Tuesday, May 05
Seven-year-old Pragnika Vaka Lakshmi, Under-7 Girls champion at the FIDE World Schools Chess Championship 2025, met PM Narendra Modi after winning gold for India on Friday. From learning chess during COVID to rapid success, she shows rare courage and discipline. Backed by family sacrifices, scholarships, and offline coaching, she balances school, training, and dreams of becoming the best chess player worldwide.
Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has a surprising passion for perfumes. Teammate Axar Patel shared that Bumrah is deeply involved in understanding perfume composition. Bumrah even gifted a perfume to Siraj after a match. Patel also received a perfume gift from Bumrah. These anecdotes reveal a lighter side to the formidable bowler off the field.
On this day in 1983, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar etched his name in history with a monumental 236 not out against the West Indies in Chennai. This stellar innings followed his record-breaking 30th Test century, surpassing Don Bradman's long-standing mark. Gavaskar's unbeaten 236 remained India's highest Test score for nearly two decades, a testament to his enduring brilliance.
"The pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue for the fourth Ashes Test, has been deemed ‘Unsatisfactory’ with the venue handed one demerit point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process," the ICC said in a statement. An unsatisfactory rating is the third level in the ICC’s four-tier system.
While the BCCI has mandated centrally contracted players to feature in at least two matches, Virat Kohli has opted to play a third game as part of his preparation for the upcoming home series against New Zealand. Kohli has been in fine form in his first two appearances for Delhi, scoring 131 and 77 respectively.
Under ICC regulations, accumulation of six demerit points can result in a venue being banned from hosting international matches for a period of 12 months. The Test, which England won by four wickets, was completed inside two days, with as many as 20 wickets falling on the opening day alone.
