Author: sureshzmc07

NEW DELHI: Yuvraj Singh recently joined Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist on their renowned podcast, Club Prairie Fire. During the show, the legendary all-rounder shared various stories and experiences with the two cricketing icons, providing insights into his career and personal life.
Yuvraj faced a tough situation when asked to choose between playing, selling, or benching Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and MS Dhoni.
Earlier, Vaughan expressed his opinion that he would trade Virat due to his lack of success in leading a team to an IPL title.
He selected Dhoni as his preferred choice for both a player and captain in the starting lineup. However, Vaughan stated that he would not include Rohit in the playing XI and instead have him on the bench.

“As a player, I would go for Rohit Sharma if it’s T20 cricket. He is an outstanding captain and someone who can change the game with his batting for sure, he will be my first choice,” Yuvraj said.
Yuvraj, when asked to choose between benching either Dhoni or Kohli responded with a witty comment. He acknowledged that selecting one over the other could lead to sensational news stories. In order to avoid any controversy, Yuvraj cleverly opted to bench himself instead.
“I would bench myself as naming one between Virat and Dhoni would be in the headlines. I don’t want that to happen,” he added.
Yuvraj also revealed what England’s Andrew Flintoff had said to him during their verbal spat in the 2007 T20 World Cup.
He recalled the moment when Flintoff provoked him after he had smacked a couple of boundaries in his over.
“Freddie bowled two good balls, he bowled a length ball, which went for a boundary, and a good yorker, which I was hit over the point. When I was walking after taking a single, he said, “F… shit shots,” Yuvraj said.
Flintoff didn’t hold back and continued to provoke Yuvraj, which led to an altercation between the two, forcing the umpire to step in.
“He repeated that on my face. I walked towards him; he kind of spat on me. I showed him my bat, saying that you know where it’s going to go. It went worse after that. Then the umpire came in,” Yuvraj added.

The much-anticipated grand finale of ‘Cooku with Comali Season 5′ promises an exciting lineup of celebrity guests and an epic showdown among the top 6 finalists.
The beloved Tamil reality cooking show Cooku with Comali 5 is set to air its grand finale on September 28 and 29, with a continuous five-hour special episode. The show, which has been entertaining viewers since April 17, will bring its season to an exciting conclusion as popular actors Arvind Swamy, Karthi, and veteran actress Radha make a special guest appearance to mark the grand occasion.

The top 6 finalists who will compete for the ultimate title are Sujithra Dhanush, Priyanka, Irfan, Pooja Venket, VTV Ganesh and Shalin Zoya. Their cooking skills, combined with their comedic interactions with the ‘Comalis’ (the comedians who pair up with the contestants), have kept fans hooked throughout the season.

As the show gears up for its finale, the excitement is at an all-time high. The fourth season, which saw a mix of celebrity and talented home chefs like Sujithra Dhanush, Priyanka Deshpande, Irfan, Akshay Kamal, Srikanth Deva, and Vasanth Vasi, has gained immense popularity. Hosted by VJ Rakshan and comedian Pugazh, with judges Chef Damu and Chef Madhampatti Rangaraj overseeing the culinary competition, the season has been full of laughter, drama, and mouth-watering dishes.

Notably, Cooku with Comali 5 has won over audiences with contestants’ expertise in preparing various international cuisines, creating a buzz on social media with viral videos showcasing their recipes. The humorous and chaotic interactions between the cooks and the comedians have made the show one of the most-watched Tamil reality programs.
The previous season’s winner, actor Mime Gopi, and runner-up actress Srushti Dange set high standards for this year’s contestants, and fans are eagerly awaiting to see who will lift the trophy this time.

Cooku with Comali, which premiered in November 2019, is directed by Parthiv Mani and continues to grow in popularity with each passing season, thanks to its unique blend of culinary skill and comedy.
The grand finale is set to be a star-studded affair, and fans can expect a thrilling conclusion to this delightful season. Don’t miss it on September 28 and 29!

TEL AVIV: Israel Defense Force (IDF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has warned Hezbollah that a ground offensive is imminent, stating that Israeli soldiers’ “military boots will enter enemy territory,” Times of Israel reported.
Halevi’s remarks came after Hezbollah fired a missile at central Israel on early Wednesday and Israel responded with airstrikes, which have killed 569 people and wounded 1,835 others, Al Jazeera reported.
During a drill simulating the invasion, Halevi addressed soldiers of the 7th Armored Brigade, as per Times of Israel.
“You can hear the planes above, we are attacking all day. Both to prepare the area for the possibility of your entry [into Lebanon], and also to continue causing blows to Hezbollah,” Halevi said.
“Hezbollah today expanded its [range] of fire. Later today, it will receive a very strong response,” he vows, after the terror group fired a missile at central Israel this morning.
“Today we will continue, we do not stop, we continue to attack and continue to strike them everywhere. The goal is a very clear goal, to return the [displaced] residents of the north safely,” Halevi continues.
“To do this, we are preparing the [ground] maneuver,” he says to the soldiers.
Higlighting his strategy of invasion, Halevi said,”Your military boots will enter enemy territory, enter villages that Hezbollah has prepared as large military outposts, with underground infrastructure, staging points, and launchpads into our territory [from which Hezbollah intends] to carry out attacks on Israeli civilians.
“Your entry into those areas with force, your encounter with Hezbollah operatives, will show them what it means to face a professional, highly skilled, and battle-experienced force,” he goes on. “You are coming in much stronger and far more experienced than they are. You will go in, destroy the enemy there, and decisively destroy their infrastructure. These are the things that will enable us to safely return the residents of the north afterward.”
Though it was shot down, Hezbollah confirmed it launched a Qadr 1 ballistic missile targeting the headquarters of Israel’s intelligence service Mossad in Tel Aviv. It is believed to be the first ballistic missile to be launched by Hezbollah toward Israel, CNN reported
In response Israel responded with airstrikes. In Gaza, the Health Ministry has said at least 50 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were wounded in the latest 24-hour reporting period in various Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave.
Meanwhile, Israeli official has told CNN that talks over a potential temporary ceasefire with Hezbollah are a main motivator for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
The source said it was notable that Netanyahu, who is currently flying to New York, has not denied reports that the US is pushing for a 21-day ceasefire.
The source added that the main reason for Netanyahu’s trip is these diplomatic talks, and the message in Israel’s briefings yesterday was that “Israel favors a diplomatic solution.”

Yuvraj Singh shared a surprising story from 2007, revealing that he was dating an actress during the Indian cricket team’s Test series against Australia, which included the infamous ‘Monkeygate‘ incident. He mentioned that the actress, still popular today, followed him to Canberra while shooting for a film in Australia.
When Yuvraj met the actress, he was going through a stressful time in his career.After struggling with his performance during the tour, he felt the pressure mounting and decided to focus on the game. As a result, he asked her to give him some space and not meet for a while.
Speaking on the Club Prairie Fire podcast, he said, “I was dating an actress, I won’t name her; (She is) very good at the moment and very experienced. She was shooting in Adelaide. I told her, listen, let’s not meet for a bit because I’m on Australia tour, and need to focus. She followed me to Canberra in the bus. In two Tests, I didn’t get many runs. And I was like, ‘what are you doing here?’ And she was like, ‘I want to spend time with you’,”.
“So, I met her in the night and we began chatting. I told her you need to focus on your career and I need to focus on mine, because I’m on Australia tour and you know what that means. Anyway, we were leaving for Adelaide from Canberra and she packed my suitcase,” he added.
The cricketer was shocked to find that the actress had packed his shoes in her suitcase. Just ten minutes before boarding the team bus, he realized his shoes were missing. With no other options available, she suggested he wear her pink slip-ons, which he reluctantly accepted.
Yuvraj laughed as he recounted the story, “In the morning, I was like ‘where are my shoes’? She said, ‘I packed them’. I asked, ‘How would I go on the bus’? And she said, ‘Wear mine’. She had these pink slip-ons. And I was like, ‘Oh my god’. I had to wear those pink slip-ons, and I was carrying my bag in front of my shoes to hide them. The guys saw it, and they clapped for me. I had to wear pink slip-ons to the airport until I bought flip-flops there,” Yuvraj said with a laugh.

Gujarat Titans (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Despite rumours of a potential ownership change and anticipated coaching shake-up, Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki are set to continue leading the Gujarat Titans coaching staff, according to a report from Cricbuzz.
Torrent Pharma, based in Ahmedabad, is reportedly in talks to acquire a majority stake in the IPL franchise from current owners CVC Capital.
While this potential acquisition has fueled speculation about significant changes within the franchise, the coaching staff appears to have weathered the storm.
Nehra and Solanki, who were instrumental in the Titans’ impressive debut season victory and subsequent finals appearance, are expected to see out their existing three-year contracts.
Both received lucrative contract extensions after the team’s initial success, with their combined salaries estimated to be among the highest in the league.
The Titans’ recent performance dip, finishing eighth in the latest season, prompted a review by the franchise board.
However, the CVC Capital executives, including Nick Clarry, Siddharth Patel, and Amit Soni, have reportedly decided to retain the coaching duo.
The decision ensures the continuation of the existing support staff, including assistant coaches Aashish Kapoor, Mithun Manhas, Narendra Negi, and Naeem Amin, along with performance analyst Sandeep Raju.
The only vacancy remains the batting coach position, left open after Gary Kirsten‘s departure to join the Pakistan national team.
While the ownership situation remains unclear, with no official communication to the BCCI from either Torrent Pharma or CVC Capital, any change in ownership can only occur after February 2025 due to a mandatory lock-in period.
Meanwhile, the BCCI is expected to announce player retention rules for the upcoming IPL season shortly.
While the IPL Governing Council is yet to formally approve the guidelines, the BCCI office-bearers are empowered to finalize and announce them, with subsequent ratification at a later date.