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Kohli, Jadeja lead India’s revival with century stand
Virat Kohli, playing his 500th international game, led India’s revival along with Ravindra Jadeja following an inspired bowling performance from West Indies in the second session of the second Test in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Half-centuries from Rohit Sharma (80) and Yashavi Jaiswal (57) helped India to a solid start after being asked to bat, as they added 139 in quick time. However, West Indies hit back with regular strikes in the second session as India slipped to 182/4. But thanks to Kohli’s unbeaten 87 and his unbroken 106-run stand with Jadeja, India managed to end the first day’s play at 288/4 on Thursday (July 20).
Kohli and Jadeja went about it watchfully at the start of the third session with West Indies maintaining disciplined lines. Apart from the singles and occasional twos, the two concentrated on mostly defending and leaving deliveries at the start of their association. As the partnership began to develop, Kohli capitalised on a full delivery from Kemar Roach to cream it through covers for a four and he even drove a Roach delivery on the up for a boundary. There was also a thick outside edge for a four off Kohli’s bat while Jadeja got his first four by executing a cover drive off Roach.
Jadeja’s second four also came off a cover drive, this time off Alzarri Joseph, before drove one uppishly off Jomel Warrican to bring up his half-century and extend the partnership past fifty. Jadeja then guided a Joseph delivery between point and gully for his third four and the bowler hit back by attempting short-ball tactics at the left-hander, troubling him a couple of times. But Jadeja did manage to put away one for a boundary, so did Kohli as India crossed the 250 mark. Kohli put away a full ball from Warrican through covers for a four to enter the 80s and stretch the partnership to 100. With their over-rate on the slower side, West Indies operated with spinners and didn’t opt for the second new ball. Both batters went back unbeaten at Stumps, with West Indies bowling only 84 overs in the day’s play despite the 30-minute extension.
Earlier, India rode on a powerful platform provided by Rohit and Jaiswal, who both got past fifty in the first session. They collected 14 fours and three sixes between them before Lunch as India scored at a rate of 4.65. There wasn’t much help for the pacers as well as the spin of Warrican, which made the decision at the toss by West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite questionable. The bowling too was wayward at times, allowing Rohit to pull a couple across the fence, with the second six helping him get to fifty off 74 ball.
Jaiswal, at the other end, was a lot quicker to get to his half-century as he struck two successive fours off Roach to reach the mark off 49 deliveries, shortly after the openers raised their second successive century partnership. Holder created a genuine chance when he got Jaiswal to edge one that seamed away but Alick Athanaze failed to take a low chance diving forward at first slip as the Indian openers walked back unbeaten at Lunch, having scored 121 at a rate of 4.65 in the first session.
West Indies, however, hit back strongly after the break to dominate a session for the first time in this series. Only 61 runs came off 24.4 overs in the second session, with India losing four wickets. Jaiswal fell to Holder as he got an outside edge attempting a big drive, handing a catch to debutant Kirk McKenzie placed at a deep, wide gully position. Shubman Gill cut away a couple behind square for boundaries but his innings was cut short by Roach who had the No.3 out caught behind. To add to India’s problems, Rohit was bowled by a flighted delivery from Warrican which turned away a touch after being angled in.
West Indies were even more frugal in the hour before Tea. Kohli took 21 deliveries to get off the mark, playing a straight drive off Joseph for a boundary, while Ajinkya Rahane also remained watchful as the fourth wicket pair got into damage control mode. Kohli also struck a cover drive for a four off Joseph but was quiet otherwise. India suffered another setback just before the break as Shannon Gabriel, who was included in place of Rahkeem Cornwall, had Rahane bowled off an inside edge.
The second game of the series marked the 100th Test between West Indies and India, with both captains being presented with commemorative plaques before the start of the match. There were two debutants in the game, with India getting in pacer Mukesh Kumar in place of Shardul Thakur while left-handed batter McKenzie replaced Raymon Reifer for West Indies.
Brief scores:
India 288/4 (Virat Kohli 87*, Rohit Sharma 80, Yashavi Jaiswal 57; Jason Holder 1-30, Jomel Warrican 1-55) vs West Indies.
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More than 360 dead, 1,400 missing in Nepal and Tibet after Himalayan floods
Some 360 bodies have been recovered and more than 1,400 people are missing across Nepal and China’s Tibet region after a huge collapse of mud and rock into a Himalayan river triggered catastrophic flooding across local towns and valleys, authorities have said.
Rescue teams waded through mud on Thursday searching for the missing, as authorities in Nepal said at least 359 people have been killed there.
At least three people have died in the neighbouring Tibet region.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived at the mudslide site in Tibet on Thursday afternoon to “guide emergency rescue and relief work” a day after the disaster, state media reported.
Nepalese police and tourism officials said that more than 500 foreigners were among 910 people missing in Nepal.
Among the missing are tourists from more than two dozen countries: 177 are from India, 63 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from the United Kingdom, and 25 from Canada.
Beijing’s foreign ministry also said nearly 100 Chinese nationals were among the missing in Nepal.
In Tibet’s Gyirong county, 558 people are reported missing, including 260 foreign nationals, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Search and rescue operations are proving to be a “massive challenge” as just simply “getting to the affected areas … to try and recover the survivors”, is proving to be extremely difficult as the roads and bridges there have suffered extensive damage, said Al Jazeera’s Minelle Fernandez, reporting from the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.
[Aljazeera]
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Unyielding Dinusha, spirited tail hold off India to save Colombo Test
India 503/9 decl (Devdutt Padikkal 117, Dhruv Jurel 115; Asitha Fernando 4-106, Prabath Jayasuriya 2-132) drew with Sri Lanka 290 (Sonal Dinusha 103, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80; Prasidh Krishna 3-52, Manav Suthar 3-85) and 429/9 f/o (Sonal Dinusha 133*, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92; Ravindra Jadeja 3-94, Manav Suthar 3-121)
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UAE’s Asif Khan handed 15-month ban for using a banned substance
Asif Khan the UAE batter, has been banned for 15 months after admitting to having tested positive for a banned substance – “a metabolite of mesterolone” – in an out-of-competition test conducted in September 2025, the ICC said in a statement on Thursday.
The statement said that Asif, 36, “had admitted the violation” of Article 2.1 of the ICC’s anti-doping code and accepted the period of ineligibility “pursuant to a case resolution agreement entered into with the World Anti-Doping Agency and the ICC”, which means there is no right to appeal on the part of the player.
The sanction is effective from September 8, 2025 and will run until December 7, 2026.
“Asif may return to training with a team or use the facilities of a club or other ICC Member organisation from 8 October 2026 but will only be eligible to play from 8 December,” the statement added. “The player’s individual results from 8 September 2025 until his provisional suspension on 29 December 2025 have been disqualified, along with all resulting consequences, including the loss of any medals, points, prize money or prizes.”
Asif, a former Pakistan Under-19 cricketer, made his UAE debut in March 2022 in an ODI against Oman in the ICC’s Cricket World Cup League 2. He turned out in 38 ODIs and 56 T20Is between then and September 2025.
The last three of those T20Is, against India, Oman and Pakistan in the T20 Asia Cup in 2025, came after September 8, and will be removed from his record.
[Cricinfo]
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