Author: Bharath Ramaraj

By Bharath Ramaraj The second ball that Mark Wood bowled at Delhi Capitals’ Prithvi Shaw in IPL 2023 was fast and pounded hard into the deck. Shaw found himself in an awkward position as he attempted to pull, with the ball whistling past the edge. With the batter pushed back, Wood soon pitched one fuller,,and zoomed it on the stumps. Shaw’s response was an expansive drive played without conviction. He heard the death rattle behind him. The way Wood dislodged Shaw gave insight into how he had sowed the seeds of doubt in the opener’s head. This is what quality fast…

By Bharath Ramaraj There is always some intrigue surrounding a clash between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. It isn’t any different this time around, though Virat Kohli versus Rohit Sharma is now confined to history’s back pages after Kohli stepped down from leadership duties before the 2022 IPL season. Both sides have a few aress of concern, especially in the backdrop of injury woes. The Faf du Plessis-led side would miss out on the services of Rajat Patidar, their enterprising middle-order batter, and Josh Hazlewood, the experienced Australian pace bowler, with heel and Achilles-tendon injuries. Glenn Maxwell too is…

By Bharath Ramaraj Venue – The grand theatre that is the Melbourne Cricket Ground Match – India versus Pakistan Contest – Haris Rauf against Virat Kohli Just for a moment, Rauf has taken a flight to a different zone, where his thought process is clear and concise. The fast bowler is digging it short, twinning slower short deliveries with quicker offerings. His idea is to force the two batters at the crease to target the longer boundary, which is around 84 metres away. The equation is an improbable 28 off 8 balls and it seems near-impossible even for Kohli,…

Overview It is evening at the Dubai International Stadium and the sun seems to be slowly fading into oblivion for the day. But while zooming in on the South African Under-19 players’ celebrations, it feels as if the sun is basking in all its glory. That day, nine years ago, a young Aiden Markram led South Africa to their one and only cricket World Cup title so far. Even in recent times, Markram has been showcasing his leadership skills. Just over a month ago, when Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the SAT20, he was the captain. He has also taken over…

For almost a decade, Ankita Raina has consistently been India’s top women’s player in singles. In 2018, Ankita had the distinction of winning the Bronze Medal at the Asian Games, alongside breaking into the top 200 in Singles Rankings. The 30-year-old has beaten the likes of Sam Stosur, Sara Errani and Sabine Lisicki in singles. She has also entered the top 100 in Doubles Rankings. In an exclusive chat with Rev Sportz, the experienced athlete talks about the ups and downs of her career and future goals. She also takes us through the hard grind of a professional tennis…

The sheer passion for Cricket in Nepal. PC – CAN On March 16, 2023, there were dark clouds hovering around the Kirtipur stadium in Nepal. But while glancing through the wild celebrations at the stadium, it felt as if Nepal cricket’s brilliance on the field was courscating through the dull clouds up and above. The celebrations weren’t just restricted to those fans who were inside the stadium. But there was a frenzied atmosphere outside too, and perhaps all of Nepal. After all, Nepal had just gained an entry into the 50-over World Cup qualifiers on the back of defeating the…

A still frame can convey a powerful message. At approximately 19.40 local time at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand needed one run off one ball to script a heist against Sri Lanka. The subsequent delivery saw Kane Williamson missing out on playing the hook as he tried to steal a bye. The wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella duly looked to run out Wagner at the striker’s end but he wasn’t successful in his attempt. That was exactly the moment for the cameras to zoom in. The two main protagonists now were Asitha Fernando and Williamson, one still learning his trade…

When Steven Smith introduced Nathan Lyon into the attack on Day 3 of the Australia versus Sri Lanka Test at the Pallekele Stadium in 2016, the visitors would have hoped for their premier spinner to run through the heart of the batting unit. But it didn’t exactly turn out that way. Standing in his way was a promising batter, Kusal Mendis. The middle-order bat employed his nimble wrists and defence to not just negate the threat of the spin spearhead but also take the game away from Australia’s grasp. Eventually, his knock of 176 turned out to be a…