The lockdown has proved to be a time when everyone can relax with their families and actually do things with them. While staying indoors is the easiest and most effective way to stay safe amid the coronavirus pandemic, who said being homebound needs to be boring?

Priyanka Chopra, for instance, seems to be having quite a fun time with her favourite niece, Sky Krishna. We all know how much she adores the tiny tot, courtesy her many Insta posts featuring the little girl, and this time, she let herself be transformed into a 'pretty pretty princess' by Sky.

Sharing some photos, PeeCee wrote, "First Monday in May⁣. This year's theme: Pretty Pretty Princess. Glam and creative direction by @sky.krishna @divya_jyoti"

 

 

 

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A post shared by Priyanka Chopra Jonas (@priyankachopra) onMay 4, 2020 at 5:31pm PDT

Looks like Priyanka Chopra's close friend, Divya Jyoti and her baby girl Sky, are quarantining with PeeCee at her California home. The bunch seems to be making the most of the unexpected free time together.

A couple of days ago, Priyanka had shared a video of her weight training not with weights but with Sky Krishna! Sharing the video, the Quantico actress wrote, "No gym, no problem. @sky.krishna @divya_jyoti."

 

 

 

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No gym, no problem. @sky.krishna @divya_jyoti

A post shared by Priyanka Chopra Jonas (@priyankachopra) onMay 2, 2020 at 12:05pm PDT

On the work front, Priyanka Chopra was last seen in The Sky Is Pink co-starring Farhan Akhtar and Zaira Wasim. She, along with husband Nick Jonas, has donated to several organisations including PM CARES Fund, Goonj, Feeding America and others to combat COVID-19 which has affected over 10 lakh people globally.

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In a devastating piece of news, Rishi Kapoor left us for heavenly adobe on Thursday, 30 April at 8:45 am after a two-year battle with leukaemia. His last rites were performed at the Chandanwadi Crematorium in Kalbadevi, Mumbai, near the H.N Reliance hospital where he was admitted. The late actor is survived by his wife Neetu Kapoor, son Ranbir Kapoor and daughter Riddhima Kapoor.

Riddhima, who lives in Delhi, could not make it to the funeral in Mumbai. She has been pouring her heart out by regularly sharing pictures of the late actor and mourning his loss. Recently, Riddhima shared a heartbreaking picture of Rishi with his late mother Krishna Raj. In the picture, Rishi is seen holding his mother's hand as if asking her for a dance. Sharing the picture, she wrote, "Reunited with his most favourite person (sic)".

Along with it, she also shared a throwback picture of Rishi with Neetu Kapoor during their wedding celebrations. In the black-and-white picture, Rishi is seen in a suit, while Neetu has donned a heavy sari with bridal jewellery.

Riddhima had to attend her father's final rites via video call as she was denied permission to fly due to lockdown. She had to travel by road in a car after securing a movement pass. Riddhima took to her Instagram and poured her heart out through multiple Instagram stories.

Riddhima shared a couple of photos on her Instagram story, which will bring tears to your eyes. In the pictures, we can see Rishi, Neetu and Riddhima in their happier times. "I miss you already. Come back na papa". "Wish I could be there to say goodbye to you papa," she wrote.

On Monday, Ranbir Kapoor and Neetu attended his prayer meet. Riddhima also arrived with her daughter Samara Sahni to be with her family. Later, Ranbir, Neetu, accompanied by Alia Bhatt and Ayan Mukerji, visited the Banganga Tank to immerse the late actor's ashes.

Rishi Kapoor had been battling cancer since 2018 and had spent a year in New York seeking treatment for the same. He breathed his last at age 67. The actor left behind millions of memories for all his fans and Cinema lovers that can never be forgotten. With a career of over five decades and tons of blockbusters and classics, we shall make sure he's always alive and among us!

You will be missed Chintuji!!

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It is not just Bollywood celebrities, but many people who are extremely concerned and panicking for the grooming woes. It was Mira Rajput, Shahid Kapoor's wife who was worried about her eyebrows. In fact, she also posted a funny picture of her face, which highlighted the on-fleek brows.

 

 

 

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So far the eyebrows are behaving 🤨

A post shared by Mira Rajput Kapoor (@mira.kapoor) onApr 4, 2020 at 10:44am PDT

With going to the salon for a quick fix no longer an option, now Kriti Kharbanda's biggest dilemma is how to shape her brows. "Baaki sab toh theek hai, par in eyebrows ka kya karein?" she wrote on Insta and referred to the bushy look as 'COVID brows'. Earlier, Sonam K Ahuja, too, had expressed concerns about her brows being a 'complete mess'. If you don't want to DIY, let big, thick brows be the latest must-have.

Well, it seems like grooming is a grave issue than anything else right now.

On the professional front, Kriti Kharbanda was last seen in Pagalpanti, and now, the actress is all set to woo the audience with her next film releases Vaan and Taish. Speaking about her personal life, Kriti is currently dating Pulkit Samrat, her Pagalpanti co-star.

On the other hand, Sonam Kapoor was last seen in The Zoya Factor, opposite Dulquer Salmaan. Before that, the actress was a part of LGBTQIA film, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, also starring Anil Kapoor, Regina Cassandra and Rajkummar Rao.

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Karan Tacker was famously linked with Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai co-star and on-screen wife Krystle D'Souza, but neither actor made their relationship official. However, the audience always knew that they were together and also rooted for the couple.

In a recent interview with ETimes, Karan Tacker opened about why the couple parted ways. And it wasn't because of personal difference, as Tacker claims. He told the website, "Krystle and I never said that we separated because of personal differences. However, I wouldn't get into further details on this." Tacker also shared that he's not in touch with Krystle any more.

When asked if Karan, given the chance, would work with Krystle again, he said, "I don't really look at who's working with me for the project. As I said, I look into a script. If the script appeals to me, everybody else comes with the project. I don't really have a problem."

Recently, during an Instagram live chat, Karan Tacker was asked if he has kept in touch with his exes during the lockdown. Karan replied that since all his exes are his good friends, he's been checking up with all of them. Reacting to this, Karan Johar started pulling Karan Tacker's leg, asking him if he was sure that he messaged every single person? To this Tacker laughed and said, "Not every single person… but you know what I mean."

On the work front, Karan Tacker was recently seen in Neeraj Pandey's Special Ops on Hotstar. Karan was seen in the role of an undercover agent in the action thriller series. Special Ops also features Kay Kay Menon, Divya Dutta, Vinay Pathak, Muzammil Ibrahim, Vipul Gupta, Sajjad Delafrooz, Parmeet Sethi, Gautami Kapoor, Sana Khan, Sharad Kelkar, and KP Mukherjee.

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TV czarina Ekta Kapoor along with her friends Krystle D'Souza and Anita Hassanandani has shared a throwback video where the trio dances in a funny manner. Ekta took to Instagram and re-posted a video shared by Anita. The producer said she was coerced into joining by her two "mad" friends.

"Not on tik tok but got coerced into this cray video by two of my mad frns ! Since d lockdown is throwing out all old madness let it all be out there credit: @anitahassanandani... Girls just wanaaa have fun! #ThrowBack Merriii cuties @ektarkapoor@krystledsouza," she shared.

 

 

 

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Girls just wanaaa have fun! #ThrowBack Merriii cuties @ektarkapoor @krystledsouza

A post shared by Anita H Reddy (@anitahassanandani) onMay 3, 2020 at 4:49am PDT

Recently, Ekta shared a throwback picture from the days of "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", the show that made Smriti Irani a household name as the nation's favourite telly-bahu, Tulsi.

 

 

 

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Three of us ! Wat e throwback #tarunkatyal @smritiiraniofficial n moi! #thenandnow

A post shared by Erk❤️rek (@ektarkapoor) onApr 13, 2020 at 6:36am PDT

Anita built a fan following with shows like "Kabhii Sautan Kabhii Sahelii", "Kkavyanjali" and "Yeh Hai Mohabbatein" over the years. She was last seen in "Naagin 3". In Bollywood, she was paired opposite Tusshar Kapoor in the Ekta-produced film, "Kucch To Hai".

Krystle rose to prominence with her roles in "Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai", "Ek Nayi Pehchaan" and "Brahmarakshas".

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On the occasion of Bengali New Year which is also celebrated as Pahela Baishakh (first day of Bengali Calendar), Trinamool Congress MPs Nusrat Jahan and Mimi Chakraborty took to Instagram to wish their fans on the auspicious day.

 

 

 

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Shubho Nababorsha to all... May we fight this situation of crisis and move towards a brighter day..!! Shokol ke amar subhechcha 🙏🏻

A post shared by Nusrat (@nusratchirps) onApr 13, 2020 at 10:53pm PDT

Basirhat MP Nusrat Jahan shared a series of pictures where she can be seen in traditional attires as she wished her followers a 'Happy New Year' to all. While extending her wishes, Nusrat urged her fans to fight the coronavirus crisis and move towards a brighter day..!!

 

 

 

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শà§Âভ নববরà§Âষà§Â‡ পà§Âরà§Â€তি à¦Â“ শà§Âভà§Â‡à¦Âšà§Âà¦Â›া, বাড়িতà§Â‡ থাà¦Â•à§Âন- সà§Âসà§Âথ থাà¦Â•à§Âন ।

A post shared by Mimi (@mimichakraborty) onApr 14, 2020 at 12:57am PDT

On the other hand, Jadavpur MP Mimi Chakraborty shared a beautiful picture where she can be seen welcoming the new year in a traditional way. While wishing people a happy new year, Mimi requested her followers to stay home and stay healthy in order to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.

 

 

 

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Waiting forðŸ¤Â”ðŸ¤Â”ðŸ¤Â” umm ohh yes bengali new year.. And plansðŸ¤Â”ðŸ¤Â”ðŸ¤Â”??ummm âž¡ï¸ÂðŸ”🥩🌭🍳🍞ðŸ¥Â–ðŸ¥ÂžðŸ§Â‡ðŸ¥¨ðŸ¥ªðŸ•ðŸšðŸ±ðŸ£ðŸ›ðŸ¦ªðŸ²ðŸ¥Â—🌯🌮ðŸ§Â†ðŸ¥Â™ðŸ¥®ðŸ¥ ðŸ¨ðŸŽ‚🍿🍦🍭🥧🍰ðŸ§ÂðŸ¥ÂœðŸ§Â˜‍♀ï¸ÂðŸ§Â˜‍♀ï¸ÂðŸ˜´ðŸ˜´ðŸ˜´

A post shared by Mimi (@mimichakraborty) onApr 13, 2020 at 3:49am PDT

Mimi also shared a small video clip where she was seen wishing her fans on the occasion of Bengali new year. In the video, Mimi was seen donning a black shirt with the caption: All I did todau was survive! A day before welcoming the Bengali new year, Mimi shared a picture where she can be seen posing for a selfie while being sunkissed.

While sharing the sun kissed picture with her fans, Mimi wrote: Waiting for...umm ohh yes bengali new year...And plans?

 

 

 

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‪Stay Home ~ Stay Safe 🙏‬ ‪We shall overcome ❤ï¸Ââ€¬ #quarantine #indiafightscovid19

A post shared by Nusrat (@nusratchirps) onMar 23, 2020 at 8:35am PDT

Both Nusrat and Mimi have been quarantined at home and have been updating their fans on how they are staying safe and maintaining social distance. From Mimi playing games, cleaning her kitchen and enjoying the beauty of nature to Nusrat showing off her painting skills and donning a chef's hat, the two BFFs are making the most of the quarantined period.

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Actor Kristofer Hivju who tested positive for coronavirus in March, revealed on Tuesday that he has now 'fully recovered' and is in 'good health.

Sharing a picture along with his wife on Instagram, the 41-year-old wrote that: "After several weeks in quarantine, and also a couple more indoors after being free of all symptoms, we are finally safe and sound." The star, popularly known for his role of Tormund in 'Game of Thrones', also added that they were ''lucky'' to have only "mild symptoms of COVID-19.'' "We send our love and thoughts to all of the people where the virus has hit much harder, and to everyone who has lost their loved ones due to the Coronavirus," he added.

 

 

 

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Hi! We are fully recovered and in good health after I was infected by the Cororonavirus, and most likely my wife @grymolvaerhivju After several weeks inn quarantine, and also a couple more indoors after beeing free of all symptoms, we are finally safe and sound. We were lucky to only have mild symptoms of the Covid 19. We send our love and thoughts to all of the people where the virus has hit much harder, and to everyone who has lost their loved ones due to the Cornonavirus. Thank you for all of your support, and please remember to stay vigilant and keep your distance, wash your hands, and most of all ; take care of each other in this strange time. Lots of love from us❤ï¸ÂðŸ™ŒðŸ» #takecare @panoramaagency

A post shared by Kristofer Hivju (@khivju) onApr 13, 2020 at 1:26pm PDT

The actor wrapped up the post by thanking everyone for their support and also urged them to "stay vigilant and keep your distance, wash your hands, and most of all; take care of each other in this strange time. Lots of love from us #takecare @panoramaagency" Earlier on March 17, the actor through an Instagram post revealed that he has tested positive for coronavirus and is self -quarantining with his family in Norway.

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Kriti Kharbanda, needless to say, is one of the fittest actresses of Bollywood. She has always been a fitness enthusiast and tries different forms of workout to keep it interesting. Her recent Instagram post has left us all wondering if there’s anything that she cannot do with perfection. The video has really motivated us to think of new ways to start working out.

She posted the video with the caption, “Throwback to my favourite form of workout! Definitely regret not installing a pole at home. Adding this to my to-do list post the lockdown! What’s on your list !? What do u really miss doing!?”

Watch the video, right here.

 

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A post shared by Kriti Kharbanda (@kriti.kharbanda) on May 7, 2020 at 7:44am PDT

On the work front, Kriti Kharbanda will next be seen in Bulbul Marriage Hall with beau Pulkit Samrat, produced by Salman Khan.

Also Read: Pulkit Samrat and Kriti Kharbanda to star in Salman Khan’s next production venture

Bollywood actors Pulkit Samrat and Kriti Kharbanda have been dating each other for quite some time now. However, they made their relationship public only during the promotions of their film Pagalpanti last year. During the lockdown period, the two have been living together and getting to know each other better. In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Kriti talks about Pulkit and his qualities that make her feel proud to be his girlfriend. 

Talking about living together during the lockdown, Kriti said, “It is so lovely. I have seen both of us grow through this quarantine. We have caught up on a lot of television, a lot of series we missed out on. We have been cooking, we have been working on ourselves. I think we have been working on how to make ourselves better humans. Suddenly the reality of life has stricken us and we are both extremely emotional people. I think that is the only flaw that both of us have that we are extremely emotional.”

“I have learnt a lot about him this quarantine and I can tell that and not just saying because he is my boyfriend but I have immense respect for him and it comes from my heart and my mind and I have never met a more caring and giving person. This is an opinion that can never change because you cannot pretend these things. I have seen him over the years even when I have worked with him, even when we were just friends even after we started dating. He is a lovely human being and is really caring about the people around him,” she added. 

Talking about the change in Pulkit’s personality over the years, “I think acceptance is the key. I think it is only easy to change if you accept that there are certain places you need to work on yourselves and you're willing to make that difference to yourself. So I think self-love is very very important where you give yourself the benefit of doubt and you say, ‘You know what, I can do better than that’. So, I think that is something he has realised and I am very very proud that I am his girlfriend.” 

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Pulkit Samrat and Kriti Kharbanda are living together amid lockdown, the actor reveals whether marriage is on the cards

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina is making the most of the Coronavirus-forced lockdown by teaming up with her friends to start her food blog.

The World No. 5 recently shared a picture with her 5,96,000 Instagram followers to announce her new venture. "I am excited to share a new blog that I have started, together with my culinary friends, giving you easy healthy recipes and some new ideas for the use of 'superfoods'. Link in bio. More stuff to come. Stay tuned," she wrote.

 

 

 

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👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼 I am excited to share a new blog that I have started, together with my culinary friends, giving you easy healthy recipes and some new ideas for the use of ‘superfoods’. ⁣ Link in bio. ⁣ More stuff to come. ⁣ Stay tune. 😘

A post shared by Elina Svitolina (@elisvitolina) onApr 28, 2020 at 7:43am PDT

She recently shared recipes of coconut, strawberry, blueberry and spinach smoothies.

The link to Elina's food blog is: https://theesclub.com

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Missed out on last week's Green Humour? You can read it here.

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Mujahid Jameel With music director Vivek Prakash. Pics/Datta Kumbhar

As a child growing up in Kanpur's Chaman Ganj locality, poet Mujahid Jameel would often be a regular at kirtans organised by the area's bhajan mandalis. He'd sit in the front row, entranced by the sound of cymbals and bells, as the group sang songs in praise of Lord Krishna. Son of a clothes designer who worked at a mill, a young Jameel never saw  himself as an oddity at these events held in temple premises.

"I would tag along with my friends to nearby temples. At no point was I made to feel like I wasn't supposed to be there," says Jameel, now 85 years old. It helped to hail from a literary background — his father Nayab Dehlvi was also a poet and his grandfather Habib was a peer (Sufi spiritual guide) — which made straddling both worlds fairly easy. "My family never interfered with my religious leaning. When I look back, I think my small Kanpur neighbourhood was also quite liberal," he recalls.

Reviving a decade old song
It doesn't come as a surprise, then, that the octogenarian who now lives in Malad with his family, has written over 250 bhajans, apart from several other Urdu shai'rs. His latest single in Braj Bhāshā, a Hindi dialect from Mathura, titled Radha Rani Rooth Gayi, celebrates the delightful camaraderie between Krishna and Radha. An out-and-out bhajan, it released earlier this week on YouTube and is produced by music director Vivek Prakash and sung by Anoop Jalota and Roli Prakash. It's a piece he had penned 10 years ago on a whim. The book in which he had jotted it down was relegated to the shelf, until a chance encounter with music director Vivek Prakash at an event gave the song a second life. "We got talking about songs, and I mentioned this bhajan that I'd written a decade ago. When Prakash heard it, he felt there was potential in the lyrics," he says.

Mujahid Jameel

It was in 1953 that Jameel moved to Mumbai to become a poet. After much struggle, he landed a job with a leading music production company for which he wrote several songs. Of this, few were devotional. What catapulted him to fame was a Pankaj Udhas song, Chupke Chupke Woh Sakhiyon Se, which released in 1999, featuring a fresh-faced John Abraham and model Rajlaxmi Roy. "All this while I continued writing devotional songs in both Hindi and Urdu dedicated to Lord Krishna," he says. When we quiz him about his unusual fascination with bhajans, Jameel finds it both amusing and puzzling. "I was born in Uttar Pradesh which is home to some important places where Lord Krishna was born and spent a major part of his life. So, according to me, it's not strange to find a Muslim man who is inspired by Krishna," he remarks.

A call for goodness  
The love for bhajans also stems from his fixation with theology. He remembers the time in Kanpur when he would visit local libraries and devour religious texts. But for Jameel, his love for Krishna bhajans is more innate. "It comes naturally to me. There's a certain mystical charm that I see in him," he adds. Jameel usually has a pen and notebook at hand to jot down lyrics in moments of inspirations.

In all these years, Jameel has travelled to Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana  and Dwarka — places linked to Lord Krishna's life. He has even trekked to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and driven to Swaminarayan Akshardham at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. "It's a magnificent temple. I felt so inspired while I sat there, that I ended up writing 108 bhajans," he says. Jameel says his fixation with Krishna doesn't make him any less Muslim. In  fact, he considers himself a humanist. "I am a proud Muslim but I believe all religions point towards a common universal truth. All I want to tell people through my shayari and bhajans is to be a good human being."

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Hi, I have subscribed to EM Reserve and have paid for annual maintenance fee in Mar 2017. Now, my subscription is suspended and am asked to pay annual maintenance fee for Wealth Alliance. My understanding is that Reserve includes WA services as well. Is t..

Hi, I have subscribed to EM Reserve and have paid for annual maintenance fee in Mar 2017. Now, my subscription is suspended and am asked to pay annual maintenance fee for Wealth Alliance. My understanding is that Reserve includes WA services as well. Is t..

Mr. Vivek Kaul once again interpret numbers like a politician - Don't see any difference between him and our politicians - be it ministers in govt. or opposition. I think he has forgotten economics in his eagerness to score political brownie points. Recen..

Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth said that current skipper Virat Kohli can be compared to Kapil Dev. Srikkanth was part of the squad that Kapil led to victory in the 1983 World Cup and feels that Kohli's self-believe is reminiscent of the former all-rounder.

"I played with Kapil Dev and played under him. I can compare Virat Kohli with Kapil Dev. I see a tremendous amount of self-belief in him," Srikkanth said on Star Sports Cricket Connected where he was chatting with former batsman VVS Laxman and former England skipper Nasser Hussain.

Laxman said that he was afraid that Kohli's famous intensity might burn out in time but that has shown little signs of happening. "I admire Virat Kohli's intensity. One thing I was worried about was whether he will burn out quickly. But not even for one session or one over does he let his intensity drop and that is really commendable,"

Laxman said on the TV show. Kohli averages above 50 in all forms of international cricket. In Tests, he has scored 7240 runs at an average of 53.62 and in ODIs, he has scored 11,867 runs at an average of nearly 60.

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Asserting that sledging cannot help teams win matches, former India batsman Krishnamachari Srikkanth has rubbished Michael Clarke's claims that the Australian team were being nice to Virat Kohli's men during the 2018/19 Test series Down Under. "You do not win matches just by sledging. Aussie's loss is a loss, his (Clarke) statement was ridiculous I would say," Srikkanth said while speaking on Star Sports 'Cricket Connected' show. "If you ask Nasser Hussain or Sir Vivian Richards who are experienced players, you can never score runs or get wickets through sledging.

"You need to play good cricket and showcase determination; you need to bowl well to get wickets and bat well to achieve targets. Sledging cannot help in any way according to my opinion," he added. Clarke had also said current Australian players were too scared to "sledge" Kohli and in order to protect their million dollars IPL deals, they "sucked up" to the India captain which resulted in their cricket becoming "soft".

However, former India batsman VVS Laxman feels players can't win an IPL contract by just being nice to a particular player. "Just by being nice to someone doesn't get you a place in IPL. Any franchise will look at the player's calibre and value add to the team, which gives them desired results by winning matches/tournaments," Laxman said while speaking on the same show.

"These are the kind of players who get IPL contracts. So just being nice to someone will not earn you a spot in the IPL," he added.

Kohli's men had become the first-ever Indian team to register a Test series win in Australia in 2018-19. It was the first time since 1947, that India were able to register a Test series victory in Down Under as they defeated the Tim Paine-led side 2-1 in the four-match rubber.

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Reminiscing the old days, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Monday shared a classic throwback picture with brother Krunal.

In the 2011 photo, the duo are smiling while posing for the camera with a 'desi swag.'

 

 

 

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Throwback to 2011 😅 How time changes @krunalpandya_official Swag mera desi hai

A post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya93) onApr 20, 2020 at 6:42am PDT

"Throwback to 2011, How time changes @krunalpandya_official, Swag Mera desi hai," Hardik captioned the post on Instagram.

The flamboyant all-rounder, who was out of the Indian team due to back injury, made a comeback during the South Africa tour of India.

The first match of the series got washed out due to rain, and the series was eventually postponed following the outbreak of coronavirus.

Pandya made his ODI debut against New Zealand at Dharamsala in October 2016.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all sporting action across the world has been stopped including the 13th edition of the IPL.

On April 16, the IPL 2020 was suspended till further notice due to 'evolving global health concerns'.

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Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar made a stunning claim, saying he would have taken Wasim Akrams life if the latter made an approach regarding match-fixing.

"I was watching few matches of the 1990s and I was amazed to see how Wasim Akram got Pakistan through impossible situations with his brilliant bowling," Cricket Pakistan quoted Akhtar as saying during a television show.

"I will say it very clearly that if Wasim Akram had asked me to do match-fixing, I would have destroyed him or even kill him. But he never said such a thing to me," he added.

The Rawalpindi Express also thanked Akram for supporting him during the early days of his cricketing career.

"I played with him for seven to eight years and I can quote many instances where he gave me cover by taking the responsibility of picking up the top-order wickets while leaving the tail-enders for me," said the 44-year-old.

"He even let me bowl from my preferred bowling even though he had a lot more wickets that I did," he added. Akhtar represented Pakistan in 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 15 T20Is in which he scalped 178, 247 and 19 wickets respectively. Akram, on the other hand, played 104 Tests and 356 ODIs in which he bagged 414 and 502 wickets respectively.

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India pacer Mohammed Shami on Tuesday revealed what role Zaheer Khan and Wasim Akram have played in shaping his bowling career. Shami also revealed that growing up he used to look up to Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer, and Akram.

The pacer was doing an Instagram Live session with batsman Manoj Tiwary. "When we were growing up, we used to witness that India and Pakistan used to be the most intense matches. Sachin Tendulkar is a great of the game and I looked up at him when I was growing up. The best pair was of Virender Sehwag and Sachin. When it comes to batting, I used to look up to Sehwag and Sachin," Shami said during the Instagram Live session.

"When it comes to bowling, I used to look at Zaheer Khan. When India and Pakistan faced off against each other, I also used to like Wasim Akram. Both Zaheer and Akram were left-arm bowlers," he added.

Shami had a stint with Kolkata Knight Riders and as a result, he got the chance to learn from Wasim Akram as the former Pakistan bowler used to be the bowling coach of KKR.

The Indian pacer also had a chance to learn from Zaheer as the duo enjoyed a stint together at IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.

"When I came to KKR, I realised the skill and value associated with cricket. I watched Wasim Akram all my life on television, but with KKR, I had the chance to learn from him. For the initial days, I was not even able to talk to him.

"Wasim Bhai came up to me then, and he initiated the conversation with me and he started telling me things about bowling. He read me very fast, he realised what I am all about, I learnt a lot from him. If you have someone experienced close to you, then you should not shy away and try to learn maximum things as well," Shami said.

"Zaheer Bhai and I did not play much together, but whenever I got the chance to talk to him, he was very helpful. I spent time with him during IPL stint with Delhi Capitals, Zaheer Bhai is very experienced, I just wanted to learn how to go about bowling with the new ball," he added.

Shami was last seen in action during the two-match Test series against New Zealand. The pacer would have been in action for the Kings XI Punjab if the IPL had started on March 29.

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

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India cricketer Krunal Pandya, 29, Instagrammed a fun video, enjoying of a unique version of table tennis with his brother, Hardik in their room.

With their double bed forming a table and a rolled up blanket playing the role of a net, the two brothers are seen using their hands as racquets as they play TT with a soft ball (screengrab above). "#PandyaBros in action in a different sport. @hardikpandya93 and I are always competitive with each other. Who do you think won this round?," Krunal captioned his post that got nearly 40,000 views within a few hours.

 

 

 

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#PandyaBros in action in a different sport 😏 @hardikpandya93 and I are always competitive with each other 🤪 Who do you think won this round?

A post shared by Krunal Pandya (@krunalpandya_official) onApr 23, 2020 at 5:00am PDT

Interestingly, former India pacer Munaf Patel replied with a cheeky comment: "No cheating, KP please."

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Wasim Akram has claimed that "some people" still use his name to "promote" themselves, a reference to ex-opener Aamir Sohail who has blamed the pace great for Pakistan not winning the World Cup since 1992. "Whenever I hear these negative things about myself I feel very sad that it has been 17 years since I retired but even today they are some people using my name to promote themselves," Akram said on a web show. Wasim said even he could say a lot of negative things about others but refrained from doing so.

"I can also make negative comments about these people but what purpose will it serve. That is why I keep quiet. I just think about the respect and love I have earned from the people over the years and even 17 years after retirement," he said. Sohail, who is also a former Pakistan captain, has claimed that Akram's job as captain in the 1996 and 19999 World Cup and as a senor player in the 2003 edition was to ensure that Pakistan never repeated their 1992 title-winning feat.

"It's very simple. Put the 1992 World Cup to one side and talk about the 1996 World Cup. In 1995, Ramiz Raja was captain. Saleem Malik was the captain before that, he was very successful and if he could have spent one more year as captain then Wasim would not have been leading the side," Sohail was quoted as saying by Dawn. "If you look at what happened till 2003, there was this persistence before every World Cup to remove the captain and put Wasim Akram in that role...Look, the biggest contribution by Wasim Akram for Pakistan cricket was making sure Pakistan does not win a World Cup after 92," he added.

Former Pakistan pacer Ata ur Rehman and former PCB chiefs, Khalid Mahmood and Lt General (retd) Tauqir Zia, have also mentioned Akram's name while discussing the match-fixing allegations of the 90s and the Justice Malik Qayyum report.

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