Month: January 2025

After India’s disappointing batting performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, head coach Gautam Gambhir sent a strong message to his players, urging them to feature in domestic cricket.

India’s era of dominance against Australia in the BGT ended after 10 years at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Sunday with another emphatic defeat. The Indian side faced a humbling six-wicket loss.

When analysing India’s 3-1 series defeat, the underwhelming and unrealistic batting performances from experienced players stand out as a key reason behind the downfall.

With India’s batters struggling on turning tracks and pacy surfaces, Gambhir highlighted the importance of playing domestic cricket.

“I would always like everyone to play domestic cricket. That is how much importance domestic cricket needs to be given. Not only one game, if they are available and if they have the commitment to play red-ball cricket, everyone should play domestic cricket. If you don’t give importance to domestic cricket, then you will never get the desired Test players,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.

One bright spot in India’s batting was the rise of youngsters. Yashasvi Jaiswal (391) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (298), both on their maiden tours of Australia, finished as the top two leading run-scorers for India.

India’s woes with the bat were reflected in the performances of icons like Rohit Sharma (31), Virat Kohli (190), Shubman Gill (93), Rishabh Pant (255), and Ravindra Jadeja (135).

While speculations continue about the future of these stalwarts before the next Test series in June, Gambhir believes it is too early to make any predictions.

“It is too early to talk about it. We have five months to plan. It is not the right moment for me to talk about where we will be after five months. A lot of things change in sports. Whatever happens will happen in the best interest of Indian cricket,” Gambhir added. (ANI)

The Uttar Pradesh government is prioritising the health and well-being of devotees at the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela, with over 10,000 patients receiving medical care so far.

Under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, dedicated healthcare services have been implemented, including the establishment of a fully operational Sub-Central Hospital in Sector 24, Arail, alongside the Central Hospital.

An official statement said, “The Yogi government is prioritizing the health and well-being of devotees at Mahakumbh. On the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the best possible medical care is being provided to devotees across the Mahakumbh area.”

Over 10,000 patients have received medical care in the Mahakumbh Mela area so far. Doctors from the Central Hospital are working with full dedication, ensuring round-the-clock treatment, the statement added.

Further, as per the release, in a significant step toward expanding healthcare accessibility, a Sub-Central Hospital has also been established in Sector 24, Arail. The hospital is now fully operational alongside the Central Hospital.

According to Gaurav Dubey, Nodal Officer of the Mahakumbh Medical Establishment, this initiative aligns with CM Yogi’s vision of ensuring quality medical treatment for every devotee attending the Mahakumbh.

Specialist doctors have been deployed at the Sub-Central Hospital, and formal treatment for patients from across the country and abroad has already commenced.

The 25-bed Sub-Central Hospital in Arail has been equipped with advanced medical facilities, mirroring the infrastructure available at the Central Hospital. Specialist doctors have been stationed here to ensure expert medical care. CM Yogi has directed that better healthcare services should be available in every corner of Mahakumbh, the statement added.

The official release, citing Gaurav Dubey, emphasized the ongoing efforts to prioritize health services and shared that 900 patients were treated at the Central Hospital on the first day of the New Year alone, reflecting the scale and efficiency of the healthcare arrangements.

People have started visiting the Central Hospital of Mahakumbhnagar for medical care not only from across the country but also from abroad, it further says.

Meanwhile, recently, a couple from Fatehpur, Ajay Kumar and Puja, were blessed with a baby boy at the hospital. Considering his birth a divine blessing of the Mahakumbh, the couple named him Jamuna Prasad, inspired by the sacred river.

Dubey confirmed that the successful delivery was conducted by Jasmine and Sister In-Charge Rama. The newborn, weighing 2.3 kg, is completely healthy, as confirmed by the medical team. (ANI)

India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Sunday spoke on the future of Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma after the 3-1 series defeat at the hands of Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

After 10 years of dominance, India’s reign of terror in the BGT ended on a bitter note. Questions were raised on Virat and Rohit’s dwindling form throughout the series.

With India’s most experienced batters failing in front of Australia’s famed pace express, some sections of fans called on Rohit and Virat to retire from the Test format.

Speculations around Rohit’s retirement spiked when Jasprit Bumrah came out at the time of the toss, confirming Rohit’s absence from the playing XI. At the time of the toss, the stand-in skipper confirmed that Rohit had decided to opt-out.

As questions and critics continue to surround Virat and Rohit, Gambhir is hopeful that the duo can continue to take Indian cricket forward. For Gambhir, Rohit and Virat’s decision will be in the best interest of the team.

“I can’t talk about the future of any player. It’s up to them as well. They still have the hunger, they still have the passion, they are tough people, and hopefully, they can continue to take Indian cricket forward. Whatever they plan, they will plan in the best interest of the team. I have to be fair and equal to everyone in the dressing room,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.

During the Sydney Test, Rohit addressed the constantly growing speculations around his retirement and offered assurance about his place in the team by saying he is not going anywhere.

“I have stood down from this Test, but I am not going anywhere. This is not a retirement or moving away from the format. A guy with a mic, pen or laptop, what they write or say, it doesn’t matter. They cannot decide for us. I took the call to stand down after coming to Sydney. Yes, runs are not coming, but there is no guarantee that you won’t be able to score two months down the line or six months down the line. I am mature enough to know what I am doing,” Rohit Sharma told Star Sports.

In the recently concluded BGT series, Rohit could only muster up a mere 31 runs to his name. On the other hand, Virat laboured for runs since scoring an unbeaten ton in Perth. He finished with 190 runs to his name in five Tests, averaging 23.75, with a strike rate of 47.98.

With the BGT done and dusted, along with hopes of reaching the WTC final, India will return to Test cricket in June against England. (ANI)

As Maha Kumbh nears its commencement date, the religious festivities can be witnessed in the region and across the Sangam (confluence of Ganga and Yamuna). Mahamandaleshwar Kaushalya Nand Giri of Kinnar Akhara performed a fire ritual (Havan), praying that the holy celebrations of Kumbh remain divine, grand and safe.

“Maha Kumbh will be grand. We performed Havan in our Akhara for the safety (of people) in Maha Kumbh. It was a special Havan for Maa Baglamukhi, one of the 10 Mahavidyas, where the religious ritual was performed with mustard seeds. We prayed to Maa Baglamukhi for the Kumbh to remain divine, grand and safe. The government was making efforts to accommodate 40 crore people here and we prayed for their safe journey,” Kaushalya Nand Giri said.

The Maha Kumbh is expected to draw a massive crowd of around 40 crore people, posing a significant challenge for crowd management.

Speaking on the preparations for the Maha Kumbh, the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of North Central Railway, Shashikant Tripathi told ANI, “… The Civil Administration has given us an estimate that around 40 crore people will reach Prayagraj during the Kumbh Mela… Crowd management is a big subject for us.”

The North Central Railway has devised a plan to ensure a smooth and safe experience for the pilgrims. The uni-directional movement to prevent chaos and congestion, the movement of people will be kept uni-directional, avoiding criss-cross movements.

Moreover, passengers will be directed to the ‘Yatri-Kendra’ before proceeding to their respective platforms, reducing confusion and congestion.

Meanwhile, as the preparations for Maha Kumbh keep the administration and people exuberant, several people are showcasing their talent in different ways.

After Chhotu Baba, who has become famous for not taking a bath in 32 years, and Chabhi wale Baba, who roams around with a 20-kilogram key, another person known as ‘E-rickshaw Baba’ has become the centre of attraction at the holy festival.

Mahant Om, popularly known as ‘E-rickshaw Baba’, arrived from Delhi on a customised three-wheeler to attend the Maha Kumbh. It took him nearly 13 days to reach Prayagraj in his electric vehicle.

The Maha Kumbh is being celebrated after 12 years and a huge turnout of devotees is expected in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26. To prevent mishaps, the district administration has been taking important steps to ensure the safety of the devotees, especially for crowd management and avoiding fire incidents.

For Maha Kumbh, the administration has opted for technological tools along with the deployment of personnel to ensure the safety of the devotees. ADG (Fire Department) Padmaja Chauhan informed that the administration has increased the manpower and has deployed Quick Response Vehicles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) that can run on any kind of terrain, firefighting robots and fire mist bikes.

The main bathing rituals, known as the Shahi Snan (royal baths), will take place on January 14 (Makar Sankranti), January 29 (Mauni Amavasya), and February 3 (Basant Panchami). (ANI)

Kareena Kapoor Khan’s recent family vacation with her husband Saif Ali Khan and their sons, Taimur Ali Khan and Jeh Ali Khan, has become the talk of social media, thanks to a heartwarming moment involving her eldest son.

While the actress has been sharing snippets from their holiday, one particular post has captivated fans. The images show a tender moment where Taimur, dressed in a stylish black suit, is seen walking ahead of his mother in a hotel corridor, carrying her high heels.

The sweet gesture quickly caught the attention of netizens, who praised the young Nawab for his gentlemanly conduct.

Captioning the photos on Instagram, Kareena shared her pride with her followers, “MAA ki seva iss saal and forever. Happy new year friends. More Pictures coming soon. Stay tuned.”

The post has since garnered widespread admiration, with followers expressing their delight at Taimur’s gentle behaviour. Fans couldn’t stop gushing over his maturity and grace.

One user commented, “What a handsome little man,” while another wrote, “He is turning into a true blue Pataudi Gentleman.”

Some fans also praised his dashing looks, with one remarking, “Chote Nawab,” in the comments section.

Earlier this year, in a candid conversation, Kareena opened up about her role as a mother and how her children, especially Taimur, view her career and public life.

When asked if her son was aware of her achievements, including the film festival named after her, Kareena shared a funny story about how Taimur is still too young to grasp such concepts.

“I think right now they (Taimur and Jeh) are too young to know these things. He has an idea because of the paparazzi chasing him,” Kareena explained, adding, “I think that is why he only knows. But he keeps saying, ‘Why are they chasing? Am I famous?’ I said, ‘No you are not famous, I am famous. You are nobody, you haven’t done anything.’ He’s like, ‘Maybe one day I will do it.’ But right now, in his mind, it’s not films. It is only football.”

Kareena, Saif, Taimur, and Jeh rang in the New Year in the picturesque surroundings of Switzerland, where they were seen enjoying their time together as a family.

On the work front, Kareena has been receiving accolades for her recent performances.

She recently won the Best Actress Filmfare OTT Award for her role in the critically acclaimed film ‘Jaane Jaan’, which is an official adaptation of Keigo Higashino’s bestselling novel ‘Devotion of Suspect X’.

This year, Kareena was also seen in films, ‘Crew’, ‘The Buckingham Murders’, and ‘Singham Again’.

Each of these films has received positive feedback from audiences and critics alike. (ANI)

Australia broke the 10-year-long hiatus and successfully reclaimed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after conquering India at the Sydney Cricket Ground and thumping its authority in the fierce rivalry with a 3-1 series win.

Rohit Sharma, who decided to sit out in the final Test, saw his side with downcast eyes. Head coach Gautam Gambhir looked dejected as he saw India’s growing misery on the field. The emotions of the two stalwarts summed up the SCG Test.

For India, the three days were a mix of seeing dreams and then watching them crumble right in front of their eyes. The six-wicket defeat ended India’s hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final for the third successive time.

On the other hand, the triumph in Sydney booked Australia’s date with South Africa in the WTC final at the iconic Lord’s. The Baggy Greens will step into the venue with the ambition of successfully defending the WTC mace.

The victory in Perth became a distant memory when India crumbled in the opening hour of Day 3. Australia captain Pat Cummins forced out an edge from Ravindra Jadeja, who tried to cover his line but failed miserably. The Australian skipper nipped one back in to clean up Washington Sundar for 12(43).

Jasprit Bumrah, who left the field to go for scans and later returned to the dressing room on Day 2, stepped up on the crease to lead his side with the bat. He straightaway cleared his intentions by going after the bowlers. He went for a wild swing on the first ball but was eventually outdone by Scott Boland.

Before wrapping up India’s innings, Boland continued to haunt the visitors with his fiery spells. He lured Mohammed Siraj to give away an outside edge to Usman Khawaja.

Just a ball later, he clicked 133.1 kph and got enough moment to see the ball crash into the top of the leg stump. Bumrah went for a wild swing but missed the line of the ball completely. His dismissal saw India bundle out on 157, setting a target of 162 runs for Australia to chase down.

Australia had a paltry 162-run target to chase down, and Sam Konstas went straight after a Bumrah-less Indian bowling attack. The stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah’s involvement with the ball was a concern after he suffered from back spasms on Day 2.

There were initial hopes about the prospect of seeing him deliver with the new ball after he came out to bat. However, the hopeful eyes were soon filled with disappointment when Bumrah was nowhere to be seen on the field.

In Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Siraj spearheaded the attack and bowled in tandem with Prasidh Krishna. With a shining kookaburra in his hand, the dream start by the Indian team faded away.

The pressure played tricks on Siraj’s mind and eventually got the better of him. He forgot his line and lengths and gave away 13 runs in the opening over.

It seemed as if the pressure also caught up to Prasidh Krishna, who also wavered in his consistency and gave away 13 runs in just the second over.

With Australia running high on momentum and Sam Konstas dominating the proceedings, India needed some inspiration from its established pace duo.

The motivation came from Prasidh Krishna, who reduced Australia down to three wickets at the stroke of lunch. It all started with Konstas miscuing his shot to Washington Sundar.

Marnus Labuschagne casually edged it away to Yashasvi Jaiswal, while Steven Smith fell short of entering the 10,000 Test runs club.

In front of his home crowd, Smith stood one shot away from celebrating a massive milestone in his career. However, Prasidh extracted extra bounce from the surface and forced Smith to commit to the shot.

Smith looked helpless while trying to fend off the rising delivery, eventually slicing it to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who dived from the third slip to take a stunning catch. Jaiswal broke off in a sprint to celebrate, while Prasidh punched the air in jubilation over the crucial wicket.

As the game progressed in the second session, wickets in a flurry was what India needed, but the moment never came. Siraj lured out an edge from Usman Khawaja, but it wasn’t enough to push India’s case for victory.

The bowlers kept at it, but Travis Head and Beau Webster held firm in their stance while taking Australia closer to a famous win at the SCG and in the context of BGT.

The body language of Indian players slowly dropped as the hosts, with beaming smiles, cruised towards glory. Debutant Webster finished it off in style by finding the boundary rope, bringing the BGT back to Australia. Head and Webster returned unbeaten with scores of 34(38) and 39(34).

Brief Scores: Brief Scores: India: 185 & 157 (Rishabh Pant 61, Yashasvi Jaiswal 22, Scott Boland 6/45) vs Australia 181 & 162/4 (Travis Head 34, Beau Webster 39; Prasidh Krishna 3-65). (ANI)

India head coach Gautam Gambhir criticised Australian debutant Sam Konstas for his involvement in a heated verbal exchange with Jasprit Bumrah on the opening day of the Sydney Test, calling it inappropriate.

The final moments of the opening day became tense when the 19-year-old Konstas engaged in a verbal spat with the Indian pace spearhead, leaving Bumrah visibly agitated. As Bumrah was fired up, the consequences were felt by Usman Khawaja, who, on the next delivery, gave away a thick outside edge to KL Rahul at second slip.

“Tough sport played by tough men. He had no right to be talking to Jasprit Bumrah when Usman Khawaja was taking time. He had no right and no business to be involved with Jasprit Bumrah. That was the job of the umpire and the guy who is batting at the other end,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.

Throughout the series, Konstas had altercations with Indian players. His first major incident occurred at the iconic MCG during the Boxing Day Test when he was involved in a bumping exchange with Virat Kohli. Usman Khawaja, who was batting at the other end, was seen trying to calm things down.

Following the incident, Virat Kohli was fined 20 percent of his match fee and handed one demerit point.

“It is a tough sport played by tough men. These things happen. A lot of Australian players have done that in the past,” Gambhir said.

When asked about Konstas’ future, Gambhir felt the young opener needed to keep improving, stating, “I am sure that is why he is playing Test cricket. Sometimes, you can’t go on and keep smashing from the first ball. You have to respect red-ball cricket. You have to learn from your experiences. Test cricket is about improving every day.” (ANI)