Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

“You may be the best player in the world, but may not be the best in your house,” was how Viswanathan Anand summed up the Indian upsurge in global chess. Apart from the domination displayed by the youngsters at the top level in recent times, the other hallmark has been bench strength. In the top 15 in the open section, there are five Indians, including the ever-shining Anand. This fosters healthy competition at home. These players know they have no time to relax. Any lapse and they will be overtaken by one of their own. This is a relentless pursuit…

Anju Bobby George at the relaxation-cum-podcast room at the Tata Steel Trailblazers conclave in Kolkata. Someone asked if 6.81 metres was still the national record. India’s first world athletics championship medal-winner gave a cold stare. “It’s 6.83,” she said. It was not an engaging conversation, but a glimpse nonetheless of how seriously athletes value what they do. Ask India’s long jump legend about her protégé Shaili Singh, and the answer comes as soon as the question is asked. “She has done 6.76. She’s doing okay.” This conclave organised by RevSportz was certainly a spectacle on the stage. The who’s who…

With the cricket team bouncing back after hiccups in the longest format, the chess contingent has not let India down. R Praggnanandhaa, winner of the first top event of the year at Wijk Aan Zee, is the joint-leader with Aravindh Chithambaram, behind on tie-break score, after Round 5 of the Prague Masters. This is not a top-most event, but a formidable gathering nonetheless. Pragg and Aravindh are leading this nine-round competition featuring 10 players, with 3.5 points each and a full point ahead of their nearest rivals, is a continuation of the Indian surge in chess. These players have not…

If this game is about cashing in on opportunities when they come only once in a while, Kerala kept losing those, while Vidarbha took a firm grip on the Ranji Trophy final. On the fourth and penultimate day at VCA Stadium in Nagpur, the home team added 249 runs to their first-innings lead of 37 to stretch the tally to 286 with six wickets still in hand. Karun Nair and Danish Malwar shared another big stand to help Vidarbha stretch their lead and take the summit clash away from Kerala. That process began when Kerala had a golden chance to…

Things unfolded in an unpredictable manner on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy final being played in Nagpur. Vidarbha fell well short of where they wanted to be despite a desperate last-wicket partnership and Kerala could not reach a real position of strength either. In reply to the home team’s 379, the visiting side were 131/3 at stumps. Difficult to tell at this point, but a slight edge for Vidarbha. Vidarbha thought they would make merry and bat out the second day when they negotiated almost the entire first hour without losing a wicket. Danish Malewar was going great guns…

One of the great cricketing diktats goes like this: When you win the toss on a good wicket, you bat. When you win the toss on a dodgy wicket, you think about it and then bat. When you win the toss on a deplorable wicket, you think harder and still bat. Kerala did not pay heed to this age-old dictum in the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha. On a benign pitch in Nagpur, they opted to bowl and initially found some success. However, they were countered by an unbelievable ploy from the home team. Vidarbha sent in their bowlers to…

India’s campaign in the Champions Trophy has begun on a resounding note. Sublime Shubman Gill, vintage Virat Kohli and a whole lot of bowling heroics featuring individuals like Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav are occupying the space of cricket consumption in a country which loves this OCD. Far away, in a distant corner and beyond the spotlight, the most important match of India’s domestic calendar is going to start on Wednesday (February 26). The venue is Nagpur and the contestants are Vidarbha and Kerala in the final of the 90th edition of the Ranji Trophy —…

Jalaj Saxena was leaving the field after the end of the Gujarat innings. There was a helmet in his right hand raised above in an expression of triumph. That protective equipment will become an important exhibit if the Kerala Cricket Association ever builds a museum. A rebound off that helmet worn by Salman Nizar at short-leg carried to slip, which gave Kerala a decisive first-innings lead of two runs. The state mad about football made its maiden entry to the final of a senior men’s event in cricket, thanks to that last-gasp ‘header’ in a drama-filled first 20 overs on…

The Ranji Trophy semi-finals are showing a direction. After the fourth evening, Gujarat and Vidarbha were close to the final. Coincidentally, players who ply their trade with the left hand, were the major protagonists. Gujarat need 29 runs with three wickets standing to secure a decisive first-innings leadagainst Kerala. Vidarbha have to defend 322 runs or take seven wickets to knock out Mumbai. Vidarbha vs Mumbai, VCA Stadium, Nagpur Yash Rathod is a middle-order bat, who had made over 700 runs before this match and yet, Karun Nair was the most celebrated Vidarbha player. The 24-year-old left-hander followed up his…

Vidarbha fought their way to a position of advantage against Mumbai, while Gujarat forced their way close towards the driving seat against Kerala after Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy semi-finals. There were sub-plots and characters, who seized their moments to propel their teams forward. However, it was far from over in both venues, with two more days to go. Vidarbha vs Mumbai, VCA Stadium, Nagpur After a long time, a specialist batter led Mumbai’s rearguard act. Playing his fourth game at this level, wicketkeeper-opener Akash Anand converted his overnight 67 to 106. His team finished at 270, from 118/6.…