New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell wins ICC Spirit of Cricket Award 2021
New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell has been named the winner of the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award 2021 for his gesture during the New Zealand vs England semifinal in the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi.
Mitchell has become the fourth New Zealand cricketer to win the award after Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum and skipper Kane Williamson. Mitchell won the award for refusing to take a single in the T20 World Cup semi-final against England on November 10, 2021.
Chandrayaan 3 launch scheduled for August 2022: Union Minister Jitendra Singh
The much-awaited Chandrayaan 3 mission is scheduled for launch in August 2022, informed Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, in a written to the Lok Sabha on February 2, 2022.
The Union Minister said that the realization of the Chandrayaan 3 mission is in progress, based on the learnings from Chandrayaan-2 and suggestions made by the national level experts. Many related hardware and their special tests have been completed successfully and the launch is scheduled for August 2022.
A successful soft landing on the Moon will make India the fourth country to do so and first to do so near the lunar South Pole. India's Chandrayaan 2 mission had previously crashed at what is now called the Jawahar point on the moon.
India becomes first team to qualify for four consecutive U19 World Cup finals
India has become the first team in the history of the U19 World Cup to qualify for four consecutive U-19 World Cup finals. India made it through the final of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 after a 96-run win over Australia at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
India has qualified for the U19 World Cup finals backed by a phenomenal 204-run third-wicket partnership between skipper Yash Dhull and deputy skipper Shaik Rasheed, which took India to 290/5 in their 50 overs. India scored 27 runs in the final over and Yash Dhull was named player of the match for his spectacular century knock.
PM Modi to inaugurate Statue of Equality in Hyderabad on February 5
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Hyderabad on February 5, 2022. He will be dedicating a 216-feet tall ‘Statue of Equality’ commemorating 11th-century Bhakti Saint Sri Ramanujacharya to the nation in Hyderabad.
PM Modi will also visit International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) campus in Patancheru, Hyderabad and kickstart the 50th Anniversary celebrations of ICRISAT and inaugurate two research facilities- ICRISAT’s Climate Change Research Facility on Plant Protection and ICRISAT’s Rapid Generation Advancement Facility.
The Telangana Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar held a coordination meeting with the officials of various Heads of the department to review the preparations ahead of the Prime Minister's visit. The police department will make adequate security arrangements.
NASA to retire ISS in January 2031
NASA is planning to retire the International Space Station (ISS) in January 2031 and has laid out a detailed transition plan. The space agency is planning to open the ISS for commercial activities in its final decade of operational life. NASA plans to "deorbit" the ISS and crash it into the Pacific Ocean in January 2031. Before its retirement, NASA is looking forward to a decade of results from research and technology development aboard the space station.
IPL 2022 to be held in Mumbai and Pune, playoffs likely in Ahmedabad
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly confirmed recently that IPL 2022 will be held in Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra. The playoffs are likely to be held in Ahmedabad but a formal decision is likely to be taken at a later stage. BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said that the final decision on the venues for the knockout stages will be taken later.
NASA's Artemis 1 mission to Moon delayed till March
NASA's 'Artemis 1' mission, which aims to return humans to the Moon, has been delayed until March. The mission was scheduled for launch earlier in February. NASA informed that the 'Space Launch System' rocket and Orion spacecraft will not be rolled out for testing "no earlier than March 2022". NASA has added additional time to complete closeout activities inside the Vehicle Assembly building before rolling the integrated rocket and spacecraft out for the first time.
Yash Dhull third Indian to score century in ICC U19 World Cup
India U19 skipper Yash Dhull has become the third Indian to score a century in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup after Virat Kohli and Unmukht Chand. Yash Dhull's century knock came in India's semi-final match against Australia in ICC U19 World Cup 2022. Dhull along with deputy skipper Shaik Rasheed put up an incredible 204-run partnership for the third wicket. This was the second biggest partnership of the tournament. The Indian U19 skipper said after the win that the plan was for him and Rasheed to bat till the end and it worked.
Indian diplomat to skip Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 over Galwan soldier row
Indian diplomat in Beijing has decided to boycott Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 opening and closing ceremony after China chose a soldier, who fought in the Galwan Valley clash against Indian troops in 2020, as a torchbearer. India's foreign ministry called it "regrettable" while announcing the diplomat's decision. The Ministry said that it indeed regrettable that the Chinese side has chosen to politicise an event like the Olympics. Indian media channel Doordarshan said that it will not live telecast the opening or closing ceremony. Only one Indian athlete will be participating in the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
