<
        >

          The Buzz: 'I am Virat Kohli', in the Warners' backyard

          • ESPNcricinfo staff
          Nov 10, 2019, 05:55 AM

          All the world's cricketers walked into a bar. The LOLs, the chatter, and the occasional mini-brawls, they were endless. And the news cycle was never the same again! Welcome to ESPNcricinfo's Social Buzz, your go-to destination for all the bantz, the jousts, and little bit of eavesdropping from the social media playground and beyond.

          November 10

          Most top-notch cricketers do spend a fair bit of time in India every year, and the Warners have been spending the two months of the IPL around the country every year for a while now. Little wonder then that you hear "I am Virat Kohli" from this little one.

          November 9

          Can someone verify R Ashwin's account please?

          For an active international cricketer, R Ashwin does manage to catch up on a lot of cricket from around the world. On Friday, he was among those watching the high-scoring New Zealand v England T20I in Napier, where David 'Bumble' Lloyd was comparing young Tom Banton's batting style to that of Kevin Pietersen.

          Ashwin agreed, and tweeted out his response. But was it really "Ravi Ashwin" tweeting back to Bumble? Was R Ashwin the other guy? And who is "Ashwin Ravichandran", as that Twitter display name says?

          The Sophie Devine charity challenge is back

          New Zealand allrounder and T20 globetrotter Sophie Devine set off quite a trend during last year's Women's Big Bash League, with her #HeadbandChallenge. It started off as a fashion statement, when she donned the Adelaide Strikers' blue after she "couldn't stop sweating" during an innings. When team-mates, rivals, and even young fans started following suit, Devine offered to donate US$ 100 for every headband worn by a player at a WBBL game, to a charity of their choice. Even other WBBL teams caught on, donating larger sums to charities over the course of the tournament.

          One year on, what does the sequel look like? It's quite an Australian trend she's trying to set off this time.

          November 8

          Cricket South Africa wants fans' help with a different kind of partnership

          Recently, a video went viral on Twitter of the sweetest marriage proposal. An as yet unidentified man went on his knees at a KFC somewhere in South Africa and, if the video was any indication, the answer was a resounding yes. Now everyone's trying to do their bit to find this couple, and Cricket South Africa wants to do its bit to seal this partnership. So, cricket fans, lend a hand?

          November 7

          Who's the worst dressed England player? Not me, says Ben Stokes

          Always fun to listen to team-mates lay into each other. Ben Stokes rejects Adil Rashid's claims of being the messiest and worst dressed person in the England dressing room. So who is the slob and who needs a word with the fashion police? We need answers!

          Watching cricket on your wedding day

          A Pakistan fan in the US wasn't going to miss a match just because it was clashing with an important life event. Guess he's wedded to the... yeah, all right, we'll see ourselves out.

          November 6

          Alyssa Healy adds another trophy to her collection

          Last week was an exceptional one for Alyssa Healy. In the WBBL, the Sydney Sixers batter rewrote the record books with Ellyse Perry, setting up an unbeaten opening stand of 199 against Melbourne Stars at the WACA on Saturday. But that wasn't her first win for the week. On Thursday, the Long Reef Golf Club in Sydney, Healy took part in, and won, the club championship, in a closely contested fight that went down to the 35th hole in a 36-hole final. Can you say overachiever?

          November 5

          Locals in Bhutan get a surprise Kohli visit

          It's Virat Kohli's 31st birthday today, and if his social media posts are any indication he's traded parties and wild nights for scenic breakfasts and sunrise treks, as you do in your thirties.

          Wife Anushka Sharma had this update from their holiday in Bhutan on her Instagram. Evidently the trek turned into an impromptu tea session with a few locals (and a lucky calf) who were happy to welcome the two into their home with no idea who they were.

          View this post on Instagram

          Today , during our 8.5 km uphill trek we stopped by a small village on a mountain to pet and feed a baby calf who was born just 4 months ago . While we did that the owner of the house asked us if we were tired and wanted to have a cup of tea ? So we went in to the home of this beautiful and warm family who had absolutely no idea who we were and yet they treated us with such warmth and love . We spent some time with them chatting and drinking tea and the whole time they just know us as two tired trekkers ! Whoever knows virat and me very closely, know that both of us live for such moments of genuine , simple & pure human connection . It fills us with such joy and peace knowing that they just wanted to be kind to two random foreigners ( plus our guide ) without seeking anything in return. If this is not the true meaning of life then i dont know what is . A memory we will cherish forever

          A post shared by AnushkaSharma1588 (@anushkasharma) on Nov 4, 2019 at 8:44am PST

          Kane Williamson gets sledged by his own crew

          We award 650 million social media points to New Zealand Cricket for trolling their own (injured) captain. Wouldn't have hurt that their side won the Nelson T20I and lead the series against England 2-1.

          Ben Stokes has a new challenger

          Ben Stokes may be England's World Cup winner and MVP, but none of that is cutting any mustard with his brother James. A few days ago, James apparently challenged Ben to bowl to him and get him out in six balls or less.

          To face his brother, James has apparently been getting lessons from another legend.

          Well, this face-off went down this morning. Here's what happened.

          No doubt there are some New Zealand players taking notes on the sidelines.

          November 4

          Match abandoned because of... bugs

          Cricket has always been at the mercy of the elements and sometimes of animals too - swarms of bees, a hedgehog, a snake, and an occasional excitable dog have interrupted games. But last week a local match in Australia had to be abandoned when thousands of bugs started bothering players, umpires and spectators. We're waiting for a day when our namesake insect interrupts a game, presumably a day-nighter.

          Missed all the chatter last week? Catch up on it here.