India captain Virat Kohli says the world's top batsmen will have reason to fear Jasprit Bumrah after the paceman put Australia to the sword in the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Bumrah, named man of the match after India's 137-run win, dismissed Pat Cummins (63) to pick up one of the last two wickets required on Sunday and finished with career-best figures of 9-86, the biggest Test haul by an Indian quick in Australia.
Bumrah now leads the series with 20 victims, three more than Australia spinner Nathan Lyon, heading into the fourth and final Test in Sydney, where the visiting side will aim to secure India's first series win in Australia.
Having only made his Test debut against South Africa in Cape Town in January, the 25-year-old from Gujarat finishes a stellar 2018 with 48 wickets from nine Tests at an average of 21.02.
Kohli said Bumrah was a man "obsessed" with his cricket and convinced of his ability to conjure wickets on any surface.
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"He thinks, 'How can I make a breakthrough for the team?' Your mindset separates you from the rest and he’s as strong-headed as I’ve seen anyone in the past," Kohli said after his team took a 2-1 lead in the four-Test series.
"And that’s the key to his success. What I’ve seen in the last 12 months is the way he has matured in Test cricket and the way that he is bowling so soon, so quickly in his Test career, I think is a very scary sign for all the batsmen around the world.
"I mean, in Test cricket if there is a pitch like Perth, I wouldn’t want to face Jasprit Bumrah, to be honest, because once he’s on a roll he can really crank it up."
Kohli was thrilled with the way his team bounced back in Melbourne after losing the second Test at Perth Stadium, where they opted for four pace bowlers rather than picking a spinner.
India declared twice at the MCG to set Australia a daunting victory target of 399, and the bowlers skittled Tim Paine's side for 151 and 261 in a total team performance.
After paceman Ishant Sharma claimed the final wicket when Nathan Lyon gloved a hook shot behind, Kohli charged in from the slips, leapt and punched the air in jubilation before wrapping up the long-haired bowler in a bear hug.
Well might the captain be pleased. The only other time India won two Tests in Australia was in 1977-78, when the home side were weakened by the World Series Cricket breakaway.
While a Bob Simpson-captained Australia won the deciding fifth Test in that series, Kohli is convinced his own side can break new ground.
"You have to give everything that you have to win a series ... to win a series away from home, it has to be an obsession," said Kohli, who has now won 11 Tests away from home, equalling the India record of former skipper Sourav Ganguly.
"Hats off to the whole team for sticking together, believing in themselves and being obsessed.
"Nothing is going to distract us from winning that last test. We've never been in this position, we've worked really hard."
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
