Author: Bharath Ramaraj

The iconic photo frame of Geraint Jones pouching a catch to dismiss Michael Kasprowicz at Edgbaston in 2005 is still etched in the minds of fans around the cricketing world. Around 18 years and 6500-odd days later, a little more history would be penned in connection with Edgbaston. And this time around, Australia emerged victorious by two wickets, with Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, hitting the winning runs. As he deflected one off Ollie Robinson through third man, the Australian dressing room was in raptures while the home crowd was silenced. Cummins himself went into delirium as he lifted Nathan Lyon in…

The pendulum continued to oscillate to and fro in the opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston, and after four days, both Australia and England would think they were in with a chance to take a 1-0 lead in the series. At stumps, Australia were 107 for 3, needing a further 174 to seal a famous victory. With about one hour to go for the end of day’s play, Australia seemed to be in the ascendancy as they had all ten wickets in hand. Just when it seemed as if the England fielders’ shoulders were drooping, Ollie Robinson bowled one a tad fuller…

On a day of fluctuating fortunes, Usman Khawaja’s patient unbeaten 126 didn’t just help Australia resurrect their innings, but also put them in a position of strength in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. At stumps on the second day, Australia were 311 for 5, trailing by just 82. Cameron Green (38), Travis Head (50) and Alex Carey (52*) also played their parts with vital hands. The day commenced with David Warner and Khawaja looking to navigate their way through a tricky opening spell from Stuart Broad. Broad used the wobble seam to good effect, and was eventually rewarded with…

A little less than 27 years ago, a few of us were playing India’s favourite pastime – a game of cricket. After all, on a school holiday, it was time to bring out the bat, ball, stumps and play some gully cricket. But during one of those friendly matches, a friend of mine ended up telling us that Star Sports was showing the highlights of the US Open second-round match between Leander Paes and Andre Agassi, the 1994 US Open champion. As someone who was a passionate tennis follower, it was time for me to abandon the cricket match and…

The opening day of the Ashes at The Gabba in Brisbane in 1994: Michael Slater cracked the first ball, bowled by Phil DeFreitas, to the boundary hoardings. Nearly three decades later, on a good pitch for batting at Edgbaston, Zak Crawley smashed the first ball bowled by Pat Cummins through the covers for four in the opening Test of the 2023 Ashes. Those old memories didn’t just gush forth, but the stroke also signalled England’s intent to continue with their Bazball approach. Australia, though, picked up wickets at regular intervals to claw their way back into the game. At the fag…

Around 141 years ago, a mock obituary by Reginald Shirley Brooks inspired the birth of a Test series that has been played for centuries now – the Ashes. Barring the period between 2005 to 2013, Australia might have held a clear upper hand in Ashes contests in the last three decades and a bit, but there is aura and rich history attached to Australia-England Tests. And just to add a bit of spice to it, Ashes 2023 will be played in the backdrop of Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes’ ‘Bazball’ approach taking the cricketing world by storm. Can the England batting…

Cricket is a unique sport. When two sides lock horns – home and away – it becomes evident that different climes do play a major role in deciding the outcome of the game. Even among a subset grouped together, a few differences can be seen in relation to conditions on display. The current Indian cricket team has been putting up a good show across frontiers. But if you peel away the edges of the black box, you would see that India still have an issue or two to tackle when they travel to South Africa, New Zealand and England. So what…

After a rather ordinary final session on day four, Australia bowled with discipline, skill and some snarl as India crashed to a 209-run defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval. As soon as Mohammed Siraj reverse-swept Nathan Lyon to Scott Boland at backward point, it sparked jubilation in the Australian camp. All the players got together in a huddle to celebrate the moment. As the day commenced, India perhaps had a semblance of hope of mounting a challenge. However, Boland showcased his trademark seam-bowling skills to break the back of the Indian batting unit. He tested Virat Kohli…

Iga Swiatek, the No.1 ranked tennis player, won the French Open for the third time in the last four years. The 22-year-old Polish player defeated the unseeded Karolina Muchova from Czech Republic in a gruelling three-setter. At 22, Swiatek is the second-youngest woman to defend the French Open crown after Monica Seles. The final scoreline read: 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. After winning the match, Siwatek sank to her knees. She also went up to her box to say thank you to her team members. It was followed by the legendary tennis player, Chris Evert, presenting the coveted Suzanne Lenglen Cup trophy to…

In what turned out to be a pulsating final session, Virat Kohli (44 not out) and Ajinkya Rahane shared an unbeaten association of 71 in just 118 balls to give India a semblance of hope of posting a memorable win against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval. At close of play on day four, India were 164 for 3, still needing another 280 runs to pull off an improbable world-record chase. India had commenced the evening session with Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease. The duo essayed some eye-catching flicks and cuts to…