Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has expressed disappointment at the ‘batting friendly’ wickets dished out to India in the first three Tests, hoping to get a pace-oriented pitch at the fourth Test in Sydney, starting Tuesday.
Johnson spoke of his displeasure at the tracks prepared for the three Tests at Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne that favoured the batsman-oriented visiting team.
Former Australian batsman Michael Hussey says he is mystified by a report in India that claimed Mahendra Singh Dhoni has floated the idea of him becoming India’s coach once Duncan Fletcher’s contract expires.
“I’m not sure if I’m really ready for that sort of challenge,” Hussey was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald Thursday night.
“Thanks, M.S., if it’s true…but, I’m still playing!”
Dhoni, who retired from Test cricket after last Tuesday’s draw with Australia, was reportedly concerned about the direction the dressing room’s culture was headed.
Budget passenger carrier IndiGo Friday announced the launch of its fifth daily non-stop flight to Pune, effective from Jan 4, 2015.
According to the company, IndiGo would also introduce fifth daily non-stop flight between Delhi-Ahmedabad, Delhi-Pune and Pune-Bengaluru.
“In addition, IndiGo would fly its sixth daily non-stop flight between Mumbai and Ahmedabad from 5 Jan 2015,” the company said in a statement.
Terming Virat Kohli “new king of world cricket”, former Australian batsman Dean Jones said the newly-appointed Test captain represents a new, young and vibrant India.
After Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced his retirement from the longest version of the game, the 26-year-old Kohli was named captain of the team for the fourth and final Test Jan 6-10 here.
Delhi has witnessed an 18.3 percent rise in crime against women in 2014 as compared to 2013, with a whooping 31.6 percent rise in rape cases, police said Friday.
A staggering 14,687 cases were registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) up to Dec 15, up from 12,410 in the previous year.
Police Commissioner B.S.Bassi said that in addition to the measures taken by the force, every woman in Delhi would be trained in self-defence.
Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson Friday reiterated his fondness for shorter bowling spells, saying he will speak to the team think-tank about his preference.
“I’ve been bowling longer spells. That’s been at the back of my mind where I know I’m going to be bowling four, five, six-over spells that I can’t be flat out every ball,” Johnson was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.
Johnson said shorter spells enable him to work up consistent fast pace, a feature that helped him become cricket’s player of the year.
Actor-filmmaker Arbaaz Khan says his son Arhaan has a fascination for films but right now is concentrating on his studies.
“My son is 12 years and he is currently interested in studies,” said Arbaaz.
“He knows he hails from the film industry and yes, there is a fascination in him about films but let him grow up. We will encourage him if he is interested,” he added.
The actor-filmmaker is currently busy promoting his production venture “Dolly Ki Doli”. Directed by Abhishek Dogra, the film features Sonam Kapoor, and Rajkummar Rao among others.
–IANS
Over 100 exhibits offer a deeper insight into the architectural dimensions of Matrimandir – a sacred structure in Puducherry – at an exhibition here.
The five-day exhibition titled “The Future Realisation” was inaugurated at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts Thursday with the aim to reveal little known cosmic secrets of the architectural dimensions of Matrimandir that was originally envisioned by the Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram.
Having formed the government for the first time on its own in Haryana with majority of its legislators being first-timers, the BJP will hold a two-day session to train them on governance issues at Surajkund from Saturday.
The session will be inaugurated by union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, while External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will attend the concluding function of the event Sunday, a spokesman of the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit said.
Delhi Police personnel will now be trained in how to deal with the media while on duty, Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi said Friday.
“A new course will be inducted as ‘respect for press’ during the training session of police personnel,” Bassi said at the annual press conference here.
To a question over police’s behaviour towards the media, Bassi said: “Respect towards the media is very important and for this, the area DCPs will also start a training drive for their men to teach them importance of right to freedom and speech.”
BJP President Amit Shah will launch his party’s campaign against drugs in Punjab on January 22.
Stating this BJP’s national Secretary Tarun Chugh said here today that the campaign would be launched from Amritsar under the aegis of the party’s youth wing.
SaffronBSE 4.74 % party’s youth leader and MP Anurag Thakur and Punjab BJP chief Kamal Sharma would be supervising the campaign, he said.
“”The party’s drive would cover the state in three phases, with its culmination to take place on the occasion of Baisakhi on April 14,” Chugh said.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today attributed lack of basic amenities in rural areas for decades to the rise of Naxalism and said his government would give priority to address the issues.
It was unfortunate that even after over six decades of Independence, poor villagers were deprived of basic amenities including water, road and electricity, Das said in his maiden press conference as chief minister here.
Holding bureaucrats responsible for such a situation, Das said his government was committed to address the issues on priority basis.
To enhance decision making and increase work efficiency, the Indian Railways Friday delegated overall tender authority to general managers and director generals for acceptance of works and stores.
The move is expected to reduce the work burden in terms of tenders which were earlier referred to the Railway Board by zonal railways and production units.
According to the railways, it has been decided that for tenders up to Rs.500 crore, the supervising committee will consist of concerned executive directors, and the additional members will be the tender accepting authority.
A possible terror attack has been averted by the timely intervention of the Indian Coast Guard, when it intercepted a suspicious fishing boat carrying explosives in the Arabian Sea, near the India-Pakistan maritime boundary which lies approximately 365 kilometres away from Porbander.
Senior scientist Vasant R. Gowarikar, who was a former space agency chief and scientific advisor to the the prime minister in 1991-1993, passed away at a hospital here Friday following a brief illness. He was 82.
Gowarikar, who was suffering from old age related problems, breathed his last shortly before noon at Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital.
Once head of the Indian Space Research Organisation, he along with senior scientist Vikram Sarabhai, laid the foundation stone for India’s space technology and space programmes, culminating in many important milestones.
A court here Friday again rejected the bail plea of West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra, who was arrested in the Saradha scam,and extended his judicial custody till Jan 16.
Mitra, a close associate of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was presented before the court of Judicial Magistrate M. K Roy on the expiry of his earlier judicial remand. After hearing both the prosecution and the defence, the court extended his custody.
A possible terror attack has been averted by the timely intervention of the Indian Coast Guard, when it intercepted a suspicious fishing boat carrying explosives in the Arabian Sea, near the India-Pakistan maritime boundary which lies approximately 365 kilometres away from Porbander.
With global markets in a consolidation mode and further volatility in oil prices, a benchmark index of the Indian equities markets closed Friday’s trade up 380.36 points.
Bullish sentiments were observed on expectations of more reforms emerging out of a high-level bankers’ meet being held in Pune.
All the sector-based indices ended the day’s trade in green. The rally was led by banking, capital goods, auto, IT and metal sectors.
The bodies of 14 AirAsia plane crash victims were Friday moved to a hospital, media reported.
“The bodies will be flown to Surabaya any time from now,” said Sayuti Syamsul, director of Sultan Imanuddin Hospital at Pangkalan Bun in Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia’s Antara news agency reported.
Eight of the 14 bodies have already been flown to Surabaya city in East Java province Thursday.
AirAsia flight QZ8501, an Airbus A320-200, with 162 passengers and crew on board crashed into the Java Sea on its way from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore early Sunday.
BJP President Amit Shah today said his party has been holding talks with both PDP and NC over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir but there has been no fruitful outcome yet.
“Talks are on with both parties. There has been no fruitful outcome (yet),” he told reporters here, a day after BJP sought more time from Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra in view of the ongoing dialogue with parties.
“We want to form government in Jammu & Kashmir,” Shah, who was here to review BJP’s membership drive in Maharashtra, said.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said changing the name of the Planning Commission was a cheap gimmick.
“Renaming the Planning Commission is an attempt to belittle the contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India,” Gogoi tweeted today.
People are not “concerned with the name, but with the substance and just changing the name of the Planning Commission was just a cheap gimmick,” he said.
Experienced Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has completed testing on his bowling action at the ICC-accredited Biomechanics Laboratory here and the report will be sent to the Pakistan Cricket Board in a week’s time.
Hafeez underwent a bio-mechanic test on his bowling action at the Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Sciences Centre (SRASSC) here on Wednesday.
The benchmark Sensex today soared by 380 points, logging its sixth successive session of gains, to nearly four-week highs boosted by gains in banking stocks on hopes of much-awaited sectoral reforms and encouraging manufacturing output data for December.
The 50-issue Nifty of NSE crossed the 8,400 level before ending at 8,395.45, a gain of 111.45 points or 1.35 per cent.
RJD President Lalu Prasad today said there was nothing to cheer about in the country in the new year under BJP rule and said the party’s downfall would start from Bihar in the Assembly poll this year.
“We wish each other happy New Year but I see nothing to cheer about in the country this time under BJP rule,” Prasad said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wife Jashodaben has filed an appeal under RTI act after she was denied information by Mehsana District police saying that all queries about the protection given to her were related to local intelligence bureau, which is exempted under RTI Act.