Author: Shamik Chakrabarty

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai Tom Latham went for a reverse sweep against Ravindra Jadeja, missed the ball and was stuck right in front of the stumps. He didn’t review the on-field decision and trudged off. New Zealand were into the 33rd over in their chase and they had lost their fourth wicket. Coming into this game, Latham had scores of 118 not out and 55 in the Champions Trophy, against Pakistan and Bangladesh, respectively. He was a reason why the Kiwis handled the middle overs so well in those matches. From India’s point of view, it was important to get…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai Whenever Virat Kohli comes out to bat, he carries a cycle of hope for his fans. Glenn Phillips stuck a fork in it and played spoilsport. “Mr Phillips, people were there to watch Mr Kohli bat, not you taking a stunner,” the good doctor (WG Grace) probably would have said if he were alive. Flippancy aside, in his 300th ODI, the Indian superstar fell prey to a glorious piece of cricket. Shubman Gill took the review as an afterthought. It was unnecessary. Matt Henry made one move late off the deck and beat the inside edge.…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai There was something remarkable in Rachin Ravindra’s 134 off 157 balls at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. It was Test cricket, but the New Zealand batter played with the tempo of the shorter formats. He took the attack to the Indian spinners and the famed spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav were caught off guard. Courtesy ESPNcricinfo stats, breaking the numbers is important here. Rachin had played 95 deliveries of spin in that innings in Bengaluru last October and scored 101 runs — 30 off 35 from Ashwin, 30 off 21 from Kuldeep and…

The Champions Trophy match between India and New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday is effectively a dead rubber. Both teams have qualified for the semi-finals and the outcome of the game will only determine the group champions and runner-up. Last time when India played a global event in this part of the world—the 2021 T20 World Cup—they were all but out of the tournament after losing their first two games. Now, they have a happy problem to live with. Usually, teams don’t skip training on match eve. But the first semi-final, on February 4, comes on the heels of Sunday’s…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai KL Rahul was frank and honest. There was no beating around the bush, no artificial attempt to hide his feelings. He admitted pressure. The question to him at the press conference on Saturday — for a change, India’s presser started 10 minutes earlier than the schedule — was about whether a player of Rishabh Pant’s talent breathing down his neck has been added pressure? Rahul replied: “It is, I won’t lie.” Rahul is a more well-rounded batter, technically sound. But what Pant can do with a piece of willow, he can’t. Very few in world cricket…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai Over the years, scoring hundreds has sort of become a batting staple for Virat Kohli in the 50-over format. He has 51 of them, the latest coming against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy. It was his 299th game. On Sunday against New Zealand, the ODI GOAT would play his 300th. Two players in the current Indian team transcend geographic boundaries and their sporting circles. Apologies to Rohit Sharma fans, but when Kohli posts moments from India’s T20 World Cup triumph on social media, Real Madrid footballer Vinicius Junior likes them. Chris Martin of the Coldplay fame…

Boris Spassky was a ‘child’ of the ‘Iron Curtain’. Maybe, that was the reason he was known more for his defeat to Bobby Fischer than his achievements. In a polarised world, it was easier for the West, with the advantage of liberalism and language, to set the narrative. And beyond the Eastern Bloc, it was widely accepted. Spassky, a world chess champion (1969-1972) from the erstwhile Soviet Union, lost his crown to Fischer, an American, in that epic 1972 title clash in Reykjavik. It was the height of the Cold War, and the rivalry assumed a clear political overtone after…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai Dubai is the favourite to host the Asia Cup this year, with the BCCI being the tournament host, it is learnt. The eight-team event, to be played in a T20 format, was supposed to be played in India. But with Pakistan’s participation, a neutral venue has to be chosen for the matches between the arch-rivals. The BCCI is rather OK with moving the entire tournament to a neutral venue. A formal decision in this regard is expected to be taken in the next Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meetings. “The BCCI might not be interested in holding…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai Spring is proving to be confusing in Dubai. The winter veil is yet to be lifted, while the summer is trying to make occasional inroads. The weather is good enough to keep one in high spirits. And after back-to-back wins against Bangladesh and Pakistan, and a place in the Champions Trophy semi-finals, the Indian players looked chirpy at the nets. Where has the excitement gone? Around 6 pm local time on Wednesday, the Indian team bus reached the ICC Academy. A full training session was on the cards and everyone, bar Shubman Gill, was present. Only…

Mohammed Shami could be rested for India’s group league game against New Zealand on March 2, RevSportz understands. To make it clear, the fast bowler is not injured. It’s about his workload management, which the team management did during the home white-ball series against England that preceded the ongoing Champions Trophy. It’s not final, but resting Shami and replacing him with Arshdeep Singh is an option that the think-tank is mulling. The helmet-catching drill is a relatively new addition in India’s training. One of the team members uses a tennis ball and hits it high in the air. Another one…