Cricket

Harmanpreet Kaur: Cricket is Like a 'God' to MeIndian women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur has expressed her deep love and gratitude for the sport, stating that it has given her everything. Ahead of India's Women's Asia Cup match against Nepal, Kaur shared her thoughts on the impact cricket has had on her life."Cricket, I think, is everything to me," Kaur said. "Without cricket, I do not think I would be anything. The name that cricket has given me, no other field could have given it to me. So I think, for me, cricket is like a god."Kaur recalled the moment she first held the Indian jersey, a moment that filled her with pride and gratitude. "I can say that off-field, when I held the Indian jersey for the first time, I took a photo after wearing it for the first time, and I was just thinking about who deserves this photo first," she said. "Should I send it to my parents, or the coach who gave me this platform, who gave me admission to his school, and said, 'I will start cricket in school for you,' should I send it to him? So I was so confused, who should I send first, because both were equally important to me."On the field, Kaur's most memorable moment came in the 2017 ICC Women's World Cup semifinal against Australia, where she scored a brilliant 171* off 115 balls. "On the field, in 2017, when I scored 171, that was something," she recalled. "I remember before that game, one of my friends told me, 'We will win tomorrow only if you score 150 runs.' I said, '150 runs? I have heard that you will score 100 runs, you will win tomorrow. 150, I mean, what is this demand, right? I will have to score 150 runs to win tomorrow.' So that was stuck in my head for the whole night, and I kept thinking, 'It is the Australian team, so I will have to play something different to beat them,' because they had such a strong team. So I think that was very special for me."Kaur believes that the Indian women's cricket team has made significant progress in recent years, becoming more aggressive and confident on the field. "So we always discuss that if there are two options, we will always choose the aggressive option," she said. "Before, it felt like we were playing timidly. When things did not go according to our plan, we used to get scared very quickly, but now we play a little brave cricket, so we make brave decisions. With time, we have forced people to come to the stadium through our performance."

Virat Kohli's heartwarming gesture towards his wife, Anushka Sharma, during Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) victory over Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024 has become a viral sensation on social media. It marked Anushka's first public appearance since the birth of their second child, Akaay.Kohli's animated gestures towards Anushka throughout the match and after the victory sent the crowd into a frenzy. The videos of his affectionate displays have sparked immense interest among cricket fans on social media.The win was crucial for RCB, keeping their playoff dreams alive. Kohli played a pivotal role in the result, showcasing his exceptional batting skills."We've been really good in the last few games, with both bat and ball. We've been unbelievable in the field as well. The wicket was a bit different, there was a bit more bounce. Wanted to make sure we take that information from the pitch and give it to the bowlers," Kohli said after the match.Kohli's priceless reaction towards Anushka after the victory was captured on camera, melting the hearts of fans."Yes there was a dropped catch but it's the effort that we look for and that was there throughout. The games we've played here have all been high-scoring, anything around 180-190 would've been par. Was important we didn't look at the scoreboard when we went out to bat and try and play the way we play," RCB captain Faf Du Plessis said at the post-match presentation.Kohli currently leads the IPL 2024 run-scoring charts with an impressive strike rate of 148.09. His consistent performances have been instrumental in RCB's resurgence this season.