KOttayAM l wednesday l January 20, 2021 l `7.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Joseph Robinette Biden Jr to hit the ground running On Day One of his administration today, president-elect Joe Biden plans to reverse Trump’s harsh immigration policy 8-yr path to citizenship for immigrants On Wednesday, Biden is expected to unveil a sweeping immigration bill to provide an eight-year path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants. The bill offers a 5-year path to temporary legal status to those living in the US without it. Thereafter, it will be a 3-year path to naturalisation. Biden may also end the ban on arrivals from several Muslim countries ■ 20 Don to skip event, Obama to attend ■ Biden’s inauguration will take place on the West Front of the US Capitol around 10.30 pm IST. There won’t be crowds as the National Mall and Washington Monument are closed due to security threat Former presidents Barack Obama, George Bush and Bill Clinton will attend the event, but Donald Trump will give it a miss Indian Americans in Biden admin, 17 in white house, 13 are women CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI gabbacadabra! Unlikely heroes defy odds, help battered and bruised India snatch a magical series win at the deadliest of Aussie venues NewComers, yet showstoppers session by session Steady start Shubman Gill Matches 3, Runs 259 Has taken to Test cricket like duck to water. Those back-foot punches, cuts have already won him quite a few admirers. Scored two valuable fifties and it was his 91 that set the tone for India’s chase Chasing 328, India's plan for Day 5 was simple. Play the entire day was the message. Though they lost Rohit Sharma early, Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara steadied the ship Consolidating the position When the post-lunch session began, India still had plenty to do. While Gill cut loose, Pujara did his thing. Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins repeatedly tested Pujara, who took blows to his fingers, head, hip, but he stood like a rock. India lost Gill and Ajinkya Rahane in the session Mohammed Siraj Matches 3, Wickets 13 Find of the tour as far as bowling department goes. Led the attack in the absence of seniors and emerged as India’s highest wicket-taker Navdeep Saini Matches 2, Wickets 4 A tear-away quick, who India will hear a lot in the coming years. Though he didn’t quite make an impact like Siraj, he complimented the attack with crucial breakthroughs Washington Sundar Mat 1, Wickets 4, Runs 84 Be it with the ball or with the bat, he didn’t show any nerves. His 62 in the first innings kept India in the Test and his final assault on Pat Cummins broke Aussie hopes T Natarajan Matches 1, Wickets 3 The tour that has made Natarajan a household name beyond Tamil Nadu. Picked as a net bowler, he ended up making debut in all three formats. Here to stay in limited-overs Shardul Thakur Mat 1, Wickets 7, Runs 69 Didn’t make his debut, but it felt like one as his first Test lasted all of 10 deliveries. His 67 in the first innings was priceless. Also chipped in with 4 wickets in the second Breaching the fortress Rishabh Pant (centre) scored an unbeaten 89 to guide India to their second successive Test series win in Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane | AFP swa r oo p swaminathan @ Chennai FOR one last time, as the clock struck 4.30am on Tuesday morning, the broadcaster opened the last day’s preview show with ‘Come See The Wonder Come See The Wonder’. , As it was the theme song for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it was a constant presence during the last month. During breaks, post match, before the toss... On Tuesday when , it filled the dimly-lit houses across the country, nobody would have had an inkling of the wonder that was about to follow. Chasing 328 at the Gabba where an opposition team (West Indies) last won in 1988, nobody gave them a sniff. Yet, in what will go down as one of the greatest fourth-innings chases of all time, India got there with about 18 balls to spare. After two months of multiple hard quarantines, suffering racial abuse, los- ing men like they were on a battlefield and getting bowled out for 36 among things, they pushed and pulled together as a collective unit for one final dash. It’s why India coach Ravi Shastri called this as one of India’s greatest tours. That it came down to the final day only added to the theatre, with Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, the embodiment of new India, finding an unshakeable ally in Ch e et s h ar Pujara, the charm of old. Ev w e if this team has spoken a lot n ab ut intent, the plan on Tuesday o wasn’t to actively look for the target or defend. The dressing room message was simple: play normal cricket and see where it takes you. But the above-mentioned three guys did not play ‘normal cricket’. While Pujara copped blow after blow but stood his ground, Gill, free of baggage and fearless in appr o ach, took it on. The runs flowed. By now, pretty much the whole country were living their dreams, hour by hour, session by session. One thing that this new team excel at is their tunnel vision. For example, Mohammed Siraj mourned the loss of his father while in quarantine. That he was India’s highest wicket-taker is a reflection of this ethos. They are outspoken, too. Coming from a farming background, Gill’s Instagram stories about the farmers’ protest is bold. Like that pull off Mitchell Starc. Or that drive off Pat Cummins. Siraj, for his part, called out racist abuse. Another cricketer who is bold is Pant. He is so bold, he doesn’t care what you think of him. A maverick in every sense, he wasn’t even told what to do by the team manageme nt. They prefer to leave him alone. The team only realised that he had planned to go after the target when he started looking up at the score- press Intake E x p r ess N ews S e r vi c e @ T’Puram Adani Group signs concession pact for T’Puram airport | P5 Renowned oncologist V Shanta passes away at 94 | P5 I am not scared of anyone, PM can’t touch me as I have a clean background: Rahul | P7 BJP is more dangerous than Maoists, says Mamata Banerjee | P8 India asks WhatsApp to withdraw changes to its privacy policy | P10 FLOATING POWER 10,72,768.1KW power was generated through the floating solar panels till December 2020 99,210KW was produced from the roof-top panels Ayaj Thomas and V M Sudheen, two BTech students from Wayanad, had provided the idea of floating solar station to the KSEB in 2015 Big 3 in fray as Mullappally sc PANEL eyes Kalpetta or Koyilandi TO MEET FARMERS on stir TOMORROW Panel member Anil Ghanwat said both physical and virtual meeting facilities would be available. “The biggest challenge is to convince the farmers to come and speak with us. We will try our level best,” he said. board in the final session. Plan is something, execution is another. But he has the conviction and self belief. If that 97 in Sydney was an entree, this unbeaten 89 was the dessert. The clue to his innings lay in his acceleration. Before Pujara’s dismissal, he had scored 34 off 84. After Pujara went, he scored 55 off 54. That’s what he can do. Chasing down lost causes when a draw would have sufficed to keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy . Another sign of this new attitude. Cast your mind back to 2011 when MS Dhoni shook hands and opted for a draw when they needed 86 runs from 15 overs with seven wickets in hand against West Indies. India were leading the series 1-0. This team though? None of that. More than a hour after the celebrations, the broadcaster, for one last time, said goodbye. ‘Come See The Wonder’ started playing. P11 ASSEMBLY POLLS IN STATE LIKELY IN MID-APRil Shah’s home-grown team to gauge state’s political pulse | P4 Truck runs over 15 sleeping migrant labourers in Surat | P8 Final session of the Tests are not for faint-hearted. Especially if you have the exuberance of Rishabh Pant. After Pujara’s dismissal, Pant took charge. In the company of Mayank Agarwal, Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur, Pant handed Australia their first Test match defeat at the Gabba since 1988 E x p r ess N ews S e r vi c e @T’Puram A day after the Congress high command zeroed in on former chief minister Oommen Chandy to head the UDF campaigning in the crucial assembly polls due in April-May this year, KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran has hinted at throwing his hat in the electoral ring. Rumours have been rife that Mullappally may contest either from the Kalpetta constituency in Wayanad or Koyilandy in Kozhikode. “If the party asks me to enter the fray I will. I have , always abided by whatever the party says,” he said. Backing the high command’s decision to field both Chandy and Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala in the elections, Mullappally said: “Chandy has always played an active role in the party. Chennithala has also been doing an excellent job as the Opposition leader. A collective leadership will lead the Congress in this election.” ● More on P4 The floating solar panels at the Banasura Sagar dam at Padinjarethara near Kalpetta in Wayanad | Express THE state is likely to go to polls in April if the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) recommendation is accepted by the Election Commission (EC). CEO Teeka Ram Meena told TNIE that he has conveyed to the EC that holding the election before mid-April would be ideal due to various factors including the observation of holy month of Ramzan, which begins on April 15. Meena said a poll in May was out of question as the CBSE examinations will begin on May 4 and the poll panel will face a dearth of polling stations because of it. The CEO also indicated that the panel was in favour of a single phase poll though the initial feedback was in favour of ● More on P4 two phases. Modi holds talks with cardinals, may invite Pope E x p r ess N ews S e r vi c e @ Kochi THREE cardinals of the Catholic Church met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his office in New Delhi on Tuesday and expressed the grievances of the Christian community They also placed a request to invite Pope . Francis to the country to which the PM responded positively . Syro-Malankara Church Thiruvananthapuram Major Archbishop Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, Bombay Archbishop Cardinal Oswald Gracias and Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop Mar George Alencherry complained of the “discrimination in the allocation of minority welfare fund” and the demarThere was no cation of the Western Ghats’ buffer political zones among other issues. significance to the Modi had met the representatives meeting. The PM of the Orthodox and Jacobite faclauded the tions of the Malankara Church last services of the Church in the month as part of finding an amicable fields of settlement to the 100-year-old dispute education, social between the two groups. Mar Alencherry said Modi prom- development and health ised to ensure proportionate distribution of the funds. Though the Cardinal Oswald Gracias Church heads requested for the release of activist Fr Stan Swamy — arrested in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case — Modi is learnt to have told that it was a legal issue. “There was no political significance to the meeting. The PM lauded the services of the Church in the fields of education, social development and health,” said Cardinal Gracias. Mizoram Governor and former BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai facilitated the meeting, but he could not attend it as he has quarantined himself after his wife tested positive for Covid-19. “The cardinals called me up to say the meeting was fruitful as the PM lent them a patient ear to their grievances,” said Pillai. “The efforts to solve the Orthodox-Jacobite Church dispute are also on,” said Pillai who added the second round of talks will begin after the end of his quarantine period. Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with the cardinals at his office in New Delhi | PTI d r e a m MER C H A N T Unsold ticket brings Sharabudin `12cr fortune M A N O J V I S W A N AT H A N @ Kochi Till Sunday, Sharabudin was cursing destiny The lockdown . had hit the lottery vendor hard as very few of his regular customers bought tickets. Living in a dilapidated house on government poramboke land, he struggled to support his family . But he hid his emotions behind a pleasant smile selling dreams to people. On Tuesday, Sharabudin, who usually returns with a bundle of unsold tickets and a bunch of woes, returned home Sharabudin is all smiles as he shows his winning ticket | express a billionaire. An unsold ticket of the Kerala lottery department’s Christmas-New Year Bumper fetched him a fortune of `12 crore. He will be receiving a whopping `7.20 crore after 45 days. A resident of Thenkasi in Tamil Nadu, Sharabudin lives just three kilometres away from the Kerala border. “Every day, I start from my house at 7am and reach the Ar- Every day, I start from my house at 7am and reach the Aryankavu checkpost at 7.25am. I purchase lottery tickets from the Bharani lottery agency there and sell them to customers from Aryankavu to Punalur — Sharabudin yankavu checkpost at 7.25am. I purchase lottery tickets from the Bharani lottery agency there and sell them to customers from Aryankavu to Punalur in Kerala. After the lockdown, many of my regular customers were left struggling and they stopped buying tickets. I had incurred huge losses during the past 10 months,” Sharabudin told TNIE. He said he bought only one bumper ticket, which costs `300, from the Bharani agency on Saturday, a day before the ● More on P4 draw.
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