Kane Williamson: The Monk Who Lost the Cup But Won Over the World
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Kane Williamson: The Monk Who Lost the Cup But Won Over the World

The most natural reaction to losing the World Cup on a technicality would have been of excessive outrage. And no one could have held it against New Zealand captain Kane Williamson were he to be taken over by anguish. It stung deep, but not even an imminent heartbreak was enough for Williamson to get carried away.
Why We Need Films Like Shanghai in the Age of Hyper-nationalism
Posted inBollywood

Why We Need Films Like Shanghai in the Age of Hyper-nationalism

Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai could easily have been adapted into a political potboiler with countless twists, item songs, and stereotypical portrayals of the bureaucracy. But, Banerjee refuses to go down the OTT route. Shanghai is an exercise in restraint. In a way, it can be looked as a balm for the hyper-nationalistic age we live in.
How Vishal Bhardwaj’s Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola Foreshadowed the Plight of Farmers
Posted inBollywood

How Vishal Bhardwaj’s Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola Foreshadowed the Plight of Farmers

In Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, villagers are convinced they will be left with no bargaining chips once their lands are taken over by wealthy capitalists. This brief plotline of the film feels uncomfortably familiar to what the Indian farmers have been trying to communicate over the last two months. While the three new laws don’t propose changing ownership of lands, the protesting farmers have repeatedly raised these fears.
World Cup 2019: Ben Stokes, The Man Who Can Make Miracles Happen
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World Cup 2019: Ben Stokes, The Man Who Can Make Miracles Happen

With a performance that will go down in history in the World Cup final against New Zealand, England’s Ben Stokes infused ecstasy and euphoria befitting the occasion. The World Cup belonged to England. The World Cup belonged to Ben Stokes. And late last night, Stokes ascended to the cricketing pantheon.
Steve Smith is Back and It’s Like He Never Left
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Steve Smith is Back and It’s Like He Never Left

After a year in the wilderness, Steve Smith made his return to Test cricket amid adverse conditions, an intimidating crowd, a world-class bowling attack operating at their best, and a batting collapse to steady. The conditions were less than ideal, but Smith’s two centuries made it look like he had never left.