Nicholas Pooran, retained as Lucknow Super Giants' top player, expresses gratitude to the franchise for their trust. He is available for captaincy, focusing on scoring runs and fostering a winning atmosphere. Pooran reflects on relinquishing West Indies captaincy, its impact on his growth, and aims for team success.
New Zealand are on the brink of an unprecedented 3-0 whitewash against India after securing their maiden series win in the country. The third Test at Wankhede Stadium is crucial for India, not just for pride but also for World Test Championship contention. India's senior players face significant scrutiny amid their struggles this series.
Teams announce their IPL retentions, revealing which star players will enter next month's mega auction. Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul are expected to generate significant interest. Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and other franchises disclose their key retentions, setting the stage for a competitive bidding war.
England cricket captain Ben Stokes revealed that his home in Castle Eden was burglarized while he was in Pakistan. The robbers stole his OBE medal, jewelry, and other items of sentimental value. His family was inside but unharmed physically, though emotionally affected. Stokes shared the incident to aid police in catching the culprits.
Nicholas Pooran reportedly signed with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the IPL 2025 season at Rs 18 crore, since he became the first retention. He becomes one of five maximum retentions for the franchise. Pooran's impressive performance last season made him a valuable addition, and LSG plans to build a strong team with him.
As India gears up for what could be the last home Test series together for veterans Kohli, Ashwin, Jadeja, and Rohit, concerns over their recent form and advancing age loom large. Despite their contributions to India's dominant home record, recent performances suggest a decline, highlighting a challenging transition ahead for Team India.
Former South Africa opener Gary Kirsten resigned as Pakistan’s white-ball coach six months into his contract, leading to criticism from former cricketers and ex-PCB chairman Ramiz Raja. Kirsten’s departure just before an Australia series has raised concerns about stability and clarity within Pakistan cricket.
As the IPL 2025 retention deadline approaches, excitement surges around Chennai Super Kings' key decisions. Speculations rise after CSK's cryptic social media post, hinting at potential retentions like Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni. Dhoni, planning to continue playing, is supported by CSK's CEO. His focus remains on enjoying the game while staying fit for the upcoming IPL season.A 17,000-year-old infant skeleton, found in Italy's Grotta delle Mura cave, is providing new insights into human populations during the Ice Age. Discovered in 1998, the remains were recently analyzed for DNA, allowing scientists to reconstruct aspects of the infant's appearance, ancestry, and health. The DNA results suggest that the child likely had dark skin, blue eyes, and curly hair—a combination found in other ancient European hunter-gatherers. The genetic profile connects the infant to an ancient population known as the Villabruna cluster, which lived in Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum.
This group represents an early lineage of modern Europeans, suggesting that the boy's community may have been among the earliest ancestors of later European populations.
The DNA analysis also indicates that the infant may have had a genetic heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which causes the heart muscle to thicken. In infants, this condition can lead to congestive heart failure. This potentially explains the boy's early death at an age between seven months and one and a half years.
Examination of the infant's teeth provided clues about his brief life and his mother's health. Multiple growth lines on the teeth suggest that both mother and child may have faced physiological stress, likely from malnutrition or illness, during and shortly after pregnancy. Further analysis showed that the mother remained close to her community during pregnancy, likely indicating a localized lifestyle within the Puglia region.
The child's remains was preserved in the cool environment of Grotta delle Mura. This allowed scientists to recover around 75 percent of his genome. Preservation of ancient remains in warm climates is rare, making this genetic information particularly valuable for studying early human populations.
This research sheds light on the adaptation and migration of ancient human populations during a period of significant environmental change. Through genetic insights into the child's traits and health, scientists can better understand the lives of early Europeans and their responses to Ice Age conditions.
Fakhar Zaman has been excluded from the Pakistan Cricket Board's central contracts after eight years, primarily due to failing a fitness test and criticism of selection decisions. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi emphasized fitness concerns over Zaman's controversial social media comments. Notable inclusions in the contracts include Shaheen Shah Afridi in Category B and Haris Rauf in Category C.
Afghanistan A clinched the ACC Men's T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 by defeating Sri Lanka A by seven wickets. Chasing 133/7, key performances by Sediqullah Atal and Karim Janat helped them reach the target with three overs to spare at Al Amerat Cricket Ground.
The National Selection Panel has announced Australia's men’s T20 squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan. The team includes a mix of seasoned players and new talent, with notable returns from injury for Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, and Spencer Johnson. Some Test squad members will skip the T20 series.
New Zealand's cricket team, under Tom Latham's leadership, achieved a landmark 2-0 Test series win against India, breaking their 18-series unbeaten home streak. Latham credited their aggressive strategy and pivotal toss wins as key factors, alongside impressive performances from their bowlers, especially in Bangalore. The series is set to conclude with the third and final Test at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, scheduled from November 1 to 5.
Robert Lewandowski struck twice in three minutes as Barcelona crushed rivals Real Madrid 4-0 on Saturday, inflicting the Spanish champions' first La Liga defeat in over a year. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha scored the other two goals for the Catalans in a night to forget for Carlo Ancelotti's side at the Bernabeu
We have all at some point encountered the kind of duplicitous men who would shamelessly beat their wives, catcall every possible female, exert their dominance, and yet call themselves feminists who “respect women.” They won't even deny their preposterous acts and would either blame the victim for triggering them or make fun of their hopelessness. These men, whose actions are often overcompensating for their own inadequacies and dysfunctions, can unfortunately be found in every stratum of society.
Netflix's latest original film Do Patti, brings to us one such man in Dhruv Sood (Shaheer Sheikh) from a small hill town, who regularly beats his traumatised wife Saumya (Kriti Sanon). The film begins with a paraglide gone wrong, as the couple hang in the air for their lives from their glider. Saumya, who thinks her husband has sabotaged her harness, begs for her life. Upon being rescued, Saumya tells inspector Vidya Jyothi (Kajol) that her husband tried to murder her, and we are taken to a flashback sequence of three months ago, when the two first met.
Saumya is introduced as an anxious introvert, who has been in severe depression since her parents died. Now living with an alcoholic caretaker, she is quietly suffering from several phobias and traumas. She also has a tumultuous relationship with her twin sister Shailee, who was sent off to a hostel because of her abusive behaviour towards Saumya, only to return in time to interfere with her love life.
A major flaw that holds Do Patti back is the incoherent plot and its fluctuating tone. Some of the scenes are intense and leave a lasting impact; others are merely fillers that don't add anything meaningful to the story. A thriller is supposed to constantly keep viewers on their toes and carefully set up the pieces before pulling the rug. Do Patti, however, isn't able to maintain that iron grip on its plot.
The film, for instance, wastes a lot of time in establishing Kajol's character. She plays an idealist cop who talks in Bollywood's stereotypical idea of what a hinterland accent is supposed to be — it's neither Hindi nor Haryanvi or Bhojpuri. Can we please stop with the lazy sub-altern caricature already?
At one point, it begins to feel that the writers were so starstruck by Kajol that they forgot to add any meat to her role and hoped she'd carry the character with her natural charisma. Kajol's Vidya Jyothi, who goes by “VJ”, is goofy, close to her popular roles in romantic comedies, instead being a serious cop. While Kajol has tried her best to deliver with whatever little she was given, the blame lies with the writers for underutilising a refined actor like her. If you aren't her fan, her story arc will feel stretched thing on several occasions.
Another area where the film falters is its stereotypical and regressive representation of its female characters. Sanon's twin sister is shown as a loose woman, who drinks, has short hair, wears seductive outfits, goes clubbing and flirts with men. Why are we still sticking to these idiotic tropes in 2024 and feeding the patriarchal beast. Shailee is painted with a singular brush, and there are no other shades to her character. She is supposed to be villainous and scheming, so of course she's not in line with what our “culture” deems righteous. Or is it so that she's automatically labelled evil just because she drinks or likes to dress up? While Saumya's extremely introverted behaviour can be attributed to her trauma, the film could have — and in fact, should have — avoided Shailee's version from the witchcraft era.
Despite its flaws, the film does a fine job in its representation of patriarchy, violence against women, childhood trauma and its deep-seated impact. In a disturbing scene from the film, we see Dhruv brutally beating Saumya. He pulls her hair, kicks her in the guts mercilessly, rolls her like a football, throws her over the stairs and leaves her blood-soaked on the floor. In the end, he candidly throws away the typical “why did you trigger my anger” statement.
The entire sequence is well-performed and boils your blood to the extent where you'd feel like entering the screen and punching Sheikh's character. While it's disturbing and can be triggering for victims of abuse, it is also one of the most powerful scenes in the film. It not only shows the brutality of domestic violence against women but also the sick and twisted psyches of monsters who perpetrate abuse.
The film also boasts some amazing performances, especially by Sanon and Sheikh. Sanon has done a brilliant job at playing dual roles and is equally convincing in both of them. Her characters have been carefully written, infused with the smallest aspects of the human behaviour in consideration. There is a scene where Saumya is pushed into paragliding for the first time, despite having severe acrophobia, and midway through the activity, she gets teary-eyed thinking of her dead mother. It is such a moving representation of how the grief one might be carrying can subconsciously erupt with even the slightest push, reminding us that it was waiting beneath the surface all this while. While the National award-winning actor has given a few impressive performances earlier as well, especially in Mimi, she has outdone herself in this Netflix original.
The way Do Patti handles and portrays the themes of childhood trauma, sibling rivalries, domestic violence, abuse, and the objectification of women is quite impressive. It intimately explores even the smallest details of these difficult themes, complemented by brilliant performances. However, brilliance comes in patches. If only the film had better pacing or constant momentum throughout its runtime — and avoided harmful stereotypes — it would have done justice to the important issues it attempts to explore. Films dealing with such sensitive themes need to be more captivating to appeal to a larger audience. Do Patti handles its subject matter in impressive ways — it has its intentions in the right place. But it struggles to establish itself as a good thriller.
Rating: 6.5/10
Afghanistan A triumphed over India A by 20 runs in an Emerging Teams Asia Cup T20 semi-final. Despite Ramandeep Singh's fighting half-century, India A fell short, ending at 186/7. Sediqullah Atal and Zubaid Akbari starred for Afghanistan, posting a strong 206/4. Afghanistan A face Sri Lanka A in the final on Sunday.
Jason Gillespie urges former cricketers to stop undue criticism of Pakistan's national team, as it impacts player morale. He highlights the importance of positive feedback from past idols and expresses frustration over his limited role in team decisions, advocating for improved communication. Gillespie also expressed frustration over his reduced role. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) removed him and Test captain Shan Masood from the selection committee and took away their input on pitch preparation.
Legendary David Warner's lifetime ban from leadership roles in Australian cricket has been lifted following his respectful appeal. The decision came after a three-person panel assessed his contrite presentation, enabling Warner to pursue leadership positions, including with Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League. Warner was a central figure in the 2018 "Sandpaper-gate" incident.
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi out-earned entire payrolls of 22 MLS teams with a $20.4 million total compensation. Miami led the league with a $41.7 million payroll. Notable new players included LAFC's Olivier Giroud at $3.67 million annually, and Miami's Sergio Busquets at $8.5 million annually.
England captain Ben Stokes faced a humorous misunderstanding with a Pakistani reporter before the third Test against Pakistan. With the match set in spin-friendly Rawalpindi, Stokes trusts his spinners and emphasized batting first. Pakistan maintains their spin strategy, hoping for a significant win after a tough year, with both sides keen on exploiting spin conditions.
Ayush Badoni's impressive 51 off 27 balls led India A to a six-wicket victory over Oman in the ACC Emerging Asia Cup, setting up a semi-final clash with Afghanistan A. Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma also contributed significantly in the chase.
Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma had a heartwarming encounter with a fangirl before the second Test against New Zealand in Pune, promising to convey her message to Virat Kohli. Despite Rishabh Pant's knee injury, Team India aims to level the series sans New Zealand's Kane Williamson, sidelined with a groin injury.
Babita Phogat revealed her family received only Rs 1 crore from the Rs 2,000 crore earned by the film 'Dangal'. Despite this, she expressed no disheartenment, valuing people's love and respect as taught by her father. 'Dangal' depicts the journey of Mahavir Phogat training his daughters Geeta and Babita in wrestling.
India's Test squad for the Australian tour will likely be announced on October 28, with veteran Cheteshwar Pujara a potential inclusion due to his past performances in Australia and current form. Pujara last played for India in the World Test Championship final in 2023. The selection panel will also make a decision on Mohammed Shami's inclusion.
New Zealand cricket teams celebrated historic victories as the men's team clinched their first Test win in India in 36 years, and the women's team secured their inaugural ICC Women's T20 World Cup title. Key performances by Rachin Ravindra and Amelia Kerr were instrumental in these wins, earning them 'Player of the Match' honours.
India A clinched a convincing 7-wicket win against UAE in the ACC Men's T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024. With Rasikh Salam leading a formidable bowling attack and Abhishek Sharma contributing a rapid 58 off 24 balls, India A successfully chased down UAE's 107 runs in just 10.5 overs to secure the victory. India A will next play Oman on Wednesday at the same venue.
Sri Lanka triumphed over the West Indies by five wickets in a rain-affected first ODI at Pallekele. Skipper Charith Asalanka and Nishan Madushka's crucial partnership propelled the hosts to chase down a revised target of 232 with ease. Despite challenging wet conditions for the West Indies spinners, Sri Lanka secured a 1-0 series lead.
Sanjay Manjrekar criticized Rohit Sharma's captaincy during India's Test loss to New Zealand, particularly his decision to delay bringing on Ravichandran Ashwin. Manjrekar argued that using pacer Mohammed Siraj for extended spells was a tactical error. Despite the defeat, Rohit praised India's second innings comeback. India now needs victories in the next two matches to maintain their home series streak.
New Zealand won their first Women's T20 World Cup by defeating South Africa by 32 runs in Dubai. Led by Sophie Devine, they posted 158/5, with Amelia Kerr (43) and Brooke Halliday (38) making key contributions. Kerr also excelled with the ball, taking 3/24. The victory capped off a momentous day for New Zealand cricket, as the men's team also achieved their first Test win in India in 36 years earlier in the day.
Pravin Amre will part ways with Delhi Capitals after a nine-year tenure as assistant coach, with Hemang Badani assuming the role of head coach for the upcoming seasons. Despite fostering young talent, his contract has ended. The team might offer him a new position, but it likely won't be with Delhi Capitals directly.
Novak Djokovic expressed deep gratitude to Rafael Nadal during their final match at the Six Kings Slam event in Saudi Arabia. Djokovic honored their intense rivalry and Nadal's contributions to tennis, as the Spaniard prepares to retire after the Davis Cup Finals next month.
India A clinched a 7-run win over Pakistan A in the ACC Men's T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024, thanks to Anshul Kamboj's stellar bowling. Batting first, India A posted 183/8; in response, Pakistan A fell short at 176/7 despite Abdul Samad's late surge. India A will now face United Arab Emirates on Monday at the same venue.
Pakistan's victory in the second Test at Multan against England ended a losing streak and sparked mixed reactions. Some critics have been of the view that the exclusion of out-of-form Babar Azam and others led to success, spotlighting debutant Kamran Ghulam and spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan. Veteran pacer Mohammad Amir called for objective criticism.
Whether it's cinema, television, standup performances, or the millions of memes plaguing the Internet, the stereotypical Indian family has always been an object of ridicule. The moms are too controlling, food is uncontrollably spicy, curfews are annoying, privacy is obsolete, academic excellence flows through generations, and well... the list is too long to summarise here. But if you want a catalogue of these, Prime Video might have just what you're looking for. Its latest series, The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, is an unhinged compilation of these comical familial laws that Indians supposedly stick to and gives an unabashed 228-minute-long commentary on the same.
The show also adressess the awkward nature of conversations around intimacy in Indian families
The eight-episode-long series follows a typical Indian family, The Pradeeps, who have moved to Pittsburgh in the United States –– the land of opportunities, as they call it. The family is headed by Mahesh, the optimistic engineer father who made everyone move across the planet for a SpaceX contract, and Sudha, the brain-surgeon mother who's having a hard time getting her medical license in the strict-on-rules new land. The kids include teenager Bhanu, the eldest daughter who is desperate to fit in the new culture; Kamal, an introverted and shy young man with a bunch of phobias; and Vinod, an optimistic junior high schooler who views the world through his rose-tinted glasses and stays positive even when being bullied.
This, however, isn't merely a story of an Indian family having a tough time adjusting to a foreign land. The Pradeeps are also the prime suspects in an ongoing investigation over a mysterious crime involving their Christian neighbours –– revealed later in the show. Now under the scanner of immigration services, the family is being interrogated over the serious crime, with a possible risk of deportation looming.
The entire series is a sequence of flashback narratives with the two officers in charge trying to break these tough nuts into confessing. The Pradeeps are confronted in groups, trios, couples, and even in isolation, but the brown family couldn't be more disinterested, let alone be intimidated, by the colourful investigative tactics.
The show is driven by the nonchalance of its characters and their wildly different perspectives for every incident. While Sudha might recall a snowstorm causing their car to slide in slow motion before bursting into flames –– “We Indians like to add a little masala to our stories” is how she'd justify the exaggeration –– Mahesh would describe the same day as a positive one that brought a fresh start to their lives. The oscillating narratives extend to the neighbours as well, who have their own twisted versions, adding to the confusion.
Every version seems to be the revelatory truth until the next person drops in with a totally opposite version. The show even attempts to portray the humorous similarities between Indian mothers and religious Christian mothers at one point.
The episodes are short, crisply written, and transition effortlessly. The overall tone stays light and humorous. Even when dealing with grave themes like racism, the show doesn't turn serious at any point. Pradeeps of Pittsburgh chugs along like a mindless high-school drama where the protagonists haven't yet met the harsher realities of life.
Ashwin's character is fascinated by the comfortable lives of US garbagemen, contrasting with their malnourished counterparts in his home country
The show, however, comes with a string of overly used stereotypes and controversial dialogues and analogies that might offend a certain people. For instance, in one scene, Bhanu describes India as a “supermodel with diarrhoea”. Her explanation? Well, the country is beautiful to look at but doesn't offer much to a female teenager because of societal restrictions and curfews. In another scene, we see a disabled white kid mocking a 500 rupee note and calling Gandhi an anorexic Charlie Brown. There are also references to a shy Indian boy getting aroused after brushing past a cow udder. No wonder the series isn't being aggressively publicised in India.
While a little harmless humour doesn't hurt, when a show is premiering globally, it comes with the responsibility of balancing representation to some extent. While I am not exactly calling for a monochromatic picture with just the nation's achievements, or a singularly patriotic narrative that paints the country as the greatest on the planet –– let's leave that to our supremely talented politicians –– a little more sensitivity could have gone a long way. I don't want to dig up the debate about art and cinema influencing the audience's perspective, but for viewers who have never visited India, these representations can build a certain narrative. As someone who lives in the country in question, I can assure you we don't get ready in glittery sarees and sherwanis just to go out for a plate of panipuri, as the Pradeeps might have you believe.
The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh isn't the first American show to opt for this ill-informed portrayal. The Big Bang Theory, perhaps one of the most popular sitcoms of its time, resorted to certain harmful stereotypes about Indians, too. Raj, one of the main characters in the show, couldn't speak to women, relied on his father for his expenses, and sought to control his sister's love life –– justifying his actions with ancient scriptures that declare women as a property of her father or brother. All this despite being a gifted astrophysicist and a man of science. It's time we left these stereotypical representations in the last century, where they belong, and opt for a more realistic portrayal.
The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, however, works as light-hearted comedy about the familiar troubles of the Indian diaspora in the US –– nothing more. The show is full of brain-rotting and superficial jokes around sex, religion, parenting, and everything brown, and while some stereotypes are exaggerated beyond reason, an Indian audience will easily find moments of relatability. But if you're easily offended, or often finds yourself engaged in heated arguments on Twitter (yes, we know it's called X now) with strangers, and have a keen interest in cancel culture, you should probably skip this one. That being said, I love my nation dearly. Please don't cancel me for recommending this series.
Rating: 6/10
New Zealand clinched a spot in the Women's T20 World Cup final with a narrow eight-run victory over West Indies in Sharjah. Despite Deandra Dottin's impressive bowling and batting efforts, her team fell short. New Zealand only secured the win in the final over of the match. New Zealand will face South Africa in the final.
Rafael Nadal admitted his fitness level was well off the tour's top players after falling Thursday in straight sets to fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who described the exhibition match as "a little bit sad". Nadal lost in straight sets to his younger peer at the exhibition event in Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan's recent struggles in Test cricket and early exits from ODI and T20 World Cups have raised concerns about the Pakistan Cricket Board's management. A major shake-up in the selection committee, led by Aaqib Javed, aims to address performance issues. Even India coach Gautam Gambhir has expressed worry over Pakistan's decline, affecting the excitement of India-Pakistan matches.
South Africa triumphed over Australia by eight wickets in the Women's T20 World Cup semi-final, securing a place in the final. After restricting Australia to 134 for five, with Beth Mooney scoring 44, South Africa chased down the target in 16 balls, thanks to Anneke Bosch's unbeaten 74 off 48 balls and Laura Wolvaardt's 42-run contribution.
Ben Duckett's century was pivotal as England responded to Pakistan's 366 in the second Test in Multan. His performance and key partnerships kept England's innings together despite Sajid Ali's four-wicket haul on day two. Duckett, who scored 114, noted his growth as a batsman after struggling against Ravichandran Ashwin in India.
Captain Mohammad Haris of Pakistan Shaheens revealed that players are not allowed to discuss India in the dressing room to avoid unnecessary pressure. Ex-player Basit Ali criticized this statement, denying PCB's involvement. Haris highlighted that such a rule ensures the team stays focused on other opponents as well during the tournament.
Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar was recently seen with former Pakistan cricket stars Wasim Akram, Zaheer Abbas, and Moin Khan during his visit to the National Cricket League (NCL) in Dallas, USA. The tournament, played in the T10 format, took place at the University of Texas cricket ground's new cricket stadium.
West Indies secured a six-wicket victory over England to advance to the Women's T20 World Cup semifinals. Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph scored half-centuries. South Africa will play Australia in the first semifinal, and West Indies will face New Zealand in the second. England and India were eliminated from the tournament.
Pakistan’s Kamran Ghulam, compared to Steve Smith by Nasser Hussain, made a spectacular Test debut with a century against England in Multan on Tuesday. His 118 off 224 balls helped stabilize Pakistan after early trouble. Ghulam's partnership with Saim Ayub was crucial, showcasing a balance of aggression and resilience under pressure.
The Hockey India League men's auction in Delhi saw eight teams complete their squads with a purse of INR 4 crore each. India's Harmanpreet Singh received the highest bid at Rs 78 lakh, while Germany's Gonzalo Peillat was the costliest overseas player at Rs 68 lakh.