Author: Bharath Ramaraj

Murafa Akter, Ritu Moni, Nahida Akter and Fahima Khatun struck at regular intervals, as Bangladesh usurped Scotland in the opening game of the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup in Sharjah by 15 runs. Sobhana Mostary (36) and Shathi Rani (29) were the key performers for Bangladesh with the bat. Right from the time Saskia Horley fell to Fahima, Bangladesh seemed to be slightly ahead in the game. Marufa finished with fine figures of 1 for 17 from four overs, while Nahida took 1 for 19. Fahima ended up with 1 for 21. Ritu claimed 2 for 15. She was adjudged…

Perhaps, all the Australian players have a secret switch fitted in their minds. It helps them win all those clutch moments. During such a situation, you somehow expect the best shot or the near-perfect ball or even one of them effecting a run-out. It happened during the T20 World Cup semifinal between India and Australia in Cape Town last year. In that game, India came close to usurping the favourites. Just that Harmanpreet Kaur’s bat got stuck in the pitch and she was run out. Ultimately, India had to taste a bitter defeat. They might count themselves unlucky, but on…

India began their T20 World Cup campaign on a good note, defeating the West Indies by 20 runs in a practice game played at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. There were enough positives to take from the game for India. Alongside those bright spots, there were a few talking points, which gave indicators of who could bat at the crucial No. 3 position in their group fixtures in the World Cup. One of those clues was India’s batting order against the West Indies – Harmanpreet Kaur took the No. 3 slot, while Jemimah Rodrigues and Yastika Bhatia were positioned…

How many T20 World Cups has Harmanpreet Kaur been part of? If this trivia question is asked, the answer would be six. Now, that just capsulises the kind of experience the India skipper brings to the table. However, if another trivia question is asked about Harmanpreet, you may not exactly get an answer that shows her in a good light. How has she performed in those six World Cups? She has scored 576 runs at an average of just over 20. To her credit, those runs include a superlative hundred versus New Zealand in the World Cup played in the…

Bangladesh have partaken in five T20 World Cups but have won a mere two matches so far. Somewhere, it capuslises the point that the Nigar Sultana-led Bangladesh aren’t one of the favourites to progress from Group B of the 2024 T20 World Cup, where they would up against England, South Africa and the West Indies. Here’s a short analysis on the strengths and weaknesses of the Bangladesh side. Strengths: Sultana The Bangladesh captain is also their best batter. The wicketkeeper-batter has played in 99 T20Is, compiling close to 2000 at an average of 27 and strike rate of 90.16. Not…

WV Raman, former India opener, had a successful time as the coach of the India women’s team. During his tenure, India defeated England, South Africa and West Indies in ODIs. They also reached the final of the T20 World Cup in Australia (2020). With India about to embark on another T20 World Cup campaign, the calm and collected Raman opened up on a variety of topics, ranging from their chances at the mega event to any areas of concern and his thoughts on some of the mainstays of the set-up, including Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur. Excerpts from the interview:…

Australia – Six-time T20 World Champions, and they have hoisted the trophy on the previous three occasions. That is a clear indicator that the Alyssa Healy-led Australian side will once again get the top billing for the upcoming T20 World Cup to be held in the UAE. In recent times, India have been one of the teams who have tried to usurp Australia from pole position. They ended up losing to Australia in the summit clash and then in the last four in the 2020 and 2023 editions of the tournament. In the 2023 World Cup, India looked all set…

The year is 2014. India and England are locking horns in a keen tussle on the well-manicured lawns of Wormsley. As the sun peeped out of the dark clouds, Smriti Mandhana, all of 18 years old, essayed a sublime cover drive off Anya Shrubsole, the England pacer. Mandhana’s nifty feet and the gift of timing just seemed like a perfect synonym to a touch of sunshine brightening up a gloomy day. In a few minutes, when the clouds took back their place, it felt as if the Cricketing Gods had decided it was time to draw the curtains down on…

Still photographs are your life-long companions. They capture different emotions – from laughter to sadness and frustration. The 2023 T20 World Cup semifinal between Australia and India was a microcosm of that. When the score read 133 for 5, Harmanpreet Kaur, the India skipper, was livid with herself and probably cursing her fate after losing her wicket via a run-out. Harmanpreet threw the willow and muttered some words while walking back to the pavilion. Meanwhile, there were wild celebrations in the Australian camp. Ultimately, Australia sealed the game, and went on to win yet another T20 world title. Those two…

“The art of leg-spin is creating something that is not really there,” the legendary Shane Warne said in his autobiography, No Spin. “It is a magic trick, surrounded by mystery, aura and fear. When I say I create things that aren’t there, I’m actually working with little things – subtleties like moving the fielder from one position to another and back again for no good reason, other than to show to the batsman I’m in charge of the pace of the game.” The way Warne went about outmanoeuvering Graham Gooch, the former England skipper, with field settings and subtle changes…