Entertainment
Indian cricketer Venkatesh Iyer says Undertaker is his ‘childhood hero’
Team India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has an unlikely hero when it comes to sports. Iyer, who was sensational for Kolkata Knight Riders in the second-half of IPL 2021, made his India debut in the first T20 against New Zealand in Jaipur on Wednesday (November 17). The Madhya Pradesh called WWE superstar Undertaker as his ‘childhood hero’.
“Undertaker is one of my childhood heroes. I am a big fan of WWE and Undertaker. I really hope that he sees this video and sends me a signed WWE belt,” Iyer said in a video posted by BCCI on Instagram.
The all-rounder said it was MP teammate Avesh Khan who informed him about his selection to the Team India squad. “I was in my hotel room during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Avesh Khan came in and told me that we both had been selected for the Indian team. I was more happy for Avesh than myself,” Iyer revealed.
The KKR opener also said that he spoke to captain Rohit Sharma, coach Rahul Dravid and Rishabh Pant after his selection. “I spoke to Rohit, Rahul sir and Rishabh after my selection. They were very welcoming, they welcomed me into the squad and the dressing room very nicely,” he said.
Watch the video of Venkatesh Iyer’s interaction here…
“Everyone who plays cricket aspires to play for the country, so I feel good that I’ve been presented with this opportunity. Feels good to play under Rahul (Dravid) sir, I’m really excited and looking forward to it,” Venkatesh told hosts broadcasters Star Sports before the match.
“As a cricketer, you got to be flexible, and I’ll look to capitalise on the role I’ve been given. I’m ready to bat at any position, or bowl whenever I’ve been asked to. It’s wonderful to play in front of the (Indian) crowd, it`s great to have them back,” he added.
Venkatesh Iyer was handed his cap by India skipper Rohit Sharma ahead of the toss.
Entertainment
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
International online casino Casino Days has published a report sharing their internal data on what types and brands of devices are used to play on the platform by users from the South Asian region.
Such aggregate data analyses allow the operator to optimise their website for the brands and models of devices people are actually using.
The insights gained through the research also help Casino Days tailor their services based on the better understanding of their clients and their needs.
Desktops and Tablets Lose the Battle vs Mobile
The primary data samples analysed by Casino Days reveal that mobile connections dominate the market in South Asia and are responsible for a whopping 96.6% of gaming sessions, while computers and tablets have negligible shares of 2.9% and 0.5% respectively.
The authors of the study point out that historically, playing online casino was exclusively done on computers, and attribute thе major shift to mobile that has unfolded over time to the wide spread of cheaper smartphones and mobile data plans in South Asia.
“Some of the reasons behind this massive difference in device type are affordability, technical advantages, as well as cheaper and more obtainable internet plans for mobiles than those for computers,” the researchers comment.
Xiaomi and Vivo Outperform Samsung, Apple Way Down in Rankings
Chinese brands Xiaomi and Vivo were used by 21.9% and 20.79% of Casino Days players from South Asia respectively, and together with the positioned in third place with a 18.1% share South Korean brand Samsung dominate the market among real money gamers in the region.
Cupertino, California-based Apple is way down in seventh with a user share of just 2.29%, overshadowed by Chinese brands Realme (11.43%), OPPO (11.23%), and OnePlus (4.07%).
Huawei is at the very bottom of the chart with a tiny share just below the single percent mark, trailing behind mobile devices by Motorola, Google, and Infinix.
The data on actual phone usage provided by Casino Days, even though limited to the gaming parts of the population of South Asia, paints a different picture from global statistics on smartphone shipments by vendors.
Apple and Samsung have been sharing the worldwide lead for over a decade, while current regional leader Xiaomi secured their third position globally just a couple of years ago.
Striking Android Dominance among South Asian Real Money Gaming Communities
The shifted market share patterns of the world’s top smartphone brands in South Asia observed by the Casino Days research paper reveal a striking dominance of Android devices at the expense of iOS-powered phones.
On the global level, Android enjoys a comfortable lead with a sizable 68.79% share which grows to nearly 79% when we look at the whole continent of Asia. The data on South Asian real money gaming communities suggests that Android’s dominance grows even higher and is north of the 90% mark.
Among the major factors behind these figures, the authors of the study point to the relative affordability of and greater availability of Android devices in the region, especially when manufactured locally in countries like India and Vietnam.
“And, with influencers and tech reviews putting emphasis on Android devices, the choice of mobile phone brand and OS becomes easy; Android has a much wider range of products and caters to the Asian online casino market in ways that Apple can’t due to technical limitations,” the researchers add.
The far better integration achieved by Google Pay compared to its counterpart Apple Pay has also played a crucial role in shaping the existing smartphone market trends.
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