Kush Maini becomes 1st Indian to win F2 Monaco GP, jubilant Anand Mahindra reacts
Maini had qualified P10 for Sunday's Feature Race, placing him on pole for Saturday's Sprint Race due to the reverse grid system. From the moment the lights went out, the DAMS driver led confidently for all 30 laps.'P1 and first Indian to win at Monaco. It's a great honour and a dream come true, really. I want to thank DAMS and everyone who's supported me. We keep believing,' said an emotional Kush after the podium celebration.Business tycoon Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra Group, heaped praise on Kush Maini for the incredible achievement. advertisementTaking to X, Mahindra wrote, 'You are Standing Tall, @kmainiofficial and the country stands tall with you. Kush Maini making history as the 1st Indian winner of an F2 race in Monte Carlo. We are proud to have you on our team at @MahindraRacing.' Following a challenging start to the 2025 season, the Monaco win arrived at the perfect moment - boosting both his confidence and momentum at a critical point in the calendar.In what was a truly special moment for Kush and the nation, he proudly sang the Indian national anthem during the podium celebrations. Indian business tycoon Gautam Singhania was seen embracing Kush in the pit lane after the win. Singhania's JK Racing, along with TVS Racing, have supported Maini throughout his career.With this landmark victory, Kush now looks to carry the momentum into Sunday's Feature Race and into the upcoming round in Barcelona next weekend.
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Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
India draw after last-day fightback, coach Gambhir says ‘these players will make their own history'
The day was ending, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar were in their 80s and there was no doubt about the result of the Test. India had miraculously managed to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat on the final day of the fourth Test. The knackered England captain Ben Stokes had enough, he wanted to shake hands and nurse his wounds in the dressing room. But the day's heroes — Jadeja and Washington — were in no hurry to leave. They wanted to rub a few English noses in the mud and get well-deserved Test hundreds. They also wanted the crowd, and their teammates, to celebrate the draw that was as precious as a win. They finally shook hands with the scoreboard showing India 425 for four, Jadeja (107 not out) and Washington (101 not out). The world had written them off, now Jadeja and Sundar had done a monumental rewrite, they had penned history. Only twice have India batted out more overs in the third innings to save a Test after conceding a first innings lead of 300-plus. Trailing by 311 runs at lunch on Day 4, India were staring at an innings defeat. But against all odds, Shubman Gill's young team batted for 143 overs and lost just four wickets. This was a comeback for ages. The series that seemed dead — the loss for India here would have seen England take a 3-1 lead — has been magically kept alive. With momentum on their side, India can now dream of winning the final Test at Oval and level the series 2-2. Nothing can be put beyond a team where a batsman with a fractured foot — Rishabh Pant — raises his hand to take the field and do his bit. Indian coach Gautam Gambhir, after the match, spoke about the importance of the draw for the rest of the series. 'It will give us an edge. When you are put under pressure and you come out of those pressure moments, it is always a great feeling. It just ends up giving a lot of confidence to the dressing room,' he said. Unlike many teams of the past, with bigger stars, this Indian team just refuses to give up. India was zero for two at the start of the innings but this was followed by 188-run partnership between K L Rahul (90) and Shubman (103). Today again at lunch, a crisis loomed. The two big hopes Shubman and Rahul, after their marathon partnership, were back in the hut. India was 223 for four. There was another mountain to climb in front of them. With Pant to bat on one foot, they had to bat two full sessions. That's when two rather low-key cricketers — all-rounders who aren't in news too often — picked up the baton; it was more like taking up the gauntlet. But Jadeja and Sundar didn't allow the pressure of the scoreboard or their constantly bullying rivals get to them. Stokes tried every trick he knew. He would test them with a disciplined line, he would surround them with fielders with the spinner on a pitch with patches and even try to intimidate with short-balls. Nothing worked on this Sunday. There is a certain nonchalance about the way Jadeja and Washington conduct themselves on the pitch. They look relaxed, they keep smiling and are almost aloof to the surroundings and the situation. They don't even confront the opposition. They actually chat them up. They don't rile their opponent, they don't trigger fights. Jadeja and Washington, with their solid play, dilute the opposition's aggression. Jadeja, despite his numbers, isn't quite counted among the game's greats but today he joined the list of legends. Washington's place in the playing XI has been repeatedly questioned but today he shut the mouths of his doubters for good. As Jadeja added a hundred to his four 50s on this tour he was on par with the greatest all-rounder Gary Sobers for runs scored in England. Washington, the spinner, had done his bit at Lord's with four wickets in an innings. At Old Trafford, he showed what he can do with the bat. He justified the team management's trust in him. His numbers with both bat and ball showed, he can do the job of two specialists. This could well go down in the history of the Indian team as a very important draw. Had India lost this Test, and also the next, the course of Indian cricket might have changed dramatically. There were reputations at stake. After Shubman's outburst against Zak Crawley at Lord's when he was wasting time, the English media was floating the narrative the young skipper had been impacted by the episode and lost touch. When India was on field and their bowlers were leaking runs, the pundits said the Indian captain was too passive. It was certainly his worst day as a captain but he showed the resilience to bounce back. He made amends, he led India's recovery. The team's senior-most batsman Rahul also often gets blamed for not scoring in important situations. At Old Trafford, he changed that impression. Coach Gambhir would have lost his third straight series, and there would have been calls of his outster. But after Old Trafford, that might not be. This team is showing a new culture and character. But what might have pleased the team management most must have been India regrouping after the fall of Rahul and Shubman. Most of India's famous wins or draws have been about individual brilliance but this team takes cricket as a team sport. The last time India saved a game after conceding a big lead was in New Zealand at Napier where Gambhir had scored a match-saving 137 off 437 balls while batting for nearly 11 hours. He was asked if he had spoken about Napier in the dressing room. Gambhir almost didn't allow the question to be completed. He said: 'I don't remember any of my knocks, it's history. These players will make their own history. Honestly, no one needs to follow anyone or even wants to. They will make their own history. The way we have been written off in this Test match, this is the foundation of this team.' Before the tour had started, this was said to be a team in transition but a win of this nature makes it feel that the transition is over.
The Hindu
24 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Guys showed character, says Gambhir
Head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that past records don't matter for the Indian team. 'They are making their own history. A lot of people wrote us off in this Test, but this is the foundation of this team. These are characters who are sitting in this dressing room, wanting to fight for the country,' Gambhir said. When the Indian team travelled to England under a new captain in Shubman Gill, there were doubts about how it would adjust to the conditions. But the team has proved its mettle, time and again. 'I don't believe that the team is in transition, because it's still an Indian team. And this is the best 18 that is going to represent, and more importantly, it's not a transition, it's just a little bit of inexperience,' Gambhir said. 'It's only about experience and inexperience, and that is how we see this. But the most important thing is that these boys are going to learn a lot from what they did, because being under pressure and then batting for five sessions is never easy, especially on a fifth day pitch,' Gambhir said. 'We've to give it to the guys for the character they showed'. While he lauded Rishabh Pant for batting in the first innings with a broken foot, Gambhir also confirmed that all the fast bowlers are fit and should be available for selection for the final Test at The Oval. However, no decision has been taken on Jasprit Bumrah yet.
The Hindu
24 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Chennai Corporation plans to tap nearly ₹100 crore revenue from ads on street light poles and medians
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) expects to generate ₹94.6 crore over three years by using spaces on street light poles and medians. The civic body has initiated a six-year Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project to assign advertisement rights on medians and street light poles across its bus route roads. According to GCC officials, over 2 lakh street light poles and more than 17,000 medians along bus route roads (BRRs) within corporation limits will be made available for advertising. This is based on the resolution passed by the GCC Council at a general meeting on February 22, 2024. According to the resolution, usually a limited budget has been allocated for Out-of-Home (OOH) advertisements in Chennai with advertising agencies. To introduce and promote the new OOH opportunities in Chennai, a pilot project was essential. Packages Zones in the package Total Revenue to the Authority in crores (for 3 years) Package 1 1,2,3,4,5 ₹19.23 Package 2 6,9 ₹28.91 Package 3 (Pilot) 7,8,10 ₹26.79 Package 4 11,12,13,15 ₹19.68 Total ₹94.6 Based on the resolution, the current project has been chalked out. It is divided into four packages based on how busy each area is and how much ad revenue it can bring in - that is roads with more vehicular movement and footfall may get more advertisements in these spaces. This will be the pilot, which will undergo a three-month study before tenders are released for the remaining packages, according to civic officials. GCC's standards for advertisement displays are restricted to a maximum size of 0.6 metres in length and 1 metre in breadth. As per the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies (TNULB) Rules 2023, the annual license fee is ₹3,000 per square metre, with an application fee of ₹2,000 per unit, payable once every three years. The Greater Chennai Corporation has proposed a resolution to maximise the usage of existing assets in the Electrical Department, specifically, by installing advertisements on street light poles to increase revenue. The size of the display and panel have been proposed in the… — R Aishwaryaa (@AishRavi64) February 22, 2024 The frame must be 3 centimetres wide and 5 centimetres in length, constructed from steel or aluminium with a galvanised iron backing. Advertising materials must be fire-retardant, low-smoke, zero-halogen, and must follow all Indian and international standards.
