KL Rahul has been selected in India's World Cup 2023 squad. AFP
KL Rahul has been selected in India's World Cup 2023 squad. AFP
KL Rahul has been selected in India's World Cup 2023 squad. AFP
KL Rahul has been selected in India's World Cup 2023 squad. AFP

KL Rahul included in India's World Cup squad despite lack of match practice


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Wicketkeeper batsman KL Rahul was included in India's squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup despite not having played any competitive cricket for more than three months.

Rahul, 31, tore a tendon in his right thigh during the IPL in May and underwent surgery. He was picked in the squad for the ongoing Asia Cup but missed the opening two matches with a niggle unrelated to his original injury.

Now that he has been selected, Rahul will be fighting for the wicketkeeper's spot with Ishan Kishan, who scored a superb 82 in the Asia Cup match against Pakistan and seems to be ahead in the pecking order.

Captain Rohit Sharma did not confirm if Rahul whether will go straight back into the team.

“We have said earlier that problems like these are good, that boys are fighting for spots,” Rohit said in Kandy.

“We will have to see who is in form and who is the opposition to face. All this will be calculated and the best XI will be picked.”

Rahul has passed the fitness test and is expected to join the Asia Cup contingent for the Super 4 stage of the tournament.

The rest of the squad pretty much selected itself, with debate over one or two spots. Sanju Samson was not picked despite averaging 55 in ODIs.

Also, there are two left-arm finger spinners in the squad – Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel – and no front-line off-spinner. Ravichandran Ashwin could have been a handful on Indian surfaces and would have also brought batting strength down the order.

The World Cup starts in India on October 5 and Sharma did not rule out the possibility of Rahul and Kishan playing together.

“As long as everyone's available and fit to play, the selection depends on the opposition we play, current form, players who have done well under pressure, those things do matter,” said the opener.

“For Ishan's confidence the last match he played was brilliant – under pressure, batting at number five for the first time, [being a] left-hander gives us another dimension.”

All-rounder Shardul Thakur was named in the squad, which means the team has five seam bowling options, and only three spin ones. Chances are, the team will sacrifice bowling in order to strengthen and deepen their batting.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.

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Innotech Profile

Date started: 2013

Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari

Based: Muscat, Oman

Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies

Size: 15 full-time employees

Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing 

Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now. 

Race card

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 (PA) US$100,000 (Dirt) 2,000m

7.05pm: Meydan Classic Listed (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,600m

7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m

8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,600m

8.50pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy Group 2 (TB) $300,000 (T) 2,810m

9.25pm: Curlin Stakes Listed (TB) $175,000 (D) 2,000m

10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m

10.35pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m

The National selections

6.30pm: Shahm, 7.05pm: Well Of Wisdom, 7.40pm: Lucius Tiberius, 8.15pm: Captain Von Trapp, 8.50pm: Secret Advisor, 9.25pm: George Villiers, 10pm: American Graffiti, 10.35pm: On The Warpath

England-South Africa Test series

1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London

2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham

3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London

4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester

How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now

Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.

The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.

1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):

a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33

b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.

2. For those who have worked more than five years

c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.

Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.

The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T

Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000

Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic

Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm

Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
McIlroy's recent struggles

Last six stroke-play events (First round score in brackets)

Arnold Palmer Invitational Tied for 4th (74)

The US Masters Tied for 7th (72)

The Players Championship Tied for 35th (73)

US Open Missed the cut (78)

Travellers Championship Tied for 17th (67)

Irish Open Missed the cut (72)

Have you been targeted?

Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:

1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.

2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.

3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.

4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.

5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.

Updated: September 05, 2023, 11:10 AM