Author: Bharath Ramaraj

Pathum Nissanka’s brilliant hundred wasn’t enough for Sri Lanka to usurp India, as they slipped to a gut-wrenching loss in the Super Over. So, India will go into the final of the Asia Cup against Pakistan, without having lost a single game in the tournament. In the eventual analysis, it all came down to the Super Over. Arshdeep Singh dismissing Kusal Perera off the first ball more or less sealed the deal for India. He then removed Dasun Shanaka, with Sri Lanka getting only two runs on the board. There was still some drama and tension, as on the fourth…

Bharath Ramaraj, Dubai ‘India is the No.1 T20I side going around.’ You don’t need the International Cricket Council’s rankings to gauge that the statement is true. But despite India being a formidable force, the think-tank is still grappling with certain problems. One of them is the middle-order jigsaw puzzle. At RevSportz, we have already touched upon Jitesh Sharma not being picked at No. 5 and Sanju Samson playing at the wrong slot. And that leaves us with the third player in the middle-order troika – Tilak Varma. It isn’t like Tilak has been a flop show in the ongoing Asia…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai In what turned out to be a virtual semi-final, Pakistan emerged victorious over Bangladesh to secure a place in the final of the 2025 Asia Cup. The subplot to Pakistan winning the game was that, for the first time in the 41-year history of the tournament, they will meet archrivals India in the final. So, given that backdrop, here is an analysis on their strengths and weaknesses. Strengths The lower order: More than the core of the batting unit, it is the lower order that seems to have the required firepower to hurt opponents. In the…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai Despite India once again playing sub-par cricket, they proved to be too strong for an opponent in the 2025 Asia Cup. On the back of a comfortable 41-run victory over Bangladesh, they also secured a place in the summit clash of the tournament. So, from India’s perspective, who might be their preferred opponent in the final? If we were to ask the same question to Suryakumar Yadav, the India skipper, the reply would be that India are geared to take on any team in the competition. Yet, the brain doesn’t stop ticking as to which of…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai ‘Oh, he is unlucky.’ This is a line that you end up hearing way too many times in the sporting world. But in the case of Varun Chakaravarthy’s campaign at the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup, it is an apt phrase. One of the cornerstones of India’s spin attack has bowled fairly well, having taken four wickets in three matches. It’s just that it could have been so much more – four chances have been fluffed off his bowling so far. Consider the just-concluded India-Bangladesh match. In one over, Varun saw two catches go down off his…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai Despite ending up with a slightly below-par total, India continued their unbeaten run in the 2025 Asia Cup, beating Bangladesh by 41 runs in a Super 4 game played in Dubai. Bangladesh could manage only 127 in a chase of 169 as India sealed their place in the final. In the chase, India needed early wickets and they got one in the form of Tanzid Hasan, who could only spoon a catch to mid-on off Jasprit Bumrah. The Indian pace spearhead continued to find swing and seam as he induced numerous false shots while bowling to…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai At present, it feels as if Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are playing each other in order to lock horns against India in the final of the 2025 Asia Cup. The statement may seem a tad harsh on the other sides, but that is how the Asia Cup has panned out so far. By a fair distance, India have looked the best of the teams on view. Pakistan have lost both their encounters to their arch-rivals, India. For a brief period, Sri Lanka showed some promise, but they have now crashed to successive defeats against Bangladesh…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai Why do athletes practice for hours together? The answer could be this. In the sporting arena, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz might go toe to toe for four or five hours with jaw-dropping rallies and breathtaking angles. But behind the scenes, in the training workshops, a champion is built on the foundation of mistakes. That is the arena where an athlete has to feel the pain of making mistakes. And that is how you pursue excellence. Suryakumar Yadav, the India skipper for the shortest format, is no different. When in prime form, his batting comes…

The India-Pakistan Super 4 Asia Cup encounter had its share of verbal altercations between the players. Shaibzada Farhan celebrated his fifty by holding his bat akin to a machine gun. Haris Rauf, the Pakistan fast bowler, had a heated exchange with the crowd, where he was seen making the infamous ‘6-0’ gesture. Haris and Shaheen Afridi were also involved in verbal altercations with Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, the Indian openers. So, what does Ryan ten Doeschate, the assistant coach of the Indian team, think about how his side responded to Pakistan’s aggression? “Let me first say, the amount of…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai Bangladesh’s pace attack is quite promising. Even some years ago, this statement wouldn’t have made much sense. If anything, Bangladesh were associated with producing a host of left-arm spinners. But things have changed with time, as they now have enough variety in their pace arsenal. The current Bangladesh fast-bowling quiver comprises Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud and the rapid Nahid Rana. Suddenly, from nowhere, Bangladesh have the required firepower to pick pace bowlers as per the conditions and different formats. In fact, Ebadot Hossain’s bursts of old-ball swing were the reason…