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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Queens Ascendant

Indian cricket has lived with an odd imbalance for decades. It has always been the men’s team that has commanded the money, the headlines and the expectations while women cricketers were expected merely to improve. Now, with their phenomenal Test win over England at Lord’s, it is the women who have reminded India what Test cricket looks like when played with ambition, discipline and nerve. The Indian women overwhelmed the English side by inflicting a crushing 270-run victory, dismissing...

Queens Ascendant

Indian cricket has lived with an odd imbalance for decades. It has always been the men’s team that has commanded the money, the headlines and the expectations while women cricketers were expected merely to improve. Now, with their phenomenal Test win over England at Lord’s, it is the women who have reminded India what Test cricket looks like when played with ambition, discipline and nerve. The Indian women overwhelmed the English side by inflicting a crushing 270-run victory, dismissing England for just 186 in their second innings and securing India’s first-ever women’s Test triumph. It was a victory rich in symbolism and richer still in substance. Yastika Bhatia produced an innings for the ages, scoring a majestic 113 to become the first woman ever to register a Test century at Lord’s. Her innings, composed with uncommon patience and authority, earned a deserved place on the Lord’s Honours Board. Debutant Kranti Gaud announced herself with a five-wicket haul that also secured immortality on the same board, while Richa Ghosh’s enterprising half-century accelerated India’s declaration and placed the match irretrievably beyond England's reach. But numbers alone tell only part of the story. Setting England an improbable target of 457, the Indian side attacked with conviction as the pace bowlers ripped through England’s top order, while the spinners maintained relentless pressure. Even England’s brief resistance through Amy Jones and Mady Villiers merely delayed the inevitable. The contrast with the Indian men’s team could scarcely be sharper. In recent months, the men’s side has looked increasingly uncertain in the format that once defined Indian cricket’s rise. Consecutive Test defeats against New Zealand and South Africa in 2024 and 2025 respectively exposed the rot at the edifice of Indian men’s cricket. The latest humiliation, a T20 defeat to Ireland, only reinforced the uncomfortable impression that Indian men’s cricket is suffering from the complacency that often accompanies abundance. Lucrative franchise contracts and cricket’s vast commercial ecosystem have insulated players from the consequences of failure. Unlike their male counterparts, India’s women have built their success with a fraction of the financial rewards, public attention and playing opportunities. Test matches remain rare and sponsorships remain comparatively modest. Yet scarcity has bred something that abundance sometimes cannot: hunger. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side arrived at Lord’s without the burden of celebrity but with an abundance of purpose. Their historic victory was built not on flashes of brilliance alone but on qualities that have always defined great Test sides, namely discipline and collective purpose. Genuine respect in cricket still depends upon performances in the longest format. The Indian women’s team has claimed not merely a famous win but a place in cricket’s enduring narrative. At Lord’s, India’s women reminded the world how champions are made. The men would be wise to take notes.

Discussions on among allies for govt formation: Ajit Pawar

Updated: Nov 29, 2024

Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister and NCP head Ajit Pawar on Monday said discussions were underway among the Mahayuti partners to finalise a formula for the new government formation in the state.


Speaking to reporters at Karad in Satara district, Pawar also acknowledged the contribution of the government's Ladki Bahin scheme, which provides financial assistance to women, in the Mahayuti's victory in the just-concluded state assembly polls.


The NCP leader also assured that the alliance was working cohesively following its resounding victory in the state assembly elections.


Pawar paid tributes to Maharashtra's first chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan at his memorial in Karad on his death anniversary.


In the state poll results declared on Saturday, the Mahayuti, which comprises the BJP, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, bagged an impressive 230 of the 288 assembly seats.


The focus has been on BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is being seen as a strong contender to occupy the top post for the third time, as his party bagged 132 of the 149 seats it contested in the state.


Notably, Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar has said his party legislators feel Eknath Shinde should continue as the chief minister of the state, where the ruling Mahayuti scored a landslide victory in the assembly polls.


Ajit Pawar said, "We will decide what formula to work out on the cabinet formation among the three parties."


Reflecting on the elections, he acknowledged the contribution of the Ladki Bahin scheme in the Mahayuti's win.


"We cannot ignore that Ladki Bahin helped us in this election. We are grateful to them (women voters)," he said.


Defending the scheme, Pawar, who is also the state finance minister, further said, "Had I been opposed to the Ladki Bahin scheme, I would not have presented it in the House. I discussed the scheme with several retired finance officers before finalising it."


Pawar also dismissed concerns raised by some opposition leaders over the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), pointing out that polls in states like Punjab, West Bengal and Telangana, governed by their political opponents, have been conducted with the same system.


Commenting on members of same families contesting against each other during the elections, Pawar expressed annoyance over repeated questions on it.


He then asked, "Why was my close nephew fielded? Atram's own daughter was fielded against him, and even Rajendra Shingne faced a similar challenge. I don't want to comment further on this. I have got tired of apologising for fielding my wife against Supriya. Yugendra was in business, then why was he prepared to contest against me?"


In the Baramati assembly seat, Ajit Pawar was pitted against his nephew and NCP (SP) candidate Yugendra Pawar.


In Aheri seat, NCP leader Dharamraobaba Atram's daughter Bhagyashree Atram contested against him on NCP (SP) ticket.

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