Author: Bharath Ramaraj

130 and 150 all out, and defeated by an innings and 141 runs. That is how the West Indies’ sorry report card read in the opening Test in Dominica. Other than winning the toss, at no time in the match did it seem as if the Caribbean side were in the game. On a spin-friendly surface, Ravi Ashwin bagged 12 wickets, and combined with his spin twin Ravindra Jadeja to run through the opponent. So what can the home side do to resurrect their fortunes? Perhaps leave a bit of grass on the surface for the second Test at Port…

In decent conditions for batting, England’s seamers bowled with discipline and nous to reduce Australia to 299 for 8 at close of play on the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford. The highlight of the day was Stuart Broad picking up his 600th Test scalp to become the fifth cricketer to achieve that milestone. After Ben Stokes surprisingly opted to bowl, Australia lost their openers – Usman Khawaja and David Warner – relatively cheaply. Khawaja was trapped in front by Broad’s wobble-seam delivery, while Warner chased an away-going ball from Chris Woakes. At that stage, Steve…

For a sports aficionado, the brain is akin to a cupboard that stores innumerable memories of heartbreaks and triumphs, alongside breathtaking shots and some head-scratching errors. On a pleasant day, at SW19, Carlos Alcaraz Garfia’s mental fortitude and tennis skills touched such a high level that you perhaps have to carve out some extra memory space to store and reminisce some of the rallies on display. To dethrone a player, who hadn’t lost a match at Wimbledon Centre Court for 10 years or 3661 days, it needed someone to scale never-seen-before heights. The 20-year-old Alcaraz certainly did that, and was duly rewarded…

Ravichandran Ashwin returned his best Test figures away from home (12 for 131 runs) as West Indies crashed to an innings-and-141-run loss against India in the opening Test in Dominica. The home side could manage a mere 130 in their second innings. On the third day, with a few more deliveries starting to turn square, West Indies had little or no chance of surviving against the exceptional spin duo of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Spin was introduced by Rohit Sharma in just the fourth over. Jadeja soon forced Kraigg Brathwaite to edge one behind but Ishan Kishan couldn’t grab the…

On an attritional day in Dominica, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s hundred on Test debut turned out to be the cornerstone of India’s dominance over the West Indies. On the back of hundreds from Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma (103 runs), India progressed to 312 for 2 at stumps, in front by 162 runs. Most of the action during the course of the day’s play took place in the first two sessions. Rohit and Jaiswal began the day by mixing caution with aggression as they added 66 runs in the morning session. In the afternoon session, when India reached the score of 204, the duo…

On a spin-friendly track in Dominica, India dominated proceedings against West Indies, finishing the opening day on 80 for 0, in arrears by just 70 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja combined to share eight wickets between them as the home side were bundled out for a mere 150. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal followed that up by ensuring that all Indian wickets remained intact at stumps. The only time West Indies perhaps had something to cheer about was when Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and elected to bat. On a slightly tacky pitch, Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul provided the…

April 12, 1976 turned out to be a red-letter day in the annals of Indian cricket – The visitors chased down a target of 403 against West Indies at Port of Spain, on the back of centuries from Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Viswanath, and a gritty 85 from Mohinder Amarnath. Gavaskar, a famous cricketer in Trinidad, was admired and feted for his 102. The adulation that he received was further evidenced by the fact that some fans wanted the venue at Port of Spain to be renamed as ‘Gavaskar Oval’ after he played his final Test at that ground in…

The year was 1993. The final exams had just about got over, and it was time for vacations. Alongside playing cricket or some other sport, there was an extra incentive – Prime Sports was scheduled to show highlights and a bit of live telecast of Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies. A year earlier, Pakistan were crowned the 50-over World Champions and they had also defeated England in a keenly contested Test series 2-1. The Ws, Wasim and Waqar, made the old ball talk. Meanwhile, the West Indies still possessed a lethal pace attack, comprising Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and…

Three Ashes Tests have been played. And all three have gone to the wire. Australia won the first two, but England pulled one back with a tense three-wicket win in Leeds. Harry Brook’s 75, and his stand of 59 with Chris Woakes, turned out to be the game-changing passage of the match as England chased down the target of 251 in just 50 overs. At 171 for 6, with Jonny Bairstow dragging one on to the stumps with an airy-fairy drive, Australia would have believed they were in with a chance to seal the Ashes. At that moment, Brook…

“Losing in the second round, I don’t find that motivating,” said Andy Murray, former Wimbledon champion, after slipping to defeat against Stefanos Tsitsipas in an epic five-setter. “It’s not why I put all of the work in. I’m unbelievably disappointed and upset now. Maybe I will feel different in a few days but right now it doesn’t feel good.” Murray had echoed similar sentiments after bowing out in early rounds of the 2021 and 2022 Wimbledon Championships, as he slowly trudges through the fag end of an illustrious career. It was around six years ago when a hammer blow turned…