Author: Bharath Ramaraj

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai It is Zimbabwe’s first innings of the Delhi Test played against India in early 1993. Andy Flower, a young left-hand batter, strides out to the middle with his team in strife. Soon, Anil Kumble, India’s spin spearhead, bowls one short. In a flash, Flower picks the length early and cracks the pull through the midwicket region. The wicketkeeper-batter doesn’t even seem to have a second look at whether the ball has raced away to the boundary. The shot is defiant and dismissive. That stroke also turns out to be the hallmark of his batting in that…

Harshit Rana, the promising pace bowler, played all three ODIs in the recently concluded three-match series against England. For a moment, just scratch the surface, and you will notice that the think tank picked him for all the three games as they were unsure of Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness for the Champions Trophy. As it happened, the Indian pace spearhead was ruled out of the tournament. So, the onus now is now Mohammed Shami to lead the pace bowling stocks, with Harshit, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya for support. Over a period of time, we have seen enough of Hardik and…

As the Australian team embark on a trip to Pakistan, to partake in the Champions Trophy, three illustrious names will be missing from action – Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. The pace trio have withdrawn from the tournament for different reasons. However, the crux of the point remains the same: Australia suddenly have a pace attack comprising Spencer Johnson, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis and Nathan Ellis. Just to put that into context, the formidable trio have partaken in every ICC tournament, barring one, since the 2015 World Cup. So, can the inexperienced pace bowling line-up surprise everyone in…

Many moons ago, former Australian cricketer, Mark Waugh had said this about the Pakistan team in his biography: “They had such a brilliant but fragmented side. Ever since I have played against them, I have seen guys come to training in different coloured tracksuits and shirts, they wear different hats and helmets when they play – there is no consistency to their cricket, but you catch them when they are at their best, and you really have to play well to beat them.” He had shared his thoughts on Pakistan’s epoch-making triumph, in the 1996 World Cup. After clinching that…

In the recent past, Varun Chakaravarthy’s name has been in the headlines for all the right reasons. His notable feats include playing a major role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ memorable triumph in the 2024 IPL, to leaving quizzical looks on the faces of Bangladeshi, South African and English batters with his bagful of tricks. That he made a redoubtable comeback to the Indian set-up after a gap of three years is in itself a story to tell. So, what is the secret behind Varun’s success? Basically, it comes down to sticking to simple virtues. AC Prathiban, Varun’s spin-bowling coach, has…

Tick-tock, tick-tock – The two arrows of the industrious clock went about steering the world past the year, 2016. With less than a handful of days left for the completion of the year, the star-studded India Under-19 side took on Sri Lanka Under-19 in the summit clash of the Asia Cup. Prithvi Shaw, Abhishek Sharma and, to a lesser extent, Himanshu Rana had their eyes set on collecting a compendium of boundaries and sixes. Then, there was Shubman Gill. The No. 3 batter too played with a sense of adventure, cracking a few drives off Jehan Daniel. However, his game…

Here’s an interesting cricket-related trivia – Since the start of 2011, New Zealand have qualified for the semifinals in four out of six 50-over ICC tournaments. In some of those tournaments, New Zealand perhaps weren’t one of the favourites to reach the last-four stage, but they still carved out a path and made it to the semifinals. That tells us more about the resourcefulness of the side and how they seem to punch above their weight. Just going by how New Zealand are performing in the ongoing tri-series in Pakistan, they seem to be again peaking at the right time…

India didn’t just take an unassailable 2-0 lead in three-match ODI series against England in Cuttack, but the second game also witnessed Rohit Sharma regaining his mojo with a blazing hundred. Although Rohit was in fine form in Sri Lanka, in the ODIs, the selectors, think-tank and the player himself would have had a sigh of relief. After all, even if his run of poor scores came in the red-ball format, it would have affected him mentally. Despite Rohit regaining his confidence, India have to look at the viability of a few nuts and bolts ahead of the Champions Trophy.…

In 2006, at the Colombo RPS Stadium, a rather slim-looking Under-19 cricketer took a middle-stump guard against England Under-19. In what turned out to be the semi-final of that World Cup, he proceeded to play some delightful lofts and flicks while facing the opposition’s medium pacers and spinners. More than anything else, what caught the eye was that the young batter seemed to have a little more time on his hands. As soon as he reached his fifty, he looked heavenwards to celebrate the moment. That batter was none other than the future India skipper, Rohit Sharma. Many moons have…

In November last year, Kuldeep Yadav had to undergo a groin surgery. By that time, he had touched considerable heights with his wrist-spin bowling. During the five-match Test series against England and the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, it even seemed like a few of his wickets reminded you of the great Shane Warne – in terms of planning and execution. Unfortunately, injuries are a part and parcel of the game, and he had to spend some time on the surgeon’s table followed by a rehabilitation programme. The unpredictability factor for a sportsperson doesn’t just…