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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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Varun Dhawan: One must travel to learn

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Mumbai, June 3: Actor Varun Dhawan stressed that travel is essential for gaining knowledge and life experience.

The actor took to Instagram, where he shared three pictures from the airport. The first was an image of the actor posing inside the airport with the airplane docked. The other was of him at the same location but this time his back was towards the camera as he looked at the aircraft. The third was a closeup image of him as he made his way inside the flight.

“One must travel to learn,” Varun wrote as the caption.

A few days ago, Varun wrapped up the Scotland schedule of his upcoming project ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’.

Sharing the professional update on social media, Varun penned, “It’s a schedule wrap for us here in Scotland on #haijawaanitohishqhonahai. So many days everyone pulling together to make this happen. Bringing u all the laughs soon. Now back home.”

The post also included some fun moments of the “Badlapur’ actor in Scotland with his co-stars Mrunal Thakur, Mouni Roy, Chunkey Panday and Pooja Hegde.

The title “Hain Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hain” is inspired by the song “Ishq Sona Hai” from “Biwi No.1.” starring Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, and Sushmita Sen. The 1999 drama was helmed by David Dhawan, who is also directing Varun’s next.

“Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai” is reported to have the charm of classic 90s rom-coms.

Varun also has Shashank Khaitan’s “Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari.” Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, Abhinav Sharma, Maniesh Paul, and Manini Chadha are also a part of the project’s pivotal cast.

Furthermore, Varun also had “Border 2”, which is being made under the direction of Anurag Singh. He will be co-starring Sunny Deol, Diljit Dosanjh, and Ahan Shetty in the highly-anticipated sequel.

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Mohit Suri calls ‘Saiyaara’ an ode to his favourite love stories

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Mumbai, May 31: Director Mohit Suri, who is awaiting the release of his upcoming film ‘Saiyaara’, has called it an homage to the love stories that he has grown up loving.

Mohit is known for his musical hits like ‘Zeher’, ‘Kalyug’, ‘Woh Lamhe’, the cult-classic ‘Awarapan’ and the blockbuster ‘Aashiqui 2’.

While all the aforementioned films were made under the banner of Vishesh Films, with ‘Saiyaara’, Mohit has moved into the territory of Yash Raj Films.

‘Saiyaara’ brings together YRF and Mohit, both known for creating timeless romances for an intense love story, and introduces Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda (of ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ fame) as the next YRF heroine.

Talking about the film, Mohit said, “I feel you can tell so many beautiful stories and take people along so many journeys and celebrate so many emotions but romantic genre is always special. ‘Saiyaara’ is my homage to the love stories I love and the sweeping romances that I have come across through my life. I have been fortunate to have met so many people who have been kind enough to share their incredible love stories with me”.

He further mentioned, “I’m delighted to see this unanimous response to the teaser of ‘Saiyaara’. I’m thrilled for Ahaan and Aneet. They deserve all the love because they have really put in everything for people to connect so deeply with the teaser of ‘Saiyaara’. I share this moment with my incredible team and everyone at YRF. I hope people keep engaging and connecting with ‘Saiyaara’ as we peel every layer of emotion, every season of love through our marketing campaign”.

Produced by YRF, ‘Saiyaara’ is set to release in cinemas on July 18, 2025.

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Karan Johar to Shah Rukh Khan: ‘All hail the king of the MET’

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Mumbai, May 6: Global icon Shah Rukh Khan made a dazzling debut at the Met Gala 2025, setting the red carpet ablaze with his signature charm and style. His longtime friend Karan Johar couldn’t hold back, declaring, “the internet didn’t just broke into a gazillion hearts” the moment he stepped out.

Karan Johar to Shah Rukh Khan: All hail the king of the MET

Mumbai, Global icon Shah Rukh Khan made a dazzling debut at the Met Gala 2025, setting the red carpet ablaze with his signature charm and style. His longtime friend Karan Johar couldn’t hold back, declaring, “the internet didn’t just broke into a gazillion hearts” the moment he stepped out.

Wearing a sharp ensemble by Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Shah Rukh looked dapper in a floor-sweeping black trench coat layered over an unbuttoned shirt. He completed chunky jewellery including eye-popping diamond-studded pendants emblazoned with “K”.

To add to the drama, he carried a walking stick with a tiger-top, which was completely in sync with this year’s theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”.

Karan took to his Instagram, where he shared a video of Shah Rukh walking out in style. The filmmaker captioned it: “All hail the king of the MET!!! The internet just broke into a gazillion hearts!!! Bhai you rule.”

He then shared a picture of Shah Rukh originally posted by the star’s manager Pooja Dadlani and wrote: “The King” along with the song “Here Comes The Hotstepper” playing in the background.

As per reports, Shah Rukh posed, smiled, waved and even treated fans with his signature pose.

The 2025 theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” is inspired by Monica L Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, published in 2009. The fashion gala for the first time has put the spotlight on menswear.

The Met Gala is the annual haute couture fundraising festival held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in Manhattan. The Met Gala is popularly regarded as the world’s most prestigious and glamorous fashion event.

Attendees are given the opportunity to express themselves through fashion, often producing elaborate and highly publicized outfits inspired by the evening’s theme and broader cultural context.

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