Massive protests and violence erupted in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Friday over the Chinese move to build a 33-kilometre road.
According to the reports, the residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have launched massive protests against the Imran Khan-led Pakistan government for allowing the People Liberation Army (PLA) to build a road in the occupied Indian territory. A general strike has been going on since January 13, and Friday’s strike is a continuation of the protest against the Chinese presence in the region.
Amjad Ayub Mirza, an exiled activist from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), said that China is building a 33-kilometer road from Yarkand to PoK to move its artillery and military personnel in the region. The activist said that this is the second time in the month such protests are taking place in the PoK region. He said that the protests this time are widespread, last time the strike was limited to the Poonch division but now it has gone out of control.
“China is now building a road from Yarkand of 33 km wide enough to bring its artillery, military and personnel. Things are gearing up in a precarious way, but PoJK people have risen up to the occasion. There will be more protests in PoK, and I think Pakistan has lost in PoJK totally,” said Mirza in the interview to the media.
“The whole of PoJK was under general strike on January 13th and the focal point became Azad Pattan Bridge, which is the entry point between Pakistan and PoJK, that was blocked. Police opened fire, tear gas, and lathi-charged and there were clashes after which police had to retreat back to Pakistan,” said Mirza.
Protests are intense this time, says activist
Activist Mirza said that this time protests are big thing as police check-post was set alight and protests are spreading like a wildfire across 750 miles Line of Control (LoC). People are fed up with food shortages, there is no flour, no electricity, no clean drinking water, and big cities are full of filth because the system has collapsed, added Mirza.
The protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir started after the Imran Khan-led government arbitrarily announced the occupied territory as the fifth province of Pakistan.
“Now what is happening that not a single day passes without a protest, sometimes more than one protest in different parts of PoJK. Every single day people are protesting in Gilgit Baltistan, PoJK, and Pakistani media does not report it. International media is not allowed in those areas,” informed Mirza.
Mirza lamented the fact that the elected government of PoK is sitting in Islamabad and merry-making while the public in the region is holding a crusade against Chinese incursions in the area.
“The whole of PoJK government elected after November 15th is sitting in Islamabad, enjoying buffets and parties, having a fun time because it’s very cold in Gilgit. The government of Farooq Haider is called ‘miscreants’ by its people. PoJK has gone out of the hands of Pakistan, it has lost it. There is no sentiment for Pakistan in PoJK,” he said.
A 13-year-old girl was gang-raped multiple times by nine men several times in a week in Madhya Pradesh. As per the reports, she was kidnapped and gang-raped on January 4, after that she was again abducted by a truck driver from Umaria district on January 11-12. She was passed on from truck driver to truck driver before she was dropped on the highway.
The horrifying story
The girl was kidnapped by a known person and gang-raped by several men on January 4. She was let go and threatened to keep quiet. She was then again kidnapped and gang-raped by two truck drivers when she was out on an errand on January 11. The two men took her in a jungle and raped her. She was kept hostage in the truck, and they drove to a Dhaba. She was then raped by the Dhaba owner along with four other truckers.
The girl, who is a student of class 9, was kept hostage and raped throughout the night. The next morning, when she was almost unconscious due to the continuous torture, the truck driver tossed her in the truck and raped her again before dumping her in the middle of the road.
Shocked and terrified, the girl tried to stop vehicles, urging them to help. A truck driver stopped and picked her when she pleaded him to help. However, her torture was not over. That truck driver also raped her and dropped her near Umaria before speeding away.
Family filed complaint the next morning
By this time, the family that was continuously looking for her all night, filed a complaint with the police the next morning. Soon after, the girl spotted some policemen and approached them for help. She was immediately taken to the hospital, where she could not speak properly. She was counselled for 20 hours before she could begin to talk. During the counselling, she revealed the series of events that she had to go through. She also mentioned that five of the men involved in the gang-rape were among those who gang-raped her on January 4.
Vikas Kumar Shahwal, Superintendent of Police, said that the police recovered the girl soon after receiving the complaint on January 12. “According to the doctors, she has not sustained any major injuries but she is in deep mental trauma and shock. We have kept her under observation at one-stop crisis centre, where she is being counselled.” He added. Arvind Tiwari, the Police spokesman, said that a case has been registered under POSCO and relevant sections of the IPC.
So far, the police have arrested seven out of nine men involved in the crime. The remaining two are still on the run.
CNBC Awaaz has terminated stocks editor and anchor Hemant Ghai after an order was passed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) against him for violating stock market regulations. Ghar was the co-host of Stocks 20-20 on the Network18 Group’s Hindi Business news channel. On 13th January, SEBI had banned him from trading in the capital market, and also from giving any recommendation related to stocks.
The network issued a statement on his termination and said that its employees are required to pledge themselves to a code of conduct that expressly forbids them to manipulate prices of the listed securities. The network added, “Mr. Ghai was also a signatory to the code of conduct. Network18 takes its commitment to honesty and integrity seriously. We will not tolerate any behaviour which does not conform to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct.”
Ghai did trading from his wife and mother’s accounts
In its orders, SEBI alleged that Ghai had used his wife and mother’s names to purchase stocks that he would recommend the next day. It resulted in the increased purchase of the stocks, increasing the price, after which would sale the stocks making a profit. Such practices are prohibited under the provisions of SEBI’s (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices) Regulations.
SEBI in its order said, “By purchasing shares in the accounts of Jaya Hemant Ghai and Shyam Mohini Ghai for which buy recommendation is given, with the advance information of buy recommendation and thereafter selling the same as soon as the market opens on the recommendation day unfairly taking advantage of the price and volume rise post recommendation is a fraud played upon the market and the viewers of the Show. The viewers of the Show trust the recommendation made in the Show without realising the scheme has been devised for their personal gains.”
Ghai cannot indulge in investment activities
These trades were made through Authorised Person of Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd., namely MAS Consultancy, Mehsana, Gujarat. Ghai is no longer allowed to indulge in any activity related to giving investment advice, sell or buy recommendations, publish any research report or any activity related to the market until further notice. As per the reports, he had made around Rs.3 crore by such activities, and SEBI has ordered the respective banks to freeze the accounts of Ghai along with the accounts of his wife and mother.
The National Investigation Agency has summoned controversial pro-Khalistan organizations such as ‘Khalsa Aid’ and several persons including an alleged farmer leader and an actor having links to Khalistani networks to appear before them for questioning in connection with the ‘Sikhs For Justice Referendum’ case.
According to the reports, the National Investigation Agency has called around 40 persons to be examined as ‘witnesses’ in a fresh case registered against the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a foreign-based group that advocates secessionist and pro-Khalistani activities in India.
The NIA has summoned include officials of the controversial pro-Khalistan group ‘Khalsa Aid’ and also actor Deep Sidhu, who has time-and-again openly expressed his support to the Khalistan movement.
Khalsa Aid is another shady organisation that is suspected to be a front organisation for the Khalistani outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). The NIA had registered a case in this regard in December 2012, alleging that Khalsa Aid was suspected to be one of the organisations linked to the BKI funding the Indian BKI members to commit terror acts in the country.
Recently, Khalsa Aid had set up massage centers at the farmers’ protests in makeshift spaces at the Singhu border raising suspicions that the protests might be a well-thought-out conspiracy by the secessionists to revive Khalistani sentiments by engendering resentment among people against the Modi government.
Babbar Khalsa intends to create an independent Sikh state in India through violent means and is responsible for several terror attacks in the country resulting in many civilian deaths. The Trump administration had declared BKI a threat to American interests.
NIA issues summons to Deep Sidhu, UK based journalist
Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu and another Khalistani sympathizer Baldev Singh Sirsa are among 40 people summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for questioning in the SFJ case.
The actor, who has backed the protest against the center’s agriculture laws, has been asked to appear before the anti-terrorism agency at its Delhi. Deep Sidhu, who came to the limelight during the ongoing protests, had openly flaunted his admiration for the Khalistani movement.
In addition to Deep Sidhu, the NIA has summoned a UK-based television journalist Jasveer Singh Muktsar to appear for questioning on January 18. The NIA has also called Baldev Singh Sirsa, the president of the Lok Bhalai Insaf Welfare Society, one of the organizers of the ‘farmer’ protestors in the national capital.
NIA files charge-sheet in Sikh Referendum case
Earlier, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had filed charge-sheet against 16 accused associated with the Khalistani terrorist organisation Sikh for Justice (SFJ) in Referendum-2020.
The NIA investigation in the case had revealed that Sikhs For Justice was nothing but a terror group that operates with the support of Pakistan’s ISI and has offices in various foreign countries like the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia etc. The NIA had disclosed that SFJ propagates secession and also instigates enmity on the grounds of region and religion to radicalise impressionable youth and to cause disturbance to peace and harmony and to raise funds for terrorist activities.
The terror organisation SFJ has been attempting to undermine the security of the Indian State by instigating Sikh personnel in the Indian army to rise up in mutiny against India. SFJ is also trying to radicalize youth of Kashmir and openly extending support for the secession of Kashmir from India, the NIA had disclosed.
SFJ links to the farmers’ protests in India
The farmers’ protest saw participation from pro-Khalistani elements. Several ‘farmers’ resorted to violence and worrying slogans, supporting Khalistan were also raised. With pro-Khalistan and anti-Indian slogans being raised during the ‘farmer protest’ along the Haryana-Punjab border, questions were also being raised over the alleged involvement of SFJ in instigating Punjab farmers to protest against the Modi government under the pretext that the three farm bills are ‘anti-farmer’ in nature.
The SFJ collusion indicated the involvement of pro-Khalistan elements to hijack these farmer protest.
It is important to note that the Khalistan organization SFJ, funded by Pakistan, had earlier declared a grant of $1 million for farmers in Punjab and Haryana in lieu of their support for Khalistan.
Deep Sidhu, Akalis cry foul
Actor Deep Sidhu, Shiromani Akali Dal’s Sukbhir Singh Badal, have accused the government of trying to ‘intimidate’ the protestors.
The matter pertains to the December 15, 2020 FIR registered after a complaint by the MHA which stated that SFJ “and other Khalistani terrorist outfits including but not limited to Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Tiger Force and Khalistan Zindabad Force” along with their frontal organizations, have entered into a conspiracy to “create an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness and to cause disaffection in people and to incite them towards rising in rebellion” against the Government of India.”
As per the FIR, huge funds are collected abroad for the campaign and propaganda. “These campaigns are being spearheaded by designated terrorists – Pannu, Pamma, Nijjer and others,” the FIR read. As per the FIR, large amounts of funds so collected are being sent through non-government Organizations to pro-Khalistani elements based in India, to undertake terrorist acts and to strike terror in the people of India.
President-elect Joe Biden has decided to sign a dozen of executive orders to undo the actions of President Trump, including re-joining the Paris climate accord and ending the travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries, on his first day in office.
According to a memo from incoming chief of staff Ron Klain, President-elect Joe Biden is also expected to sign orders halting evictions and student loan payments during the coronavirus pandemic. Biden administration may also issue a mask mandate on all federal property and expand virus testing.
However, the executive orders issued by President Trump pre-empting the security threat will be nullified by President-elect Biden’s new order.
Reversing Trump government’s order was made during campaign
In the run-up to the elections, Joe Biden had made several promises to reverse the decision taken by the Trump administration in the last four years. These promises were made on everything from climate change to immigration to foreign policy.
“During the campaign, President-elect Biden pledged to take immediate action to start addressing these crises and build back better,” Klain wrote in the memo. “As president, he will keep those promises and sign dozens of executive orders, presidential memoranda, and directives to Cabinet agencies in fulfillment of the promises he made,” he added.
The memo also outlines Biden’s plans to send Congress a large-scale immigration plan within his first 100 days in office. The plan would offer a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrations currently in the United States.
Earlier, Joe Biden had announced his first legislative priority this week, announcing a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that included direct payments to Americans. Joe Biden had said that he wanted the package issue to be the first one to be taken up by the Congress after he is inaugurated on January 20.
Matze’s social media platform Parler became the first choice for conservative supporters of Donald Trump for a short span after Twitter and other social media platforms banned him. However, Parler has to go offline after Apple, Google removed the app from their app stores, and Amazon decided to terminate its web hosting services. Amazon alleged that Parler played a role in the Capitol Hall incident that took place on January 6.
Fox News obtained the litigation filed by Parler that read, “Although AWS’s motion to seal focuses only on its own employees, Parler’s employees have been similarly harassed and threatened.” It was also reported that the employees of the company are facing harassment and hostility. They fear their and their families’ safety. In some cases, including Matze himself, have fled their homes. The filing further stated, “Matze himself, as the CEO of the company AWS continues to vilify, has had to leave his home and go into hiding with his family after receiving death threats and invasive personal security breaches.”
While talking to Fox News, Matze had said that he would take any step to protect his family. He mentioned a group called UGNazi that was targeting him. He said, “They published my street address, they threatened to come through my front door.” Matze, who did not take threats directed to him too seriously in general cases, had to go into hiding with his family.
Amazon claims harassment of its employees
Earlier this week, Amazon claimed that both sides are harassing its employees. Parler mentioned Amazon’s claims in its filing and said, “Both sides of this dispute have shown that their employees have suffered real harassment and threats — including, on both sides, death threats — owing to the charged nature of this litigation.”
The Capitol Hill riots
On January 6, a large number of alleged Trump supporters barged into the Capitol Hall when the final counting of the Electoral College was in process. World leaders, including Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, condemned the violent attack on the Capital Hill. In the aftermath of the riots, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms suspended sitting President Donald Trump’s personal account from their respective platforms. The action taken by the social media giants was seen as unwarranted censorship resulting in a significant dip in the share prices of both Twitter and Facebook. The tech giants had lost around $51 billion in market cap in just two days.
The Day 3 of the final Test match between India and Australia in Brisbane began with a jolt, with the Indian side losing the crucial wickets of ‘The Wall’ Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Ajinkiya Rahane. By the end of the morning session, Australia got rid of the two set batsmen and stopped them from making it big at the Gabba cricket ground.
When the team resumed playing post-lunch, Mayank Agarwal dominated the Australian spin attack. On the second ball of the 57th over, Agarwal stepped out of his crease to play a massive shot for six against ace spinner Nathan Lyon. The six went for a whopping 102-metres, leaving the crowd enthralled at the aggressive batting display. “He goes all the way over the rope”, the commentator highlighted.
By then, Mayank Agarwal had posted a total of 28 runs on the scoreboard in 63 balls. While Nathan Lyon chose to make things difficult for the batsman by bowling round the wicket, a shrewd Agarwal decided to take on the bowler head-on.
However, as has been the case with India’s first innings, Mayank Agarwal, just like his predecessors, failed to put up a big partnership as he nicks off the ball of Josh Hazelwood to Steve Smith. Tweeting about the same, cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle said, “Was so important, India went through this session losing no more than one wicket. Losing Mayank is a big blow because it exposes a newcomer and the tail.”
Adani Group on Saturday issued a rebuttal on allegations of not paying bank loans saying it maintains an impeccable record of not having a single NPA in three decades of its existence.
On Friday, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy took to Twitter Twitter to allege that Adani has not paid loans worth Rs 4.5 lakhs crore, which has allegedly turned into an NPA. Calling Gautam Adani – the chairman of Adani group, as a ‘Trapeze artist’, Swamy had claimed that his wealth was doubling every year two years since 2016, however, the industrialist did not repay the banks.
The Rajya Sabha MP also took a jibe at Adani that he would buy out all the banks that he owed like the six airports he has ‘bought’.
Trapeze Artist Adani now owes Rs. 4.5 lakh crores as NPA to banks. Correct me if I am wrong. Yet his wealth is doubling every two years since 2016. Why can’t he repay the banks? May be like with the six airports he has bought he might soon buy out all the banks he owes money.
In 2019, Adani Group won the bid to operate six major airports in India.
Following the allegations made by Subramanian Swamy, Adani has put out a statement clarifying that it does not have any NPA in the three decades of its existence.
Adani group’s response to Swamy’s allegation
In a statement on Twitter, the Ahmedabad-based conglomerate said it has built stellar infrastructure assets in the nation adopting prudent corporate governance and capital management processes that have consistently enhanced credit quality.
“The group maintains an impeccable record of not a single NPA in the three decades of its existence,” it said responding to a tweet by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy.
Adani on Saturday called the number quoted in the tweet as “incorrect and fictitious number.” “Aligned to our core philosophy of nation-building, the Adani Group has built stellar infrastructure assets mitigating critical demand gaps in India,” it said.
The Adani Group in its statement said, “Given our prudent corporate governance framework and capital management processes, our credit quality has consistently enhanced and the net debt to EBITDA ratio is less than 4, which demonstrates high credit rating quality and almost all of our businesses enjoy a high credit rating from international and domestic rating agencies.”
While it is widely believed that China has not disclosed full facts regarding the origin of the Novel Coronavirus that cause the global Covid-19 pandemic, the US state department has levelled new allegations against the Communist govt in China. In a fact-sheet released on 15th January, the state department raised possibility about the virus being accidentally released from Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, from where the pandemic started.
The sheet says that for more than a year, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has systematically prevented a transparent and thorough investigation of the COVID-19 pandemic’s origin, choosing instead to devote enormous resources to deceit and disinformation. It said that the US government does not know where, when or how the COVID-19 virus was initially transmitted to humans, and they have not determined whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan, China.
Although humans getting infected from animals is not uncommon, the previously undisclosed information in the fact sheet also brings the highlights that possibility of the laboratory being the origin, the state department says. To justify that claim, the fact sheet has made three points, which it says deserve greater scrutiny.
First, the fact sheet says that during the autumn in 2019, several researchers inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) had become sick, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses. This raises questions about the credibility of the Chinese govt’s claim that there was “zero infection” among the WIV’s staff and students.
Accidental infections in labs have caused several previous virus outbreaks in China and elsewhere, including a 2004 SARS outbreak in Beijing that infected nine people, killing one, the fact sheet says. It also notes that the CCP has prevented independent journalists, investigators, and global health authorities from interviewing researchers at the WIV, including those who were ill in the fall of 2019.
The second point is that WIV has been conducting research on the bat virus that is closest to the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing the Covid-19 disease. WIV is conducting research on RaTG13, the bat coronavirus, since 2016. The state department says that WIV has a published record of conducting “gain-of-function” research to engineer chimeric viruses, but it has not been transparent or consistent about its record of studying viruses most similar to the COVID-19 virus, including “RaTG13,” which it sampled from a cave in Yunnan Province in 2013 after several miners died of SARS-like illness.
“WHO investigators must have access to the records of the WIV’s work on bat and other coronaviruses before the COVID-19 outbreak. As part of a thorough inquiry, they must have a full accounting of why the WIV altered and then removed online records of its work with RaTG13 and other viruses,” the fact sheet demanded.
In the third point, the state department has pointed towards secret military activity at the WIV. It says that despite the WIV presenting itself as a civilian institution, the United States has determined that the WIV has collaborated on publications and secret projects with China’s military. “The WIV has engaged in classified research, including laboratory animal experiments, on behalf of the Chinese military since at least 2017”, the fact sheet says.
Therefore, US and other donors who funded or collaborated on civilian research at the WIV have a right and obligation to determine whether any of our research funding was diverted to secret Chinese military projects at the WIV.
The state department notes that these new revelations just scratch the surface of what is still hidden about COVID-19’s origin in China. “Any credible investigation into the origin of COVID-19 demands complete, transparent access to the research labs in Wuhan, including their facilities, samples, personnel, and records,” it said.
Noting that the WHO has started to investigate the origin of the virus after a delay of more than a year, it says the virus’s origin remains uncertain. The fact sheet says that The United States will continue to do everything it can to support a credible and thorough investigation, including by continuing to demand transparency on the part of Chinese authorities.
When the Indian cricket team began its tour of Australia in November last year, it would have never imagined that the team would eventually be marred with injuries. As India went into the fourth and final Test match against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Friday, the team was devoid of star players.
With experienced bowlers such as Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and RS Ashwin still recovering from injuries, India desperately needed the 29-year-old yorker specialist T Natarajan to come to the team’s rescue. The match at Gabba kicked off on a positive start, with Indian side picking the wickets of David Warner and Marcus Harris early in the game.
However, the game soon turned its course with a dropped catch off Marnus Labuschagne’s bat by skipper Rahane. Labuschange and Matthew Wade began pulling off a formidable partnership and was looking to turn the match in Australia’s favour. But T Natarajan had other plans in mind. He beautifully set them, prompting them to play a pull shot, resulting in the quick dismissal of two set batsmen. And with that, the Indian team got back the momentum to keep their hopes alive for the second day.
However, as interesting as it might sound, T Natarajan did not initially find a place in the Indian squad ahead of India’s Tour of Australia. The All-India Senior Selection Committee had instead decided to send the left-arm pacer to travel with the Indian contingent as a ‘net bowler’ alongside Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kartik Tyagi, and Ishan Porel.
How Natarajan made his debut in the ODIs?
Ahead of the first One-Day International (ODI) match in November last year, T Natarajan was added to India’s ODI squad as a backup for Navdeep Saini, who had been suffering from back spasms. Although Saini went on to play the first two matches, he was replaced by Natarajan in the final game.
Screengrab of the article in Espncricinfo
While Natarajan remained expensive, on his debut in white-ball cricket, with an economy of 7.0, he was able to get the first breakthrough by taking the crucial wicket of Marnus Labuschagne. The initial blow to the Australian side, proved fatal as India ripped through the middle order and secured a 13 run victory in the game. Interestingly, this happens to be the only match the Indian side managed to clinch against Australia in the ODI series.
‘Luck’ favours Natarajan and he exhibits his bowling prowess in T20Is
While the Indian cricket team started the tour of Australia on a wrong foot, fortunes turned for the players in the International T20 series against their arch rivals. The team went on to clinch the series 2-0, thereby boosting the morale and laying the foundation ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
A ‘fortunate’ T Natarajan was picked by the BCCI as a replacement for injured Varun Chakravarthy. A report in The Hindu noted, “Left-arm pacer T. Natarajan, picked as a back-up bowler for the Australia-bound contingent, has replaced mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy in the T20I squad. Varun, who is nursing a shoulder injury, has been ruled out for at least a month.”
In the first T20 International against Australia, the India side managed to put up 161 runs on the scoreboard with a loss of 7 wickets. T Natarajan proved his mettle in the 10th over by taking the crucial wicket of Glenn Maxwell, known for playing the big shots. With one aggressive batsman down, the left-arm pacer took the wicket of T Arcy Short, who looked set with his individual contribution of 34 runs. In the 18th over, Natarajan also helped get rid of Mitchelle Starc who has the ability to hit over the boundaries in the death overs. While conceding 30 runs in 4 overs, he along with Chahal steered the team to its first victory in the series.
Screengrab of the bowling performance of the Indian team in 1st T20I via Cricbuzz
The Australian side bounced back with a bang in the 2nd T20 International. With a spectacular performance of Matthew Wade and Steven Smith, the team put up a score of 194 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. While pacer Deepak Chahar and Chahal were thrashed for 48 and 51 runs respectively, the biggest contribution of T Natarajan was keeping a tight check on the economy.
With a strategic bowling plan, Natarajan just conceded 20 runs at an economy rate of 5, the lowest among all the bowlers. At the same time, he claimed the two crucial wickets of D Arcy Short and Maxwell once again and stopped them from putting up even a bigger total on the scoreboard. The Indian fans had lost hopes and had conceded a defeat in their minds. However, with the power-hitting of Hardik Pandya and the initial momentum provided by Shikhar Dhawan’s innings, India was able to chase down the target and secure victory with 6 wickets remaining.
Screengrab of the bowling performance of the Indian team in 2nd T20I via Cricbuzz
In the final T20I played at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground, the Australian enmassed a total of 186 runs. With a strong performance from Matthew Wade and Maxwell, Australia completely dominated the Indian bowling attack. The Indian side went on to lose the match, falling short of just 12 runs. Natarajan, took the wicket of Maxwell yet again in the 19th over, thereby restricting the arch-rivals to 186 runs. While the left-arm pacer wasn’t able to replicate his performance like the earlier matches, his performance overshadowed that of the two other pacers in the team.
3rd T20
The ‘Test’ of a lifetime
Such has been the enigma of the left-arm pacer from Tamil Nadu. Natarajan not only remained consistent with his line and length but fulfilled the void in the pace department, created due to the absence of a quality left-arm pacer. With his deadly yorkers, Natarajan will one day take on the role, which the likes of Mitchelle Starc and Johnson took for the Australian side.
And it was indeed a spectacular sight when he was handed the Indian team cap. He thus became the 300th Indian cricketer to ever play a Test match. “The stuff dreams are made of. A perfect treble for Natarajan as he is presented with Team India’s Test cap No. 300. It can’t get any better! Natu is now an all-format player,” BCCI tweeted.
And his entry to the Test cricket arena makes him the only Indian player till date to debut in all three formats of the game on a single tour. And as luck would have it, Natarajan was added in the team as a replacement for an injured But this incredible journey has been far from smooth. His father worked as a daily wage labourer and his mother continues to sell chicken on the roadside. Natarajan consistently performed for the Tamil Nadu domestic team and ultimately found a place in the IPL in 2017.
Screengrab of the article in Cricaddictor
With that, he was able to educate his siblings, buy a house for his family and start a cricket academy for youngsters in Chinnappampatti village in Salem district. Natarajan’s example goes on to show how skill and perseverance can turn dreams into reality, even for those with the humblest of economic background. While Indian fans await his splendid performance in the second innings of the Brisbane Test, for T Natarajan, the game has just begun.
