Author: Bharath Ramaraj

When did the Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh make his Test debut? This might turn out to be a good trivia question, as even for a cricket nerd it is difficult to recall Marsh’s maiden Test match. The answer turns out to be the Dubai Test, against Pakistan, in 2014. In the very next Test held in Abu Dhabi, he even showcased some potential by cracking a stroke-filled 87. Time flies. The clock has tick-tocked vigorously and 10 years have gone by since Marsh donned the Baggy Green in UAE. In the meantime, Marsh has played 45 Tests for his country,…

There has always been a sense of anticipation surrounding the Boxing Day Test, at the colosseum that is the MCG in Australia. It seems more like a carnival than just a game of cricket played between two countries. This year, with India taking on Australia in a big-ticket series, it is expected to be a sell-out crowd. The build-up to the Test has been made spicier by a couple of media-related controversies. For a moment, leaving them aside, here is a lowdown on the salient features of the drop-in deck at the MCG. Will it have enough pace and…

How does Scott Boland go about his business of troubling a truckload of batters in the Sheffield Shield? What is the reason behind his noteworthy record at the MCG, in the longest format of the game? The answer to this vexing question can be found out if you pore through some old videos of Boland bowling in the Sheffield Shield. The Adelaide Oval game between Victoria and South Australia from the 2020-21 season serves as an example. Boland ended up with eight wickets in that match, including six in the second innings. The second of his six wickets in the…

Memories stored in the caverns of the brain are akin to small capsules that burst forth at a given time. When an emotional-looking Ravichandran Ashwin bid adieu to international cricket on the final day of the Gabba Test, the mind couldn’t help but chisel out a long journey back to February 2009. And those evocative memories flashed mainly because of Ashwin sharing his thoughts on the teammates that he had played with in the press conference, especially one certain Ajinkya Rahane. The memory is from a Duleep Trophy final between West Zone and South Zone. Ashwin, all of 22 and…

Trent Bridge Lord’s Centurion Centurion Perth Gabba The connecting point with the above-mentioned venues is KL Rahul was the cornerstone of India’s efforts. There is another connecting point to it: All those knocks came in conditions that were anywhere between tricky to tough. So, the Indian opener had to bring out the various facets of batting: Watertight defence, temperament, alongside keeping the scorecard ticking over, to lay the foundation stone at the top of the order. The latest in the list of his stellar knocks came at the Gabba. In pursuit of Australia’s first-innings total of 445, India were in…

What was the salient feature of watching Virat Kohli bat at his very best? Maybe, it was about the sprint to the crease. There was a bit of shadow practice too — perfecting the alignment, like head position and front shoulder. The subsequent trigger movement, followed by the loud noise of the crowd after the crack of the willow against the leather, were all part of a familiar Kohli batting manual. Somewhere in 2024, when Kohli walks out to bat , the feeling is different. It almost feels as if it is just a matter of time before Kohli edges…

World Test Championship final. 50-over World Cup final. T20 World Cup game in Gros Islet. Two hundreds in the ongoing Test series in Australia. A mere glance at the above-mentioned knocks is enough to gauge that India have had a Travis Head-shaped problem over the last 18 months or so. There is another piece of the Head-jigsaw which gives a further indicator that the Indian pacers, including Jasprit Bumrah, have found it rather hard to dislodge their nemesis. His averages over the preceding four Test rubbers are as follows – 36.20, 16.2, 39.6 and 17.25. In the current Test series,…

Bharath in Bengaluru Flashbacks stored in the suburbs of the memory bank are always waiting for their opportunity to emerge. While watching Mohammed Shami’s laboured first two overs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game between Bengal and Baroda, one couldn’t help but spool back in time to when Shami charged to the crease like a gazelle and powered through it akin to a cheetah. The memories were from the 2023 World Cup, where he finished with 24 wickets at an astounding average of just over 10. The two versions of Shami were vastly different. The veteran fast bowler, who…

It was Day 3 of the Senior Wrestling National Championships in Koramangala, Bengaluru. As the clock struck 2:30 PM, Jugnu Bhardwaj was taking on Bhavika Patel in the 55kg bronze medal match. It seemed like a keen tussle before Bhavika from Gujarat usurped her competitor by a margin of 3-1. There was a sense of happiness in the eyes of the victor, Bhavika. The focus then zoomed in on Jugnu, the vanquished. As soon as Jugnu lost, the Bihar wrestler couldn’t control her emotions. Even when she stepped out of the squared circle, tears gushed forth like a…

The experienced Indian pace bowler Mohammed Shami has played eight domestic games since his return from a serious ankle injury. But there is more to Shami’s return than him just playing domestic matches. A few days after Shami bowled four overs versus Rajasthan, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, India slipped to an ignominious defeat against Australia in Adelaide. Not surprisingly, the fans are now clamouring for Shami to be on a flight to Australia as soon as possible. However, at 34, Shami isn’t getting any younger. And he has had a couple of setbacks on his path to recovery.…