Author: Shamik Chakrabarty

On social media, the battle lines are drawn. It’s Ro-Ko versus Gautam Gambhir, and if you go by the keyboard warriors and armchair experts, the two senior players aren’t on talking terms with the head coach. Going by Sitanshu Kotak, India’s batting coach, nothing could be further from the truth. “They discuss with Gautam about the ODI format, the matches we have, our plans going to South Africa,” said Kotak at the pre-match press conference. “So most of the time I’m there and if I’m listening, they definitely share the experience and I always see them talking. Obviously, on social…

Technically, it was a dropped catch, by Glenn Phillips’ standards. Zak Foulkes bowled outside off and Shubman Gill cut it hard. At backward point, Phillips took flight and met the ball mid-air to his left, his body almost parallel to the ground. The ball didn’t stick and the Kiwi super-athlete was disappointed. For lesser mortals, he saved a certain four, but Phillips is the modern-day Jonty Rhodes. In the Indian dressing room, a wide-eyed Virat Kohli held his head in disbelief. Out there in the middle, Gill broke into a smile. As is his wont, Phillips wowed the fans with…

Here is the list — Ranjitsinhji, Duleepsinhji, Amar Singh, Vinoo Mankad, Salim Durani, Karsan Ghavri, Dilip Doshi, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja. There are others like Jaydev Unadkat, but we are sticking to the Saurashtra cricket legends here. This region immensely contributed to the growth of Indian cricket since the late 19th century. It takes pride in its history and heritage. No wonder that Jaydev Shah, the former Saurashtra captain and the incumbent president of the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), isn’t too bothered about the off-the-field build-up for the second ODI between India and New Zealand, to be played here…

Shamik Chakrabarty, Vadodara About a month-and-a-half ago, as Virat Kohli returned to play international cricket in India after a substantial gap, he was under pressure. An unbeaten half-century and a match-winning partnership with Rohit Sharma in the final ODI against Australia in Sydney had given the two senior citizens of the team some breathing space, but doubts remained. Can they go on until the 2027 World Cup? Can Rohit and Kohli, who now play in only one format, have a second wind? Rohit had changed his approach in white-ball cricket a couple of years ago, at the…

There’s a big question mark over Washington Sundar’s participation in the remaining two matches of the series after he suffered a side strain during the first ODI between India and New Zealand in Vadodara on Sunday. At the post-match press conference, Harshit Rana confirmed the injury, saying: “Washington Sundar has a side strain. He was in pain while batting. Our medical team will assess and will update.” Washington came out to bat at No. 8 after Harshit and was visibly struggling to run between the wickets. Rishabh Pant has already been ruled out of the series due to an injury,…

By now, Harshit Rana has gotten used to the trolls on social media, a medium that gives poison a platform. A couple of months ago, during the home series against South Africa, the 24-year-old had spoken about developing a nice habit of ignoring the abuse. “If I keep thinking about that, I won’t be able to play,” he had said. This Indian team is good at shutting out the outside noise. It kept backing the youngster, believing that at the moment he is the team’s best bet to fill in the bowling all-rounder’s slot at No. 8 in white-ball cricket.…

Being at the right headspace is a big part of Virat Kohli’s preparation. By his own admission, at this stage of his career, Kohli’s cricket is “all mental”. Of late, he has been in a happy space, batting with a smile. The freedom and ease have been making his batting wonderfully easy on the eye. On Sunday, against New Zealand in Vadodara, the master batsman completed 28,000 international runs and went on to score 93 off 91 balls. All the while, it felt like a glorified nets session. The first 20 balls he faced, Kohli hit six fours. He toyed…

Beyond India and New Zealand, who are playing the first ODI of a three-match series here in Vadodara, the game also categorically proved that the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s security concerns as regards sending their team for the T20 World Cup are unfounded. Bangladesh’s Sharfuddoula is the TV umpire in this game, an ICC appointee, and he has been doing his job unfettered, without any trouble. The on-field umpires are Richard Illingworth from England and KN Ananthapadmanabhan from India. When the BCB sent its first letter to the ICC, in the wake of Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from the IPL, it urged…

Rishabh Pant is ruled out of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand that starts here in Vadodara on Sunday. There’s no official confirmation from the Indian team or the BCCI yet, as they prefer to wait. But according to sources, wicketkeeper-batsman has sustained a muscle tear and will be out. Pant was hit just below the ribs while taking throwdowns at the nets during India’s optional practice session at the BCA Stadium on Saturday. Before that, he looked to be in great touch, striking the ball well. RevSportz was the first to report the incident, along with the picture.…

On the face of it, the three-match ODI series against New Zealand that starts here in Vadodara on Sunday doesn’t have much relevance. T20 cricket is the flavour of the month with a World Cup around the corner and the next 50-over showpiece is almost two years away. It’s not that the teams are taking the series lightly. Professional athletes don’t do that. Even during India’s optional training session on the match eve, Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj were present. Pant played an audacious reverse-pull at the nets before being…