Ind vs Aus: Wanted to put Ashwin under a little bit of pressure, says Smith

Agencies
January 7, 2021

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Sydney, Jan 7: Australia batsman Steve Smith said he was trying to redeem himself by putting spinner Ravichandran Ashwin under pressure on the opening day of the third Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday.

Smith, who was struggling in the series before the Pink Test, played confidently with a different approach. He is unbeaten on 31 and put on a good partnership with Marnus Labuschagne (67*).

The 31-year-old batsman was bagged twice by Ashwin in the four innings of the ongoing series and so Smith decided to stay positive.

"I'm good, nice to spend a bit of time out there, nice to stitch in a partnership with Marnus. I wanted to put him (Ashwin) under a little bit of pressure which I haven't done in this series. Was just trying to hold the grip a bit tighter, I've been struggling, so I was getting into good positions today. Was good to get a couple of boundaries early. Marnus played well, hopefully, we go along well tomorrow," Smith said after the conclusion of play on the opening day.

Debutant Will Pucovski rode his luck and Labuschagne showed resolve as the duo hit half-centuries to put Australia in a dominating position.

At stumps, Australia's score read 166/2 in 55 overs. On a day when the Indian bowlers had to toil hard -- for the first time in the Test series -- 35 overs were lost due to rain.

Mohammed Siraj, playing in his second Test, struck in the fourth over to hand India an early breakthrough as opener David Warner -- returning after missing two Tests due to groin injury - walked back after scoring just five runs.

The first session saw just 7.1 over being bowled and the persistent drizzle brought about an early call for lunch as the hosts' score reads 21/1. After losing Warner early in the game, Pucovski showed great intent in front of a fierce bowling line-up and with Labuschangne for company and the two built a platform to bring the hosts back into the game.

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News Network
March 27,2024

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Bengaluru: Darshan Babu is an engineer who is fond of betting on cricket matches and has been placing major bets on Indian Premier League (IPL) games since 2021. He often borrows money after losing a bet, or to place one when he is short on funds. His 23-year-old wife, tired of the constant harassment by creditors, died by suicide.

Ranjitha was found hanging at her home in Karnataka's Chitradurga on March 18. According to the family, Darshan had racked up a debt of over Rs 1 crore.

He worked as an assistant engineer in the Minor Irrigation Department at Hosadurga and had been ensnared in the realm of IPL betting from 2021 to 2023. This took a major toll on the couple's finances. Allegedly, he had borrowed over Rs 1.5 crore to place bets after his luck ran out and he lost all his money. While he managed to return Rs 1 crore, cops say that he still has a pending loan of ₹ 84 lakh.

Ranjitha married Darshan in 2020. She realised the truth about Darshan's involvement in betting in 2021, claims her father Venkatesh.

In his complaint, Venkatesh said that his daughter was extremely distressed due to the constant harassment by moneylenders and this led to her suicide. He has also named 13 men who had allegedly lent the money.

He said that his son-in-law was lured into betting with a promise of quick money.

"He (Darshan) was not willing to get into betting, but the suspects forced him saying it was an easy way to get rich. They promised to finance his betting activities against some blank cheques as security," he said.

Cops during their investigation found a suicide note, where she detailed the harassment they faced. Darshan and Ranjitha have a two-year-old son.

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