Monday, 22 January 2024

Kohli Lookalike Mobbed By Fans For Selfies In Ayodhya, Video Goes Viral

Indian cricket team star batter Virat Kohli opted out of the first two Tests in the upcoming five-match series against England citing 'personal reasons' on Monday. Kohli and wife Anushka Sharma were both invited for the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya but they ended up not attending. However, a lookalike of Kohli was mobbed by fans for selfies and the video of the entire incident has gone viral on social media. The video showed that fans were excited to catch a glimpse of the Virat Kohli lookalike and there was a huge crowd gathered around the individual who wanted to meet him and take selfies.

Meanwhile, Kohli has pulled out of the first two Tests against England due to personal reasons which "demand his presence and undivided attention", the BCCI said on Monday.

The BCCI urged the fans and media to refrain from speculating about the exact reason for his forced break before the five-match series begins in Hyderabad on January 25. The Board said it will name a replacement for the star batter soon.

"Virat Kohli has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming IDFC First Bank Test series against England, citing personal reasons," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement.

The BCCI also said that Kohli has discussed his decision with skipper Rohit Sharma and the team management.

"Virat has spoken to captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasized that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention," the release further stated.

Shah also said that BCCI completely backs its star player and has faith in the team and its ability to get results even without its best batter.

"The BCCI respects his decision and the Board and team management has extended its support to the star batter and is confident in the abilities of the remaining squad members to step up and deliver commendable performances in the Test series," the secretary said.

He also urged everyone to respect Kohli's privacy.

"The BCCI requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli's privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons.

"The focus should remain on supporting the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series," Shah said.

(With PTI inputs)



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"If He Wants To Play World Cup...": Ex-India Star's Advice For KL Rahul

With the clean sweep against Afghanistan in the recently-concluded T20I series, Team India started their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup on a positive note. The series marked the return of India skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli in the T20I format after a gap of 14 months. It is highly likely that both the players will feature in India's squad at the marquee event. However, there are doubts over the selection of wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul.

Team India has found potential batters in the form of Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and even wicketkeeper like Jitesh Sharma, who is known for his destructive batting. So, it will be quite a challenge for Rahul to find a place for himself in the squad.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra stated that to find a spot in the World Cup squad, Rahul needs to bat at No 4 in IPL 2024. Rahul, who is the captain of IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants, plays the role of an opener.

"You might see KL Rahul at No. 4. If he wants to play the World Cup, he probably needs to bat at No. 4. You might see one among Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni and Prerak Mankad playing at No. 3. They have plenty of options available to get the work done," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"After No. 4, they have Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, and Ayush Badoni along with Krunal Pandya down the order. Suddenly you see a lot of depth in the batting. So they have prepared a very good team," Chopra further added.

After missing out on the T20Is against Afghanistan, Rahul will now be seen in action against England in the five-match Test series. The first Test match will start from January 25 in Hyderabad.



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Axar vs Kuldeep: India Great Picks 'Favourite' For Test Series vs England

Having got to play only eight Tests since making his debut against Australia in 2017 does make Kuldeep Yadav one of the unluckiest Indian cricketers in recent times. And if the Indian team management under Rahul Dravid follow the "rank turner" template for the upcoming England series starting January 25, Kuldeep can be seen warming the bench at least in the initial stage of the five-match series. India spin great Harbhajan Singh, who is known for his forthright opinions, feels that although in terms of skill and quality Kuldeep will be ahead of the Gujarat left-arm spinner, there is no better choice than Axar if pitches are diabolical in nature.

"Look, the way I look at it that when both R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are in playing eleven and you are looking at a third specialist spinner, it should be Kuldeep."

"Because Kuldeep as a wrist spinner will bring that variation. But I believe Axar's selection in Test matches is purely on his batting skills. At No 8 or 9, he can bat and that's what he brings to the table," Harbhajan, who is currently in Dubai, told PTI when asked about his preferred choice.

But the 'Turbanator' wanted to set the record straight.

"While Axar brings his superior batting to the table (compared to Kuldeep), I don't see a logic why you need a superior batter at No. 9 when his skill-sets are completely identical with that of Jadeja's."

"You are then taking the aspect of variation out of equation. So for me, ideally, Kuldeep should play," he reasoned.

Axar had taken 50 wickets in 12 Tests but it's only fair to mention that 27 out of those 50 wickets came in his first three Tests against England in 2021 and the next 23 wickets have come in nine games.

Against Australia at home, he got only three wickets in four Test matches including going wicketless in two of those games (Delhi and Indore).

The five Tests will be held in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamsala. Except for the last game on a track which is traditionally known to help pacers but of late has turned into a batting belter, all the other four venues will offer significant help for Ashwin and Jadeja.

Axar's biggest plus point on rank turners is not trying to turn the deliveries and just landing it on spot allowing the pitch to do the rest. On crumbling surfaces, he bowls those under-cutters, where the ball skids after landing on its skin rather than seam.

These type of deliveries stay low and batters from SENA countries are often confused whether to go on front-foot or back-foot.

But on better tracks, Axar has been found wanting as he doesn't have too many variations in his repertoire.

The plus point for Kuldeep is his ability to extract turn and bounce. Being able to turn the ball back into right-handers and also take it away (left-arm wrist spinner's googly) but there remains a possibility of being slightly slower through the air.

Recently after end of South Africa series, skipper Rohit Sharma reacting to variable bounce and pace on offer in Cape Town had made it clear that no one should complaint if ball turns from the very first session.

Harbhajan also explained the twin-fold reason why Axar will be first preference when the ball turns square.

"If you look at our batting performances on rank turners, you would know that we haven't also done very well. Our batting also could struggle if there is excessive turn and hence you then want a longer tail and that's where Axar comes into effect with his batting.

"Now coming to the bowling. On turners, you need a "target shooter". One who would just keep on bowling wicket to wicket, hitting more or less same length over after over.

"On turners, you won't need to turn or show variations to get wickets. When it comes to that discipline, Axar is fantastic at target hitting and hence he remains favourite," Harbhajan added.



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Watch: Indian-Origin NZ U-19 WC Player Copies Gill's Celebration Style

Shubman Gill has got an admirer in India-origin Snehith Reddy, a member of the New Zealand U-19 World Cup team, who copied the Indian opener's batting and celebration style. Snehith took off his helmet, raised his bat and bowed down to the crowd, similar to the trademark celebration of Gill, after reaching his century against Nepal in an U-19 World Cup match at Buffalo Park on Sunday. "We were talking before the game, the boys, on what the celebrations are gonna be. I decided the Shubman Gill bow is my celebration, it was special," Snehith said later.

"One of my favourite players, I love the way he makes contact with the ball, his timing is exceptional and I tried to copy that to my batting a little bit," he said in a video footage uploaded by the ICC.

His parents were also present at the ground when Snehith achieved the feat.

"That was extremely special. I think, them (parents) coming over and seeing the first game on the world stage was extremely special. They enjoyed it and I loved it.

"They just told me to enjoy, it's a massive occasion and there'll be nerves but I had fun and that's the key," he said.

The 17-year-old Snehith, who was born in Vijayawada, smashed an unbeaten 147 off 125 balls to help New Zealand reach 302 for 8 in 50 overs after electing to bat.

New Zealand then restricted Nepal to 238 for 9 for a 64-run win.



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Sunday, 21 January 2024

How Pak Fans Reacted To Sania-Shoaib Divorce, Cricketer's Third Wedding

The world of social media stood still for a bit as former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik decided to marry actor Sana Javed, sharing their wedding pictures on social media on Saturday. While the rumours of Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik's divorce had been afloat for a few months, the two never released a statement on the matter. However, a day after Shoaib shared his wedding pictures of his third wedding, Sania's family confirmed her divorce from Shoaib, saying that they were legally separated for 'some months'. While several fans in India were shocked upon hearing the news, the reactions were pretty similar in Pakistan too.

Taking to his Instagram handle, the former Pakistan all-rounder shared several pictures of his nuptials with the divorced Pakistani actress.

Sana, too, took to her social media handles to share dazzling images from their 'Nikaah' ceremony.
The newlyweds shared the images from the wedding ceremony with the caption, "And We created you in pairs".

Here's how Pakistan fans reacted to the news on social media:

Taking to her personal handle on Instagram, Anam, who is married to former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin's son Assaduddin, confirmed Sania's divorce from Shoaib, posting, "Sania has always kept her personal life away from the public eye. However, today the need has arisen for her to share that Shoaib and she have been divorced for a few months now. She wishes Shoaib well for his new journey ahead!"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Anam Mirza (@anammirzaaa)


The statement comes a day after the former Pakistan all-rounder tied the knot with Pakistani actress Sana Javed.

Shoaib and Sania got married in 2010 and have been staying in Dubai ever since. They announced the birth of their son, Izhaan Mirza Malik, in 2018.

Sana became a household name in Pakistan with her exploits in the show-business space, Sana made her television debut in 2012 with 'Shehr-e-Zaat' and later on appeared in several other shows. She received recognition for her portrayal of the titular role in the romantic drama 'Khaani'.

The former batting all-rounder who contributed handsomely to many of Pakistan's memorable wins, Shoaib made his international debut in 1999 in ODIs.

Over the course of an illustrious cricketing career during which he also captained the national team across formats, Shoaib scored a whopping 7534 runs in 287 ODIs.In T20Is, he featured in 124 matches, aggregating 2435 runs at a strike rate of 125.64.

The 41-year-old also played 35 Test matches, scoring 1898 runs. He played his last international game for Pakistan against Bangladesh in 2021.

With ANI inputs



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Croma Republic Sale 2024: Discover Exclusive Deals on 7 Popular Items

Get ready for an unbeatable shopping experience at the Croma Republic Sale 2024! As technology enthusiasts and bargain hunters unite, we present to you a curated selection of seven must-have products that will enhance convenience, entertainment, and lifestyle. From cutting-edge smartphones and immersive audio systems to impressive appliances, each product promises value at exclusive sale prices. Dive into this article to discover the top deals, discounted prices, and exciting features of these products, giving you a sneak peek into what awaits you during this sale event.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G

OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G is a smartphone with a 6.72-inch LCD display featuring a 120Hz refresh rate, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of internal storage. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G processor, it boasts a 108-megapixel triple rear camera setup and a 16-megapixel front camera. It comes with a 5000mAh battery and 67W fast charging. During the Croma Republic Sale 2024, grab this smartphone at just Rs. 21,999, down from the MRP of Rs. 26,999. Don't miss out on this fantastic offer!

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Boat Aavante Bar 1580 120W Bluetooth Soundbar

The Boat Aavante Bar 1580 120W Bluetooth Soundbar offers Bluetooth v5.0 connectivity, USB, Aux, and HDMI options. It features a powerful 120W power output and a 2.1 channel configuration, making it an ideal audio accessory. It comes with various entertainment modes. During the Croma Republic Sale 2024, grab this soundbar for just Rs. 8,499, down from the MRP of Rs. 16,990. Take advantage of this incredible deal!

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Samsung Crystal 4K Neo 43-inch 4K Ultra HD LED TV

The Samsung Crystal 4K Neo 43-inch 4K Ultra HD LED TV offers a LED Ultra HD 4K display with a 50Hz refresh rate and 3 HDMI ports, 1 USB port, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Powered by the Tizen operating system, it includes a 20W speaker system with Dolby Atmos support. During the Croma Republic Sale 2024, you can get this TV for just Rs. 28,990, down from the MRP of Rs. 47,900. Don't miss this great deal!

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Whirlpool 7.5kg 5-Star Fully Automatic Top Load Washing Machine

The Whirlpool 7.5 kg 5-Star Fully Automatic Top Load Washing Machine is perfect for households of 6-8 people. It comes with a 5-star rating for energy efficiency and offers 12 wash programs. During the Croma Republic Sale 2024, you can get this washing machine for just Rs. 16,750, down from the MRP of Rs. 21,200. Don't miss this great deal!

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Nothing Watch Pro Smartwatch

The Nothing Watch Pro Smartwatch features a 1.96-inch AMOLED display and offers built-in GPS, Bluetooth calling and smart notification alerts. It includes 110 sports modes, heart rate monitoring, SpO2 monitoring, sleep tracking, and stress monitoring. With a battery life of up to 13 days on a single charge, it's a durable IP68 water-resistant smartwatch. During the Croma Republic Sale 2024, you can purchase this smartwatch for just Rs. 3,499, down from the MRP of Rs. 5,999. Don't miss this great deal!

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Dell S Series 24-inch Height Adjustable Monitor

The Dell S Series 24-inch Height Adjustable Monitor features a Full HD LCD display with LED backlighting, an IPS panel, and a 75Hz refresh rate. It offers connectivity through 2 HDMI ports. During the Croma Republic Sale 2024, this monitor is available for just Rs. 9,899, down from the MRP of Rs. 24,789. Don't miss this fantastic deal!

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Apple iPad 10th Generation Wi-Fi

The Apple iPad 10th Generation Wi-Fi features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina True Tone display, 64GB of storage, and is powered by the Apple A14 Bionic Chip. It offers up to 10 hours of battery life and comes with 12MP front and rear cameras. The device also includes landscape stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos support, and Dolby Vision compatibility. During the Croma Republic Sale 2024, you can purchase this iPad for just Rs. 36,990, down from the MRP of Rs. 39,900. Don't miss out on this fantastic deal!

Buy now at Rs. 28,990 (MRP: Rs. 47,900)



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"Things Were Done And Dusted...": Ex India Star's Huge Virat 'Fab 4' Take

The upcoming Test series between India and England will see two members of the 'Fab-4' of Test cricket square off against each other. India's Virat Kohli and England's Joe Root have been two of the most consistent batters in the format over the past decade. Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson are the other two members of the 'Fab-4' of Test cricket. After overcoming a lean patch with the bat, former India opener Aakash Chopra suggested that Kohli is back among his peers.

"Yours truly also said that he is no longer part of the Fab 4. He is now, by the way. It was about the runs at that time, in that period of two years, but he is back again. Steve Smith has fallen away. Kane Williamson is also going 50-50 but this guy is still there. He was there then also and has returned now," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Despite scoring runs, Kohli failed to score a century in over three years between 2019 and 2022.

Chopra added that Kohli has reignited his career, especially in Test cricket, after a three-year lean patch had raised doubts over his future.

"The way he has made a comeback has made his story even more beautiful. It seemed like things were done and dusted and you came and played a World Cup, and became the Player of the Tournament. You reinvented the wheel once again and reignited that passion," he added.

Kohli has been in sensational form of late. He was the top-scorer in the World Cup last year as India reached the final, only to go down against Australia.

In 11 matches, Kohli amassed 765 runs at an average of 95.62. He also broke Sachin Tendulkar's record of most ODI centuries with his knock in the semi-final against New Zealand.

He has also scored 8,848 runs in 113 Test matches for India at an average of 49.15, while scoring 30 fifties, 29 hundreds and seven double hundreds.

India's squad for first two Tests vs England

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan



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Kohli Lookalike Mobbed By Fans For Selfies In Ayodhya, Video Goes Viral

Indian cricket team star batter Virat Kohli opted out of the first two Tests in the upcoming five-match series against England citing '...