'Influence Of Kohli...': Ponting's Blunt Warning Ahead Of Ind vs Aus Tests

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has lauded Virat Kohli for revolutionizing Test cricket in India. Ponting highlighted the significant impact Kohli had since taking over as Test captain, leading to a remarkable turnaround in the team's performance. Kohli's captaincy, which began at the end of 2014 and continued until early 2022, saw India flourish. He instilled an aggressive brand of cricket within the team, making them believe in their ability to win overseas. Under his leadership, India became the first Asian team to win a Test series on Australian soil.

"Their fast-bowling depth is great. The leadership in the last 6-7 years has been strong. Going back to Kohli's start of captaincy, played a big role in turning the cricket around and Dravid has continued the same in the recent four years. The influence of someone like that [Kohli] around a team would be great and they've got star players," Ponting said while speaking to Sky Sports.

During Kohli's tenure, India played 68 Tests, winning 40, losing 17, and drawing 11. His impressive home and away record cemented his place as one of India's most successful red-ball captains.

However, this time, Kohli will tour Australia as a player under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. In the previous series in 2020-21, Kohli left after the first Test to be with his wife for the birth of their daughter, Vamika.

Despite his absence, India, under Ajinkya Rahane's leadership, overcame injuries and the lack of key players to secure another historic 2-1 series win.

Ponting reminisced about India's memorable victory at the Gabba, marking the first time in 32 years that a visiting team had breached this Australian stronghold in Tests. He noted the change in mindset and the fearless approach of the Indian team.

"They won a game at the Gabba, which just doesn't happen. I think their batters adapt to overseas batting conditions very well. I don't think they're as daunted by the Gabba or the Optus Oval, as they maybe once were. Maybe it is a selection thing, or they just don't fear the big stage anymore," he added.

Additionally, Ponting emphasized the significant role the Indian Premier League (IPL) played in preparing Indian players for the international stage.

"For the last 10 years being around the IPL, I've noticed that a lot of the young guys [don't fear the big stage anymore] as the IPL is high-pressure, it is like a World Cup for them. Their batsmen are all very aggressive stroke-making players. They are not scared of failing," he noted.

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

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Adani Group Features In TIME's World's Best Companies Of 2024 List

The Adani Group has featured in TIME's prestigious World's Best Companies of 2024 list, prepared in collaboration with Statista, a leading global industry ranking and statistics portal.

The Adani Group in a statement said, "The accolade highlights the Adani Group's commitment to employee satisfaction, revenue growth and sustainability. It is further validation of the group's hard work and continuous efforts to push boundaries and deliver excellence across businesses."

The World's Best Companies 2024 list is based on analysis across three dimensions - employee satisfaction, revenue growth and sustainability.

Eight out of 11 Adani Group's listed companies were considered in the evaluation. The other three listed companies are subsidiaries of these eight companies, the conglomerate said in a statement.

The recognized companies include Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Adani Green Energy, Adani Energy Solutions, Adani Total Gas, Ambuja Cements, Adani Power and Adani Wilmar Limited.

The survey was conducted in over 50 countries with around 170,000 participants assessed companies based on direct and indirect recommendations, work conditions, salary, equality, and overall company image. Companies with revenues exceeding US$100 million in 2023 and demonstrated growth from 2021 to 2023 were evaluated.

The sustainability dimension focussed on Companies was assessed based on standardized ESG KPIs from Statista's ESG Database and targeted research.

The scores of all three dimensions were added on an equal percentage basis to form the final ranking score of a maximum of 100 points. The 1,000 companies with the highest score were awarded the World's Best Companies 2024 by TIME and Statista.

(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)

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Man Sues Realtors After Finding Jeff Bezos Bought His Home For Less Price

A Brazilian businessman alleges a realtor deceived him into selling his Miami Beach mansion for $6 million lower than its true worth to Amazon Boss Jeff Bezos and is now suing him, according to a lawsuit reported reported by The Wall Street Journal. Leo Kryss, one of the founders of the Brazilian toy and electronics company Tectoy, claims the real estate company Douglas Elliman told him that a prospective buyer for his house in exclusive Indian Creek Village won't pay more than $79 million. Mr Kryss had listed the seven-bedroom, 11 1/2-bathroom mansion, covering 19,000 square feet, for $85 million. 

Now Kryss is suing Elliman for the $6 million he believes he forfeited by not realizing Bezos was the buyer, according to people familiar with the matter, according to The WSJ.

The lawsuit filed in July by Kryss said that he asked Douglas Elliman CEO Jay Parker if the interested buyer was the world's second richest man, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Parker allegedly let him know that Bezos had nothing to do with it. Later on, in fact, Kryss would agree to sell the mansion for $79 million, unconscious of the fact that Bezos was indeed the buyer, according to the complaint.

The legal dispute highlights the significance of transparency in high-profile real estate deals. At the moment, Kryss is suing them over fraud allegations by the real estate firm.

"Wealthy individuals often shield their identities throughout the process of purchasing a home, from the initial showing through the closing," Miami real estate agent Danny Hertzberg told WSJ. "Many billionaires, when they're purchasing a property, are concerned that when the seller knows their identity, they're going to want a larger number," he said.

In February of last year, Bezos announced his move to Miami from Seattle. He now owns more than four bayfront acres on Indian Creek Island, a gated community sometimes referred to as the Billionaire Bunker. The island has drawn well-known residents, including Tom Brady, Jared Kushner, and Ivanka Trump.

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Gas Leak From Chemical Factory Spreads Across Ambarnath City In Maharashtra

A gas leakage has been reported from the factory of a chemical company in Maharashtra's Ambarnath. 

The chemical fumes have spread across  the entire city and reached the railway tracks, reducing visibility. 

Sources have said  the citizens are suffering from eyes and throat irritation. 

More details are awaited. 

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Decades-Old Doorstop Turns Out To Be Priceless Gem Worth Rs 8 Crore

A large piece of amber used for years as a doorstop has just been valued at around $1 million (Rs 8.4 crore), according to EL PAIS. The 3.5-kilogramme stone was dug up by an elderly woman from a stream bed near Colti, Romania, and then used in her house to hold open doors.

It was later discovered that the stone was one of the largest pieces of amber, which is the resin of a tree fossilised for millions of years. This type, known as rumanit because of its reddish hue, is mined around Colti.

After she died in 1991, the house had been passed on to a relative who felt that the doorstop could be more valuable than originally thought. It was then sold to the Romanian state, and experts from the Museum of History in Krakow confirmed the amber to be between 38 and 70 million years old.

The information has been confirmed to EL PAIS by Daniel Costache, director of the Provincial Museum of Buzau, where the object is currently being kept.

"Its discovery represents a great significance both at a scientific level and at a museum level," explains Costache, who believes that its value is incalculable. The expert claims that it is one of the largest pieces in the world and the largest of its kind.

Members of the owner's family reported that the old lady was the victim of a break-in in which only a few pieces of gold jewellery of little value were stolen, while the amber nugget was completely ignored. "In their frantic search for valuables, they overlooked the real treasure that was there before their eyes," they said.

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Steve Smith Says Virat Kohli Is Australian. Explains Why

Veteran batter Steve Smith described Virat Kohli's approach on the field in a unique way, saying the Indian batting stalwart is Australian in his thoughts and action. India and Australia will renew their intense rivalry at the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which will see the two nations squaring off in the all-important five-match series at Perth, Adelaide (pink-ball game), Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, respectively. India have won the last two editions of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy held in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21 respectively.

"I believe Virat Kohli is Australian in thoughts and action. The way he gets into a battle, the way he gets into the challenge and tries to get on top of the opposition. He's probably the most Australian of the Indian players, I'd say," Smith said in a video posted by Star Sports on 'X', formerly Twitter.

Kohli, who has 80 international centuries, including 29 Test tons, has scored 8,846 runs across 113 Tests with a 49.16 average while Smith has 9,685 runs in 109 Tests at an average of 56.97 with 32 centuries.

"There's no real, you know, I need to beat him or anything like that. It's just about going out and playing and trying to score as many runs as I can and helping Australia have success and that's what it's all about," he added.

Smith further revealed that the two players share messages often and expressed excitement to face Kohli in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting from November 22.

"We get on quite well, share messages every now and then and look, he's a great guy and obviously a wonderful player. It's going to be nice to come up against him again this summer," said Smith.

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

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India Test Squad: BCCI's Vice-Captaincy Decision Baffles Everyone

Amid the chatter around Jasprit Bumrah being potentially rested for the 2-match Test series against Bangladesh, the marquee pacer surprisingly found a place in the squad for the first Test. Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant also marked his return to the Test side after nearly 20 months out as India announced their 16-man squad for the series opener on Sunday. While some big names returned to the squad, some prominent names missed out too. However, another decision from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee that raised eyebrows was the absence of a designated vice-captain. 

When India took on England in their last Test assignment, Jasprit Bumrah was named the vice-captain. However, no such role was allotted by the selection committee this time, making fans wonder what changed. 

Bumrah is seen as one of the leaders in the team, alongside the likes of KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Virat Kohli. While Kohli doesn't want to be officially given a leadership role, Rahul and Pant are also in fray for India's long-term captaincy in the whites. But, none of them is a designated vice-captain for the Bangladesh Tests.

The board didn't explain the decision behind not naming a vice-captain either. India captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir are expected to come across this question when they address press conference ahead of the start of the Bangladesh Test series. 

India's Squad For First Bangladesh Test

Virat Kohli also made a comeback having missed the five-Test series against England at home earlier this year for having taken a break for the birth of his second child. While fast bowler Mohammed Shami remains on a comeback trail and was not included in the squad, uncapped left-arm Uttar Pradesh fast bowler Yash Dayal received his maiden Test call-up.

Having played in the second and final Test against Bangladesh at Mirpur from December 22-25, 2022, Pant had met a road accident a few days later on December 30 and made his return to top flight cricket only in IPL this year.

Shami failed to make it to the Test side even though chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar had earlier expressed that the right-arm seamer was targeting a return in the first Test against Bangladesh.

Dayal, who was once smashed for five consecutive sixes by Rinku Singh in an IPL match, has had a remarkable redemption with his India call-up.

KL Rahul, who suffered a right quadriceps injury after the first Test against England at Hyderabad, also returned to the Test side. He scored 37 and a valiant 57 for India A against India B in the Duleep Trophy contest in Bengaluru which concluded on Sunday.

Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who produced robust performances against England including match-winning knocks of 90 and 39 not out in the Ranchi Test, retained his place.

Right-arm Bengal pacer Akash Deep, who made his Test debut against England at Ranchi with an impressive three-wicket burst, took nine wickets in the Duleep Trophy match for India A against India B in Bengaluru.

India squad for 1st Test vs Bangladesh: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.

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