HYDERABAD l wednesday l august 20, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE City EDITION harmanpreet & Co seek their first World Cup trophy As the BCCI announced the squad for the Women’s ODI World Cup to be played in India, a look at the Harmanpreet Kaur-led squad... No Shafali, Renuka returns after long break Spin heavy India look for home glory One of the key debates in the lead up to the selection was whether opener Shafali Verma will get a place. However, her lean run in the T20I series vs England and with India A in Australia meant Verma did not make the cut. Seamer Renuka Singh Thakur, who had been out of action due to injury, will make a comeback in the ODIs against Australia and feature in the World Cup. ■ ■ With four frontline spinners and plenty of part-time options in the squad, expect Harmanpreet and Co to use their slower bowlers to control the proceedings. Despite the quality of attack, several bowlers will be playing their first ODI WC and will be looking to rise to the occasion | P11 2013 was the last time india hosted the women’s odi world cup CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI INDIA bloc picks ex-judge for V-P The Opposition believes that Reddy’s candidature is a ‘masSETTING the stage for a keen terstroke’ as it will blunt the contest for the upcoming Vice- NDA‘s move to upset the ruling Presidential election, the Oppo- DMK government in Tamil sition INDIA bloc on Tuesday Nadu. The DMK was in a tight named former Supreme Court spot after the NDA picked Radjudge B Sudershan Reddy as its hakrishnan, a seasoned BJP joint candidate to face NDA leader from Tamil Nadu with nominee Maharashtra Gover- an RSS background, as its V-P nor C P Radhakrishnan candidate. on September 9. An Opposition leader Calling the election said Reddy’s nominafor the country’s secondtion will unsettle the highest office as an ‘ideChandrababu Naidu-led ological battle’, ConTelugu Desam Party, a gress president key ally of the BJP at Mallikarjun Kharge, the Centre. “Though the while announcing Red- Sudershan Reddy TDP has already exdy’s candidature, tended support for the termed him as one of India’s NDA candidate, the party most “distinguished and pro- will be under pressure as gressive jurists”. Before his ap- Sudershan Reddy commands pointment to the Supreme goodwill in the state,” said a Court, Reddy had served as leader adding that the former Chief Justice of the Gauhati Judge has also worked closely High Court and as a judge of with the previous TDP the Andhra Pradesh High government. Court. He retired as a judge of Reddy’s candidature has also the Supreme Court in 2011. put fence sitters such as p r e e t h a n a i r @ New Delhi Cong chief Mallikarjun Kharge with other opposition leaders after announcing their Vice Presidential candidate | EXPRESS K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party in a dilemma, said a senior leader. “It will be difficult for the BRS and Jagan Mohan Reddy to go against our candidate now,” he said, adding that INDIA parties will reach out to these neutral players. The YSRCP, however, has already declared its support for the NDA nominee. He is a propoor man, in many of his judgments... he favoured the poor and protected the Constitution —Mallikarjun Kharge Not TG vs TN but matter of pride for Telugus: CM E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy addresses the press at his residence in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka is also seen | SRI LOGANATHAN VELMURUGAN Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday appealed to MPs from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, across party lines, to support retired Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy the INDIA bloc’s V-P candidate. , Calling it “a matter of pride for Telugu people, particularly Telangana,” he urged all MPs from the Telugu states to back the candidature. “This is not Telangana versus Tamil Nadu. We are trying to unite the country while the BJP , seeks to divide people on the basis of region and religion. The contest is between those who protect the Constitution and those who want to abolish it,” he told reporters.  continued on P4 Shreyas out, Gill made Surya’s deputy Jasprit Bumrah whose last T20I was the World Cup final last year earns a recall into the side for the continental event. Shreyas Iyer continues to miss out. Asia Cup runs from Sep 9-28 India, China signal cautious reset amid trade, border talks Wang to visit Pak today After his India trip, Wang will travel to Pakistan on Wednesday to hold the annual strategic dialogue with Pakistan’s deputy PM and foreign minister Ishaq Dar, to be held from August 20 to 22 Borders now quiet: Doval NSA Ajit Doval, who led the border talks, highlighted the calm since last year’s disengagement. “Borders have been quiet, there has been peace and tranquillity...” he said EAM leaves for Russia Shubman Gill was named as vice captain in one of the biggest talking points in the 15-man squad the BCCI named for the Asia Cup next month in the UAE. A look... Bumrah in, Shreyas out Beijing to resume key industrial, agri supplies to India External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday reached Moscow. During his 3-day trip, he will attend key meetings and also hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov Gill to open There were some murmurs that the red-ball captain wouldn’t be part of the team but he makes it in a new role as vice-captain. Two mystery spinners Varun Chakravarthy, who excelled in the same conditions in the Champions Trophy, makes it back. He will have Kuldeep Yadav for company | P11 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi | X J AYANTH J A C O B @ New Delhi IN a sign of thaw in IndiaChina ties, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday assured External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that Beijing will resume critical exports to India, including fertilisers, rare earth minerals, and tunnel boring machines, addressing three longpending Indian demands. The move, seen as a confidence-building gesture, came just ahead of the 24th round of India-China border talks in New Delhi and was followed by Wang’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jaishankar is learnt to have underlined the expectation of stable, uninterrupted supply chains for essential inputs during the discussions, which he had raised with the Chinese side earlier as well. Sources said Wang responded positively, committing to facilitate these vital goods. After the visiting Chinese foreign minister called on him, Modi said the relations between the two countries have improved. Modi “welcomed the steady and positive progress in bilateral ties since his meeting with President Xi in Kazan last year, guided by mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity in, THE government will introduce The Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, which will have a new provision for removal of the Chief Minister or a minister who is arrested and detained in custody on account of serious criminal charges. The amendment bill will only be introduced and scheduled to be sent to a joint committee of the Parliament for scrutiny . The amendment in the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 was required as there was no provision of a legal framework for removal of the Chief Minister or a Minister in such cases, sources said. According to them, the objective of the bill is to make ministers holding office accountable. The draft amendment bill says that a minister, who is facing allegations of serious criminal offences, arrested and detained in custody “may thwart or hinder the canons of constitutional morality and principles of good governance and eventually diminish the constitutional trust reposed by people in him”. Sources said that if a minister is detained in custody for 30 consecutive days, he or she “shall be removed from his office” by the Lieutenant Governor on the advice of the CM. TG N a i d u @ Hyderabad ‘BEST’ case scenario Commuters are stranded as a couple of BEST buses break down near Kurla in Mumbai on Tuesday due to the downpour | PTI Ri d i n g o n h o p e GST overhaul could bring down car prices by up to 10% A r s h a d K h a n @ New Delhi The proposed next-generation GST overhaul could bring down car prices by up to 10% if the tax rate is reduced from 28% to 18%, according to analysts. As part of the wider reforms to boost economic growth, the Centre has proposed moving from four tax slabs to a simplified two-rate system: 5% for es- sential items and 18% for most other goods. Luxury and sin products could face a steeper levy of around 40%. “Cars currently are under the 28% GST band and if GST is rationalised to 18%, then prices for entry-level cars can come down by 8-10%. Players like Maruti, Hyundai and Tata Motors which have a strong entry-level portfolio are likely to be the key beneficiaries,” Sunny Agrawal, head of fundamental research at SBI Securi- M e g h n a N at h @ Hyderabad The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is developing a rocket capable of placing a 75,000 kg payload into low earth orbit, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan announced at the 84th convocation of Osmania University on Tuesday . Delivering the convocation address, Narayanan said the proposed rocket would be as tall as a 40-storey building. “The first launcher, built under the leadership of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, had a 17-tonne lift-off mass and could place 35 kg in low earth orbit. Today, we are working on a rocket that can carry 75,000 kg,” he said. Narayanan outlined ISRO’s upcoming projects, including the launch of a Navigation with Indian Constellation (NaVIC) satellite, the N1 rocket, and the placement of a 6,500 kg communication satellite for the United States into orbit using Indian rockets. The agency also plans to launch the Technology Demonstration Satellite (TDS) and GSAT-7R, a military communication satellite for the Indian Navy this year. , At present, India has 55 satellites in orbit, a number ISRO aims to triple in the next three to four years. Narayanan also referred to the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station, a 52-tonne space station expected to be operational by 2035, with initial modules to be launched from 2027. He added that India aims to send an astronaut to the moon and bring them back safely through a fully indigenous mission by 2040.  continued on P3 express read unravelling secrets I-T searches on ex-MP, construction company Hyderabad: Income Tax officials conducted searches at the residences and offices of former Chevella MP G Ranjith Reddy in Hyderabad, as well as at the offices and residences of the managing director, CEO and other senior executives of the DSR Group, from the early hours of Tuesday | P5 KCR, Harish ask HC to suspend report on KLIS Bill on J&K Reorganisation in LS today M u k e s h R a n j a n @ New Delhi cluding the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra,” an Indian readout said, adding that Modi “reiterated India’s commitment to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question.” Accepting Chinese President Xi Jinping’s invitation to attend the upcoming SCO Summit in Tianjin, Modi said he looked forward to meeting Xi again. “Stable, predictable, and constructive bilateral ties will contribute significantly to regional and global peace and prosperity he said. ,” National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Wang held the 24th round of border talks under the framework of the Special Representatives mechanism. Amid the renewed diplomatic exchanges, sources clarified there was no change in India’s position on Taiwan. “India has always maintained a relationship with Taiwan focused on economic, technological, and cultural ties — that has not changed,” a source said. India has been supporting the one-China policy, though its reflection in joint statements remained by and large absent after the Chinese started issuing stapled visas to Indian nationals in Arunanchal Pradesh in 2008. ISRO plans rocket for 75-tonne payload ties, told this newspaper. At present, vehicles are taxed under multiple slabs combining GST and cess. Small cars are taxed at 28%, whereas large cars (above 4 metres in length and 1,200 cc in engine size) are taxed (including cess) in the range of 43-50%. Global financial firm HSBC estimates that the proposed tax reforms could result in an 8% drop in the prices of small cars. Bigger cars could also become cheaper in the range of 3-5%. HSBC added that this could mean a loss of around $4-5 billion in GST collections for the government. Meanwhile, the prospects of tax cuts have put carmakers in a tight spot as buyers are now holding on to their purses, deferring their purchase plans. Former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and former irrigation minister T Harish Rao have filed separate petitions in the Telangana High Court seeking suspension of the report submitted by the PC Ghose Commission of Inquiry on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. T he two leaders urged the court to restrain the state government from acting on or implementing the report, which was submitted on July 31, 2025, by the Commission. The Congress government had set up the Commission to examine alleged negligence, irregularities and lapses in the internet connectivity to lakhs of homes in planning, design and construction of the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages, which form part of the Kaleshwaram Project. The Commission was also directed to identify responsibility for the alleged lapses. In their petitions, KCR and Harish said the report contained adverse findings against them and was released to the public through a press conference and PowerPoint presentation on August 4, 2025, without giving them notice as required under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952. They further alleged that the government had repeatedly publicised the report without supplying them a copy . Hyderabad may be cut if the power utility continues to cut off cables, warns COAI ahead of its meeting with the TGSPDCL MD | P2