The big story: Kohli in hot pursuit of Joe Root and Steve Smith

Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli rose to the No. 3 spot in the International Cricket Council rankings for the first time after the third India-England Test at Mohali.

While Kohli’s team put some daylight between them and the rest with an 8-wicket win, the 28-year-old soared in the Test ladder. He dislodged New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson to sit behind Australia’s Steve Smith and England’s Joe Root, who continued to hold on to their first and second spot respectively.

Only 14 points separate Kohli and Root while 50 points separate the latter and the Australian skipper, who sits pretty at the top despite seeing his team succumb to a 1-2 series loss against South Africa at home. Cheteshwar Pujara is the only other Indian in the top 10, lying in the eighth spot.

Other top stories:

  1. England brought in Keaton Jennings and Liam Dawson as replacements for the injured Haseeb Hameed and Zafar Ansari for the remaining two Tests against India, announced the England and Wales Cricket Board on Wednesday. The two players will join the squad in Mumbai ahead of the fourth Test.
  2. England pacer Chris Woakes has suffered a small crack in his right thumb sustained while batting in the second innings on Day Four of the third Test against India in Mohali. The 27-year-old went for an X-ray after the game which showed what the England management are describing as a ‘tiny crack’, ESPNCricinfo reported.
  3. The International Cricket Council has given Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez the green light to resume bowling in international cricket after his action was found to be legal. The offspinner had been suspended from bowling for 12 months in July 2015 after he was reported during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka, the second time within 24 months he had been reported.
  4. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has levied fines on pacer Al-Amin Hossain and batsman Sabbir Rahman after they reportedly entertained female guests in their hotel rooms, AFP reported. Both players were fined around $15,000 for “serious off-field disciplinary breaches” during the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, the BCB said in a statement.
  5. Opener Priyank Kirit Panchal became the first cricketer from Gujarat to score a triple century at the first class level. He scored an unbeaten 314 on Day Two of the Ranji Trophy Group A match against Punjab in Belgaum on Wednesday. Panchal played 460 balls and hit 32 fours. With his marathon innings, he eclipsed Mukund Parmar’s 283 to become the first triple centurion from the state.
  6. The Kerala Cricket Association has decided to form a four-member committee to inquire into alleged acts of indiscipline committed by cricketer Sanju Samson during the ongoing Ranji season, the Times of India reported. The cricketer is accused of breach of discipline including his unruly behaviour in the dressing room and his father’s “abusive” telephone call to KCA president TC Mathew, the report said.

What’s the one thing that makes you feel most fulfilled? This was one of the simple questions asked to more than two million people in a worldwide survey conducted by Abbott, the global healthcare company. According to the survey, on a scale of 100, with 100 being “living fully”, Indians ranked themselves at 61, behind the global average of 68.4 and much behind China at 79 and Mexico at 75. Not surprisingly, with such a massive scale and scope, the survey results offered some startling insights into how people across countries think about their lives.

One of the biggest paradoxes the survey uncovered was that most people—nearly 44% of the respondents—felt money was the ultimate stumbling block keeping them from a fulfilled life. When asked about the one thing that makes them feel most fulfilled, money was not the number one response for even a single country. So why did people still claim it to be the top barrier?

One way to understand this is to study the top things that do make people fulfilled across the world. This showed a remarkable consensus. Globally most respondents selected “family” as the number one factor of fulfillment except in China, where “health” was considered more crucial to personal fulfillment. Attributes like “spirituality”, “success”, “giving”, “travel”, “community”, “health”, “music” and “adventure” also scored well in different parts of the globe.

Source: Abbot Global Study
Source: Abbot Global Study

It is clear that money can enable us to accomplish many of the things which give us a sense of fulfillment. It enables us to travel more, learn new things and even take better care of our health.

However, it is when we consider the pursuit of money as the primary key to fulfillment and an end in itself that the problems begin. Perhaps this is because we postpone our immediate happiness or ignore the things that give us joy for the sake of some distant financial goal. In India, especially, there is a tendency to prioritise work over family and friends. In the pursuit of wealth, we often avoid social occasions and get-togethers and skip simple acts of companionship like dining with family or wishing friends on important occasions like birthdays or anniversaries. Tellingly, nearly 23% Indian respondents chose “priorities” as the top barrier to fulfillment. This can lead to fatigue or burnout. It can also lead to increased emotional distance from friends and family, and contribute to a general sense of apathy in life. To top that, we may never realise how much money is enough money to do things that will bring us happiness and may continue to chase money at the cost of other joys. While being financially responsible is undeniably a virtue, it should not distract us, at least for long, from other drivers that directly contribute to personal fulfillments.

Ultimately, happiness is a choice. Many people choose to hold on to the “negative stimuli” in their lives. They choose to focus on the problems they face rather than the positive aspects in their life. Once you choose to be happy and focus on taking decisions that will make you happy rather than just make you money or bring you superficial success, it will become a lot easier to feel fulfilled. Think of happiness as a resource—an asset that needs be grown and cultivated just like your bank balance.

The path to greater fulfilment is a deeply personal one. Thankfully, there are many resources available that can help people around the world define and lead a more fulfilled life. Abbott is committed to helping people live the best life possible. Their website features life hacks for work or personal time like those listed below. These are great tools for those ready to lead a more fulfilled and meaningful life, starting today.

[Source:-SCROLL]