Author: WebDesk

India v New Zealand – Dharamsala, October 22 The HPCA stadium, nestled in the backdrop of snow-capped mountains, is a picturesque ground, at an altitude of 1,457m. Generally, the tracks in Dharamsala offer pace and bounce. True bounce helps the pacers to extract some life out of the surface, and also gives full value for shots. In the IPL 2023, we saw high scores at the venue. Rajasthan Royals chased down 188 against Punjab Kings, while Delhi Capitals managed 213 against Punjab. Incidentally, three of the four ODIs played at that ground have been won by the team batting second.…

India vs Pakistan – Ahmedabad, October 15 India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City, Ahmedabad is steeped in history and tradition. Sprawling on either bank of the Sabarmati, it is known for its rich heritage, art and crafts, cuisine and for being the home of many cotton mills for more than a century and a half. The pitches are largely expected to be batter friendly, irrespective of whether the match is played on a red-soil surface or a black-soil track. Given that it’s early in the Indian season, the pitches could be lively enough to interest the pacers as well. The…

India vs Afghanistan – New Delhi, October 11. During the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the pitches in Delhi were among the most difficult to bat on, with encouragement for both spin bowlers and pacers with variations. In October, however, the surfaces could be much more lively. Given the phalanx of slow bowlers that Afghanistan have, India would anyway prefer a pitch with some pace and bounce, rather than one that’s slow and low. Though one of India’s historic venues, the Arun Jaitley Stadium, formerly known as the Feroz Shah Kotla, has fallen down the pecking order in…

Vaibhav Tripathi Ahead of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne experienced an injury scare during a practice session. He was hit on the arm, causing him momentary discomfort. Labuschagne was visibly in pain and briefly went down on his knees. However, he recovered quickly and resumed batting with Australia assistant coach Michael Di Venuto, appearing comfortable despite the incident. Labuschagne, ranked number three in Test cricket, is expected to feature prominently in the upcoming match. Di Venuto stated that Labuschagne showed great determination by carrying on with his batting practice despite being struck on the arm,…

Vaibhav Tripathi Ravi Shastri, the former India head coach, has observed that Hardik Pandya should be appointed as the captain of the white-ball national team after the conclusion of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023. Hardik has impressed since taking over the captaincy role of the Indian T20I side and also in the IPL, where he has achieved remarkable success with the Gujarat Titans (GT). In his two years as captain, the team won the IPL title in 2022 and reached the final this year, albeit losing to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Although Pandya has not played Test…

In a major development the Guwahati High Court has issued a stay order on the forthcoming Wrestling Federation of India elections on 11 July. Just when things seemed to be getting back for wrestling, the wrangling between the protesting wrestlers and Yogeshwar Dutt notwithstanding, one has to wait and see what this order means for the future of the sport in India going forward. While it shouldn’t impact the Asian Games trials and other camps with the ad hoc body now in charge, what it does mean is the WFI will not have a new President on 11 July. What…

Vaibhav Tripathi Cheteshwar Pujara, after being dropped from the Indian Test team, will now be participating in the Duleep Trophy 2023. He has been selected to represent the West Zone side. Suryakumar Yadav, another Indian cricketer, will also be part of the West Zone team. Suryakumar has been included in the ODI squad for the West Indies tour, but as the ODI series starts only on July 27, he will be available to play for West Zone in the tournament. The West Zone selection committee, led by Sanjay Patel from the Mumbai Cricket Association, has informed the other committee members…

Vaibhav Tripathi Following a memorable win over the West Indies, Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikanda Raza voiced his satisfaction with the team’s resilient performance. He emphasized the essential role of perseverance and belief, asserting that skills naturally unfold as a consequence. Raza also recognized the contributions of Ryan Burl, who played a crucial role in the team’s total of 268 with a commendable half-century. Zimbabwe maintained their unbeaten streak in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers with a 35-run victory over the West Indies in Harare on Saturday, April 24th. Raza himself played a pivotal role in the victory, contributing 68 runs with…

Sikandar Raza’s brilliant all-round show (68 off 58 balls and 2-36) and Tendai Chatara’s timely strikes piloted Zimbabwe to a crucial 35-run victory against the West Indies in a World Cup Qualifier in Harare. West Indies were bowled out for 233, chasing 269 for victory. At 217 for 6 in the 41st over, West Indies were very much in the game. But the experienced Jason Holder guided one to Joylord Gumble, the wicketkeeper, off Chatara. And that was followed by a collapse, with Chatara (3-52) and Raza combining to run through the lower order. Keemo Paul tried to reverse-sweep but…

Vaibhav Tripathi In a significant development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has granted permission for both the men’s and women’s teams to compete in the upcoming Asian Games 2023. However, due to the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 clashing with the Games, Indian men’s team will be represented by a second-string side. The women’s senior team will showcase their skills in the T20I matches at the Asiad. The BCCI is working diligently to finalize the players’ list, which will be submitted to the Indian Olympic Association before the end of June. Initially, there were concerns within…