Author: Gargi Raut

The Indian Premier League has evolved from a concept to one of India’s biggest sporting powers. Lalit Modi, the former IPL commissioner, built the league from the ground up and controversies were his biggest tool in getting people to hype up the league without having to spend a penny. “You can’t buy breaking news,” Lalit chuckled. The idea was to get the nation talking about the league and as long as the media was writing about the IPL, good or bad, the job was getting done. As 8 sports journalists sat in the terrace of Modi’s 3 storey mansion…

In a recent development, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a plethora of significant changes in the playing conditions that will affect Tests, ODIs and T20Is. Some of the rules are already in effect and the rest will be introduced in July 2025. The new rules cover everything from the pace of the match to the use of equipment, to even concussion protocols and fielding regulations. The new changes will make a substantial impact in an already rapidly evolving game. One change that will most have the biggest impact on the game will be the introduction of the stop clock…

Gargi Raut at the Headingley Cricket Ground The final ball has been bowled, centuries scored and catches dropped. The first Test match between India and England is done and dusted, and while many of us try to wrap our heads around the absolute drama that unfolded in the five days, there are still multiple experiences to look back on and revel in. From the warm ‘Yorkshire Tea Cake’ welcome in the press box to getting a chance to explore the pitch up close once the match was over, there were so many experiences that will be cherished forever by…

Gargi Raut in Leeds We are witnessing one of the biggest, most important transitions in the history of Indian Test cricket. With Shubman Gill at the helm, leading a fairly inexperienced side, battling it out in English conditions. India pushed the home team till the final session and while many will look back on the match as an aberration—considering the sheer amount of dropped catches, misfields and wayward bowling, there are still some positives to look back on. But in hindsight, did India play their best XI? Looking at Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling and the turn he was extracting from the…

Gargi Raut in Leeds Rishabh Pant fought all odds to be where he is today. While we enjoy his theatrics and cartwheel celebrations, only a few understand the extent of the injuries that he sustained in the car accident that left him out of cricket for 15 months. The India vice-captain has been impressive with the bat, scoring two centuries in the same match, in challenging English conditions—a feat no Indian wicket keeper had ever achieved. From the hospital bed to a twin-centurion in England, Pant has walked a long path and Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, one of the India’s best…

Gargi Raut at Headingley Rishabh Pant walked in at the start of Day 4 with the weight of the world on his shoulders. The captain, Shubman Gill, had trudged back to the pavilion after playing on to a Brydon Carse delivery under grey skies and piercing winds. Pant knew that he had to take responsibility for steering the ship. While KL Rahul stood firm at one end and India had three more batters to fall back on, the job was far from over. In tricky English conditions, with Carse, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes running in with the new ball,…

Gargi Raut in Leeds KL Rahul, India’s senior opener, missed out on a well-deserved half-century in the first innings, but not this time around. He has done his job to the T in challenging English conditions. With Yashasvi Jaiswal returning to the pavilion early at the start of India’s second innings, and Sai Sudharsan losing his wicket close to the end of the third day’s play, Rahul had his job cut out for him. When Shubman Gill chopped a brilliant delivery from Brydon Carse back on to his stumps this morning, the pressure only grew. With the Dukes…

As the rain clouds receded at Headingley, and the Indian bowling attack stepped out on the field, Jasprit Bumrah was once again instrumental in creating some serious pressure every time he had the ball in his hand. In his first spell, every ball of Bumrah’s was an event, he was creating at least a couple of opportunities for a wicket in every over he bowled. Three wickets, sending high quality batters walking back to the pavilion, all with deliveries that stunned them. But the biggest story of the day was again the fact that he was doing it all alone. …

Gargi Raut in Leeds The all-important five-match Test series between India and England is all set to begin tomorrow at Headingley in Leeds. Both teams have already begun their preparations, and the first practice session suggested different approaches by the two teams. Team India, under its new captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gauatm Gambhir, who returned after a short trip to India owing to a personal emergency, kicked off things with a morning training session that lasted nearly four hours. It wasn’t a light hit-out by any means, the team trained with intensity and focus and the batters were…

Gargi Raut at Headingley India’s first practice session at the Headingley cricket ground began at 9:30 (BST) in the morning. Starting off with a team huddle, warm-up drills and light fielding drills, the practice session took an interesting turn after the nets session began. Two net sessions ran simultaneously, with the Indian bowlers batting against local bowlers in one of the net sessions. But the real action unfolded in what looked like the ‘main’ net session. Yashavi Jaiswal and KL Rahul were the first ones in. With two nets next to each other, the batter would take throw downs, then…