It’s match day — and India’s hour of reckoning! With England leading 2-1, India’s young team would have to win the remaining two Test matches to turn their fortunes around. As national sports editor Sandeep Dwivedi writes, India could either end the series 2-3, with a resounding comeback, which could silence critics and offer a much-needed breather to the coaches, or settle for a 3-2, which may earn them a pat on the back and a ‘lessons learnt’ end to the tour. But the worst-case scenario would be a 4-1 loss and a third straight series defeat for India under coach Gautam Gambhir. The good news is that the team has been playing exceptional cricket. The only thing amiss? Sustaining the momentum and getting over the line.

We have more on cricket, but first, let’s get to the rest of the day’s headlines.

🚨 Big Story

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Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden resignation as the Vice President of India has sparked curiosity, with the lack of explanation raising many eyebrows. Clues about what transpired might lie in the events of his final day in the Rajya Sabha.

Unhappy: Sources state the government was not too happy about Dhankhar accepting the Opposition’s impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Verma, who is embroiled in a cash-at-home row. The NDA felt its own initiative had been upstaged. The government has moved a similar motion in the Lok Sabha. However, Speaker Om Birla has yet to inform the House about it. Moreover, Dhankhar’s mention of Justice Shekhar Yadav, whom the Opposition has sought to remove over a hate speech case, also rubbed the government the wrong way, as it has been trying to go easy on the matter. My colleague Liz Mathew has more details.

Silence: A day after, there was no word from the government on the announcement, barring a terse acknowledgement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The latter tweeted, “Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji has got many opportunities to serve our country in various capacities, including as the Vice President of India. Wishing him good health.” Dhankhar himself has yet to comment on the matter, which is a surprising departure from his usual outspoken nature. In the past, his remarks have frequently put him at odds with the judiciary and the Opposition.

Next: The Home Ministry formally notified Dhankhar’s resignation on Tuesday, paving the way for the Election Commission to hold elections for a new Vice President. While the Constitution does not specify a timeline, it is unlikely that the Rajya Sabha will get a new Chairman till the end of this Monsoon Session. Ritika Chopra explains the process.

⚡Only in Express

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Smoke and whistles: The prosecution in the 2006 Mumbai serial blasts case relied on a key finding in the police’s investigation: The bombs were packed in pressure cookers that the accused allegedly placed on luggage racks. The theory, however, could not hold water during the Bombay High Court proceedings, which ended on July 21 with acquittals for all 12 accused. Crucially, the prosecution’s case fell through when the court raised doubts over the reliability of accounts of certain witnesses who supported this theory. Read.

🎧 For more on the case, tune in to the latest ‘3 Things’ podcast episode.

📰 From the Front Page

Inappropriate? In 2017, Vikas Barala, son of BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Barala, was charged with sexual harassment allegations, including stalking and attempting to kidnap the daughter of an IAS officer. Eight years later, the case trial is still underway in a Chandigarh court. However, another development took place: Vikas was appointed as Assistant Advocate General (AAG) in Haryana.

On the run: On July 17, five men shot dead Chandan Mishra, an accused in several murder cases out on parole, at a Patna hospital. The prime suspect, Tauseef Khan alias Badshah, fled to Kolkata and availed an online service — a neat haircut. He wanted to change his appearance urgently. And he would have nearly gotten away had it not been for the successful use of the ‘Automated Number Plate Reading (ANPR)’ systems, which helped police track the accused down.

📌 Must Read

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Letting go: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London this week may be the turning point India and the UK have needed in their bilateral relations. Contributing editor C Raja Mohan traces the history of the relationship, where Delhi has increasingly seen the UK as a “diminished power” in contrast to its view of Russia as a “superpower”. He writes that it may be time for India and the UK to shed the past baggage and navigate China’s assertiveness and the US unpredictability together.

Alarm bells: China is set to build a massive hydropower project on the Yarlung Zangbo — just before the river bends into Arunachal Pradesh as the Brahmaputra. The nearly $170 billion project will be its biggest infrastructure project since the Three Gorges Dam. However, the prospect has raised alarm over potential downstream impacts, with fears of the Siang region being vulnerable to a “water bomb”.

Law and tradition: A recent wedding of a woman, Sunita Chauhan, to two brothers, Pradeep and Kapil Negi, in Himachal Pradesh has caused much intrigue. The customary practice of polyandry, known as ‘Jodidaran’, is centuries old and is steeped in the desire to preserve undivided land. The practice, however, is not so common anymore. The Hatti tribe has seen five such marriages in the past six years. But what does the law say on polyandry? We explain.

⏳ And Finally…

I started with cricket, and will end on a similar note. The government is set to introduce the National Sports Governance Bill in Parliament today, which may bring significant change to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). So far, BCCI has been an autonomous body and has resisted its inclusion as a National Sports Federation (NSF) as it doesn’t take any funds from the Sports Ministry. That may be about to change with the Bill proposing that the BCCI resolve its disputes through the National Sports Tribunal like other NSFs. What does the Bill say, and how will it impact BCCI? Read our report.

That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,

Sonal Gupta

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