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India eye winning start to Australia tour (Preview)

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Brisbane, Nov 20 (IANS) India will be eyeing for a perfect start to their two-month long Australia tour with the first T20 International contest between the two sides coming up at the Gabba here on Wednesday.

India will enter the series after hammering the West Indies 3-0 at home while the hosts most recently suffered a 21-run loss at the hands of South Africa in a curtailed encounter, to succumb to their sixth loss in eight games. Australia were also whitewashed 0-3 in the UAE by top-ranked Pakistan.

The Virat Kohli-led Indian side arrived Down Under sitting second on the ICC’s Twenty20 rankings, one ahead of Australia.

India also hold the psychological advantage of winning all the seven T20I series played since November 2017, and their last defeat in the shortest format came against the West Indies last year.

The last time India played a T20I series in Australia in January 2016, it was a Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led India that blanked the hosts 3-0.

Going into the series opener on Wednesday, India will look to keep their momentum against the Australians, still trying to find a key match-winner given the bans on former skipper Steve Smith and opener David Warner.

India have announced their 12-man shortlist ahead of the opening encounter, with Manish Pandey, Washington Sundar, Shreyas Iyer and Umesh Yadav being the exclusions.

The batting department looks settled after Shikhar Dhawan bounced back to form in the recently-concluded series against the Windies, while Rohit Sharma has also been amongst runs.

Skipper Virat Kohli, who was rested for the series against the Caribbean side is back to lead the team. With his consistency at the top of the order, the Delhi right-hander has been a thorn to most opposition side in the recent years.

The middle-order comprising Lokesh Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav along with stumper Rishabh Pant have also performed decently and are expected to shoulder the responsibility in case the top three fails.

Coming to India’s bowling, the death over specialist duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will lead the attack, also comprising rookie left-armer Khaleel Ahmed.

The spin department will be manned by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, chinaman Kuldeep Yadav and left-armer Krunal Pandya, also a handy lower order bat.

On the other hand, Australia’s batting fortunes will revolve around the trio of skipper Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and D’Arcy Short, who have all scored more than 400 runs in T20Is this year.

But the Kangaroos will hope for a better show from the others if they are to fancy any chances against a strong Indian bowling.

It will also be interesting to see if Australia would once again be tempted to opt for a three-pronged pace attack, considering their loss with the same combination against the Proteas in the recent one-off tie.

In such a scenario, Andrew Tye and Billy Stanlake will be the first choice pacers, with all-rounder Marcus Stoinis while Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar comprise the spin attack.

Teams:

India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Khaleel Ahmed, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya, Rishabh Pant (WK), Lokesh Rahul.

Australia: Aaron Finch (Captain), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (WK), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Ben McDermott, Glenn Maxwell, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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