Author: WebDesk

-Atreyo Mukhopadhyay This boy used to be an opening batter during his schooldays. An employee in the accounts section of Southern Railways, his father had played third division cricket in the Chennai league as a medium-pacer. All that he wanted was to see his son play in the first division. That boy is Ravichandran Ashwin, as we know him, who has exceeded a few expectations. India’s biggest match-winner with the ball after Anil Kumble when it comes to the fourth innings of a Test match, Ashwin has also made an indelible mark with the bat. The latest example of that…

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Ashwin the Underappreciated As many Test hundreds as Andrew Flintoff and a better bowling strike-rate than Imran Khan. Despite his achievements, Ashwin hasn’t always been valued as much as he should. Ravichandran Ashwin has been Man of the Series in nine of the 36 Test series that he has played in. Just let that sink in. One in four outings. It’s an astonishing record. Only two of the greatest to ever play the game – Pakistan’s Imran Khan (8 awards from 28 series) and West Indies’ Malcolm Marshall (6 from 21) – can boast of a better record. …

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-Boria Majumdar Pressure. Perhaps the most used word when it comes to sport. Everyone who has played sport will tell you there is always pressure. From fans, parent bodies, sponsors, family and most importantly from yourself. At the end of the day a sportsperson is alone grappling with her or his own mind. A mind that is full of clutter and is constantly fighting to be freed. Of all the thoughts that keep flooding in, of the possibilities that keep disturbing the equilibrium and finally all the hope and expectation of what can be. The possibilities, options and the potential…

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Atreyo Mukhopadhyay There is no doubt about his class. At the same time, there is no doubt that his place in India’s Test XI is bound to come under scrutiny. He has Test centuries in Australia, England and South Africa. He was the standout Indian batter in the topsy-turvy series win at home against Australia in 2017. And yet, inconsistency is about to put a question mark over his Test career. That’s KL Rahul. He is staring at the bitter truth at the moment. At a time several others are knocking on India doors, he is underperforming. Because his quality…

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