Author: Bharath Ramaraj

Ever since Jasprit Bumrah, India’s pace spearhead, has been troubled by a back injury, there have been question marks over his participation in the upcoming Champions Trophy. By the looks of it, Bumrah could even miss out on the ICC event, leaving a massive hole in the bowling line-up. Mohammed Shami’s likely return to the 50-over squad would boost India’s confidence, but in Bumrah’s absence, who are India’s pace-bowling options? Let’s take a deep dive to analyse the contenders for that slot, provided the Indian selectors don’t take a risk with Bumrah. Harshit Rana The tall fast bowler possesses good…

What flashes in your mind while imagining South Africa’s chances in ICC tournaments? Perhaps, it would be about missed opportunities and heartbreaks. However, amid all those gut-wrenching moments, there is one silver lining – South Africa’s only triumph in an ICC event came in a tournament which happens to be the previous version of the Champions Trophy – ICC Knockout tournament in 1998. So, maybe, the 27-year jinx would come to an end for South Africa, in the upcoming Champions Trophy, in February and March this year. For starters, the squad that they have assembled is a good one. For…

New Zealand and ICC tournaments are synonymous with bitter-sweet moments. Usually, New Zealand make it to the later stages of various ICC tournaments, only to miss on winning the big prize. They have still won a couple of ICC trophies – The ICC Knockout tournament in 2000 and the World Test Championship in 2021. New Zealand are now all geared up to participate in the Champions Trophy, which is basically a tweaked version of ICC Knockout, with the tournament being played on the basis of splitting teams into two groups. Here’s a brief analysis of the New Zealand squad: The…

After a lengthy lay-off due to an ankle injury, Mohammed Shami has made a return to the Indian squad. The fast bowler has been picked in the T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against England, starting on January 22. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant aren’t part of the squad, while Abhishek Sharma retains his place. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested, with the pace bowler being laid low by a back problem. Shami last played for India in the 50-over World Cup, in 2023. Since then, he has been sidelined by an ankle injury. He returned to competitive cricket in…

At the age of 17 years and 292 days, Yashasvi Jaiswal became the youngest double-centurion in List-A cricket. There could be a YouTube video of him nurdling one behind square on the on-side, while playing against Jharkhand, to reach the milestone. As soon as he reached the 200-run mark, Jaiswal jumped in the air, took off his helmet and celebrated the landmark with his arms aloft. Over the years, it has turned into a quintessential Jaiswal celebration. But there was more to that innings than just him savouring the memorable moment. In an innings where his senior teammates – Siddhesh…

Varun Chakaravarthy – The name itself is enough to envisage a bowler who would befuddle opponents with his box full of tricks. Somewhere, those different variations of Chakaravarthy have been sharpened by better control and bowling smarts. For evidence, just scroll through parts of his spells in the Indian Premier League 2023 and 2024, alongside his successful T20I outings against Bangladesh and South Africa, with him on a comeback trail. His sharpened offerings were further substantiated by his five-for in the just-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy game against Rajasthan. One of his five victims was the left-handed Kukna Ajay Singh. And…

Only a few months were left in the calendar year, 2019. With the winter season about to commence in most parts of India, a 17-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal was plying his trade in the T20 Mumbai tournament. Batting at number 5, he was all geared up to face Shivam Dube, who by then had already donned the Indian colours. While facing the third ball of his innings, Jaiswal took a small stride forward. Subsequently, his back foot followed the front foot. Jaiswal took a couple more steps towards the bowler, and with his flashing blade, he cracked an eye-catching cut shot.…

After three overs, Australia had rattled along to 35 for no loss in the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the SCG. Down-the-leg-side deliveries and hit-me-offerings – it was a horror start from both Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. But Prasidh came roaring back with three wickets. It included a snorter that climbed awkwardly to take the splice of Steve Smith’s bat, with Yashasvi Jaiswal taking a sharp catch at gully. That in itself gives a clue about this unassuming cricketer from Karnataka. He is a mixture of some excellent deliveries and the loose ones. That is how it…

Here’s an interesting who-am-I question related to a cricketer. ‘I used to bowl off-spin until the 2020-21 domestic season. Now, I have shifted to mostly bowling seam-up. I was the top run-getter in the Sheffield Shield during the 2023-24 season. My performances with both the bat and ball were one of the key reasons for Tasmania reaching the summit clash of that tournament. ‘Even during the ongoing Sheffield Shield, my average with the bat is around 50. I was drafted into the Australian Test set-up as an injury cover for Mitchell Marsh before the Adelaide Test against India. Now, I…

In 2024, the cricketing landscape had its share of evocative moments and believe-it-or-not performances. So, what were some of the memorable moments from the year gone by? Who were the best performers of the year? What about the politics behind the scenes? On New Year’s Day, here’s a recap of all the events: Men’s Cricketer of the Year: This is perhaps one of the easier questions to answer as Jasprit Bumrah is the clear winner here. The Indian fast bowler took 74 Test wickets at an astounding average of 14.92. In the ongoing Test series in Australia, Bumrah has done…