Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' address, has given a direction to the Indian citizens for fighting the battle against Coronavirus.

"PM Modi in his 'Mann ki Baat' has said that the battle against Coronavirus has to be won within one month. He had said that by the time Eid comes we will defeat Coronavirus," Javadekar said.

He further said, "Modi had also said that society has shown humanity by ensuring that no one goes hungry during the lockdown." "In today's address, the PM gave a proper direction that is necessary to fight the battle against Coronavirus," he added.

Modi while addressing the nation during his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' had said that India's fight against the Coronavirus is "people-driven" and is being fought by the masses and the administration together.

He also informed that the government has come up with a digital platform to link volunteers of social organisations, representatives of civil society and local administration.

Tamil Nadu under major lockdown

The complete lockdown in the major urban centres of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai and Coimbatore, came into force on Sunday with groceries and vegetable shops also shutting down as civic bodies intensified disinfection work in their respective regions. While police patrol vehicles and flying squads of civic bodies alone could be seen in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem and Tirupur, people in some localities in north Chennai loitered around.

Standalone shops open up in Delhi

The Delhi government has allowed the standalone shops in the national capital based on the Union Home Ministry's order but the markets and complexes will remain shut, Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal said. He also said that no other relaxation will be given to the city till May 3 — lockdown deadline. "Last Sunday we decided to continue the lockdown without any relaxation. We are giving one relaxation today. The Centre on Friday announced to open some shops and we are implementing it."

Shops sell PPE for as cheap as Rs 198

As they fight the deadly Coronavirus pandemic 24/7, frontline healthcare workers are facing a severe crunch of personal protection equipment (PPE) suits or hazmat suits. Suddenly, several retail shops have cropped up across the country, offering such specialised medical suits at cheap prices. Shops in Tirupur — also called the knitwear city of India — in Tamil Nadu are offering such suits for as low as R198 and R225, take minimum order for 50 suits with courier charges extra.

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While Superheroes have always been a favourite amongst the audience, new age female superheroes have earned much praise from viewers in recent times creating a humongous fan base. Be it Captain Marvel, The Wasp, Wonder Woman, Black Widow, or Batwoman, each of these crusaders flaunt a glorious suit bringing out imminent traits of their characters.

Gathering momentum on Indian television to become one of the highest-rated shows on TV, the premiere season of Batwoman has become a fan favourite. Speaking about wearing the majestic Batsuit for the first time, Ruby Rose said, "I still remember putting it on for the first time with Colleen, who is magnificent at what she does, and it's just a magical feeling. It's not like when you dress up for Halloween and sort of put something on. This thing has been like, within an inch of its life, it just fits me like a glove."

Further speaking about filming while wearing the Batwoman attire, Ruby Rose mentions, "Every single part of it has been designed for my body. So, I feel it moves with me, and I move with it, and it feels like a second skin for the most part, and, yes, it's an incredible feeling. You feel the transformation, unlike any costume I've ever put on in any role in my life. It's just very difficult to pee in, that's all."

With the responsibility that comes with portraying a phenomenon like Batwoman on the silver screen, Ruby Rose excels in breathing life into the character of this superhero. The story of Batwoman continues to unfold with its premiere season currently being aired in India, exclusively on Colors Infinity.

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Pop star Rihanna's father Ronald Fenty tested positive for COVID-19, but he has survived the illness with the help of his superstar daughter. Fenty tested positive for coronavirus at home in Barbados. He feared he would die after testing positive for the novel coronavirus and suffering high fevers, reports thesun.co.uk.

He said his daughter, whose real name is Robyn Fenty, sent a ventilator to his home, and checked on him every day. "My daughter Robyn was checking in on me every day. I thought I was going to die to be honest. I have to say, I love you so much, Robyn'. She did so much for me. I appreciate everything she has done," the 66-year-old said.

He revealed his superstar daughter, 32, sent in a ventilator "that he hadn't used yet", and shipped it to his home in the Caribbean. He said that she gave him "more than" he needed to make it through the illness. Recalling his time with the illness, he said: "I got a fever up inside of my nose. I had a fever across my lips. It was just a lot of fever. I feared the worst. I thought I was going to die, honestly."

He had a message for everyone. "I want everybody to stay home. This is a serious situation. More serious than people realise. Please stay home," he said.

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Renowned bass guitarist Matthew Seligman, who played with late music icon David Bowie at Live Aid in 1985, has died after a battle with Coronavirus. He was 64.

Seligman is best known for his role in the new wave scene in the 1980s. He was a member of The Soft Boys and The Thompson Twins, also collaborating with Thomas Dolby.

Dolby, 61, confirmed Seligman's death and said a candlelight vigil to remember the star would be held on YouTube live on April 19, reports dailymail.co.uk. "Matthew would want us to remember the good times and have a party," Dolby said.

Seligman had been battling COVID-19 for two weeks and had been on a ventilator at a hospital in London. He leaves behind son Deji, daughter Lily, and Mami, his partner, and Lily's mother. He was born in Cyprus and raised in England. The bassist first came to prominence as a founding member of Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club, and the psychedelic group The Soft Boys.

Seligman gained a reputation as a session musician and collaborated with Morrissey, Tori Amos, Sinead O'Connor, and David Bowie. He even played at Bowie's iconic 1985 performance at Live Aid to an audience of billions and also featured on his next two albums.

The Soft Boys member Robyn Hitchcock paid tribute to his former bandmate, saying: "Everybody goes, but none of us was expecting Matthew to leave us so abruptly, forever. I'm profoundly grateful to have played music with him - you could really see his face light up like a full moon when he listened back to a take he enjoyed."

"Onstage he would lope and lurch and pace when the music moved him. Matthew is, was, and always will be one of the greats, Hitchcock added.

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Warner Bros Studios' The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the DC superhero and directed by Matt Reeves, will now release in October, 2021. The film's production was put on halt in mid-March due to coronavirus outbreak and the studio has now announced that movie, which was earlier scheduled to hit the theatres on June 25, 2021, will now bow out on October 1, 2021.

According to Deadline, the studio has also rescheduled superhero movies 'The Flash' and 'Shazam2'. While 'The Flash' will open on June 2, 2022, instead of July 1, 'Shazam 2', earlier set to release on April 1, 2022, will now come out on November 4, 2022. Also, 'The Sopranos' feature prequel 'The Many Saints of Newark', originally dated for September 25 of this year, has now been shifted to March 12 next year.

Baz Luhrmann's untitled Elvis Presley movie, starring Tom Hanks, will now hit the theatres on November 5, 2021, a month after the originally planned release. As per the studio's new release calendar, Will Smith drama 'King Richard' will now bow out on November 19, 2021 instead of November 25 this year. Last month, Warner Bros Studios postponed the release of its much-awaited superhero movie 'Wonder Woman 1984' from June 5 to August 14.

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EU-funded researchers hope a greater understanding of interactions between pertussis bacteria and the immune system, together with a toolkit for testing new vaccines, will help prevent whooping cough disease and deaths in babies worldwide.

Leeds United legend Norman Hunter died on Friday at the age of 76 after testing positive for coronavirus. "Leeds United are devastated to learn of the passing of club icon Norman Hunter at the age of 76," the club said in a statement. "Norman was taken to hospital last week after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and despite continuing to battle and the best efforts of NHS staff, he sadly lost his fight earlier this morning," the statement added.

Hunter made his Leeds debut in 1962 when he was just 18 years old. Hunter amassed a huge 726 appearances for Leeds United over a 14 year period, the club's most successful to date, earning the infamous nickname "Bites Yer Legs".

He won a total of 28 caps for England and was in the 1966 World Cup-winning squad, whilst was also the first winner of the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 1974.

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Films based on or inspired from true incidents always have an edge, especially if made well. A recent classic example being ARTICLE 15, loosely inspired from Badaun rape case and Una flogging incident, and which became a commercial success. Now Nikkhil Advani attempts to unravel the mystery behind the more-than-a-decade-old Batla House encounter in his flick, also titled BATLA HOUSE. So does BATLA HOUSE give viewers an entertaining and thrilling time? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1008066" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Batla-House-3.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> BATLA HOUSE is the story of an upright cop caught in a sticky situation. The year is 2008. The Indian Mujahideen has conducted a series of blasts across the country. Their latest attack is in the capital city, Delhi, on September 13. ACP Sanjay Kumar (John Abraham) is having trouble in his marriage with Nandita (Mrunal Thakur). On September 19, he is informed by his team that the terrorists responsible for this blast are holed up in a flat in L-18, Batla House in the Okhla locality of the city. Before Sanjay could reach the site, his junior officer K K (Ravi Kishan) orders the team to engage with the occupants of the said house. The occupants who are Okhla University students fire at the cops, injuring K K grievously. Sanjay meanwhile reaches and he along with the rest of the police team eliminate the shooters. One of them, Tufail (Alok Pandey) is arrested. Even before the cops could leave, the residents begin raising slogans against the police. Soon, the media and political leaders blame the police for staging a fake encounter. K K on the other hand passes away in hospital. Sanjay meanwhile finds it difficult to prove that he’s right and that these residents of Batla House were indeed a part of Indian Mujahideen. He also informs the police department that there were two more guys in the Batla House flat who escaped, one of which is Dilshaad Ahmed (Sahidur Rehman). He escaped to Nizampur, Uttar Pradesh. Sanjay’s senior Jayvir (Manish Chaudhari) sternly tells Sanjay not to head to Nimzapur to arrest Dilshaad. Yet, Sanjay defies the orders and heads to nab Dilshaad with his team. In Nizampur, he encounters hostile residents and a leader of a political party who tell him to back off. Yet, he goes ahead and attempts to take Dilshaad back to Delhi. The locals on one hand are baying for his blood. On other hand, Jayvir and other senior cops are slamming Sanjay for his irresponsible action. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Ritesh Shah's story is well researched and gripping. Moreover, it’s extremely relevant in today’s times. Many might not be aware of this case and how it led to such a huge controversy at that time. Hence, the novelty factor is also there. Ritesh Shah's screenplay is captivating for most parts but is shaky in the first half. The film should have been simpler yet thrilling and devoid of too much of docudrama feel, for a better impact. However, there’s no doubt that some scenes are exceptionally scripted. Ritesh Shah's dialogues are acidic and sharp. The one-liners in the climax work very well. Nikkhil Advani's direction is simply brilliant. He understands the material he has in his hand and its sensitive nature. He has handled some scenes deftly and shows his brilliance in the interrogation scene in the first half and later in the courtroom sequences. Also, the Rashomon effect works well here to make the audiences wonder as to which version is correct. However, a few scenes in the first half are not up to the mark. Some scenes might even confuse viewers. For instance, it is bewildering why Sanjay switches off the camera during a crucial interrogation. Thankfully, the plusses outweigh the minuses by a huge margin here. BATLA HOUSE’s first half is decent but one misses the overall ‘Wow’ factor here. The reason behind the straining of relations between Sanjay and Nandita is not explained properly. The encounter is only partly shown and hence, one remains confused as to what exactly transpired between the police and the students. Also, Sanjay’s constant hallucination sequences become a little too much after a point. But on the positive side, a few scenes are quite promising. The film picks up in a big way when Sanjay quotes from the Holy Quran while interrogating Tufail. This powerful scene will surely be greeted with claps and whistles and it also proves how vested interests smartly misinterpret religious texts for violent gains. The Nizampur episode is a bit over the top but is quite thrilling. The intermission point also comes at a great moment. Post-interval, the interest levels increase as Sanjay gets determined to nab Dilshaad. The entry of Victoria (Nora Fatehi) adds charm to the film. But the best is reserved for the last 35-40 minutes. The courtroom drama is quite exhilarating and clap worthy. Also, once the entire scenario becomes clear, the film becomes simpler.  As a result, audiences would be even more interested once they know the complete picture. Sanjay’s monologue at this hour ensures the film ends on a high. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Batla House Public Review | John Abraham | Mrunal Thakur | Movie Review | First Day First Show</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/videos/first-day-first-show/batla-house-public-review-john-abraham-mrunal-thakur-movie-review-first-day-first-show/?jwembed=1" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> BATLA HOUSE belongs to John Abraham, without a shred of doubt. He is not just playing a brave, decorated police officer. He also essays the role of a person who is abused and slammed from all quarters. No one wants to know or believe his version of truth. The trauma he faces is brought out beautifully by John. Also, he’s first-rate as expected in action scenes and also in dramatic and confrontational sequences. Mrunal Thakur is letdown a bit by the script as the back story is never revealed. But she gives a decent performance. In the second half, she impresses even more as the woman who stands up for her husband. Ravi Kishan leaves a huge mark in a small role. Manish Chaudhari is efficient. Rajesh Sharma (Advocate Shailesh Arya) is quite scathing, as per his character’s requirement. Nora Fatehi provides much-needed sizzle in the film. Her character has a small but important role in the film. Alok Pandey and Sahidur Rehman play their respective parts with earnest. Pramod Pathak (Defence counsel P Krishnan) has a late entry but makes an impact. Others also do well. Songs aren’t memorable except for of course <em>'O Saki Saki'</em>. The item song is quite entertaining but it starts off quite suddenly though. <em>'Rula Diya'</em> and <em>'Jaako Rakhe'</em> are okay. John Stewart Eduri's background score is subtle yet adds to the impact.  Adil Shaikh's choreography in <em>'O Saki Saki'</em> is visually great. Soumik Mukherjee's cinematography is topnotch. This is especially in the interior scenes of Batla House flat and in the chase sequence in the small town. Priya Suhas's production design is quite realistic. Amin Khatib's action is thrilling and yet not gory or disturbing at all. Maahir Zaveri's editing is razor sharp in many scenes and also stylish. But this kind of editing also affects the impact in some of the scenes in the first half. On the whole, BATLA HOUSE is a powerful saga which is sure to spark off discussions and debates. The relevant plot, watertight screenplay, clapworthy moments and terrific performance by John Abraham makes BATLA HOUSE one of the finest films of the year. At the box office, it will have a promising run. Recommended!

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has stated the real inspiration behind his swashbuckling batting technique was 'Angad' -- a character in mythological epic 'Ramayan'.

Sehwag, who was known for his great hand-eye coordination with minimal footwork, on Sunday shared a picture of 'Angad' on Twitter and said: "So here is where I took my batting inspiration from. Pair hilana mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai. #Angad Ji Rocks."

So here is where i took my batting inspiration from :)

Pair hilana mushkil hi nahi , namumkin hai . #Angad ji Rocks pic.twitter.com/iUBrDyRQUF

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) April 12, 2020

According to mythology, it is believed that Angad -- who was part of vanar sena which helped Lord Ram in rescuing his wife Sita from Lanka -- was sent as an emissary to the court of Ravan in order to avoid war.

However, Ravan declined the offer and then to break his ego, Angad challenged that if anyone present in the court would be able to lift his feet from the ground then Lord Ram would accept defeat and leave Lanka.

But it is believed that none of the warriors present in Ravan's court was able to lift Angad's feet.

Sehwag, who played 251 ODIs and 104 Tests for India, scored 8,273 and 8,586 runs respectively. In fact, he is the only Indian cricketer to hit two triple centuries in Test cricket.

The swashbuckling opener also played 19 T20Is for India in which he amassed a total of 394 runs.

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With people finding various ways to spend time during quarantine amid the Coronavirus pandemic, a Brazilian model challenged her cricket coach boyfriend to teach her how to bat during the 21-day isolation period.

And they are doing it. According to a report in dailymail.co.uk, Coco Cuhna suggested her boyfriend Gio Colucci that it might be fun to see if he could show her how to bat. "I was joking...he took it very seriously," Coco said.

"I thought Oh my gosh, what have I got myself in for!" Coco revealed she is spending 25 minutes a day learning how to pull, cut and drive from Gio, who is a director at The Cricket Academy in Cape Town, South Africa and has coached the likes of England batsman Tom Wesley, Derbyshire captain Billy Godleman and Ben Curran, brother of England duo Tom and Sam.

"I had never had any contact with cricket before, I never even knew about it before I moved to South Africa," said the Brazilian model. However, after a fortnight, Coco is now enjoying the drill.

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England batsman Jos Buttler was effusive in his praise for Rohit Sharma, describing the India opener as an awesome player, who can "effortlessly" take down any opposition by scoring big hundreds. "Rohit Sharma I think is an awesome player," Buttler said during an Instagram live session on Rajasthan Royals page.

"Effortless. Quite a lot of Indian players have that awesome style. "He has been fantastic for a long time and I just like the way he bats and the effortless nature in which he takes people down." Rohit is currently regarded as one of the greatest ODI players, ranked only behind India skipper Virat Kohli at the top of the ICC rankings. The Mumbaikar is the only batsman to have scored three double hundreds in the format. The 32-year-old had equalled Sachin Tendulkar's record for most centuries in World Cup matches when he scored five hundreds at the 2019 World Cup to end up as the highest-scorer with 648 runs.

"One of the things I have seen with Rohit is that if he gets in, he scores big runs and really affects the game. He must have scored 4-5 hundreds in the World Cup last year," said Buttler, who had shared the dressing room with Rohit at Mumbai Indians in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Buttler feels the Indian players now have become better in negotiating short balls. "I think a few years ago people used to attack Indian players with the short ball but Rohit smashes them. Then you go fuller and he smashes them right down the ground."

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Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim will be putting his most cherished bat on auction in order to raise funds for the relief efforts put in place in the country to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Mushfiqur will be putting the bat -- with which he scored his first double hundred against Sri Lanka at Galle in 2013 -- for online sale and has urged people to contribute to the cause so that maximum funds can be generated for the poor.

"I am putting up the bat with which I made a double hundred for auction," Mushfiqur told the Dhaka-based Bengali daily 'Prothom Alo'.

"It will be put up online, so let's see how we can go about it. I urge everyone with the ability to push up the price of the bat since the proceeds will be spent entirely for the poor people," he added.

Last week, Shakib-al-Hasan had called upon the players to auction their belongings like jerseys and cricket equipments.

"We can do anything like that. It can also be a bat with any of our autographs. We can auction these things through Facebook or the foundation," Shakib had said on Facebook Live.

More than 2000 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported and many people have also lost their lives till now in Bangladesh.

England batsman Jos Butter had raised more than 65,000 pounds for two London-based hospitals by auctioning the shirt which he wore in the 2019 World Cup final.

Legendary Pakistan bowler Wasim Akram also auctioned a bat and ball signed by him to raise funds for a charity as the entire world fights against COVDI-19 pandemic which has so far claimed more than 1.6 lakh lives.

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Flamboyant India batsman KL Rahul is auctioning the bat he used during the World Cup last year and other memorabilia to raise funds for vulnerable children.

In a video message posted on Twitter on his birthday, Rahul said all proceeds from the auction will go to the Aware Foundation, that works to provide dispossessed, disadvantaged and vulnerable children in India the right to education. "I have decided to donate my cricket pads, my gloves, helmets and some of my jerseys to our collaboration partner Bharat Army. They are going to auction these things out and the funds will go towards the Aware Foundation," Rahul said. "It's a foundation that look towards helping children. It is very special and I couldn't pick a better day to do this."

The items up for auction, which started on Monday, includes Rahul's signed 2019 World Cup bat, Test, ODI and T20 jersey along with his batting gloves, helmet and pads. "Go on check out the auction and show some love for me and the children and let's stay strong together during this difficult time and all of us will come out of this stronger," Rahul said. The coronavirus outbreak has infected over 24 lakh people and caused more than one lakh deaths worldwide. In India, more than 17,000 people have been infected with 550 deaths reported.

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India opener Shikhar Dhawan and wife Ayesha on Monday put out a video on social media to send an important message regarding domestic violence. With people staying at home amid coronavirus lockdown, reports of domestic violence have also come out a lot more in recent times.

While I enjoy my time at home with my loving family, I am truly disheartened and sad to hear about domestic violence still existing in today's time & we need to put an end to it. Choose a kind and loving partnership and say no to violence. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ulh1zb0zmY

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) April 27, 2020

Dhawan, who is currently spending time with his family during the lockdown period, urged people to put an end to this social evil by choosing the right partner for themselves.

His Twitter post read: "While I enjoy my time at home with my loving family, I am truly sad and disheartened and sad to hear about domestic violence still existing in today's time and we need to put an end to it. Choose a kind and loving partnership and say no to violence."

India is currently on a nationwide lockdown till May 3 as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus. In India, more than 27,000 people have been infected by the virus so far while in excess of 850 individuals have lost their lives.

In normal circumstances, Dhawan would currently be playing for Delhi Capitals in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) but due to the pandemic the tournament has been postponed indefinitely by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

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Former India player VVS Laxman on Tuesday conducted his first online session for batsmen of Ranji Trophy runners-up, Bengal, and to start with, he focussed only on the mental aspect. During his two separate 45-minute sessions with Abhishek Raman and Kazi Junaid Saifi, Laxman also had in attendance Bengal coach Arun Lal, cricket operations manager Joydeep Mukherjee, and state U-23 coach Sourasish Lahiri. Bengal opener Raman, who frittered away a bright start last season, was given lessons on how to deal with failures and ways to regain confidence. "We talked about our last season. What were my mindset through the season."

A session with lot to learn from and how to prepare the mindset during ups and downs of the season," Raman said in a statement issued by the Cricket Association of Bengal. Raman started the season with successive hundreds, against Kerala and Andhra, but eventually aggregated 406 runs at 25.37 from 10 outings. Laxman talked about how to control the mind in order to avoid playing loose shots, importance of batting in the the first one hour of play on bowling friendly pitches. Rookie batsman Kazi, who made his debut and went on to play two matches, was told about how to ensure a seamless transition from age-group to senior cricket. "It was a very useful and important session today. Laxman sir was sharing his experience with me, how it is normal to be nervous, to be doubtful but at the same time one need to keep faith in himself and his abilities.

"What I learnt is that cricket is a learning process and you have to be consistent in your thought and preparation," Kazi said. The CAB will continue with its online classes with focus being on their top-order batsmen, their biggest letdown in an otherwise eventful season when they reached their first Ranji Trophy final in 13 years. But their dream to lift the title for the first time since 1989-90 remained unfulfilled with the team's top-order batting failing to rise to the occasion against Saurashtra. CAB president Avishek Dalmiya said this exercise is the way forward at a time when the world is under lockdown owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our cricketers are at home yet working out under the guidance of the trainers. We also need to keep them in the proper frame of mind. "And the right way to do it was to engage them with mentors and coaches who would analyse their performances from the previous season and chalk out ways to overcome the challenges," he said.

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Amidst the break from cricketing events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, legendary Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf picked his favourite Indian batsman of the current era.

During a recent Question and Answer session on social media with fans, Yousuf was asked to name his favourite Men In Blue cricketer.

The legendary middle-order batsman then picked Indian skipper Virat Kohli and swashbuckling batsman, Rohit Sharma, as his favorite cricketer.

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 is the only player in the world to have three double tons to his name in ODI cricket.

He also holds the record for the highest individual score in the 50-over format as he played a knock of 264 runs against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens.

On the other hand, Kohli is widely hailed as the run-machine and has many records under his belt.

In 86 Test matches, he had 7,240 runs studded with 27 centuries and 22 half-centuries. In 248 ODIs, he has amassed 11,867 runs with an average of 59.33.

In the shortest format of the game, he has played 82 games in which he slammed 2,794 runs at an average of 50.80 with the help of 24 fifties.

Both Rohit and Kohli would have been in action for their respective franchise 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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The coronavirus pandemic has not just forced a suspension of all sporting events across the globe, it has also raised question marks on the future and whether the ICC should look at other options to help the bowlers keep the shine on the ball rather than using saliva or sweat. And Dinesh Karthik believes that there needs to be a definite balance between bat and ball.

"I believe that there should be a fair contest between bat and a ball which is missing now a days especially in white-ball cricket. But I don't know if they allow ball tampering, where would they put a stop to it because that will be really hard. They have to manage it. To get the ball to swing , you need sweat and saliva. With new ball you use saliva and when it grows old you use sweat. But in England they use Murray Mint to the saliva, it helps ball to swing a lot more. That's why Test cricket in England is so challenging," he said in the latest episode of ESPNcricinfo One on One #Workfromhome.

Talking about switching roles when playing for India and in the IPL, Karthik said: "With experience comes adaptability. Over a period of time what you need to learn is that as a middle-order batsman you should be able to bat anywhere between number 3 and 7 and sometimes even 8. The key is not to get attached to where you're batting but about which situation you're walking into and how can you give your best.

"T20 has evolved in such a way that it doesn't matter whether you're a 1 down batsman or a 2 down batsman. All you need to know when you walk into the game is -- is it the 8th over or the 11th over or the 14th over and then accordingly react to the situation and use your skill set to do your best."

Commenting on India's journey in the 2019 World Cup, Karthik said that the team had a very successful run and none had imagined that the journey would end against the Kiwis in the semi-finals.

"We believed that we will go all the way. Everything was working well for us. Though, in the last 2-3 years, the only time any team could challenge us is when they got 3-4 wickets upfront and that happened in the WC semi-finals. And that put a break on us. Obviously loosing semi-final still hurts. But in the lead up to the tournament we achieved something special, we played very good cricket," he said.

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Oil is doing something that is even making Market veterans shake their heads in wonder. After shedding more than 300 per cent or $56 a barrel in one single day on Monday, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for May delivery gained some ground early on Tuesday, recovering 103 per cent to come back in the positive zone at $1.35 a barrel.

But analysts expect that bloodbath in US oil market may continue well into Tuesday when May future contracts are expiring and traders still left with long positions facing actual delivery of oil may look to liquidate their stock even if they have to pay to do this. In simple terms this means that traders do not want to store crude by taking actual delivery for May and incur cost while not finding any buyers in the absence of demand that has also shrunk sharply by more than a third in Covid-19 pandemic.

"We could again see price of oil in US going into the negative zone on Tuesday. But this could be a lot less sharper than what was witnessed on Monday," said an oil sector analyst asking not to be named.

He said that lower oil prices bore good for India but how much oil companies can gain from US fall is uncertain as the Indian oil companies are not very active in the US markets and trade very small quantities in the spot market. Still some of this oil could be contracted if freight arrangements are worked out on time.

While US oil has shown significant fall, Brent has maintained a fairly steady path. The benchmark Brent oil is still hovering at $ 25 a barrel. The US WTI for June delivery is still keeping its heads up at over $ 20 a barrel. But it would be seen if Covid-19 situation improves in coming days and demand picks up. Otherwise, June oil futures can go the May way.

The decline of oil prices comes despite the recent output cut agreement between the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies.

There were hopes that agreement would stabilise oil prices, but with the Covid-19 pandemic continuing, there has been a large slip in demand that is not letting a pick-up in oil prices.

The current market is oversupplied on shrinking demand, creating a situation of free fall for crude.

The price of oil has now reached a point that it is increasingly becoming difficult for higher cost producers to remain in operation and rather look at declaring bankruptcy.

A lot of US shale producers are in deep trouble and analysts expect that low oil price for few more months will result in a spate of bankruptcies in the US.

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