India team coach Ravi Shastri has dismissed rumours regarding M S Dhoni's retirement, saying the 37-year-old wasn't going anywhere.
Twitter was abuzz on Thursday with news of Dhoni's reported retirement after he was seen taking the match ball from the umpire at the end of the third one-day international against England at the Headingley cricket ground in Leeds on Tuesday.
According to Shastri, Dhoni took the ball to show it to bowling coach Bharat Arun.
"That's rubbish. MS is not going anywhere," Shastri said, according to the Times of India. "MS wanted to show the ball to Bharat Arun. He wanted to show him the wear and tear the ball had endured, to get a general idea of what the conditions were like."
Dhoni received a lot of criticism from cricket fans for his slow batting. He was even booed when he became the fourth Indian to score 10,000 runs.
Defending Dhoni, former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly said Dhoni was one of the greatest players India has produced.
"The people shouldn't boo Dhoni," said Ganguly, according to India TV News. "He's one of the greats. I don't think we will ever find a player like him in the times to come. He got stuck out there, couldn't rotate the strike. He should start hitting because that's his natural game. One starts questioning his abilities, as to whether he can perform in the same fashion like he did before. In 2005, he used to hit bowlers in any conditions. In Pakistan, he went and hit sixes all around. The team management should sit and talk to him, give him the No.6 spot and tell him to get back to his natural game."
Second year in a row for the British Indian model on the VS runway.
Only Indian face in the line-up.
She wore a blush pink set with a sheer skirt.
The show itself featured a pregnant model, athletes, and the overall diversity push.
It happened in New York, with performances, the usual big production.
So Victoria's Secret dragged its wings out of storage for another show. And in the middle of that whole glittery circus, one face felt particularly significant. Neelam Gill was back again for the second time. In a sea of models, she is the sole Indian representative. That’s a pretty stark fact when you consider it. The show took place in New York, with all the expected glitz, but Gill's presence is what truly resonates.
Neelam Gill walks the 2025 Victoria’s Secret runway in a blush pink look during the brand’s much-hyped diversity comeback. Getty Images
What does her presence mean?
One model, one spot, in 2025. On the surface, it feels almost pathetic. But then you see a photo of her there, in that specific context, and it somehow feels huge. This isn’t about a headcount. It’s about her, specifically her, standing in a spot that was off-limits for so long. Gill herself has spoken about not seeing anyone who looked like her in these spaces while growing up. She is now that image, and it is significant.
Right, the look. This year it was a departure from last year’s icy blue. She wore a dreamy, almost dusty pink lingerie set. The bottoms had a slight shimmer. They placed a sheer, floaty skirt over the set that trailed a bit. It was less about the typical angel wings and more of an ethereal, graceful vibe. It worked. It felt sophisticated, a bit quieter than some of the other looks, but it certainly made you look.
Neelam Gill’s ethereal pink ensemble captured attention as she represented South Asian beauty on the global stageGetty Images
The wider show context
The show around her was, well, busy. Jasmine Tookes, honestly, you couldn't miss her, gliding down the runway nine months pregnant. It was actually pretty powerful. The Hadid sisters did their thing, obviously. The entire cast seemed designed to make a statement, throwing in some curve models and an athlete or two. It’s all part of the new playbook; they are clearly ticking boxes.
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