Author: Ashok Namboodiri

Ashok Namboodiri in Dubai The Asia Cup 2025 is only three matches old, but the tournament has already offered a glimpse of contrasting realities: the ruthless efficiency of the top-tier nations and the painful struggles of the emerging ones. Played under difficult conditions in the Gulf, the opening week has underscored why this competition continues to be both a proving ground and a stage for cricket’s most compelling stories. The curtain-raiser saw Afghanistan send a strong message. They were in early strife against Hong Kong, losing wickets up front and appearing vulnerable. But the middle order, led by Sediqullah Atal’s…

By Ashok Namboodri And that’s a wrap, ladies and gentlemen, to Day 2 of the Asia Cup 2025, with reigning champions India crushing hosts UAE and reaching the winning runs in a mere 4.3 overs. Kuldeep Yadav was awarded Player of the Match for his four-wicket haul for just seven runs, a performance that should do his confidence a world of good. For me personally, today was my first experience of reporting a match as a journalist and making my debut in front of the camera. A long way to go, but the adrenaline rush feels good, and I am…

Every generation in Indian cricket has its icons. Sunil Gavaskar gave us courage, Kapil Dev gave us belief, Sachin Tendulkar gave us dreams, and Virat Kohli has given us fire. But long before them all, there was Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, the Prince of Nawanagar, the man who proved that Indians could not only play the game of the Empire, but redefine it forever. Today, September 10, we celebrate the legend’s birthday. Born in 1872 in Gujarat, Ranji stepped onto English soil as a student at Cambridge. He left as a phenomenon. With supple wrists and regal calm, he unveiled the…

Ashok Namboodiri The Asia Cup has always been more than just another cricket tournament. Since its inception in 1984 under the Asian Cricket Council, it has straddled the line between sport and diplomacy, becoming a mirror of the region’s politics as much as a showcase of its cricketing excellence. While the World Cup and the IPL dominate the global narrative, the Asia Cup occupies a unique space: a continental championship that blends history, rivalry and unmatched commercial pull. The early editions of the Cup were frequently disrupted by geopolitics. India skipped the 1986 tournament, Pakistan sat out in 1990–91,…

September 8, 2025, marks the 26th birthday of Shubman Gill, and unlike most cricketers his age, Gill isn’t just blowing out candles, he’s carrying the mantle of India’s Test captaincy. In a cricket-mad nation, this role is more than tactical; it is symbolic. It reflects where India as a society stands today: ambitious, transformative, and ready to embrace a new kind of leader. Cricket captains often mirror the mood of their times. In 1983, when Kapil Dev lifted the World Cup, India was wrestling with scarcity and searching for identity. Kapil became cricket’s “Angry Young Man,” much like Amitabh Bachchan…

The Asia Cup 2025 begins in the UAE on the 9th of September. The UAE begin their campaign on the 10th with a contest that captures both scale and symbolism — India versus the United Arab Emirates at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. For the UAE, this isn’t just the opening game of the tournament. It is the culmination of years of resilience, infrastructure building, and a growing talent pool that has turned a fledgling cricketing nation into a rising force. Cricket in the UAE took root in the 1980s, nurtured largely by South Asian expatriates. In 1984, the country…

In Season 3 of Breaking Bad, there’s an episode that critics either love for its symbolism or dislike for its stillness: “Fly.” Walter White, trapped in guilt and paranoia, can’t focus on cooking meth because a fly has entered the lab. To him, the insect is contamination, the flaw that ruins perfection. He spends the entire episode chasing it. Now shift the scene from Albuquerque to Ahmedabad, Chennai, or the corridors of the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, and you’ll realise: Indian cricket has its own “flies.” Walter couldn’t bear the idea of impurity in his blue crystal. The…

When the Premier Badminton League (PBL) launched in India in 2016, it carried the promise of a revolution. The idea was bold: take a largely individual sport, inject it with the energy of a team-based city franchise format, and bring Indian and international stars under one roof. For a time, it seemed to work. Crowds were excited, broadcasters had something new to sell, and brands like Vodafone were quick to associate themselves with the property. “The early buzz was unmistakable,” recalls a senior broadcast professional from the industry. “You had P.V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, and Carolina Marín in the same…

On September 3, as Mohammed Shami turns 35, Indian cricket confronts one of its most beguiling truths — a bowler who so often sits outside the frame of hype, yet defines the picture when it matters. In an era of data dashboards and highlight reels, Shami is the anomaly — less noise, more inevitability. You sense him before you see him; the scorecard shifts, the chase tilts, and only then do you realise the seam has been whispering all along. Shami’s craft is classical and contemporary at once. The wrist stays firm like a metronome, the seam stands upright…

The Premier League served up another dramatic weekend, reminding us why it remains the most unpredictable football theatre on the planet. Matchday 3 was defined by moments of individual brilliance, late drama, and tactical upsets that have already begun to shape the narrative of the season. At Anfield, Liverpool underlined their credentials as early pacesetters with a late winner against Arsenal. Dominik Szoboszlai, pressed into an unfamiliar role at right-back, produced the weekend’s standout moment — a thunderous free-kick from distance that left the goalkeeper stranded. His display was more than just about the goal: it symbolised the adaptability and…