Cape Town (TIP)- Deepti Sharma shone with the ball before Richa Ghosh led India to a six-wicket win over West Indies in their Women’s T20 World Cup Group 2 match here on Wednesday, February 15.
Deepti spun a web around the West Indies batters to restrict them to 118 for six after being asked to bowl.
The seasoned off-spinner (3/15) picked three wickets to become the first Indian to get to 100 women’s T20I wickets. Ghosh (44 not out) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (33) then put up a vital 72-run stand to take India to their second victory of the tournament with 11 balls to spare.
Needing less than run a ball, India were off to an electric start with openers Shafali Verma (28) and Smriti Madhana (10) taking the team total to 31 in four overs on the back of six fours.
But India lost the momentum as slow bowling did the trick for West Indies.
Mandhana missed off-spinner Karishma Ramharack’s (2/14) ball completely, resulting in an easy stumping for wicketkeeper Rasha Williams.
Last game match-winner Jemimah Rodrigues (1) became Hayley Matthews (1/12) first and only victim of the day as the skipper took a stellar catch of her own bowling.
After two low-scoring overs, Shafali tried to up the ante only to be caught at long leg and West Indies picked three wickets in quick succession.
Harmanpreet took her time to settle down before hitting back-to-back fours off Afy Fletcher (0/24) in the ninth over. The India skipper’s knock came off 42 balls with the help of three boundaries.
Ghosh did what she does best—finish the game.
The youngster hit five fours, including one to finish off the match in her unbeaten 32-ball innings. She took India to 119 for 4 in 18.1 overs. Earlier, Pooja Vastrakar (1/21), opening with the new ball, gave India the early breakthrough, getting rid of the dangerous Hayley Matthew (2), striking on her very first ball.
The West Indies skipper was done in by the extra bounce as Richa Ghosh completed a regulation catch.
Pooja continued to put pressure on the West Indies, bowling a wicket maiden. Shemaine Campbelle (30) hit West Indies’ first boundary in the third over, slapping a Renuka Singh (1/22) delivery past square leg.
The introduction of spin led to West Indies collecting 12 runs, including two fours from Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s over.
West Indies were 53 for 1 at the halfway mark. Campbelle and Stefanie Taylor (42) steadied the West Indies innings as they slowly but steadily stitched a 73-run partnership. The two shared nine boundaries between them.
However, twin strikes from the ever-reliable Deepti led to a mini batting collapse. The off-spinner first punished Campbelle for going for a reverse sweep with Smriti Mandhana completing a lovely catch at short third. Source: PTI
Tag: India Team
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Women’s T20 World Cup: Deepti, Richa shine as India beat West Indies by 6 wickets
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Air India relaunches direct flight from New York to Mumbai from JFK Airport, New York
Lighting of the lamp. Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, Consul General of India at New York lights the lamp . (Photo:Vijay Shah) 
Mr. Roel Huinink, CEO, JFK Airport lights the lamp. (Photo : Vijay Shah) I.S. Saluja with Vijay Shah
NEW YORK (TIP): Tata Air India, on February 14, relaunched from JFK airport the direct flight from New York to Mumbai. Impressive ceremonies, from seeking Lord Ganesha’s blessings to the beat of the Maharashtrian Dhol Tasha, to exquisite dances, with the usual ribbon cutting, lamp lighting to cutting of the cake, marked the festive occasion. Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, Consul General of India at New York who was the chief guest, cut the ribbon to inaugurate the relaunch ceremonies in the presence of Mr. Roel Huinink, CEO JFK Airport, Mr. Sunil Daware, Regional Manager (Americas) Air India, Mr. Girish Salian, Air India Manager at JFK, Capt. Shomu Sinha, Amarjit Singh, Deputy Manager, JFK, community leaders and Air India staff.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal thanked the Tata Group-who now owned Air India for relaunching the direct flight from New York to Mumbai which he said, will help the passengers to save time and experience less travel fatigue.
Mr. Sunil Daware, Regional Manager, Americas, Air India lights the lamp. (Photo : Vijay Shah) 
Air India New York to Mumbai flight crew poses for a photograph. (Photo : Vijay Shah) Mr. Sunil Daware gave a brief history of Air India. The airline came into being in 1932. Bharat Ratna J.R.D Tata founded the airline which was acquired by Government of Indian 1953. It is after 70 years that Air India came back to Tata Group on 27th, January 2022 . Tata Group now fully owns Air India. In order to strengthen the fleet, Tata Group has announced purchase of 470 aircraft with Airbus and Boeing, including 260 widebody planes, the largest order ever. Mr. Daware said that soon more direct flights on various routes will be added.”
Mr. Roel Huinink said that Air India will now increase traffic at JFK Airport since direct flights are going to be added for convenience of travelers. He appreciated the Indian community which he said is very diverse and courageous.
Ambassador Jaiswal, Mr Daware, Mr. Huinink, Capt. Shomu Sinha, Mr. Amarjit Singh, the Air India staff and a few community leaders joined in cake cutting, followed by a breakfast.
The Maharashtra Dhol Tasha celebrating the occasion.(Photo : Vijay Shah) 
One of the dance groups. (Photo : Vijay Shah) 
Ambassador Jaiswal presenting Air India Star award for excellent services to Amarjit Singh, Air India Manager at the JFK airport. (Photo : Vijay Shah) 
Time to cut the cake and celebrate the relaunch of the flight. (Photo : Vijay Shah) 
The check-in time. (Photo: Vijay Shah) -
Tax ‘surveys’ at BBC offices conclude after 60 hours
NEW DELHI (TIP): Amid the Income Tax ‘surveys’ at BBC offices that concluded on Thursday, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju hit out at those criticizing the move, saying some people trusted foreign news outlets but not Indian investigative agencies, a TNS report says. Sharing an opinion piece by former Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati, who argued that the outrage over the BBC tax ‘survey’ was misplaced, he said: “These people trust foreign news agencies but they won’t trust Indian agencies. They swear by the BBC but they won’t believe Indian courts. They’ll even abuse the Supreme Court if one adverse judgment is passed,” he tweeted.
The operation, that began at the BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai at 11.30 am on Tuesday, February 14, ended just after 10 pm on Thursday, February 16, clocking about 60 hours. The ‘surveys’ were carried out to look into issues related to international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies. The survey teams, which sought answers on financial transactions, the company’s structure and other details, copied data from electronic gadgets to collect evidence, officials said. Opposition parties have denounced the action against the London-based broadcaster calling it “political vendetta” while questioning the timing — weeks after the BBC had aired a two-part documentary on the Prime Minister and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Meanwhile, there has been no official statement from the Income Tax Department so far.
(Source: TNS) -
India organizes special exhibition on millets at UN headquarters
UNITED NATIONS (TIP): India has organized a special exhibition on the millets at the UN headquarters in New York to commemorate the ‘International Year of Millets 2023’. The focus of the exhibition launched on Tuesday, February 14, by India’s Permanent Mission to the UN was on the different kinds of millets grown in India, their nutritional value and health benefits, including information on calorific content. The exhibition was attended by over a hundred delegates from the UN member states and senior UN officials.
In her brief remarks, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj shared the reasons why India pursued making 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM) and how millets were an important solution in the collective march towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This was followed by a launch video on the IYM and a special address by Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. The Co-Founder and Director of MRIDA Group, Arun Nagpal, shared his experiences on his journey with millets from the farm to the table. This was followed by a special address by the Chef de Cabinet of the UN Secretary-General Earle Courtenay Rattray, after which the exhibition was officially opened.
Millet-based savories were the other attraction for the guests to taste, while millet grains were also placed on display. The United Nations was treated to a sensory blend of seeing, touching, tasting, and learning about millets.
The millet exhibition will be on display at the United Nations General Assembly Delegates Entrance Exhibition area from 14-17 February 2023, a media release said.
The year 2023 has been designated as the ‘International Year of Millets’ after a proposal for it was brought forward by India and endorsed by Members of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Governing Bodies, as well as by the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly.
Millets were among the first crops to be domesticated in India with several evidence of its consumption during the Indus valley civilization. Being grown in more than 130 countries at present, millet is considered a traditional food for more than half a billion people across Asia and Africa.
In India, millets are primarily a Kharif crop, requiring less water and agricultural inputs than other similar staples. Millets are important by virtue of their mammoth potential to generate livelihoods, increase farmers’ income and ensure food and nutritional security all over the world.
(Source: PTI) -
Indian-American Republican leader Nikki Haley formally launched her 2024 presidential bid
CHARLESTON, SC (TIP): Pitching for a strong and proud America, Indian-origin Republican leader Nikki Haley formally launched her 2024 presidential bid on Wednesday, casting herself as a younger and fresher alternative to the 20th century politicians like her one-time boss and former president Donald Trump.
Haley, 51, is the two-term Governor of South Carolina and the former US Ambassador to the United Nations.
Addressing her enthusiastic supporters at a well-attended event here in South Carolina, she declared: “For a strong America… For a proud America… I am running for President of the United States of America!”.
“When America is distracted, the world is less safe… And today, our enemies think the American era has passed. They’re wrong. America is not past its prime. It’s just that our politicians are past theirs! “We won’t win the fight for the 21st Century if we keep trusting politicians from the 20th Century. And so, I have an announcement to make. I stand before you as the daughter of immigrants – as a proud wife of a combat veteran – and as the mom of two amazing children,” she said at the event with a huge ‘NikkiHaley For President’ backdrop.
Her formal declaration means she will be the first contender to join the contest against her former 76-year-old boss Trump, who announced his third bid for the White House late last year.
Before entering the presidential ballot, Haley has to win the Republican Party’s presidential primary which will start in January next year.
The next US presidential election is scheduled to be held on November 5, 2024.
US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has not yet indicated if he will seek reelection.
Biden, 80, is the oldest sitting US president.
“We’re ready to move past the stale ideas and faded names of the past… And we are more than ready for a new generation to lead us into the future!” Haley said.
Haley launched a scathing attack on Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also of Indian origin.
“On Biden and Harris’s watch, a self-loathing has swept our country,” she alleged. “They have us spiraling toward socialism, with a new trillion-dollar spending bill every few months, and a national debt over 30 trillion dollars,” she said.
“Make no mistake: This is not the America I will leave to my children! We must stop socialism, before it’s too late. It’s weakening America from within,” said Haley, who if elected would be the first Indian-American and first woman to be elected US president.
Haley was born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina in 1972 to Sikh parents Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Kaur Randhawa, who emigrated from Punjab to Canada and then to the US in the 1960s.
She is the third Indian-American to run for the US presidency in three consecutive election cycles.
Bobby Jindal ran in 2016 and Vice President Kamala Harris in 2020.
She is the second woman of color to ever seek the Republican Party’s nomination for the White House.
The first was Angel Joy Chavis Rocker, a school counsellor from Florida, who entered the 2000 presidential race, becoming the first African-American to do so.
Haley, in her speech, said real national unity comes from boldly proclaiming national purpose, asserting that “America is not a racist country”.
“My purpose is to save our country from the downward spiral of socialism and defeatism. I aim to move America upward toward freedom and strength,” she said.
At 39, she was the youngest governor in the US when she took office in January 2011, and made history as South Carolina’s first female governor. She was also the state’s first Indian-American governor and would go on to serve for two terms. From January 2017 to December 2018, she served as the 29th US ambassador to the United Nations. “I have a particular message for my fellow Republicans. We’ve lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections. Our cause is right, but we have failed to win the confidence of a majority of Americans. Well, that ends today,” she said.
“If you’re tired of losing, then put your trust in a new generation. And if you want to win – not just as a party, but as a country – then stand with me!” she added.
Haley had famously said previously that she would not challenge Trump if he ran again, before changing her stance, arguing the US needs to look towards a different path.
“It’s time for a new generation. It’s time for new leadership. And it’s time to take our country back. America is worth the fight — and we’re just getting started,” she tweeted last month.
In an interview with Fox News last month, she said the US needs a “new leader” who can take the country in a new direction. “We cannot have another term of Joe Biden. And we have to remember, too, we have lost the last seven out of eight popular votes for president. It is time that we get a Republican in there that can lead and can win a general election,” she had said.
The top pro-Trump super PAC acknowledged on Tuesday former ambassador Haley’s presidential campaign announcement, dismissing her as a “career politician.”
Make America Great Again Inc. executive and former Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich released a statement on behalf of the super PAC mocking Haley and her presidential bid.
“Nikki Haley is just another career politician,” Budowich said.
“She started out as a Never Trumper before resigning to serve in the Trump admin. She then resigned early to go rake in money on corporate boards,” Budowich was quoted as saying by Fox News.
(Source: PTI) -
Suryakumar Yadav continues to lead ICC T20 batting chart, Shubman Gill achieves career-best position
Dubai (TIP)- India’s Suryakumar Yadav remained static at the top spot, while compatriot Shubman Gill shot up to a career-best 30th position in the batting chart of the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings released on Wednesday, February 8. Surya continues to lead the batting list with 906 rating points.
Gill achieved a career-best position after smashing a match-winning century against New Zealand in the third and final T20I in Ahmedabad recently.
Gill’s 126 not out off 63 balls that contributed to India’s huge 168-run victory and helped the home team seal the series 2-1 lifted him an incredible 168 slots.
The 23-year-old, who has now slammed centuries in all three formats of the game, is ranked sixth in ODIs and 62nd in Tests.
Besides, Virat Kohli has dropped a rung to the 15th position among batters, while KL Rahul slid two places (27th) and skipper Rohit Sharma was further behind in the 29th spot.
Young left-handed wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan has also dropped three places to 48th.
No Indian bowler, however, features in the top 10 T20 bowlers’ list.
But left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh moved eight slots to reach a career-best 13th position after finishing with two for 16 in Ahmedabad.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar dropped a place to 21st, while Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel are static at 29th and 30th spots, respectively.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who grabbed four for 16 and smashed a 17-ball 30, has progressed in all three lists.
He has moved up from 53rd to 50th among batters, 66th to 46th among bowlers and is in second place among all-rounders, only a couple of rating points behind Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hassan.
Source: PTI
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Real Madrid beat Al Ahly 4-1 to reach Club World Cup final
Real Madrid reached the Club World Cup final after goals from Vinicius Jr, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Sergio Arribas secured a 4-1 win over Egypt’s Al Ahly in Morocco on Wednesday.
Playing without several key starters, Real Madrid struggled to break the deadlock against Al Ahly’s well organised defence but opened the scoring right on halftime with a close-range strike by Vinicius.
Real extended their lead just after the break when Valverde tapped into an empty net from a rebound.
The Spanish side wasted opportunities to extend the lead and Al Ahly received a lifeline when Eduardo Camavinga tripped Hussein El Shahat inside the area in the 65th minute and defender Ali Maaloul tucked away the penalty.
Real Madrid’s Luka Modric missed a penalty three minutes from the end of the game but Rodrygo and substitute Arribas completed a comfortable win in stoppage time.
Real will face Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the final in Rabat on Saturday after they shocked South American champions Flamengo 3-2 in the first semi-final.
Source: Reuters
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Jadeja makes heroic comeback, takes 11th five-wicket haul
Nagpur (TIP)- India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Thursday, February 9, bagged a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the ongoing first Test against Australia in Nagpur. Returning to the team after a long injury lay-off, Jadeja scalped his 11th Test five-for to put India in a commanding positions. Jadeja returned figures of five for 42 as Australia were bowled out for a paltry total of 177 in the first innings after opting to bat first at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. Resuming play at tea on 174/8, Jadeja and Ashwin struck in quick succession as India bowled out Australia for cheap.
Jadeja was the wrecker-in-chief during the second session as he broke the 82-run stand between Steve Smith (37) and Marnus Labuschagne (49) before trapping Matt Renshaw and Todd Murphy.
Jadeja (5/47) then trapped Peter Handscomb (31) in the final session of the day as Australia were bowled out in 63.5 overs.
Alex Carrey scored a 33-ball 36 before veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (3/42), who was the other wicket-taker for India in the second session, ended his stay in the middle.
Earlier, pacers Mohammed Shami (1/18) and Mohammed Siraj (1/30) dealt early blows to the visitors, removing openers Usman Khwaja (1) and David Warner (1) within the first three overs.
Australia, led by Pat Cummins, dropped left-hander Travis Head and gave off-spinner Todd Murphy his international debut.
Rohit Sharma’s India handed Test caps to Twenty20 sensation Suryakumar Yadav and wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat.
India eye a fourth straight Border-Gavaskar Trophy win over Australia. They also eye a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Jadeja applies ‘ointment on sore finger’, triggers debate
Ravindra Jadeja drew attention not only for demolishing Australia with his fifer on the opening day of the first Test but also for applying something on his spinning finger, triggering a debate on what it was.
A video made way to social media, showing Jadeja receiving something from his teammate Mohammed Siraj and then applying and rubbing that on his left index finger, something that had Australian media and a former player interested.
When a fan shared the footage with former Australia captain Tim Paine, he replied, “interesting”.
However, a BCCI source told PTI that it was an “ointment for pain relief for the sore finger”.
David Warner and Steve Smith, who are part of the visiting side, served bans for their role in the ball-tampering scandal in 2018 in South Africa.