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2nd Test: Joe Root, Dan Lawrence put dominant England on top in Barbados

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Skipper Joe Root scored the 25th century of his Test career and Dan Lawrence contributed 91 as England controlled the opening day of the second Test against West Indies here.

With the series all-square after a draw in Antigua, England moved into a strong first-innings position at the Kensington Oval thanks to a Root hundred and a fine half-century from Lawrence.

A wicket in the final over of the day saw Lawrence (91) miss out on the chance to bring up his first Test century, but Root will resume unbeaten on 119 with England on 244/3 at the close.

Ben Stokes will join Root at the crease for the start of Day Two, with England on 244 and with seven wickets remaining.

Earlier, the opening day of the Barbados Test started on a disappointing note for the tourists, with captain Root being forced to name a late change to the starting XI, with an unwell Craig Overton replaced by Matthew Fisher for a Test debut.

Fishe’s introduction meant that England are fielding two debutants in their seam attack, with Saqib Mahmood having already been confirmed as the replacement for an injured Mark Wood. But a green England seam attack were given time to put their feet up in the dressing room when Root won the toss and opted to bat first on what appears to be a benign surface in Bridgetown, said a report on the ICC website.

England’s troubles continued in the first session as Jayden Seales struck early to give the hosts a strong start in front of a packed and largely England-supporting crowd, removing Zak Crawley for a seven-ball duck.

But a patient partnership between Alex Lees and Root saw England through to 47/1 at lunch, with the scoring rate at well under two-an-over after the morning session. Root cruised through the gears after the inte’val, but Lees’ obstinate knock came to an end the ball after his captain had reached 50, with the Durham opener trapped in-front by spinner Veerasammy Permaul for a 138-ball 30.

New batter Lawrence had shown attacking flair and a selfless attitude in his second-innings cameo in Antigua, and showed similar positive intent right from the off in Barbados, stroking two fours to quickly reach double figures.

A fluent partnership developed between Root and the prodigious 24-year-old to take England to 136/2 by tea.

The rate of scoring increased markedly immediately after the tea break, with the pair racing towards their respective milestones and reaching them in consecutive deliveries. Lawrence brought up his fourth 50 in Test cricket with a pull around the corner for a single off the first ball of a Seales over, with the half-century coming off just 62 balls. And Root latched onto a bumper next up to flick away a single of his own to bring up his second century of the series and the 25th of his career.

The partnership blossomed from there as England built on the platform that Lees and Root had set in the morning session, and the English made hay.

Lawrence was given a reprieve when a takeable chance was put down by Alzarri Joseph off a frustrated Seales, with the drop not improving the mood of a tiring West Indian bowling attack. And a five-over burst with the new ball didn’t look like being enough to unsettle the England duo, as an increasingly well-oiled and boisterous traveling fanbase serenaded the pair in the middle.

But Lawrence, who had crunched back-to-back fours during the final over from Jason Holder, fell to the penultimate ball of the day for a career-best Test score of 91, finishing agonisingly short of his first Test century.

England are looking forward to continuing their domination on Day Two and put up a big total so that they don’t have to bat again in this Test.

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Sanjay Dutt, Palak Tiwari-starrer ‘The Bhootnii’ trailer is all about ghosts, gadgets and guns

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Mumbai, March 29: The trailer for the upcoming film “The Bhootnii”, starring Sanjay Dutt, Palak Tiwari, Mouni Roy, and Sunny Singh, was unveiled on Saturday. It promises a thrilling blend of fun and spookiness.

The trailer is filled with witty punchlines, eerie thrills, and a generous dose of Sanjay’s iconic swag. The Bhootnii promises to transport audiences into a world where horror meets humor in the most unexpected ways.

The makers launched the trailer of the movie at a mega event in Mumbai in presence of the entire star cast.

It was on February 26, when Sanjay had revealed the title of the film, which was earlier called “The Virgin Tree”, on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri. It was also revealed that the project will be hitting the theatres on April 18, 2025.

The makers had also shared a teaser, which gives an insight into the mystical world where ‘love turns into darkness’.

Soham Rockstar Entertainment and Three Dimension Motion Pictures are presenting “The Bhootnii”, which has been produced under the banner of A Soham Rockstar Entertainment Production by Deepak Mukut, Sanjay Dutt, Hunar Mukut, and Maanayata Dutt.

Additionally, Sanjay’s lineup includes the much-awaited sequel “Welcome to the Jungle.” The Ahmed Khan’s directorial enjoys an ensemble cast with Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon Disha Patani, Suniel Shetty, Lara Dutta, Bobby Deol, Jacqueline Fernandez, Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Rajpal Yadav, Johny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, and Tusshar Kapoor.

The film is the third installment to the “Welcome” franchise. It was first released in 2007 and the second part Welcome Back hit the screens in 2015.

Furthermore, Sanjay will also be seen playing a crucial role in “Son of Sardaar 2”. The drama has Ajay Devgn and Mrunal Thakur as the lead pair. Directed by Vijay Kumar Arora, Ajay Devgn has produced the film under the banner of Devgn Films in collaboration with Jio Studios.

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Hrithik Roshan turns director for ‘Krish 4’ produced by Aditya Chopra

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Mumbai, March 28: Actor Hrithik Roshan is set to turn director for the upcoming film ‘Krrish 4’, and take the baton from his father Rakesh Roshan for the franchise. The development of the fourth installment of India’s biggest superhero franchise has been confirmed by Rakesh Roshan, who has helmed the earlier 3 parts of the franchise.

The film is being produced by Yash Raj Films in association with Rakesh Roshan. The Indian superstar Hrithik Roshan will be swinging between the two departments of direction and acting for the film as he essays the titular superhero in the franchise. The shooting for the film is set to begin early next year.

Confirming the development Rakesh Roshan said, “I’m passing the baton of the director of Krrish 4 to my son, Hrithik Roshan, who has lived, breathed and dreamt about this franchise since its inception with me! Hrithik has a clear and a very ambitious vision of taking Krrish’s journey forward with the audience for the next decades”.

He further mentioned, “I couldn’t be more proud to see him wear the director’s hat for a film that means the world to us as a family. ‘Krrish’ has entertained audiences the world over and Hrithik will now reveal the next chapters of this superhero saga and take the vision I created so many years ago to greater heights”.

The department of direction is not something new for Hrithik as he worked as an assistant director on the sets of films like ‘Karan Arjun’, directed by his father. In fact, it was Hrithik, who started the trend of actors learning the ropes on a film set, gaining practical knowledge of the technicalities involved in filmmaking, and eventually venturing into acting with the wealth of filmmaking knowledge.

Rakesh Roshan is thrilled that Aditya Chopra is taking over the reigns of ‘Krrish 4’ as the producer.

He further mentioned, “It brings me so much joy to see someone like Adi as the producer of Krrish 4. It was he who convinced Hrithik to sit in the director’s chair. Adi and Yash Raj Films have the knowledge, understanding and technological might to produce this film and add great value to this project”.

“Hrithik and Adi coming together as a producer-director pair with me behind them is a rare and deliciously creative combination! I’m sure they will turn Krrish 4 into a theatrical experience that has never been made in India. The dream is to make India proud globally with a larger than life experience like ‘Krrish 4’”, he added.

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Aamir Khan vs Salman Khan: Face-Off to determine who is the real ‘Sikandar’

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Mumbai, March 25: In a battle of Bollywood giants, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan are facing off to claim the title of the real ‘Sikandar.’

As both stars have made significant marks in their careers with iconic roles, the question of who truly deserves the title of ‘Sikandar’ has even left filmmaker AR Murugadoss in a tough position. On Tuesday, Salman shared a video of him with Aamir and Murugadoss on his Instagram handle, writing, “Amar Prem ka Andaaz with AR Murugadoss! #SikandarMeetsGhajini #AamirKhan #SajidNadiadwala’s #Sikandar Directed by @a.r.murugadoss.”

In the video, the trio can be seen seated, engaged in an intriguing conversation. The clip opens with Aamir asking AR Murugadoss, “Between me and Salman, who is the real Sikandar?” The filmmaker is seen with a serious expression on his face.

Interestingly, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan share a great rapport. They had previously worked together in the iconic film “Andaz Apna Apna.” The two superstars often show mutual support for each other’s films, and this camaraderie is evident as part of Salman’s upcoming film “Sikandar” promotions. Not to forget, the ‘Wanted’ actor even made an appearance at the screening of Aamir Khan’s son Junaid’s debut film, showing his support for the young actor.

Meanwhile, Salman is currently busy promoting his next project, “Sikandar,” which marks his first on-screen pairing with Rashmika Mandanna. On March 23, the makers dropped its highly awaited trailer, packed with action and suspense. In the trailer, the ‘Dabangg’ actor takes on the titular role of Sikandar, a man driven by a strong sense of purpose.

Speaking at the trailer launch, the actor spoke about the age gap between superstars and younger actresses, sharing his thoughts on the evolving dynamics in the film industry. In his trademark style, Salman stated, “I have a 31-year age difference between me and the heroine. The heroine doesn’t have this problem. The heroine’s father doesn’t have this problem.” He then turned towards Rashmika and asked her, “You don’t have this problem, right?”

Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, “Sikandar” is set to release in theatres on March 30, 2025.

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