Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay Stavanger is a city in south-west Norway. Internet search shows it is known as the ‘oil capital’ of the country. For two weeks from the end of this month, this will be the most happening place in the world of 64 squares. The event called Norway Chess will be played from May 26 to June 6 and the field in the open section is as strong as it has ever been. Overshadowed by Magnus Carlsen, D Gukesh and others in that half of the show, the women’s competition is held for the second time, even though this annual…

The most anticipated and critically important team selection meeting didn’t produce surprises. Scope for that was reduced by increasing the squad strength to 18. Leaving out Mohammed Shami and the message it sends across was a highlight. Otherwise, Abhimanyu Easwaran finding a place was perhaps the only noteworthy announcement in terms of surprises. As expected, Shubman Gill’s side is thin on the experience of playing in England. Despite vacancies, there were not many options and the selectors headed by Ajit Agarkar went along predicted lines. There are six options for the top four slots and choosing the batting order will…

Before today, if Indian cricket fans were asked about the Test captain who came to the hot seat most unprepared and found himself in all kinds of fix, MAK Pataudi or Krishnamachari Srikkanth could have been among the options for an answer. Pataudi became the youngest India skipper in the West Indies in 1962 accidentally, when he was 21, following a near-fatal blow to Nari Contractor. Nobody expected Srikkanth to do the job in Pakistan in 1989-90. If the former was young, Srikkanth was 30, and completely inexperienced in that role. Ask the question today and there is no debate.…

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay The average Indian cricket fan heard the name of Angelo Mathews in 2009. He played one match for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL)that year. The all-rounder had represented Sri Lanka in a few ODIs and was yet to be picked in the Test side, when he was made a part of Shah Rukh Khan’s caravan, as a back-up for misfiring Australian Moises Henriques. That this white-ball all-rounder finished his Test career as the third-highest run-scorer for his country shows what value he added to his team. He is also fourth on the list…

Ian Chappell had said that the Australian way of selecting a team is finding 11 of the best players. The captain can be the most suitable one from them. Nobody gets that role unless his place in the side as a player is confirmed. One of the most dashing Australia skippers and the best in the world in his days, the senior Chappell’s words are relevant in the present Indian context. Days before announcing the squad for the five-Test series in England, the Indian selectors are in a dilemma. There is no obvious candidate for captain, following the retirement of…

Mumbai Indians (MI) sealed the fourth and final playoff berth in IPL 2025 with a 59-run drubbing of Delhi Capitals (DC) at Wankhede Stadium. The five-time champions have 16 points from 13 games. With 13 from 13 and one match to play, DC cannot catch up with them. Many of the seven league games still remaining will see the qualifiers jostle for the top-two slots. The victory looked easy in the end, but MI were in trouble for the most part of their innings. The pitch wasn’t a typical IPL belter, DC’s spinners got considerable purchase and despite the best…

This one is not, but it’s tempting to see Mumbai Indians versus Delhi Capitals as a shootout for the last playoff berth in IPL 2025. After 12 matches, the five-time champions are on 14 points. The team seeking a first title has 13. MI will qualify if they win today at Wankhede Stadium. Anything else and the two have to wait until their last match. Both end their league campaign against Punjab Kings. Contrasting paths to climax The teams could not have taken more contrasting routes to get here. MI lost four and won one of their first five matches.…

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay What are pace or medium-pace bowling all-rounders? A breed of cricketers the Indian team has been craving since the retirement of Kapil Dev nearly three decades ago. Many players were tried out. None clicked at the Test level. The noise gets louder each time they travel for a marquee series — mainly in England and Australia — as the people concerned keep pressing the ‘search’ button. After a lot of search and research, the selectors and the head coach have zeroed in on Nitish Kumar Reddy. The player from Andhra Pradesh, who caught attention in IPL 2024 playing…

By Atreyo Mukhopadhyay Chess is one sport where men and women can compete on an equal footing. Or, so goes the perception, because the most obvious factor of difference in physical abilities is not relevant in the game of 64 squares. It’s not that chess doesn’t require attributes like endurance or stamina, but by and large, the contrast in ability caused by gender in other sports is significantly less stark here. Yet, there is a huge gulf in terms of rankings based on performance. The women’s world No. 1, Hou Yifan of China, has an Elo rating of 2633, which…

After the unparalleled highs of 2024, this year was going to be an acid test for the Indian chess brigade. Expectations had risen following wins in the Olympiad and world championships (men’s classical, women’s rapid) and so had the pressure. Previously, their potential was known, but they were not always the favourites. After those waves of success, they are. Nearing the halfway stage of the year, the Indian players have given a good account of themselves collectively. This has happened in spite of the top guns not firing. World champion D Gukesh and world No. 3 Arjun Erigaisi are yet…