Author: Bharath Ramaraj

What is the meaning of ‘lottery’? Do a Google Search and you end up with the following explanation: “A means of raising money by selling numbered tickets and giving prizes to the holders of numbers drawn at random.” While watching the India-Ireland T20I played in New York, it felt as if there was a sense of randomness attached to the conditions on offer. It was a kind of lottery pitch, where the batter couldn’t trust his instincts to make a judgment of whether to play a defensive or attacking shot. In the second over of Ireland’s innings itself, we witnessed…

The second ball of the Sri Lanka-South Africa ICC T20 World Cup match played in New York was a sign of things to come. Marco Jansen, who stands at 2.06 m, ushered in a back of a length delivery that reared up awkwardly and smashed Kumal Mendis’ glove. A few overs later, you scribbled down a few notes about the conditions on view – two-paced deck, with spongy bounce and just enough seam movement. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that in such conditions fast bowler, Anrich Nortje, had a whale of a time against the rattled Sri Lankan batting…

Ever since Ireland punched above their weight to usurp Pakistan, Bangladesh and England in the 2007 and 2011 50-over World Cups, there has been a sense of intrigue surrounding the European nation. But in the last few years, despite achieving full-member status, Ireland have kind of lost momentum. Yes, there was a defining win over the eventual world champions, England, in 2022, but that has been the only time they have progressed to the main round of the T20 mega event since the 2009 edition. So, how will Ireland fare this time around in the upcoming T20 World Cup? Can…

Imagine a question popping up on your mobile screen before the start of the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies – Which is that one moment from previous World Cups that you cherish the most? One of the several answers could be that of West Indies’ twin titles in 2012 and 2016. Over many decades, the West Indies have enthralled the audience with their Calypso flair, and have become a popular side across frontiers. It is true that West Indies’ assembly line of fast bowlers isn’t like what it used to be. On a brighter note,…

Keaton Jennings has been a bulwark of batting line-ups in the County circuit. Some seven years ago, before Jennings shifted over to the Red Roses County, he was representing Durham. In one of those second division games, Jennings was facing a young, curly-haired fast bowler from Barbados, Jofra Archer. In a few minutes, after getting out to the same bowler, Jennings might have wondered in the pavilion – what was that ball all about??? With a smooth run-up, Archer nicely decelerated the lower body by keeping the braking front leg ahead. There was a hint of movement off the deck…

How will you face setbacks? Are you mentally strong enough to navigate one hurdle after another and chart out a successful path? How do you visualise yourself in a couple of years’ time? Life in general asks every single human the above-mentioned questions and some more. And sport is a microcosm of it as an athlete is constantly negotiating different challenges – both physical and mental – from injuries to loss of form and self-belief. Shashank Singh is one of those sportspersons, who has had to paddle his way through a morass of difficult phases. After playing for different…

After witnessing some overs of the 2024 IPL final, you pondered whether to observe the action closely and write down certain points. Almost every ball ushered in by Kolkata Knight Riders’ six-member attack had a ring of excellence attached to it, so observing the finer points of the game didn’t seem to matter much. It was time to sit back on a sofa and enjoy some perfection at work. Not so much for Sunrisers Hyderabad, KKR’s opponent in the summit clash. The first over bowled by Mitchell Starc itself would have sent a few shivers down the spine of the…

Nine years ago, a young Travis Head had just started to make waves in the Big Bash League as well as the domestic 50-over Matador Cup with his quick scoring. Head, though, couldn’t overcome one of the challenges thrown at him – facing Mitchell Starc at the peak of his white-ball prowess. Three times in the space of just three weeks, he was castled by Starc. A couple of years later, he was once more dislodged by the same bowler. Incredibly, seven years on, in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024, it seemed like an action replay of some of the…

After 65 days, around 1560 hours and 73 matches, we are down to one last game in IPL 2024 –Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders will take on each other in the marquee clash in Chennai. So, how is the mood ahead of the final? Unfortunately, as Chennai Super Kings, the home side, couldn’t progress to the playoffs stage, the Qualifier 2 game between SRH and Rajasthan Royals seemed to lack the trademark frenzied atmosphere. Only at 5.30-6.00 PM in the evening, fans started to flock to the stadium. Just to give you a better idea, when CSK are playing…

You got to like Rahul Tripathi’s attitude. Why? The simple reason is that his batting is value for money. In the all-important Qualifier 2 between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals in Chennai, the former’s score read 13 for 1. After tapping his helmet grille, out walked Tripathi to take guard. It took only three deliveries for Tripathi to hit the accelerator pedal as he tried to wrest back the initiative with a boundary off R Ashwin. His counterpart, however, has the required wisdom of experience to outsmart his opponent. Incidentally, in the previous outing, Ashwin had got the better of…