Jasprit Bumrah Shines On Return As India Beat Ireland In Rain-Hit 1st T20I

Pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah ticked all the boxes on his much-anticipated return to lead India to a two-run win over Ireland by DLS Method in a rain-interrupted first T20I of the three-match series, here on Friday. Leading the side on his return after an 11-month injury layoff, Bumrah claimed 2 for 24 with nine dot balls and formed a formidable pair with T20I debutant Prasidh Krishna (2/32) to restrict Ireland to 139 for 7 after opting to bowl.

Things looked bleak for the hosts after they were down 59 for 6 in the 11th over but their No 8 Barry McCarthy produced an amazing recovery, blazing his way to a 33-ball 51 not out (4x4, 4x6) to lift their total to a respectable 139 for 7.

He stitched a seventh wicket 57-run partnership with Curtis Campher (39) as Ireland reeled off 54 runs in the last five overs, losing just one wicket.

McCarthy was the stand out batter for the hosts as he reached his maiden half-century with a last-ball six off Arshdeep Singh who leaked 22 runs in the last over with McCarthy going hammers and tongs with two sixes and a four.

Chasing the tricky target under overcast conditions, India were off to a fluent start with Yashasvi Jaiswal (24; 23b) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (19 not out) putting together 46 runs in 6.2 overs.

But Craig Young produced a double blow, taking the left-handed duo of Jaiswal and Tilak Varma who was out for a golden duck.

India vice-captain Gaikwad, however, showed maturity and watched through the tricky phased, well aware that they were ahead of the DLS par score.

There was no stopping rain as umpires decided to call off the game at 6.15pm local time with India taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The victory also saw India return to winning ways after they went down 2-3 in the T20I series in the West Indies.

The second T20I is slated here on Sunday.

All eyes on Bumrah, the Indian pace sensation did not disappoint.

He bowled with rhythm, accuracy and a lot of venom. His rhythm was a lot better, he ran fast in his run-up to generate momentum and slowly ramped up the speed gun and went on to clock 140kph in the penultimate over when he conceded just one run.

He leaked 13 runs in just one of his four overs -- 16th.

Bumrah bowled up front only to see Irish opener Andy Balbirnie nudging his fuller delivery for a boundary behind square boundary.

Bumrah was quick to bounce back and knocked over Balbirnie's off-stump with a searing inswinger.

He grabbed in-form wicketkepper-batter Lorcan Tucker in his fifth delivery to get his campaign up and running.

After four overs, Prasidh, who made his T20I debut, was handed the ball and he ended the struggle of Harry Tector (9) with the batter giving a simple catch to Tilak Varma while looking for a ramp shot.

The wily Bishnoi then bamboozled skipper Paul Stirling (11) with a googly as Ireland slumped to 27 for 4 in the powerplay.

The hosts continued to pay the price for poor execution as Prasidh had George Dockrell (3) caught by Ruturaj Gaikwad at cover with a back-of-a-length delivery.

Campher hit a welcome boundary with a reverse sweep, while Mark Adair (16) picked up two fours to take Ireland to 50 for 5 in 9 overs.

However, Bishnoi came back to remove Adair after winning a video referral for an LBW decision. The batter danced down the track and looked to play a slog shot only to be hit on the pads by a ball turning in from outside.

McCarthy brought up Ireland's first maximum when he deposited Bishnoi over long on in the 13th over.

Campher ramped one over short fine, while McCarthy clubbed one across the mid-wicket boundary as the two kept Ireland ticking.

When Bumrah returned, Campher sent a low full toss across extra cover before smoking the India pacer for a maximum.

Prasidh was next in line as McCarthy slammed him across the point region before depositing the next on over long-on. He ended the over with another four as 15 runs came of it. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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"Scripted Production": After Viral Video, Naga Group Denies Sending Arms To Manipur

The largest armed group of the Nagas that has signed a framework agreement with the centre has strongly denied allegations of supplying weapons and sending its cadre to Manipur to help a particular community, amid the ethnic violence between the hill-majority Kukis and the valley-majority Meiteis.

The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN(IM), in a statement said a video being shared widely on social media showing a man alleging that NSCN(IM) sent its fighters to help the Meiteis in Manipur was a "scripted production by some mischievous agency".

In the video, the man alleged that 15 well-trained NSCN(IM) fighters are coming to Manipur to join the Meiteis in the fight against the Kukis. The Kuki-Zo-Chin tribes have started demanding a separate administration after violence broke out on May 3 during a protest against the Meiteis' demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status.

The NSCN(IM) said the man in the video has been identified as H Khosiivei Lovingson Roah, who joined "national service" in October last year and finished his basic military training earlier this year.

"He is a private in the Naga army posted at Thungbo Brigade. On August 7, 2023, he was granted medical leave for an ear infection and sent to Dimapur, but he went missing since then," the NSCN(IM) said in the statement.

NSCN(IM) senior leader HR Shimray in the statement said the video clip is "evidently a pre-planned and scripted production of some mischievous agency aiming at furthering the mayhem and also painting the NSCN in a bad light."

Ethnic violence between the Kukis and Meiteis broke out in Manipur on May 3

In July this year, six people including an inspector of the Nagaland Police, an armed group leader, and four others were arrested for stealing ammunition from the state police armoury. The ammunition was allegedly to be sent to neighbouring Manipur. One of the arrested people was a leader of the NSCN(IM).

The Nagas and Kukis had fought in the early 1990s over land. Hundreds were killed then.

The NSCN (IM), formed in 1980, is led by 85-year-old Thuingaleng Muivah; the other top leader of the group, Isak Chishi Swu, died at 87 of multi-organ failure. In 1997, the NSCN-IM entered into a truce with the central government for peace and since then has been continuing dialogue with the centre's emissaries.

In August 2015, the NSCN-IM signed a framework agreement with the government which Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as a "historic" step to usher in peace in the state.

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Bribe 'Rate Card' Surfaces At Noida Police Station, Cop Suspended

A "rate-card" of a police station in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, suggesting corruption at local level surfaced on social media, with the Gautam Buddh Nagar police commissioner Laxmi Singh ordering a probe into the episode, officials said on Thursday.

Subsequent to the allegations coming to the fore, the in-charge of a police chowki (police post) linked with the Jewar police station was also removed from his position, they said.

The allegations relate to the local police allowing illegal gambling where liquor was also being served to customers without authorization in the Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar district.

A purported "rate-card" also surfaced on social media, showing how much money was given to different police officials. The list also mentioned money being given to a "young politician" and "media professionals".

When contacted on Thursday, a police media cell official told PTI: "The police commissioner has directed for a probe into the episode." "The in-charge of the Neemka police chowki has also been removed from the post," the official added.

The latest allegation of corruption comes within 10 days of the police commissioner suspending a police constable deployed in Noida after a video surfaced that purportedly showed him asking for Rs 20,000 in bribe from family members of a jailed man.

The constable, who was attached to the Sector 20 police station in Noida, was purportedly heard demanding Rs 20,000 to settle the case and the matter was put under an internal inquiry by the police.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Opinion: Trump's Legal Mess And American Democracy

These are surreal times in the US. Even as the political system is gearing up for next year's Presidential elections, the legal drama being played out in various courtrooms is shaping the political dynamic more potently than political debates. In fact, politics has been subsumed by the legal issues surrounding key political actors, most importantly, former US President Donald Trump. He will be turning himself in to police in the state of Georgia, where he is likely to be booked at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta before being arraigned at the courthouse. Along with 18 others, Trump was indicted earlier this week for alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.

While this is only the latest one, Trump has been criminally indicted in three other cases, including in a federal investigation into efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, his alleged mishandling of classified material after he left the White House, and paying hush-money to the adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. In any other time and for any other politician, any of this would have been the end of the political road. But such are vagaries of American politics today that Trump seems to using these as badges of honour. In his usual acerbic style, Trump has decided to hold a "major news conference" next week to present an "irrefutable report" on voter fraud from three years ago.

And this is not the only drama in town. US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden's shenanigans in the courtroom have not been any less riveting. He has been under federal investigation since 2019 and recently, after a plea deal on tax and gun charges against him collapsed, a special counsel was appointed by the Justice Department to look into his case, with a jury trial looking imminent. Where President Biden has predictably stood by his son, the Republicans have gone after Hunter Biden, focusing on his business interests in China and Ukraine. In fact, only after it emerged that then President Trump had pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Hunter's dealings with the Ukrainian natural gas company, Burisma Holdings (where Hunter served on the board) did the entire process of Trump's first impeachment start in 2019 for soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election.

All the sleaze, corruption and political brinkmanship evident in these episodes is usually associated with Third world countries with weak institutions and personalized politics. Washington is usually at the forefront of advising such nations on how to conduct their domestic affairs. But today the shoe is in the other foot. The US looks like a pale replica of its glorious past as a democracy. It is unable to set its own house in order and its credibility across the world is being challenged with autocracies like China and Russia trying to make a case for the superiority of their own models of political governance. It is laughable, but that's what it has come down to in the age of Trump and Hunter Biden.

Trump continues to see his support rise among grassroots Republicans. The more indictments he receives, the stronger the resolve of his supporters to send him back to the White House. There is an alternative reality that shapes the worldview of Trump supporters where their own nation's institutions are seen are corrupt and partial. Personalities tower over institutions, something that America's founding fathers tried so hard to avoid in the way they framed the constitution.

The Republican nomination process has already begun and monthly debates among the party's nominees are starting next week. Trump remains far ahead of everyone else with his campaign donations overflowing and his supporters being the loudest. As his trials begin later this year, he will have to manage his court appearances with his campaign for the Republican nomination. Trump's supporters believe in his assessment that the legal cases against him are aimed at preventing him from another White House run. Their strong conviction in this argument is reflective of how deep goes the social and political polarization in the US. So deep that huge constituencies are willing to bet on the worst intentions of others. Due to the support for Trump in the Republican primaries, instead of taking on the ex-President, his Republican opponents have been forced to criticize the weaponisation of the American legal process.

This breakdown of the social order in the US is now firmly embedded in its politics. Trump is just one manifestation of that reality. His campaign may or may not succeed but the challenges for American democracy will continue. For many of his supporters, the question is whether they continue to support Trump politically, knowing well that Biden had defeated him last time in swing states. The primary campaign is different from the national one and most Republican voters will have to take it into account as well.

But Trump knows how to play to the gallery. Courtrooms will be his stage. The more media time he gets, the better it is for him to rally his base. His Republican opponents remain unimpressive so far, failing to make a mark.  Trump's actions, in the court and outside, will continue to dominate the election cycle, helping him in easily entering the Presidential contest. What this does to American democracy is, of course, another matter.

Harsh V. Pant is a Professor of International Relations at King's College London. He is Vice President - Studies and Foreign Policy at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. He is also the Director (Honorary) of the Delhi School of Transnational Affairs at Delhi University.

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.

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INDIA Bloc Will "Collapse Under Weight Of Own Contradictions": Minister

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today predicted a collapse of the Opposition bloc INDIA, pointing to parties with disparate ideologies that have been sworn enemies in states for decades. Speaking to NDTV in an exclusive interview, Mr Puri, who handles the Petroleum and housing ministries, said the new front will "collapse under the weight of its own contradictions".

"The Aam Aadmi Party is a new arrival, a political start-up. They were born of an agitation against entrenched corruption. Today they want to tie up with someone who defined the entrenched corruption," he told NDTV, without naming the Congress.  

Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, he said, would be in a similar quandary.

"The Trinamool will be unlikely to be happy with an alliance with the Congress or CPM in West Bengal. The Congress and the AAP are not likely to be happy with the alliance in Delhi or Punjab... And I can go on giving these examples," he added.

The BJP has been criticizing the new Opposition front since it was announced last month, accusing it of being old wine in new bottle. Several leaders have also predicted its collapse, pointing to its inner contradictions. The Opposition claims it is a mark of the ruling party's nervousness.

Talking of the BJP's own big pitch, Mr Puri said when the Prime Minister exudes confidence and comes up with a roadmap for 2030 and 2047, it is based on "empirical verifiable data".

India, Mr Puri said, will be a developed country even before 2047 and this is clear from the GDP data that indicates progress in some core areas. This development, he said, has percolated among the most vulnerable sections of the population.

The 6.5 per cent growth the country is registering is "pretty impressive" and it compares well to other nations which are far bigger in size.

In his Independence Day speech, PM Modi had laid out the blueprint of India's growth trajectory over the next 25 years, saying it would be the third largest in the world by 2047. His third term in power, he said, would be based on "unprecedented development".

"In the Amrit Kaal, in 2047, when the country will celebrate 100 years of independence, then the tricolour should be that of a developed India... We don't have to stop, we don't have to back down and for this, suchita (probity), pardarshita (transparency), nishpakshta (impartiality) are needed," he said.

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No End To Controversy As PCB Replaces Akram With Imran In Video. Fans unhappy

In an apparent bid to end the controversy over the release of a video in honour of the former players, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has created more problems for itself. The PCB had faced a lot of backlash on social media over completely ignoring former captain Imran Khan in the tribute video released on August 14. Late Wednesday night, the PCB came out with an inexplicable explanation that due to duration problems, the tribute video was abridged and some important clips were missing from it but it had been rectified in the complete version.

It also said the PCB had launched a promotional campaign leading up to the 2023 World Cup and the tribute video was part of it.

The interesting part is that the duration of the earlier video from which Imran was missing and the “completed” version are around the same duration but this time the board has hacked all the clips and pictures of Wasim Akram and replaced them with Imran.

Cricket fans are now asking and wondering on social media where has Wasim disappeared.

Wasim had on Tuesday lashed out at the PCB completely overlooking the role of Imran in some of Pakistan cricket's most memorable and iconic moments. Pakistan's former captain Rashid Latif said the PCB explanation was hard to digest because the tribute video was modified after nearly 48 hours.

“Why wasn't the mistake accepted and resolved as soon as the backlash started on social media and in the media,” he questioned.

He also noted that the PCB had a verified X (formerly Twitter) account which meant it can upload clips and videos up to 7-8 minutes duration and secondly there was no duration bar on Youtube as well for the PCB channel to upload longer videos. “So where does this duration problem come in for PCB? “It is an attempt to cover up and save face but the PCB still needs to give answers as to who was responsible for authorizing, making, approving and releasing the video,” he added.

Ironically, the PCB also got mixed reactions after it uploaded a two and half minute video on Thursday trying to chronicle the journey of Pakistan in all the World Cups from 1975 to 2019. The video is mostly without any voice over or proper footage of Pakistan's World Cup appearances or key moments.

This has now left some people wondering if a 2:30 seconds video suffices to properly chronicle Pakistan's journey in the 50-over showpiece. PTI COR BS BS

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Mumbai Is India's Most Expensive City To Live In. Second Place Is...

Ahmedabad is the most affordable Indian city to live in according to a new report released by Knight Frank India- a leading property consultant.

The affordability index released by Knight Frank measures living affordability based on the EMIs a resident in that city has to pay if they get a house with a home loan divided by the total income of an average household in that city.

The Knight Frank Affordability Index indicates the proportion of income that a household requires, to fund the monthly installment (EMI) of a housing unit in a particular city. So, a Knight Frank Affordability index level of 40% for a city implies that on an average, households in that city need to spend 40% of their income to fund the EMI of housing loan for that unit.

An EMI/Income ratio over 50% is considered unaffordable as it is the limit beyond which banks rarely underwrite a mortgage.

The most expensive housing market is Mumbai.

For Mumbai, the home loan EMI to income ratio is a whopping 55%, meaning that an average household has to pay more than half of its income on home loan EMIs if they have to get a house on loan.

Next, Hyderabad is the 2nd most expensive city with an EMI to income ratio of 31%.

At the third spot, it's the Delhi National Capital region where you have to shell out 30% of your income for home loan EMIs.

Tamil Nadu's Chennai is at the next spot with an EMI to income ratio of 28%.

Next, at the 5th spot, it's Pune in Maharashtra where an average household has to pay 26% of their income on home loan EMIs.

The rate is the same for Kolkata in West Bengal. And in the end, the most affordable Indian city to live in is Ahmedabad in Gujarat where an average household needs to pay 23% of its income for home loan EMIs. This index has assumed a loan term of 20 years, a loan to value ratio of 80%and a fixed house size across cities.

Over the last 1 year, living in these cities has only become more expensive. These EMI to income ratios across cities have gone up around 1-2 percentage points, because the Reserve Bank of India has hiked its key lending rate by 250 basis points since last year. This increased the EMI load across cities by an average of 14.4% since then.

The worst impacted category has been houses that cost less than 50 lakh rupees. Sales in this category have gone down, according to the report. That's because the report says Homebuyers in this segment have a much higher dependence on home loans and are therefore more sensitive to rate hikes compared to the mid and premium segment, so they can no longer afford home loans with higher EMIs, so many of them are not able to afford buying houses.

But on the other side, the demand for the mid and premium segment has been consistently outperforming. The sales for houses costing 50 lakh to 1 crore in these has gone up to around 59,000 units this year, while the sale for premium houses costing over 1 crore has gone up to 47,000 this year.

And overall, the residential demand is at a multi-year high, according to the report, while clearly, the lower and middle income groups are suffering.

Shishir Baijal, Chairman and Managing Director, Knight Frank India said, "The RBI's extremely capable handling of the inflationary scenario has inspired confidence in the country's economic environment. This is also reflected in the residential demand which is at a multi-year high and office demand which has remained resilient even as office markets globally have been struggling.

The mid and premium segments in the residential market have been consistently outperforming and points to a significant shift in the market's underlying fabric. However, the 250 bps increase in policy rates has reduced affordability across markets by 2.5% on an average. And, while the market has remained strong thus far, further interest rate increases could put pressure on homebuyer ability and sentiments."

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