Author: RevSportz Comment

So far at this World Cup, there has been a chasm in class between India’s batters and bowlers and the rest. That state of affairs clearly doesn’t sit well with some. In the build-up to the India-New Zealand semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, much of the social-media buzz centered on the pitch chosen for the game. That it wasn’t a fresh one raised accusations of home-team favouritism and meddling. “Changes to planned pitch rotations are common towards the end of an event of this length, and has already happened a couple of times,” said an ICC spokesperson. “This…

In the end, that unprecedented 50th ODI hundred came at the most appropriate venue – the Wankhede Stadium, where Sachin Tendulkar had been a ball boy during the 1987 World Cup, the first one that India hosted. Given how Virat Kohli had batted in the World Cup so far, it had always seemed a matter of when, not if. In any case, maybe we need to get over the century obsession. The late Peter Roebuck always used to say that Tendulkar’s greatest ODI innings wasn’t one of those 49 tons, but the 98 he scored under huge pressure in a…

India: A+ Top of the class, by a country mile. What millions of fans want to know now is whether they can ace the final exam. They were asked difficult questions at times in the league phase, most notably by Australia in their opening game when they slipped to 2-3 in the pursuit of a modest total. But each subsequent mini-crisis saw a player or three step up and do the needful. Five of the batters have over 250 runs, and each of the five frontline bowlers has at least 12 wickets. Which other team could afford to bench R…

“It’s just a World Cup so you have to take the heat somehow,” Ramiz Raja told the BBC’s Test Match Special after England’s comfortable 93-run victory in Bengaluru had put the full stop on a disastrous Pakistan campaign. “The problem with this team is it has the potential to play modern-day cricket but they have been a bit shy and timid with their approach.” Of course, having been Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman as recently as last year, Raja had to be diplomatic with his choice of words. But here’s a reality check. ‘Shy and timid’ pretty much describes Pakistan’s…

RevSportz Comment We know what you’re thinking. What a ridiculous clickbait headline. Which lunatic would compare the four-time rugby world champions, South Africa’s mighty Springboks, with a cricket team that had won precisely five World Cup matches before Tuesday night’s thrilling tussle with Australia, five-time winners of cricket’s premier trophy? But bear with us for a minute. Think beyond mere runs and wickets. Cast your mind back to what Siya Kolisi, the Springboks’ captain, said after edging out the All Blacks in the World Cup final. “People who are not from South Africa don’t understand what it means for our…

Marking his guard in the first over in an ODI against Sri Lanka might have taken Virat Kohli back more than 15 years, to where it all began. The middle of nowhere. The Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in central Sri Lanka is as far from the madding crowd as you can get. Near the historic rock fortress of Sigiriya and surrounded by jungle, it was a world removed from the Feroz Shah Kotla which was Kohli’s home ground when he was making his way in domestic cricket. That morning, in the heart of Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle, Kohli opened the…

Just over half a century ago, after Liverpool had clinched the third and last of the league titles they would win under his watch, Bill Shankly walked across the Anfield pitch to soak in the adulation pouring down from the stands. As they chanted his name and sang paeans in his honour, Shankly raised his arms as though acknowledging the Messiah status he enjoyed among the faithful. They responded by throwing scarves, bobble hats and anything else that was handy. As they fell in and around the goal at the Kop end, a policeman tried to kick them away. Shankly…

The most boring ODIs are usually the ones where the team batting first scores over 350. The remaining four hours are usually an utter waste of the spectators’ time, with the chasing side either skittled in quick time, or limping to a total that will minimize damage to their net run-rate, if it’s a multi-nation tournament. Such games almost always lack drama, which is the very essence of sport. This is not just an opinion either. The match in Dharamsala was the 4,684th ODI. Of those, 141 had been won by teams batting first and making 350 or more. Only…

In the end, there was no 49th ODI hundred. There didn’t need to be. But given how Virat Kohli has batted in the World Cup so far, it seems a matter of when, not if. And in any case, maybe we need to get over the century obsession. The late Peter Roebuck always used to say that Sachin Tendulkar’s greatest ODI innings wasn’t one of those 49 tons, but the 98 he scored under huge pressure in a World Cup run chase against Pakistan (Centurion, 2003). To understand the player Kohli is today, you perhaps have to go back to…

A Revsportz Comment “The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lodged another formal protest with the ICC over delays in visas for Pakistani journalists and the absence of a visa policy for Pakistan fans for the ongoing World Cup 2023. The PCB has also filed a complaint regarding inappropriate conduct targeted at the Pakistan squad during the India vs Pakistan match held on 14 October 2023.” This was a statement put out by the PCB on Tuesday evening. The key phrase in it is ‘inappropriate conduct’. Visas, whether for journalists or fans, are beyond the ICC’s purview, and inextricably linked to…