Author: Bharath Ramaraj

On Wednesday and Thursday, New Zealand’s players and support staff could be looking at their weather apps on numerous occasions to gauge whether it would rain in Bengaluru. Somewhere else, Pakistan’s players would also be keeping an eye on the all-important New Zealand-Sri Lanka game. The simple reason is that the outcome of the game would affect the semi-final chances of both New Zealand and Pakistan. A win for New Zealand and they would take a step closer to qualifying for the last four, as their Net Run-Rate is quite a bit better than Pakistan’s. However, if New Zealand hurtle…

In the cauldron of the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday night, an Australian fan was wearing a shirt with Don Bradman’s name written on it. He didn’t look old enough to have watched Bradman play. In fact, it’s almost certain that no one inside the stadium would have witnessed Bradman’s magic. But somewhere up there in cricket heaven, Bradman himself would have applauded Glenn Maxwell’s genius gene as he powered Australia to a believe-it-or-not three-wicket win over Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup. Having seen his side slump to 91-7, Maxwell smashed 201 not out off 128 deliveries. With the…

At the end of 23 overs of India’s innings against South Africa at the Eden Gardens, Shreyas Iyer had played out 23 dots and his strike-rate was hovering around 43. An hour or so later, when Iyer slowly made his way back to the pavilion after falling to Lungi Ngidi, he had turned out to be one of the unsung heroes of India’s batting effort – compiling an 87-ball 77 at a strike-rate of 88.51. It was indeed an innings of two halves. The above-mentioned numbers indicate that beneath his soft-spoken exterior, there is a cricketer who longs for the…

Earlier in the year, Cricket Australia decided not to play an ODI series against Afghanistan because of the deteriorating women’s rights situation in that country. A Test match in 2021 was also cancelled. Since then, there has been a bit of friction between the two boards. Just a couple of days ago, Naveen-ul-Haq, the Afghanistan pacer, also put out an Instagram story that was aimed at Australia. In that backdrop, the two sides will take each other on at the Wankhede Stadium. It is also an important match for both teams. Afghanistan, with four wins, still have a window of…

Just do a Google search about Rolls-Royce and its features and you will end up with a description, “makes cars that are big, heavy, powerful, and smooth, and drive like a cloud on the road”. The way the Indian team is playing in the 2023 World Cup, you just imagine watching a Rolls-Royce. In other words, this Indian side is powerful and functioning smoothly in different conditions. South Africa seemed like that one side which could stop India’s juggernaut in the ongoing World Cup. The reality turned out to be vastly different. Virat Kohli equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most…

In 2010, a young Virat Kohli was playing South Africa for only the third time in his career as a senior. In a series dominated by legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Kohli finished with a fifty. Thirteen years later, when Kohli walks out to bat against South Africa in the 2023 ICC World Cup match against South Africa, that half-century will serve only as a footnote in his illustrious career. Virat Kohli is shattering records not just on the field but also scorching off the field. The LA 2028 Olympics Sports Director even went on to say: “Virat Kohli has 340…

Bharath Ramaraj at the Chinnaswamy Stadium It was around noon in Bengaluru and the sun had peeked out. Kane Wiilliamson was about to reach yet another ODI fifty. The stadium seemed almost 80 per cent full and there were enough fans cheering for the New Zealand skipper, with his name written on the back of their shirts. Just that something else made you sit up and take notice. A busy cop, who was walking back and forth through the stands, had taken a seat to witness the fifty. That made you think of Williamson’s special prowess that caught the…

During the early part of the 2023 World Cup, New Zealand seemed on course to be one of the semifinalists. But fate has had something else in store for them. New Zealand haven’t just lost three straight games, but the injuries have also piled up. Matt Henry has been ruled out of the World Cup with a hamstring issue, while Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson and Kane Williamson are struggling with injuries. Amid all the injury woes, New Zealand will now take on Pakistan in a crucial match in Bengaluru. If New Zealand emerge victorious, they have a foot in the…

Pathum Nissanka, the Sri Lankan opener, perhaps visualised Jasprit Bumrah’s first delivery before taking his guard. Their coaches must have tried to put different theories and hypotheses about the Indian attack into practice. The analysts would have pored through numerous videos to discover ways to neutralise the threat of Mohammed Siraj’s three-quarter seam ball, Bumrah’s unique action alongside his rifling weapons, or Mohammed Shami hitting an upright seam. All those hours of hard work led to no reward as Nissanka fell first ball to Bumrah. You wondered whether Bumrah is a computer-controlled robot. The length was perfect, the line was…

A still picture can sometimes give small hints as to what actually took place in an event. In the last over of South Africa’s innings, David Miller deposited a hit-me delivery from Jimmy Neesham over the fine-leg fence. The camera’s focus soon shifted to Tom Latham, the New Zealand skipper. He seemed lost in his thoughts as South Africa cantered past the 350-run mark. Just a couple of hours later, Latham was seen trudging back to the pavilion with his head down after being dismissed by Kagiso Rabada. The only time Latham looked up right through that walk was to…