India captain Virat Kohli said he had no regrets over a war of words with his Australia counterpart Steve Smith as the two sides prepare to resume their bitter battle for Test supremacy.
Kohli’s explosive accusation after the second Test that Smith had been systematically abusing the decision review system (DRS) plunged the often tense relations between the two teams back into crisis mode.
Australia's board responded by calling the accusation "outrageous", prompting an equally vigorous defence of Kohli from his own employers.
Although both Smith and Kohli escaped punishment from the International Cricket Council, they were summoned to clear-the-air talks ahead of the third Test which begins in Ranchi on Thursday.
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Speaking to reporters on the eve of the match, Kohli said his focus was now on the cricket but he refused to back down on his claims against Smith.
“I don’t regret anything that I have said but at the same time it’s very important not to be stupid and go on about the same thing on a daily basis,” Kohli said.
“I think it was a mature decision on everyone’s part to move on. We have seen instances in the past stretch on too long — it just causes disharmony and there is no outcome to it.
“It’s time we focus on the remainder of the series. There’s a lot of cricket to be played and it should not happen in bad taste.”
India were furious when Smith was spotted looking up at his dressing-room for guidance in Bangalore on whether to seek a review of the umpire’s decision after being given out lbw — a clear breach of the DRS rules.
While Smith called the incident on the fourth and final day a one-off “brain fade”, Kohli said that “it’s been happening for the last three days and it has to stop”.
India and Australia, the two top ranked teams in Test cricket, have often been at loggerheads and relations hit a low point in 2008 when India spinner Harbhajan Singh was accused of calling Andrew Symonds a monkey.
Kohli himself was fined 50 per cent of his match fee three years ago for bringing the game into disrepute after flashing the middle finger to the crowd in the Sydney Test.
* Agence France-Presse
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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.
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Monday, August 5 – Second T20i, Amstelveen
Tuesday, August 6 – Third T20i, Voorburg
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MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
The White Lotus: Season three
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
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Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
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Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
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Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
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