Author: Bharath Ramaraj

In sport, one mistake can change the script. And that is what exactly happened in the iconic India-Pakistan Asia Cup final. In the 14th over, Tilak Varma (69 not out) survived a run out chance. Thereon, he never looked back as he steered India to a famous five-wicket win over their arch-rivals as they chased down the target of 148 in the final over. Shivam Dube gave Tilak the required support. In the 15th over, he tonked Haris Rauf for a four and a six. In the 18th over, while facing the same bowler, he smashed one over mid-wicket. Dube…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai ‘When did it start? And how did it end so quickly?’ On the last day of this trip to the UAE, this line keeps flashing in the mind. It seemed like just a few days ago that yours truly landed in the UAE to cover the tournament. Simply put, time files. On the eve of the Asia Cup final between India and Pakistan, you’re left with a trail of evocative memories to take back home. Here are some of them: ‘Are you Arabic?’ On September 8, when I landed in Dubai, one small conversation left me…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai Should India make changes for the 2025 Asia Cup final against Pakistan? On the surface, this question doesn’t have a great deal of merit. In this context, an old adage flashes in the mind – why try to fix something when it isn’t broken? India have remained unbeaten right through the tournament, and it is perhaps prudent to not make changes. Having said that, it must still be tempting for India’s think-tank to look at Arshdeep Singh as an option ahead of Shivam Dube, the all-rounder. For starters, the left-arm pace bowler has an impressive record…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai On another of those humid nights in Dubai, two free-spirited batters belonging to different edicts of batsmanship were looking to wrest control. The duo of Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav shared an alliance of 59 against Sri Lanka, and one couldn’t help but notice the contrasting fortunes of the pair. With Abhishek, bursts of energy gushed forth through the majestic arc of the bat-swing and the eye-popping follow-through of the willow. Point, long-off, fine leg, third man, extra-cover, midwicket – You name an area of the field and he targeted it with his gift-wrapped skills.…

Pathum Nissanka’s brilliant hundred wasn’t enough for Sri Lanka to usurp India, as they slipped to a gut-wrenching loss in the Super Over. So, India will go into the final of the Asia Cup against Pakistan, without having lost a single game in the tournament. In the eventual analysis, it all came down to the Super Over. Arshdeep Singh dismissing Kusal Perera off the first ball more or less sealed the deal for India. He then removed Dasun Shanaka, with Sri Lanka getting only two runs on the board. There was still some drama and tension, as on the fourth…

Bharath Ramaraj, Dubai ‘India is the No.1 T20I side going around.’ You don’t need the International Cricket Council’s rankings to gauge that the statement is true. But despite India being a formidable force, the think-tank is still grappling with certain problems. One of them is the middle-order jigsaw puzzle. At RevSportz, we have already touched upon Jitesh Sharma not being picked at No. 5 and Sanju Samson playing at the wrong slot. And that leaves us with the third player in the middle-order troika – Tilak Varma. It isn’t like Tilak has been a flop show in the ongoing Asia…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai In what turned out to be a virtual semi-final, Pakistan emerged victorious over Bangladesh to secure a place in the final of the 2025 Asia Cup. The subplot to Pakistan winning the game was that, for the first time in the 41-year history of the tournament, they will meet archrivals India in the final. So, given that backdrop, here is an analysis on their strengths and weaknesses. Strengths The lower order: More than the core of the batting unit, it is the lower order that seems to have the required firepower to hurt opponents. In the…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai Despite India once again playing sub-par cricket, they proved to be too strong for an opponent in the 2025 Asia Cup. On the back of a comfortable 41-run victory over Bangladesh, they also secured a place in the summit clash of the tournament. So, from India’s perspective, who might be their preferred opponent in the final? If we were to ask the same question to Suryakumar Yadav, the India skipper, the reply would be that India are geared to take on any team in the competition. Yet, the brain doesn’t stop ticking as to which of…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai ‘Oh, he is unlucky.’ This is a line that you end up hearing way too many times in the sporting world. But in the case of Varun Chakaravarthy’s campaign at the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup, it is an apt phrase. One of the cornerstones of India’s spin attack has bowled fairly well, having taken four wickets in three matches. It’s just that it could have been so much more – four chances have been fluffed off his bowling so far. Consider the just-concluded India-Bangladesh match. In one over, Varun saw two catches go down off his…

Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai Despite ending up with a slightly below-par total, India continued their unbeaten run in the 2025 Asia Cup, beating Bangladesh by 41 runs in a Super 4 game played in Dubai. Bangladesh could manage only 127 in a chase of 169 as India sealed their place in the final. In the chase, India needed early wickets and they got one in the form of Tanzid Hasan, who could only spoon a catch to mid-on off Jasprit Bumrah. The Indian pace spearhead continued to find swing and seam as he induced numerous false shots while bowling to…