19 NOVEMBER 2023 www.thestatesman.com twitter.com/thestatesman facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘BJP WILL ABOLISH RESERVATION FOR MUSLIMS’ XI-BIDEN TALKS P6 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. SHALLOW FOG IN THE MORNING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 28 AND 12 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. P4 P2 Battle lines drawn as India eye a third tryst with glory RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY India go into the World Cup final on the back of an unblemished 10-match unbeaten run Max.98% Min. 55% TRIDIB BAPARNASH TEMPERATURE Max: 28.7°C (+1) SUN RISES 06:47 hrs MOON RISES 13:03 hrs Min: 12.8°C (+1) SUN SETS 17:26 hrs MOON SETS 23:08 hrs THUMBNAILS Passengers hang from the doors of an overcrowded train as they travel home for the Chhath Puja, in Patna on Saturday.  ANI SC to hear on 20 Nov issue of delay by Centre in notifying Collegium recommendations: The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Monday (November 20) the issue of delay by the Centre in notifying about the appointment or transfer of judges after recommendations were forwarded by the Collegium. As per the causelist published on the website of the apex court, a bench of Justices SK Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia will take up the matter for hearing on 20 November. Toxic foam floats on the surface of the Yamuna River in the Capital on Saturday. SNS AHMEDABAD, 18 NOVEMBER R ohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were in high school when India and Australia faced off in a 50-over World Cup final two decades back, but the memories of a star-studded Men-inBlue getting hammered by 125 runs on 23 March 2003 in Johannesburg will foster a sense of deja vuthat transcends time when the same opponents chase cricket’s ultimate glory at the Narendra Modi Stadium, here on Sunday. In arguably the best display of power-hitting before the emergence of T20 cricket, Australia had posted a mammoth 359 for 2, riding on Ricky Ponting’s belligerent century before bowling India out for 234 at the New Wanderers Stadium in 2003. However, over the past two decades, and in the post-T20 era, India have emerged as one of the best chasing sides, with Kohli leading from the front. The most recent example could be India’s opening game in the ongoing World Cup against the same opposition in Chennai when the home side was precariously placed at 2 for 3, before Kohli and KL Rahul anchored the chase to perfection. The emergence of franchise cricket has toned down the rivalry between the sides over the years, but when the familiar opponents walk out on to the pitch on Sunday, hoping to lay their hands on the silverware, the battle lines will be drawn by unforgettable moments. Title favourites India secured their place in the summit clash with an unblemished 10-match undefeated run while the Kangaroos resurrected their campaign with an eight-match winning streak after having started with two defeats. “We want to take on the best. They’ve (India) ‘I’M NOT A GREAT PITCH READER’ KEJRIWAL SENDS ILBS SCAM REPORT TO LG been the best in the tournament so far. It’s why we play the game,” Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc said after a hard-fought semi-final win against South Africa at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. Plagued by vulnerabilities in crunch knockout games, Rohit Sharma and Co. have silenced naysayers with their dominance over New Zealand in the semi-final. And expectations in the cricket-mad country have particularly soared high since the last three editions of the World Cup have been won by the host nation. On the batting front, Rohit has led by example, getting those brisk starts to unsettle the opposition up front, thus allowing the other batters to cash on to the advantage. Kohli, the tournament’s leading scorer, is in red hot form after slamming a landmark 50th ODI ton, and has been the team’s most dependable batter, while the likes of Shreyas Iyer (with consecutive hundreds), KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav providing the finishing touches to stay true to the template. “All in all, the batting was superb, and that is the kind of template we want to bat with and move forward with,” Rohit Sharma said after winning the semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. As far as the bowling department is concerned, Mohammed Shami has bossed it after being in the sidelines for the initial four games, and the sevenwicket burst against the Kiwis in the semifinal has given him the wings to fly high in Ahmedabad. Jasprit Bumrah has been impressive as ever, while Mohammed Siraj would be itching to do an encore of his show against the Sri Lankans in the Asia Cup final in Colombo, not too long ago. The left-arm spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja have provided India the balance in the bowling attack with considerable success on their quest for a third 50over World Cup trophy. Australia, on the other hand, will be hoping that their ability to produce big match-winners will spoil India’s party and earn them a sixth World Cup title. P12 World Cup finals of 2003 & 2023 ~ Striking parallels STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE AHMEDABAD, 18 NOVEMBER Twenty years after the Sourav Ganguly-led Indian cricket team returned empty handed from Johannesburg after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Australia in the 2003 World Cup final against Australia, Rohit Sharma and his men will have a golden opportunity to script their names in the record books when the Menin-Blue takes on the familiar foes at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Sunday. Though separated by a generation, there are numerous uncanny similarities between these two moments in cricket history. Rahul – the makeshift wicketkeeper India’s current head coach Rahul Dravid donned the big gloves as a makeshift option in the 2003 World Cup, and came up with a decent show behind the stumps besides making a notable impact with the bat, amassing 318 runs across 11 matches. In 2023, history seemed to have repeated as another Rahul, KL Rahul, was tasked with the role as the frontline option in Rishabh Pant is recovering from an accident. KL Rahul has been prolific with the bat as well, contributing 386 runs from 10 matches, so far. Dravid was also the vicecaptain of the 2003 World Cup team, and KL has also been given the additional responsibility of Rohit Sharma’s deputy after Hardik Pandya was ruled out midway into the tournament. 10-match winning streak In 2003, Ricky Ponting’s Australia went into the final with an unblemished 10match unbeaten run, while India lost to the Kangaroos in the group stage. In a strange coincidence, Australia lost their opening game to India in the 2023 edition, while Rohit Sharma and Co are on a 10match undefeated run before reaching Ahmedabad. 3rd World Cup title In 2023, India are chasing a third World Cup title, after having won the 1983 and the 2011 editions while Australia are eyeing their sixth. In 2003, Australia were hunting their third World Cup crown after having won in 1987 and 1999. Indian leading run-chart In 2003, Sachin Tendulkar led the chart of run-scorers with 673 runs, while Virat Kohli is the highest run-scorer in the 2023 World Cup with 711 runs with one match remaining. PM to chair virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit Rajnath Singh, S Jaishankar to co-chair STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Leaders of all G20 members, including the Chair of the African Union, as well as nine guest countries, and heads of 11 international organisations have been invited for the summit NEW DELHI, 18 NOVEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair on Wednesday a virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit which will review recent global developments, particularly the ongoing IsraelHamas conflict. Leaders of all G20 members, including the Chair of the African Union, as well as nine guest countries, and heads of 11 international organisations, have been invited for the summit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were conspicuous by their absence at the G20 Summit held in New Delhi in September. During the closing session of the New Delhi G20 Summit, PM Modi had announced that India would Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a public rally for the Rajasthan assembly elections, in Nagaur, Rajasthan on Saturday.  ANI be hosting a virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit prior to the conclusion of its G20 Presidency. The New Delhi summit witnessed the unanimous adoption of the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration. Despite divergent views, India succeeded in achieving a consensus on the Ukraine conflict and bringing out a declaration. The MEA said the summit will take forward key, select outcomes/action points from the New Delhi Summit as well as review developments since then. The deliberations of the 2nd Voice of Global South Summit, held on Friday, will also feed into the discussions. The summit is also expected to push for effective implementation of various G20 decisions, including through relevant national and international platforms. India holds the G20 Presidency until 30 November. The G20 Troika during the Brazilian G20 Presidency in 2024 will comprise India, Brazil, and South Africa. 2+2 dialogue with Australian counterparts STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 NOVEMBER Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will co-chair the second ‘2+2 Dialogue’ with their Australian counterparts Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong. Richard Marles will visit India from 19 to 20 November 2023 to co-chair the second India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh. A bilateral meeting on defence cooperation will be held between Mr Marles and Mr Singh on 20 November followed by the 2+2 Dialogue. India and Australia are pursuing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the U’khand: Operation to rescue 41 trapped workers halted STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE DEHRADUN, 18 NOVEMBER The ongoing operation to rescue the workers trapped inside the collapsed SilkyaraPolgaon tunnel in Uttarkashi was stopped on Friday night as the drilling machine hit obstructions under the debris and did not resume the entire day on Saturday. A new drilling machine airlifted from Indore is yet to be deployed as authorities explored other options to rescue the trapped workers, including the possibility of drilling down vertically from above the tunnel. Officials from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and At the site of the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse.  ANI the ministry of road transport and highways reached the site of the mishap on Saturday and took stock of the situation. Officials engaged in the rescue operations confirmed that work on the escape passage was halted in the night for safety reasons as drilling could not proceed beyond 24 metres under the debris. According to the officials, the obstructed machine started shaking the earth around it and the tunnel developed cracks. Only four 900 mm steel pipes were pushed inside the debris while efforts to connect the fifth pipe failed as the machine could not drill further because of obstructions, caused most likely by a big boulder or possible machinery buried under the debris. “The drilling work for making an escape passage to reach the workers had to be stopped on Friday night due to safety reasons. Some safety issues cropped up in the night as the drilling machine was unable to move forward due to physical obstructions,” district magistrate Abhishek Ruhlea told The Statesman. “The second machine airlifted from Indore is being staged to resume the escape passage work again. Other measures are also being weighed to bring out the trapped workers.” The stranded workers ~ their number was updated on Saturday to 41 ~ were still more than 40 metres away from the reach of the rescue teams when the escape passage work was halted. Officials said that obstruction was so hard that further drilling with the 1750 horse power auger machine had shaken the earth around it. It also ran the risk of further fall of debris. visit of Mr Marles is expected to give further impetus to the collaboration as well as bilateral defence cooperation. At the meeting, the two countries are expected to discuss wideranging issues of mutual interest during the 2+2 dialogue and the bilateral Defence Ministers' meeting. Also, the Australian Deputy Prime Minister will travel to Ahmedabad to witness the Cricket World Cup Final between India and Australia on Sunday. Recently, the United States, India and Australia along with other members have signed the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). India was represented by Union Minister Piyush Goyal at the forum. It seeks to strengthen economic engagement among partner countries with the goal of advancing growth, peace and prosperity in the region. It is to be noted that both India and Australia have committed to conclude the negotiations for expanding the scope of the existing free trade agreement by the end of 2023. Both countries also decided to aim to push bilateral trade to USD 100 billion. Last year, India and Australia implemented an economic cooperation and trade agreement (ECTA) and are now negotiating to expand their scope for a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA). ECTA removed tariffs for most Australian critical minerals and offered India improved access to the world's leading supplier of these resources. Post agreement, in the first six months, India’s trade deficit with Australia narrowed 15 per cent on increased exports of drugs, electrical machinery, and iron and steel articles, along with a significant decline in coal imports due to a milder Indian summer. India’s exports to Australia fell by over 32 per cent in the five months to May compared to the year-ago period, while imports shrank by 25 per cent, resulting in a narrowed trade gap of USD 3.87 billion, representing a 15 per cent decline from the previous year. HAPPY FACES At a mass marriage organised by a philanthropic organisation in the Capital on Saturday. SNS