Cricket

New Zealand's historic Test series sweep in India has not only bolstered their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) campaign but also added a historic feat to their resume. The last time India suffered a whitewash at home was in 2000, and Tom Latham's leadership ensured New Zealand capitalized on challenging conditions.Fresh off their triumph, Latham and former skipper Kane Williamson celebrated their victory in style by attending a Coldplay concert in Auckland. Williamson, who missed the entire India series due to a groin injury, shared a video of the concert on Instagram, captioning it, "What a gig! #coldplay."The series win has not only boosted New Zealand's WTC standing but also added a significant achievement to their cricketing history. Latham's leadership was instrumental in guiding the BlackCaps to their first-ever Test series clean sweep in India.As Williamson gears up for a potential comeback against England in the upcoming home series, all eyes will be on the star batter. The 34-year-old is tantalizingly close to achieving another milestone, needing just five runs to surpass 1,000 Test runs against England. He has already crossed the mark against Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka, further solidifying his status as one of cricket's modern greats.Coldplay, the iconic British rock band, is currently on their global "Music of the Spheres" World Tour, attracting fans from all walks of life. Williamson and Latham aren't the only players to embrace the band’s magic. Recently, Australian captain Pat Cummins, bound to lead the team in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting on November 22, was also spotted at a Coldplay concert.

England's Joe Root, widely regarded as the heir apparent to Sachin Tendulkar's Test run-scoring throne, has downplayed his team's recent loss to Sri Lanka with a witty analogy.After England's eight-wicket defeat in the final Test of the three-match series, Root, who was named England's Player of the Series and the 'Player of the Summer,' drew a comparison to the popular rock band Coldplay."We are not always going to get it right all of the time," Root said. "For 90% of the summer, we have. We have shown what a good team we can be. I don't think we played our best cricket this week, and that is going to happen from time to time. Coldplay can't be number one every week."Despite the loss, Root finished the series with 375 runs, adding to his 291 runs against the West Indies earlier in the summer. At 33, Root is arguably playing the best cricket of his red-ball career.Root praised the England Test team's performance throughout the summer. "We are constantly learning and evolving as a group, and it is nice to contribute to that," he said. "It is important we are authentic to what we are as a team and what brings out the best in our individual players."With 10,354 Test runs to his name, Root is the only active cricketer with more than 10,000 Test runs. He is also the closest active player to Tendulkar's record of 15,921 Test runs.If Root continues to perform at his current level, he could potentially challenge Tendulkar's record in the coming years. However, Root remains humble about his chances of surpassing the Indian legend."It's a long way away," Root said. "I'm just trying to focus on the next game and the next series. I'm not looking too far ahead."