QPlay: Ashwin ‘Priceless’, Sania Still No. 1, India Win 500th Test
All the latest sports news in The Quint’s morning wrap.
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1. Ashwin Takes Six as India Savour Big Win in 500th Test
India notched up a mammoth 197-run win in their historic 500th Test to assert their supremacy in home conditions, bowling out New Zealand for 236 to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Beginning the day at a precarious 93 for four, overnight New Zealand batsmen Luke Ronchi (80) and Mitchell Santner (71) frustrated the Indian bowlers for only about 20 overs by adding 65 runs in the morning session but that only delayed the inevitable.
Ashwin (6/132) completed his fifth six-wicket haul by adding scalps of Santner and Ish Sodhi (17) and Neil Wagner (0) to his three wickets grabbed on Sunday when he had become the second-fastest man to take 200-Test wickets. India now lead the three match series 1-0
2. Ashwin is a Priceless Cricketer: Virat Kohli
Effusive in his praise for Ravichandran Ashwin, Indian captain Virat Kohli said the off-spinner is a “priceless” cricketer to have in the team having contributed with both bat and ball in the massive win over New Zealand in the opening Test.
Ashwin took 10 wickets and also scored a 40-run cameo in the Indian first innings, playing a crucial role in the 197-run win in the match.
“He’s been outstanding for the Indian team. If you see all the impact players in the world, he comes in the top three-four easily. There are quite a few players making big impact for their respective sides. Especially bowlers. Bowlers are the one I feel that win you Test matches and Ashwin is one of them,” Kohli said after India’s big win.
3. Sania Continues to Dominate WTA Doubles Rankings
Sania Mirza maintained her numero uno position in the latest WTA women’s doubles ranking following her recent victory in the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, partnering Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic.
Sania (9730) continued to be world number one in doubles but only five points separate her from her estranged partner Martina Hingis (9725).
Sania and Strycova have lost just once since pairing up in Cincinnati, reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open and taking home a second title at the Pan Pacific Open.
4. Jaisha Report Will be Ready by Next Week: Goel
Sports Minister Vijay Goel said the report on the allegations made by marathon runner O P Jaisha that she was not properly looked after by the Indian officials during the Rio Olympics would be ready by next week.
The government on August 23 had constituted a two-member panel, comprising Onkar Kedia, Joint Secretary (Sports) and Vivek Narayan, Director (Sports), to inquire into the allegations of the long-distance runner.
Jaisha, who collapsed at the finish line after completing the grueling 42-km race at last month’s Rio Olympics, had alleged that Indian officials were missing at stations erected for participating countries a few kilometers apart so that their competitors could be offered water and refreshment.
5. Kapil Dev to Ring The Bell at Eden Gardens
Former captain Kapil Dev will do the honours of ringing the Lord’s-like Eden Gardens bell for the first time to signal the start of the second cricket Test between India and New Zealand on Friday.
Confirming this Cricket Association of Bengal joint secretary Avishek Dalmiya said, “This was (president) Sourav Ganguly’s idea and Kapil has agreed to ring the bell on the morning of the Test.”
The ringing of the five-minute bell at Lord’s by an international cricketer, administrator or a well-known enthusiast of the sport is a recent tradition introduced in 2007. The Sourav Ganguly-led CAB has followed suit and decided to have their own before the upcoming Test. The silver-coated giant bell will be hung near the Eden clock and will be installed in the next couple of days, Avishek said.
6. Post BCCI AGM, Lodha Panel Says it Will Highlight Impediments
Taking a tough stance on BCCI’s defiance of its recommendations, the Lodha Committee said it will file a status report with the Supreme Court, highlight the “impediments” in the implementation of its reform proposals to the Board.
The SC-appointed panel held an internal meeting on Monday to discuss the violations, specifically the election of secretary and appointment of a five-member selection committee, by BCCI in its Annual General Meeting on September 21.
“The session was about the developments and the decisions taken by the BCCI in ts AGM on September 21. They have decided to send the report to the Supreme Court. If there are any impediments in implementation of the recommendations the committee will submit a status report. We are submitting the status report because the committee finds that there are impediments,” Justice RM Lodha told reporters.
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