Author: Bharath Ramaraj

In May 2024, news flashed that Manu Bhaker, the ace shooter, had won four times across two events in India’s pre-Olympic shooting trials. This particular information made you sit up and wonder whether she had regained her confidence and rhythm. In June last year, it seemed as if Manu wasn’t enjoying the sport. And then she made the decision to reunite with her coach Jaspal Rana. That move seemed to have made a difference. So, it rekindled some hopes in yours truly that Bhaker might go on to do well at the Paris Olympics. As it so happened, Manu has…

In the caverns of my brain lives the tension and drama of following the women’s 10m Air Rifle qualifying round. For almost an hour, your eyes zoomed in on Elavenil Valarivan’s name – A 25-year-old shooter from Cuddalore. After all, she was consistently in the top four in the rankings and once took the pole position. And then, something happened. Elavenil suddenly slipped to 8th place. Eventually, she couldn’t progress to the final, ending up a disappointing 10th. Just think of the narrow margins. After around 50 shots, she was ranked fourth. And then came the heartbreaking moment. She shot…

“When Chamari Athapaththu walks out to bat, better to switch on the TV.” This particular line has echoed in the mind ever since yours truly ended up watching the left-hand batter crunch a game-changing 72-ball 62 in the England-Sri Lanka encounter during the 2013 50-over World Cup. More than a decade after that momentous victory over one of the powerhouses of women’s cricket, Chamari was all geared up to lay the foundation for Sri Lanka’s maiden Asia Cup title. And up against Sri Lanka was one more formidable opponent, India, who in turn were the favourites to lift the…

There was a stat that flashed on the screen – Chamari Athapaththu had scored almost 50 per cent of Sri Lanka’s runs in the just-concluded Asia Cup. The Sri Lankan stalwart continued to be her team’s fulcrum (43-ball 61) as Sri Lanka created history by sealing their maiden Asia Cup triumph with an eight-wicket win over India. The talented Harshitha Samarawickrama also played her part with a 51-ball unbeaten 69. In pursuit of a competitive target of 168, Sri Lanka had started on the wrong note, losing Vishmi Gunaratne in the first over via a run out. Until the 5th…

Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Pramod Madushan – 2022 T20 World Cup Chameera, Madushanka and Lahiru Kumara – Asia Cup 2023 Madushanka – Bangladesh ODIs this year The above-mentioned names aren’t just a random list of Sri Lankan players, but they are the ones who suffered injuries during the course of those events. Chameera, who is now 32, and Nuwan Thushara, whose slingy action has some resemblance to the way Lasith Malinga bowled, are the latest ones to be added to the long list of injuries/health issues suffered by Sri Lanka’s pace bowlers. Both of them have been ruled…

Some 28 years ago, yours truly ended up watching the Olympics for the first time. It was a grand spectacle, with 197 countries participating in the event. But there was something that bothered the writer – For three times in a row, India hadn’t won a medal at Olympics. Worse, one had to end up reading depressing articles of Independent India’s dismal record in Track and Field events at the Olympics – No medals. Yes, the legendary Milkha Singh, and the queen of athletics, PT Usha, had come very close to breaking the jinx in 1960 and 1984, respectively. Sriram…

With Gautam Gambhir taking over as the India cricket team head coach, an often-repeated term flashes in the mind — the dawn of a new era. On the face of it, it indeed looks like the Indian set-up is entering a new era. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired from T20Is, with Suryakumar Yadav being named the new captain. So, what are the takeaways from India’s limited-overs squads for the Sri Lanka tour? At RevSportz, we have lifted a few of them. Hardik-Gill-Suryakumar and the jigsaw puzzle Right after India triumphed in the ICC T20 World Cup in…

In the third set tiebreak of the 2024 Wimbledon Men’s Singles final, Carlos Alcaraz, the eventual champion, showed incredible feel at the net to play an eye-popping drop shot. It was the kind of drop shot, where he showcased finesse plus regal touch to befuddle his illustrious opponent, Novak Djokovic. But in a match, where Alcaraz put on a mind-numbing exhibition of touch-play and athleticism, you still wondered whether a small capsule of the 21-year-old’s genius-gene was the highlight of the match. Such was the range of stroke-play on view, that it would be difficult to pick five of Alcaraz’s…

Do you believe in Cricketing Gods? On a pleasant day at Lord’s, it certainly felt like someone up there was writing a script for James Anderson’s final spell in international cricket. Otherwise, how can you explain what transpired in the 44th over of the second innings of the England-West Indies Test? Gudakesh Motie, the West Indies spinner, attempted the lofted-drive off an Anderson inswinger. There was no conviction behind the shot. So much so that the ball seemed to take an eternity to reach Anderson’s hands. And then he fluffed the catch. All that an embarrassed Anderson could do was…

Bilateral T20Is played without any context attached to them are generally forgotten by fans within a few days of the completion of such series. But when New Zealand took on England last year, in a T20I at Old Trafford in Manchester, a 25-year-old debutant’s deceptive pace caught the eye. In his opening over itself, Gus Atkinson, the Surrey pace bowler, hurried up Devon Conway with a quick delivery. When Atkinson approached the crease, it didn’t seem as if he would hurl a delivery at over 90mph. It didn’t feel that way as he loaded up and zipped through the crease…