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Indian Express
4 hours ago
- General
- Indian Express
A week later at the Ahmedabad crash site: Unfinished lunch plates, engine still buried under water tank, grieving kin
Plates of half-eaten meals still kept on tables; putrid smell of aviation fuel mixed with debris, including the aircraft's waste tank, hanging in the air; the plane's engine buried under water tank; and families of the victims gazing at the scrap, in the hope of getting a sense of closure: This was the scene at the premises of Atulyam, the hostel of the B J Medical College, where an Air India plane, carrying 241 passengers, crashed exactly a week ago. While the continuous rain for the last two days seems to have added to the stench, that has done little to deter the family members of the victims who want to take a closer look at the debris. On Thursday, at least seven such families, including one from the United Kingdom, were present on the premises to pray for the departed souls. A few of the families are still awaiting DNA reports that would allow them to cremate the mortal remains of their loved ones. 'I have lost my mother in the crash and have still not been able to identify her mortal remains,' a woman who had arrived from London told The Indian Express after returning from the crash site. While the area has seen many curious onlookers, only the family members are being allowed to venture till the debris on the ground. Initially, on Thursday morning, the police deployed outside the cordoned-off crash site did not allow a few families to enter the compound. But later, permission was given on one condition: No pictures to be taken of the site. A team of 40 daily wage labourers, under the supervision of 10 engineers and an equal number of staff from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's (AMC) central zone, was seen rummaging through the crash site. 'The staff working on the site have been provided with safety gear of industrial standards as the debris has very fine and sharp particles,' one of the officials handling the search operation told The Indian Express. A team of nearly 10 investigators from different international agencies was seen working with gas masks and PPE kits on. Besides decomposed body parts, black carbon fibres, food trolleys, bundles of medicine strips, a wad of half-burnt Rs 500 notes, etc. are being found, workers on the site told this paper. The search operation is expected to continue for another week. 'Keeping in mind the ongoing investigations, the area has been cordoned off, allowing only family members, and doctors residing in the hostel blocks who want to retrieve their belongings, on the premises,' Safin Hasan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Ahmedabad city, said. The search staff working on the site has been directed to operate strictly under the supervision of the investigating teams. 'While we have been asked to segregate the debris under categories such as carbon fibre, electrical components, passenger belongings, and metal items, many objects have been left as they are till the teams concerned reach or ask us to move them,' one of the staff members shared with The Indian Express. Meanwhile, the aircraft's right engine still remains buried under the water tank on the roof of the hostel mess even as the rear part was removed last week. Officials associated with the search operations said that the aircraft crashed into the RCC water tank, of nearly 5000 litre or 5 tonne capacity, with such a force that the latter moved by over 20 feet. 'Since the investigations of the engines will be undertaken by GE (the company), instructions are being awaited from them on when to recover it from under the water tank,' an official told this paper. As per Air India's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Campbell Wilson's statement on Thursday, 'The plane was well-maintained, with its last major check in June 2023 and the next scheduled for December 2025. Its right engine was overhauled in March 2025, and the left engine was inspected in April 2025. Both the aircraft and engines were regularly monitored, showing no issues before the flight.'
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
J&K Opposition slams Omar govt for not addressing concerns on reservation — ‘deliberate denial of justice'
A day after the cabinet subcommittee on reservations tabled its report to the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet, the Opposition has targeted the ruling National Conference for 'delay' in making the document public. Government sources told The Indian Express Wednesday that the report had been forwarded to the Law Department for review. Introduced in April last year by the Lieutenant Governor-led UT administration, the UT's reservation policy amends Rule 4 of the J&K Reservation Act of 2005 to increase reservation for reserved category in the state to 67 per cent from 43 per cent, with 3 per cent horizontal reservation to ex-servicemen. This has meant that only 33 per cent was left for the general category of candidates – a change that has been vehemently opposed by various political parties as well as students. Student groups from the 'Open Merit' or general category have been demanding a rationalisation of this reservation for over a year. The protests prompted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's government to announce a subcommittee to look into the issue. PDP leader Waheed Para said Thursday that the J&K government had promised to resolve the reservation issue through a subcommittee report. 'That deadline has passed, leaving thousands of students heartbroken and disillusioned, their trust in the system shattered and their futures put on hold,' Para said. Terming the delay in addressing concerns of the protesting students 'a deliberate denial of justice,' Para said: 'These students have already endured violence, lockdowns, and lost opportunities. Now, as they seek fair representation and rationalised reservation, the government is pushing them further to the margins'. The Pulwama MLA said that the ruling National Conference government has the power to 'strike down' the BJP-imposed policy with a single administrative order, 'but the party that promised to reverse BJP's damage is now complicit in continuing it.' Meanwhile, People's Conference chairman Sajad Lone Thursday accused the government of being 'clueless' on reservation and stated that they have 'no intentions of doing anything.' 'Coming to this draft proposal. To the best of my knowledge, anything sent to the cabinet should be vetted by the law department. It is not the other way round. You can't send something to the cabinet which is outside the domain of law. It looks like another round of time-wasting tactics,' Lone said. The protests were among the first challenges faced by the elected government in J&K. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had met with students protesting outside his residence in December 2024. In April, the government-appointed cabinet subcommittee began deliberations with student groups and in the first week of June, the minister concerned Sakeena Itoo announced that the subcommittee had compiled its report and it would be presented before the UT cabinet. However, after the cabinet met Thursday, the findings of the report were not made public and sent to the law department for review. The reservation policy has also been challenged in the High Court of J&K and Ladakh.
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
England vs India: Sachin Tendulkar, Cheteshwar Pujara explain what it would take to adjust to red-ball cricket so soon after IPL
Even the original schedule for the Indian Premier League 2025 season final (May 25) didn't leave much room for India's players to prepare for England, but the postponement to June 3 meant it was further cut short. A few of players, whose teams didn't make it to the playoffs, headed to England early to play for India A but a majority of the squad have had just over two weeks of turnaround time, including the likes of key batters in Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant to name a few. They had just the solitary intra-squad match to get ready for what is going to be a tough exercise facing the Dukes ball over the next month and a half across five Tests. Speaking to The Indian Express, former India captain and all-time great Sachin Tendulkar elaborated what it would take to make adjustments quickly from the slam-bang world of T20 cricket. Picking length will be paramount. 'My mindset would be to pick the length early because the difference between white ball and the red ball is picking the length,' Tendulkar said. 'Depending on the three elements I mentioned at the start (the weather, overhead condition and the pitch conditions), you decide which length you are going to attack, which you are going to defend, what length can be driven on-the-rise and what lengths you cannot do that.' 'Once you've figured out that length, then it becomes relatively easy, but that clarity needs to be there in your head. I'll not mess around with a particular length where it makes my hands start going away from my body, then I could be in trouble. So, it's not just line, but length is the key. Once you have the clarity about lengths you are going to attack or defend, then you have to pick it as early as possible.' Cheteshwar Pujara, not in the scheme of the Test squad now, spoke about the muscle memory that the IPL stars would be carrying. 'If you're coming from a white ball format, and if that's T20, then your muscle memory tends to push you to play a few more shots and your hands up a little harder,' Pujara, who has had prolific stints with Sussex in County Cricket, told The Indian Express. 'To make those necessary changes to adapt to the red ball is a bit of a challenge. And the players who are good in all three formats, they try to adapt to those things quickly. The younger players, because they don't have enough experience of playing in England, might take a little longer to adapt to those conditions.' While India will be without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – the two stalwarts who called time on their Test careers during the IPL – all eyes will on KL Rahul – now the senior-most batter in the side – Gill, and Pant. India are also likely to kick off their transition period with B Sai Sudharsan in the mix, a talent for the long term, who has already shown his immense shot-making skills during the IPL. All of them are key batters for their franchises and have to make the change in their techniques quickly. 'I think you need enough time as well. But if you look at this series, there is time but I wouldn't say that there was a lot of time,' Pujara said. 'Because if you look at the turnaround time for players who were part of the IPL, it's just about two weeks, or a little bit more. Ideally you should get three to three and a half weeks before the big Test series to prepare after IPL.' The first Test begins on Friday in Leeds and it will be interesting to see if the Indian batters can move on from the IPL hangover and get things straight away.
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
In Leeds, Jasprit Bumrah fandom set to peak; Sachin Tendulkar wants him to keep ball on the stumps in first hour
Leeds has been outdoors this week, making the most of the unusually sunny days for North England. There are sun-bathers on terraces, loungers, kids in parks with elders on folding chairs and camping vans headed to fishing spots outside the city. This weekend, the city's heat-seekers will head to Headingley as raising the temperatures of the city even further, is the England-India Test that starts on Friday. And for many, the pull to enjoy the cricket, and the sun, is the world's premier fast-bowler, the red-hot speedster Jasprit Bumrah. For years, Indian cricket's USP was their batsmen. But that era officially folded last month with the Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The baton of that grand legacy has been passed to a young worthy batsman, the new Test captain Shubman Gill, but he isn't yet a mega star in these parts. Bumrah certainly is, and fans at Leeds will be travelling the proverbial miles to soak in the sight of him ambling to the crease, and unleashing those thunderbolts with that ram-rod straight right-arm. Those from Bradford, the sprawling city with close to 35 per cent British Asians, will drive nine miles to reach Leeds. They will be traveling in hordes, their loungers and garden chairs packed in the boots of their cars. Those with roots in Pakistan are in majority here and that explains the awe and respect Bradford has for quicks and the trips to Headingley to get a speed-trip. 'We had heard that Bumrah will be playing just three of the five Tests but we were sure he would not miss the first one at Headingley. There might be heat, there might not be moisture in the air as North England is used to, but Bumrah doesn't depend on conditions and pitch. He can make batsmen quake,' Rizwan Jan, a club-level cricketer and corner-shop owner in Bradford, said. Not just weekend cricketers and fans, even the game's greats have their wish list when Bumrah gets the new ball in his hands. Sachin Tendulkar, the man whose name is etched on the new trophy along with English pacer Jimmy Anderson, wants Bumrah to target the stumps. 'One thing I would like to see from him is if he's able to keep the ball on stumps in the first hour, not allowing batters to leave. Because my gut feel is they would want to give respect to Bumrah and not try too many fancy things against him. So he needs to attack the stumps and if they are looking to leave the ball…,' Tendulkar told The Indian Express. The world knows what happens when you leave a Bumrah straight one — stumps fly and the crowd roars. The interest in Bumrah is country-agnostic. With Ashes months away, the English are closely watching the pacer who made life tough for their eternal enemy, the Aussies, a few months back. The recently retired England pacer Stuart Broad, in a chat with one-time teammate and former skipper Jos Buttler, expressed his fascination for the finer points of Bumrah's bowling. READ MORE | Sachin Tendulkar interview: What should Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan, and Karun Nair do to succeed in the England Test series? 'Watch him on Friday or Saturday or whenever India gets to bowl, how Bumrah, during his spell, never bowls from the same point. He is moving on the crease all the time, half a foot or a foot. Those little adjustments he makes at the end of the run-up, how he changes his shoulder and wrist position at delivery points, it becomes difficult to judge where his ball comes from,' he said. Broad explains how someone like Shoaib Akhtar is slightly easier to read since his long run gives an idea about what to expect. Bumrah's calm run-up, short strikes, balanced approach doesn't give any hint that a 90 miles per hour delivery is on the way. Another hardened English pro, the former English batsman Mark Butcher, offers a kamikaze strategy to tackle Bumrah — a clear sign of the Indian pacer's aura in these parts. 'We rather get out to him after scoring a few, than sit there and get out to him anyways… look at the way England play at their best and none of them are shit-hot (very good) defensively… so that's just asking the devil around for tea and cake,' he told The Grade Cricketer podcast. Far from Leeds, in India, there is an anticipation to watch Bumrah. Bharat Arun, India's bowling coach when Bumrah made his Test debut, speaks about the pacer's liveliest spell he has seen. 'It was at Perth in the 2018 series, That was when I could see the fear in the Aussies, they were getting paid with the same coin. That was probably one of the quickest spells I've seen of Bumrah,' he said. Though, for the first Test, Arun says he wouldn't mind if it is not a fiery spell but something that makes the batsmen uncomfortable. Back to Bradford and to Shubham Chawla, the duty officer at Yorkshire County Club. Hailing from Nagpur, he is now ECB's Level 2 coach and faces a strange dilemma. He has tickets for Day 4 but if Bumrah bowls a fiery Perth-like spell the game would end early. 'Bumrah making the stumps fly is a sight. When Kohli and Rohit retired, there was disappointment among the Indians here. But now closer to the Test, we are excited to watch Bumrah. He has just 45 Tests but he is already being seen as a great of the game. He is poetry in motion… badi umeed hai, woh Bumrah hai (there is a lot of hope, he is Bumrah).'
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Sachin Tendulkar interview: What should Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan, and Karun Nair do to succeed in the England Test series?
A committed forward defense is just half-way to a drive, and not fishing far away from the body is of absolute essence, according to batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar who spoke to The Indian Express ahead of the England series. As a brand-new batting line-up seeks to navigate the wicked ways of English conditions, in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Tendulkar zooms in on the prospects and pitfalls of the fledgling batting unit faced with challenges in England, and instructs that playing the ball late, but with assurance will unlock success for the young line-up. Before we go case by case for a few Indian batsmen, what are the factors in general, that they should watch out for in England? Sachin Tendulkar: One needs to recognise three elements: the weather, overhead condition and the pitch conditions. Is it a sunny day? Is it windy? Is it a green top? Is the ball stopping and coming or is it coming on to the bat? Then you decide how to bat. In England, focus a lot on front-foot defense against fast bowlers because the tendency is to get your hands away from the body on pitches where there is not much action off the surface. But in England, if your hands start going away from the body, especially with a vertical bat – horizontal bat shots you still can – the bowler is winning that battle. The front foot defense becomes critical in the initial part of the innings, but don't go out with a defensive mindset. You could defend positively, so run-scoring opportunities should not be missed and when you go in with a defensive mindset, it reflects on your footwork. Indian batsmen are coming into the series after the IPL. Aiden Markram showed in the WTC final how to adapt. What is needed to achieve it, how would you have done it? Sachin Tendulkar: My mindset would be to pick the length early because the difference between white ball and the red ball is picking the length. Depending on the three elements I mentioned at the start, you decide which length you are going to attack, which you are going to defend, what length can be driven on-the-rise and what lengths you cannot do that. Once you've figured out that length, then it becomes relatively easy, but that clarity needs to be there in your head. I'll not mess around with a particular length where it makes my hands start going away from my body, then I could be in trouble. So, it's not just line, but length is the key. Once you have the clarity about lengths you are going to attack or defend, then you have to pick it as early as possible. Yashasvi Jaiswal's bat-speed especially as he is coming from the IPL can be a bit too frenetic. Chris Woakes and a couple other English Lions bowlers had taken him out recently, as he had flashed hard, bat away from the body. Sachin Tendulkar: I didn't see those particular dismissals, so it won't be the right thing for me to talk. There are two ways behind it: if you cannot stop your bat-swing and the hands going away from the body. And other is if you have picked the ball, know what the bowler is about to bowl, then you can at times literally want to kill it and can go too hard! Can the bat swing speed be altered to play the ball late? Yes absolutely because, bat speed is in the mind. So, he can do it. It is all about how you think. It's like footwork; it's the batter's mind that is not allowing him to move because he is expecting a bouncer perhaps. If you have the clarity and intent (to play the ball late), the bat speed will be right. Sometimes that error in judgment can happen, because eventually you're looking at literally an inch-and-half to two inches. Then we have somebody like Shubman Gill, whose weight transfer to the front foot can be slow at times. Many seamers have hit a full-length and nipped back the ball to bowl him or trap him lbw. What should he do? Sachin Tendulkar: To start with, he has to play in the V, just like our coaches used to tell us. As that would help him to also leave the balls [not just deal with nip-backers] because when focusing on playing in the V, your eyeline and your body set-up is different. So, I would like him initially to stay side on, and move forward if the ball is pitched up. Because 80% of the time or even more, most batters are dismissed on that front foot. Back foot, unless it's an obvious weakness, is less. The key to solving this is to focus a lot on getting on front foot, having that nice stride on the front foot and defending well. Driving is only an extension of that. If he can keep it straight and do that, it will help him. When the length is closer to you, then the hands automatically are going to go. But his challenge is not to let the hands go when the length is not there to be driven. That's why I am emphasising so much on front-foot defense. Because when the ball is there, all these players have an attacking mindset. The hands will go instinctively. To make sure that you're thinking of defending the ball when the ball is not to be driven will not come naturally to them because of the surfaces and because of the formats being played. Not just Gill, but others too. So there the tendency is for the hands to go away from the body. Next, Sai Sudharsan, who seems to have a preference for back foot. There was a stat during IPL at one stage about how 64 percent of his forcing shots were off back foot. How do you rate his front-foot play and compactness needed here? Whatever I saw of Sai Sudharsan, he looked compact when playing front-foot defense. His hands are close to his body, which is good. And as for his shots, he can only react to what the ball is bowled. If a question is asked on geography, he cannot be answering history! So if he has scored more off back foot, then he has reacted to those lengths. If he can continue to be keep his hands close to the body with his vertical bat-shots, he will be fine. Like I said earlier, batting in V and getting forward without hands going away from the body. In the past, Rishabh Pant has at times stood outside the crease against swing bowling. If he does it here, what steps would you like him to take, be careful about? Sachin Tendulkar: Sometimes, when you are standing well outside, you will think that you have made a good leave, but because the distance has increased between you and the stumps, it still has time to come in and hit the stumps. The further you are out of the crease, the more you come towards the off-stump. It helps you judge the ball better. If Pant is going to stand out a foot-and-a-half, then he needs to stand on middle-and-off guard. But if he is just 8-to-10 inches out, then he can take the middle stump guard. And if it's less than that, Pant can take middle-and-leg guard. It would also depend on which bowler is at him. Someone like Chris Woakes is going to swing the ball into him, so you have to be careful with your guard that the front foot doesn't go across. When he is looking for the ball to swing back in, Pant needs to stand on the middle stump or at times, even middle-and-off. That will depend on if he is standing outside the crease – and how far at that. Odd delivery, Woakes will take it away from Pant and the left-handers [Jaiswal, Sai]. But when he is bowling that away ball, Woakes breaks his wrist – you can see that the fingers are running towards second slip. When he's taking the ball away from Rishabh Pant, it will nearly always be a scrambled seam most of the times, unless he's looking to use the shine and going with the seam. Karun Nair has been among runs even against England Lions. Curiously, he fell a couple of times to incoming balls, edging behind etc, perhaps surprised by the zip and extent of the nip-backer. What's your take on him? Sachin Tendulkar: Karun has played county cricket and done well. So he knows these conditions , and has the experience of having been around for a reasonable amount of time now. He understands when to accelerate, when to slow down a bit and give that due respect to bowlers and the ball. Upfront with the hard seam and that lacquer, the [Duke] ball is going to have more bounce and have that harder impact on the bat. From 10 over onwards to almost 50-55 overs is where I think the ball has a little extra zip off the surface. And post 55-60 overs to 80th over till the next new ball, is the window to accelerate a bit. Because sometimes you see that the ball is swinging then, but without that zip off the pitch – it gives you time to adjust.
