Author: RevSportz Comment

RevSportz Comment Less than a fortnight after the heartbreak of the World Cup final in Ahmedabad, what conclusions are we to draw from the squads India have chosen for the tour of South Africa? Do they reflect long-term planning or short-term reality, or a mix of both? Does the absence of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the T20I squad mean neither is part of the plan for the T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean in June 2024? And is it now time to draw a line under the distinguished Test careers of Cheteshwar Pujara and…

“There are two teams out there; one is trying to play cricket and the other is not.” Those words, uttered by Bill Woodfull, Australia’s captain, to Pelham Warner, England’s manager, during the Bodyline series over 90 years ago are an integral part of cricket lore. Watching the third T20I between India and Australia in Guwahati on Tuesday night, one was reminded of those famous words. Only, in this case, neither team was playing cricket. What we saw instead was some bat-ball sport on speed or steroids which bore little resemblance to the game that most of us fell in love…

Exactly 30 years ago to the day, India won the Hero Cup against West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Vinod Kambli’s patient 68 led the way with the bat, while Anil Kumble (6-12) and Kapil Dev (2-18) were the wreckers with the ball. The identity of those wicket-takers is especially important given the tug-of-war we just saw played out between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians for the services of Hardik Pandya. Injured at a critical juncture of the World Cup – is there an Indian fan alive who doesn’t imagine a what-if where he and not Suryakumar Yadav had…

If ever an incident highlighted Marlon Samuels’ approach to cricket and life, it came during Brian Lara’s last game for West Indies – at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados in April 2007. West Indies’s chances of qualifying for the semi-final had long since disappeared, and the fans had flocked to the venue only to say goodbye to Lara, whose individual brilliance had often been the only consolation in a decade of steep decline. He had already struck three fours, including a trademark flourish square of the wicket off Andrew Flintoff, to race to 18 off 17 balls. Then, with…

RevSportz Comment Every self-anointed new-age guru, especially those that love to spew nonsense on social and professional platforms, is familiar with the words. They wouldn’t be able to tell you a thing about Vince Lombardi or his incredible achievement of making the small town of Green Bay the centre of the American Football universe, but the PowerPoint presentations and motivational speeches will constantly reference what Lombardi said more than half a century ago – “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” Here’s what we need to understand. Lombardi, like Bill Shankly, the other coaching visionary of that age, said a…

At one point, with the match in its closing stages and Qatar certain to take home the three points, Akram Afif had the ball on the left, deep in his own half. He nonchalantly pinged a diagonal ball 60 yards upfield. Fortunately for India, it was marginally overhit and Amrinder Singh in the India goal was able to avert danger before a Qatari player chased it down. But that little passage of play illustrated just how much of a chasm still exists between India and the best teams on the continent. Remember too that Asia’s finest are now among the…

As the dates on the calendar ticked over, from October to November, India’s momentum seemed inexorable. The towelling of South Africa at Eden Gardens was intimidating, reminiscent of Muhammad Ali toying with a succession of highly rated heavyweights in his mid-1960s prime. New Zealand gave it a proper go in the semi-final, but in the end, it was always going to come down to the ultimate test in cricket – a knockout game against Australia. Other teams have cut a swathe through previous World Cups, just as India did in 2023. But even in those tournaments, Australia found a way…

If India go on to lose this World Cup final, the shot Rohit Sharma played will be spoken about for years. Right through this tournament, Rohit’s statements of intent in the powerplay had been a massive part of India’s 10-match unbeaten run. Nasser Hussain and many others had spoken admiringly about how India’s captain had set the tone for his team. Just like playing a high line in football, the margin between success and failure is wafer-thin when you bat with such a sense of adventure. Rohit had already sauntered down the pitch to launch Glenn Maxwell for a massive…

RevSportz Comment “Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd. India lift the World Cup after 28 years…” Unless you live under a rock or at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, you would have seen and heard that clip from April 2, 2011 replayed hundreds of times across the last dozen years. It’s probably safe to say that quarter-minute of Ravi Shastri is Indian television’s moon-landing moment – ‘One small step for man’ and all that. But here’s the thing. India didn’t win the World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium. The biggest strides towards lifting it were…

Igor Stimac talks too much. There is too much focus on the coach, and his outspoken comments just bring negative attention. Who is Igor Stimac to tell the powers that be how to run Indian football? His uneasy relationship with several ISL clubs doesn’t help the sport. This is just a distilled sample of the opinions that have been aired in recent months, especially after the Indian football team’s results have tapered off. Stimac’s touchline antics, which have brought two red cards, have made him a lightning rod for criticism, and taken attention away from the mess that is football…