#kohli playing today

[just2bubbly]

just realised if we do not win today and Kohli fails to perform, Indians are gonna know who to blame for it all

[jsjssnsjjs]

Uncomfortable AF!

ok so I've been following ishman for a while now and I absolutely love both the players for what they represent. I also understand that obviously shubman has an edge over ishan in the field of cricket but I absolutely do not understand why the authorities are killing ishan's career ???

Shubman posted his safari pics today and he was enjoying and then there were moments where he was practicing with skipper Rohit sharma and obvo king kohli as well. He recently got featured in Forbes as well. I know, I know and i understand that it's not like it's his fault being good at things and being lucky but i feel so uncomfortable when i see him now.

With all that is happening to ishan i just i just don't know what to do. If he was unskilled and a bad player I would've understood it but that guy has potential as much as any of the playing 11 on the fields. It feels extremely sad seeing him not being able to enjoy these safaris, moments with the senior players and all of the other stuff.

Since their last post together I've seen shubman post and promote himself but ishan's profile stays empty whyyyyy??

What the flacka is up with these cricket policies anyways?? I really don't think so that if India has 2 young star players it's going to create a problem for the board but to deliberately ignore someone's efforts and hard work for no reason makes no sense for me. I know for a fact as everyone else that ishan's mental fatigue stems from not getting a chance in playing rather than the travelling. But what does it mean then?? They're gonna keep hanging him off the thread just like that?

Forget ishman and it's downward going slope but think if things keep on going like this are they even going to remain friends over the years? i seriously question it whether their relationship would be maintained. At some point or level being close to someone who keeps on getting one thing after the another is going to affect ishan as well just like it affects all of us. That man is a goddamn angel for the love of earth, but still he had to go through this shit.

I don't know guys I love ishman to death but this rift between them is kinda a tough one to carry along i don't know what the future will look like but honestly God give strength to both of these gentlemen maybe a little more to ishan for surviving through this tough time.

Also I hope cricket was like FOOTBALL FCs 😭😭 would've transferred ishan to the Kiwis I feel like he'd have fit perfectly for some reason.

Just wanted to vent 😭

[twh-news]

Tom Hiddleston Has Compared Mike Flanagan's The Life Of Chuck To One Of The Best Stephen King Adaptations, And I'm So Hyped

Writer/director Mike Flanagan has already made two of the all-time best Stephen King adaptations. In 2017, he worked his magic to bring us the horrifying character study that is Gerald’s Game, and two years later, he pulled off a cinematic miracle with Doctor Sleep – which has helped aleve the notorious animosity that the author feels toward Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Given this track record, it’s hard not to have exceptionally high expectations for his third King film, the upcoming The Life Of Chuck – and star Tom Hiddleston certainly isn’t doing anything to decrease hype. In a new interview, he has compared the movie to another one of the best King movies ever: Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption.

With the finale of Loki Season 2 dropping on Disney+ last week and the SAG-AFTRA strike now over, CinemaBlend’s own Erik Swann did a virtual interview with Hiddleston earlier today, and they in part spoke about the actor’s upcoming Stephen King adaptation. Asked about his personal experience with the author, the Marvel star recalled both his love for Shawshank Redemption and noted what it shares in common with The Life Of Chuck. Said Hiddleston,

I remember seeing the Shawshank Redemption when I was about 12 or 13 years old, and I think [it’s] still probably one of my top five favorite films of all time – because there is a warmth and a strength of spirit and a kind of overarching philosophy that is resolutely on the side of life and love that's at the center of that story. And I think it's that Stephen King that’s behind The Life of Chuck, the same warmth, same spirit.

The Life Of Chuck is based on the novella of the same name, which was first published in the 2020 Stephen King omnibus If It Bleeds. A cerebral and emotional piece of writing, the story is split into three sections and they unfold in reverse chronological order – beginning with the titular Chuck dying from a brain tumor at the age of 39. 

Tom Hiddleston will be playing the eponymous character in the upcoming movie, which started filming in Alabama last month with permissions from SAG-AFTRA during the strike. This is the first time that he has worked with Mike Flanagan, but he is surrounded in the cast by many of Flanagan’s regulars – including Annalise Basso, Matt Biedel, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Rahul Kohli, Heather Langenkamp, Carl Lumbly, Violet McGraw, Molly C. Quinn, Sauriyan Sapkota, Kate Siegel, Samantha Sloyan, and Michael Trucco.

Speaking about his first time working with Mike Flanagan and joining the filmmaker’s special troupe, Hiddleston remarked,

I had the most wonderful experience working with Mike Flanagan and with the company of performers that he assembled. I find it a very moving and beautiful story.

As you can tell by the use of past tense, Tom Hiddleston has completed his work on The Life Of Chuck (Karen Gillan recently celebrated wrapping with a TikTok video a few days ago), but we sadly don’t know when we’re actually going to see the film, as distribution plans have not yet been announced.

[bimesskaira]

I have finally come to my senses and it has finally just sunk in that India has WON, we freaking won the T20 world cup. I couldn't believe it. I was screaming with joy and happy tears were streaming down my face at 11.30 p.m. at night after Hardik Pandya's last delivery. My heartbeat during the entire match went 📈📉. I was so scared when Klassen was on the field and then hardik took his wicket. Hardik proved it, he proved what it means to turn your boos into cheers, what it is to complete one's redemption arc. His words : "last 6 months were, I haven't spoken a word, things have been unfair. I knew that if I kept working hard I could shine and do what I could do", they show how much he suffered and yet still kept a smile on his face. Those words of him will forever remind me to keep working on yourself and ignore the world because when the time comes everyone's criticism will turn into praise. Everybody's contribution yesterday and throughout the tournament has culminated into yesterday's win. If everyone hadn't contributed be it on the field or from the bench by carrying waterbottles or messages, the win wouldn't have been possible. After 11 years we finally won an icc trophy, the win finally eased the hurt of the memories of 2023 odi wc where 1.4 billion people shed tears and were haunted by the memories of that match. Yet despite the overwhelming happiness, today is also tinged with a bit of sadness and bitter melancholy, the reason being, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Rohit Sharma. They are our childhood, we grew up watching them play. The jersey numbers VK18, Rohit45 and Jadeja8 are forever imprinted in our minds. Jadejas bullet fielding, Rohits pull shots and Virats batting will forever imprinted in our minds and hearts. Their retirement from the t20 format is marking the beginning of the end of an era. Yes, they will continue playing the longer formats of odi and test but we will miss them in t20's not only them but Trent boult and David Warner, too. But as they said it's time for the newer generation to come forward and carry the torch on and VK, Jaddu and Rohit definitely got the fairytale ending they deserved especially after not only the nightmarish 19th November but also the several semi finals and finals we lost over the years. Here, I will input that I am hoping for ishan kishan's comeback too. The dual emotions of happiness and sadness had made the overwhelming. Here's to hoping for an even brighter future. Here's to the future of indian cricket and Indian cricket team. Because we are THE WORLD T20 CHAMPIONS OF 2024!!!🥳🥳🥳.

[littleblackraincloudofcourse]

The Fall of the House of Usher really highlights why the WGA a SAG strikes where/are so valid for the entertainment industry today. Mike Flanagan and his writers took Edgar Allan Poe's greatest works as well as some of his lesser known and stanger works and created something brilliant. At the same time they didn't just mix and mash the stories together, instead they created an homage to his work while still creating something original and unique. If this had been done using AI instead the result would have resembled a Wattpad reject writing by an illiterate goth kid high on their parent's stash.

That being said, as brilliant as the writing is, without the right actors none of it would work. Perry would have come off as a creepy perv rather than oddly seductive and captivating if not for Sauriyan Sapkota's performance. T'Nia Miller was able to be sympathetic despite killing countless animals. Speaking off animals who else could be that funny or look that good trying to murder a cat but Rahul Kohli. And of course the epic lemon monologue by Bruce Greenwood wouldn't have been the same( and let's be real, not as good) if it had been Frank Lagella giving it. I could keep going because the casting was impeccable. But beyond the main cast even the background characters played their parts beautifully. The masquerade was a work of art that should be praise endlessly and without them being there and "being real" it wouldn't have the same impact.

Art needs to made by real people and they deserve to be appreciated and celebrated at every level

[shawty-writes-a-little]

I’m going to honest I’m ENRAGED what the fuck. what the fuck. We’re a country or 10cr people, a poor, developing, third world country we’re holding you to such a high regard, police protection, first class transport, five star hotel stays, all this expenses and love spent after you, a team of 11 and you loose hope? Shit yourself? If we win, it’s always “Kohli’s century” “shami final” “hitman rohit” but if we loose, bharat looses.

I’m from amd, narendra Modi stadium has 1.5lakh capacity, they sold 14k tickets on bookmyshow and 10k on insider and that’s it-the rest? Reserved seats for cricketer guests and celebrities. The tickets sold in black? ₹40k got a seat. Oh you’re not a famous entity? Too bad! Watch from home!!!! Blocked roads for the team’s transport, 20 police vans allotted to their bus-they’ve decorated half of our city for them btw

This might make me sound like a toxic stan or whatever but I don’t CARE. That’s your JOB I’m a fan of cricket not fucking cricketers that’s your JOB. They shit themselves in batting, “400 runs against this team that team” what’s the point if you can’t play when you have to? They panicked in first innings, didn’t change their strategy, fucked the fielding and lost hope at the last 20 overs???? Literally Kohli was eating nuts by the fielding stands-they let the fours roll over they seriously had zero hope to win and hope of audience and hope of players should be different?? Do your job you fucking cucks “the boys played well” “at least we made it to the finals” stop coddling grown ass men they were terrible at their JOB that they’re PAID to do—we honestly could’ve won today we had so much potential but the team takes the love and expenses spent after them for granted the grandeur of it all-edits of Kohli Anushka chivalry-reels and advertisements which makes them public figures-they account for that prestige so much more than focusing on the game bloody dramebaz fuckos

[shortansweet]

Virat kohli u better learn how to play today warna istg tere peeche chaku leke padugi me

[stoookes]

hey! I wanna ask one thing, did you watch the highlights of the India vs Pakistan match from the 2022 t20 world cup? considering Ind vs Pak is today, star sports was showing the highlights of the 2022 T20 again. So the 2022 match, held at Melbourne, is hands down one of the biggest nailbiters in cricket history, and features a famous rescue act by Virat Kohli. He top-scored with 82 not out in a chase of 160, which enabled us to win the match by 4 wickets. And we had got off to a horror start, we were something like 40/4 at a point, and we weren't even near to the required run rate. That was when Virat and Hardik combined for a vital partnership. I remember that match crystal clear, India needed 22 from 8 balls, Haris Rauf was bowling, and Virat hit him for two successive sixes. The first of those sixes was just sublime and like, unreal, and was officially voted the ICC shot of the century. Not the year, not the decade, the whole damn century. 🤯🤯🥹🥹

So I was thinking of how this match would happen in Omegaverse, or more specifically how it would help improve public reaction to omegas playing. With Virat open and out omega, and his six being voted as the ICC shot of the century, people would be kinder to the idea of omegas in cricket, wouldn't they? Also, in my headcanon, Hardik is also an omega-- a bit like Stu, he's in hiding, pretending to be an alpha, despite VK's debut, because BCCI made it pretty loud and clear that Virat was a special case, and other omegas shouldn't expect the same privileges extended to them. So Hardik, just like Stu, is taking pills to conceal his identity and like Stu, conforming to a hyper-alpha lifestyle he doesn't subscribe to, but follows for fear of letting himself out accidentally. But Hardik has also come out as omega by the time this iconic match happens. So imagine this now: your team is in major trouble, both your openers (kl Rahul and rohit in this case), are gone, Suryakumar Yadav, the number one ranked batter in t20s has gotten out, and Axar Patel, the sole left-hander in your lineup has gotten run out in a terrible mix-up. Who's left now? Virat and Hardik. Two omegas, who despite their achievements can't seem to earn the kind of respect and awe that playing alphas do. These two omegas end up stitching together a partnership that takes us over the line against our arch-rivals in an utter humdinger. Pure cinema. 🤌🏻

Aww I really like that - and yeah Stuart isn't an exception; there's quite a few players around the world posing as alphas when they're really omegas.

The opinion of omegas will be much better come 2022, but they'll probably be an undertone of 'two omegas can't get this over the line' when it goes down to it. I don't think it's like the turning point because, as I said, omegas are much more accepted and respected by this time, but it'll definitely have positive effects

[what-if-nct]

also daily anon here again i sent that early because I didn't wanna lose the link but I'm excited about this and wanna talk about it. idk if you know much about cricket,i know it's not as popular in the US, but it's a massive deal here. so the cricket world cup is going on right now and India is hosting. there's 9 countries that qualified, so first there's 45 league matches of each of the 9 countries playing each other, then based on the run rate (basically the more runs you win by, the more points you get) the top four get to the semis, then finals. our team absolutely murdered the league games, won all 9, the last few matches were downright humiliating for our opponents (suck it england). but our team has a semifinal curse, this is usually as far as we get. and this time it was against new zealand, which is a really really really good team, and also one we lost a semifinal to a while ago when our campaign was looking good, so today was a very important match. there were literally prayers going around all over the country for us to win. and it was a tight match for a bit, but we crushed them and broke the curse and broke a bunch of very important records. kohli broke the record for most centuries in ODIs, beating a man considered the god of modern cricket also they had a cute little moment where after our innings tendulkar came down to congratulate him for breaking his record, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. also one of our bowlers got seven wickets. SEVEN. out of the total ten. in this house we worship shami. also new zealand is good at chasing, but we scored almost 400 which is literally insane. we beat them by 70 whole runs. not the biggest margin we've won by recently, but still fucking impressive

literally every new zealand wicket (a wicket is when a batter from the opposite team gets out btw i just remembered you might not know cricket so some of this might be gibberish), we could hear people in my neighborhood lighting fireworks, and when we won the match, there was literally screams everywhere and so many people brought out their Diwali firework leftovers

the final is on Sunday and i know it'll be a hard match, especially if Australia win their semi but. we're in the final can you believe it!!!!

Hiii, i have heard of cricket cause I watched a lot of British shows when I was younger but I went and looked it up cause I had a feeling I was imagining lacrosse as I was reading. And I was but i did also happen up the scores and looked more into it and it's so fascinating. And I'm so glad that you're team is absolutely sweeping the competition and breaking curses and records. And it must be amazing to hear everyone around you celebrating and cheering for your wins. And also yeah suck it England, when England loses the whole world wins, no offense to the British but you know what your country did. Yay you're in the finals!!! oh I really wish you guys the best on Sunday. It's been cold and rainy all day today so I'm happy to know that the sun is shining somewhere.

[thessalian]

Thess vs ALL THE DEMOS

It’s not a Steam Next Fest, but last night I was sitting there going, “I hurt too much to sleep and I should do some hyperfocus Zen until the pain meds kick in a bit more or I’m too tired to care” and decided to prune my current Demo folder. And then today I went perusing for more demos (thanks to recent time spent on DREDGE, it really wants to throw eldritch horror at me, to the point where it’s pointing me at things where not even the demo is out yet, never mind the game). So now there are a lot more demos.

Sometimes I worry about seeming pretentious because I barely play anything that isn’t indie or, like, nearly a decade old? But honestly, I think I’ll just be glad I can sit here and celebrate indie games. Besides, the Stray Gods: RPG Musical demo dropped and this is David Gaider writing and a whole lot of very talented voice actors and I have got to see this. And the others look interesting.

So, yeah. More demos.

Lake: This one’s an older game, but it’s been on my wishlist for quite awhile. I just hadn’t seen the demo before. I was checking the store page to see how long it’s going to be on sale, since I was considering adding it to my purchases when Cook, Serve, Forever and Pan’Orama come out in a couple of days, and boom, demo. So I gave it a try to see if I actually wanted to buy the thing. And ... I think I do? I mean, there’s some vehicular stuff that occasionally feels a little counterintuitive to me, and I’ve clearly been living in this country too long because I keep driving on the wrong side of the road, and some of the people in that town need a slap across the mouth (don’t even get me started about Meredith’s regular boss), but there are stories there and I want to see where they go. And I haven’t crashed the postal van yet, so that’s something. Basically it’s driving around, delivering mail, occasionally talking to people, and getting bits and pieces of the stories that float around little quasi-rural towns in Oregon. The scenery’s nice too.

Blue Wednesday: This one’s kind of a maybe. The bit of it I played was interesting, but I’d really need to practice the piano minigame if I really want to actually do the thing. Then again, I guess that’s what playing the game is for. ...Also admittedly this one hits a bit close to home, as it features a young aspiring jazz musician who’s more or less having to put his dreams of being a professional musician on hold because capitalism, basically. I think everybody who’s likely to play this one is going to get a twinge out of that one, and that’s just the first in-game day. So I’ll be keeping an eye on that one when it comes out - the gameplay’s pretty clever and the premise is relatable, for sure.

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical: I got fairly interested in this one as soon as I heard about it. This game has got pedigree. David Gaider’s one of the directors and writers, one of the other directors was writing for Pillars of Eternity, and as for the cast ... well, in the demo alone I got Laura Bailey, Ashley Johnson, and Khary Payton, plus a couple “I know that one sounds familiar” that haven’t hit IMDB yet and Janina Gavankar, who I mostly know from having been into True Blood and a fairly minor role in Horizon Zero Dawn’s The Frozen Wilds expansion ... but also from some of the Forspoken trailers. Anyway, it also has Troy Baker, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Allegra Clark, Erika Ishii, Rahul Kohli, Anjali Bhimani, Felicia Day (which ... ehh for me but y’know)... Fans of Critical Role will know a lot of these voices. But still, pedigree doesn’t count for much if the story and mechanics aren’t there. Now, the demo’s really short, and doesn’t touch on the plot that much? But the mechanics are interesting. Basically ... okay, think of it as The Wicked and the Divine meets Scooby Doo meets that one Buffy musical episode, Once More With Feeling, where you’re given options and the decisions you make not only affect how you proceed, but also shape the lyrics of your big musical numbers. It’s honestly clever as shit, and that’s another one I don’t think I’d mind pre-ordering. Don’t know if that’ll be an option, but it’s coming out in August, so at least it’s not a massively long wait.

Lighthouse of Madness: Steam has been throwing eldritch horror at me because of the amount of time I’ve spent on DREDGE lately, so here we are. This one’s ... interesting but problematic. I mean, it’s first person, so that’s an issue for me, and honestly the controls are a little janky. It looks wonderfully atmospheric and creepy, but it’s a low priority on my wish list because honestly, I’m not sure how well I’d be able to play it. Still, lots more eldritch horror where that came from.

Not right now, though - if for no other reason than that this post is going to get insanely long if I don’t knock it off. So more later - this is going to be a “Poking At Demos” kind of weekend. Yaaaaaay!

[viscountessevie]

Okay so I think I’ve processed it??? Also needed to scream about it to my friends first but the Rahul Kohli and Regency girlies can thank me for having him answer my question on his live today!

Anyways, Rahul just did a live to promote The Midnight Club (which is out now!!) and he was answering qns and someone else asked him if he would ever do a romance role and he said he’s just never been interested in the genre - watching or acting in it - and he would need the story to have more than just romance for him to be interested 

Also yall know I’ve been DYING for him to be our Michael Stirling or just wanna see him in some period clothes lmao so I asked him not even hoping if he would answer it cos my qns always get ignored lmao: 

Okay Rahul, not necessarily a romance but would you ever do a Regency or period drama role? 

He started by saying he liked all these questions, they were new and fun AND PROCEEDED TO READ OUT MINE I WAS SHOOK?? Screaming aside, mans said: 

He would be open to it depending on the story and character! 

I did send a follow up - Follow up to the Regency/Period Drama question: What kind of character would you like to play and do you have a era in mind you would want to be in? 

I’m pretty sure he saw it but ignored it cos he read out the comment under mine shshhs but hey he answered one and this was our first interaction so I’ll take it as a win! 

[redeyedroid]

Scots generally don't go much for cricket. Which I find odd, considering how consistently terrible England have been for most of my life. If there's one thing that brings the people of Scotland together, it's England losing at sport.

Cricket's eccentric as hell; the objectives often incomprehensible and bizarre, even to people who follow the game; it's impenetrable terminology has multiple ways of labeling the same things; the simple idea of who is winning and who is losing may be undiscernable for days; it can go on for five days and still end in a draw and they only decided to end matches like that because once, decades ago, a test match went on so long one team risked missing their boat back home; a series of five or more matches can go on for months; people are forced to keep playing long after the result has been decided; bowling and batting require completely different skills and techniques, yet some players master both; it's greatest trophy, The Ashes, is only contested by two nations and is, essentially, a self-deprecating shitpost; and one of the greatest memes of all time originates from a dropped catch in 2019.

But, because the people of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka love it like nothing else, it is the second most popular sport in the world. And I love it, too. Be it Mitchell Starc clean bowling Rory Burns with the first ball of the 2021/22 Ashes, beginning a series of quite staggering English ineptitude; or Virat Kohli, the greatest batter of this generation, hitting back-to-back sixes off Haris Rauf in front of 95,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground while leading India to an extraordinary win against Pakistan at the 2022 T20 World Cup, cricket offers dramatic moments of brilliance with a regularity other sports struggle to match.

If you want an idea of exactly how popular cricket is in India, Kohli has 60 million more instagram followers than Brady, Serena and LeBron combined. His is the 16th most followed account in the world. The only sports stars with larger followings are Messi and Ronaldo. Like the greatest players in any sport, time appears to slow down around him when he's at his best, his balance and timing perfect as he makes an almost impossible task look like the easiest thing in the world (batters have a fraction of a second to react to a ball being bowled at them. Against the fastest bowlers, they might not even be able to see the ball at all, instead relying on triggers and clues and experience to hit it.)

I picked up a love for cricket from my dad, who himself picked it up one rainy summer afternoon (what do you think happens in summer in Scotland?) when he was young and there were only two TV channels. He loves the great West Indian team of the 1970s and 80s like no other. They're probably his favourite thing in sporting history. A found love, rather than the familial support for Hibs he inherited from his father.

(For that, I'd recommend the excellent documentary, Fire In Babylon. No knowledge is needed, beyond that in cricket, unlike baseball, there is no restriction against a bowler aiming at the batter's body. And the West Indian team had a succession of players who bowled at the speed of light and terrorised batters across the world. They also had, in Gordon Greenidge and Viv Richards, the two great batters of the - possibly any - era).

I missed much of their quarter century of dominance, being too young or not actually alive, but I do remember their last great bowlers, Courtney Walsh and Curtley Ambrose, while the great Trinidadian, Brian Lara, twice set records for the highest individual score in test cricket, first scoring 375, then an unbeaten 400, a record that still stands today and which may now never be bettered. Of course, both those scores came against England.

There was a lot of listening to cricket on the radio, driving places when we were on holiday in the summer. It was a summer sport then, coverage only following teams when they came to England. In the winter, when England went away, we got little, for this was the age before wall-to-wall sports TV.

For instance, I remember bits of Australia's 1993 Ashes rampage coinciding with daytrips along Hadrian's Wall, among other places, but I have no memory of the following, equally one-sided series in Australia in 1994/95.

Not that test cricket is at all rampageous, containing, as it does, breaks for lunch and tea, and even at it's most fast paced only has a ball bowled every 45 seconds or so, this being repeated about 500 times a day, with maybe 1 in 4 actually being scored from. You can miss great chunks of matches only to find nothing has fundamentally changed when you return. One man dressed in white hurls a small red ball at another, who most often declines the opportunity to hit it as it whizzes past. It is often as close to being a day-long nap as any sport can be.

Today, like football, the sport is played everywhere, all the time. The South Asian nations have spread it across the world, far beyond the borders of the British imperial possessions where the colonial administrators introduced it. Wherever there is a strong community of people from the subcontinent, cricket will be found and while there are less than a dozen full members of the ICC, there are now lots of associate members all competing against each other (the USA is the 18th-ranked men's ODI team, for example). There's almost always something to watch somewhere.

Powered by TV money (rights for the Indian Premier league are, on a per-game basis, now the second most expensive sporting event in the world, after the NFL) the compressed, high-scoring excitement of T20 has become the most popular format of cricket, which is bad for me. Because my preference is for the full-fat, slow-motion weirdness of a test match. It's what I grew up with and in my mind, the game is not for the swift. There's a reason they're called tests. The game should be an examination of technique and concentration and endurance that lasts for ages and ends with two poor bastards trying to scratch out a draw by batting for a day and a half because their side trails by 450 runs and the other 9 players on their team are idiots who got out in ridiculous ways. And then, after they inevitably fail, they do it again a week later. And maybe they lose horribly two more times and their team finds itself 3-0 down with two matches to play, but those matches still get played, even though they won't change the result of the series, because that's also part of the test. Or maybe it rains all summer and no matches are played, because the English, with maniac optimism, like to invent games that cannot be played if it's raining (see also: tennis).

I recognise that this is churlish of me. The women's game, like in so many other sports a niche afterthought, is being supercharged by an influx of cash from India, as the men's IPL has this year expanded into a women's tournament. The TV rights for this sold for £95m, the 5 franchises sold for half a billion. The top players - most players, probably - will make more from it than they do for the rest of the year. T20 is an extraordinary boost for the women's game, where tests are rarely played.

This is A Very Good Thing, but I'll always prefer tests.

Only three nations now have the economic power and talent pool to devote equal attention to all three formats of the game. Only England, India and Australia still play full test series against each other. The rest now play two- or maybe three-match series and only occasionally. The form the future of the game will take is in doubt. The West Indies might fracture amidst a proliferation of T20 franchise leagues, their players - naturally and understandably - touring the world and playing in half-a-dozen dozen leagues, their talents auctioned and drafted and paid far more than they get from tests.

But today I'm going to ignore the question marks about cricket's future and the maybe slow death of anything other than T20. Because today, one of the last remaining marquee matchups begins. Tomorrow, the women's T20 World Cup starts in South Africa. In a couple of months I will consume as much of the two IPLs as I can. In the summer, England will host Ashes series for both men and women that promise much. Australia's men currently holds the ridiculous little urn and are the top ranked side. England's men are actually very good right now and have many fine and likeable players, and a part of me finds that very irritating. Either or neither could win. For the other, England's women are also good, but Australia's are much gooder (for real. Ellyse Perry should be counted among the greatest female sports stars of all time. A world class bowler and batter, she has represented Australia at World Cups in both cricket and football).

All that is for tomorrow and beyond. Today, Australia's men begin a 4-match test series in India. India will probably win. It is incredibly hard to win anywhere as a touring team because weather and pitches vary a great deal from country to country and strongly favour the home team, no matter how lowly they are ranked. The West Indies comfortably beat England last year, and Australia struggled to a draw in Sri Lanka. And of all the places to tour, India is the hardest place to win of all. A series win in India is a rare and treasured thing.

The problem with touring India are the pitches. They are slow and dusty and - like most subcontinental tracks - favour the arcane arts of spin bowling, where a bowler uses his fingers or wrist to put spin on the ball in the hope that when it hits the pitch it grips and it's trajectory changes, deceiving the batter. Pitches are prepared to take advantage of this and push India's home field advantage as much as possible. Teams who play warm-up matches before tests in the hope of acclimatising will find placid, grassy pitches that offer not a hint of the demonic conditions the test series will likely bring. Cricket has never been a gentleman's game.

Australia have one, very very good spin bowler in Nathan Lyon and a number who are either untested or not good. They are likely to suffer against Indian batters who have known how to play spin since picking up a bat. India have Ravichandran Ashwin, also a very very good spinner, but in Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav they have several who are merely very good and likely to prosper against Australian batters who are less good away from Australia (Jadeja, injured for most of the last 6 months is arguably the best all-rounder in men's cricket today. A prodigiously talented bowler and batter, he is also among the best fielders in the men's game).

Australia have barely toured anywhere since the pandemic began, but their team has played very well at home and their glitchy batting goblins Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith are incredibly good. I have hope they make the series competitive (though for me, their approaches to batting are too angularly idiosyncratic compared to the gloriously pure techniques of Kohli and Babar Azam of Pakistan). But I also hope that Kohli finds form and has a series for the ages.

The man's due.

PS Old Deadspin did a decent primer on cricket years ago and you can still read it, if you don't mind giving the site clicks...

[misterpapabear]

8. Describe your crush

15. Do you have any piercings?

58. What are five ways to win your heart?

62. What is the sexiest thing someone could ever do for/to you?

79. When was the last time you felt jealous? Why?

8. I've played some ESO today, and watched an episode of Death and Other Details... So I'm currently crushing on Rahul Kohli and Chizbari the Chipper.

15. Not any more! I used to have to take them out for work and eventually stopped putting them back.

58. Be funny. Be kind. Be appreciative of the little things. Be willing to grow. Be mine.

62. Give. Me. A. Damn. Pspot. Orgasm. Please.

79. Today. There's someone at work who can do this thing I can't, no matter how hard I try and they do it effortlessly.

[siya11]

Who is Sourav Joshi?

Sourav Joshi, an Indian daily vlogger and social media activist, is a shining example of how passion and dedication can lead to online success. He initially gained recognition by sharing his artwork on Facebook, showcasing his talent for drawing. In 2017, he made his YouTube debut with a time-lapse video titled “Drawing 2000 Note by Color Pencil,” which quickly garnered attention. Over time, his channel, "Sourav Joshi Arts," featured sketches of celebrities like Tiger Shroff, Virat Kohli, and Hrithik Roshan, earning him the YouTube Silver Play Button in 2018.

Despite his success as an artist, Sourav decided to take on a new challenge in 2020—daily vlogging. He committed to uploading 365 vlogs in a year, a daunting task that tested his creativity and consistency. His hard work paid off as his subscriber count surged, making him India's top vlogger by June 2021.

Though initially introverted, Sourav’s authenticity and enthusiasm resonated with viewers, helping him build a loyal audience. Today, with over 23 million subscribers on his “Sourav Joshi Vlogs” channel, he continues to inspire aspiring content creators, proving that genuine passion can lead to remarkable success.

[lotuslogin]

Who Are the Top Best Cricket Players in the World?

When it comes to cricket, talent knows no bounds, and the world is home to some of the finest players in the sport. If you’re a fan looking to know who tops the charts, Lotus365 is here to give you the scoop!

1. Virat Kohli — The Indian cricketing sensation, Kohli’s aggressive batting and consistent performance have made him a standout player. His ability to chase down scores and perform under pressure is second to none.

2. Babar Azam — Pakistan’s top batsman, Azam’s elegance and technique have won him acclaim globally. His solid performances across formats make him one of the leading cricketers today.

3. Steve Smith — Australia’s Steve Smith is renowned for his unconventional yet highly effective batting style. His knack for accumulating runs and playing crucial innings makes him a key player.

4. Kane Williamson — The New Zealand captain, Williamson’s calm demeanor and tactical acumen have propelled him to the forefront of world cricket.

For the latest updates on these stars and more, visit Lotus365, your go-to platform for all things cricket. Dive into the world of cricket excellence with us and stay ahead of the game!

Services - Lotus365 Services Welcome to Lotus365, where we offer a range of secure and streamlined services tailored to meet the needs of…lotus365login.info

Lotus365 #Lotus365login.info #CricketPlayers #SportsAnalytics

[reddyannaaa261]

Which Indian Cricket Star Has More Fans?

In the vibrant world of Indian cricket, the debate over who has more fans is always lively. From legendary figures to current heroes, the list is long and varied. But when it comes to popularity, the term “Reddyannaa” seems to have captured the imagination of many cricket enthusiasts.

Reddyannaa, a term often associated with cricket fans, has become a buzzword in discussions about fan following in Indian cricket. It reflects the passionate and dedicated fan base that supports their favorite players.

When evaluating who truly has the most fans, we must consider several factors:

Performance on the Field: Players like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have historically commanded massive followings due to their stellar performances and consistent records. Tendulkar’s career achievements and Kohli’s aggressive and impressive stats make them top contenders in the fan race.

Social Media Influence: In today’s digital age, social media plays a crucial role in shaping a player’s fan base. Virat Kohli, with his enormous presence on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, enjoys a significant edge in this arena. His interactions with fans and regular updates contribute to his massive following.

Charisma and Personality: Charisma on and off the field also plays a vital role. Players like MS Dhoni have won hearts not just with their cricketing skills but with their calm demeanor and leadership qualities. Dhoni’s fan base, often referred to as the “Reddyannaa” of his era, remains incredibly loyal.

Global Appeal: Indian cricket players who have made a mark internationally also tend to attract global fans. The global reach of players like Sachin Tendulkar and the ongoing success of current stars ensures they remain at the forefront of fan discussions.

In the Reddyannaa conversation, it’s clear that while historical legends and current stars both have substantial fan bases, the question of who has the most fans might never have a definitive answer. It’s a testament to the rich diversity and passionate nature of Indian cricket fans.

#Reddyannaa #Sports #SportsNews #crickets