Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

Outside Eden Gardens, a crowd gathers everyday when the Mumbai players board the coach taking them to the hotel after the day’s play. Mostly, they chant the names of SuryakumarYadav, Shivam Dube and Ajunkya Rahane. Amid the noise, largely unnoticed, this player quietly makes his way towards the coach. Some recognise him. Most do not. Shardul Thakur chose the right moment to make his presence felt. With national selector Shiv Sundar Das watching from the VIP box, the medium-pacer dismantled Haryana in this Ranji Trophy quarter-final. Resuming the day at 263/5 in reply to Mumbai’s 315, Haryana were all out…

By Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Kolkata The Ranji Trophy quarter-final between Mumbai and Haryana was evenly poised after Day 2. In reply to Mumbai’s 315, Haryana reached 263/5. With three days to go, the 42-time champions will try to keep the deficit to as little as possible or even snatch a lead. The underdogs will try to stretch their first innings. The highlight of the day at Eden Gardens was a flawless century by Ankit Kumar. The Haryana skipper anchored the innings with a knock of 136 which came off 206 balls. It was his second century of the season. The…

“We were not disheartened. We knew we could fight back,” said Shams Mulani at the end of the first day of play in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final between Mumbai and Haryana at Eden Gardens. The all-rounder had a point. For the umpteenth time in the recent past, Mumbai recovered from a collapse thanks to their all-rounders. From 25/4 and 113/7, they ended the day at 278/8. Mulani fell towards the end after making 91, but not before sharing an eighth-wicket stand worth 165 with Tanush Kotian, who remained unbeaten on 85. It’s a five-day game and a lot of cricket…

The show goes on. As the Ranji Trophy heads into the quarter-final stage, the India stars are gone after playing in the last two rounds of group league games. However, for the players of the eight teams contesting for the four semi-final spots, this is a vital time of the season. For months, they have been preparing for this. A quick look at the quarter-final match-ups. Mumbai vs Haryana, Eden Gardens, Kolkata The defending and 42-time champions are always the favourites in knockout games. They lift their game when it comes to this and keep finding men who bail them…

The Ranji Trophy has entered the quarter-final stage and talk about it is not even a fraction of what it was for the last two rounds of group league matches. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and other international stars are back in the blue kit, and India’s countdown to the Champions Trophy has begun with the ODI series against England. It’s not unusual. Thousands at the stadium to see Kohli play for Delhi and the media on red alert in Mumbai for Rohit’s return to the domestic fold was an exception. Players, coaches, selectors and everybody else involved with Ranji Trophy…

Hidden beneath the one-two finish by R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh at the Tata Steel chess tournament in the Netherlands are the exploits of two other Indians. They finished way down the ladder in the 14-player elite event, but snatched crucial points at critical stages, which tilted the balance in favour of the top two. Without those, this may not have happened. As things unfolded gradually in the town of Wijk Aan Zee, Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan emerged the biggest threat for eventual champion Pragg and runner-up Gukesh, who were either on top or near the top of the table…

Shortly after midnight (IST), R Praggnanandhaa had a non-committal, neutral look on his face, probably not believing what he had just achieved. At the opposite end of the board, D Gukesh sank in his chair, head tilted skywards, with a blank stare. The Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee was all about India on a manic Sunday. The main protagonists were still to come to terms with it. In an eventful meet in the serene town in northern Netherlands featuring 14 players including five from the world’s top-10, Indians reigned supreme. Pragg claimed the title of his career…

R Praggnanandhaa had got overshadowed by the exploits of D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi in 2024. On an epic final day at the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, he showed what he is made of by beating Gukesh in tie-breaker to win the first elite event of 2025. It was an eventful and dramatic final round in the quaint town on the northern coast of the Netherlands. Gukesh and Pragg were the joint-leaders and a full point ahead of Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Only if both the Indians lost did the World No. 6 from Uzbekistan stand a chance.…

The Indian youth brigade has started the new year with as much flair as was seen from them in 2024. After winning almost every big prize on offer last year, they have raised hopes of another triumph in the Tata Steel chess tournament in the Netherlands. It’s an elite event known as the ‘Wimbledon of chess’ and the only Indian to have won it is Viswanathan Anand. Anand’s protégés have taken Wijk Aan Zee by storm. With one round to play, D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa are the joint leaders with 8.5 point each. Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov is a full…

The Indian contingent was expected to do well at the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee. The players have done that so far. After 11 rounds, D Gukesh is the sole leader with eight points. Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and R Praggnanandhaa are breathing down his neck just half-a-point behind. With two rounds to go, it’s a three-way race featuring two Indians. In the year’s first major tournament — five of the 14 participants are from the world’s top 10 — Arjun Erigaisi has been the biggest headline for India for the wrong reasons. World No. 4 when the…