Author: Bharath Ramaraj

In the last over of the 2024 Hundred final between Welsh Fire and London Spirit, the equation for the Spirit was as follows: Four runs required off three deliveries. At that juncture, Deepti Sharma, the Indian all-rounder, backed her gut feel and decided to provide the finishing touches off the very next ball. The move paid off as Deepti charged down the deck and deposited one over the long-on boundary. On expected lines, it was followed by wild celebrations, with Deepti pumping her fists in delight and her ecstatic teammates running on to the pitch to hug her. The larger…

Just scroll through the Internet and you might end up getting just a short report or footnote of Meg Lanning’s superlative hundred against India at the Wankhede in 2012. After all, she has had an illustrious career, comprising countless brilliant knocks. Truth be told, that wasn’t even her maiden international hundred. Yet, we have to talk about this breezy innings. Lanning started on a good note in that game and then converted it into a bigger score. Eventually, she ended up with 128 off a mere 104 deliveries. At the age of just 19, Lanning had put on a splendid…

Who is Prithvi Pankaj Shaw? Is he the boy who used to travel an hour and 45 minutes from Virar to Bandra for cricket coaching? Or the 13-year-old who lasted 367 minutes and composed a record-breaking 546 in the Harris Shield on November 20, 2013? Close to eleven years have gone by since Shaw broke that record. For a moment, if you want to measure his performances in the higher echelons of cricket – internationals and the IPL – he has faced more failures than success. So much so that he is not a part of any of the four…

Event – Asia Cup Venue – Pallekele Stadium Match – India v Pakistan As the heavens opened up at the Pallekele Stadium, some spectators got up from their seats to explore the stadium. It was also the right time to make a beeline entry towards the shops near the ground in order to buy refreshments. This writer’s eyes zoomed in on an interesting conversation between Shaheen Afridi, the Pakistan fast bowler, and Morne Morkel, then the team’s bowling coach. The duo seemed to be involved in a discussion over Afridi’s wrist position. Afridi also was looking over his front arm. …

At the historic Yves-du-Manoir Stadium, there were some memorable scenes when India clinched the bronze medal at Paris 2024. Yes, India sealing the bronze in men’s hockey for the second time in a row would be penned with an indelible ink. But there was more to that Spain-India match than just winning a bronze: The legendary PR Sreejesh had played his final match for his country. The celebrations that followed after India’s 2-1 victory would be recalled for many more generations. At one point of time, Sreejesh was seen sitting on the top of the net, with the rest of…

As the curtains are drawn on the Paris Olympics 2024, it is time to have a deep dive into India’s performances in Track and Field events at the mega-event. So, were the Indian athletes able to exceed expectations or was it an underwhelming show? Outside of Neeraj’s Chopra sealing his second medal at Olympics, was there an athlete who came across as a shining light? Avinash Sable – For a moment, if you leave out Neeraj, Avinash’s performance in the 3000m Steeplechase was the highlight of India’s show in Track and Field events. The 29-year-old secured a berth in the final…

With hockey having its roots in India for over a century, most of us have developed an emotional connect with the game. The essence of the point could be observed when millions of fans shed tears of joy after the Indian men’s hockey team won their second consecutive medal at the Olympics. The entire nation was in ecstasy. Just that there was a tinge of sadness too that this was perhaps India’s one opportunity to not just win a bronze, but even go all the way and clinch the coveted gold medal. From better cohesion to flair to grit and…

A decade ago, when yours truly would pore through some of India’s national records in Track and Field events, there was a tinge of sadness that most of the marks set weren’t comparable to the world records. You pondered whether it was in our genes. Lack of infrastructure and facilities was also another factor to mull upon. Hope springs eternal. Around two years later, in 2016, something seemed to have changed: A young man from Khandra, Neeraj Chopra, had comfortably crossed the 80m mark in the javelin event at the U20 World Championships. His best throw – 86.48m – didn’t…

Ten minutes into the third quarter of the match played between India and Australia at the Paris Olympics, there was a bit of chaos. The Indian players had asked for a video referral in relation to a foul by an Australian player. The resultant outcome was a penalty stroke being awarded, with Harmanpreet Singh calmly netting the goal by beating Andrew Charter, the Australian goalkeeper. That is when yours truly started to dream, “Would India beat its bugbear on the grandest of stages?” Another thought flashed in the mind. “Have I ever watched the Indian men’s hockey team beating Australia…

Year – 2021 Month – December Tournament – World Tour Finals Opponent – Viktor Axelsen Axelsen, the indomitable shuttler, had won the first game and taken a commanding lead in the second. Just that when Lakshya is one of the participants, it is better not to switch off the TV as you’re guaranteed of some thrilling action. And then, something magical happened right in front of your eyes. For a split second, it looked like Axelsen’s impressive drop shot had deceived his opponent. The Indian, though, is a livewire on a badminton court. He lunged forward, dived and retrieved it.…