The fans at Barsapara Stadium witnessed one of the most stunning ODI batting displays from the West Indies as, for the first time ever, three Caribbean batters scored centuries in a single ODI innings. From an explosive, no-holds-barred assault by opener John Campbell to a measured, quintessential ODI-style century from skipper Shai Hope and a classy yet merciless ton from rising star Amir Jangoo , the Indian fans experienced Caribbean cricket in different flavours and tempos. As the two-time champions eye a spot in the 2027 ODI World Cup through the qualifiers, they showcased a level of ruthlessness that fans had rarely seen from them in recent years. India conceded 405/7 in 50 overs, the third-highest total ever conceded by the side in ODIs. Highest ODI totals against India 438/4 South Africa, Wankhede, 2015 411/8 Sri Lanka, Rajkot, 2009 405/7 West Indies, Guwahati, 2026 389/4 Australia, Sydney, 2020 387/3 England, Lord's, 2026 "If West Indies, who didn...
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, set to become the second Indian to go to space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's journey on board the Soyuz T-11 in April 1984, will take on the role of pilot on the Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4.
The Ax-4 will go to the International Space Station (ISS) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Kennedy Space Centre in Florida no earlier than spring 2025, NASA told reporters on Thursday.
Group Captain Shukla, who is serving in the Indian Air Force (IAF), has also been chosen as an astronaut for India's Gaganyaan Mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was ISRO that sent him to NASA for the Ax-4 mission to the ISS.
Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the private Ax-4 mission, while Group Captain Shukla will serve as pilot, the American space agency told reporters.
"I am really excited to go into microgravity and experience space flight on my own. The tempo for the mission has been building up each month. I think we are at a stage wherein all the pieces are kind of coming together. I'm extremely excited to see how this unfolds in the coming months and for the actual space flight as well," Group Captain Shukla said in response to a question by NDTV.
The Axiom 4 Mission team speaks to NDTV Science Editor Pallava Bagla
"We have been training for the past four-five months. We now understand the entire CONOPS, the concept of operations, and going forward from here it would mostly be repetition of the things that we have done. So we are ready and confident in our abilities to execute this mission successfully," Group Captain Shukla added.
On whether he would perform yoga as was done by Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in space, Group Captain Shukla said, "Yes, now that you have said so, I would probably demonstrate a few poses of yoga while we are up on the station."
"But a more important aspect is that we need to practice while we are on the ground so that we have a healthy body which can house a healthy mind and allow us to execute this mission in our full spirits, truly," Group Captain Shukla said.
He added in Hindi, "I am very excited about this mission, and I think the kind of training we have done so far makes me confident in my abilities. We will be able to execute this mission very well. Thank you."
The Axiom 4 Mission team
Ms Whitson praised her team which has a diverse composition.
"These guys are very intelligent, so they absolutely listen to me," she said. "It is an interesting challenge to bring a diverse group from different countries together. I had that opportunity on the previous Axiom mission. And even on the NASA missions, we work as a very international team. But that is what I love to do. I love to bring people together and to build a team. And so that is kind of my main goal of this mission is to build that elite team. And I think I have got it here."
The first private astronaut mission to the ISS, Axiom Mission 1, lifted off in April 2022 for a 17-day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory.
The second private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 2, also was commanded by Ms Whitson and launched in May 2023 with four private astronauts who spent eight days in orbit.
The most recent private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 3, launched in January 2024; the crew spent 18 days docked to the ISS.
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/P3IYBAD
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