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Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have put his international retirement on hold but he is unlikely to be selected for India’s three-match T20I home series against South Africa starting September 15 in Dharamsala.

The team for the series is expected to be picked on September 4. The remaining two games will be played at Mohali (September 18) and Bengaluru (September 22).

In all likelihood, the squad that blanked West Indies 3-0 is likely to be retained (subject to fitness) and the selection committee wants to continue building towards World T20 in Australia in October 2020.

“There are only 22 T20 Internationals before India play their first World T20 game and selectors are clear in their vision that it’s time to move forward,” a senior BCCIofficial privy to developments in selection committee said on Wednesday.

“They are planning on getting a pool of three keepers ready for limited overs, especially T20s,” he added.

It is still not clear whether the BCCI brass or the selection committee will speak to Dhoni to enquire about his plans like they did before the West Indies tour when the former captain informed that he would be taking a break to serve his regiment in Territorial Army.

“Retirement is an individual decision and selectors or for that matter, no one has any right to decide on that front. But they have every right to decide the roadmap for the 2020 World T20 and that’s to give Rishabh Pant maximum chances,” the official explained.

It is learnt that the second and third option for the selection committee is Sanju Samson, whose batting is considered to be on par with Pant and India A regular Ishan Kishan.

While Pant remains the first choice across formats, the selectors are also factoring in the fitness and workload management.

A few members of the selection committee will be in Thiruvananthapuram for the A series and Samson’s performance will be keenly watched as he has made the squad for the last two List A games.

Pakistan continued its unilateral actions on Friday to protest Indian Parliament’s removal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status by announcing to halt the last train service to India, named Thar Express, a day after it had announced suspension of Samjhauta Express service between Lahore and Delhi.

“We have decided to shut down the Thar Express as well,” Pakistan’s railways minister Sheikh Rashid told reporters, in reference to the weekly service running between the towns of Khokrapar in Pakistan and Munabao in Barmer, India.

“As long as I am railways minister, no train will operate between Pakistan and India.” Rashid added.

Rashid Ahmed had on Thursday announced the discontinuation of Samjhauta Express– a bi-weekly train service started in 1976. “We have decided to shut down Samjhauta Express… As long as I am railways minister, Samjhauta Express can’t run,” he had said.

Decision to suspend train services was in line with Islamabad’s other actions to remonstrate, like snapping talks on consular access to former naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav who was sentenced to death by a Pakistan military court for alleged espionage.

Pakistan has also banned screening of Indian movies. Late on Thursday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said at an interaction with journalists that Pakistan does not want war but will give a befitting response if India imposes it, Geo News reported.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Raveesh Kumar described Islamabad’s action as “unilateral” and said New Delhi has urged it to reconsider its decision.

“Actions taken by Pakistan are unilateral.This has been done without consulting us.We’ve urged them to reconsider their decision.Our sense is that whatever is being done by Pakistan is to present an alarming picture of bilateral relationship,” he said.

India has maintained that changes made to Indian laws doing away with special status to Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter and Pakistan had no business interfering. 
“It is time for Pakistan to accept the reality and stop interfering in internal affairs of other countries,” he said.

Tributes poured in on Wednesday for Sushma Swaraj from politicians across party lines and the international community. The veteran leader’s house and the BJP headquarters, where her body lay in state, saw a steady stream of visitors who came to pay their last respects.
President Ram Nath Kovind, vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, former President Pranab Mukherjee, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, former deputy PM LK Advani and several ministers were among those who visited. Condolences poured in from envoys of Japan, the US, Maldives, Russia and Taiwan, as well as the diplomatic community that had engaged with Sushma when she served as external affairs minister. They remembered her as a “great woman in Indian politics”.

PM Modi turned emotional as he paid his respects to Sushma on Wednesday morning. He put out a series of tweets remembering her. “A glorious chapter in Indian politics comes to an end. India grieves the demise of a remarkable leader who devoted her life to public service and bettering lives of the poor. Sushma Swaraj ji was one of her kind, who was a source of inspiration for crores of people,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after paying his last respects, home minister Amit Shah said as external affairs minister, Sushma had enhanced the country’s reputation across the world and her death had left a void which would be hard to fill. “Her untimely demise is not a big loss for BJP alone, but also for national politics,” he said.
Former PM Manmohan Singh said Sushma was a leader of high esteem and an exceptionally talented minister. Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhiremembered her as a superb orator and a great parliamentarian who had the “rare gift for friendship that won her affection and admiration across the political spectrum”. In a letter to Swaraj Kaushal — Sushma’s husband— Sonia wrote, “The same courage and grit that was a hallmark of Sushma-ji’s political life, she showed in her personal life as well, as she faced serious ailments with incredible fortitude.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address the nation on Thursday during which he is expected to explain government’s decisions on abrogating special status to Jammu and Kashmir and splitting the state into two union territories, sources have said.

The last time he addressed the nation was on March 27 during the Lok Sabha elections when he announced that India had demonstrated anti-satellite missile (A-Sat) capability by shooting down a live satellite.

Parliament on Tuesday approved a resolution abrogating special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution. It also cleared a bill to split the state into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The proposed address comes days before the prime minister’s customary address to the nation on Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort.

Yuvraj Singh, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket and the IPL, is currently leading the Toronto Nationals in the second edition of Global T20 Canada. A second-round match between Toronto Nationals and Montreal Tigers, led by Australia’s George Bailey, was delayed by almost two hours after players protest. Both sides initially refused to take the bus at the scheduled departure time from the team hotel to the CAA Centre in Brampton. As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, it was a protest over unpaid wages.

“The game between Montreal Tigers & Toronto Nationals on Wednesday, August 7th, 2019, was delayed due to procedural issues between the players, the GT20 league, and the franchise owners. All the stakeholders had a meeting and addressed the concerns,” a press release from the organizers said.

“Global T20 Canada management is doing their best to popularise the game in North America and as a new entity in cricket, are bound to come across certain hurdles.

“On behalf of GT20 Canada, we sincerely thank all the stakeholders, players, and support staff for their constant support and confidence in us. We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to our sponsors, broadcasters, and millions of fans across the globe,” the release added.

Global T20 Canada took to Twitter and added that the match had been “delayed due to technical reasons”.

Bombay Sports Limited, the owners of the league, are also the organizers of the Euro T20 Slam, which is due to begin on August 30.

When the match started two hours later than the scheduled time, Toronto Nationals posted 189/5 in 20 overs and then restricted Montreal Tigers to 154 in 19.3 overs, thus winning the match by 35 runs and booked their place in the play-offs.

Vivo S1 price, availability, and launch offers

Vivo S1’s 4 GB RAM and 128 storage model will go on sale both online and offline from 8 August. Online, it will be available on both Amazon and Flipkart, and offline you can purchase it from Reliance Digital, Poorvika, Big C, Lot, Sangeetha, Croma, and Vijay Sales.

The prices of the different variants are as follows:

• Vivo S1 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage for Rs 17,990
• Vivo S1 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage for Rs 18,990
• Vivo S1 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage for Rs 19,990

It will be available in Skyline Blue and Diamond Black colour option.

As for launch offers, on purchase of the Vivo S1, you can get 7.5 percent cashback on HDFC Bank debit and credit card EMI transactions. There are also benefits worth Rs 10,000 from Jio, Paytm cashback when using Paytm in shops, and additional 10 percent exchange value on Instacash.

Vivo S1 specifications and features

Going by Vivo’s past history, the Indonesian models generally remain unchanged for the Indian markets as well. The case remains the same for the Vivo S1 as well.

The Vivo S1 features a 6.38-inch fullHD+ Super AMOLED display with a waterdrop-style notch. Powering the device is an octa-core MediaTek Helio P65 SoC which is coupled with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB. It also comes in 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and the 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variants. All the phones come with expandable storage up to 256 GB.

As far as optics go, the device contains a triple-camera system which has a 16 MP primary sensor, 8 MP wide-angle sensor and third 2 MP depth sensor. On the front, the device has a 32 MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. The device runs on Android 9.0 Pie-based FunTouch OS, which is Vivo’s proprietary skin overlaying the main Android OS.

On the connectivity front, the device has a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5, USB-OTG, Micro USB and GPS along with dual 4G VoLTE connectivity options. The entire setup is powered by a 4,500 mAh battery that has a quick charge option.

 Soon after the Lok Sabha vote, PM Narendra Modi reached out to people of J&K with the promise that the change would spell their liberation from corruption.
In a series of tweets in five languages spoken in the region — English, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Ladakhi, Modi said, “The home minister’s statement that J&K will become a state again one day at the appropriate time if situation improves and that we don’t want it to remain UT forever has been welcomed by the local population.”

People in Haryana are in a state of shock at the demise of their illustrious daughter, Sushma Swaraj, with the residents of Ambala Cantonment, where the former external affairs minister spent her childhood days, recalling her affectionate and caring nature.

The veteran leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who brought a rare empathy and a human approach to India’s foreign diplomacy, passed away on Tuesday night following a massive cardiac arrest. She was 67.

Swaraj was a member of the Haryana legislative assembly from 1977-82 and 1987-90 during the days of the then state governments headed by Chaudhary Devi Lal.

Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij, who represents the Ambala Cantonment Assembly constituency, described Swaraj as a leader with rare qualities and said he was deeply saddened by her death.

He recalled that Swaraj was elected as an MLA for the first time at a young age of 25 and later, went on to become the education minister of Haryana.

“In 1977, it so happened that the ticket was first given to Som Prakash Chopra, who was jailed during Emergency. But for some reasons, when he did not enter the fray, the ticket was given to Sushmaji, who won, and the Janata Party government was formed,” Vij said.

In 1990, Swaraj moved to the Rajya Sabha, Vij, who has been representing the Ambala Cantonment constituency since then, said.

President Ram Nath Kovind declared the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, August 7.

The move came after both houses of Parliament passed a resolution in this regard.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (3) of Article 370 read with clause (1) of Article 370 of the Constitution of India, the President, on the recommendation of Parliament, is pleased to declare that, as from the 6th August, 2019, all clauses of the said Article 370 shall cease to be operative…,” an official notification said.

Former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has been cremated with State honours at Lodhi Crematorium in Delhi. Top dignitaries and others who came to the crematorium to pay their respects are now vacating the premises.

Sushma Swaraj’s mortal remains have been brought to the Lodhi crematorium in Delhi from the BJP headquarters. Her daughter Bansuri performed the last rites.

Senior BJP leader LK Advani and his daughter Pratibha had an emotional moment when they reached at Sushma Swaraj’s residence to pay her their last respects, Advani was seen consoling Swaraj Kaushal, Sushma’s husband.

Rajya Sabha condoled the death of former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. Remembering her, Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said that her demise was a personal loss to him and that she used to tie him rakhi. He said, “Destiny has snatched away reassuring, contagious smile from our midst.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached at Sushma Swaraj’s residence, where her body has been kept. Rahul paid his respects to the departed leader. Yesterday, Rahul had expressed shock at her sudden demise.

Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee remembered Sushma Swaraj and said, “Deeply saddened, shocked at the sudden passing away of Sushma Swaraj Ji.I knew her since the 1990s. Even though our ideologies differed, we shared many cordial times in Parliament. An outstanding politician, leader, good human being.Will miss her.Condolences to her family/admirers.”

Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav was seen weeping when he went to pay his last respects to the veteran BJP leader. Apart from the SP leader, prominent ministers and leaders across all parties, including senior BJP leaders like LK Advani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, chief minister BS Yediyurappa, and others paid their respects to the beloved leader.

BJP national working president JP Nadda also paid his respects. Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav also reached Swaraj residence to pay his respects. Swaraj’s body will be kept at the BJP HQ for thee hours before her cremation at 3 pm today.

An emotional prime minister paid his last respects to the former Union minister. Solemn-looking Narendra Modi reached Sushma Swaraj’s Delhi residence and met the grieving family. In a series of tweets, Modi hailed Swaraj as an “uncompromising leader” when it came to matters of ideology.

“A glorious chapter in Indian politics comes to an end. India grieves the demise of a remarkable leader who devoted her life to public service and bettering lives of the poor. Sushma Swaraj ji was one of her kind, who was a source of inspiration for crores of people,” Modi said in a series of tweets. He hailed her as a “prolific orator and outstanding parliamentarian” and said she was admired and revered across party lines.

Veteran BJP leader LK Advani, who handpicked Sushma Swaraj and played a major role in guiding and mentoring her, wrote a long condolence letter in her memory. “I am deeply distressed at the untimely demise of one of my closest colleague, Sushma Swaraj ji. Sushmaji was someone who I have known and worked with since the beginning of her illustrious innings in the Bharatiya Janata Party. When I was the President of the BJP in the eighties, she was a promising young activist who I had inducted into my team. And over the years, she became one of the most popular and prominent leaders of our party — in fact, a role model for women leaders. A brilliant orator, I was often amazed at her ability to recall incidents, events and present them with utmost clarity and eloquence. Sushmaji was also a fine human being. She touched everyone with her warmth and compassionate nature. I do not recall a single year when she missed bringing my favourite chocolate cake on my birthday. The nation has lost a remarkable leader. To me, it is an irreparable loss and I will miss Sushmaji’s presence immensely. May her soul rest in peace. My heartfelt condolences to Swaraj ji, Bansuri and all members of her family. Om Shanti.”