Author: Bharath Ramaraj

The Karnataka Cabinet has given the green light to the KSCA in relation to holding cricket matches at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, DK Shivakumar, Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister, observed that the permission is based on the association implementing the recommendations of Justice John Michael Cunha Commission’s report. “We have decided about the IPL matches. We are positive. We have asked our Home Minister G Parameshwara to have a meeting with them (Karnataka State Cricket Association authorities),” Shivakumar told reporters on Friday (December 12). “We are very positive. We want all the IPL matches to continue. We don’t want the image…

What could be Shivam Dube’s key strength? Over the last few months, Dube has undoubtedly upgraded his bowling. He is snapping his back harder, hitting the deck with greater intent, extracting extra bounce and bowling a shade quicker. The numbers back this up. The 6’4” all-rounder has picked up 11 wickets at an average of 17.63 in T20Is this year. Yet, a closer look suggests that seam bowling is still not his primary skill set. Historically, Dube has been selected mainly for his power-hitting, particularly against spin. Judged through that lens, his batting returns this year raise questions. He has…

Varun Chakaravarthy castling Harry Brook twice over a T20I series this year would echo in the minds of a cricket connoisseur for a long time to come. Even more than hearing the death rattle, it was Varun’s bowling smarts that stood out. In the first of those dismissals, with an open and crouching stance, Brook tried to defend with his middle and off-stump on display, only for the googly to sneak one through the gate. The next time around, he was intent on covering his stumps versus the googly. Unfortunately, Brook went far too across and Varun rattled…

“We are confident that the government will soon accept our request and give us the good news,” Venkatesh Prasad, the newly elected KSCA president, told reporters when asked about international, IPL and domestic matches returning to Chinnaswamy Stadium. In the aftermath of the tragic events during RCB’s victory celebrations near the venue, the iconic ground hasn’t hosted a single cricket match. With Prasad taking over, there is renewed hope that Chinnaswamy will once again stage major fixtures. But a fundamental question remains: Is a stadium built in the 1970s safe enough for events involving massive crowds? The Michael D’Cunha Commission…

Over the last 12 months, Harshit Rana’s name has become a favourite meme subject across social media platforms, largely due to perceived favouritism from Gautam Gambhir. Yet, a closer look at Rana’s skill set makes it easy to understand why the Indian think-tank continues to back him, particularly in limited-overs cricket. Setting aside his pace-bowling ability, consider his knack for landing big shots lower down the order. Recently, in a T20I at the MCG, Rana also got into line more frequently against pace on a tricky surface. In essence, he vindicated the management’s faith in promoting him up the order.…

Venkatesh Prasad, the former India cricketer, was elected as the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association on December 7. Prasad, helming Team Game Changers, defeated KN Shanth Kumar of Team Brijesh. Santosh Menon and Sujith Somasunder have been elected as the secretary and vice-president, respectively. In August this year, in their election manifesto, the Prasad-led team had shared their thoughts on getting cricket back to the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Ever since the tragic stampede incident during RCB’s IPL victory celebrations, no competitive match has been held at the stadium. Incidentally, DK Shivakumar, the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and a…

‘Yashasvi’ Jaiswal, the first part of his name itself translates to ‘success’, continues to live up to it. For him to collect accolades in the cricketing landscape, Jaiswal hasn’t just mastered the art of repeating the fundamentals of batsmanship in the practice arena; he also comes across as a very good listener. We saw glimpses of that in the third ODI between India and South Africa in Vizag, where he cracked his maiden ODI hundred. The connecting thread is that, on the eve of the game, after his net session, Jaiswal had long conversations with the India head coach and…

Nowadays, Gautam Gambhir’s name is quite synonymous with a no-holds barred press conference. In the aftermath of India downing South Africa to seal the three-match ODI series 2-1, the home side’s head coach once more directed his diatribes at someone. This time around, it was a certain IPL team owner who came under scrutiny. “God knows what all things were said when we lost the Test series to South Africa and half of them were not even related to cricket,” Gambhir told reporters. He continued by saying, “IPL ke owner ne bhi likkha split coaching ke bare mein (even an…

Yashasvi Jaiswal (116 not out) and the bowlers steered India to a memorable nine-wicket win over South Africa, as the hosts clinched the ODI series 2-1. India overhauled the target of 271 in just under 40 overs. It also has to be noted that India finally won a toss in ODI cricket, ensuring that they bowled first in conditions where dew played a key role in the second innings. The last time they had won the toss in this format was back in the 2023 World Cup semi-final. KL Rahul, the India skipper, revealed that he had used his left…

“Where is Prasidh Krishna going wrong? What exactly is his role?” With the lanky fast bowler once more turning out to be expensive in the third India-South Africa game in Vizag, his position has again come under scrutiny. Yes, he picked up a couple of wickets in his second spell, but the critics will point to his inability to keep the runs down. For starters, the pacer has enough tools in his weaponry. After all, Prasidh can bowl the hard length and consistently clocks over 140 kph. However, to succeed at the highest level, a cricketer needs to possess more…