As the landscape of Indian cricket undergoes a tectonic shift, former all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has sparked a necessary firestorm regarding the sport’s internal culture. Speaking at the Revsportz Conclave in Kolkata, Ashwin, who bid farewell to the international stage in December 2024 following the iconic Boxing Day Test delivered a blunt critique of what he terms a ‘disease’ infecting the game: the rise of orchestrated fan agendas and the suffocating superhero culture that prioritizes individual brand value over the sport itself.

Ravichandran Ashwin critiques fan armies, warns against idolising cricketers

Ashwin’s observations go beyond simple social media trolling. He pointed toward a sophisticated business structure where player-centric narratives are manufactured and amplified by PR machineries. He noted a scary pattern where private conversations held at team breakfast tables often reappear online under the guise of organic fan opinions. While Ashwin was careful not to accuse active players of planting stories, he highlighted that the modern cricketer is now an entrepreneur, and the pressure to increase brand value has led to an environment where speaking ill of peers has become a tool for self-promotion.

“Where did all this begin? We started creating narratives around players. We started painting a superhero culture, a cinematic culture. Who even talks about cricket now? Nobody speaks about the game itself,” Ashwin stated at the event.

The veteran off-spinner, who ended his career as India’s second-highest Test wicket-taker with 537 scalps, lamented that the essence of cricket has been lost. Citing an example from early 2025 regarding his technical analysis of Shubman Gill’s dismissal, Ashwin noted how the discourse immediately devolved into personal comparisons rather than a study of the game. For Ashwin, the shift from analyzing a delivery to defending a “superhero” signifies a departure from the intellectual core of Indian cricket.

“Some time ago, I put out a Twitter thread about what Shubman was doing that was leading to his dismissals in a certain way. For me, it is always about the ‘what’ and the ‘why,’ never the ‘whom.’ But immediately it became about comparison—why only Shubman and not someone else? I was like, do you even follow what I do? The point is, we moved the game away from its essence, its centrepiece, and made it about the ‘who’,” he added.

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Dismantling the star culture: The Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Gavaskar mandate

Ashwin’s critique aligns perfectly with a broader movement currently sweeping through the Indian dressing room. Following a challenging 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, head coach Gautam Gambhir has been vocal about his mission to “build a super team, not superstars.” Gambhir, fresh off leading India to a historic Champions Trophy 2025 title and a third T20 World Cup win in March 2026, has consistently argued that the media’s obsession with individual TRPs and social media followings is detrimental to collective success.

This sentiment was echoed by legend Sunil Gavaskar, who recently urged the BCCI to enforce stricter accountability. Gavaskar’s no-holds-barred advice emphasized that the ‘pampering’ of stars must end, advocating for a culture where total commitment to the national badge is the only currency for selection. With stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli transitioning into the final phases of their careers, the management’s focus has shifted toward equalizing the dressing room.

Also READ: Ricky Ponting lauds Gautam Gambhir’s game-changing call in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign

NASA is keeping an eye on near-Earth objects. One such object is a small asteroid called 2026 FB. This asteroid is expected to pass close to the Earth today. The asteroid is small in size, but it is still keeping the attention of experts. To observe the movement of such objects, ground-based telescopes and radars are used. Observing objects such as 2026 FB is part of the overall planning and strategy that scientists have in place for planetary defence. This particular asteroid is not a threat at the moment, but observing it is important in providing scientists with more knowledge in the future.

NASA confirms asteroid 2026 FB to fly past today: Speed and distance

Asteroid 2026 FB is one of the smaller near-Earth objects being observed. Its width of roughly 69 feet is enough to make monitoring important. The asteroid’s closest approach is nearly three times the distance to the Moon. NASA has confirmed that a small asteroid called 2026 FB will make a close approach to Earth on 18 March 2026. The asteroid measures about 69 feet in width, roughly the size of a small aeroplane. At its closest point, it is expected to pass at around 683,000 miles, or 1.1 million kilometres, from Earth. This is well beyond the Moon’s orbit, which averages about 239,000 miles away. Experts say there is no immediate danger from this asteroid.NASA experts say that even if a similar asteroid entered the atmosphere, it would likely burn up before reaching the surface. It could create a bright fireball, but no significant damage would occur.

Frequency of similar asteroids

Small asteroids like 2026 FB are relatively common. Thousands pass near Earth each year. Most are too small to cause serious harm and go unnoticed. Only a few are large enough to be detected regularly. Larger asteroids capable of causing regional or global damage are rare. Continuous observation allows scientists to differentiate between harmless flybys and hazardous objects.

Why is asteroid monitoring important

Monitoring 2026 FB contributes to understanding the distribution and behaviour of near-Earth objects. Observations improve scientific models and help plan for future risks. Data from small asteroids like this one is useful for both research and planetary defence.

Ahead of ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ premiere, director Aditya Dhar passionately urged fans to safeguard the film’s secrets. He expressed deep gratitude for the audience’s connection to the first installment, emphasizing the sequel’s aim to deliver unexpected emotions. Dhar implored viewers to experience the espionage epic in theaters, free from spoilers, to preserve its magic for everyone.

As the global countdown to this year’s biggest films begins, director Aditya Dhar has reached out to fans with an emotional appeal. On March 18, 2026, just hours before the first preview shows of ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ commenced, the National Award-winning filmmaker issued an “earnest and heartfelt” request to his “Dhurandhar family” to protect the film’s massive secrets. The Ranveer Singh-led espionage epic, a direct sequel to the 2025 blockbuster, is currently holding high-octane preview screenings across the globe ahead of its official wide release on March 19.

Aditya Dhar makes a request to viewers ahead of the ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ release

In a lengthy, sincere note shared on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, Aditya Dhar reflected on the journey from the first film’s release on December 5, 2025, to the birth of this monumental sequel.Dhar started the note with, “To my dearest, most extraordinary Dhurandhar family, 5th December 2025, Dhurandhar released in cinemas worldwide. And since then, you didn’t just watch our film. You loved it. You lived it. You appreciated every quiet detail, debated every moment, rewatched it and noticed things I never even thought anyone would.”The note further read, “Somewhere in that beautiful, unpredictable journey, our film became yours. Then the nations. And then the world’s! That is the most humbling, most moving gift a filmmaker can ever receive.”Aditya Dhar revealed that when they decided to make the sequel, they poured their hearts into the film. His note added, “So when we sat down to make Dhurandhar: The Revenge, we knew one thing with absolute certainty: we had to surprise you. We had to make you feel emotions you weren’t prepared for. Deeply. Honestly. That is never easy. But for you, we tried our very hardest.”The director also expressed the desire for people to enjoy the film in theaters, not on a mobile device, indirectly asking to reject piracy. He shared, “We’ve put our hearts into Dhurandhar: The Revenge so you can experience every twist, every emotion, exactly the way it’s meant to be felt. In a theatre, in the dark, surrounded by friends, family, and even strangers, everyone feeling the same emotions. That’s how films should be experienced. Not on someone’s phone in a blurry image.”Towards the end, he made a major request to everyone, saying, “Hence, here is my one, heartfelt, earnest request…PLEASE DON’T SHARE SPOILERS! Let every single fan walk in clueless but curious and walk out with their own deeply personal version of what they felt.”Dhar concluded his note, saying, “You made Dhurandhar what it is. Now I’m trusting you to protect what this becomes. With all my love and gratitude, Aditya Dhar. Bharat Mata ki… Jai!”

More about ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’

While the movie is set to release in theaters tomorrow on March 19, 2026, the audience can watch the preview shows today (March 18). The Aditya Dhar-directed film features Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Rakesh Bedi, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, and more. The movie is set to become in one of the biggest blockbusters of Indian cinema.

Vijay to contest from one of North Chennai constituencies: TVK’s Aadhav Arjuna

NEW DELHI: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) general secretary Aadhav Arjuna claimed that the party’s founder-president, superstar Vijay, was offered the Tamil Nadu chief minister’s post along with “50% assembly seats” by a political party ahead of the upcoming elections.He said Vijay rejected the proposal, asserting that the actor-politician “will not succumb to Delhi.”