Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

On a day two omissions from the list of centrally-contracted players with the BCCI made headlines, another passed by rather quietly. Unlike in the cases of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, few noticed that Umesh Yadav had also been left without an annual contract in any of the four categories. Umesh’s exclusion was on the cards and in accordance with the decision not to offer renewals to Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan and Yuzvendra Chahal. He had not been in India reckoning for a while and made his last international appearance at the ICC World Test Championship final last June in…

Broadly, news of Mohammed Shami’s Achilles tendon surgery raises two questions. Will he recover for at least a bit of the Indian Premier League (IPL)? What about India’s pace line-up for the T20 World Cup? The IPL is scheduled from March 22 to May 26. The T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA starts on June 2. The Indian campaign begins on June 5. Considering the time required for recovery, reconditioning and getting back in shape for high-intensity cricket, training and travel, Shami’s chances of regaining match fitness are negligible. There is a third question as well. How…

There were several heroes in India taking an unassailable 3-1 lead in the Test series against England. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Dhruv Jurel were at the forefront. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin were not far behind. Shubman Gill is perhaps among the unsung heroes. The runs he made were not celebrated as much as those made by Jaiswal, Jurel or Sarfaraz Khan. But make no mistake, Gill made those runs in the second innings. These efforts either helped India consolidate on leads, or finish the match off. Either way, they helped the team win. In the second,…

There was some huff and puff in the chase. After that, India had the last laugh and also secured the series winners’ trophy. It was not the most convincing of performances with the bat on a tricky pitch in Ranchi. But given that the hosts were playing without a number of regulars, this win against England should rank among one of India’s memorable performances at home of late. In the end, Shubman Gill (52 not out) and Dhruv Jurel (39 not out) were the stars of the Indian second innings, after a solid opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi…

For the first time this series, India faced a new set of challenges. In all three Tests before the fourth one, they had taken a lead of at least 100 runs. In Ranchi, England were ahead on the first innings. Chasing the game is something all teams do at times, but for this side inexperienced in certain areas — four players in the XI made their Test debut in the series — this was an unfamiliar situation at this level. This happened due to two reasons. One, England went from 112-5 to 353 — a recovery which seemed unlikely on…

England’s Sue Redfern scripted history last month. She became the first ICC-appointed neutral umpire to do duty in a women’s bilateral series — between Australia and South Africa. In an interview with RevSportz, the former England international with six Test and 15 ODI caps spoke about the experience and the challenges. The following are the excerpts: Q: How unique is the feeling of becoming the first ICC-appointed neutral umpire in women’s bilateral international cricket? A: I feel honoured to become the first to be a neutral umpire. Initially, it was daunting being the only non-Australian in the officiating team and…

At some stage, it will become necessary to take a close look at the career statistics of Ravindra Jadeja. From starting out as a utility cricketer in the shorter formats to becoming one of the best all-rounders in Test cricket is a remarkable, if not unbelievable, journey. After the ODI debut in February 2009, it took him over three years to play his first game in the longest format, in December 2012. Initially, he carried into Test cricket the same qualities which made him a useful property in limited-over matches. He was an economical customer with the ball, bowling wicket…

A few minutes before the second session of the third Test started on Day 4 in Rajkot, Yashasvi Jaiswal was at the striker’s end. The England fielders were also on the field, but yet to take position. James Anderson was still to reach the top of his run-up. Jaiswal was batting on 149, having come back at the fall of Shubman Gill, after retiring hurt the previous evening. He was looking for runs before lunch, without being outwardly aggressive. Now, he was doing a few things which opening batters usually don’t. He was shadow-practising heaves — towards square on the…

Big scores in the second innings are sometimes rated more valuable than those in the first. In theory, there shouldn’t be any difference. Runs in Test cricket are important, regardless of when they are made. However, cricket at times rates second-innings contributions as more precious. That’s because, in most cases, they come on a deteriorating pitch and when the pressure to perform is greater. Unless it’s a one-sided match, outcomes are sometimes determined on how a team fares in the second dig. Before flying home for a family emergency, Ravichandran Ashwin had said that the third Test between India and…

Shortly after the end of the England innings and before the Indians came out to bat again, the Barmy Army trumpeter in the Rajkot stands was playing the tune of the famous John Denver number ‘Annie’s Song’. A few English fans sang ‘You fill up my senses’ in unison. No marks for guessing who had ‘filled up the senses’ of the India fans at the stadium. When the team needed someone to deliver in the absence of Ravichandran Ashwin on the third day of the third Test, Mohammed Siraj stepped up. Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav had struck early and…