Author: Shamik Chakrabarty

A politically correct statement was expected from the BCCI to douse the fire, rather rumours, and it came from its vice-president Rajeev Shukla. “This is a completely wrong statement to be made,” Shukla told reporters in Delhi on Monday. “There’s no rift between the chairman of the selection committee (Ajit Agarkar) and the coach (Gautam Gambhir). There’s no rift between the captain (Rohit Sharma) and the coach. It’s all rubbish that’s being spread by a section of the media.” Turning the attention towards the media and accusing it of trying to create unrest is an age-old tactic of the powers-that-be.…

Exhibit 1: Gabriel Jesus fouls Bruno Fernandes on top of Arsenal’s penalty box. Referee Andrew Madley overlooks it and books Fernandes for dissent. Manchester United are denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Exhibit 2: Kai Havertz runs into Harry Maguire and dives shamelessly. The referee signals towards the spot. Atrocious. There is not even a feather touch. Altay Bayindir saves Martin Odegaard’s penalty. Poetic justice! As United and Arsenal played an FA Cup third round fixture at the Emirates on Sunday, Madley insulted football. United were at the receiving end of seven bookings to Arsenal’s one. Diogo Dalot was red-carded for…

The Kolkata derby played in Guwahati on Saturday was a damp squib. Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC, the country’s two biggest football clubs, played in front of 3,000-odd fans and the atmosphere was completely missing. Jamie Maclaren scored the fastest derby goal in the history of the Indian Super League (ISL), on two minutes, securing three points for Mohun Bagan. In the grand scheme of things, though, it was reduced to a subplot. The game was moved out of Kolkata because the local administration couldn’t make adequate security arrangements due to the Gangasagar festival. And the FSDL,…

When the wheels come off for great teams, they unravel quickly and spectacularly. It happened to Australia under Ricky Ponting, after the legends – Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist – retired en masse. It happened to Alastair Cook’s England, who won an Ashes Down Under and a Test series in India. Indian cricket had been there before, in 2011-12, on the heels of back-to-back whitewashes in England and Australia. The current streak offers a throwback. Dressing-room discord was an issue for the Indian team in Australia in 2011-12 also, with some players – Virender Sehwag and…

To start with, Rohit Sharma the Test batter and the white-ball player need to be de-hyphenated. His race in the long-form is all but run, notwithstanding a belligerent TV interview where he rubbished the retirement rumours. Rohit had a forgettable Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia — 31 runs from five innings at an average of 6.20. One-day cricket, however, is a different ball game. Unless the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee pulls off a coup, Rohit will lead India in the Champions Trophy — the eight-team ODI event starting on February 19. Maybe, after the red-ball horror show Down Under, the 37-year-old…

India started with a bang and ended with a whimper. The victory in Perth felt like a perfect atonement for a home series whitewash against New Zealand and it had set up the Border-Gavaskar Trophy nicely. Over the course, however, the tourists fizzled, as Australia started to sizzle. A 3-1 series win in favour of the hosts was a fair result. Here’s the lowdown on some individual performances. Rohit Sharma Missed the first Test for the birth of his second child and looked listless as a batter and a captain in the next three games. Stood himself down in the…

Maybe, it was befitting that the final act of an absorbing series came down to a last two innings shootout. India, save Rishabh Pant’s blitzkrieg, faltered. At lunch on Day 3 of the third Test in Sydney, Australia were 71/3, needing another 91 runs to win the game and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Anything still can happen in this glorious game of uncertainty, but the hosts will fancy their chances against a Jasprit Bumrah-less Indian attack. On a pitch that still has enough for the fast bowlers, Australia are going at more than five runs per over. Both Mohammed Siraj and…

The denouement of a 149-minute episode (innings) was a tad unsatisfying. Rishabh Pant tried to pull a Scott Boland delivery that was a touch short. On a normal pitch, the shot was on. On a spicy SCG surface, the delivery hurried the batsman and took the toe-end of the bat to Pat Cummins at mid-on. On the face of it, the left-hand batter was done in by another wrong choice of shot. But it is important to judge things in the right context. Yes, the dismissal was down to an error of judgment, as Pant picked the wrong length to…

Dropping Rohit Sharma for the final Test between India and Australia wasn’t solely Gautam Gambhir’s call, RevSportz understands. It was taken in consultation with chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who had a conversation with the captain after the Indian team landed in Sydney. Other members of the selection panel, too, were kept in the loop. Rohit missed the first Test in Perth, staying back in India for the birth of his second child. India won that game under Jasprit Bumrah’s captaincy. After joining the team, Rohit has played three Tests, scoring just 31 runs from five innings at an average…

When was the last time the pitch determined a captain’s inclusion in the playing XI? Has it ever happened in 148 years of Test cricket? The final Test between India and Australia starts tomorrow in Sydney. And on the match eve, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir remained coy over Rohit Sharma’s inclusion, citing the pitch factor and adding to the intrigue. If you can read between the lines, for all practical purposes, Rohit’s race is run, after an average of 6.20 from five innings in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. “We are going to have a look at the wicket…