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Senior Congress leader Moti Lal Vora passes away

By
Jyoti B
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Senior Congress leader Motilal Vora died in Delhi on Monday due to post-coronavirus complications, PTI reported.

He was 93. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his colleagues paid their tributes to him.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is saddened by the demise of Vora.

“Shri Motilal Vora Ji was among the senior-most Congress leaders, who had vast administrative and organisational experience in a political career that spanned decades. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and well-wishers. Om Shanti,” PM Modi said.

The Congress party tweeted, “We offer our heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of stalwart Congress leader, former Union Cabinet Minister & former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Motilal Vora. Congress has lost a guiding light. May his soul rest in peace.”

Vora was admitted to the Escorts Hospital in Okhla here a few days ago with a urinary infection. He also had a lung infection and was put on ventilator support, his family said.

He will be cremated in Chhattisgarh where his body will be taken either later in the day or on Tuesday.

Motilal Vora, a former two-time chief minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh and also a former Governor of Uttar Pradesh, had served as a Rajya Sabha member four times and as a Lok Sabha member once.

Motilal Vora was a long-time Congress leader and was considered to be very close to the Gandhi family.

He was also the Congress general secretary till the recent reshuffle by party president Sonia Gandhi.

Born in 1927, Motilal Vora began his career as a journalist.

He hailed from Durg district of Chhattisgarh, and was elected as corporator there for the first time in 1968 and then became MLA in 1972.

In 1985, he was made the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh — a post he left three years later to join the Centre. He once again became MP CM for 11 months from January 25, 1989, to December 12, 1989.

In 1993, he was appointed the Governor of Uttar Pradesh.


Sindhu,Saina to get back on badminton court

By
Harshit
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India’s 8-member team including top badminton players PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will participate in the upcoming three tournaments in Bangkok including the BWF (World Badminton Federation) World Tour Finals.

Considering the Olympic qualification, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Monday selected an 8-member strong team for the tournaments to be held in January.

The team consists of Sindhu, Saina, Bisai Praneeth, Kidambi Srikanth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy.

The Indian players will participate in the Yonex Thailand Open from January 12 to 17. After this, Toyota Thailand Open from 19 to 24 January and BWF World Tour Finals will be played from 27 to 21 January.

Mithun Chakraborty collapses on the sets of ‘The Kashmir Files’; shoot halted

By
Shivani Negi
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Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty has collasped on the sets of his film Kashmire Files on Monday. The 70-year-old actor was shooting in Mussoorie since November despite not feeling well.

As of now, his condition is stable and reports suggest that the actor was suffering from a stomach infection.

The actor reportedly completed his shoot even after falling sick but now the shooting has been suspended until the actor recovers completely.

Director Vivek Agnihotri in a statement said, “We were shooting for a big action sequence. Everything was centered around Mithun Chakraborty’s character but suddenly he suffered from a bout of infection and it was very bad. No normal person can stand or still in that condition but he went out for some time and came back and finished the entire shoot.

“In no time, it was so bad I couldn’t imagine anybody shooting in such a condition. But, he went ahead and gave the shot. That is the reason why he has been a superstar. He told me in the last so many years he hasn’t fallen sick. He was constantly asking me, “your shooting is not getting halted right?” I am really, really surprised because I haven’t seen anyone in the new generation working so dedicatedly,” he added.

Praising the actor for his professionalism, the director further said that Mithun Da is the most focused actor he has ever seen. “Not only that when we came back for the shoot in the morning, he charged everybody with his energy and made sure that everyone is working at a fast speed. Because of that, we could cover the backlog which we had. Actors like Mithun Chakraborty are assets to any unit, any crew and any film,” he said.

The Kashmir Files is based on the plight of Kashmiri Hindus and features Anupam Kher in lead role. It is slated to release in 2021.

PM Modi puts forward the idea of a Buddhist library to preserve Lord Buddha’s work

By
Shivani Negi
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed the formation of a library dedicated to esteemed traditional Buddhist literature and scriptures that have been part of India’s curriculum for quite some time now. The Prime Minister said that India would ensure the facility and provide resources for the library.

Addressing the 6th Indo-Japan Samwad Conference via video conferencing, PM Modi appreciated the forum for promoting the life works and ideology of Buddha.

“Today, I would like to propose the creation of a library of all such traditional Buddhist literature and scriptures. We will be happy to create such a facility in India and will provide appropriate resources for it,” he said.

“Its research mandate will also include examining how Buddha’s message can guide our modern world against contemporary challenges,” he said.

At the virtual conference, the Prime Minister also cited challenges like poverty, racism, extremism, gender discrimination, climate change that are still very much prevailing.

Back to Buddha, PM Modi said that Buddha’s work reached across various parts of the world through India. Many countries have recognised the light of his deeds, therefore, his work is translated in many languages, the Prime Minister noted.

“However, this light did not remain static. In each new place it reached, Buddhist thought continued to evolve further over the centuries. Because of this, great treasures of Buddhist literature and philosophy can be found in many different monasteries today, across many different countries and languages,” he said.

This body of writing is a treasure of humankind as a whole, PM Modi said, while adding that the library will be landmark move in preserving Buddhist literature.

Karanvir Bohra, Teejay Sidhu blessed with a baby girl

By
Shivani Negi
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Popular television actor Karanvir Bohra and wife Teejay Sidhu have welcomed home a baby girl. Karanvir and Teejay are already parents to adorable twin girls – Bella and Vienna.

The baby was born in Vancouver Canada on Monday, the reports suggest.

Announcing the good news, Karanvir shared a video with his three angels and wrote, “I can’t even imagine the bolt of happiness that is going thru my veins…I can’t help but believe that I’m a father of 3 girls….yahooooo! Life can’t get better than this, imagine ruling the world with these 3 Queens in my life… Thank you God for all these angels in my life. I’ll take the best care of them, coz they are my #teendeviyaan My #laxmi #saraswati #parvati.”

Congratulations have been in order for the Shararat actor ever since the announcement.

Jay Bhanushali wrote, “Congratulations bro..My God, I can imagine the excitement so happy to see this post…lots of blessings to all the 3 devis.” Gauahar Khan, Ashmit Patel, Mahhi Vij, Yuvika Chaudhary, Shruti Seth Geeta Phogat and other television celebs congratulated him for being blessed with a new angel.

Speaking to Spotboye, Karanvir had said, “Yes, it’s another girl in our family. We had already decided that either a girl or a boy would be equally welcome. If it was a boy it would have been Laxmi, Saraswati and Ganesha in our family. Since it’s another girl it is Laxmi, Saraswati and Parvati. I consider myself most blessed. Om Namashivay.”

“I’ve become Charlie , now that I’ve got three angels. Charlie’s Angels, Laxmi Sarawsati and Parvati,” he had added.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the actor was seen beaming with happiness as he shared a video on his Instagram wherein he was seen entering the hospital. “Entering the hospital like “love mera hit hit” Good news anytime soon. Ladka ho ya ladki I’m going to be lucky,” he had captioned the video.

Karanvir tied the knot with Teejay in 2006. The couple were blessed with twin daughters in 2016.

Singer Ariana Grande gets engaged to boyfriend Dalton Gomez

By
Shivani Negi
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The year 2020 has been one of a kind experience for every living being across the world. While it took away closed ones from some, it also gave others a chance to reconcile with their feelings and find love amid the chaos. Well, Ariana Grande, thank fully, is one lucky human to have found her happiness in this otherwise gruesome year. The pop singer left everyone shook on Sunday as she made a surprise announcement of her engagement.

Yes, the ‘Thank u, next’ singer is engaged to boyfriend Dalton Gomez who is a real estate agent. Reportedly, the two began dating in March this year and came closer in the quarantine period.

Ariana, while sharing the happiest news ever, posted some pictures with beau Dalton on Instagram. While some pictures showed the in-love couple being cozy, others showed Ariana flaunting her massive diamond ring.

Sharing the pictures, she captioned, “Forever and then some.” See the beautiful pictures below.

The post has been showered with love and congratulatory wishes for the lovely couple.

Manager Scooter Braun commented, “congrats to these two amazing souls. Ari we love you and could not be happier for you. Dalton you are a lucky man.”  Reality TV star Kim Kardashian wrote, “So happy for you guys, love you two.” “This ring is everything. I love you,” said singer Demi Lovato. 

 Talking about their relationship, a source had said, “He used to be a dancer and they have many mutual friends. She’s gotten to know him quickly with the quarantine. They’ve been spending a lot of one on one time at home.” 

“They couldn’t be happier, they’re just so excited. This is a happy time for them, both sets of parents are thrilled,” a source close to the couple told the People magazine.

Meanwhile, on the professional front, Ariana once against topped the BillBoard Hot 100 list with her recently released track ‘Positions’.

Happy birthday Govinda: Some Lesser Known Facts About actor 

By
Jyoti B
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Famous for his roles in comedy films and unique dance moves, Govinda, turns 57 today.

Even today, there is none who can come even close to the comedy magic he used to spin in his movies. Govinda had a number of releases in those days. He had 14 releases in 1989 and that’s immense.

He started out as an action and dancing hero in the mid 80s, and then reinvented himself as a comedy hero in the early 90s.

Over the next decade, he starred in several commercially successful comedy films, including Hero No 1, Dulhe Raja, and Coolie No 1. As Govinda turns 57, let us look at 5 of the best comedy flicks that made him king of the masses in the 90s. 

Political career:

Govinda was a member of the Parliament of India from 2004 to 2009. As part of the Indian National Congress, he was elected the 7th member of parliament for the Mumbai North constituency of Maharashtra, India in the 14th Lok Sabha elections in 2004, defeating Ram Naik of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Accolades, awards and nominations:

In 1999, Govinda was voted the world’s tenth-greatest star of stage or screen in a BBC News Online poll. In July 2016, he was recognised as Actor of the Decade at the India Leadership Conclave in Mumbai.

Govinda has received 12 Filmfare Award nominations and 4 Zee Cine Awards. He has also received a Filmfare Best Comedian Award for Haseena Maan Jayegi (1999) and a Filmfare Special Award for Saajan Chale Sasural (1996).

Some Lesser Known Facts About Govinda

*He was born in Virar, Maharashtra and brought up in the slums of Mumbai.

*He is the youngest of the six siblings.

*When he was born, his father rejected to take him in his arms because of some reasons.

*Govinda used to have such a craze of watching movies that he used to save money, especially for watching movies.

*His mother, Nazeem was a Muslim but got converted into Hinduism and changed her name to Nirmala Devi.

*Govinda had a very tough childhood; as his father produced only one film in his entire career and that too a big flop, due to which they had to shift to semi-rural semiurban areas from a bungalow.

*He was once rejected for a steward’s job at the Taj Mahal Hotel because his English wasn’t up to the mark.

*He is given the nickname “Chi Chi,” which means little finger.

*Her mother wanted him to become a banker and never wanted him to become an actor. Even, he gave so many auditions, which were kept hidden from his mother.

*In a BBC news online poll, he was voted the world’s tenth greatest star of screen or stage in 1999.

*He was the first choice for the role of Tara in the film Gadar, which later went to Sunny Deol. He was also offered roles in films Taal and Devdas, but he declined all of them.

*During the 90s, he transformed himself into one of the finest comedy actors, and his chemistry with Kader Khan was impeccable.

On the work front, Govinda was last seen in the film Rangeela Raja released in 2019.

Arjun Rampal appears before NCB for questioning in drug case

By
Jyoti B
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Actor Arjun Rampal on Monday reached the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office in Mumbai to appear before the agency in coonection with a drugs case.

Rampal had been called by the NCB officers for questioning in connection with the Bollywood drugs case. Rampal, who was summoned last week, had sought time till December 22 to appear before the agency citing “personal reasons.”

NCB had already questioned Rampal and his partner Gabriella Demetriades and arrested her brother in the case. in November, the agency searched Rampal’s residence in Bandra and seized 11 gadgets, including laptop, mobile phones, pen drives and tablets.

As some documents and banned pills were also recovered, Rampal was summoned and questioned on November 13 for nearly seven hours at the NCB office in Ballard Estate. Gabriella was questioned twice.

Without MHRa nod Patanjali’s Coronil is being sold in London

By
Neha Kumari
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Coronil tablets of Patanjali that were initially launched as the “cure to COVID-19 virus”, but were later said to be the ‘immunity booster’, only were now found on sale in London.

“Coronil, a herbal remedy from India, was found on sale in shops in predominantly Asian areas across the capital,” reported BBC news.

The news agency also claimed that a lab test of the drug carried out by Birmingham University for the BBC revealed that the plant-based ingredients used to make the Swasari-Coronil kits offer no protection against coronavirus. “It is unclear what Coronil is trying to do to the immune system,” the BBC quoted virologist Dr Maitreyi Shivkumar as saying.

The BBC said that the tests carried out for them show the pills offer no protection from COVID-19.

“A lab test of the drug carried out by Birmingham University for the BBC showed the pills contained plant-based ingredients which cannot protect against Covid-19,” said a report.

“We have followed all the protocols. These protocols were not set by Swami Ramdev or Patanjali but by modern medical sciences. We have made Coronil with use of Ashwagandha, Giloy, Tulsi,” Ramdev had said.

Reportedly, company also claimed that clinical controlled trial was also done by Patanjali Research Center Parai and NIMS in which 95 patients went through the trial, of which, 79 percent patients recovered within 3 days and 100 percent recovered within 7 days.

Presently, ‘Swasari coronil kit’ is being sold as the ‘Covid-19 Immunity Booster Kit’. It is also said that it is tested and verified medicine from the PATANJALI Research Institute.

Know about great conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn

By
Neha Kumari
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In the year 2020, the month of December is very special for astro lovers. It is early in the evening and as the evening sets in, the astrological lovers are enjoying the sight of approaching the west direction of Jupiter and Saturn planets. In this sequence, on 21 December, the angular distance between the planets Jupiter and Saturn will be about 0.06 degrees. These two planets will come so close that they will appear to meet each other. That is, on the longest night of the year, there will be a meeting of Guru-Saturn in the sky. Common astronomy softwares show them as an occultation (star occultation) phenomenon.

The amazing astronomical event of the meeting of Jupiter and Saturn will be seen after about 400 years. Earlier in 1923, these two planets came so close. Now on the night of March 15, 2080, Jupiter and Saturn can be seen so closely. In the year 2020, there have been many such incidents, which were unknown, unexpected and new to human civilization.

If you want to see this amazing astronomical event, you can see it in the sky with a normal telescope in the southwest direction just before sunset at 7 pm. Although it would be difficult to distinguish them from normal view, the two planets would look like big stars together, the interesting fact is that there would be a distance of 600 million kilometers between them.

Jupiter will look like a bright star, while Saturn will be slightly faster and will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter by 21 December. It can even be seen with the naked eye, but if you have a telescope or a small telescope, you may be able to see the four big moons of Jupiter that revolve around the giant planet.

Amidst India-China ongoing tension, Xi changes their PLA Commander

By
Neha Kumari
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In the midst of a military standoff in eastern Ladakh, Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed the new general as commander of the Western Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which oversees the India-China border. (CMC) is also headed. According to Chinese government media, the president has appointed General Zhang Judong as commander of the Western Theater Command. He will replace 65-year-old General Zhao Zhangqi.

General Zhangqi was also the head of the Western Theater Command in 2017 when there was a dispute in Doklam. Actually, President Chinfing has promoted four senior officials, including General Zhang. Other officers promoted include Guo Paxiao, political general secretary of the Logistics Assistance Department of the CMC, Li Wei, political general secretary of the PLA Strategic Assistance Force, and Commander Wang Channing. There is not much information about General Zhang, who was made the commander of the Western Theater Command, especially his involvement with the command. It is said that most of the time he has been serving in other theater command of PLA.

According to media reports, Jinping has promoted four senior officers of the Chinese Army and Armed Police Force, including General Zhang. The new general has been appointed amid the ongoing border dispute with India in eastern Ladakh.

General Zhangqi was the chief even during the Doklam dispute.
In 2017 there was a Doklam dispute. At that time also, Zhangqi was the head of the Western Theater Command. General Zhang is also among the four officials promoted by President Xi Jinping. Also included are Guo Paxiao, the political general secretary of the Logistics Assistance Department, Li Wei, the political general secretary of the PLA Strategic Assistance Force, and Commander Wang Channing.

Earlier in June, military changes were made at the same Western Theater Command. Explain that the Western Theater Command of PLA protects the 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India. The PLA’s Western Theater Command consists of the Army, Airforce and Rocket Force. It was earlier headed by General Zhao Jongki. In June, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theater Command announced on its official website that Lieutenant General Shu Chilling had been appointed as the new commander of its border forces. He has previously served on the Eastern Theater Command.

Will leave politics if someone tries to abolish MSP, says Haryana CM Khattar

By
Jyoti B
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In an attempt to reassure the farmers, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, on Sunday said that if someone tries to abolish Minimum Support Price (MSP) then he will leave politics.

Speaking at a public gathering here, Khattar said, “MSP (Minimum Support Price) will always be there. If someone tries to abolish it, Manohar Lal Khattar will leave politics. MSP will not end.”

Meanwhile, the farmers’ protest against the contentious farm bills passed by the Modi government in September entered day 26 on Monday. Khattar’s statement came after he met with Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday and discussed the ongoing farmers’ issue. 

“A solution to this issue (farmers’ protest) should be found through discussion. I have said that this issue should be resolved soon. The Centre is ready to talk to the farmers over their issues related to the new farm laws clause by clause,” the Haryana CM told news agency ANI after the meeting.

While Khattar said that another round of talks between the Centre and farmers’ unions could be on the cards, Tomar urged the protesting farm unions to spell out their “apprehensions” about the three agricultural laws in greater detail. He said that this was needed to have focused discussions on specific issues and that their grievances currently “lacked clarity”. The minister also urged farmers to specify a date for talks.

Farmers have been agitating at the gates of the national capital since November 26 against the recently enacted three farm laws — the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

India will start vaccination against covid-19 in January: Union Health Minister

By
Shivani Negi
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The vaccination drive against the novel coronavirus disease will kick-start from January in India, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has assured. The minister has also expressed confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, saying centre has closely monitored the vaccine candidates. Notably, India is yet to approve a covid-19 vaccine.

The Union Minister said, “Our first priority has been safety and effectiveness of vaccines. We don’t want to compromise on that. I personally feel, maybe in any week of January, we can be in a position to give first COVID vaccine shot to people of India.”

He added, “We’ve formed task forces at state, district and block levels. Thousands of master trainers have been trained across the country. We’ve conducted training at state level and trained over 20,000 workers in about 260 districts”.

The minister further added that as many as 30 crore people including health care workers, front line workers, vulnerable group, police officers on COVID duty, military and sanitation staff will administer the covid-19 vaccine in the first phase.

The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) is currently evaluating the applications of three COVID-19 vaccine candidates — Serum Institute of India manufactured AstraZeneca’s Covishield , Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN and Pfizer-BioNTech’s for emergency use approvals.

Currently, as many as eight vaccine candidates are undergoing different stage trials across the country. including three indigenous vaccines, which could be ready for emergency use authorisation in the country in near future.

With 24,367 new coronavirus cases, India’s overall tally rises to 10,055,560

By
Shivani Negi
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 With 24,367 new coronavirus cases and 333 deaths in the last 24 hours, India’s overall covid-19 as on date stood at 10,055,560, while the death toll have soared high to 1,45,810, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in its latest update.

A total of 96,06,111 people have recovered till now, while 25,709 recovered in the last 24 hours, the ministry added.

Currently, there are 3,03,639 active cases of coronavirus in the country. While the recovery rate stands at 95.53 per cent, the fatality rate remains unchanged at 1.45 per cent.

A total of 16,20,98,329 samples have been tested for Covid-19 till now. Of these, 9,00,134 samples were tested on Sunday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

Here’re more updates related to covid-19:

*The United Kingdom is witnessing a new strain of coronavirus and it has alarmed every other country in the world. The Health ministry have also called a meeting today after spread of mutant coronavirus strain in UK.

*Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have contributed to over 72 per cent of daily cases and 75 per cent of daily deaths in the country.

*Chilean President Sebastian Pinera announced that a vaccination program against the novel coronavirus will begin in the country next week.

*Saudi Arabia has suspended all international flights for a week, which can be extended by another week due to new Corona strain across the European countries.

*Russia recorded 28,948 more Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, slightly up from 28,209 a day earlier, the country’s Covid-19 response center said Sunday.

*Israel on Sunday announced a ban on flights from Britain following the discovery of a fast-spreading variant of Covid-19.

*South Korea on Sunday reported 1,097 new coronavirus cases, the highest-ever single-day spike after staying above 1,000 for five straight days, raising the overall infection tally to 49,665, the nation’s health authority said.

Meanwhile, the overall number of covid-19 across the world has topped 76.7 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 1.69 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

Can India bounce back in the second Test?

By
Harshit
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India vs Australia, Ajinkya Rahane,
India vs Australia, Ajinkya Rahane,

The Indian team were reduced to their lowest test score of 36 in the second innings of the Adelaide Test on Saturday, helping Australia to a stunning eight-wicket victory in the Day Night Test.

India are 0–1 behind in the four-match Test series. The next Test match will be played in Melbourne from 26 December. After this defeat, the difficulties of Team India will increase even more in the coming matches, as captain Virat Kohli will return to India. Kohli will live on Paternity Leave.

Another bad news for India is that senior fast bowler Mohammed Shami may be out of the remaining three matches of the four-match Test series against Australia. During India’s second innings in the Adelaide Test, Pat Cummins’s rising ball hit Mohammad Shami’s wrist, after which he had to leave the field.

Mohammed Shami’s hand was scanned, in which the hairline fracture has been described. Shami could not even raise his hands due to pain and for this reason retired retired. He did not even bowl again. Now India will have to find the option of Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami.

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