Author: Bharath Ramaraj

It is intriguing to note that the chitter-chatter before an India-Pakistan match isn’t about the game itself. It is more about the current weather in Colombo. It is also about how a reserve day has been added only for the India-Pakistan game. That seems unfair on other teams. However, when the hype surrounding the tournament is built mostly around two sides playing each other three times, it shouldn’t be a surprise that administrators have kept a reserve day for that game. Incidentally, just a week ago, the two teams had played at the Pallekele Stadium, but it turned out to…

Colombo A little more than three decades ago, India toured Sri Lanka for a three-match Test and ODI series. Just a week or so before the series commenced, Kris Srikkanth, the former India opener, had written a column on how Percy Abeysekera, the popular Sri Lankan fan, had cast a spell on Mohammed Azharuddin, in the 1985 Test series in the Island nation. At just 22, Azharuddin had cracked three Test hundreds in a row, in his debut series against England. Some months later, when Azharuddin toured Sri Lanka, he would have been brimming with confidence. Just that Percy’s…

Mercurial, maverick and unpredictable – The kind of adjectives you have seen used to describe the Pakistan cricket team over many decades. Stories abound, including the rivalry between Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, the dressing room fight between Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar and the Javed Miandad-Imran Khan feud. In that context, the current Pakistan team seems to be different. Yes, Pakistan’s quintessential strength – fast bowling – is very much a part of the current side. But a collective approach seems to be at the heart of Pakistan’s success in limited-overs cricket and their ascent to the No.1…

Colombo For a cricket aficionado, a visit to P Sara Oval is an enriching experience. You can spend hours and hours together by just watching all those treasured gems in the form of photos. Alongside being steeped in tradition and history, the idyllic facade surrounding the ground compels you to visualise cricket being played in a completely different era. One such memory that is associated with the ground is Sir Don Bradman playing a one-day match against Ceylon on 27 March, 1948. The Bradman-led 1948 Australian squad was touring England for the Ashes. The squad boarded RMS Strathaird at…

Colombo? Dambulla? Or is it going to be Hambantota? For the last few days, fans and journalists have been in a state of bewilderment over what could be the venue for Super 4 games of Asia Cup 2023. For now, Colombo stays as the venue for the Super 4 matches but looking at the turn of events over the last few days, it is hard to predict the future. Here’s a lowdown on the four teams that have progressed to the next round. Sri Lanka: The co-hosts got out of jail in the game against Afghanistan. Mohammad…

Only 15 players can get selected in a World Cup squad. Once the Indian contingent for the 2023 World Cup was announced, social media platforms erupted with millions of discussions about whether X could have been picked, or Y should have been left out. So, what are the major takeaways? Have India struck the right balance? Let’s try to delve deeper to find the answers. Most members of the squad pick themselves, but there was enough competition for a few places. One of the dilemmas the team management had was whether to strengthen the batting unit by picking a bowling all-rounder,…

Nepal fans outnumber Indians Somehow the headline doesn’t seem right. After all, India is a cricket-crazy country. But just a simple glance outside the Pallekele Stadium, it was crystal clear that Nepal had a massive advantage: Perhaps it was 9:1 in their favour. The fans waved their crimson shaped flags, and shouted “Nepal, Nepal, Nepal”. A few were singing the National Anthem, “Sayaun Thunga Phulka.” While some others were ready to speak to the media, boldly talking up their team’s chances. When the match resumed, just like their passionate fans, it was the Nepal team that seemed to be the…

Shubman Gill (67 not out) and Rohit Sharma (74 not out) shared an undefeated stand of 147 for the opening wicket as India sealed a thumping 10-wicket win over Nepal to qualify for the Super 4s of the Asia Cup 2023. In what turned out to be a truncated game, India chased down the revised target of 145 (23 overs) with 17 balls remaining. Incidentally, just before the rain break, Karan KC had given Rohit a few scares, beating the outside edge and also rapping him on the pads a couple of times. Nepal even placed their belief in the…

Just do a simple Google Search with the words – “Shreyas Iyer, short ball” – and you will get a whopping 469,000 results. Iyer’s problem against the short ball has always been a major topic for discussion, illustrated by thousands of analyses and memes on his short-ball weakness. A little more than a year ago, an advertisement, where Iyer is seen nailing a picture-perfect pull, became viral. Unfortunately for Iyer, until and unless he unleashes some confident strokes against the short ball, opposition teams will continue to target him with that tactic. At 48 for 2, in India’s opening fixture…

Nepal has always been known for forested hills, rugged mountains and rivers. Nowadays, Nepal has also been making waves in something else – a game that involves the leather and willow. Whether it be in the World Cup League 2 or ACC Premier Cup, Nepal put up one sterling performance after another. Although there were some reversals in the World Cup Qualifiers and a crushing loss in the opening game of the Asia Cup against Pakistan, Nepal would believe they can showcase their skills against another Asian giant, India. This, despite the fact that, on paper, the gap in class between the…