Author: Bharath Ramaraj

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…

Did you know about Lahiru Kumara’s hard-hitting skills during his junior days? Or, that, Niroshan Dickwella’s shot created a hole in a hoarding? What about Matheesha Pathirana’s pinpoint yorkers in a friendly or Kumar Sangakkara being more into tennis at a young age? Bilal Fassy, who was instrumental in setting up the cricketing structure at Trinity College, has answers to everything you want to know about the institution and its cricketers. Fassy narrates an anecdote from a school game, where Kumara turned out to be the game-changer with the bat. “Kumara used to be a hard-hitting, middle-order bat and bowled…

In the last one year, there seems to be something different about Rohit Sharma’s game. He is trying to embrace a different role – taking the ultra-aggressive route at the top of the order. Rohit’s ODI strike rate since January 2020 is 103.72. He has also maintained a healthy average of 47.26. On the flip side, Rohit has only compiled two ODI hundreds in that period, with one of them coming in January 2020. It is safe to say that as the captain of the side, Rohit is looking to play with more intent at the top order of the…

Bharath Ramaraj in Colombo Brian Lara’s original photo when he stroked that famous double-ton at the SCG in 1992. Lara standing alone amid the ruins in the 1992 World Cup game against Australia. Sachin Tendulkar’s signed photograph. And a slew of team sheets from a bygone era. A visit to Colombo’s Cricket Club Cafe can give goosebumps to a connoisseur. The list of rare collectibles is endless. Photos of Don Anurasiri and Aravinda de Silva from the 1992 World Cup. Tendulkar from the 1990 tour of England. Peter Parker, the umpire, and Arjuna Ranatunga, related to the ball-tampering controversy during…