How John Rescued Vidya From Akshaye On The Sets Of Salaam-E-Ishq

Vidya Balan recently attended the Bollywood Hungama Style Icons Summit, where she recalled a funny incident from the sets of Salaam-E-Ishq.

The actress had worked with John Abraham and Akshaye Khanna in the film, along with other A-listers such as Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Anil Kapoor, and Juhi Chawla to name a few.

The Kahaani actress spoke about how she had to ask John Abraham for help, as she had to face Akshaye Khanna on set after rejecting a film with him.

What's Happening

• Vidya Balan revealed a hilarious incident from the sets of Salaam-E-Ishq at the recent Bollywood Hungama Style Icons Summit.
• The actress spoke about what led to her fear of meeting Akshaye Khanna on the sets of the film.
• Vidya said, "There was a film offered to me opposite Akshaye Khanna, and for some reason, I didn't connect with the script. But I didn't pick up the phone and tell him that. I asked my manager to convey it to the director." 
• She added, "And then I met Akshaye on the sets of Salaam-E-Ishq. And he fired me. He was like 'Why didn't you tell me you didn't want to do the film?' I went up to John [Abraham] and said, 'Can you please save me?' Because I was so new, I didn't want any confrontation. I didn't want to hurt anyone or make anyone feel bad, or just feel like I was refusing a film with them. But of course, he was only pulling my leg. I later realized."

About Salaam-E-Ishq

Nikkhil Advani's Salaam-E-Ishq is a romantic drama, which brings together six love stories and then follows the meandering relationships of the people within it.

Work

Vidya Balan was last seen in the blockbuster Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 with Kartik Aaryan, Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri.

She also did Do Aur Do Pyaar with Pratik Gandhi, Ileana D'Cruz and Sendhil Ramamurthy.

In A Nutshell

Vidya Balan revealed how she was scared of confronting Akshaye Khanna on the sets of Salaam-E-Ishq, after rejecting a film with him before. She explained how she asked help from John Abraham.

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Trump-Musk Feud: Tesla Now Worst-Performing Stock, Loses $380 Billion In 2025

Elon Musk's political adventure has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride - Oval Office access and conference calls with world leaders at the President's golf resort at its peak and being threatened about his government contracts being scrapped and tax benefits being revoked at its worst.

But it is Musk's businesses that have borne the brunt of his political escapade, especially in the last 24 hours, after his public fallout with former friend and boss Donald Trump. Tesla has become the worst-performing large-cap stock this year. Its valuation was on a steady decline ever since Musk made his political ambitions public. 

THE DECLINE

Its decline picked pace amid Trump's rhetoric about "beautiful" oil and his executive order on Day 1 of his second term ordering to "drill baby, drill" to "Make America Great Again". As Trump kept hard-selling vehicles that run on petroleum, the demand for Electric Vehicles or EVs fell sharply.

Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk's political controversies over his ties to far-right groups resulted in Tesla stock losing even more value after Trump took office in January. But the most devastating blow to the Tesla stock came after Thursday's explosive fallout when the two brash billionaires indulged in a no-holds-barred verbal duel resulting in an end to their partnership.

FREE FALL

Stock valuation went into free fall as markets opened after Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' was passed by House Republicans leading to Musk and Trump trading threats and insults. Tesla stock plunged more than 14 per cent, resulting in a wipeout of roughly $152 billion in a matter of hours.

With this, Tesla has lost more than $380 billion in valuation since the beginning of 2025 - making it the biggest loser among large-cap stocks. Tesla's market capitalization has fallen 29.3 per cent to $917 billion so far this year. 

The firm, which ranked eighth globally in terms of market cap at the start of the year, is now on the verge of dropping out of the top 10 big companies globally.

THE EV-KILLER BILL

Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' is seen by Elon Musk as an EV-killer since the bill removes tax cuts or tax benefits given to electric vehicle manufacturers. For a firm like Tesla, this means tens of billions of dollars annually.

Donald Trump has now also threatened to cut Elon Musk's government subsidies and contracts, which give both Tesla and SpaceX "billions and billions of dollars" of benefits. Elon Musk's personal wealth has also taken a beating since the public feud, dropping by nearly $9 billion, according to Bloomberg's billionaire index.

'SUCH INGRATITUDE'

During the spat, Elon Musk reminded the "ungrateful" President that the reason he can call the White House his home, was because of Musk's financial and moral support during the election campaign last year, for which he had poured in hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate...Such ingratitude," Musk wrote in a post on X.

Musk has now suggested that Trump "should be impeached" and JD Vance should take over, claiming that the US President figures in the Epstein files over his links to child sex abuser and trafficker Jeffery Epstein.
 

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Family Of Indore Woman, Who Went Missing In Meghalaya, Demands CBI Probe

The family of an Indore-based woman who went missing in Meghalaya last month while honeymooning with her husband urged the Union government on Friday to hand over the case to the CBI after expressing dissatisfaction with the probe of the north eastern state's police.

Sonam Raghuvanshi (25) and her husband Raja Raghuvanshi (29) disappeared on May 23, hours after they checked out of a homestay at Nongriat village in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district. Raja's body was found in a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra area, some 20 kilometres away from the homestay, on June 2.

Meghalaya police, which registered a murder case after Raja's body was found, are yet to get clues about Sonam's whereabouts.

"My daughter has been abducted and is still in the clutches of her captors. Meghalaya police is not investigating the matter properly. They have been negligent right from the beginning. I have been seeking the deployment of the army since the day they went missing. If it was done in time, they would have been found safely," Sonam's father, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, told PTI.

He said the Centre must hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

With desperation setting in, Raghuvanshi said he had hung an inverted photograph of Sonam on the advice of an astrologer so that she can be found safely.

After their marriage here on May 11, the couple left for Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon, family said.

The couple arrived at Mawlakhiat village on May 22 on a rented scooter. They parked their scooter and trekked 3,000 steps down the gorge to visit the famous living rootbridges at Nongriat village, where they stayed the night and left the homestay the following morning.

On May 24, their scooter was found abandoned at a cafe along the road from Shillong to Sohra.

A woman's white shirt, a strip of medicine, a part of the LCD screen of a mobile phone and a smartwatch were seized at the spot where Raja's body was found, as per Meghalaya police.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Trump Is In The Epstein Files, That's Why...": Elon Musk's Bombshell On X

Amid a spiraling feud with friend-turned-foe and former boss, Donald Trump, Elon Musk has dropped a bombshell. US President Donald Trump is in the Epstein files, and that is why they are not being released, the tech billionaire claimed in a stunning remark on his social media platform X.

"Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" Musk wrote just over an hour after a verbal spat with the President took an ugly turn.

He followed that up by saying, "Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out."

Inseparable for the last nine months, billionaires Donald Trump and Elon Musk were only praises for each other, but the last week has been turbulent, and the past 24 hours explosive. With the passage of the controversial 'One Big Beautiful Bill', which the two friends have deep disagreements over, the gloves have now come off.

Over the past few hours Trump and Musk have dealt blow after blow on each other. While Trump publicly chided Musk over his posts, saying he was very "disappointed with Elon", Musk was quick to remind the "ungrateful" President that the reason he can call the White House his home, was because of Musk's support during the election campaign last year.

"Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more," Trump said at a White House press briefing. He also predicted that Elon "hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next," adding that he was "very disappointed in Elon".

In his swift and lethal response, Musk said, "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate...Such ingratitude."

But as the stock value of Musk's EV firm Tesla plummeted with the passing of the controversial bill, Elon Musk dropped a series of posts, lambasting the US President for what Musk called "The Big Ugly Bill". His latest post however, is bound to shake up Washington DC - that the Epstein files aren't public because the US President figures in it.
 

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Virat's Sister Slams Troll For Questioning Her "Bitter" Relationship With Anushka

Virat Kohli's team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), finally lifted the IPL trophy after 18 long years. Celebrating the victory, the cricketer's sister, Bhawna Kohli Dhingra, shared a heartfelt post on Instagram.

Bhawna, who is a numerologist by profession, posted a series of pictures of Virat from the match. The carousel also included snaps featuring Virat's wife, actress Anushka Sharma.

In her caption Bhawna wrote, "This night, this moment where we celebrate this dream which made us cry, which made us laugh; but the wait that you did is far too long. Each and every second of the moment needs to be experienced with stillness and a strange calmness that it's actually done."

She added, "All of us can't express the humility and thankfulness towards almighty and millions of fans who were right behind RCB through thick and thin. This win is everybody's personal win. Your tears were felt in the eyes of everyone who loves you. We cried with you because you, my little Veeru, are god's chosen one who brings so much joy and inspiration in everyone. Blessed to witness this, and someone in heaven is smiling in his usual smile, looking at his son making him proud." 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bhawna Kohli Dhingra (@bhawna_kohli_dhingra)

Reacting to the post, a troll attempted to insinuate that Virat and Anushka sideline Bhawna during their major milestones. They wrote, "Why does he never mention you in any speech or like your post? Not even Anushkha does, lol." 

To this, Bhawna responded politely by sharply. She wrote, "May god give you the patience to understand love can exist in many ways, which is not necessarily shown to the world, but it's still there, like the love for almighty. Hope you have enough love in your life, no insecurities, only true bonds which don't need any validation. God bless you."  

Her graceful response quickly went viral on social media, with fans praising her for standing up for her brother and his wife with such dignity.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma were recently in Bengaluru for RCB's victory parade celebrations. What began as a joyous occasion turned sombre when a tragic stampede near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and left 47 injured.

Expressing their sorrow over the incident, Virat and Anushka shared RCB's official statement on Instagram. Read the full story here. 

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Mumbai Founder Criticises Employees Quitting After Payday, Internet Reacts

Kiran Shah, the founder of Mumbai-based startup GoZero, is facing backlash for his LinkedIn post criticising employees who resign shortly after receiving their salaries. In his post, Mr Shah shared he recently changed his company's pay date for employees from the 10th of every month to the 1st. However, he said some of his employees misused this policy and resigned the moment the salary was credited, and didn't show up to work the next day. 

"I used to give salaries on the 10th of the next month. A lot of startups I know do the same. Some even give on 15th of the next month. I realised this causes a lot of inconvenience to the team who has outgoings in the 1st week. From December 2023, I changed the salary payment date to 1st of every month," Mr Shah wrote on LinkedIn. 

"And while most of them are exceptionally loyal towards the mission, there are an unfortunate few who misuse this and resign the moment we credit the salary on 1st and don't show up to work the next day. This has happened yesterday, the 4th incident overall since I moved the salary processing from 10th to 1st," he continued.

The entrepreneur assured that the incidents would not affect his decision to change the payday policy. "If i start penalizing the entire team for a couple of such dumb folks, then it puts a question mark on the culture I am building at GZ," he wrote. 

"However, to all the folks out there - don't ghost your employer once you get the salary. If you are not happy with the work or remuneration or boss or founder or colleagues or location or any damn thing, have a communication with your manager. Or even the founder - I am super approachable to anyone in the org. But do it in a professional way that doesn't burn bridges," he advised the employees.

Also Read | Company Upgrades To Premium Coffee Machine, But Reverts To "Liquid Garbage" In 2 Months. Here's Why

Mr Shah's post has gone viral on social media, sparking outrage among people. Several users labelled his post as "tone deaf". 

"Some companies somehow feel they do a favour if they disburse salary on 1st let's wake up and smell the coffee it's being done for ages now and in case of MNCs last working day of the month. Focus more on reasons why the employees are absconding and fix those," commented one user. 

"Receiving salaries on time is the right of every employee, most start ups these days are exploiting employees by expecting them to work extra hours in light of the "hustle culture" and still end up not receiving their salaries. Such startups need to have proper HR processes in place. The problem is much bigger than setting up a credit date," wrote another. 

"I am missing the connection here between the date of pay and not showing up the next day after receiving the salary.  Changing pay date DOES NOT solve for not showing up the next day. It only gives you a leverage over the employees to not leave without serving notice period as the employees wouldn't get paid for the 10/15 days of the month, which in itself doesn't reflect a great culture. So you are right in not going back to the old pay cycle due to a few who are misusing it. I just dont understand the message you are trying to convey," said third user. 

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Putin Said Very Strongly He'll Have To Respond: Trump On Ukraine Drone Strike

Putin said "very strongly" that he will have to respond to Ukrainian drone attack: Trump after call with Russian president

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Gukesh Breaks Silence On Carlsen's Post-Loss Outburst: "Also Banged..."

Following his stunning victory over former world number one Magnus Carlsen in the round six of Norway Chess, India's World Champion chess star D Gukesh spoke on how he was not pleased with his win and had a sporting reaction to Carlsen's post-match outburst, which saw him bang the table aggressively and send down some pieces falling, reported Chess.com. Gukesh pulled off a stunning victory against the former world number one in Round 6 of the ongoing Norway Chess 2025 tournament, turning the game around from a losing position on Sunday.

This marked Gukesh's first-ever classical win over the Norwegian grandmaster. The 19-year-old also became the second Indian player to beat Carlsen in the competition's history after Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa.

That moment when World Champion @DGukesh won his game against World no.1 Magnus Carlsen!

Video: @adityasurroy21/ ChessBase India#chess #chessbaseindia #norwaychess #gukesh pic.twitter.com/9YQhHYlia0

— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) June 1, 2025

Speaking after the match as quoted by Chess.com, Gukesh said about his win, "I mean, [it was] not the way I wanted it to be, but okay, I will take it."

He also took Carlsen's outburst in a sporting manner, understanding the frustration he must have faced, saying, "I have also banged a lot of tables in my career."

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In the video now posted on the official X handle of Norway Chess, just after the win was sealed by Gukesh, Carlsen let out his emotions by banging the table, sending some pieces falling on the board and down on the floor too. While he did not forget to shake Gukesh's hand and give him a pat on his back as the Indian star tried collecting himself emotionally after a stunning win, Carlsen's frustration with his performance was visible.

Gukesh was still in shock after his win and the way he pulled it off from behind, saying, "99 out of 100 times I would lose," but it was just a lucky day."

Carlsen had an upper hand over Gukesh for most of the time in the match, but in the end, he couldn't control his nerves, and the teenager turned the tables around and went on to win the match. With this win, D Gukesh jumped to third spot in the Norway Chess 2025 points table with 8.5 points, and now he is just one point behind Carlsen and American Fabiano Caruana.

Earlier on May 27, the marquee clash of Round One at Norway Chess 2025 lived up to expectations as Carlsen launched a classic king hunt to defeat reigning World Champion D Gukesh in a thrilling encounter. This was their first classical match since Gukesh won the world title, and it also marked Carlsen's return to individual classical chess after nearly a year.

Reacting to the upset victory, Gukesh's coach, Grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna, praised the teenager's resilience and fighting spirit."We have to give a lot of credit to Gukesh for his stubbornness and his resourcefulness because I think he was aware that he was dead lost for so long, yet he kept kicking, he kept kicking, and the time went lower, the more chances he had to actually do something with the position. I do not think he intended to win that, but I am sure he is happy," Vishnu Prasanna said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Aamir Khan On Junaid's Dyslexia Struggle: "I Used To Scold Him"

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan has broken silence about his son, actor Junaid Khan's struggle with dyslexia.

The actor chronicled the challenges faced by a young boy with dyslexia named Ishaan, played by Darsheel Safary, in his 2007 directorial debut Taare Zameen Par.

Aamir's comments come days ahead of the release of Sitaare Zameen Par, a spiritual sequel to Taare Zameen Par. The new film puts focus on specially-abled individuals.

According to a Filmfare report, the actor opened up about Junaid's dyslexia struggle at a recent event.

"Maybe this is the first time I'm saying it... The person I'm going to talk about has already spoken about this publicly. So now I can talk about it openly. I'm talking about Junaid - my son Junaid... Junaid is dyslexic," he said.

The script of Taare Zameen Par, penned by Amole Gupte, deeply impacted him, added Aamir.

"I used to scold Junaid. I was like Nandkishore Awasthi in the beginning," he said, in a reference to Ishaan's strict and frustrated father, played by Vipin Sharma.

"I would tell him, 'Junaid, how can someone write so badly? No one can even read this'. When he used to read, he would say 'from' instead of 'for'. Whenever he saw an 'F', he would just guess the word - of, from, for," Aamir recalled.

Earlier in an interview, Junaid revealed he has dyslexia, which is a learning disorder that affects reading and spelling. The Loveyapa actor said his father and mother, producer Reena Dutta discovered that he had dyslexia while listening to the script of Taare Zameen Par.

"Neither of my parents were particular (about my results)... I was also diagnosed with dyslexia very early on. So, I think they were mindful of that, especially in schooling... When they heard the script of Taare Zameen Par, they were like, 'Ek second... We have seen this in our lives'. And actually, it was at that point that they took me to a specialist, and I was diagnosed with dyslexia," he had said.

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"If He's Serious About Test Cricket...": Iyer Gets Blunt Advice From Star

Right-handed batter Shreyas Iyer's omission from India's Test squad for the upcoming tour of England has been one of the talking points. With Virat Kohli leaving a void at the number 4 spot in the format, the expectations were high that Iyer might be backed to fill up the position. However, he was ignored by the the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee. Former England spinner Monty Panesar has shared a piece of advice for Iyer to get his place back in the Test squad of India.

While admitting that Iyer is a good batter when it comes to flat and bouncy tracks, Panesar said that he might not have the technique required in swinging conditions.

"Shreyas Iyer's got a very good technique against flat tracks and bouncy pitches. I think the swinging conditions, maybe his technique doesn't line up at the moment. That's what I think. Because I think his hands are a bit hard. He hasn't got the soft touch, playing late with the swing ball. Seeing the swing early and playing late, he does come hard at the ball," the ex-England star told Hindustan Times.

Panesar further suggested Iyer to play county cricket and prove himself in order to get selected in the Test squad.

"So, I think technique-wise, his game probably isn't suited for swinging conditions at the moment. And that's why they probably thought that, give some of the other players a go whose game is suited against swinging-seeming conditions. In terms of Shreyas Iyer, to get into the Test team, I think he needs to play county cricket," Panesar said.

"If he's serious about playing Test cricket, he needs to find a county and play a season of county cricket. And then, prove to the selectors that his technique is up to standard," he added.

Shubman Gill is the captain while Rishabh Pant has been appointed his deputy as the BCCI has announced an 18-member squad for the five-match Test series against England, starting June 20. The likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran and Karun Nair have made a comeback, while young star Sai Sudharsan too has found a place in the team.

India's squad for England Test series: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

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Drone Finds Body of Missing Tourist in Meghalaya, Police Suspect Murder

After an intensive eight-day search operation, the East Khasi Hills police on Monday confirmed the recovery of the body of Raja Raghuvanshi, one of the two tourists reported missing since May 23. The grim discovery was made by a drone and the body was found in a deep gorge below the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang. The whereabouts of Raja Raghuvanshi's wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, remain unknown. The authorities are continuing the search in the difficult terrain amid inclement weather. The couple were on their honeymoon. 

In an official statement, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said at 11:48 am, a police drone located the body during a coordinated search involving the Police Department, State Disaster Response Force, Special Operations Team, and the West Jaintia Hills District Adventure Mountaineering Club.

Due to the steep and inaccessible terrain, the body was retrieved and brought up to the Weisawdong parking lot. 

The man was identified by his relatives through a distinctive tattoo on his right hand bearing the name "Raja."

A magisterial inquest was conducted on-site by Executive Magistrate Adiel R. Kyntan, in presence of independent local witnesses. 

Items recovered from the scene include a woman's white shirt, a strip of Pentra 40 medication, a part of an LCD screen from a Vivo mobile phone, and a smartwatch that was on the man's wrist. The body has been sent to NEIGRIHMS, Shillong, for a postmortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.

The police have not ruled out foul play and are treating the case as a suspected murder. A Special Investigation Team is being constituted to lead the probe.
 

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India's Fight Against Maoism: Visualised In Graphics

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly said that the government is committed to eradicating Maoism from India by March 2026, and the goal got a fillip when at least 27 Maoists -  including top leader Nambala Keshavrao alias Basavaraju, who carried a bounty of Rs 1.5 crore - were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh earlier this month.

Data accessed by NDTV shows that the government and the security forces are inching closer towards the target of ending the Maoist movement, which began in 1967. 

Home ministry data reveals that there were 1,936 incidents of Maoist violence in 2010, which came down to just 374 in 2024 - a drop of 81%. 

The number of Maoist-affected districts has also seen a steep fall, going from 126 in 2013 to 70 in 2021 and just 18 as of April this year. 

Death Count Decreasing Too

In terms of civilian deaths in Maoist violence, the number was 720 in 2010, came down to 150 in 2019 and stood at 131 last year, up from 106 in 2023. There have been 19 such deaths until March this year. 

When the aggregate of deaths of civilians and security forces' personnel is taken into account, the figure was 1,005 in 2010 and went down by 85% to 150 last year. 

Infrastructure Targeting

Over the years, Maoists have been targeting infrastructure such as railway property, public and private sector units, telephone exchanges, mobile towers, roads and schools. These incidents have also decreased from 365 in 2010 to 75 in 2017, and just 25 in 2024.

Naxals Killed

According to reports, over 150 Maoists have been killed in just the first few months of this year. The figure was 136 in 2017, went up to 380 in 2023 and stood at 290 last year. 

After the encounter in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur earlier this month, Home Minister Shah had said it was the first time in three decades that a general secretary of the CPI-Maoist had been killed.

"Also glad to share that after the completion of Operation Black Forest, 54 Naxalites have been arrested and 84 Naxalites have surrendered in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. The Modi government is resolved to eliminate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026," he had said.

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India Star Wears Jersey No. 18 After Kohli's Retirement, Scalps 3 In England

Pacer Mukesh Kumar struck three quick blows as India A staged a fine comeback despite Max Holden's eighth first-class hundred, as England Lions stumbled to 333 for five at lunch on the penultimate day of the four-day Unofficial Test here on Sunday. Overnight centurion Tom Haines (142, 208 balls) is still out there and Dan Mousley (2) is keeping him company at the break. The Lions are now trailing by 224 runs.

Mukesh bowled with a lot more venom in this session, getting his lengths correct and he was rewarded with three wickets of Holden (101, 101b), Lions' skipper James Rew (8) and Rehan Ahmed (3).

Interestingly, Mukesh was wearing a jersey number 18, which earlier belonged to Virat Kohli.  

Mukesh Kumar is wearing Virat's No 18 Jersey pic.twitter.com/V8jIxRaUhr

— Sohel. (@SohelVkf) May 31, 2025

Jersey number of Mukesh Kumar pic.twitter.com/kdILZ2pnVg

— (@imAnthoni_) June 1, 2025

The word hesitate doesn't exist in the dictionary of Lord Mukesh Kumar pic.twitter.com/5KJHwYcuBT

— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) June 1, 2025

It's official Mukesh Kumar is India's new number 18 after Virat Kohli pic.twitter.com/PG00kccjQV

— Crayon (@Crayon_475) May 31, 2025

Holden hung his bat outside the off-stump to be caught behind by Dhruv Jurel, while Rew was trapped leg-before by a deliverer that was straightened up.

Ahmed's cavalier waft outside ended in the hands of Sarfaraz Khan at second slip.

England Lions lost three wickets inside 14 runs to give away the advantage handed to them by Haines and Holden during their 181-run partnership for the third wicket.

Holden, a former England U19 skipper and a prodigy of former pacer Angus Fraser, was quite impressive while bringing up his hundred off 99 balls.

The 26-year-old left-hander reached the landmark after seven first-class innings without even a fifty, flicking pacer Shardul Thakur for a single to fine leg.

Haines, a protege of former India coach Gary Kirsten, however, held his ground and ensured that the Lions will not suffer further damage.

Brief scores: India A: 557 vs England A: 333/5 in 75 overs (Tom Haines 142 batting, Max Holden 101; Mukesh Kumar 3/56).

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