Author: Bharath Ramaraj

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…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai Suddenly, Haris Rauf, the Pakistan fast bowler, was pumping his fist and running around the Dubai International Stadium. He had just dislodged Suryakumar Yadav for the third time in T20Is. It was a rather curious shot from a batter known for picking the length quickly. Suryakumar ended up getting a leading edge that went straight to the fielder stationed at fine leg. Just pare through the outside surface, and you will realise that it isn’t just Haris who has troubled him in recent times. Barring Mahmudullah, his wicket has been taken by the seamers over his…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai Extra bounce from a slightly fuller length can always be disconcerting for batters. The likes of Glenn McGrath, Curtly Ambrose, numerous South African speedsters, and a couple of present-day Australian seamers have employed it to great effect. While facing bowlers of that type, the batter could be caught in the crease, with the ball hitting higher up on the splice. McGrath himself once told Sportstar: “Sachin [Tendulkar] and [Brian] Lara always said it was tougher to face someone who bowled in the mid-130 kmph and got the ball to bounce off a length than a bowler…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai How did he enhance your viewing experience? This was the question that kept reverberating in the mind while watching Abhishek Sharma bat against Pakistan in Sunday’s Asia Cup encounter. If you’re a nerd, you might think on the following lines – Abhishek’s flurry of shots were akin to a masterful mathematician breaking down the angles of the field with precision. If you’re into the technicalities of the sport, you might end up analysing the massive arc of his swing-path and how it invariably comes down on the ball for him to essay lofts, slog-sweeps, pulls and…

Dubai, September 22: Shubman Gill (47 off 28 balls) and Abhishek Sharma (74 off 39) put on a masterclass at the top of the order as India chased down the target of 172 set by Pakistan in 18.5 overs, in a Super 4 Asia Cup game played in Dubai. At the innings break, Pakistan’s score seemed to be competitive. However, Abhishek and Gill brought back evocative memories from their junior days by exploring every nook and cranny of the ground in the power play. As always, Abhishek took the aggressive route against the first ball that he faced — pulling…

Time never stops for anyone. Time just flies. These two are facts of life. After every 24 hours, today becomes yesterday and a part of our memory bank. One such capsule from the memory bank goes back to the 1992 World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand. To be specific, the recollection dates back to March 4, 1992 – the first time yours truly had the experience of witnessing the tension and drama surrounding a high-voltage India-Pakistan encounter. The memories are somewhat vague, but yours truly was down with a fever and had to take a day off from…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai In sport, how do you regain form? Unfortunately, there is no mathematical equation that could help an athlete find his/her rhythm again. It could be just a small change in grip or stride that is bothering a sportsperson. And in a matter of minutes, the athlete might feel like they are somewhere back to their best. For a tennis player, a crosscourt backhand winner with heavy topspin could provide the much-needed boost. And for a cricketer, it could be either a wicket or the sweet sound of the willow against the leather. Shubman Gill is…

“What are those other things?” quipped India captain Suryakumar Yadav in a lighthearted tone to a question that started with the following line: You did well with the bat and other things. He further replied with a smile, “Yes, we did well with the ball too.” In a nutshell, he was having a lighthearted chat with the aforesaid journalist for saying, ‘other things’. The above-mentioned paragraph in a pre-match presser ahead of the India-Pakistan Asia Cup game says everything that you want to know of Suryakumar’s good-humoured nature. On a cricket field, the way the India captain wields the willow,…

Roughly around a year ago, Aamir Kaleem, the veteran Oman cricketer, was cheering for the country’s U-19 boys. With Kaleem as the coach, the duo of Nitish Nadendla and Saumya Sampat had put on sterling performances with the bat and ball to steer Oman to a crushing 100-run victory over Hong Kong in the U-19, Division 2 World Cup qualifiers. At that juncture of his career, Kaleem hadn’t taken part in a T20I for more than two years. But destiny had something else in store for the all-rounder. Just before the Emerging Asia Cup in Oman, a host of national…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai On February 4, 2001, when Australia took on Zimbabwe in an ODI, Suryakumar Yadav might have been studying for his fifth standard final exams. It was so long back that even the current Indian head coach, Gautam Gambhir, hadn’t made his Test debut. Despite all that, there is a connecting point between the India-Oman T20I encounter played in the 2025 Asia Cup and that game which was held at the WACA. Both India and Australia experimented with their batting line-ups. With Australia having already qualified for the tri-series final, the two lynchpins – Mark and Steve…