Bigg Boss OTT 3 grand finale: Kritika Malik reportedly out at 5th spot; fans break into celebration

Rohit returns to competitive cricket for the first time since June 29, 2024, a date that is now forever etched in the minds of a billion Indian cricket fans.

But the India skipper, along with the rest, is looking forward to the challenge at hand. The World Cup win is now history with Rohit insisting that he has plenty of things to look forward to, reuniting with new head coach Gautam Gambhir and more importantly, the Champions Trophy, preparations for which begin Friday in Colombo.

“In terms of what we want to do – it’s not just one particular area we’re looking to improve, it’s the overall game. In sports, you can’t just sit happy doing something. You have to keep moving forward, and you have to keep moving up and challenge yourself. There’s always something new to learn when you play a series and when you play a game. Whatever we have done, it was good for that particular time, but time keeps moving forward.”

India began the Sri Lanka tour on an emphatic note, blanking the hosts 3-0. The Gambhir-Suryakumar Yadav era couldn’t have asked for a better start, as India outperformed Sri Lanka in all three games. That the reigning T20 world champions were able to choke their Asian neighbours from a stage of 28 required off 29 with nine wickets in hand promises to give them ample confidence.

‘This is not a practice ground; it’s still international cricket’

But even as the action now shifts to the ODIs, one’s got to ask himself – is Sri Lanka the kind of opponent India want given the Champions Trophy is seven months away? The 1996 and 2014 world champions are currently ranked 7th in the ODI rankings and have themselves failed to qualify for next year’s ICC event. However, none of that matters to Rohit and India, who are keen on bringing out their best irrespective if the opponent or conditions.

“You get asked a lot whether this series is a preparation for the World Cup, or is this a preparation for the Champions Trophy. It’s not a practice ground – it’s still an international game. We will keep in our minds what we want to achieve, but this is by no means preparation or practice or anything like that. We want to come here and play good cricket and get something out of the series,” said Rohit.

“Of course we want to try everything possible, but when you’re representing the nation the quality of cricket should remain the way it is, and how we’ve played over the last few years. That is more important, rather than thinking about it as a preparation and saying let’s go out and chill in Colombo. We don’t think like that.

“When we play a series and when we play a game, we want to get something out of that. We might tell a bowler: ‘We want something different from you.’ We might tell a batter: ‘This is how we want you to play in the middle overs.’ We want to get something out of the series, but not at the cost of going out there and having no intent or purpose. For me, the standard of Indian cricket is more important.”

Kritika Malik out?

A post on Instagram by Khabri read, “BREAKING: #BiggBossOTT3 finale update !! #KritikaMalik gets evicted on the 5th spot. Bhabi out. Top4 – Sai , Naezy , Sana & Ranvir.” Fans of the show, who despised Kritika, were happy with the news. “I’ve never been happier,” wrote a person. Another commented, “Ohh godd… Aisa kaise taras aa gaya audience pe in logo ko (How did they feel such pity on the audience).” Another wrote, “Good news today for sure.”

Meanwhile, Jio Cinema has shared a promo about Kritika from the finale episode. It shows host Anil Kapoor asking evicted contestants about Kritika and if she deserved to be in top 5. Deepak Chaurasia, Shivani Kumari said she should not have made it to the finals. Replying to them, Kritika said that she has been her authentic self throughout the show.

Who makes it to the top?

Fans expect Naezy and Sana Makbul will make it to the top 2 with latter as the likely winner. Ranvir Shorey might finish at third spot and Sai Ketan Rao in fourth.

Kritika, Armaan and Payal had the internet’s attention throughout the season due to their peculiar marriage dynamics. Armaan is married to both of them and claims to love them equally. He was intially married to Payal but later also married her friend, Kritika. After her eviction, Payal said she was tired of it all and wishes to divorce Armaan. She later backtracked on her statement.