Author: Bharath Ramaraj

On Day 1 of the fourth Test in Ranchi, there was plenty of action on and off the field. Off the field, at around 9 AM, there were massive queues outside the ticket counters. There was some bedlam as well. For a while, there were only two queues. Then, there were three and it soon became four. Some of the fans were even climbing over the wooden bar in order to cross over to the next line. For a moment, you marvelled at the sheer enthusiasm of the fans to pick up tickets for a Test match. But at the…

India haven’t lost a Test series at home since 2012-13. This particular statement must have been flashed countless times on various news channels and in the digital world over the last decade. In an imaginary land, even if a visiting side’s captain wishes to erase statements about India’s dominance and aura at home, he wouldn’t be able to. To make matters worse for Ben Stokes and his band of boys, they are all set to play the fourth Test in Ranchi, after being blown away in Rajkot. They were beaten by 434 runs. Yes, 434! In such circumstances, it is…

In a bygone era, a splendid performance with the bat or ball in the domestic arena would have been confined to the stories and thoughts of a few selectors or players watching the proceedings. Now though, with millions of videos available on the internet, it doesn’t take long for a cricketer’s promise to come into the limelight. Spool back in time to the fag end of 2019, and yet another Ranji Trophy season had commenced. Somewhere in the month of December that year, a short YouTube video clip of Akash Deep, a promising pace bowler from Bengal, was uploaded. That…

Raj Limbani, the U-19 fast bowler, has played only a handful of One-Day matches in the World Cup, ACC Asia Cup and a tri-nation series. But in those few matches, Limbani has already showcased that he has been blessed with the gifts of vigour and enthusiasm in abundance. Digivijay Singh Rathwa, his coach at the famous Motibaug Cricket Club, has an anecdote to narrate, which in turn indicates his pupil’s passion to take every delivery and every practice session seriously. “During off-seasons, players take a break. But he was constantly working on fitness, even when it was raining. Around that…

Sarfaraz Khan is just four days into his Test career. Yet it feels as if this is the right time to briefly look at his eventful journey. Glance through his staggering first-class numbers and you will notice a cricketer who has accumulated mountains of runs– 4042 at a stunning average of 70.91. Just to put it into context, he is only behind Sir Don Bradman and Vijay Merchant when it comes to highest averages in first-class cricket. Minimum qualification: 50 innings. That he had to wait for long to find a place in the Indian Test side is another matter.…

Ben Duckett’s audacious innings (133 not out) kept England in the hunt in the third Test in Rajkot. At close of play on Day 2, the visitors were 207 for 2, trailing India by 238 runs. In the final session, it was all about Duckett. The southpaw swept, reverse-swept and employed the occasional switch-hit to leave the Indian spinners searching for answers. Right after tea break, Duckett swept and reverse-swept Kuldeep Yadav a couple of times into the boundary hoardings. And that was followed by an exhibition of sweeps and reverse sweeps. There were so many of them that it…

Hundreds from Rohit Sharma (131) and Ravindra Jadeja (110 not out) ensured India ended Day 1 of the third Test against England in Rajkot in a good position. At stumps, the home team was 326 for 5. In sharp contrast to how the day ended, England had found themselves on top in the first half of the morning session. Mark Wood bowled with pace and skill to remove both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill early. Gill in particular looked tentative outside the off-stump and eventually edged one behind. Rajat Patidar then played a poor shot as he was caught by…

Ater a while, it seemed difficult to keep track of every delivery that Jasprit Bumrah bowled in the second Test against England in Vizag. Every single delivery was an event in itself. And every single one of them had a story to tell: The greatness of Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah had set-up Joe Root a couple of times in the series before delivering the knockout punch. Jonny Bairstow had come prepared for his inswinger but he was done in by away-swing in the second Test. Then there was a jaw-dropping reverse-swinging yorker to Ollie Pope that shattered the stumps. The poor…

Sanjay Dhas, Sachin Dhas’ father, once observed that the prodigy’s willow was examined by the authorities at a T20 event in Pune after he came into limelight for his six-hitting prowess. As Dhas went about collecting runs in the just-concluded Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, one could understand why and how his batting prowess left many in a state of awe and shock. Dhas was the fifth-highest run-getter in the tournament but the manner in which he went about scoring them suggested he might go on to achieve bigger things. His game-breaking 96 against South Africa in the semi-final…

The city of Rosario is famously known as the birthplace of Lionel Messi. But for a hockey fan, the city brings back vivid memories of Rani Rampal, one of the game’s greatest players, displaying a wonderful exhibition of goal-scoring at the 2010 World Cup. A 15-year-old then, she scored as many as seven goals. One of the goals in particular would echo in the minds of hockey connoisseurs for generations to come: She took on Netherlands’ defence single-handedly and cracked one past Floortje Engels, the goalkeeper. It was sheer wizardry with a hockey stick. For her efforts, she was duly…