PenBugs

At 112 for 8, India had no business standing tall against England’s pacers. Archer was steaming in like he had jumped in a time machine, and his body remembered everything from this very day, six years ago. Every time he held the ball, India felt a little shaken and England felt a little more confident. Woakes, on the other end, was bowling like someone forced to work on a Monday morning. Grumpy and ruthless with his routine.

Shubman Gill is 25. He hasn’t cracked Test cricket, not yet. The numbers don’t speak for him, and the recent series haven’t revealed anything new. Initially, we gave him the Prince tag like a gift, nicely wrapped, pretty to look at. But now, when he opens it, all he finds is pressure. There is no comfort, no softness. Only weight, waiting to be carried. In India, you don’t get a settling-in phase; you get judgment. A hundred earns you applause, a duck invites dissection.

How do you show pain? Do you cry, do you jump in joy, what do you do when the moment finally arrives? Your moment? Because they said he didn’t belong here, right? That he was a misfit, a quota pick. They called him names, questioned his worth. And yet, there he sat with heavy eyes, unmoved, letting it all sink in, while the rest jumped, clapped, and screamed. Because for Bavuma, every single day has been a fight, something bigger than cricket.

Sixty-nine runs. That’s all that stands between South Africa and history. And the one holding the pen in this moment is Temba Bavuma. He’s standing there, carrying a hamstring strain, and something heavier, the ghosts of South Africa’s past heartbreaks. But he’s still there, still fighting, rewriting the ending in real time. He’s not alone. Aiden Markram stands beside him, calmly writing his own chapter on a day where both men could be part of something unforgettable.

We all love a good mess. Familiar faces, ridiculous situations, murder after murder, and the kind of chaos where logic is the first thing to go. Housefull has always embraced that, and for a long time, we did too. We are not against chaos or silliness or even cringe. In fact, we enjoy it when a film doesn’t take itself too seriously. We want more films like Housefull 5. But we also want better ways of writing comedy. Somewhere, the jokes just haven’t evolved.

Gujarat Titans were ripping the bowlers apart. Sai Sudharsan at one end, was sculpting shots like a man trying to turn cricket into art. Every punch through cover, every pick-up shot felt amusingly aggressive. On the other end, Washington Sundar had just found his swing. Right, left, straight. Pitch felt flat, MI bowling suddenly felt flatter. With wickets in hand, the target also felt within the reach.

Suyash Sharma doesn’t say a lot. He never has. You have to hunt for words from him every time he is handed the mic. It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk. He just doesn’t know how. He also didn’t know what was affecting him all these years. He played with pain for two full seasons, not understanding what his body was trying to tell him. Took injections before matches, dealt with discomfort every day, and still bowled like it was nothing. It wasn’t dramatic. But it was real. And it was hard.

There’s a debate happening around Muththa Mazhai. And as usual, it’s become a question of “who sang it better?” But maybe that’s not the question we should be asking. Because both versions are good — just in very different ways. Chinmayi’s version feels like a playful hug. Light. Intimate. Full of little joys. She lifts the song like the lyrics are dancing with her — like they’ve met again after years, and they’ve missed her too. There’s a warmth, a softness, a grace that feels effortless.

Jitesh has been around for years now. You probably don’t even remember that it was in the same match as Rinku Singh and Kuldeep Yadav. He started on a high note too. A fifty. But after that, the next few matches didn’t quite click. Only about a hundred runs in four games. Enough to be noticed, not enough to be remembered. Over time, he became that guy who could hit big sometimes, then disappear the next game. The highs never stuck around for everyone to remember. The dips came fast enough to shadow it.

India have announced the squad for the upcoming Men’s World Cup 2023. Rohit Sharma will lead the 15-member squad and will be assisted by Hardik Pandya. India have named KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer in the squad. Suryakumar Yadav finds a place in the squad as well. India have opted for Ishan Kishan an Sanju Samson has been left out of the squad. Shubman Gill is expected to open the innings with Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli will come in at three.