Author: Gargi Raut

Gargi Raut in London It was clear who the hero was after India’s historic win. Mohammed Siraj. While he bowled the most overs and took the most wickets. He became something far bigger, the hero of the common man. After 57 minutes of madness at the Oval. In the post-match press conference, Siraj spoke in a way only Siraj can. Unfiltered, heartfelt and completely himself. He said he’d woken up at 6 am that morning, two hours earlier than usual. Nerves. Pressure. The weight of a nation on his shoulders. So, he reached for something to…

Gargi Raut in London It was a strange kind of tension that took over The Oval on the final morning, not just on the field, but off it, in the press box, where everyone was restrained and stoic, choosing to not participate in the emotions that usually take over on the field. At the beginning of the day, it was clear that whatever we witnessed would be history. Even if it was a loss, India wouldn’t go down without a fight, the stakes monumental, and yet what many of us in the media enclosure were feeling wasn’t professionalism or distance.…

Gargi Raut at The Oval It was the 71st over, and all hope appeared lost for the Indian team. Harry Brook and Joe Root had done the bulk of the run-scoring and England had only 44 runs left to chase. Prasidh Krishna ran in from the Vauxhall End, tired and battered. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the leader of the pace attack, Mohammed Siraj was to Krishna’s right, fielding at mid-on, the pillar to fall back on in case his junior needed it. While the television screen focused on Prasidh’s dull but determined eyes, running in with the…

Gargi Raut at The Oval Day 3 of the final Test match against England had everything, from elegant centuries to roaring wickets, from drama to cinema. But at the end of the day, Akash Deep and Washington Sundar turned out to be India’s saviours. Their assault with the bat guided the team to a commanding position. At the start of the day, realistically, all eyes were fixed on Yashasvi Jaiswal to get the job done for India. Akash, sent in as the nightwatchman at the fag end of day 3, wasn’t expected to last too long. But known more for…

Gargi Raut at The Oval The final Test of the long and gruelling five-match Test series unfolds in a gripping fashion and there’s more happening behind the scenes than what meets the eye. At the end of Day 2, India is leading by 52 runs, and with three full days left, the match and even the series remains wide open. But amidst the cricketing subplots that define that high-stakes encounter, is a quiet leadership that is unfolding within the Indian camp. KL Rahul has been one of the most consistent performers in this series, with only three innings where he…

Gargi Raut in London The build-up to the Test match was quite the tense one, with the Indian camp hit by multiple injuries. With the series still 2-1 in England’s favour, India had a chance to retain the series. But the team was suddenly dealt with blows: Rishabh Pant broke his foot in the last game, Arshdeep Singh’s injury wasn’t fully healed, and Jasprit Bumrah was out due to workload management. Of course, India’s vice-captain Pant has been massively impactful in the series and just having him at the crease is pressure enough for England, he can turn the tide…

Gargi Raut at The Oval The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is heading to the final showdown at The Oval in London and India is standing at either the edge of greatness or heartbreak. The series is still open ended and poised at 2-1. It has been filled with fiery drama, cinema, moments of great character and grit. This series, one that involves a team in transition and a new captain, has settled deep into the memory of fans. The series began with disappointment for India with a loss at Headingley. But by the time the fourth Test at Old Trafford arrived,…

Gargi Raut at The Oval So far, the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has given us gripping cricket, historic wins, heartbreaking losses and everything in between. And now, only a couple days before the final Test at The Oval, another fiery twist has been added to the series. For a series that is already simmering with tension, the moral debate sparked at Lord’s and then Old Trafford has found a new chapter in London. The “spirit of cricket” is a phrase that is often used in cricket but rarely understood, and even more rarely agreed upon. While it is a romantic concept, it…

Gargi Raut at The Oval As the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy hangs in the balance, ahead of the final Test match at The Oval in London, a non-cricket issue has taken up the headlines. In the matchday-minus-two practice session, the Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir was captured having a heated discussion with the head groundsman Lee Fortis. An hour into the practice session when players were engaged in an intense net session there was a slight disturbance in the usual proceedings and Gambhir was captured giving an animated reply to the pitch curator. He was seen pointing fingers and was heard…

Gargi Raut at Old Trafford A moral compass is a compass we can’t quite hold yet, everyone has one. It differs from person to person and it leads different people in different directions. For example, for Ben Stokes, his moral compass guides him to mock two batters who have outperformed his bowlers. While, on the other hand, Shubman Gill’s moral compass guides him to allow his batters, the same batters who saved the game from the jaws of defeat, enough time to complete their centuries. When the English captain thought he had enough, he went up to Ravindra Jadeja and…