Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

A Puducherry coup against Delhi, some sensational news surrounding the team/s from Bihar, Riyan Parag’s hurricane hundred in a losing cause for Assam and business as usual for Cheteshwar Pujara were among the highlights of the first round of Ranji Trophy fixtures played from January 5-8. There were other talking points as well, like the topsy-turvy match between Gujarat and Tamil Nadu won by the former, Karnataka’s commanding win over Punjab and Andhra Pradesh securing the first-innings lead against Bengal, last season’s runner-up. Here, we present the highlights. Also Read: Delhi Sack Yash Dhull as Captain after Shock Defeat to…

The pitches were as much a highlight of the India-South Africa Test series as the batting of Dean Elgar and Virat Kohli, or the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah, Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj. They had better be, when two Tests get over in less than five days combined. It was best summed up by Rohit Sharma’s comment that there should be no cribbing on turners in India. There will soon be ‘surface tension’ again, before the India-England Test series gets underway on January 25. This is an inescapable discussion, more so when England and Australia come to India. When India…

Dean Elgar made a monumental 185 in the first Test. KL Rahul battled adversities on the way to a courageous 101 in the same match at Centurion. In Cape Town, Aiden Markram smashed a cavalier 106, which was the only 50-plus score of the two-day Test on a difficult pitch. In a short series cut shorter by the bowlers on sticky wickets, these were standout batting efforts. Looking at those scores, knocks of 38, 76 and 46 appear pedestrian. They are, considering the mere volume of runs made. The centuries were class acts, crafted under trying circumstances. But, those brief…

Conditions may or may not be helpful. There is no substitute for verve, pace and intensity. Even if the pitch is benign, a fast bowler can extract something from it when the ball is new, if he or she hits the right area. A bit of luck is needed to make the effect telling. Edges have to carry and be caught. Borderline cases have to go in favour of the bowler. Above all, the bowler has to get the act right. On a sunny morning in Cape Town, Mohammed Siraj had everything going his way. There was movement and bounce.…

The stage shifts from Centurion to Cape Town, nearly 1,500 kilometres to the south. To haul their performance graph up north in the second and final Test against South Africa, India will have to defy history. They have played eight Test matches here, losing six and drawing two. Simply put, Rohit Sharma & Co. have to bat and bowl better than they did in the first Test, where they made paltry totals of 245 and 131, against South Africa’s 408. They crumbled with the bat collectively and similarly struggled with the ball. There were individual exceptions, which remained consolation prizes…

It’s difficult to summarise in a few words the number of glass ceilings broken by Indian chess players in 2023. Because it’s a quiet pursuit and chess players aren’t always the most vocal, some of these deeds went unnoticed. There were some era-defining landmarks in those. R Praggnanandhaa was obviously the cynosure for his giant-killing run at the World Cup, where he became the first Indian to reach the final in the revised format of the competition. Hailed as a prodigy since he was 10 or so, this Chennai boy has achieved at 18 what many Indian chess players have…

Two seminal defeats against Australia remained the highlights for the Indian men’s cricket team in 2023. Virat Kohli burnt bright, Rohit Sharma led from the front and the bowlers did their job. But the goal remained unachieved in big-ticket finals — of the World Test Championship (WTC) and World Cup. There were big moments in women’s cricket. Off the field, the launch of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) was the pinnacle. Franchise fees and broadcast rights fetched significant amounts of money, which can potentially revolutionise the women’s game. India secured landmark Test wins, and remained average in white-ball cricket, while…

Shortly after India’s capitulation in the Centurion Test match against South Africa on Thursday, social media started murmuring that now, the axe will fall on bowlers after a defeat characterised by a massive batting disorder. On either side of South Africa’s 408, India managed 245 and 131. Can the bowlers be blamed for this? The answer is yes, at least partially. Bowling was also responsible because South Africa should never have been allowed to get that far on that pitch. India’s fast bowlers had a chance to corner them, but let them breathe free by releasing the pressure in key…

The South African reply began on a shaky note. Aiden Markram fell early. Dean Elgar and Tony di Zorzi were getting beaten outside the off stump repeatedly against Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. They were making the ball move, talk and do all sorts of things. With two more fast bowlers to unleash, India looked good to pile pressure on the home team, on a responsive pitch, under a fair amount of cloud cover. That’s when the match turned. Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur released the pressure, went for plenty and, from a cornered position, South Africa started scoring…

Nandre Burger bowled one from that typical left-armer’s slanted angle for a right-hand batter. Movement in the air or off the pitch was minimal. But this over-the-wicket line and that particular length were such that the delivery had ‘play me’ written all over it. Virat Kohli displayed restraint of an alien nature to let that go. He appeared to be in good position. Head would have been right above the ball had he chosen to make contact. Something told him not to. Everything about that delivery was so perfect that it went sniffing his back thigh. It had eventually opened…