Author: Bharath Ramaraj

The Indian team management faces a selection dilemma ahead of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. Should they stick with Harshit Rana, who shone on debut in Perth, or turn to the skiddy Akash Deep, whose skill set aligns well with the challenges of the pink ball? The pink ball, with its extra lacquer, skids more off the surface, giving batters less time to adjust. This unique feature could play to Akash Deep’s strengths. Known for his skiddy nature and ability to extract consistent movement off the deck, Deep can exploit conditions with his straight-seam grip. If not swing in the…

In the blur of a moment, disappointment can turn to jubilation. The Karnataka all-rounder, Manvanth Kumar, would have experienced something similar after being bought by Delhi Capitals in the 2025 IPL Auction. For a while, it felt as if his name wouldn’t even appear in the list. However, at the fag end of the two-day auction, it didn’t just crop up on the board, but DC also bagged his services for INR 30 lakh. So, what did Manvanth make about the rollercoaster ride of watching the auction? “I didn’t expect that Delhi Capitals would pick me, initially my name had…

Rajasthan Royals went into the auction with a limited purse of Rs 41 crore. On expected lines, RR were cautious during the mega auction in terms of picking up players. They added 14 players to their roster. Jofra Archer, who has previously been one of the mainstays of RR’s attack, is back in the mix. The franchise has also added some punch to their spin-bowling stocks. RR also stumped everyone by picking up the 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi for Rs 1.10 crore. The young batter had recently cracked a quick-fire ton versus Australia U-19. Incidentally, they had retained six players before…

In the heavyweight India-Australia contests in Test cricket, there has been a clear pattern over the last seven years – Barring the World Test Championship final, the Men from Down Under have been struggling to seize crucial moments. Let’s delve deeper into this particular assertion by transporting ourselves back in time to the Bengaluru Test in 2017. After bundling out India for just 189, it felt as if Australia were well on their way to seal a historic Test series in India. However, when the score read 134 for 2, Australia lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out…

“Grateful, an innings to remember.” Nitish Reddy had posted the aforesaid statement on his Instagram account after cracking his maiden first-class hundred, against Bihar, in Patna. It wasn’t just about Nitish scoring an unbeaten 159 for Andhra. It was also about the way he scored those runs. He essayed a few crunchy drives off Veer Pratap Singh and also showcased his range of shots against Ashutosh Aman, the left-arm spinner, by playing with the turn and also against the turn. This hundred from Nitish came just before the 2024 IPL season, where he accumulated 303 runs. Once again, it wasn’t…

As the first session came to its conclusion, India were left tottering at 51 for 4. After opting to bat, Josh Hazlewood in particular found the right lengths for the Perth wicket to pick up a couple of wickets. Mitchell Starc too finished with a two-for. In such a scenario, the touring camp would be searching for positives. KL Rahul’s watertight technique against consistent seam movement and awkward bounce was the only flicker of hope. However, even he fell at the back end of the session, with Starc picking up the prized scalp after a contentious third-umpire call. So, was…

In January 2011, a domestic T20 tournament was being held in Australia. But most of the hype seemed to surround just one player – the 17-year-old Pat Cummins. So much so that he already seemed to have a fan club, with one of the banners saying – Pat Cummins FC, we love you. The fast bowler lived up to the hype in one of the matches between New South Wales and Queensland as he ripped through a top order comprising Michael Lumb, James Hopes and Chris Simpson. Cummins executed the simple but effective plan of hitting the pitch hard and…

Seventeen seasons ago, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) crashed to a heavy defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the inaugural match of the Indian Premier League. That match was in April, 2008. If we cut back to 2024, RCB still haven’t won an IPL title, although they have reached the summit clash thrice. Ahead of the mega-auction, what could be their game plan as they look to resurrect their fortunes and hoist the glittering trophy? The Team After winning a solitary game out of their first eight matches, RCB charted a stunning turnaround to reach the Eliminator Phase in the…

After the first two overs of the fourth and final T20I between India and South Africa at the Wanderers, the visiting side had progressed to 16 for no loss. At that juncture, it just seemed like any other normal T20I from the past. That is not how it exactly panned out at the completion of India’s innings, as they finished with a monstrous score of 283 for the loss of only one wicket. The eye-popping stat was India adding 210 after the Powerplay, alongside 154 in the last 10 overs and 64 in the final five. To make it even…

India pace bowler Mukesh Kumar might vividly remember October 30, 2015. On that day, he picked up the prized scalp of Virender Sehwag in a Ranji Trophy game in Rohtak. Granted that there was a good covering of grass for the Haryana-Bengal encounter, but to his credit, Mukesh extracted prodigious seam movement to leave Sehwag dumbfounded and rattle the timber. All that Sehwag could do was shoulder arms. Replays helped in decoding the sequence of events. The wrist position was very straight, and the ball went on to hit the seam. Subsequently, it nipped back a long way to castle…