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Apple’s Private Relay Upholds Privacy – Even For The Underworld

In what could be dangerous for police forces, Apple has launched encrypted browsing at the touch of a switch on its iPhones, iPads, laptops and desktop computers. It is called the Private Relay feature and criminals could have a free run on it with law enforcement rendered helpless in tracking them. Broadband and mobile companies may be unable to assist police investigations into dangerous suspects like terrorists or child abusers. Hitherto, criminals had to be extremely computer savvy to use the DarkNet to carry out their nefarious activities. With all Apple devices giving people encrypted protection, it could be a virtual invitation for the criminally minded to use them with the anonymity they seek in working the Internet.  As technology improves to offer the hiding of digital footprints, investigating authorities might struggle even if Apple is offering to “respond productively” to any police requests for information. When people browse the web, their browser takes them directly to the website they seek, leaving a digital footprint with their broadband or mobile operator. Apple’s Private Relay service uses technology similar to the “dark web”, to ping people’s traffic between different servers so no one entity can see where they have been. Even Apple will not be able to see who you are either and what sites you are visiting.
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Photo : BCCI

Cracking Ravichandran Ashwin’s Rebellion Code

It may be easy to understand what Ravichandran Ashwin is saying but it is not easy to appreciate him. He thinks differently, speaks his mind and is not afraid to face the consequences. They wouldn’t give him leadership roles in teams he plays in and the few who have tried have backed away quickly because he can say truths in everyone’s face. When the issue cropped up over a run stolen off a deflection from batsman Rishabh Pant’s pad in IPL, Ashwin was bound to take a stand. What he said also makes sense because the laws of cricket support him. But sportsmanship dictates have largely been followed – like warning a non-striker when he is attempting to steal ground by leaving his crease before the ball is bowled and in declining overthrows when the throw hits a batsman and deflects. Ashwin would rather go by the rule book and there is nothing in them that prohibits ‘Mankad’ run outs and overthrows off deflections. In fact, as pointed out, England won the 2019 World Cup because of the ball deflecting off the stumps to the boundary. Ashwin believes it is unfair to point to him as the rebel who ratted on Virat Kohli’s leadership style to BCCI bigwigs. Many have apparently done it as well, but none has the guts to stand up for their views like Ashwin.
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Next 007 Won’t Be A Jamie Bond Nor A James With Libido Unbound

The buzz again is all about James Bond, a character born in a book in 1952 and who came to films 10 years later. Delayed by 18 months because of the pandemic, the spy caper is about to take the world for a billion dollars at the box office, with a premiere in the UK on September 28 and worldwide release September 30. Daniel Craig, the latest to play the Bond character with great success, prepares to take his bow even as the talk is about his successor who could be a woman going by the plot of the film in which a black female character inherits the 007 designation. As the world grapples with the rise of women power, there is a demand for a female Bond but Craig and the film’s executive producer, Barbara Broccoli, inheritor of the family franchise from granddad Albert, are convinced that the central role should remain male. This despite a debate on Bond triggered by the film’s director Cary Fukunaga expressing the opinion that the early Bonds were rapists as portrayed on screen. Sean Connery was seen thrusting himself on a nurse in the 1965 Thunderball and virtually blackmailing her into sleeping with him while in Goldfinger, the heroine was named Pussy Galore and the subject of Bond’s sex drive. The age of Bond’s endless libido may be over.
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Commentators See Kohli Regaining His Batting Mojo After Quitting T20 Captaincy

Virat Kohli has set himself one goal and that is to become the world’s No. 1 batsman in all formats. He has another long-term aim and that is to crack Sachin Tendulkar’s world record of 100 international centuries, but he has to make another 30 centuries just to catch up with the Master. Towards meeting his goals, he has taken decisions like quitting T20 captaincy. The crown is not sitting squarely on his head and the intense focus on the Indian cricket captain hasn’t helped though it must be said the debate is running at a time of grand success for Team India in Australia and then in England. The loss in the WCT final was the only sore point, which also led to personality clashes within the team. As Test captain since 2015 and ODI skipper since 2017, Kohli averages 56.1 in Tests, 72.7 in ODIs and 48.5 in T20s. But the hundreds have dried up, his last coming in November 2019 since when he has been averaging just 26.8 in Tests and 46.7 in ODIs. He would love to let his bat do the talking again. Since most of the cricket will be on pitches more amenable to his style of batting, Kohli will be among the runs again and the noises around captaincy may just stop.
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NEET Politics: Now, Stalin Pinning Hopes On Allies From Non-BJP States

The DMK boss Stalin is caught between a rock and a hard place as he joins the battle against the national common medical and dental entrance test. Having upbraided the AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa for years about The National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the student suicides it has triggered in the state as students fall short against the challenge of multiple-choice tests, DMK took a stand before the polls that it would abolish NEET the day it came into office. It isn’t quite that simple as this is a national test now and outside the ambit of the State list which has Education but the Concurrent list rules medical studies. Stalin has tried everything, from a retired judge-headed committee to study the invidious test that beats rural and State Board students to counselling sessions and yet another resolution in the Assembly to exempt Tamil Nadu. The Supreme Court has, however, ruled that NEET should prevail and the President had twice sent back legislation from TN on the subject in 2017. The TN Chief Minister MK Stalin is hoping other non-BJP states would pick up on its stand on the test that has excluded the rural and urban poor while it hasn’t stopped the elite rich from buying private medical college seats. The suicide rate is stinging the state but right now it is a lone fighter against NEET.
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Photo : IPL photo

IPL Second Season in USA?

Cricket may make a comeback into the Olympics by 2028 in Los Angeles and not in 2024 in Brisbane which, however, has great infrastructure for the game. But long before cricket gets Olympic recognition again after figuring in the Paris Games in 1900, it may be born in the USA in an international avatar as the Second Season of IPL. Plans are afoot to build infra in the West Coast of USA for cricket not only with an eye on the Olympics but also to get into the lucrative IPL market by offering great venues for the game in Los Angeles and the Bay Area around San Francisco. In fact, these venues may be up and running in a couple of years so that the IPL Second Season can take off in the US summer of 2024. Those planning the IPL Second Season in the USA are perfectly aware that there is no dearth of CEOs of billion-dollar IT companies whose czars are all PIOs and so the game won’t be lacking in sponsors. A Second Season of IPL every year might leave little space for traditional Test cricket but the administration is unlikely to be bothered too much about it as the IPL is the game’s biggest money spinner that leaves BCCI with more money than all other cricket boards put together.
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Photo : Twitter

Ashwin And The Curious Case Of Indian Cricket’s Poetic Justice

Selection is a matter of judgement and not about rendering justice. The Team India tour selection committee dominated by skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri took this to extremes with the studied exclusion of Ravichandran Ashwin. The picture of Ashwin sitting alone during India’s victory march was a poignant image from the series. To be in the playing XI regardless of the vicissitudes of form is about chemistry more than competence. In Ashwin’s case, that chemistry was missing during Dhoni’s regime itself when his debut was delayed even as Harbhajan Singh’s career was fading. Despite his rating as the world’s top spinner and a batsman with five Test centuries he was benched for four England Tests after playing in the WTC final and performing well enough, that too in June when English conditions were skewed in favour of seam bowlers. “Horses for courses” is the dictum that Kohli-Shastri enforced and proved their point with even Shardul Thakur, the fourth seamer for the Oval Test, exceeding expectations with ball and bat too. The two men in charge of Team India chose stubbornness over received wisdom and stuck to Ravi Jadeja as batting all-rounder who bowls spin. It was upto the selectors to render justice by picking Ashwin for the T20 World Cup, which perhaps least suits him at this stage of his career.
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Photo : BCCI

Jasprit Bumrah Yorkers Knock Out England As India Scores A Historic Win At The Oval

Two reverse swinging yorkers settled the issue as they crashed into the stumps behind Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow. Both yorkers flowed from the bowling arm of India’s smiling assassin who keeps his emotions well in check. As Jasprit Bumrah literally waddles in off a deceptively lazy run-up, the batsmen can be forgiven for mistaking him for a bowler of military medium pace. But a ramrod straight bowling arm can deliver reverse swinging yorkers at 90 mph, scattering stumps and breaking reputations. Reverse swing had been missing for days at The Oval as the sun smiled on late English summer days. But a 70-overs old ball roughed up by Jadeja pithing in the bowlers’ dusty footmarks was weaponised by Bumrah who opened up the England batting for fellow pace bowler Umesh Yadav to mop up. England, after a century opening stand, had been fancying themselves to chase down a fourth innings target. It was a team effort that saw India come from the depths of 127-7 and then a 99-run deficit to win, almost 50 years to the day since a famous victory at The Oval in 1971. Rohit Sharma, at the age of 34, got his first century away from home and Shardul Thakur shone with bat and ball, but it was Bumrah with his thunderbolts who stole the show.
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Stalin’s New Priority List: Review Jaya-Branded Ration Kits, University And Restore DMK Patriarch’s Statue

The civility will remain, but it is the end of the bonhomie between the Opposition AIADMK and the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu. When former chief minister O Panneerselvam, on his wife’s death, wept in the close presence of current chief minister MK Stalin, it was a sign that maturity in Tamil Nadu politics is here to stay. But the DMK is bent upon pursuing its own interests as a few actions betraying agenda pursuits were witnessed. The first was the move to affiliate the Jayalalithaa University in Villupuram to the Annamalai varsity, which is seen as a move by the rulers to suppress Jaya’s name. The second was the announcement that the Karunanidhi statue would be restored to its original place on Mount Road from where it was removed during the Jayalalithaa regime. “Traffic hazard” was quoted as the reason to move a centrally placed tribute to the late DMK patriarch in his bronze statue with the trademark tinted glasses to cover for a childhood eye injury. Stalin was more than civil in allowing ration and condiments bags with the portraits of Jaya and EPS to be in continued use until they are exhausted in order to save Rs 10 crore for the government. But he is pursuing other things close to his dad’s heart like hiding the Assembly in the Omadurar building rather than Fort St George.
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Photo : BCCI

Kohli & Co. Needs Better Ideas Against England’s Tall Boys

Virat Kohli has been under greater pressure in his career as captain and batsman than in the ongoing England series. But his tactical errors are coming to haunt him more often. He chose to bat at Headingley where in the last 20 years no Test captain has done so. The high-water table has a way of allowing the new ball to swing like crazy and Team Indian were down and out in the first three overs from the sultan of swing – James Anderson. Kohli may have been blindsided by the Lord’s experience as his team batted first on being inserted. Having picked four seamers, perhaps correctly for Leeds, he may have predetermined the course of batting first. There is time yet for course correction and if Kohli gives up his seamer obsession at least for The Oval, a famous hunting ground for spinners, he might even pick the world’s best contemporary spinner – Ravi Ashwin. In an era of poor technique against the moving or spinning ball, batting collapses are dime a dozen and affect all teams. But England may have tactically put one over Indian batsmen by picking bowlers for their height and hence higher ball release points as they did with Overton in the third Test. India can regroup if the captain and coach can set their thinking straight.
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100 Days of Stalin: Glimpses Of Tamil Nadu’s Data-Driven Governance

Passing his first 100 days in office with the felicity of a seasoned politician destined to hold the highest office in his state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is drawing praise even from his opponents when his regime is long past the honeymoon stage. He showed how he values his dad’s contribution with a Rs 40 crore tribute in a grand memorial on the Marina Beach while retaining the one lesson M Karunanidhi taught him. There is no need to be vituperative in politics; and cordial relations with the Centre are conducive to the State’s welfare because the purse strings are in New Delhi. Stalin backs Opposition unity with the same intent as he did in promoting Rahul Gandhi as his choice for PM if the coalition forces make it but he will not be a street fighter in the Mamata mould. He makes his political points in cool language and devoid of theatricals. The Tamil Nadu CM lets the power of data figure in everything that his government does, which is probably something he has picked up from his finance minister. Statements are laced with facts and figures to support arguments made in sane fashion. He leads the Treasury benches saving most of his talk for the Assembly while delegating powers to his ministers. Stalin is in the running for the CM of the year accolade.
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Photo : BCCI

Siraj’s Deadly Yorkers Unnerve England’s Batsmen

The son of an auto-rickshaw driver did not get his name on to the honours board at Lord’s but he led his fellow quicks to make that famous victory possible with eight wickets in the Test. Mohammed Siraj’s intensity has undone England’s Test batsmen as much as Jasprit Bumrah’s pace. His steep angles into the right handers, but more importantly away from the left handers have had a consistently unsettling effect as they are not able to pick him. Siraj, a champion bowler in tennis ball street cricket around Hyderabad, started bowling with a hard ball only after he was 20 when in 2015 he joined Charminar Cricket Club. And when the IPL bidding stopped at Rs 2.6 crores from Sunrisers, Siraj’s first instinct was to tell his father to stop driving his 3-wheeler for a living. Siraj will be one of the charged-up skipper Virat Kohli’s main weapons as Team India goes into the Headingley Test convinced that they are the better side and must press on to win the 5-Test series. A fuller length that suits English conditions best, a deadly yorker developed from bowling the tennis ball, stamina and persistence are Siraj’s plus points. As the 5-day format gives him time to work on the batsmen, his only regret is that his dad passed on before his Test debut.
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AIADMK MLAs protesting over reopening of Kodanad case (Inset) Edappadi Palaniswami

Political Storm Erupts In TN After the 2017 Case Of Mystery Deaths, Robbery At Jaya’s Kodanad Estate Re-Opened

The 2017 Kodanad case is back in the limelight years after J Jayalalithaa died and one of her drivers led a break-in on the tea estate nestling in the Nilgiris. The latest turn in the case may be entirely political with the new regime headed by MK Stalin in Tamil Nadu seeking to put pressure on former CM Edappadi Palaniswami wondering if he could be named a conspirator but the fact remains that a Hitchcockian suspense over events were never satisfactorily explained. Two major gang leaders of the break-in met with road accidents at virtually the same time on the same day. While the prime accused Kanagaraj died in a two-wheeler crash in Salem, the first accused MV Sayan survived a car crash but lost his wife and daughter on a Kerala road when another vehicle bumped suspiciously into his. The key to the mystery lies with Sayan now who is much wanted as the ruling DMK seems very interested in the outcome of reinvestigation. A hunt is on for the main conspirator who may have set a gang of nine to break in and see if they could get into locked rooms of the bungalow which were supposed to contain great treasures including jewels and cash. The CCTVs were conveniently off at the time leading to the suspicion of an inside hand.
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Photo : BCCI

A Gabba Replay At Lord’s: India Takes 1-0 Series Lead After Incredible Tailender Batting

Two men with Test batting averages of 11 and 3.6 helped themselves to an unbroken 89-run partnership to first take the Lord’s Test away from England and then conspired with their fellow fast bowlers to carve out a famous victory. Mohamed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah were the unlikeliest batting heroes on the final day even as England failed tactically by bowling bouncers at the tail, hitting them on the body and helmet, but not getting them out. An ill-tempered Test match saw England play like 15-year-olds, as Michael Vaughan said, in bouncing at the tailed batters, all because Bumrah had bounced James Anderson often in a 10-ball over. The same men who showed such great heart at the crease then bowled England out in under two sessions for only India’s third triumph at Lord’s. India’s pace bowlers have taken 39 of 40 England wickets in two Tests even as their captain Joe Root scored more runs than the rest of his batsmen put together. England were trapped in a scrap with Virat Kohli, a captain who revels in cricket as war. There is nothing wrong with emotion and passion on the field even if he tends to overdo it. Kohli joins Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni as the only Indian captains to win a test at Lord’s.
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Rahul-Rohit’s Run Feast In England Lifts India’s Opening Gloom

India’s unlikely opening pair of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, eternally on Test comeback trails, have forged into a fine combination to be the bedrock of India’s campaign. They have added 257 runs so far in five innings in the English summer, including the WTC final. While Rahul put his name on the coveted honours board at hallowed Lord’s, Rohit is yet to make his first century away from home even as he improves his away average that is at least 50 runs worse than his imposing 79.50 at home. Standing a foot outside his crease is Rohit’s adaptation of the Virat Kohli technical template for English conditions while Rahul stays crease-bound and yet masterful in his ability to drive the ball through the offside and in the classical V. Dark skies with hints of moisture to aid swing and seam of a virtually black Test Dukes ball and pitches that are spicier than ever before and offering variable bounce are the challenge India’s openers are facing up to with elan. India’s batting dominance thus far has also been helped along by the presence of Ravindra Jadeja as the batting all-rounder, which comes at the expense of the controversial omission of Ravichandran Ashwin. Crucially, India have been on top of England after the disappointment of the WCT final.
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Photo : Twitter, Wikipedia

Match On – Spirited Sidhu Versus Charismatic Captain

You may love him or hate him but you can hardly ignore him. That is the message Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh may have learnt from his long running feud with the cricketer-turned politician Navjot Singh Sidhu. The maverick opener’s innings as politician has transformed into a formidable presence from a quiet beginning much like his cricket career in which he was dubbed the “Strokeless Wonder” before he trained himself to become “Sixer Sidhu.” Debuting in the World Cup 1987 in Chennai, he thrashed the defending Aussies for an explosive 73, studded with five sixes. This was followed by three consecutive half centuries, all marked by the big hits that have become the staple of white ball cricket today. Having called truce in the war for Punjab Congress turf, the Gandhis are still seen encouraging younger Sidhu, 57, against Captain, 79, though the latter was the powerful regional chieftain who brought them to power in a big state. Sidhu’s threat of leaving for the AAP seems to have rattled the younger Gandhis who backed him to the hilt against the stalwart CM. Now Captain is scurrying to New Delhi to complain once again that Sidhu is still baiting him in public even after he had conceded ground to allow Sidhu to become the Congress Committee chief in Punjab. Truth is Sidhu will never tire of speaking.
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Photo : Wikipedia.org

#MeToo 2 Claims New York’s Mighty Governor Andrew Cuomo

The story of the rise and fall of one of the most powerful Democrats of the USA might culminate in his impeachment as Governor of New York: Andrew Cuomo is also facing possible criminal charges that he sexually harassed 11 women. Once married to Robert Kennedy’s daughter Kerry, with whom he had three daughters, Andrew, son of Mario, a three-time New York Governor, was once seen as a possible replacement for Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination for President. At the height of the pandemic last year, a staggering 60 million used to tune into his daily briefings on the Covid outbreak as he promised leadership in the crisis. He won an Emmy and a book deal and had the admiration of half the nation until the women emerged with horror stories of work inside a toxic Governor’s office environment. Cuomo is now under threat of becoming a poster boy for reviving #MeToo movement. Cuomo says his actions had been misconstrued, his words misunderstood. He said it was cultural: He hugs, he kisses, he says, “Ciao, bella.” He said it was generational: Sometimes he lapses into “honey” or “sweetheart” or tells bad jokes. Now even President Joe Biden is calling for his head as the 63-year-old went from hero to zero with a speed only ultra-ambitious politicians suffer.
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Photo : Twitter

Kamala Harris The Most Unpopular Vice President, Say The U.S Polls

Kamala Harris has become the most unpopular U.S vice president six months into an administration since at least the 1970s, according to polls. The disappointing numbers are worrying Democratic strategists who were hoping she would run for President in 2024. Recent polls showed only 46% of Americans approved of Kamala with 47% and 48% disapproving of her. In contrast, Joe Biden’s approval rating in a polls average is 51.3%, and disapproval 44.9%. The only recent vice president to have such poor ratings after six months was Mike Pence, but he did not have more people disapproving than approving him. Kamala’s unpopularity among young people is a source of concern to the White House. As many as 41% of young voters (18 to 29) held an unfavourable view and she is seen particularly struggling with the Hispanic voters because of her role in the U.S. border policy and her reluctance to go to the border where migrants are eternally trying to enter the USA. Ahead of midterm elections in 2023, the White House might send her on foreign visits to boost her image. Indian Americans who played a major role in getting her on to the Biden ticket and helped enable the victory of the Democrats are a worried lot now.
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With Bommai In Driver’s Seat Yediyurappa’s Son Vijayendra Still A Force To Reckon With

With his father BS Yediyurappa’s (BSY) aide and minister Basavaraj Bommai in the saddle, BY Vijayendra is still a force to be reckoned with as Karnataka comes under a new regime. The central BJP leadership tried its best to bring a more amenable CM in Bengaluru who would listen to New Delhi. But with elections not far away and the Lingayat factor too strong to ignore, BJP’s top brass had to compromise. Under the new dispensation too, Vijayendra will still be a powerful factor, operating from behind the scenes. BSY, the principal architect who created a foothold in the South for the BJP, had to be kept on the right side of equations despite BJP’s compulsion in not sending the party into the polls under an 80-year-old two years hence. With his non-communal approach and his inclusive vision, BSY was a tall regional chieftain who took an independent stand. Faced with rising cases after the lifting of most lockdown restrictions, Bommai has his task cut out in his State to control Covid first and then raise his sights on the elections. This is where he will be leaning on Vijayendra the most as he was the architect who brought Congress and JD(S) MLAs on board for his father to win back the State.
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BS Yediyuruappa and son Vijayendra

BS Yediyuruppa: The Four-Time CM Who Never Completed His Term

The Lingayat supremo and Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyuruppa (BSY) who built up the BJP from scratch in Karnataka was ousted for the fourth time when well short of anything close to a full term, but on this occasion by his own party BJP. With his son BY Vijayendra operating as an extra constitutional authority, Yediyurappa was under pressure from critics within his party even more than the central leadership in New Delhi. Too many ministers took offence at the ‘virtual CM’ role played by his son and were bent upon using the age of 75-year rule of BJP to target BSY saying he was too old to be able to stop his son. However, BSY’s mission since making an offer to PM Modi to resign on health grounds on July 10 was to get his son into any post, at the Centre or as Deputy CM in succession plans, including those which envisage bringing a non-Lingayat as CM. The observers feel that the BJP is being held to ransom by the numerically strong (upto 17%) and influential Lingayats and their seers. With BSY being asked to associate with finding a successor, it would be interesting to see who will be the CM. It is a remarkable story for a 78-year-old who had spells of seven days, three years, three days and two years in four terms as CM.
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Britain’s Hundred Ball Contest Seen Redefining Cricket, Boosting Diversity

UK’s new cricket competition – The Hundred – kicks off July 21, seeking diversity among its audience. It aims specially at the inclusion of Asian Brits who are not so much into the county game, which is mostly white, in fact 94%. Eight teams based on city lines for tribal loyalties as in the IPL, a draft system and a focus on overseas players as Afghans, Pakistanis, Nepalis and five Indian women cricketers swing into action. England and Wales Cricket Board’s 100-ball competition borrows heavily from IPL thanks to PIO Sanjay Patel who is its MD. English cricket is looking seriously at attracting more South Asians not only as spectators but also players. Take the case of Moeen Ali, who had to move to Worcestershire from Warwickshire to take off on his career. He grew up on tape ball cricket near Edgbaston before becoming a sought after T20 player currently with Chennai Super Kings. The Hundred is hoping to bridge the gap between English cricket and Asian spectators, mostly from the subcontinent. No Indian men are allowed to participate yet by the BCCI but that could change when there is less international cricket during the summer for India. Tactically, it is only a little different from T20 but a bowler can be kept on for ten balls at a time rather than stop with five balls.
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Photo : Twitter -- BJP President JP Nadda welcoming TN’s New BJP Chief K Annamalai

Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K Annamalai Rubs Media On The Wrong Side

The local BJP chief K Annamalai seems to have got off on the wrong foot when he took on the media soon after succeeding L Murugan, who got promoted to the Union Cabinet in a junior minister’s role. In an official warning, the BJP threw cold water on talk of dividing Tamil Nadu into two parts to create a Kongu Nadu. But that seems to have had little effect on the former cop who lambasted the media for false news saying that his former boss would soon control all media from Delhi while in the I&B ministry. The talk of a Kongu Nadu in western Tamil Nadu, which showed some interest in electing a couple of BJP MLAs while being a long time bastion of AIADMK, was built up by the media but shot down by New Delhi where leaders sent word down to the rank and file that they would not countenance the idea of carving a region out of the old State. “Kongu Nadu is not BJP’s idea. A prosperous Tamil Nadu and a strong India is the BJP’s goal,” the party’s State media unit president, ANS Prasad said in a statement, urging party members not to express their personal views at party meetings, media interviews and social networking platforms.
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Photo : Fotocorp

Ravi Shankar Prasad for Chennai’s Raj Bhavan?

Rumours about who will take over as Governor in Chennai’s Raj Bhavan are swirling. The incumbent Banwarilal Purohit, from a newspaper-owning family in Nagpur, is nearing the end of his term. An interesting name doing the rounds for Governorship in DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu is that of the former Communications & Information Technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who was dropped from the Union cabinet. Any number of names kept coming up when the rulers decided to move on after a temporary Governor from Maharashtra C Vidyasagar Rao was given additional charge of Tamil Nadu for long. That Governor proved his mettle when he sat on J Jayalalithaa’s confidante V Sasikala’s application to become Chief Minister until the top court order came out but when Purohit came to Chennai it was a bit of a surprise. Enjoying the perks of a massive Raj Bhavan in the midst of the Guindy national park while AIADMK, friendly alliance partner of BJP ruled was easy enough but, with a change in regime, New Delhi might be looking at a tougher Governor, which is why Ravi Shankar Prasad’s name is bobbing up. The only inhibiting factor could be that Prasad will have to resign as Lok Sabha MP and BJP may not want to conduct by polls in Patna in the current situation.
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UEFA EURO 2020: Knighthood For England’s Manager Gareth Southgate?

A deliriously joyful England, if not quite all of the United Kingdom, is preparing for its greatest night out on Sunday after its football team made it to the Euro final. They are talking of a knighthood for manager Gareth Southgate and he could be called “Sir” even if England can’t get past the Italian wall. Harry Kane, who scored the winning goal against Denmark off a penalty kick rebound, and Raheem Sterling, to whose talent Southgate stayed loyal enough to keep him in the starting lineup, are quite the flavour of the season. Even so, it was a questionable penalty award, which stayed despite a second look on VAR after Sterling seemed to go down too readily in the Danish penalty box that made the difference.  England is accustomed to celebrating beyond questionable refereeing decision, including most of all the disputed goal in the 1966 World Cup final when no one is till today sure if the ball actually passed into the net beyond the goal line. The penalty against Denmark was spoiled by one spectator in the stands shining a laser pen at the face of Danish goal keeper Kasper Schmeichel.  As a home final at Wembley nears voices are rising against football jingoism, unleashed at full throttle after months of tight lockdown rules, as booing of the Italian national anthem is feared.
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Infighting In AIADMK Blamed On Jayalalithaa Memorial's Vaastu

The late J Jayalalithaa was a firm believer in vaastu all her life. While she was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, even the choice of sari to wear for the day was determined by the stars. As an intense believer, she encouraged many a soothsayer to study her Kundali (horoscope) and give her advice. And, ironically, after her death too the question of vaastu is hanging around the political party AIADMK which she headed after her mentor MGR’s death. The election defeat and the prevailing confusion and infighting in her party ranks is now being ascribed to bad vaastu. Voices are now being raised about bad vaastu creating all the problems, chaos and infighting in AIADMK. If you believe the pundits, the theory is that Amma’s memorial on the Marina Beach is totally against vaastu.  At least one vaastu believer avers that Jaya was no Phoenix rising from the ashes and such a depiction in her memorial by the architect is all wrong. There were other designs submitted that would have served Jaya’s memory best, like a blooming flower that would last forever.  The erroneous curvilinear design is to blame for all the woes, says the ardent Jaya admirer but it is unlikely that the party will tinker with the memorial now.
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Bill Cosby Walks Free: Is It The End Of #Metoo?

Some may mark Wednesday, June 30 as the day of “Justice for Black America” when Bill Cosby —  an American stand-up comedian, actor and author famous for his TV show, The Cosby Show — walked free after serving just three years of a 10-year sentence on three counts of aggravated sexual attack. Half the world will mourn it as the day the #metoo movement died. When “America’s Dad” was convicted in 2018, it seemed a landmark moment when a famous and powerful man was held to account for abusing his position to exploit women. Women exulted as their movement gained traction with the Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby cases. Cosby used the classic Black card, much like American football legend OJ Simpson did to exploit racial divisions splitting the court of public opinion. The court decided that Cosby had been unfairly prosecuted three years ago but a 12-person jury had found him guilty. The climax in this cause celebre shows the American legal system is flawed and that the rich and famous can find their way out. But what it does for the women’s movement against sexual assault is a sad commentary on what is still a man’s world in which power and money can make a mockery of justice.
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Secretariat To Hospital To Secretariat – Chennai’s Tughlaqi Move?

The legislature is the place where politics rules in word and deed. But have you heard of politics about the very building in which the legislature is situated? This politics over the legislature building has been going on for years in Tamil Nadu where leaders have had various reasons for shifting the TN Assembly out of Fort St George, with its historic colonial links. Karunanidhi wanted to leave the old Assembly because it was too cramped, and he made a master plan of an alternative building. Jaya was told not to travel to Fort St George because a statue of Kannagi, of Tamil epic Silapathigaram fame, was on the way. She wanted to shift the legislature south, but the High Court busted her plan to take over Queen Mary’s College. The DMK is back in power, and Stalin has not dropped plans to restore his father’s pet project, which Jaya had converted into a multi-specialty hospital. The government is spending Rs 500 crore to upgrade the King Institute in Guindy so that the current Omandurar hospital can be converted back into the legislature. About Rs 1,000 crore has been spent so far in making the changes. But this is India of Tughlaq rule where shifting of the capital itself was not thought to be too extravagant or fanciful.  
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Vijay: The Emerging Superstar Of Tamil Cinema

It was the quietest of birthdays for the emerging superstar of Tamil cinema. In normal times, his fans would also have indulged in shows of grand affection by holding charity events in honour of Vijay. In pandemic times, the star has been content to keep a low profile but his phenomenal record in the 2010s marks him out as the industry’s undisputed money spinner.  His co-stars held a Twitter chat event on his 47th birthday that was a super hit in terms of numbers. As Total Unlock nears with the second wave waning, Vijay awaits the opening of theatres to continue his domination of the big screens. In the last decade, he churned out nine films that grossed over Rs 100 crore, a record that surpassed the industry’s ageing Superstar, the one and only Rajinikanth who is now in the US for medical checkup. Vijay’s last four releases – Bigil, Sarkar, Mersal and Master – saw business in excess of Rs 350 crore worldwide with Master a Superhit even in the pandemic year of 2020. And now Beast is getting ready as the star’s next with Pooja Hegde and Yogi Babu in supporting roles. Beast may usher in the next wave of theatre-going cinema fans.
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Photo: Royalchallengers.com

RCB Player, New Zealand Bowler Jamieson Is The New Sensation

He refused to bowl at Virat Kohli in the Royal Challengers nets though the RCB captain was instrumental in signing up the giant from Auckland for the IPL. Kyle Jamieson did the star turn for New Zealand in the rain-hit WTC Final at Southampton, picking up his Bangalore skipper’s wicket with one that came back. Cricket may have already found the new Joel Garner as the 6 ft 8 in fast bowler claims a unique record of a fifth five-wicket haul in only his eighth Test for a tally of 44 wickets at an average of just 14.13. No bowler since the 1890s has taken more at a lesser average. Bowling to a fuller length, up by 44% after an opening day in which he tried to do too much, did the trick as Jamieson dominated the Test while presiding over the destruction of the reputed Indian batting. Like Garner, the Kiwi gives nothing away, no loose balls as freebies for the batsmen.  During the IPL, Jamieson put two new Dukes balls in his kit bag to practise with them as the England tour was to come up immediately after IPL. What we have now is a gentle giant capable of bowling out Test batsmen with his consistency of line and length.
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Photo : Fotocorp

A Tiny Flaw In Virat Kohli’s Captaincy Record

There is a tiny flaw in Virat Kohli’s captaincy record. Teams playing under him have not won a single ICC trophy. One of the modern greats with the bat and at captaincy, the cricketer would dearly love to set the record straight. Not only because his record pales in front of his mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s sterling captaincy record. Dhoni won all the ICC trophies on offer — World Cup (50 overs), Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup besides the IPL three times and the Champion’s League Trophy twice for Chennai Super Kings. Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore is yet to taste success. An Indian captain led India to top of the Test ladder of merit as early as 2008-09 while Kohli kept it up there for 44 months from October 2016 right up to June 2021 when New Zealand moved up to No. 1 after beating England. Firmly in the saddle in all three formats since 2017, Kohli would be hoping that the World Test Championship, being played from June 18 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton in England would become his first ICC and most prized Cup ever. India faces a very professional and committed New Zealand side under Kane Williamson. Still, given the strengths and skills Team India possess, they have a great chance to win the WCT and Kohli knows he must make it happen in England.
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Sasikala, Former CM E.Palaniswami

EPS, OPS Thwart Sasikala’s Attempt To Re-Enter AIADMK

For more than three hours she was not just the elephant in the room. Sasikala, confidante to J Jayalalithaa who ruled Tamil Nadu more like an empress, was the hot topic of discussion within the party founded by MGR and consolidated by his protege Jaya. Former CMs E Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam joined ranks to keep Sasikala out of the party while expelling her loyalists who had the temerity to speak to her on their mobile phones seeking her comeback. So long as the two heads of AIADMK keep their flock together, they can stave off any attempts by the discredited Jaya aide to create confusion in the party about her imminent comeback. But she seems determined to get back in and seize control by manipulating sentiment among the party rank and file. Jailed for graft, Sasikala’s strength is a seemingly infinite access to funds. Disqualified as she is from standing in elections for another six years, Sasikala aims to become a party boss like Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is under a similar cloud. Her strategy before the polls was to announce retirement from politics in the hope that once the AIADMK was trounced at the polls, there would be a clamour for her re-entry. That didn’t happen with the party winning 66 of 75 alliance seats. But Sasikala lurks, waiting for that chance to pounce.
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James 'Jimmy' Anderson

On The Brink Of Breaking Kumble’s Record, England Great Comes Under Tweet Cloud

In Joe Root’s words, it’s been a week of “ugly truths” for the England cricket team when the raging tweet storm has not spared James ‘Jimmy’ Anderson either. The fast bowler was all set to become the Test cricketer with the most appearance (162) for England beating Alastair Cook’s record when an old tweet he had sent out on fellow fast bowler Stuart Broad which said he “looked like a 15-year-old lesbian” bobbed up. While Anderson’s single contentious tweet is also under the scanner, it is a series of tweets by Oliie Robinson that is the eye of the storm. Over a 12-month period, they made references to Gary Speed’s suicide, the disappearance of young English girl Madeleine McCann in Europe, the N-word, derogatory messages about Muslims, people with disabilities and women. The fast bowling all-rounder seems to have been quite a fiery character when he sent those tweets in 2012 and 2013. The storm might take the sheen off the marathon man Anderson’s achievement in being a fast bowler who is passing all the batsmen and wicket-keeper batsmen who used to be the ones with the most Test caps for England, beginning with Hobbs, Woolley and Hammond through Cowdrey, Gooch and Stewart down to Cook who retired recently. Anderson needs four wickets to pass Anil Kumble on the all-time Test bowlers’ list and six wickets to make it 1,000 first class wickets.
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TN Finance Minister Is Stalin’s Brahmastra To Take On BJP

He comes from a political lineage famous in the south of Tamil Nadu. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan or PTR, the finance minister in MK Stalin’s cabinet, is the weapon the DMK government will be using to take a hard look at the Centre’s financial policies. The suave former investment banker has been told to deconstruct BJP top brass moves in finance and take them down whenever the opportunity arises. The finance minister’s contempt for the Goa transport minister Mauvin Godinho, who attended the GST meet and kept parroting lines in support of the Centre, will rate as an all-time classic. Dipping with sarcasm, the TN finance minister had a lot to say about Godinho, which he topped off with the throwaway line that said a lot: “Finally, I sincerely request the [Bharatiya Janata Party], even across the political divide, to impose some minimal quality control on its ‘MLA Acquisition’ procedures. If it had done so, Goa, and the Nation would be saved a lot of pain.” Some might say that sarcasm is the lowest form of art but it is an art form the 55-year-old may have perfected. The DMK has always been short of polished speakers in English who could take on Delhi and it has found a champion now. The finance minister and his vitriol could turn out to be a double-edged sword but right now he has been told to sharpen his skills.
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New Era In Tamil Nadu Politics: Stalin Gives Free Hand To His Ministers

It’s not without reason that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, son of the DMK patriarch late M Karunanidhi whose birth anniversary was on June 3, is being thought of as someone with the potential to match the brightness of the Rising Sun in the party symbol. He may have spent decades in the shadow of his father but Stalin, as CM, seems determined to be the change in a new era of politics in Tamil Nadu. His visit to inside a Covid-19 ward may have been stage-managed to some extent to ensure he was not at risk but he was willing to make the bold gesture to reassure patients, nurses and doctors that treating the disease is a priority. In fact, the TN CM has made Covid-19 management such a priority that he has eschewed any celebrations in the whole of May after ascending the Fort St George throne. Freely delegating powers to his senior ministers to handle their portfolios, meet Union ministers in Delhi and take a call on their subjects, he has only told them that they would be accountable for their actions and that the buck in their fields stops with them. All the while he has sent soft-spoken diktats to them on sensitive matters. Right now, Covid-19 is his priority and his image as CM second and he has been willing to make any number of concessions to be an acceptable face to all.
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Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin Plays Straight Bat On The Net

One of the most intelligent cricketers to ever twirl the ball in the air with a zillion variations, Ravichandran Ashwin is just emerging from the shadows after taking a break from IPL because of illness affecting a number of family members.  The quick-witted spinner is always ready with a handy retort on social media but this time he took up the cause of children in getting into the heart of the issue of sexual harassment of schoolgirls by a teacher in a reputed school. As an alumnus of the school, Ashwin had an extra reason to join the issue after several people had commented on the unseemly goings-on in school, rightly calling for action to put an end to such episodes. In quarantine ahead of the England tour, Ashwin seems to have a bit of time to keep his spinning fingers busy on the mobile keyboard. But, to his credit, he has not taken those who trolled him seriously after they went at him viciously, even finding imaginary reasons why he quit IPL mid-season, saying he did so because he was annoyed with skipper Pant over his refusing a DRS review call the spinner seemed bent upon. Willing to back himself to do his own thing, Ashwin was not scared by the nasty reactions to his “Mankading” Buttler. The spin master knows he cannot always have the last laugh but is always willing to battle to make his point.
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Is TN Finance Minister Deliberately Stirring Hornet's Nest?

Tamil Nadu’s finance minister Palanivel Thiagarajan is in demand internationally as his old contacts, especially diplomats, ask for him whenever they are thinking of routing aid to the State in the time of the pandemic. When Rev Jesse Jackson Sr wished to contact Tamil Nadu to say he was pressing US President Joe Biden to release US vaccines for India, the civil rights leader could think of no one better than ‘PT’ to be his go-to man. As a finance professional, the graduate from MIT and former investment banker with a British bank, ‘PT’ is accustomed to calling a spade a spade. But, as a politician, he is struggling to control his propensity to let loose barbs aimed at various personalities. He was in the news straightaway as he took on Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, founder of the Isha movement, putting him down as a land-grabbing godman who will have to face the law soon. Isha Foundation said they were “appalled that a man of his (Jaggi Vasudev) stature has been subject to the Minister’s unparliamentary and uncalled for personal attack.” The media dream of having a politico come out with all guns firing to offer the public lively bytes is being fulfilled almost on a daily basis. The other day, ‘PT’ came up with “barking dogs” to classify a rabble rousing right wing politician of Tamil Nadu. The world of finance may be a grey area surrounded by figures in black and white but the TN finance minister is proving to be colourful when in front of the media as he is never shy of sharp and witty retorts.
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Boris Heaves A Sigh Of Relief On Modi Deal

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson may have been heaving a sigh of relief after copping much criticism that he was pursuing a trade deal with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that stopped him from ordering a ban on flights from India. Scientific evaluation of the India-dominant strain of the coronavirus has been declared to be less transmissible than it was first feared. Critics had Boris in their crosshairs ever since the India strain began to threaten UK’s road map out of a strict lockdown that has marked June 21 as the day of liberation after May 17 saw people being allowed to gather indoor at bars and restaurants and even hug each other. Strangely, hugging had been prohibited since the outbreak flared up in March 2020.  Researchers say the India strain may have proved a problem because of what is called the “founder effect”, which is small numbers proving explosive in a tight community in which three generations of people may share living space. This comes after Boris was repeatedly slammed for postponing a ban on flights out of India as the UK and India negotiated on a possible trade deal and the Indian strain filtered through to Britain to threaten pronounced Asian neighbourhoods like Bolton in Northern England. The same criticism was made of Modi who had wooed Donald Trump in February 2020 and hence delayed a national lockdown.
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Stalin’s New Approach To Change TN Political Landscape Forever

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin has ushered in a new era of healthy politics. In forming an anti-Covid committee of all-party MLAs he was signaling that he is ready to take the bi-partisan route to politics.  An immediate beneficiary was his own Covid relief fund that attracted a contribution of Rs 1 crore from the opposition AIADMK as well as a month’s salary from its 66 MLAs. More than the money, the gestures towards fostering healthy political ties carried a trend-breaking message of amity. This is a sea change from the frosty relationship between the two Dravidian majors, which have been daggers drawn for decades, especially after Assembly incidents involving Jayalalithaa whose saree may have been tugged by ruling DMK legislators. A series of walkouts or boycott of Assembly proceedings used to be a constant feature as the parties refused to see eye to eye on anything save the most popular issues.  Stalin seems determined to change all that and ex-CM Edappadi K Palaniswami is also playing up to it by being a graceful loser while tweeting his congratulations to Stalin on the popular verdict. While it is not certain how long the bonhomie will last, a positive change in the political atmosphere is owed to Stalin’s willingness to be the diplomat.
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Former TN CM Palaniswami Faces Enemies Within And Without

Former Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami won his first battle post-polls when he was elected “unanimously” as leader of the AIADMK legislature party and appointed as Leader Of The Opposition. O Panneerselvam, former deputy CM, also former CM, waged a protracted bitter fight for the post until he knew he would be outvoted in the party and compromised. But the war is far from over.  EPS was bent upon retaining control of the party for the simple reason that OPS is seen as a Sasikala loyalist who would like to bring back the discredited “General Secretary” into the AIADMK fold. OPS may have been shabbily treated by the Sasikala’s Mannargudi Thevar clan when he was interim CM after Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016. He was said to have even complained to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about it but the PM laughed it away saying he was CM with the police department under him and should face no threat from anyone. EPS knows he has to be on constant guard. Though Sasikala announced her retirement from active politics, it was believed that it was strategic move on her part to wait for election results and try to take back the party if it was trounced in the polls. The good performance by EPS has saved him but his position and the party is safe only for now.
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Lessons Learnt: Rajini And Kamal To Focus On The Reel World

There is a silver lining to be sighted even in poll defeat. Cinema fans are thrilled that two big stars of the silver screen have been denied a place in Tamil Nadu’s star-studded politics. While Rajinikanth left even before a single vote was cast, the thespian Kamal Haasan faces the same fate as Sivaji Ganesan in failing badly at the polls. Both matinee stars can now concentrate their energies on acting in the autumn of their film careers. Kamal Haasan’s party, formed in 2018, is facing an existential crisis after being wiped out electorally — 2.5% vote share and 0 seats — in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. Kamal, at a loose end after the poll crash, confided to friends that he is free to pursue all his film projects while he intends to keep one eye on his political presence with statements on issues. Rajini, advised by the Marans to resist pressure from Delhi to take on a political avatar, will be acting in more Sun Films ventures after Annatthe. Kamal has Project 232, Indian 2 and Thalaivan Irukkindran to finish as well think of unfinished projects like Madhuranagayam which caused such a stir that even the British Queen visited the set. The one certainty to emerge from 2021 TN polls is that the cinema stars are totally free to act full time.
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Now, Udhayanidhi To Get A Berth, Kanimozhi Later?

Long before the exit polls began pointing universally to DMK storming back to power in Tamil Nadu, the party chief was closeted with his family in the hills when Stalin’s family members discussed in detail which posts would go to whom once the results came. Now, the dilemma facing the Chief Minister designate MK Stalin is whether to accommodate his son Udhayanidhi in his Cabinet. The authenticity of a WhatsApp message on Stalin’s Cabinet which began doing the rounds early on Monday (May 3) — with a post pencilled in for Udhyanidhi (B Com) as Minister for Municipal Administration, Rural Development, etc — is not known, but it does contain a message about the ‘Young Turk’ of DMK. Udhayanidhi was the firebrand campaigner who took on Narendra Modi and Amit Shah of BJP in all his speeches, questioning them and daring them on many issues. He can’t be kept out of the Cabinet now though he is only 44. As a DMK historian said, “His grandfather became CM at the age of 44. Where is the question of him not being in the Cabinet?” That leaves the question of Kanimozhi being asked to join the Cabinet as someone who has become very popular in the south as the MP from Thoothukudi. But, in view of staving off any talk of family bias, Stalin might skip including his half-sister right now. The focus is on first accommodating Udhayanidhi.
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PHOTO: BCCI/IPL

Dhoni’s Wisdom Shows In CSK Show

The famous cricket brain may have fired back to life a little slowly but its functions are intact. A diving MS Dhoni spilling a catch might have brought the first signs that age is not just a number when it comes to alacrity on the cricket field. But wisdom is still a much needed commodity as we saw in many instances as CSK are up and running again and leading the IPL table this time. The first audible signs of Dhoni’s intellect came when he told Jadeja to let it rip as a replaced ball would be dry and would turn. Having been just hit for six and taking a ball the umpires gave from the “used” box, Jadeja got one to turn and bowled a batsman. Soon, advice not to worry about getting hit and let the ball spin helped the all-rounder again as Dhoni told him to keep his spirits up and Jadeja at once foxed Glenn Maxwell to bowl him. Asked as to how CSK was firing on all cylinders again after the UAE flop show last season, Dhoni said there were a lot of factors and explained a few about how the lockdown without cricket had affected them last time and how CSK were better prepared for this edition of IPL. There is just no substitute for Captain Cool’s cerebral presence on the cricket field.
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TN’s Oxygen Chauvinism Cast An Ominous Shadow On Covid Relief Efforts

A new form of chauvinism has been spotted. It is induced by oxygen. Within hours of the top court setting conditions for the reopening of Vedanta’s Sterlite copper smelter in Thoothukudi (earlier Tuticorin) on the Tamil Nadu coast, Opposition leader MK Stalin declared that all oxygen produced by Sterlite should be used in Tamil Nadu and that no oxygen supply from any source should serve other states until Tamil Nadu’s requirements are fully met. Stalin’s observations came because the Tamil Nadu government, peeved at censorious comments from the Supreme Court, was hedging by saying that Sterlite would not be able to manufacture medical quality oxygen. Sterlite’s lawyer Harish Salve, however, told the court that the plant will be able to supply 200 MT of medical grade oxygen within 10 days of opening. Along with oxygen, Sterlite politics is also swirling in Tamil Nadu with a few political parties, including Vaiko’s MDMK, opposing the opening of the plant even in such a dire national emergency. The plant was shut for environmental concerns three years ago after protests turned violent with 13 people getting killed in police firing. And now, local people representing the victims of the firing are refusing to nominate anyone to the committee to oversee the production of oxygen.
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Photo: BCCI/IPL

It’s T20 For Olympics 2028

There is a ‘Hundred’ revolution sweeping cricket. No more batsman or batswoman – they are all batters now. With a new format popping up, promoters wanted the game to be truly gender neutral and so it is bowler and batter now. But they had to stop their reform of cricket’s complex vocabulary there and had to retain ‘wickets’. They abandoned thoughts of making it ‘outs’ after a public backlash over the proposed changes. And so, mercifully, it will still be 70 for four wickets and so on although the fall of a wicket will be described as an ‘out’ on the glitzy screens broadcasting the new game from the UK. Cricket purists may have had a bit of a say in saving the soul of the game. Their wish may be fulfilled when the T20 format – now considered a somewhat more traditional form of cricket as it has been around at least for a couple of decades – will be recommended for the Olympics. The thought that the new-fangled ‘Hundred’ might be the format for the Los Angeles Olympics of 2028 was scotched. The ICC will propose to the IOC that T20 be the format for cricket’s Olympics debut and the traditionalists can heave a sigh of relief.
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Maxwell Gets Back His Match Winning Mojo Under Kohli

The continued success of Glenn Maxwell in Royal Challengers Bangalore colours is a big lesson in man management. Playing for his fourth IPL team, the expensive batting all-rounder got back his match-winning mojo only now under the leadership of Team India and RCB skipper Virat Kohli and the team management that have given the Aussie the mental space he needed to find his old form. As colleague AB de Villiers, the biggest 360 degree batting star of IPL, pointed out: “It’s about feeling backed and he feels that here, with Virat, myself and all the coaching staff, all his teammates back him. He knows he has extraordinary talent but for that to blossom he knows he must be happy, and I think he is just in a happy space at the moment.” To do well at sport, they speak of “good headspace” and that is what the enigmatic Aussie, bought for Rs 14.5 crore, seems to be in as he cracked his highest score since 2014. As the show pony in three previous IPL teams, he may have been put under enormous pressure. In RCB, where he is only the third musketeer after Kohli and ABD, Maxwell is flourishing
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Is Stalin Getting Ready For Coronation?

Cycling his way from Chennai to Mamallapuram in a red and black tracksuit, sporting his party colours, MK Stalin is sending a message of dynamism to the public of Tamil Nadu. Private exit polls run by elements close to political parties seem to suggest he should get ready for his coronation. Even before he hit the campaign trail, Stalin had presented himself to the voting public as a younger man with a complete makeover — hair transplant, dentistry and Botox — to give him greater confidence in front of the camera.  He is the quintessential political leader now all geared to take his father’s seat in Fort St George as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. His DMK party’s booth level workers have also injected plenty of confidence in him with confidential reports of how the party may sweep the polls. Looks like the 68-year old Stalin who has been waiting in the wings for a long time will finally find the well-deserved place under the sun.

TRENDS & VIEWS

Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack

It is the Third Anniversary of Short Post and as a news media startup launched during the Covid-19 pandemic it certainly feels better than good to find ourselves where we are today. Here, I must cite the unstinted support of our seasoned contributors, all senior editors in the country, who brought a great degree of maturity and sagacity to the Short Post newsroom. But for them, our tagline “Authentic Gossip”, an Oxymoron, would not have matured viably. Our user numbers may be small but our stories have created the desired impact among people who matter — decision makers and influencers. We offer a big punch in a small pack and Short Post with its 225-word stories has been punching above its weight category. Having posted close to 3,000 stories in the last 36 months, Short Post, I feel, is an idea whose time has come.
And this is vindicated by our two marquee advertisers – IDFC FIRST Bank and ICICI Lombard. Both believed in our story and have supported us from Day one. A big thank you to both.
If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
As I said last year, disruptions in the media world are moving at a fast and furious pace. Technology is playing a very big role in how content is generated and consumed. But, we are neither alarmed nor perturbed as it is all a part of the evolution process. What gives us comfort is that AI is unable to create original gossipy content. And that is the news arena where we have achieved a distinction.