SUNDAY 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 Partly cloudy sky.Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 29 °C and 21 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 91 % TEMPERATURE Min. 61 % Max: 28.8°C (-1) Min: 21.1°C (+1) SUN RISES SUN SETS 05:51 hrs 16:53 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 10:34 hrs 21:28 hrs Full Moon on 27 November P4 P5 Battle lines drawn as India eye a third tryst with glory India go into the WC final on the back of an unblemished 10-match unbeaten run TRIDIB BAPARNASH AHMEDABAD, 18 NOVEMBER ohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were in high school when India and Australia faced off in a 50over World Cup final two decades back, but the memories of a star-studded Men-in-Blue getting hammered by 125 runs on 23 March 2003 in Johannesburg will foster a sense of deja vu that 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 R 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. In the previous hearing, the top court had warned the Centre of "an unpalatable order" if it delays and continues to have the selective 'pick and choose' approach in matters relating to appointments and transfers of judges in the higher judiciary. Toxic foam floats on the surface of the Yamuna River in the Capital on Saturday. SNS 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) 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 dom- inance 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 touch- es 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 semi-final 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. The left-arm spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja have provided India the balance in the bowling attack with considerable success. 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. (Infobox:KBK Graphics) PM to chair Virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE 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 Israel-Hamas 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 be hosting a virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit prior to the conclusion of ‘I’M NOT A GREAT PITCH READER’ KEJRIWAL SENDS ILBS SCAM REPORT TO LG 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. CMYK P12 Rajnath, Jaishankar to co-chair 2+2 dialogue with Aus Dy PM 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 visit of Mr Marles is expected to give further impetus to the collaboration as well as bilateral defence cooperation.