Author: Gargi Raut

Gargi Raut at the Old Trafford With Akashdeep injured and Arshdeep Singh also nursing a cut on his finger, India suddenly finds itself thin on pace options. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are the only fully fit frontline pacers. Given the conditions at Old Trafford – wet, overcast, and with a pitch that’s expected to aid seamers – India would want to field its strongest possible bowling attack. But how do they balance that with batting depth? And who gets the nod among the fringe players? The net session on match day -2 offered a few clues. Typically,…

Gargi Raut at Old Trafford India’s bowling attack has once again come under the spotlight ahead of the fourth Test against England, with injuries, rotation plans, and workload concerns leaving the line-up wide open. The series has already seen major shifts. India began with a disappointing five-wicket loss in Leeds, where Jasprit Bumrah stood out with a five-for, but the rest of the attack lacked bite. Prasidh Krishna was expensive, Mohammed Siraj was steady but not threatening, and India failed to take 20 wickets. That quickly changed in the second Test at Edgbaston, where Akash Deep’s debut heroics – 10…

Gargi Raut in Manchester India’s bowling attack has once again come under the spotlight ahead of the fourth Test against England, with injuries, rotation plans, and workload concerns leaving the lineup wide open. In the first Test at Leeds, India suffered a disappointing five-wicket loss. The major concern was the bowling unit. Jasprit Bumrah stood out as the lone performer, picking up a five-for in the first innings. Mohammad Siraj played second fiddle but didn’t leave a strong impact. Prasidh Krishna lacked consistency and turned out to be the most expensive bowler. India also dropped crucial catches and, more importantly,…

Gargi Raut in Manchester The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is poised beautifully with England leading the series 2-1. The caravan now moves to the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, and India face another statistical and psychological mountain to climb. The historic venue has been unconquered by India, despite flashes of brilliance over the decades. With nine matches played here since 1936, India remain winless, with four defeats and five draws. It is a sobering record that adds extra weight to the fourth Test, and like Edgbaston, will India be able to breach another fortress? India have struggled at the venue for eras…

Gargi Raut in Manchester The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has spiced up after the third Test at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. After three days of conventional Test cricket, a final over spat between Indian skipper Shubman Gill and English opener Zak Crawley heated things up and the heat never died down. The next two days were a Test cricket fan’s dream come true, some exceptional bowling, raw intensity and gritty fightback led to England’s comeback in the series. Although, the series is far from over. With two more Tests to go, the series is still open and the scales could tip either…

On June 4, what was supposed to be a celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL title win after 18 years turned into a tragedy when a stampede claimed the lives of 11 people and left many injured. The Karnataka Government has now submitted a report to the High Court detailing the events that led to the stampede. The report has outlined a series of failures in coordination and planning. According to it, the organisers – RCB, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and DNA Networks – had only intimated the police about a possible event if the team won, but…

Gargi Raut After the historic Test win at Edgbaston, Lord’s was supposed to be another chapter in a fairytale comeback story. At Edgbaston, India stunned England with a dominating all-round performance soaked in intent. Suddenly, the young and ‘inexperienced’ team that the fans had written off was the toast of the cricketing world. But as quickly as the cheers and the praise came, it vanished. After the loss at Lord’s, the knives came out. And one man has borne the brunt of the criticism, Ravindra Jadeja. By the end of Day 5, one of India’s most experienced all-rounders, Jadeja, was…

Gargi Raut at Lord’s Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their Test retirements in the span of seven days in the midst of the IPL and it marked one of the biggest transitions for India’s Test team. It was assumed that Jasprit Bumrah, the senior-most player in the side, would not play more than three games in the five-match Test series, leaving the selectors with no option but to look to a young player to lead the team. In the race for captaincy between Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, all signs pointed towards Gill to take over the…

Gargi Raut In London The Test match between India and England is rich with momentum shifts, and it’s the final over drama of each day that has truly brought this Lord’s contest ablaze. The first three days started off conventionally, but with the tempers rising, time-wasting and tit-for-tat tactics have proved to be the catalyst in the match turning into a full-blown psychological battle. It all started when India had put England under pressure late on Day 3. The Indian batting lineup had levelled the score at 387 and the bowlers were desperate for a good burst of bowling. India…

Gargi Raut at Lord’s Rishabh Pant is no stranger to pain. The man who cheated death and went through fifteen months of excruciating pain, frustration and patience has now scripted himself in the echelons of history. He has now become the highest run-scoring Indian wicketkeeper in a Test series in England with back-to-back centuries in the first Test match and subsequent high-scoring performances. Back in December 2022, news broke of Pant’s accident—a video of the wicketkeeper-batter covered in blood, lacerations and burns broke the internet; “I am Rishabh Pant, Indian cricketer”, he said to the man who pulled him out…