The debate about whether to focus on batting vs bowling with specialists for Indian cricket is never-ending. After the top order of the Indians folded like a soggy report card in the first One Day International in Perth, Gautam Gambhir has been put under the gun once again by him and his brain trust, as […]
The debate about whether to focus on batting vs bowling with specialists for Indian cricket is never-ending. After the top order of the Indians folded like a soggy report card in the first One Day International in Perth, Gautam Gambhir has been put under the gun once again by him and his brain trust, as […]
There was a strange twist in Rawalpindi today – Pakistan’s new bowler Asif Afridi was left stunned after the lower order he had knocked over came back to life. Pakistan were about to take the lead when the lower order hit back for South Africa, and they took the lead of 71 runs from 190 […]
As England prepares to travel to Perth for the Ashes, there is a deliberate and calculated approach from the English Management to be more cautious than boastful. Jofra Archer will not play the first One-Day International (ODI) against New Zealand because he is not injured; however, his exclusion is a result of the strategy to […]
Every time India lost early wickets, one question was louder than the noise around the ground: Why isn’t KL Rahul batting? In Perth, when the scoreboard flashed 25-3, it was not Rahul who walked out, but it was Axar Patel, a move that had much of the crowd bewildered and experts with eyes rolling. Both […]
There was a time when Steve Smith couldn’t stop batting literally. Teammates joked about him shadow-playing in hotel corridors, and fans admired his monk-like obsession. But at 36, Smith’s idea of perfection now includes six weeks of not touching a cricket bat in New York, of all places. It’s a fascinating shift. For a […]
Michael Hussey once joked that in another timeline, he’d have 5000 more runs than Sachin Tendulkar, most centuries, most Ashes wins, most everything. Then he laughs, wakes up, and accepts it was only a dream. But there’s a sting behind the smile. Hussey debuted for Australia at 28, an age when most cricketers have already […]
Every new captain wants to start with a statement win. Shubman Gill, poster boy of the latest generation of Indian cricket, was on the verge of that until Australia knocked him over with a 7-wicket hiding in Perth. Gill has now, in one night, joined a club no cricketer wants to be in, those who […]
When Shubman Gill stepped out for an interview before the toss in Perth, it is fair to say that not many people would have expected him to be the one turning the coin. After all, India possesses Rohit Sharma, a gentleman who leads with poise, charm and silverware. But the selectors had other views and […]
It’s all too familiar. It’s different cities, Mumbai in 2023, Perth in 2024, Indore in 2025. The names change, not the denouement. The Indian women get there near enough to smell victory, but, when it counts, squander it. Their four-run defeat by England in Indore might be the latest entry in a well-worn tale. […]
Just when many thought domestic red-ball cricket had lost its edge, the Sheffield Shield has roared back to relevance and it’s all thanks to the looming Ashes. With the first Test selection deadline fast approaching, every over this week felt like an exam paper and every wicket, a résumé entry. Scott Boland’s late burst, Marnus […]