Author: Bharath Ramaraj

For any bilateral series involving India and Australia, you expect a menu card comprising some spicy flavours. The narrative surrounding the 2023 ODI rubber between the countries, however, is a bit different. With the World Cup on the horizon, India and Australia would look to fine-tune a few areas of concern and strike the right balance. For the visitors, the series is also important in the context of acclimatizing to the prevailing conditions in India. India India would be brimming with confidence after hoisting the Asia Cup trophy. Despite touching lofty heights in Sri Lanka, there are a couple…

Anrich Nortje, the South African fast bowler, has been ruled out of the upcoming 2023 World Cup to be held in India with a back injury, RevSportz understands. The 29-year-old had also missed the 2019 World Cup with a broken thumb during a practice session. In another blow to South Africa’s chances, Sisanda Magala will miss the tournament with a knee injury. Nortje, one of the South Africa’s mainstays, could only bowl five overs in the second ODI against Australia in Bloemfontein as he was laid low by back problems. He would have been an asset to the South African…

Bharath Ramaraj in Colombo There was collective hysteria among Indian fielders and Mohammed Siraj at the Premadasa Stadium. All the celebrations in the middle were juxtaposed by a deathly silence in the stands. Something implausible must have taken place on the field for all the deafening noise to suddenly disappear, perhaps into the dark clouds hovering above the stadium. It was Siraj, the man from Hyderabad, who had silenced the crowd with a sensational over where he took four wickets. Although they had already lost Kusal Perera by then, there was still belief among the home fans that Sri Lanka would…

Bharath Ramaraj in Colombo There was some magic off the field. And then there was magic on the field at the Premadasa Stadium. Unfortunately, for the home fans, it was the Indian pace bowlers that ruled the roost, especially Mohammed Siraj, as he ripped through the cream of the batting unit to leave Sri Lanka in disarray in the Asia Cup final. Eventually, Sri Lanka were bundled out for a paltry 50 in 15.2 overs, their second-lowest score in ODIs. India chased down the target in a mere 6.1 overs to take home the trophy. It was Sri Lanka who…

The narrative for Asia Cup 2023 seemed to have been set in stone. India would meet Pakistan three times including in the final. But just like the previous 15 Asia Cups, it isn’t going to be a Pakistan-India clash in the final. Instead, the Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lankans would go head-to-head against India, in their own den at Premadasa Stadium. Although India start as favourites to hoist the trophy, Sri Lanka would believe they have the resources to upset the applecart on what could be another spin-friendly surface. But before the final, there was a bit of a spanner in…

Tokyo Olympics – Gold. World Championships – Gold and Silver. Diamond League finals – First place. Asian Games – Gold. Commonwealth Games – Gold. Asian Championships – Gold. South Asian Games – Gold. World Junior Championships – Gold. Neeraj Chopra is just 25 and his cabinet is already full of medals and accolades. Yet, he seems to have the insatiable hunger to improve by percentages and fractions. In that context, India’s ‘Golden Boy’ would be looking to repeat his feat from last year, in the Diamond League finals, in Eugene. The starting list for the event looks quite formidable -…

Experimentation is a word that is frequently used in cricket. Perhaps, on occasion, it is overused. But when India made five changes for the Super Fours game against Bangladesh, it was the only word that came to mind. With India having already qualified for the summit clash of the Asia Cup 2023, it seemed logical that the think-tank would experiment a bit. Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Virat Kohli were rested. Let’s look at how the fringe players in the squad performed in the inconsequential game. Prasidh Krishna: The tall pace bowler from Karnataka put up…

Colombo The lofted shot by an Indian opener in a Super Fours game versus Bangladesh had excellence associated with it. On 48, Gill timed his charge down the deck to perfection, giving very little time for Mehidy Hasan to adjust his line or length, and deposited it wide of long-on. Although the matchup of a right-handed batter facing an off-spinner suits the former, there is still an element of risk in leaving the crease. Not so for Gill. He repeated the shot three more times: Once against Shakib Al Hasan and twice while facing Mehidy. Even when he wasn’t exactly…

Despite Shubman Gill’s (121 off 133 balls) brilliance, India slipped to a tense six-run loss in their final Super Four game versus Bangladesh at Premadasa Stadium. It was an inconsequential ODI as India and Sri Lanka had already qualified for the Asia Cup final to be played on September 17. In tricky conditions for batting, India had to overhaul a total of 265. They started on the wrong note, with Rohit Sharma uppishly driving an out-swinger from Tanzim Hasan into the hands of the fielder stationed at cover point. Tanzim, who was a part of Bangladesh’s Under-19 World Cup winning…

There is something riveting about last-ball finishes that you struggle to describe in mere words. The whole nation’s eyes seemed to be zoomed in on Charith Asalanka as Zaman Khan braced himself to bowl the final delivery. Despite the weight of the nation on his shoulders, Asalanka nonchalantly skipped down the deck and collected a double behind square on the on side. His calmness under pressure was a story within a story in a game where the pendulum swung back and forth numerous times. “I just thought how can I get two to hit in the gap and run hard…