Author: Bharath Ramaraj

More than the sum of the parts is an often-used phrase in the sporting world. But looking at how England have played in the 2023 World Cup, another term comes to mind. That is being less than the sum of their parts. The defending champions were upset by Afghanistan and that was followed by a crushing defeat against South Africa at the Wankhede cauldron. For a brief period, England were even the last-placed side on the table. To add to their woes, the luckless Reece Topley injured his finger in the Wankhede game and was subsequently ruled out of the…

It was a sweltering evening at the Wankhede Stadium. As Heinrich Klaasen made a mockery of the English bowling line-up, something else was clearly evident – Sweat was dripping out of his helmet, eyes, arms, everywhere. Mark Wood, the tearaway fast bowler, soon nailed a yorker, with Klaasen falling flat on the ground due to the sheer impact of the toe-crusher. A few thoughts flashed in the mind as to whether Klaasen’s fireworks were coming to an end. Reality turned out to be something different. After taking refreshments, Klaasen was back up on his feet. Wood was deposited into the…

In another of those one-sided games in the 2023 World Cup, South Africa put on a commanding performance for the second time in a row. They posted a thumping 149-run victory over Bangladesh. The Asian nation could muster only 233 in reply to South Africa’s 382/5. Quinton de Kock (174 of 140 balls) and Heinrich Klaasen (90 off 49) were the main architects of the win. South Africa’s victory was again built on the back of a set of aggressive batters powering the side to a gargantuan total. De Kock, who had a couple low scores after cracking successive tons,…

A few days ago, South Africa smashed England by 229 runs at the Wankhede. In the furnace of Mumbai, England had no answers to South Africa’s batting power and incisive bowling. It is difficult to envisage any team managing two such commanding wins in a row, but the Proteas would be eyeing another clinical show at the same ground against a Bangladesh side that are low on confidence. At present, South Africa have touched an optimum level in terms of performance. Right from Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen, to Marco Jansen at No. 7, the batters have…

One thousand five hundred and sixty-five days. That was the difference between the India-New Zealand World Cup semi-final in 2019 and the game the two countries played in the 2023 World Cup. But just for a brief period, while watching the round-robin match in Dharamsala, it felt as if one was transported back to Old Trafford. The protagonists were the same — Matt Henry, Trent Boult and Rohit Sharma. KL Rahul, Rohit’s opening partner from that last-four game, was batting lower down the order. Like 2019, there was nifty movement for the pace bowlers. Henry, in particular, would have realised…

Just for a moment, it felt as if October 22, 2023 would turn out to be a historic day for cricket. Virat Kohli, the cornerstone of India’s batting unit, looked set to equal Sachin Tendulkar’s world record of 49 ODI hundreds in the World Cup game against New Zealand in Dharamsala. The crowd waited with bated breath for Kohli to stamp his authority and provide the finishing touches to yet another masterclass. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be as Kohli spooned a catch to the fielder stationed at deep midwicket off Matt Henry, falling short of the coveted landmark by five…

Amid some vibrant monasteries, historic temples, scenic mountains and waterfalls, museums and a picturesque ground, the top two teams of the 2023 World Cup so far – India and New Zealand – will lock horns at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. India seem to have fitted the right nuts and bolts for almost every single position. To make it even better, every single time the hosts have found themselves in a bit of quicksand, they seem to have dug themselves to a position of safety. In the game against Bangladesh, Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das had put the Indian…

Bharath Ramaraj in Bengaluru There are numerous ways to process a game of cricket. If you belong to the modern era, perhaps through video streaming via a mobile phone. If you’re slightly old-fashioned, it would be through TV or even the good, old radio. Better still, pick up a book or two and relive tales from another era. But a visit to the ground and watching the match live gives you a different perspective, especially a nearly-packed house at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. It wasn’t an IPL game involving Royal Challengers Bangalore. It wasn’t an India game either.…

The buzz surrounding a frenzied Chinnaswamy Stadium can be distinctly different. Even during a non-India game or non-IPL game involving RCB, there was enough buzz at the stadium. For about five minutes during Australia’s innings, there was a Mexican Wave. And there was also an uproar when David Warner got a ton. Even Mitchell Marsh, Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi received their fair share of support. The World Cup game on hand – Australia-Pakistan – also turned out to be full of entertainment, with 672 runs scored in 95.3 overs. Ultimately, Australia came up trumps by 62 runs. Where did…

In what turned out to be a one-sided affair, India put on another clinical show to register a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Pune. It was their fourth successive win in the World Cup. Virat Kohli finished things off in style, by cracking a six to bring up his 48th ODI ton. He is one short of Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most ODI hundreds. At 231 for 3, it seemed as though Kohli wouldn’t to reach the milestone. But he took all the strike and showcased his range of shots to score 30 off the next 31 runs. In the…