Author: Shamik Chakrabarty

Grapevine has it that Sanju Samson has fallen out with Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid. A franchise insider denies this. “Absolute nonsense,” he says. The tone about Sanju’s future, however, has changed. A few months ago, it was: “He will remain RR captain for the foreseeable future.” Now, asked about if the player has handed in a transfer request, the response is: “Not that I have heard of this.” That Sanju wants to leave Royals is now one of the worst-kept secrets in the IPL circles. Whether he has problems with the head coach or the franchise management…

Before deriding The Hundred that is taking place on the heels of a memorable Test series, think again. From a purist’s point of view, this is a ‘popcorn’ tournament where cricketers thrive on brawn rather than brain. But The Hundred will bankroll English cricket. There’s a deep economic inequality in English county cricket. Save a few top-tier outfits, counties don’t make money. It prompted the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to open up The Hundred. It gives the whole English cricket landscape a financial uplift. The eight Hundred franchises will generate substantial revenue, which will have a trickle-down effect.…

Chris Woakes is in excruciating pain. Gus Atkinson calls him for a debrief. England are a hit away from sealing the series. Even a tie will see them taking it 2-1. Shubman Gill wants to have a slip in place. Mohammed Siraj disagrees and sends Sai Sudharsan to fine third man. Every Indian fielder except Dhruv Jurel is manning the boundary. Atkinson expects a short ball and goes deep in his crease. Siraj plays a double bluff and bowls a yorker. In fact, it’s a full toss that doesn’t touch the ground and hits the base of off. The CricViz…

Shamik Chakrabarty Mohammed Siraj was rightly celebrated. It was a series that saw his rise from a cult hero to an icon. Befittingly, exhilaratingly, the fast bowler took the last wicket of the series decider — a pinpoint yorker that castled Gus Atkinson. From India’s point of view, it was the perfect denouement for a gripping drama that lasted six weeks. In Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, Siraj carried India’s attack on his back. But the team returning with a 2-2 scoreline was down to collective effort. New India kept stardust at arm’s length and revelled in being greater than the sum…

Shamik Chakrabarty By 6.05 pm local time on Sunday the sun was out in south London. By then, however, the match officials had decided to bring down the curtain on the fourth day’s play of the Oval Test. It felt like a hastily taken decision, for there was still an hour to manoeuvre. Stuart Broad, the former England fast bowler, wasn’t impressed. “Still 20 mins away from possible start time, everyone has their sunglasses on at the train station. Felt the supporters deserved to see a finish to that Test Match today. Felt a lazy decision to call it off…

As if the series needed more drama, play stopped for bad light with England on 339/6, chasing 374 for victory. Chris Woakes started to pace up and down in the dressing room in flannels, wearing a sling. The game suddenly changed after tea. The pitch became lively and the ball started to swing, both conventional and reverse. Prasidh Krishna has an uncanny knack of oscillating between the sublime and messy. It was the phase when he channelled his inner Sylvester Clarke — one of Surrey’s biggest fast-bowling legends. Jacob Bethell tried to hit his way out of trouble but lost…

Shamik Chakrabarty Yashasvi Jaiswal was dropped on 20 and 40, Harry Brook and Liam Dawson letting go of a couple of sitters. But when he reached his sixth Test hundred, everyone at The Oval was applauding. At the end of the day, it was a Test century. When the youngster eventually hangs up his boots, he will be judged by the number of runs scored and centuries made. The record books will not incorporate the chances dropped with an asterisk. Jaiswal’s 118 off 164 balls took India to a position of ascendency in the series decider. Intent was the buzzword,…

Shamik Chakrabarty After bowling six overs on the spin, Mohammed Siraj wanted a breather. Shubman Gill, his captain, urged him to bowl one more. Siraj, the perennial team man, agreed. He strained every sinew to unleash a yorker, good enough to make even Curtly Ambrose proud. Jacob Bethell was a sitting duck. On the spiciest pitch of the series, Jasprit Bumrah opted out to manage his workload. Siraj, yet again, stood up to be counted. His eight-over spell post-lunch changed the game. A nip-backer accounted for Ollie Pope. Gill was initially reluctant to take the review and changed his…

Shamik Chakrabarty For the first time in the ongoing England-India series, a Test match started in proper English conditions. In Blighty, it’s usually sunset in November, sunrise in March and peak summer in July. But on Thursday, the London skies were grey with intermittent showers, and The Oval pitch had a tinge of green. Poor Kuldeep Yadav… For the first four matches, team balance had kept him out of the playing XI. In the series decider, conditions played a part in his omission. Kuldeep’s Test future now looks uncertain, but that’s a different story. Shubman Gill lost his fifth…

Shamik Chakrabarty Jasprit Bumrah is fit. At the post-match press conference in Manchester, head coach Gautam Gambhir had said: “All the fast bowlers are fit. There are no injury concerns.” But the team’s best bowler won’t be turning up for the series decider at The Oval — a win-or-bust game for India. The tourists are 2-1 down in the series, but Bumrah is opting out of the final Test ostensibly under the pretext of workload management. On the face of it, this is absurd. But that’s the way it is now with Bumrah. He has become a luxury for…