Author: RevSportz Comment

In the nine years since he made his ODI debut in Sydney, Jasprit Bumrah has played just 89 ODIs. To put that into some perspective, Irfan Pathan played 72 in the three years (2004-06) when he was considered India’s great pace-bowling hope. While that’s a reflection of how the bilateral ODI is now international cricket’s unwanted stepchild, it also indicates how few teams now bother with the notion of easing their top stars into major events. From the time he caught the eye as the quirkiest of white-ball specialists, Bumrah was viewed as an X-factor for big-ticket events. He played…

For present-day followers of the English Premier League (EPL), Tottenham Hotspur are part of the so-called Big Six, even though neither they nor Manchester United are remotely in touch in this season’s title race. Spurs, though, have always been the odd team out. Since the EPL was formed over 30 years ago, we have seen Manchester City and Chelsea emerge from relative obscurity to conquer even Europe. Arsenal enjoyed a golden age in the first decade of Arsene Wenger’s stewardship, while Sir Alex Ferguson rewrote the record books at United. Even Liverpool, though they had to wait for Jurgen Klopp…

The western media has long patted itself on the back for the alleged impartiality of its news coverage. Even though the advent of channels like Fox News and GB News exposed such claims as hollow, the blatant bias has seldom found its way into the sporting space. While most outlets adopt a patriotic or nationalistic stance when it comes to sporting events, it’s pretty rare for political events to have an impact on the playing field or just outside it. Now, however, notions of neutrality have been blown out of the water. Peter Lalor has been The Australian’s chief cricket…

Marcus Rashford played more games for Manchester United (426) than Denis Law (405) and David Beckham (394). He is one of only 18 players to have scored 100 or more goals for the Red Devils. In fact, had he featured more regularly under Ruben Amorim, it was quite likely that Rashford (138 goals) would have gone past Cristiano Ronaldo (145) and maybe even Ruud van Nistelrooy (150) in the all-time goal-scorers’ list. But as things stands, Rashford, the local boy who joined United’s academy at seven, will likely never wear the famous shirt again. Even if Amorim leaves – and…

RevSportz Comment Those that were part of the 1991 Ranji Trophy final, played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in May 1991, still talk of it to this day. Kapil Dev’s all-round efforts in the autumn of his career, the unheralded Deepak Sharma being dismissed for 199, Ajay Jadeja, Chetan Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar narrowly missing out on hundreds. But most of all, Dilip Vengsarkar’s epic unbeaten 139 as Mumbai fell an agonising two runs short of the 355-run target set by Haryana. The abiding image of that match is of a disconsolate Vengsarkar walking off even as Kapil and…

Long-time Manchester United fans will see the irony of it better than most. About 20 months ago, a statue of Jimmy Murphy was unveiled behind the Stretford End. Yet, by the time this transfer window closes, two star pupils from United’s academy might have left the club. The owners may as well cover the statue with a steaming pile of s**t. It’s hard to put into words just what Murphy meant to United. Few would argue at the suggestion that, after Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson, he is the third-most important figure in the club’s history. For a…

RevSportz Comment After nearly a decade of milk and honey, this has been the season from hell for Manchester City. Treble winners just over 18 months ago, they sit in fifth in the English Premier League table, having won just half of their 22 matches so far. It’s even more embarrassing in the revamped Champions League, with the pre-tournament favourites in 24th place (out of 36) ahead of tonight’s clash with Paris Saint-Germain. At most clubs, such a scenario would have meant endless doom and gloom. But not for City. The glaring flaws of the pack chasing Liverpool mean that…

RevSportz Comment If you go by the irate reaction to India’s squad selection for the upcoming Champions Trophy, you’d think Ajit Agarkar and his panel had chosen a couple of goatherds from Jhumri Telaiya and not some of the best cricketers to have ever played the 50-over format. Some of the abuse directed at individual cricketers and the selectors is a reminder of the immaturity and illogical nature of big sections of India’s cricket fan base. Just consider this. Only six Indian batters have averaged over 45 in ODI cricket while scoring at least 2000 runs. Sachin Tendulkar, the greatest…

In years to come, it may well become a trivia question. Which football legend played for two of the greatest managers of all time, and then scored the goal that relegated the club of his heart? That was the inimitable Denis Law, who passed away on January 17 after suffering for years from Alzheimer’s and dementia. Only Wayne Rooney (253) and Sir Bobby Charlton (245) scored more goals for Manchester United than Law, whose tally of 237 from 404 games would have been considerably higher but for the knee problems that wrecked the second half of his career. When Bill…

RevSportz Comment When a team, especially one that had previously set benchmarks for sustained excellence, goes into a downward spiral, the conspiracy theories multiply as fast as bacteria in a petri dish. Along with that, those who weren’t part of the on-field debacles become the best players, the saviours who could potentially turn things around. In hard times, nothing enhances a player’s reputation quite like not playing. With five centuries in six innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, there’s little doubt that Karun Nair is enjoying the sort of purple patch that few ever do. The last three of those…