oppn parties Rahane And Pacers To The Fore As India Thrash The West Indies

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October 17, 2026

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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
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Rahane And Pacers To The Fore As India Thrash The West Indies

By Linus Garg

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

There was a time when India has medium pacers just for the name. Their job was to take the shine off the new ball and make it ready for the dreaded spin trio. Any wickets they got were a bonus. But in Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami, India now has one of the most feared opening attacks in the world. All three of them bowl at a good pace, swing the ball both ways and with Bumrah able to bowl stinging yorkers at will, they are the scourge of the best batsmen in the world. If the conditions are even a trifle helpful, these three do not let partnerships build at the top and always put India in a commanding position.

This was on full display in the first Test versus the West Indies in Antigua as India beat the West Indies by a huge and humiliating margin of 318 runs. While Ishant Sharma tormented the islanders in the first innings by returning figures of 5/43, it was Bumrah's turn in the second innings as he bowled unplayable yorkers to get 5 wickets for just 7 runs. Shami played the supporting role with excellence by picking up crucial wickets in both innings. No West Indies batsman, except Roston Chase in the first innings, looked like settling in. This proved the complete domination of the Indian pace trio.

But even in victory, there few negatives India carries from the Test. For one, the failure of Mayank Agarwal at the top in both innings once again brings in focus India's continued problems with the opening pair. But Agarwal should be given a few more chances as he is a good talent. Then, the form of Cheteswar Pujara must also be a cause for concern. The same goes for Rishabh Pant. On the other hand, Ajinkye Rahane showed why he is important to this team by anchoring the innings in both the essays.  Hanuma Vihari is also shaping up well and was unlucky to miss out on a century in the second innings and Ravindra Jadeja proved that his captain was right in selecting him over Ashwin by preventing a collapse in the first innings and doing his bit with the ball. It was a good victory and India must now not let the advantage slip.

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