor confirmed on his official Twitter account that he has recorded a number for R Balki’s upcoming venture,

Shamitabh, that also stars Dhanush and Akshara Haasan. Interestingly, Bachchan had sung a number each in his earlier ventures with Balki, Cheeni Kum and Paa. While in Baatein hawa hai from Cheeni Kum, Bachchan has singer Shreya Ghoshal for company, Mere paa from Paa was a solo number in Bachchan’s voice. To confirm the news, the actor tweeted, “Balki and Shamitabh meet… Got to sing another song ..aarrrgghh !! I am hopeless at this… But guess will have to do it!!” Although the name of the song sung by Bachchan has not been revealed yet, the song has been composed by Ilayaraja and penned by lyricist Swanand Kirkire. For now, we will have to wait and watch how the song turns out. A poetic evening: Shashi Ranjan and Rumi Jaffrey organised the second Tehzeeb-e-Gango Jaman Mushaira in Mumbai last week. The Hindi-Urdu poetry session saw guests like Madhushree, Bhupinder Singh, Anu Malik among others. The highlight of the evening came in the form of 90-year-old lyricist Gopaldas Neeraj taking the stage at the finale and reciting some of his popular poems and songs, including the popular Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo from Mera Naam Joker. Source: The Indian Express

Read More........ → August 20, 2014

PM Narendra Modi dedicates largest warship INS Vikramaditya to the nation, pitches for self-reliance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dedicated India’s largest warship INS Vikramaditya to the nation and pitched for making the country self-reliant in manufacturing defence equipment, shedding dependence on imports.

In his first outing after taking charge as Prime Minister, he addressed the naval personnel onboard the ship off the Goa coast, calling the addition of the warship to the force as a “historic” step. “It is an important day for our nation. It is a golden day in Indian Navy’s history. For me, it is a matter of pride and happiness that INS Vikramaditya is joining the Navy. It is a historic step,” he said. Stressing on the need for self-reliance in defence equipment manufacturing, he said, “We need to give immense importance 
to latest technology. This will help the nation. Why should we import defence equipment? We must be self sufficient. Why can’t we  The Prime Minister also promised to set up a War Memorial for those who sacrificed their lives for the country. send our defence equipment to other nations.”  He said this government has come with a determination and was committed to implement the “One Rank, One pension” scheme for defence personnel. “Our government has the potential to match anyone in the world and the reason for this is the capability of our soldiers who give us the strength to do so,” he said in his address, adding that the country intends to move forward in the same manner, without lowering its eyes. He also called

for setting up a Naval NCC network across the country that could prepare a dedicated force of soldiers which could help the Navy emerge as a big force in the coming times. Arriving on board the warship in a Sea King chopper, the Prime Minister was given the ceremonial guard of honour by the Navy and was briefed about the warship. He also sat in a MIG 29 aircraft and had a feel of the combat fighter on the ship. The Prime Minister spent a few hours on board the 44,500-tonne warship, his first visit to any defence facility. The prime minister was accompanied by Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Defence Secretary R K Mathur and Naval Chief Admiral Robin Dhowan. During his stay on the ship, acquired from Russia for over Rs 15,000 crore, Modi witnessed ‘air power demonstration’ by various naval aircraft, including MiG 29K, Sea Harriers, P 8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft, TU 142M and IL-38SD maritime surveillance planes along with Kamov and
Sea King helicopters. He also witnessed high-speed manoeuvres by the Navy’s Western Fleet ships including aircraft carrier INS Viraat, Delhi-class destroyers and Talwar-class frigates. The air demonstrations were, however, hampered by heavy rain. Modi interacted with the senior officers and the crew. The deal for the aircraft carrier was signed during the previous NDA regime in 2004 and the ship will be dedicated to the nation after a gap of ten years. The vessel had joined the Indian Navy on November 16, 2013. The ship was earlier commissioned by the then defence minister A K Antony in Russia. Vikramaditya, a floating airfield, has an overall length of about 284 metres and a maximum beam of about 60 metres, stretching as much as three football fields put together. Standing about 20 storeys tall from the keel to the highest point, the ship has a total of 22 decks and carries 1,600 personnel. With her complete stock of provisions, she is capable of sustaining herself at sea for about 45 days. It is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier which was purchased by India from Russia for the Indian Navy in 2013. The ship has been renamed in honour of Vikramaditya, a legendary 1st century BC emperor. Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet (until the dissolution of the Soviet Union) and Russian Navies before being decommissioned in 1996 as it was too expensive to operate. Source: The Indian Express

Read More........ → June 14, 2014

Narendra Modi sworn in as 15th Prime Minister of India

.

New Delhi: Marking the beginning of a new era in Indian politics, Narendra Modi on Monday was sworn in Prime Minister at the head of a 45-member coalition government after the elections threw the first government with absolute majority in 30 years. 63-year-old Modi, the first leader to get a landslide majority for BJP on its own, became the 15th prime minister in a virtual 'coronation' ceremony in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhawan before a 3000-strong gathering, the largest audience at the swearing in a of new government. Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, M Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, Uma Bharti, Maneka Gandhi, Ananth Kumar, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Smriti Irani and Harsh Vardhan were among those who were sworn in as Cabinet ministers. Ram Vilas Paswan (LJP), Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Akali Dal), Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) and Ashok Gajapathi Raju (TDP) were those from allied parties who took the oath on Monday. Dignitaries from politics, industry, cinema and religion, capped by leaders of SAARC nations including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, watched Modi take the oath of office and secrecy in Hindi. Vice President Hamid Ansari, outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his ministerial colleagues P Chidambaram, Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel and Pallam Raju, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, outgoing Speaker Meira Kumar, former Presidents Abdul Kalam, Pratibha Patil were among those who attended the ceremony. Differences during elections melted away before protocol as opponents including Mulayam Singh Yadav, his son and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, J and K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda were present at the ceremony. Top industry figures like Mukesh Ambani and his family, his brother Anil, Kumarmangalam Birla, Sashi Ruia, Gautam Adani and V N Dhoot, film stars Salman Khan along with his father Salim Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Dharmendra and Anupam Kher, lyricist Javed Akthar were present along with a clutch saffron-robed seers including Pejawar Mutt chief Vishwendra Teertha Swamy. Cricketing great Sunil Gavaskar was also present. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, whose effigy was burnt some kms away in the morning, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Mauritius President Naveen Chandra Ramgoolam were the other foreign dignitaries present at the ceremony. At the end of the 90-minute swearing-in ceremony, Modi shook hands with all the heads of governments from abroad after the President took a group photograph with the new council of ministers. Modi also exchanged greetings with the outgoing PM. Shortly later, it was all disorder as the gathered crowd sought to greet the new PM that led to pushing around. The other BJP MPs, who were sworn in as cabinet ministers were Gopinath Munde, Sadanand Gowda, Kalraj Mishra, Najma Heptullah, the lone Muslim face, Narendra Singh Tomar, Jual Oram, Radha Mohan Singh and Thawar Chand Ghelot. Former Army chief Gen V K Singh was inducted into the council of ministers as Minister of State with independent charge along with nine others. They are Rao Inderjit Singh, Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Shripad Naik, Dharmendra Pradhan, Sarbananda Sonowal, Prakash Javadekar, Piyush Goel, Jitender Singh and Nirmala Seetharaman. 12 other ministers of state were inducted. They are G M Siddeshwara, Manoj Sinha, Nihal Chand, Upendra Khushwaha, Pon Radhakrishnan, Kiren Rijiju, Krishen Pal, Sanjiv Kumar Baliyan, Mansukhbhai Vasava, Rao Saheb Danve, Vishnudev Sai and Sudarshan Bhagat. Source: Article, Image: fickr.com

Read More........ → May 27, 2014

Pro Kabaddi league gears up to raid Global Kabaddi talent

.

Auction of over 96 Kabaddi players from across 14 countries to be held in Mumbai on 20 May, 2014

Saturday, 17 May 2014, Mumbai: Team Mashal Sports, promoter of the Pro-Kabaddi League is all set to kick start the first ever Pro Kabaddi season beginning with an auction for the World's finest Kabaddi talent on May 20, 2014 in Mumbai. The auction to be hosted by the 'Travelling Gavel' Bob Hayton, who has over 30 years of auctioning experience, will put a pool of 96 professional Kabaddi players from across 14 countries, under the hammer for the 8 franchises that constitute the league - Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Vizag. All owners have been mandated to build a team of 12 players from the three categories, A, B and C, that each of the 96 players are categorized into based on their prior records and achievements. To have evenly balanced teams in the league, all owners would have to choose 4 category 'A' players, 6 category 'B' players and 1 category 'C' player. The twelfth and final player will be picked from a 'State Wild Card' pool. The 32 Category 'A' players will be auctioned in 4 lots; 8 raiders, followed by 8 defenders, 8 all-rounders and concludes with a mixed 8. The 48 Category 'B' players will also be auctioned in 4 lots of 12 each and out of the 12 players in Category C, a total of 8 - one per team - will be allotted through a Double Draw system. The state wild card player will be selected by the individual franchisee based on recommendations of the state associations. The owners who include, entrepreneur and social philanthropist Ronnie Screwvala for Mumbai, The Future Group for Kolkata, Insurekot Sports (Kotak Group) for Pune, and Abhishek Bachchan for Jaipur amongst other distinguished and high profile individuals, will have a tough task at hand but are extremely excited at building a winning team through sensible auction strategies. The Pro Kabaddi league is all set to kick off in Mumbai on the 26th of July with each of the 8 venues hosting 4 days of 'home' team action and all teams playing each other twice for a total of 14 league matches. The knock-out finale will be played in Bangalore between 28th and 31st August 2014. In a significant value addition to Kabaddi, these games will be spectacularly produced and telecasted live on prime time TV by international broadcaster, Star Sports. Speaking on the upcoming auction, Managing Director of Mashal Sports, Charu Sharma said, "It's a very important milestone for all of us who have joined hands to make this boldest revolution in Indian sports, a reality. The team owners are very excited of course, but imagine the enthusiasm and anticipation with which the top Kabaddi players from India and many other countries are waiting for the auction drama to unfold. Kabaddi is a tough, raw, physical sport without thus far, any organised remuneration. Pro Kabaddi is setting the ball rolling to make the sport visible, attractive, professional, remunerative and, for a large section of India's athletic youth, aspirational". Source: Article

Read More........ → May 19, 2014

Historic win for Modi

.

Narendra Modi created history Friday on his way to becoming India's 14th prime minister as he led the BJP to a spectacular victory in a Lok Sabha battle that crushed the Congress and others ranged against him and gave, for the first time in 30 years, any party a majority in parliament on its own.

Even political pundits gasped at the sheer scale of the Bharatiya Janata Party's sweep that election officials said was poised to give it a comfortable majority in the 545-member Lok Sabha even without the aid of its old and new allies. The Congress, India's oldest party which had ruled the country for a decade since 2004, faced its worst humiliation. It had won three seats and was leading only in 39 more -- its worst tally in the Lok Sabha where it had never fallen to two digits. The Congress won 206 seats in 2009. If it gets less than ten percent of the total number of Lok Sabha seats, its president may not be recognised as the Leader of Opposition, a cabinet rank. The Congress did not win a single seat in seven states and it was unlikely to win more than 10 seats in any state. A chastened Congress accepted defeat. Outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated Modi who is still the Gujarat chief minister. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh summed up the mood in the country's oldest party by saying: "Our performance is worse than the worst case scenario." Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who won easily from Rae Bareli unlike her son Rahul Gandhi, added: "The people's verdict is against us." Both took responsibility for the defeat, congratulated the BJP but didn't name Modi.  As an army of officials continued to count the 550 million votes 1.72 million electronic voting machines polled across the country, the BJP had won 26 seats and was leading in a whopping 255 others by 4 p.m. The BJP is thus poised to bag a total of 281 seats in the Lok Sabha, where a party needs 272 for a simple majority. Modi is expected to be sworn in prime minister by President Pranab Mukherjee on May 21.  A visibly jubilant Modi promptly called on his ageing mother, the one person he respects the most, in Gandhinagar. Party colleague Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "The results show the people of India love Modi." "The most fundamental factor behind such a decisive mandate is the all India anti-Congress sentiment," political commentator Dipankar Gupta told IANS. BJP president Rajnath Singh described the party's victory as "superb" and said "a new era has begun in Indian politics." Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raj said Modi had "electrified the nation." Amit Shah, Modi's closest aide, declared that India was poised to see major changes in politics. The BJP was poised to win all but seven seats in Uttar Pradesh which elects the maximum of 80 members to the Lok Sabha. The BJP-led combine was also poised to bag 31 of the 40 seats in neighbouring Bihar. Interestingly, three of the four regional parties which too did well in their strongholds were not allied with Modi even if their leaders have had good equations with him. Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK led by Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa will be the third largest party in the Lok Sabha. It was on the victory lap in 36 of the state's 39 seats - a showing that punctured long-time rival DMK. In West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress decimated the Left. It won three of the 42 seats and was leading all others in 31 constituencies. The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha is set to win 20 of the 21 seats. The BJP's oldest ally, the Shiv Sena, was on the victory lap in 19 of the 48 constituencies. The Shiv Sena-BJP combine would win 40 seats in the state. The stock market shot up on news of the imminent BJP victory. All BJP stalwarts won easily including Narendra Modi, from both Vadodara in Gujarat and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Other prominent BJP victors were L.K. Advani (Gandhinagar), Rajnath Singh (Lucknow), Murli Manohar Joshi (Kanpur), Nitin Gadkari (Nagpur) and Sushma Swaraj (Vidisha). The only BJP leader who lost was Arun Jaitley, leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha who was trounced by former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh of the Congress in Amritsar. Tens of thousands of BJP supporters celebrated the party's victory all over the country. In New Delhi, thousands gathered at the BJP headquarters dancing, bursting firecrakcers and distributing sweets. Many Congress veterans bit the dust. They included Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Ambika Soni, Kapil Sibal, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ajay Maken and Pawan Kumar Bansal. The Left too suffered a major blow. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, who claimed he would easily defeat Modi in Varanasi, lost by more than 200,000 votes. Source: Voice Of Russia

Read More........ → May 17, 2014

Exit Polls prediction hints: Abki Baar Modi Sarkar

....

The prediction displayed by various exit polls largely predicted BJP-led National Democratic Alliance coming to power in the Lok Sabha elections but varied in the margin of its lead over the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance. If we rely on the predictions, there is no doubt in making the Modi Sarkar in Center as almost all the exit polls has indicated for a absolute majority for NDA and BJP. Despite the fact that India's exit polls and its authenticity has always been questionable for its incorrectly prediction, there is cases when it has displayed authenticity in its prediction. Some of them also predicted the Bharatiya Janata Party reaching its highest-ever tally and the Congress reaching its lowest-ever numbers. 

Here are predictions of various exit polls.

• CNN-IBN-CSDS-Lokniti: NDA 270-282, UPA 92-102; BJP 230-242, Congress 72-82
• India Today-CICERO: NDA 272 (plus/minus 11), UPA 115 (plus/minus five), Others 156 (plus/minus six)
• India TV-CVoter: NDA 289, UPA 101, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) 5 , Others 148.
• ORG-TimesNow poll: NDA 249 seats, UPA 148 seats and others 146 seats.
• ABP News: NDA 281, UPA 97, AAP 4, Others 161
• Today's Chanakya: NDA 340 (plus/minus 14), BJP (291 plus/minus14); UPA (70 plus/minus nine), Congress (57 plus/minus nine); Others (133 plus/minus 11).

Source: News Track India

Read More........ → May 13, 2014

World Twenty20: Unstoppable Virat Kohli takes India to final

With a six-wicket win over South Africa, MS Dhoni’s men muscled their way to the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 final. They chased down the 173-run target with five balls to spare and will take on Sri Lanka on April 6. Although Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy helped SA post a competitive score, it wasn’t enough to beat India. Virat Kohli made the target look easy. Complemented by Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina’s cameo, he led India to a semi-final win with a 72* (44 balls). 

Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane had dominated for the better part of the first quarter of the innings. Rahane anchored the first half of the Indian innings, before perishing to an aerial shot for 32. Rohit also took charge and picked two boundaries of Duminy to take 14 from the first over. He then guided Albie Morkel through point for four and later pulled him over midwicket. However, with India on 39, Rohit’s blitzkrieg came to an abrupt end when he was caught by the SA skipper, bringing Kohli out to the middle. Rahane ensured that the run rate didn’t dip drastically. Although they had kept the scoreboard ticking with runs coming in ones and twos for the next four overs, India needed the big hits. Looking to clear the fence, Rahane returned to the dressing room. With India on 80 for two halfway through the innings, Kohli slammed the ball over long on for six. Rotating his bowlers, du Plessis continued to keep the flow of runs in check as Yuvraj Singh joined Kohli. With the match hanging in the balance, and India needing 60 off 36 balls, du Plessis brought back Steyn who had three overs left. But Kohli brought up his half-century with a six off Imran Tahir in the next over. A ball later, Yuvraj was caught by AB de Villiers. At 133 for three, Raina took guard and got off the mark with a six off a short ball. Following up with two boundaries, he collected 17 runs off a Parnell over. With Kohli garnering 13 off Steyn in the next, the pair brought India within reach of the target. With six required, the left-hand batsman was sent back by Hendricks for 21, halting the partnership for 34. But with Kohli pulling the ball over square-leg for four and then taking a single, he had leveled the scores. India needed one of the last over and Kohli did the honours by striking a boundary. Earlier, Indian bowlers began well as Bhuvneshwar Kumar took the edge off Quinton de Kock’s willow to dismiss him caught behind. Four overs later, Ravichandran Ashwin bowled Hashim Amla with his trademark carrom ball to leave SA on 44 for two. But du Plessis walked in and changed the course of the innings. The South African captain smothered the Indian attack with the support of JP Duminy. After biding their time of at the crease,
the pair unleashed themselves on the Indian bowlers employing the sweep shot effectively against spinners. It was in the 12th over that du Plessis set the stage on fire as he collected 16 runs from it. And the next over by Mishra cost 17 runs. Joining du Plessis in the run-fest, Duminy dismissed the ball over deep mid-wicket for a six and then swept Mishra to the fence. The onslaught pushed Dhoni into bringing Ashwin back into the attack and that did the trick for India. Although he was struck by du Plessis over the ropes, the bowler got the better of the SA captain later in the over. AB de Villiers was the off-spinner’s next scalp in his following over. Although the destructive batsman was back in the dugout for just 10, there wasn’t much respite for India as David Miller joined Duminy in milking the Indian bowlers. Collecting 36 runs in the last three overs, they took the Proteas to 172 for four. Duminy remained unbeaten on 45, while Miller’s 18-ball cameo was worth 23. With three for 22, Ashwin’s performance with the ball stood out. Man of the Match: Virat Kohli for his match-winning knock to take India into the final. Dhoni: "There was a sense of calmness in the dressing room. Everybody saw how the wicket behaved and it was a better wicket than what we have played on so far. Because of this, we felt we could chase this total down. Rohit and Rahane gave us a really good start. We have a lot of self-belief and back each other. Virat Kohli has been really consistent and he's a very special talent. Youngsters could learn from him. Ashwin was excellent this evening. I wanted to bowl him throughout and didn't want the fast bowlers to bowl at AB de Villiers. I wanted Kohli to hit the winnings runs as it was the best way I could thank him." du Plessis: "I thought we batted brilliantly and it was a good score against a strong attack. The ball spun a bit and and they bowled well, particularly Ashwin, and I thought we posted a good score. Runs on the board is what you ask for but the bad thing is that India know how to chase. Virat Kohli was superb; he is world class. India have played brilliantly throughout and deserve it. They were the better side tonight and I think our bowling wasn't as good as it could have been. It's been a mixed campaign for us. We're a resilient bunch and we have fought hard and I am proud of that." source: bcci.tv, Source: Article

Read More........ → April 05, 2014

Casa launches Mediterranean villa project

..

By D Govardan: Casa Grande, a fast growing property development company in Chennai, has recently launched a first of its kind Mediterranean villa project at Thoraipakkam, a 10 minute drive from Adyar, a premium residential and commercial hub in south Chennai. Casa Grande Pallagio will be the only villa project within the city and will encompass 89 villas that will come up in over six acres of land. The thematic villas, each designed as a two-storey structure, will have significant open spaces and facilities of a luxury project, a statement from the company said. Each villa has a built-up area of 2,700 sq ft with four bedrooms and two family rooms. It offers a private landscaped garden overlooking the living and dining area, a private terrace that doubles up as party area. This is an exclusive gated community project with all driveways, roads owned by the community. “Casa Grande Pallagio will be the only villa project available within the city. The villas are planned keeping in mind the taste of the upwardly mobile and those who wish to live within the city. It will be an offer one can’t refuse as villas in the heart of the city will cost Rs 5-6 crore, while in Casa Grande Pallagio, situated just 10 minutes away from adyar, will cost only around Rs 1.8 crore,” says Arun Kumar, founder and managing director, Casa Grande. The gated community also features amenities like gym, games room, party hall and swimming pool along with state of the art security features. The initial launch price of Rs 1.8 crore per villa is only for the early birds: the prices will be increased to Rs 2.1 crore subsequently. The company is also offering a few studio apartments within the project. These apartments will come with a starting price of Rs 38 lakh. Started in 2004, Casa Grande has so far developed over 2.5 million sq ft across 31 projects so far. govardand, @mydigitalfc.com. Source: mydigitalfc.com, 

Read More........ → April 04, 2014

ICC World T20 2014: Indian men and women acquired, striking win against Australia, Bangladesh

.

India registered their fourth consecutive win in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 with a 73-run victory over Australia. The Indian bowlers skittled the opposition out for 86 after Yuvraj Singh’s 60 off 61 balls helped them to a challenging total. Chasing 160, the Australians perished miscuing shots while taking the aerial route. Indian spinners fashioned Australia’s collapse. Ravichandran Ashwin starred with a four-wicket haul as India coasted to a win in their last league game. Earlier, opting to field first, George Bailey opened the bowling with spin from both ends. Rohit Sharma, who took first strike, began the proceedings with a boundary to deep square-leg off Brad Hodge. But two balls later, he was back to the dugout after handing a catch to point. Virat Kohli then joined Ajinkya Rahane in the middle. Rahane had replaced Shikhar Dhawan in the team, while Mohit Sharma got his T20I debut. Kohli took off from where he had left in the previous game. His six over mid-wicket indicated that he was set for another blistering knock. But after a run-a-ball 23, Kohli’s attempt to clear the ropes was caught by Cameron White. He had kept the scorecard moving during the 40-run stand with Rahane. However, Rahane followed him back to the hut. Gently nudging Doug Bollinger to the wicketkeeper, he departed for 19. India’s innings looked shaky as Suresh Raina, who had then joined Yuvraj Singh in the middle, got a life as Glenn Maxwell couldn’t hold on to a return catch. However, dropped on five, Raina had added just one run before offering a simple catch to Aaron Finch in Maxwell’s next over. Yuvraj, who had played himself in, then took on the Australian bowlers. With the captain at the other end, the left-hand batsman launched Muirhead over deep midwicket and over long-on for back-to-back sixes. And with singles and twos, they garnered 17 runs off the over to change the tempo of the game. From there on, the pair gleaned runs off the bowlers. They attacked the opposition with gusto. 10 runs were claimed from Bollinger, while Mitchell Starc was hit for a six each by both batsmen to claim 19 from him. Shane Watson wasn’t spared either as Yuvraj struck him for two boundaries and a six on the leg side to take 16 runs. The pair had collected 84 runs at 12 runs per over to seize the advantage for India. With nine balls left, Starc knocked back Dhoni’s stumps to remove him for 24, triggering another string of wickets to fall. Then, on the first ball of the last over, Yuvraj holed out to long-off, while Ravindra Jadeja responding to Ravichandran Ashwin was run out off the last ball. With 82 runs scored off the last seven overs, India set Australia a competitive target. The Indian pacers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit – conceded six runs each, but Ashwin gave India their first breakthrough in the third. Finch, looking to slog the spinner, only managed to get a top-edge and Kohli running in to mid-on took a comfortable catch. In the next over, White’s mistimed shot off Bhuvneshwar was taken by Jadeja. And with Mohit dislodging Watson’s bails in the next over, Australia were reduced to 21 for three. Maxwell hit Raina over deep midwicket and over fine-leg after joining Warner in the middle. But Warner, who had made his way to 19, perished soon. A superb catch by Rohit running to deep midwicket sent back the opener. Maxwell looked positive as he struck Jadeja over the fence, but he too departed an over later. Going for an unorthodox shot, the batsman lost his stumps to Ashwin. Bailey came, hit Jadeja for six over long-off, but was caught by Kohli’s safe hands off the next ball in the deep. With Australia on 63 for six with half the innings over, the Brads – Haddin and Hodge – faced an uphill task. Like the batsmen preceding him, Haddin perished taking the aerial route. He swept Mishra and Rahane received the offering at deep square-leg. With the match already out of their hands, Starc was run out, while Hodge too was out to a slog. Ashwin then sealed the game by claiming Muirhead.  Man of the Match: Ravichandran Ashwin for his four-wicket haul. Source: Article, India Women registered their first win of the ICC World T20, 2014 with a 79-run win over

Bangladesh Women at the Sylhet Stadium in Bangladesh. A magnificent 77-run whirlwind knock by Harmanpreet Kaur helped India set Bangladesh a challenging target in the match. The Jhulan Goswami-led attack then strengthened the team’s position by dealing early blows. Goswami and Shubhlakshmi Sharma claimed three wickets each to hold Bangladesh to 72 for eight to claim a comprehensive victory Source: Article

Read More........ → March 31, 2014

India beat West Indies by seven wickets

.

The opposition was different but the script remained similar for India as they cantered to their second victory in the 2014 ICC World T20. After the spinners restricted West Indies to 130 runs, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli took India to a seven-wicket win at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. Unbeaten on 62, Rohit anchored the innings to attain the target with two balls to spare. Clip

Mirpur (Bangladesh), March 23 (IANS) India beat holders WestIndies by seven wickets in a Group 2 match of the ICC WorldTwenty20 tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Sunday. India achieved the target of 130 runs losing three wickets with two balls to spare with Rohit Sharma remaining unbeaten on 62 and Virat Kohli making 54. Source: Article

Read More........ → March 24, 2014

New Zealand thrash India to win ODI series: Who is to blame now?

.

For MS Dhoni, it is the fast bowlerswho are to be blamed for the match and the series defeat but if figures are to be looked clearly, India have lacked overall performance in matches played outside India. There was a time when India used to win only in India than under SauravGanguly, we started to win outside India, that too consistently. But with consistent loss, first in South Africa and now in New Zealand, it looks like we are back to square one. Who are to be blamed and what is the strategy of India for World Cup 2015? Indian Captain, Dhoni, in a post-match conference after 4th ODI blamed his fast bowlers for the consistent loss. Dhoni said, "There is no doubt when it comes to talent, we definitely have the talent but our fast bowlers have not been intelligent enough to change game accordingly". "They haven't stuck to plan as well, here we needed them to ball back of a length and outside off, but they bowled too wide giving too many runs and relieving the pressure built by the spinners" he added. Yes, the bowlers haven't performed well but so has the batsman. Openers have failed to give a good start. Except for Virat and Dhoni, middle order too has collapsed all the time. They haven't been able to make or chase run. Today India won the toss and decided to bat first, a decision that backfired. Rohit started the inning with Virat (when you have a genuine opener in Rahane, why go with Kohli). Virat fell quickly followed quickly by Rahane. Rohit scored 79 runs slowly with Rayudu contributing a little. Dhoni (79) again came to rescue with Jadeja blasting 8 fours and 2 sixes in his 62 runs innings. India ended their inning on a mere total of 278, which according to Dhoni was enough. There was no such problem when it came to chasing the score, Ross Taylor (112 not out) and captain Brendon McCullum (49 not out) took New Zealand easily past India's 278 for five. Jadeja and Ashwin tried to stop the run flow but fast bowlers gave Kiwi batsman lots of space to free their hand. New Zealand now leads the 5 match ODI series by 3-0 with one match to go. Source: Article

Read More........ → January 30, 2014

Vasundhara Raje sworn in as Rajasthan CM

Jaipur, Dec 13 (IANS) Vasundhara Raje Friday took oath as the chief minister of Rajasthan, five days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power crushing the Congress. Governor Margaret Alva administered the oath of office to Vasundhara Raje at the Rajasthan assembly complex in the presence of thousands of supporters and senior party leaders. Source: Article , Vasundhara Raje takes oath as Rajasthan Chief Minister: Jaipur, Dec 13 (ANI): Vasundhara Raje, who spearhead BJP's spectacular comeback to power in Rajasthan, took oath as state Chief Minister today. Governor Margaret Alva administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vasundhara Raje. Top leaders of the BJP including party patriarch LK Advani, party prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, party president Rajnath Singh, Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, Ananth Kumar, among others attended theceremony. Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Gopinath Munde, also graced the occasion. The BJP returned to power in Rajasthan after five years, winning a record 162 seats and leaving the Congress bruised with just 21 members in the 200-seat legislature. (ANI). Source: Article, Image1- 2, Don’t make MLAs with doubtful integrity ministers: Civil society to Raje | The Asian Age: Stressing on clean governance, civil society groups of Rajasthan on Saturday requested newly elected Chief minister Vasundhara Raje to desist from giving ministry portfolios to MLAs with questionable integrity. National Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reform, organisations working for electoral and political reforms, have written to the Chief minister in this regard. “This is our appeal to the Chief minister to provide clean politics and for that it is needed that MLAs, which have criminal antecedents should not be given place in committees of the House and ministries,” Kamal Tak, representative of Rajasthan Election Watch, said. On the basis of the affidavits submitted by the MLAs with nomination papers filed at the time of elections, Tak claimed that 36 out of total 199 newly elected MLAs had criminal cases against them, in addition to other 19 MLAs with serious criminal cases. The groups have also requested the CM to institutionalise annual asset declaration of all MLAs as a rule in the Assembly to ensure transparency in the governance. Source: The Asian Age, Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/

Read More........ → December 14, 2013