Author: Shamik Chakrabarty

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai Kuldeep Yadav tossed it up in the air and lured Salman Agha out of his crease. It was a conventional left-arm wrist-spin delivery, but Kuldeep had bowled it slower through the air. And then, the ball dipped, catching the batsman in no-man’s land. By that time, Agha’s attempted flick over square leg had become the wrong option. As the ball turned after pitching and took the leading edge, he was a dead man walking. By Ravindra Jadeja’s standards, the catch at cover-point was a dolly. Jadeja himself was at the centre of action before Agha’s dismissal,…

Shamik Chakrabarty in DubaiThe decision had to be taken on specious presumption. The Indian cricket team was enjoying a day off, making things a bit difficult for the group of hacks who have assembled here in Dubai to cover the Champions Trophy. As a journalist, words are your currency, but you need a subject to put those words in order. On the days when the team is training or playing matches, filing stories is relatively easy. Once again, as a reporter, you don’t take sides. You write what you see. But what do you do on a day when there’s no…

On Monday, a day after Pakistan fell to their kryptonite, Osman Samiuddin, the country’s most accomplished cricket writer, made a post on X (formerly Twitter). It said: “It says much about how broken/toxic Pak cricket ecosystem is that a number of PCB mentors (on 50 lakh PKR monthly) are also on air, lucrative media gigs, criticising the team (which they had an informal ok on, for selecting), system (which they work in).” Osman, who now lives in London, is the author of The Unquiet Ones: A History of Pakistan Cricket. He knows his stuff inside out. As he pointed out,…

-Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai “Bade bhaiya toh humare ek hi bhaiya hai, Virat bhai (I have only one elder brother, Virat bhai),” Kuldeep Yadav said with a smile. There was no disrespect to his other teammates. In fact, the left-arm wrist-spinner would soon say how it has been a privilege to share the dressing room with two great players – Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The respect for Kohli is not limited to Kuldeep in this Indian team. Even Jasprit Bumrah, out injured at the moment, who watched his mates in action against Pakistan in Dubai International Stadium on Sunday from…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai A comprehensive six-wicket loss to India in a win-or-bust game has put defending champions Pakistan on the brink of Champions Trophy elimination. One expected Mohammad Rizwan to be downbeat. The Pakistan captain must be hurting inside, but at the post-match press conference, he turned into a Virat Kohli fanboy. Kohli scored a match-winning 100 not out off 111 balls that wowed even his rivals. “First, let’s talk about Virat Kohli,” he told reporters. “I am surprised at his hard work. He must have worked so hard. The world says he is out of form, but he…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai It felt like a déjà vu moment. Mohammed Shami looked to be in some discomfort and the Indian team physiotherapist came rushing to the field to tend to his right calf and ankle. The game was only five overs old after Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat. The fast bowler was wayward to start with. His first over had five wides. Five deliveries in that over were called separately for being wide. Shami played the 2023 World Cup with an ankle injury. It forced him to go under the surgeon’s knife after the tournament,…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai Shubman Gill’s form in the nets was making us gushing — those who watched him at close quarters at the ICC Academy. His match form is touching sublimity. Gill scored an unbeaten century in India’s Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh. That was an excellent effort all right, but the validation of his purple patch came in the Pakistan game — in the seventh over during India’s chase to be precise. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was pedestrian to start with, suddenly came up with an in-swinging yorker to castle Rohit Sharma. His tail up, the fast bowler…

Beyond his cricket, Sarfaraz Ahmed is a good singer. Those who have listened to his rendition of bahaaron phool barsaao would attest. It might still be available on YouTube. Then, there’s the small matter of Sarfaraz being a Champions Trophy-winning captain. Pakistan had beaten India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final at The Oval under his leadership. As the tournament has returned after an eight-year hiatus, the 37-year-old is working in a different capacity – an ambassador of the ongoing event. On Sunday, as India and Pakistan played at the Dubai International Stadium, Sarfaraz met a select group of reporters…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai This is an India-Pakistan game with a difference. The backdrop provides more spice. Pakistan hosting an ICC event and India refusing to travel across the border was on the cards. Given the security situation on the other side of Wagah, it was always unlikely that the Indian government would allow the team to travel. Using England and Australia as reference points, that they are playing in Pakistan, is as naive as it is dud. The geopolitical factors in India-Pakistan relations are completely different. Back in July last year, RevSportz broke the story that the 2025 Champions…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai Virat Kohli hit the nets early, two hours before the scheduled start of India’s practice session on Saturday. Consequently, the whole team advanced its training schedule. The media advisory issued by the ICC stated that the Indian team would train at the ICC Academy ground in Dubai from 1 pm local time (2.30 pm IST). However, Kohli arrived around 11 am local time, accompanied by some support staff—specifically, the throwdown specialists. His teammates followed about an hour later. Kohli’s net session began with throwdowns before shifting his focus to playing spin. Some local net bowlers were…