Author: Bharath Ramaraj

Why would an opposition team fear Abhishek Sharma’s pyrotechnics? Here’s a stat that could help us locate the answer. Abhishek’s strike rate in the Powerplay overs is an impressive 185.3. But even more of a significant factor is his overall strike rate, which stands at 190.92. Basically, here is a cricketer, who doesn’t just play power-packed shots in the first six overs of a T20 game, but even when the field is spread, Abhishek has the traits to land the big shots. In that context, what could be the reason for Abhishek maintaining his astounding strike rate even after the…

‘How can an Indian defeat Aparna Popat?’ This was the question that was on every badminton fan’s lips right through the late 1990s and for a part of the next decade. After all, she remained undefeated over nine National Championships. However, outside of the National Championships, there was a stunning upset on the international circuit. Saina Nehwal, a 15-year-old girl from Hyderabad, defeated Aparna to win the Asian Satellite tournament, in New Delhi, in 2005. It wasn’t just the victory, but the manner of that triumph – 11-8, 11-6 – which signalled the passing of the baton in Indian badminton.…

Venkatesh Prasad, the Karnataka State Cricket Association president, on Wednesday noted that the onus is on Royal Challengers Bengaluru to decide whether they want to continue playing their IPL matches at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Chinnaswamy has been granted conditional permission by the state government to host IPL and international matches. The iconic stadium hasn’t hosted any match since 11 fans lost their lives in stampede during RCB’s victory celebrations on June 4. “We have received the conditional permission from government, and we are confident of getting an unconditional permission sooner rather than later, and after doing all this, I…

Bharat Ramaraj What is that one factor which makes India the favourites going into the T20 World Cup to be played at home and in Sri Lanka? Is it their batting unit? Maybe not. Just delve deeper and it is perhaps their bowling line-up which makes them a feared side. Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav – In summary, India seem to have all their bases covered in the bowling department. For a moment, leave aside Bumrah, the spearhead of the attack. Instead, just bring into the equation Arshdeep’s…

He was just 21 when he crunched a memorable hundred at the MCG. More importantly, it was an innings that symbolised his mental toughness at such a young age. This isn’t a name-the-cricketer contest, and we are obviously talking about Nitish Kumar Reddy. But ever since Nitish struck that hundred at the MCG colosseum, his role in the Indian side across formats has been endlessly debated. Is Nitish good enough to get into the side as an all-rounder? Is he a bits-and-pieces cricketer?’ With India having recently played New Zealand over a three-match ODI series, let’s restrict the topic to…

Who is Daryl Mitchell? Perhaps he is that batting all-rounder who cracked his maiden first-class hundred with a single to mid-on off Scott Kuggeleijn, somewhere in February 2013. It took him six more years to earn his Test cap. Curiously, it was more for his seam-bowling skills as he ended up replacing the injured all-rounder, Colin de Grandhomme. Now add another six years and you will find that Mitchell has metamorphosed into one of the finest players of spin going around in the 50-over format. To gauge Mitchell’s modus operandi, Kuldeep Yadav is the right person to ask questions. With…

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has been given the green light by the state government to host international and IPL games at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. A few days ago, sources close to KSCA had said to RevSportz, “We are confident that we will get international matches. That means IPL can be staged as well”. The KSCA made the announcement via a press note: “The permission is subject to compliance with specific terms and conditions prescribed by the Government and the concerned authorities. KSCA is confident of fulfilling all the stipulated conditions. “The Association has already presented a detailed compliance…

On a pleasant day in May 2022, as this correspondent scrolled through sports channels, a little bit of cricket action aroused some interest. It was a Kia Super League between Southern Vipers and Lancashire Lightning. Lightning, who were pursuing a target of over 150, had lost a couple of wickets upfront. The bowler who took those two scalps with the new ball was none other than the tall seamer, Lauren Bell. Among those two wickets, the one that echoes from the storehouse of memory is the nip-backer to castle Sarah Bryce as the length was near-perfect and the inward movement…

When United Arab Emirates’ cricketer Yayin Rai walked back to the pavilion after being dismissed by Henil Patel in the Under-19 Asia Cup, he might have wondered – What was that delivery all about? The tall Gujarat pace bowler had snapped his wrist, imparted enough backspin to find inward movement and castle Rai. Replays indicated that Rai had hardly moved his back heel, but the bowler might just point out that the late movement forced the mistake from the batter. In summary, Henil has the ability to nip the ball both ways with a rhythmic approach. Henil, who is basically…

‘The conditions were too much in favour of the batters.’ This is a constant complaint against modern-day ODI cricket. We saw enough evidence of it in the recently concluded India–South Africa series, where, in the first couple of games, both teams ended up with monstrous totals. At times, it makes the sport a bit boring when it is all about a bunch of batters accumulating hundreds. Granted, T20 cricket is more about fours and sixes. However, the 50-over format would be better off with a more even contest between bat and ball. In that respect, it was a pleasant surprise…