Author: Bharath Ramaraj

Right from the 1960s and 1970s, Karachi has been a hub of street cricket. During the holy month of Ramadan, even at midnight, cricket is played on streets under lights. Probably every single cricketer who has gone on to represent Pakistan would have had a taste of some form of street cricket. Omaima Sohail, the spinning all-rounder, is no different. “Yes, I am from Karachi, I used to play on streets with boys, then I played for my school,” she told RevSportz. “My coach (Musharaf Sheikh) at school mostly focused on cricket. So, he told me, ‘you play cricket well,…

Somewhere sport distills down to moments. Those moments that stay in the caverns of the brain for a long period of time. So, how would fans remember Harmanpreet Kaur, the India skipper? Unfortunately, for a cricket romantic, it could be a couple of heartbreaks. At the picturesque Cape Town, with the Table Mountain in the background, Harmanpreet’s bat struck in the pitch and she was run out in the T20 World Cup. Eventually, India lost by a narrow margin to Australia in the semi-final. Intriguingly, the history seemed to be on a repeat mode as India locked horns against Australia…

Bharath Ramaraj in Sharjah Tahlia McGrath (32), Ellyse Perry (32) and the bowlers hogged the limelight as Australia registered a thrilling 9-run victory over India in a T20 World Cup game played in Sharjah. With this defeat, India’s chances of qualifying for the semi-finals hang by a thread. The game had its share of ebbs and flows, with the fortunes of both sides swinging back and forth all the time. With three overs remaining, India required 40 runs. Harmanpreet Kaur, the India skipper, played a valiant hand to raise hopes of scripting a jailbreak. She thwacked three boundaries off Gardner…

Bharath in Dubai As Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues indulged themselves in some batting practice ahead of the all-important India-Australia encounter, the eyes zoomed in on something else: The distance of the two square boundaries. The leg-side boundary – in relation to the right-hander – seemed a little shorter while compared to the off-side boundary. It just made the correspondent wonder whether it would affect the Indian off-spinners – Deepti Sharma and Shreyanka Patil, while bowling to the Australian right-handers. But the size of the boundaries is just one out of many aspects that the Indian brains trust would have…

Bharath Ramaraj in Sharjah Jemimah Rodrigues is here. Jemimah Rodrigues is there. Jemimah Rodrigues is everywhere. While watching any training session of India’s women’s cricket team, it is apparent that Jemimah is the heartbeat of the side. The crux of the above-mentioned point could be noticed in the practice workshop ahead of the key T20 World Cup clash against Australia in Sharjah. Munish Bali, the fielding coach, decided to divide the Indian players into two groups. The task for both the groups was to quickly pick the ball and target the stumps. The group with the highest number of…

The radiant sunshine had just started to fade away as Snehasis Mukherjee, my colleague, and I, waited for the Indian team to arrive for their practice session. But as the clock ticked closer to 6 PM, it was another team that caught our eye, the six-time T20 World Cup champions, Australia. As expected, there was an air of confidence about them. More importantly, when Australia practised, it didn’t seem like an intense training session. It felt more as if they were enjoying the various tasks to be performed, including a game of Rugby. At that moment, Snehasis and I quipped:…

A sequel to a movie would have its share of new twists in comparison to the original. While watching Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur go about their business in the T20 World Cup game against Sri Lanka, somehow it felt like we were watching a sequel, with a slick new plot in place. Mandhana, the free-stroking batter, had failed in her previous two matches. When Mandhana couldn’t bisect the gaps in the first few overs in the India-Sri Lanka encounter, that narrative looked all set to continue. However, there was a sub-plot waiting to occur. In the sixth over, Mandhana…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai India put their best foot forward in the crucial World Cup tie against Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Stadium, winning by a massive margin of 82 runs. The victory also helped India surpass New Zealand in terms of Net Run-Rate. Shafali Verma (43), Smriti Mandhana (50) and Harmanpreet Kaur (52 not out) were the cornerstones of India’s victory. The bowlers also shone brightly under lights as Sri Lanka folded for just 90. To make it even better, India’s fielding too was quite sharp. So, what went right for India? The foundation stone was set by…

The essence of Smriti Mandhana’s languid batting begins even before she enters the stadium. Just around the advertising cushions, Mandhana is often seen practicing her drive. It was no different before India’s innings against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup, as she took a few throwdowns from a member of the coaching staff. It was quite clear that Mandhana’s main aim was to get her head slightly forward in her stance and over the front foot. Even if you scroll through hundreds of videos of Mandhana’s net sessions on YouTube, this is one of the key features of…

While taking short interviews of fans at Dubai International Stadium, it was quite evident that Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana are the two marquee players of the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup. There are a fair number of billboards and images, too, featuring the duo at different parts of the stadium. Unfortunately, from India’s point of view, the trump cards of the line-up haven’t exactly made an impression at the T20 world events. If Harmanpreet averages 21.37 at T20 World Cups, then Mandhana has notched up 468 runs at an average of 21.27. The story so far at the ongoing…