Former Australian pacer Brett Lee, regarded as one of the finest bowlers cricket has ever produced, talks about his experience while bowling to Sachin Tendulkar, the latter's batting approach against Shane Warne and how Warne would express his anger when failing to dismiss Sachin. All this in a tete-a-tete on a talk show.

On his early experience bowling to Sachin Tendulkar on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected, Brett Lee said, "I was 22 years when I got my first opportunity to play against the Little Master. I nicked him off and I thought I’m done. I didn’t care about a Test match since I was so happy to get Sachin Tendulkar out."

Talking about Sachin Tendulkar’s technique batting against Shane Warne, Brett Lee said, "He used to advance down the wicket a few times and invited Warne to bowl a fraction too short. Sometimes, he would wait patiently on the back foot and play those beautiful shots. It was almost like he was playing cat and mouse with Warne and not many batsmen can play cat and mouse with Shane Warne because he’s so talented. But on days, Sachin Tendulkar was toying with Warne and that does not happen often."

About Shane Warne expressing his anger for not being able to get Sachin Tendulkar out, Brett Lee revealed, "The way Sachin used to read bowlers out of their hand, the different technique he used to play different balls was pure class. There were times when Warne would try and get the trajectory a bit different through the air and sometimes, he would try and get a few balls to drop. Every time he would try the subtle variations, there was only Sachin who would pick them up. Warne would bamboozle other batsmen around the world, but Sachin would watch the hand much better than most of the other batsmen. Warne hated it, he would come back and say that he tried everything to get Sachin out, but he couldn’t.”

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Former Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal is still not over the disappointment of missing Sachin Tendulkar's wicket in the lost 2011 World Cup semifinal against India and is now deriving solace from English umpire Ian Gould's recent assertion that the iconic batsman was indeed out. Tendulkar, who made crucial 85 runs in the semifinal at Mohali, was on 23 when Gould ruled him out LBW off Ajmal. But third umpire Billy Bowden, after a review, overturned the decision.

Gould, who served on the ICC's elite panel of umpires, recently said that he would stands by his decision of giving Tendulkar out. Recalling the incident, Ajmal, now 42, said, "It was straight in front and I was 100 percent sure he was out. Shahid Afridi, Kamran, Wahab and other players asked me was he (Tendulkar) out and I told them he is gone." He said he was heart-broken after the third umpire ruled Tendulkar not out. "I never got a chance to bowl to him in a Test so whenever I played against him in white ball cricket I always wanted to do my best. "More disappointing was that we lost the semifinal and it is obvious that Tendulkar's 85 runs made all the difference," he said on a television channel," he said.

"Even today, the third umpire's decision baffles me. Maybe luck was with him that day and he went on play such a crucial innings for his team," said Ajmal who played 35 Tests between 2009 and 2014, taking 178 wickets. He also took 183 wickets in 113 ODIs and 85 in 64 T20 Internationals. Ajmal said Gould was upset after his decision was overturned by the third umpire. The off-spinner's career, however, came to an unceremonious end after a tour of Bangladesh. His bowling action was reported in 2014 and he could not cope with the subsequent modification and retired in 2017.

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Australia batsman Chris Lynn feels that the T20 World Cup should not go ahead as planned this year in the country as it would be a logistical nightmare to arrange for the visiting teams amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to 'Fox Sports', the 30-year-old said that administrators would do well to accept the enormity of the crisis, which has claimed over 2 lakh lives the world over.

"My personal opinion is no," Lynn said. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in October-November and there is intense speculation about the fate of the event given the current circumstances. "Obviously we're praying for it to go ahead but we've just got to play what's in front of us," he reasoned. Lynn then went on to list the many challenges that the organisers will be confronted with should they decide to move ahead.

"Having teams come from all over the world is going to be a logistical nightmare. "Hotels, travel, keeping the teams in the hotels for a number of weeks before the tournament is going to be tough work moving forward," he said. Lynn was also asked about the possibility of Australian players having to take pay cuts amid the financial crisis that is unfolding because of the virus.

"No-one likes to take pay cuts but I think for the longevity of the game you've got to be realistic," he responded.

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Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar recently celebrated his 47th birthday on April 24, 2020.

Sachin Tendulkar, widely regarded as one of cricket's finest to ever play the game, was all over the internet as his peers showered praises and blessings on his birthday.

1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev, in an interview with Radio City, spoke about how Sachin Tendulkar is the best batsman ever to play the game. Kapil Dev said, "Many people misunderstand the statements I make when I talk. According to me, Sachin Tendulkar is the finest cricketer India has produced. I still feel that he should have done much better than he did. Although no one has performed better than him, I feel, Sachin Tendulkar had more talent." 

Talking about Sachin Tendulkar's two-and-a-half decade-long career, Kapil Dev said, "Sachin has had an amazing career. To play for your country for 24 years is easy to say but difficult to do. I wish him all the happiness. For all the happiness he has given India, I wish him and more importantly, his family, good luck. The family sacrifices more than anyone else in these scenarios. I wish Sachin great health."

"He has moved generations for two and a half decades. Many youngsters yearn to be Sachin Tendulkar. As long as we have cricketers like him, the game will never die," Kapil added. Watch the full video below.

Kapil Dev recently became a rage on the internet after she showed his new bald look. Kapil Dev's bald look became the talk of the town, moreover, after Sanjay Manjrekar shared a picture on Twitter.

Love this look Paaji! Keep it!@therealkapildev pic.twitter.com/zWKZ4HVvrx

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) April 21, 2020

Both Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar have won the ICC World Cup. While Kapil Dev led his team as captain to the World Cup title in 1983, Sachin Tendulkar was part of the World Cup-winning team in 2011 headed by MS Dhoni.

Transcribed by Shawn D'souza

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England Test captain Joe Root has revealed that he has faced a variety of sledges in his cricketing career, including comparison with American comedian and chat show host Ellen DeGeneres for his looks.

"I've been called Ellen DeGeneres on a number of occasions over the course of my career," Root told BBC Radio 1.

"I think there's a likeness there," he added.

The 29-year-old opted for 'Mardy Bum' by the Arctic Monkeys and 'She Moves In Her Own Way' by the Kooks as his opening two 'Mancave Anthems' while appearing on the pop music station to select some of his favourite records.

Earlier in March, Root, in an open letter addressed to the British public, had stressed on the importance of team work as a society in their fight to defeat the coronavirus pandemic which has swept the world off its feet.

"As England players we've tasted some desperate days and enjoyed exhilarating highs and tried to stay grounded throughout.

"But over the last few weeks I'm sure that many of you, like us, have experienced intense emotions as the pandemic has spread. Perhaps you have lost a loved one, fear for someone who is ill or are sick yourself.

"Perhaps you are worried about families and friends and are anxious about what the future holds. Never has teamwork been more important in our society," Root had written in the letter.

Professional cricket in England remains suspended till July 1 because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has claimed over 2 lakh lives across the world thus far.

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Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth has heaped praise on legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's son Arjun and said that the 20-year-old will definitely play for India.

The speedster also said that Arjun has a brilliant action and a great rhythm.

In 2019, Arjun was picked for Rs five lakhs, after an intense bidding process, by Akash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburb for the second season of the Mumbai T20 League.

The all-rounder was one of the favorite players as almost every team had bid for him which led to an intense bidding session.

Sreesanth first wished Sachin Tendulkar a happy birthday on Twitter and the batting legend replied to the former pacer on social media as well. 

Thanks for the wishes Sree! My best wishes to you and everyone at home. Stay healthy Stay safe.

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 27, 2020

"Thanks a lot Sachin Paaji..u made my day, great to hear from you..love and warm regds to all at home..nd great to c Arjun doing well ..he is got a brilliant action nd great rhythm..he will surly play for India," Sreesanth said while replying to Sachin in a tweet.

Thanks a lot Sachin Paaji..u made my day, great to hear from you..love and warm regds to all at home..nd great to c Arjun doing well ..he is got a brilliant action nd great rhythm..he will surly play for 🇮🇳✌🏻🤗🤗🤗

— Sreesanth (@sreesanth36) April 27, 2020

Sreesanth has played 27 Tests and 53 ODIs for India. He has also played 10 T20Is and was a key cog in the bowling wheel of team India during ICC T20 cup 2007 in South Africa.

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Shoaib Akhtar has yet again landed himself into trouble after PCB legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi filed a criminal as well as defamation suit against the former fast bowler for his allegedly inappropriate comments against him in a YouTube show. Rizvi, the long serving legal advisor of the board, made it clear he had initiated defamation and criminal proceedings against Akhtar and also lodged a complaint with the Federal Investigation Agency under its cyber crime laws.

In the legal notice sent to Akhtar, Rizvi highlighted legal charges and punishments awarded to the former fast-bowler throughout his career. He also demanded that he retracts his statements, tendean unrs conditional apology, pays PKR 100 million in damages and refrains from repeating and making defamatory remarks against the lawyer in the future. Akhtar, who did a video on the three year ban imposed on the controversial Umar Akmal has also ended up irking the Pakistan Bar Council which in a statement cautioned him to be careful with his words while talking about the legal fraternity. The council in particular said it was disappointed to hear the comments Akhtar had made about Rizvi, a respected member of the legal fraternity. "Shoaib Akhtar should be very careful in his discussions on matters pertaining to the legal community," the statement said. The Pakistan Cricket Board said it was disappointed with Akhtar's poor choice of words while commenting about its legal department.

"The language used by Akhtar was highly inappropriate and disrespectful, and cannot be condoned in any civilised society. The PCB's legal advisor, Mr Taffazul Rizvi, in his own discretion, has initiated defamation and criminal proceedings against Shoaib Akhtar, while the PCB too reserves its rights." Akhtar, who has also got into trouble in the recent past because of his YouTube channel, defended Umar in his video and criticised the three-year ban on him imposed by the PCB Disciplinary Panel. He also mocked Tafazzul Rizvi and questioned his legal experience, claiming he (Tafazzul) always only complicated matters between the board and players.

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned Deepak Agarwal from all cricket for two years, with six months of that suspended, after he accepted one charge of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code, the ICC said in a release.

Agarwal was charged as a participant under the Code due to the fact he was one of the team owners of the Sindhi's franchise in the 2018 T10 Cricket League. The charge is as follows:

Article 2.4.7 -- obstructing or delaying an investigation, including concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and / or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

Under the provisions of the Code, Agarwal chose to admit the charges and agreed the sanction with the ICC in lieu of an Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing. Subject to him satisfying conditions in respect of the suspended part of the sanction, he will be free to resume his involvement in the game on October 27, 2021.

Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager -- Integrity said: "There were a number of examples of Agarwal obstructing and delaying our investigations and it was not just a one off occurrence. However, he made a prompt admission of his breach of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and continues to provide substantial assistance to the ACU in relation to several investigations involving other participants. This cooperation is reflected in his sanction."

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As the ace cricketer Rohit Sharma turns 33 today, let us go down the memory lane and relive the three double tons scored by the right-handed batsman in the ODI format.

Rohit, popularly known as the 'Hitman' made his ODI debut on June 23, 2007, but the batsman came into his known once he became the full-fledged opener in the limited formats.

Opening the batting, Rohit played his natural game and dominated the bowling attacks from the very start of his innings.

It is a testament to Rohit's aggressive batting abilities that the batsman has three double tons to his name in the ODI format.

Now, let's relive Rohit's three double tons in the 50-over format.

209 vs Australia, Bengaluru, 2013

Batting first, Rohit was slow off the mark and he took his time in building the innings. However, as soon as he got the scheme of things, Rohit started to go after the spin bowlers and in no time went past the 100-run mark. After reaching his century, he shifted gears and went on to bring up his first double century in ODIs. He went on to play a knock of 209 off just 158 balls. This innings helped India post 383 runs on the board, and the effort helped the side win the match by 57 runs.

264 vs Sri Lanka, Kolkata, 2014

Rohit went on to score 264 runs off just 173 balls against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata and this knock remains the highest score by any batsman in the 50-over format to date. The 32-year-old was given a reprieve when he was just on a score of four runs, and the batsman went on to make the most of it as he scored 260 more runs to make the Sri Lankan bowlers toil on the field.

208 vs Sri Lanka, Mohali, 2017

Batting first, Rohit Sharma went on play a knock of 208 runs off just 153 balls to take the Men in Blue's score to 392/4. The right-handed batsman's innings was studded with 13 fours and 12 sixes. This effort helped India win the match by 141 runs.

In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Rohit Sharma finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer after registering 648 runs from just nine matches at an average of 81.00.

During the tournament, he had also become the first batsman to score five centuries in a single edition of the World Cup.

Rohit, who is now the vice-captain of the ODI team, has played 224 ODIs, 108 T20Is and 32 Tests so far.

The limited-overs vice-captain has so far scored 14,029 runs across all formats.

In the longest format, he has also reinvented himself as the batsman started opening the batting in Test cricket last year.

Rohit would have been in action for the Mumbai Indians had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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On this day in 1995, former Australian batsman Steve Waugh played his highest Test innings as he scored 200 against West Indies at Sabina Park in Kingston. the final Test of the four-match series, playing against a fearsome West Indies attack spearheaded by Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, Waugh stood firmly at one end and guided the side to post 531 runs in the first innings after bundling the hosts for 265. Waugh's double ton was studded with 17 fours and one six.

In the second innings, Paul Reiffel and Shane Warne scalped four wickets each to bundle Windies at 213. The visitors won the match by an innings and 53 runs under the leadership of Mark Taylor, Waugh was awarded as the Player of the Match for his spectacular batting performance. Australia also won the series by 2-1 after one match ended as a draw and became the first side to defeat the invincible Caribbean team in 15 years.

Waugh played 168 Tests and scored 10,927 runs at an average of 51.06. He is at the eleventh spot in the all-time run-scorer list of the longest format. In 325 ODIs, the middle-order batsman amassed 7569 runs. He hammered 35 centuries and 95 fifties across all formats.

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Veteran Kiwi batsman Ross Taylor on Friday claimed the top honour on the final day of the 2020 New Zealand Cricket Awards, winning the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the third time while Tim Southee was named Test Player of the Year. The virtual ceremony also saw Canterbury umpire Kim Cotton's meteoric rise through the officiating ranks recognised with the GJ Gardner Homes New Zealand Cricket Umpire of the Year award. Taylor had a great season, he helped guide the Blackcaps to a second successive ICC Cricket World Cup Final. He surpassed Stephen Fleming's all-time Test runs scoring record for New Zealand and became the first cricketer to play 100 international games in each of the three formats.

The 36-year-old was once again the glue in the top-order, amassing 1,389 runs across the three formats in a season in which he played in all but one of the Blackcaps' 32 internationals, from England to Sri Lanka, Australia and at home. Taylor reflected on the influence of the late Martin Crowe who was instrumental in developing the right hander's Test technique and helping him to set his goals. "I'm sure he would be proud of this. Marty was able to pass on a lot of his experience and wisdom which has played a massive part in my career," Taylor said.

"It was always something that he always pushed me to do (break records). I think he would probably be surprised at how well I have done. But I've been fortunate to be helped by a lot of people over the years and I guess when you win awards like this it's nice to be able to thank them," he added. On the other hand, Southee claimed 40 wickets from eight Tests, including 14 in the two-Test wins against India, in Wellington and Christchurch.

In the four Tests, the Kiwis won during the judging period, he took 25 wickets at an average of 16.40.

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Former India chief selector MSK Prasad listed out the differences between Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as captains. Speaking during an online live video session, Prasad states the three have altogether different styles of captaincy that has brought so much success over the last few years.

"If you look at fundamental styles, leadership has got so many different styles. These three (Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit) are three different guys and I am sure all three are equally good," Prasad said in an interview uploaded on Fancode app.

"They are three guys who have three different styles. Mahi is absolutely cool, you never know what is there in his mind until it is executed, he's very very cool, and very very accommodative whereas Virat is pretty clear. He's at you all the time, he's very clear in his mind what he wants. If you are talking about Rohit, he's more of an accommodative sort of a guy. He definitely has that empathy towards other players and he thinks from their hats," he said.

Prasad also spoke about the Dhoni's future with Team India. He revealed they had a discussion regarding Dhoni taking some time off from the game and that is why they backed youngster Rishabh Pant in that position.

"We had a discussion and Mahi (Dhoni) didn't want to play for some time. So we moved on and picked Rishabh Pant and we have been backing him. Now KL (Rahul) has also done extremely well in the matches that he played in New Zealand," Prasad said.

"So it would have been nice if the IPL was being played and we would have seen old glimpses of Mahi but now it's a very tricky situation."

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The thought of standing up to Brett Lee's thunderbolts had taken Rohit Sharma's "sleep away" when he first started out but among the current lot, Josh Hazlewood is one speedster the India swashbuckler "doesn't want to face" in Tests.

Rohit said he will have to be mentally prepared to face Hazlewood when India tour Australia for a Test series later this year, provided the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. Asked to name the toughest pacers he has faced so far, Rohit said, "One bowler is Brett Lee because he didn't let me sleep the previous night on my first tour to Australia in 2007, as I was thinking how to play this bowler who bowls in excess of 150 kmph."

"In 2007, Brett Lee was at his peak. I used to watch him closely and noticed that he was consistently bowling at the speed of around 150-155 kmph. The thought of a youngster like me facing that kind of speed took away my sleep," Rohit said of the former Australian speed merchant on Star Sports' 'Cricket Connected'. Since making his debut in 2007 as a precocious talent, Rohit has gone on to become one of the world's most prolific batsmen, and his exploits in limited overs cricket are second to none.

Rohit has racked up 29 ODI hundreds and six centuries in Test cricket, besides four three-figure mark in the T20 Internationals. "Currently, someone whom I don't want to face in Test cricket would be Josh Hazlewood because he's disciplined and does not move away from that length. He does not give you loose balls," he said. Among the retired lot, Rohit said South African pace great Dale Steyn has also given him nightmares because of his ability to swing the ball at great speed.

"I have two retired favourite bowlers who I never wanted to face, one was Brett Lee and the other was Dale Steyn. I never wanted to face Steyn because playing pace and swing at the same time was a nightmare, it was just unreal." Rohit said he continues to face quality bowlers in the present day with Hazlewood being among the best . "I have watched him enough to understand that. I know for a fact that if I have to go to Australia to play a Test, then I have to be mentally prepared to be disciplined while facing Josh," said the scorer of three double hundreds in ODIs.

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In the latest episode of ESPNcricinfo Videocast that airs on May 2, 2020, R Ashwin talks about his future, his accuracy as a bowler, what makes him clicks in short-format cricket, future of spinners and how can they stay relevant in the ever-evolving game of Cricket.

“I am good at T20 cricket. If my body holds up, I see a purple patch coming up for me in test Cricket”, says Ravichandran Ashwin, an all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm off break when Sanjay Manjarekar, host of ESPNcricinfo asks him about his future plans. R Ashwin does not favour 4-day Cricket. He says, “I am a spinner and you’re taking the fifth day out of the game, you’re taking out a very fascinating aspect of the game.”

ICC has been considering 4-day test as part of the World Test Championship from 2023. However, the world's cricketers stand as the most likely source of opposition to the change, with many viewing the step up from four-day first-class games to five-day Tests as a critical point of difference at the top end of the long-form game (source: ESPNcricinfo article dated Dec 30, 2019)

R Ashwin shares the secret of his ability to produce variations in finger spin with so much accuracy and the influence Woorkeri Raman, former Indian cricketer and current coach of the India women's national cricket team’s coaching technique had on him. “WV Raman who is known to be a straight forward and extremely disciplined man trained us to throw the ball accurately that should land above the stumps. He also maintained that I stand no chance as a spinner if I cannot hit the top of the bat of a batsman every time I bowled.”

R Ashwin further adds, “Infact, WV Raman helped me master my rhythm. He was the first person who with or without his knowledge, inculcated this self-conscious training inside me. He would keep telling me, you’re running 10% slower or you’re running 15% faster. And this put me in a great place when I started playing first class Cricket. And these are the things that I will never forget in my career. But because he was straight forward, a bit dismissive and he could put pressure on people, they started moving away from him.”

R Ashwin shares more such anecdotes on WV Raman’s training that shaped him as a spinner that he is today.

R Ashwin has one of the best record of bowling with a new ball. “I like a new ball because of the fizz that I get on it. One of my strengths is to be able to put revs on the hard ball as it responds better to the pitch. But I generally like to use the arm ball in first 2 or 3 overs. Because when you use the arm ball, it challenges both the edges of the batsman and forces him to go across the line which is rendered risky The others that I use are the floaters that swing, the one that pitches in and goes out or the other one that lands on the seam and gets to go the other way. So these balls become very effective.”

“With a new ball I use my middle finger more than the index finger but when I bowl with an older ball, I try and get over the top. Sometimes, I don’t use index finger to go over the top, It is behind and I still put the revs and that’s when the ball actually goes the other way”, adds R Ashwin.

Commenting on future of finger spin and success of Mohammad Nabi, Afghan all-rounder and off-break bowler, R Ashwin says, “I am really surprised that at the last IPL people could not pick up what I was bowling. They thought I was bowling the carrom ball but actually I was bowling reverse carrom because when I would bowl that I would get a lot out of the pitch. Sometimes it can spin, sometimes I could get it to skid.”

R Ashwin points, “In a T-20 cricket, you need to call yourself a bowler. At times you should be able to bowl a bouncer or a spinner. Wrist spin is successful not because it is challenging both edges of the bat but because of its unpredictable nature when bowling length. And this makes wrist spin extremely relevant. Now imagine if someone can dish out unpredictable stuff in a very aware manner. That’s the journey I have taken, and that’s why I found myself amongst the wickets and in extreme control last year when I was bowling in Mohali which can be very challenging.” He adds, “In any white ball cricket, you can only hunt wickets down unless people are not picking it, but that is at a very novel stage of your career. Post that you should be able to dish out things at will that can surprise the batsman. Once you can keep the batsman guessing, chances of them bossing over you is very little.”

“Mohammad Nabi is a great spinner in T-20 format. He is able to change his line and length at will and that’s because he has done these repetitions in the longest format i.e. Test cricket. If you wake Nabi up at 3 in the night, he’ll be able to bowl at the sticker of the bat, he will then be able to change his line to wider, to closer or Yorker”, says R Ashwin. He adds, “But what is happening with wrist and finger spinner is complete eradication of logic. So, if you want finger spinner as an attacking option, he should be able to do everything that a wrist spinner does in terms of length and line for which he needs to develop the awareness of his own bowling.”

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Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Sunday shared a throwback picture with 'legend' MS Dhoni saying that he misses 'being called tilli from behind the stumps'.

Chahal took to Twitter to share a picture with Dhoni and captioned the post: "Miss being called tilli from behind the stumps by the legend..!!"

Miss being called tilli from behind the stumps by the legend..!! ðŸ¤ÂðŸ‡®ðŸ‡³ pic.twitter.com/iWGz6E11Pw

— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) May 3, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a huge toll on sports across the globe as all the sporting events have either been cancelled or postponed.

The COVID-19 crisis in the country also put an indefinite halt to the Indian Premier League (IPL) in which Dhoni was to slated to make his return to the field. The former captain has not played any international match after India's exit from the 2019 World Cup.

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Former India captain and batting great, Rahul Dravid has recently joined the Indian Cricketers Association (ICA) and contributed to their special fund to help some needy former players who are dealing with rough financial times caused by the Coronavirus.

The Ashok Malhotra-led association has collected Rs 42 lakh so far and is hoping for more players to come forward and help their lesser fortunate colleagues.

Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Viswanath, Gautam Gambhir and now Dravid, have helped boost the coffers. Kolkata-based Malhotra who played seven Tests and 20 one-day internationals for India from 1982 to 1986, plans to strengthen his appeal for more funds through some inspirational Bollywood songs on social media. The association will welcome corporate houses which are willing to join the cause.

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Star Sports, India’s leading broadcaster, through their show Cricket Connected, has used the power of technology to engage with cricket fans and bring them voices of the world’s best former and current cricketers. On this week’s episode, Indian captain Virat Kohli will be interacting with host Jatin Sapru and a few of his young fans who will pepper King Kohli with questions, especially around what has been doing during the government-mandated nation-wide lockdown period.

This is an enjoyable format to engage with cricket fans and legends of the game through easy-going conversations. With the lockdown extended for another two weeks, cricket fans now have an opportunity to catch Captain Kohli as he talks about daily routine at home and how he is keeping himself busy. The skipper also speaks about the importance of staying at home, finding motivation and focusing on fitness and training despite the limited conditions.

Captain Virat Kohli said on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected, “I am keeping myself positive and happy and just looking forward in life so that whenever I return to the game, I know I will be in a good position to start from where we left.”

While speaking to his fans, Virat Kohli also talks about the things he misses while staying at home like the IPL, the excitement the tournament brings for the players and the fans and the magical moments that are created. Virat even answers a few questions asked by his young fans around his unflappable mindset during batting, Virat emphasizes on how important it is to have a proper mindset especially while playing a sport, sending a strong message to all the young cricket aspirants in the country. On the episode, captain Kohli also catches up team mate Yuzvendra Chahal and reminisces their comradery.

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Virat Kohli's Indian team still has a long way to go before it is spoken of in the same breath as Australia of 2000s, feels former India pacer Ashish Nehra. Under Kohli's leadership, India earned its maiden series victory in Australia in 2018-19, achieving the feat after trying for seven decades. However, it can't be discounted that absence of Steve Smith and David Warner due to ball tampering ban turned out to be an important factor.

"This Indian team has to still cover a lot of distance in order to match up with that Australia team (led by Steve Waugh and then Ricky Ponting)," Nehra said during an interaction with ex-player Aakash Chopra on his show 'Aakash Vani'. "You are talking about an Australian team which won three consecutive World Cups and before that reached the final in 1996, won 18-19 Test matches in home and away conditions," Nehra added. He also did not appreciate the fact that every now and then team combination is being tinkered with. "It's not like this Indian team can not reach there but I believe the core group is very important. A person gets confused after watching many dishes on the table and so it's important to have fewer but better dishes," Nehra made his displeasure clear. He the went on to cite how team management had handled Rishabh Pant's career so far.

"KL Rahul is playing on the fifth position and Pant, the person you were preparing to succeed M.S. Dhoni, is serving drinks," the left-arm fast bowler, known for his straight forward views, said. Thanks to his inconsistency, Pant had lost his place in the Indian team in white-ball cricket to Rahul. "I know he (Pant) has missed his chances and there is no doubt about it but then you have kept him in the team because you saw the potential in him at 22-23 years," Nehra said.

Ashish Nehra

"There are a lot of talented players but they should be backed for a longer duration. Today also when we talk about the number five and six slots in Indian ODI side, then we are not sure about it," Nehra said. Nehra, who played 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 27 T20 Internationals, feels Kohli's captaincy is still a work in progress. "Virat Kohli as a player needs no recognition as his career graph tells the entire story. Kohli as a player has done amazingly well. In captaincy, I still feel he is a work in progress. I can say he is a little bit of an impulsive captain," said the 41-year-old.

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Out-of-favour wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel does not consider himself unlucky to have played in the same era as Mahendra Singh Dhoni as he knows that the former captain grabbed his opportunities way better than him. Patel last Test appearance for India was in 2018, while the last time he played an ODI for the country was way back in 2012.

"I don't see myself as unlucky to be playing in the Dhoni era. I started my career before him, and I had the opportunity to perform before him," Patel, 35, said during an interaction with Fever Network. "Dhoni came in to the team because I did not have a couple of good series and I was dropped. I know people can say it just to gain sympathies that I was born in the wrong era. But I don't believe that," he added.

"Whatever Dhoni has achieved was something very, very special and he achieved because he made sure of the opportunities he received. I don't feel unlucky at all," Patel asserted.

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India cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar enjoyed a fine snack prepared by his daughter Sara, 22, and happily shared his experience on social media.

Sara prepared a plate of beetroot kebabs for her father on Thursday and he simply loved them. Sachin shared this picture on Instagram, holding up a plate full of beetroot kebabs (left). Alongside, he posted another picture (right) of the plate, but this time it was empty. "Gone in 60 seconds! Thanks for the fabulous beetroot kebabs @saratendulkar," Sachin captioned his post that went on to receive nearly one million 'likes' within a few hours.

In an Instagram story, Sachin added that Sara also prepared a Tabbouleh (a Lebanese vegetarian salad), which was also a hit with the family, who are currently in lockdown at their Bandra home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "This was over before we could say Tabbouleh," wrote Sachin.

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India captain Virat Kohli recently took to Twitter to share his views on playing behind closed doors exclusively on Star Sports show cricket connected, "It’s quite a possible situation, it might happen, I honestly don’t know how everyone is going to take that because we all are used to playing in front of so many passionate fans, I know it will be played at a very good intensity but that feeling of the crowd connecting with the players and the tension of the game where everyone goes through it in the stadium, those emotions are very difficult to recreate."

Wondering what 🏏 would be like inside an empty stadium?

Catch #KingKohli's take on this possibility on #CricketConnected:

⌛: Every Saturday & Sunday, 7 PM & 9 PM
📺: Star Sports & Disney + Hotstar pic.twitter.com/5thch2J6Bu

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 8, 2020

Virat Kohli went on to add, "Things will still go on, but I doubt that one will feel that magic happening inside because of the atmosphere that was created. We will play sports how it is supposed to be played, but those magical moments will be difficult to come by."

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South African spinner Keshav Maharaj admitted that he is interested in captaining the Proteas in all formats one day. The position of South Africa's Test captain has been vacant since Faf Du Plessis stepped down from the position in February. Maharaj has not been among the frontrunners for the position but he led the Dolphins to the domestic One Day title. The Dolphins were awarded the title by Cricket South Africa after the season had to be curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I've really enjoyed captaincy from the time I've been handed the opportunity this past season," he is quoted as saying by Sport24. "I really want to captain the Proteas. It's been my dream. Not a lot of people in the national set-up actually know that, but the few who have approached me on the matter know that." Maharaj even said that he would like to captain South Africa in all formats and lift trophies with the team. Wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock is captain of the ODI side and had led South Africa in T20Is against England and Australia this year.

"I'd like to captain the South African team across all three formats and I want to raise a World Cup trophy with my own hands, as the leader of the side," he said.

"I didn't merely want to play for the Proteas. Lifting that silverware has always been my childhood dream."

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With widespread testing, contact tracing and population behavioural changes, Hong Kong appears to have managed to contain the first wave of COVID-19 without resorting to drastic measures like complete lockdown which now threaten to damage economies of several countries around the world, say scientists in a Lancet study.

A combination of border entry restrictions, quarantine and isolation of cases and contacts, together with some degree of social distancing helped the city with a 7.5 million population avert a major COVID-19 outbreak up to March 31, said the study published in The Lancet Public Health journal.

"By quickly implementing public health measures, Hong Kong has demonstrated that the virus transmission can be effectively contained without resorting to the highly disruptive complete lockdown," said professor Benjamin Cowling from the University of Hong Kong, who led the research.

"Other governments can learn from the success of Hong Kong. If these measures and population responses can be sustained, they could substantially lessen the impact."
The government also deployed measures to encourage social distancing including flexible working arrangements and school closures. Many large-scale events were also cancelled.

Further analyses suggest that individual behaviours have changed in response to COVID-19. In the most recent survey, 85 per cent of respondents reported avoiding crowded places, and 99 per cent reported wearing face masks when leaving home—up from 75 per cent and 61 per cent respectively from the first survey in January.

S Korea virus cases fall below 20 in 2 months

SEOUL: South Korea reported 18 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, marking the lowest daily increase in about two months. The new cases brought the country's total infections to 10,653, according to the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. It is the first time since February 20 that the country's new infections came below 20. Over the past five days, the country reported fewer than 30 new patients per day. The number of South Korea's daily new cases reached a peak of 909 confirmed cases on February 29, but the country has since managed to flatten the curve.

Iran closer to containment

Iranian authorities have said that they were closer to the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic in most of the country, while Turkey was poised to overtake Iran as the hardest-hit country in the Middle East due to rapid growth of new cases. Iran on Friday reported 1,499 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 79,494, with 4,958 deaths. "Despite circumstances arising from sanctions and economic warfare, no patient was left abandoned behind hospital doors and no patient lacked drugs and medical care during the peak of the virus across cities," minister of health and medical education Saeed Namaki said. In Turkey, 4,353 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on Friday, bringing the total number to 78,546. The death toll surged to 1,769, after 126 more deaths were reported.

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With humans in their homes amid the coronavirus lockdown, animals are roaming free on the streets. After pictures of dolphins off Marine Drive, peacocks venturing in the streets of Mumbai and tigers taking a stroll in the forests of Madhya Pradesh went viral, stunning pictures of lions sleeping in a park in South Africa is making rounds on social media.  

 The picture posted on Twitter by the Kruger National Park in South Africa, show the rare sight of the pack of lions sleeping in the pathways of the park. Clicked by Section ranger Richard Sowry, the caption for the post reads, “Kruger visitors that tourists do not normally see.  #SALockdown This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do not see.  This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp.”

Kruger visitors that tourists do not normally see. #SALockdown This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do not see. This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp.
📸Section Ranger Richard Sowry pic.twitter.com/jFUBAWvmsA

— Kruger National Park (@SANParksKNP) April 15, 2020

The astounding pictures that were posted on Twitter on Wednesday, garnered over 19,500 likes and was retweeted more than 6,700 times. The users commenting on the post spoke how such rare sights are seen when humans are at home and how mother nature is recovering from the wounds.

Now mother earth belongs to all of us as nature intended.

— Aaron Moloisi (@aaronmoloisi) April 16, 2020

Mother nature is enjoying the #lockdown. No humans to bother them.

— Emile van Rooyen (@EmilevanRooyen2) April 15, 2020

We’re seeing glimpses of the world when the humans are gone ...

— Jason Randa (@JasonRanda2) April 16, 2020

Looks pretty nice. I've seen a few videos from around the world other animals walking through city streets and looking around and then just continuing to do their thing. It's quite beautiful and they are wondering where we are.

— Lori Brown (@LoriBrown82) April 17, 2020

The animals are loving having their turf back.

— Heartbeat Of Africa (@PeterDermauw) April 15, 2020

What do you think about the pictures?

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After an elephant, monkey and wild bears, another heartwarming video of penguins roaming freely on the streets of Cape Town in South Africa has taken the internet by storm. The adorable video, which has gone viral now was shared by Twitter user Susanta Nanda, an Indian Forest Service officer who is working in Odisha. In the video, a small group of penguins can be seen strolling the streets of cape town amid the coronavirus crisis.

Penguins check the streets of Auckland, searching for the humans💕 pic.twitter.com/lEsiGSPes3

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) April 19, 2020

In the 27-seconds video clip, three penguins can be seen strolling the streets of Cape Town in South Africa and walking in a disciplined manner on the pavements of a society. In the adorable video, the three penguins can be seen following each other as they enjoy a leisure walk on the empty streets of Cape Town.

New Order.... Humans in Homely Cages,
Animals Come to See. https://t.co/JWNEOmILR5

— Pankaj Thapliyal (@PankajT04765688) April 19, 2020

IFS officer Susanta shared the adorable video with the caption: Penguins check the streets of Auckland, searching for the humans. However, Susanta was soon corrected by his one of his followers who said that the place is South Africa's Cape Town and not Auckland in New Zealand.

They have come to zoo for the humans 😍😍😍

— 𝓈𝓊𝒹𝒾𝓅 🇮🇳 (@iam_Sudip) April 19, 2020

The video which was shared on Sunday has garnered over 3,000 views and about 600 likes. Netizens were amazed looking at the play-time that the penguins enjoyed amid lockdown across the globe. One user said, "Wildlife love lock down," while another user commented, "This is so beautiful..." A third user jokingly said, "Joined army it seems...patrol duty."

Here are some of the best reactions to the video:

Joined army it seems...patrol duty

— P. Madhavi (@PMadhav45856047) April 19, 2020

That jump was cute.

— ajay (@Ajaychennai2) April 19, 2020

This is so beautiful...keep sharing such wonderful videos sir..

— Mangesh (@iammangs) April 19, 2020

Really sweet

— Asheesh Talwani (@AsheeshTalwani) April 19, 2020

What do you think of the adorable video?

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A video of an elderly man tearing up after receiving a gift from his caregiver has melted hearts online and the story behind it is extremely emotional. Ken Bembow, a British war veteran has been staying in a elderly assisting  facility and one of the care givers there noticed that he sleeps with his late wife’s photograph.

As she realized that sleeping next to a picture in a glass frame can hurt him, caregiver Kia Mariah Tobin came up with an idea to give Bembow a unique gift. She gifted him a pillow with his wife’s photo printed on it. The precious moment of Bembow tearing up while receiving the gift was captured on camera and was shared on Facebook that has touched hearts.

The care home where Bembow stays shared the video on their Facebook page, with the caption that reads, “We know our residents are missing their loved ones at this time but let’s not forget those who sadly aren’t here with us anymore.” The caption further detailed how Tobin presented him the pillow.

The video posted last week garnered over 4 lakh views on Facebook with more than 7,000 likes and was shared over 5,200 times. The users commenting on the video lauded the caregiver for giving Bembow a thoughtful gift.

A user said, “What a lovely thing to do, I’m sure lots of residents in isolation would appreciate one. What a wonderful reaction, bless him.” Another user said, “Such a beautiful moment. I can’t stop watching it.” One user said, “Absolutely beautiful!  So thoughtful and so special. What an angel Kia is, and wonderful to see the bond between  her and Ken.”  A user said, “ I cried watching this absolutely beautiful, amazing young lady, she should be so so proud of herself and to the boss, you have a diamond working for you, an absolute diamond.”

What do you think about the video?

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President Donald Trump has said he will place a pause on the issuance of new green cards for the next 60 days as part of his efforts to protect American workers. He also confirmed that he would sign on Wednesday an order partially blocking immigration to the US.

Trump, seeking re-election in November, said his executive order to ban immigration will last for 60 days and apply only to those seeking permanent residence in the country and exempt temporary workers.

"It will help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as US reopens. It would be wrong and unjust for Americans to be replaced with immigrants flown in from abroad," he said.

The US — with 45,000 deaths and over 8,25,000 infections -- is the world's hardest-hit country. About 22 million Americans have lost their jobs since the outbreak.
Meanwhile, a study funded by the National Institute of Health stated that the plan to use hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19 patients has received a setback with more deaths being reported among those who were given the drug, according to a report.

Missouri sues Chinese govt

The US state of Missouri filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government, the ruling Communist Party of China, and other Chinese officials and institutions, alleging that Chinese officials are "responsible for the enormous death, suffering, and economic losses they inflicted on the world, including Missourians." China dismissed as "nothing short of absurdity" and violation of sovereignty the lawsuit.

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Four tigers and three lions have tested COVID-19 positive at the Bronx Zoo in New York, authorities announced, weeks after a Malayan tiger at the facility was confirmed positive and six other big cats were said to be exhibiting similar symptoms. On April 5, the Wildlife Conservation Society that runs the New York zoo, reported that one tiger had tested positive for the new coronavirus, the first known COVID-19 infection found in a big cat, reports Efe news.

The first big cat, a four-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia, developed a dry cough and loss of appetite in late March, while Nadia's sister Azul, two Amur tigers, and three African lions also showed the same symptoms. "We can confirm that the three other tigers in Tiger Mountain and the three African lions that exhibited a cough have also tested positive for COVID-19," the zoo said in a statement on Wednesday.

The test was done by using a faecal sample so that the animals did not have to be placed under anesthesia, as with the Malayan tiger. "The faecal tests confirmed our suspicion that all seven cats had the infection, and also determined that one tiger at Tiger Mountain that never developed a cough was also positive for the disease," it added. The wildlife centre said that "all eight cats continue to do well. They are behaving normally, eating well, and their coughing is greatly reduced".

"We tested the tigers and lions out of an abundance of caution and will ensure any knowledge we gain about COVID-19 will contribute to the world's continuing understanding of this novel coronavirus," said the zoo officials. "The testing of these cats was done in veterinary laboratories and resources used did not take from those being used for human testing," they added.

It is still believed that the animals were infected by an asymptomatic staff member who had contact with the animals before developing symptoms. As of Wednesday, two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first domestic animal cases detected in the US. Both animals live in different areas of New York state, the current epicentre of the pandemic not only in the US but worldwide.

They have mild respiratory problems and are expected to recover soon, according to a statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Veterinary Services Laboratories of the Department of Agriculture.

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An innocent game of hide-and-seek ended in a teenager getting stuck inside the washing machine, only to be rescued by fire-fighters. 18-year-old Amari Dancy was playing the game with her cousins when she thought of the washing machine as a good place to hide.

Little did she know that she would end up getting stuck there. One of the cousins saw her stuck in the washing machine, alerted others and called the emergency services for help. The teenager was quoted by NBC News as saying, "We already had hid underneath the bed, in the closet, and we couldn't go down into the basement...So, I was like 'Oh, ok, let's just hide in the washer machine."

Dancy also said that she was relieved after being rescued, "I was really worried to see if they were going to get me out or not. Once they figured out what to do... I just felt relieved. I just wanted to be out of there."

The ordeal faced by Dancy was shared on Instagram by her aunt Naomi Elizabeth, with videos of firefighters wearing masks and rescuing the girl by removing the top of the washing machine to make enough space to pull her out.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by É´á´Â€á´Âá´ÂÉªá´Â‡ÊŸɪᴢá´Â€Ê™á´Â‡á´Â›Êœ 👑 (@mikoa_samigeisha) onApr 19, 2020 at 9:10pm PDT

The post shared on Monday garnered 6,087 likes on Instagram with hilarious reactions pouring in the comments.

A user said, "I'm dying over here.. thanks for the laughs." Another user said, "I am glad her hair was did!!!" Third user asked, "Are you okay???? It’s funny and all but still want to make sure you are doing okay....." One user said, "Didnt ya mama teach you not to play with washing machines?"

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With the Coronavirus lockdown being the only pressing issue one can think of right now, one can have a constant fear of contracting the deadly virus and taking precautions to protect oneself from it. The pandemic can even takeover one’s thoughts to an extend that it feels that even asteroids are wearing face masks.

A 1.5 km wide asteroid, which is almost half the size of Mount Everest is set to fly by Earth next week, and its shape has already generated curiosity among netizens. The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico tweeted about the asteroid saying that it looks like it wearing a face mask. The observatory also shared a picture of the asteroid it snapped recently. The team researching about the asteroid in the observatory has been wearing the protective masks while at work as a precaution for the Coronavirus pandemic. They have likening the asteroid’s appearance to themselves in the hilarious tweet.

“#TeamRadar and the @NAICobservatory staff are taking the proper safety measures as we continue observations. This week we have been observing near-Earth asteroid 1998 OR2, which looks like it's wearing a mask! It's at least 1.5 km across and is passing 16 lunar distances away!” read the tweet. The team also shared pictures of their members wear masks and posing against the picture of the asteroid.

#TeamRadar and the @NAICobservatory staff are taking the proper safety measures as we continue observations. This week we have been observing near-Earth asteroid 1998 OR2, which looks like it's wearing a mask! It's at least 1.5 km across and is passing 16 lunar distances away! pic.twitter.com/X2mQJCT2Qg

— Arecibo Radar (@AreciboRadar) April 18, 2020

In a statement to CNN, Anne Virkki, head of the planetary radar at the Observatory said that the small-scale topographic features of the asteroid such as the hills and ridges are 'fascinating scientifically'. "But since we are all thinking about Covid-19, these features make it look like 1998 OR2 remembered to wear a mask," she added.

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If you love to cook or bake, you put your heart and soul into the dish, with a hope that it will turn out to be delicious. But if it does not turn out as expected you would feel disheartened. The young girl went through the same, who tried a hand at baking and messed up the dish. Her mother turned to Twitter and asked users to share their cooking fails that helped her to cheer up.

When author and mother of four Shannon Hale tweeted, “My 9yo is in tears because she tried to bake something new and messed up. She thinks this means she can’t be a baker now”, and asked people to share their cooking experiences that flopped, the twitterati was quick to respond and make the girl feel better.

My 9yo is in tears because she tried to bake something new and messed up. She thinks this means she can’t be a baker now. Would any bakers out there care to share times you messed up?

— Shannon Hale (@haleshannon) April 19, 2020

Hale’s tweet has garnered more than 11,000 likes and was retweeted 667 times. Many users commenting on the posts shared their epic cooking fails alongwith the pictures of their messed-up dishes to cheer the girl up.

My 9yo is in tears because she tried to bake something new and messed up. She thinks this means she can’t be a baker now. Would any bakers out there care to share times you messed up?

— Shannon Hale (@haleshannon) April 19, 2020

I write cookbooks and yesterday I forgot the baking powder and soda in my cake pic.twitter.com/imQ9C78mdD

— Julie Van Rosendaal (@dinnerwithjulie) April 20, 2020

I’ve been baking for years (about 50) and I had to cut the sides off my bread today because it was burnt. pic.twitter.com/lbq5RXKEKV

— Gallery Chapel (@gallerychapel) April 20, 2020

Look at this beautiful birthday cake my son made my wife today. Things can be delicious even if messy ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Xs2JIzoAmN

— 🌈Dr. Frizzle (@Swilua) April 19, 2020

Look at this beautiful birthday cake my son made my wife today. Things can be delicious even if messy ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Xs2JIzoAmN

— 🌈Dr. Frizzle (@Swilua) April 19, 2020

I’ve been baking for years (about 50) and I had to cut the sides off my bread today because it was burnt. pic.twitter.com/lbq5RXKEKV

— Gallery Chapel (@gallerychapel) April 20, 2020

What do you think about the post?

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Indian-American Seema Nanda has announced that she was stepping down as the CEO of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), it was reported. The Boston College Law School and Brown University grad, who took over as the DNC CEO in June 2018, succeeding Mary Beth Cahill, announced the move via Twitter on Friday, the American Bazaar reported.

"After two years, I will be stepping down as CEO of the DNC. I couldn't be prouder of the infrastructure we have built, the primary process we have run, and the team we have built. "I look forward to continuing the fight for our democracy and to elect Democrats everywhere," she added.

Nanda however, did not reveal the reason behind her decision nor did she announce her next move. During her tenure, Nanda worked closely with DNC Chair Tom Perez, managing the group's day-to-day operations.

The two had worked together at the Department of Labor during the former administration of President Barack Obama. Perez's term as DNC chair will end after the November presidential election. While accepting the position in 2018, Nanda described the job as "the opportunity of a lifetime".

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and fiancee Carrie Symonds announced the birth of a 'healthy baby boy', delivered at a government-run hospital in London on Wednesday. The birth is believed to be slightly premature but both mother and baby are said to be doing very well.

Prime Minister of United Kingdom Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds blessed with a baby boy: UK Media. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/uSQcWcureI

— ANI (@ANI) April 29, 2020

"The Prime Minister and Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning, a spokesperson for the couple said on Wednesday.

"Both mother and baby are doing very well. The PM and Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS (National Health Service) maternity team, the spokesperson said.

The news comes days after Johnson, 55, returned to 10 Downing Street on Monday after his hospitalisation for complications from COVID-19. He had been recuperating at his Chequers countryside retreat in Buckinghamshire, where he was joined by his pregnant fiancee.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/83HkS1Vjhx

— Carrie Symonds (@carriesymonds) April 9, 2020

Symonds had taken to Twitter earlier this month to express her relief at Johnson's discharge from hospital with a series of clapping hands emoticons alongside a picture of a rainbow, which has emerged as the symbol of support for the country's NHS through the course of the pandemic fightback.

The 32-year-old herself had been previously self-isolating with the couple's dog Dilyn after she developed symptoms of coronavirus but later revealed she was on the mend. The couple had announced their engagement at the end of February, when it was also revealed that they were expecting their first baby in the summer.

The last child born to a sitting UK prime minister belonged to David and Samantha Cameron, who welcomed Florence Rose Endellion into their family in August 2010. Symonds, who works for an ocean conservation charity, met Johnson during her time as the communications chief for the Conservative Party.

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New photos have been released to mark the fifth birthday of the UK's Princess Charlotte, Prince William and Kate Middleton's second born, showing her delivering homemade care packages to those in need during the coronavirus crisis.

The four photos of Charlotte, who was born at the private maternity Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital here on May 2, 2015, were taken in April by her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, a keen amateur photographer, the BBC reported.

The Duchess, who is a patron of the Royal Photographic Society, has regularly released pictures she has taken of George, six, and Louis, two, to mark their birthdays.

Charlotte joined her parents and brothers Prince George and Prince Louis to make the deliveries, likely to be close to the family home of Anmer Hall, on the Queen's Sandringham estate.

In the photos released on Friday night, she is seen picking up white bags of food for pensioners who are shielding from the virus or other vulnerable people in lockdown in Norfolk.

The family spent several hours making fresh pasta before delivering it, said the BBC report.

Over the past five weeks, the Queen's Sandringham staff have been preparing and delivering meals for pensioners and vulnerable people living in the local area, Buckingham Palace has said, with about 1,000 meals being made and delivered in the first week alone.

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The number of Coronavirus deaths in the US will jump to over 3,000 and new cases to about 2,00,000 per day by June 1, an internal draft report has said, even as over two dozen US states announced to open up their economy amid the health crisis.

The US is the worst-hit country from the pandemic. By Monday, over 1.2 million Americans tested positive for COVID-19 and the total number of fatalities crossed 69,000.

Multiple media reports on Monday quoted the draft report projecting the horrifying figures. "The numbers underscore a sobering reality: while the US has been hunkered down for the past seven weeks, not much has changed. And the reopening to the economy will make matters worse," The New York Times reported.

"There remains a large number of counties whose burden continues to grow," the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned according to the daily.
However, both the White House and the CDC disavowed the report. The slides carry the CDC's logo, The Washington Post reported. The projection was prepared by Justin Lessler, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

"I had no role in the process by which that was presented and shown. This data was presented as an FYI to CDC. it was not in any way intended to be a forecast," Lessler told The Washington Post. "There are reopening scenarios where it could get out of control very quickly," he said.

US gave no proof on COVID-19 origin: UN

The WHO's emergencies chief Michael Ryan said on Monday it has received no evidence from the US government to back up allegations by President Donald Trump that virus could have originated at a laboratory in Wuhan. "From our perspective, this remains speculative."

4 new cases in S Korea, China

China and South Korea, which had early, intense outbreaks of the COVID-19, together reported only four new infections on Tuesday and were slowly resuming public events after months of containment efforts. While South Korea reported three new cases, China reported one.

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[Source: Research & Innovation] An EU-funded consortium is developing advanced X-ray and 3D imaging technologies to enable European miners to extract essential metal and mineral resources more efficiently and sustainably.

[Source: Research & Innovation] A free parenting programme based on EU-funded research has won a 2019 Horizon Impact Award for its success in helping families to avoid child abuse in low-and middle-income countries. Now parents everywhere can access online tips to cope with COVID-19 lockdown life.

[Source: Research & Innovation] The Danish island of Bornholm is the first ever winner of the EU RESponsible Island Prize. The Danish island won the title in recognition for its innovative energy solutions and its contribution to a sustainable and climate-friendly Europe, the European Commission announced today. The second prize went to the island of Samsø, also in Denmark, and the third prize to the Orkney Islands in the United Kingdom.

India's Central Board of Direct Taxes has launched a consultation on changes to the country's tax ruling process and forms to enable the country to exchange information on tax rulings with other countries' tax authorities, as proposed by the OECD in its base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project.

During its 35th meeting, India's GST Council approved changes to GST filing requirements and deadlines, and approved the introduction of an electronic invoicing system,

India will launch its legacy dispute scheme starting September 1, 2019.

The Dutch Ministry of Finance announced on February 1, 2019, that the work-related costs scheme will be improved from 2020.

The UK Government on January 6, 2020, released the synthesized text of the 2008 Netherlands-UK double tax agreement, as modified by the BEPS multilateral instrument.

A number of proposed tax changes intended to boost Dutch competitiveness and combat tax avoidance have been included in the official agreement between the four parties forming the next Government of the Netherlands.

Indonesia's Ministry of Finance is preparing a legislative response to ensure the collection of VAT on electronically supplied services to Indonesian consumers.

J.B.CHEMICALS share price has hit a 52-week high at Rs 625 (up 2.0%).

Meanwhile, the BSE 500 Index is at 12,146 (up 1.7%).

Among the top gainers in the BSE 500 Index today are J.B.CHEMICALS (up 2.0%) and ICICI SECURITIES LTD (up 10.5%).

CYIENT (down 5.6%) and RELIANCE CAPITAL (down 5.0%) are among the top losers today.

Over the last one year, J.B.CHEMICALS has moved up from Rs 331 to Rs 625, registering a gain of Rs 294 (up 87.64%).

The BSE 500 has moved down from 14,958 to 12,146, loss of 2,812 points (down 18.8%) during the last 12 months.

The top gainers among the BSE 500 Index stocks during this same period were ADANI GREEN ENERGY (up 435.7%), ABBOTT INDIA (up 145.8%) and NAVIN FLUORINE (up 122.8%).

What About the Benchmark Indices?

The BSE Sensex is at 32,089 (up 1.8%). The top gainers among the BSE Sensex stocks today are HUL (up 3.0%), INDUSIND BANK (up 2.9%) and BAJAJ FINANCE (up 2.8%). Other gainers include AXIS BANK (up 2.7%) and RELIANCE IND. (up 2.5%). The most traded stocks in the BSE Sensex are RELIANCE IND. and SBI.

In the meantime, NSE Nifty is at 9,383 (up 1.5%). DR. REDDYS LAB (up 4.1%) and INDIABULLS HOU. FIN. (up 3.8%) are among the top gainers in NSE Nifty.

Over the last 12 months, the BSE Sensex has moved up from 38,277 to 32,089, registering a gain of -6,188 points (up -16.4%).

J.B.CHEMICALS Financial Update...

J.B.CHEMICALS net profit stood at Rs 622 million for the quarter ended December 2019, compared to a profit of Rs 464 million a year ago. Net Sales rose 9.3% to Rs 3.9 billion during the period as against Rs 3.5 billion in October-December 2018.

For the year ended March 2018, J.B.CHEMICALS reported 24.8% decrease in net profit to Rs 1.4 billion compared to net profit of Rs 1.8 billion during FY17.

Revenue of the company grew 3.3% to Rs 14 billion during FY18.

The current Price to earnings ratio of J.B.CHEMICALS, based on rolling 12 month earnings, stands at 20.0x.

This article (J.B.CHEMICALS at 52 Week High; BSE 500 Index Up 2.0% ) is authored by Equitymaster.

Equitymaster is a leading 'independent' equity research initiative focused on providing well-researched and unbiased opinions on stocks listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

44 African countries have signed a landmark free trade pact to simplify tax and non-tax rules for trading between their borders.

Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, tech giants Facebook and Google will allow the majority of their employees to work from home.

Panasonic has prepared for staggered operations at retail and brand stores that have been recalibrated to abide by social distancing norms and deployed all safety measures such as placement of sanitisers, mandatory usage of masks, and contact-less assistance to consumers