Author: Shamik Chakrabarty

Any Hollywood display at the IPL mega auction from Chennai Super Kings was never going to happen. They were always going to stick to their tried-and-tested formula that has given them five IPL titles. The most successful franchise, along with Mumbai Indians, in the league had retained their core, spending Rs 65 crore. They went to the auction with a purse of Rs 55 crore, aiming to build the team around the retained players. There was no scrambling. CSK calmly went about their business. Hits: The primary target for the Chennai-based franchise was to bring back the players they couldn’t…

What did Jasprit Bumrah do after presiding over India’s biggest-ever win by runs in a SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) country? The stand-in skipper gave a cultured put-down to the naysayers. At the post-match presentation, Bumrah was asked about Virat Kohli’s form. “I didn’t see Virat out of form,” he said. “Difficult to judge that on difficult pitches. But he was good at the nets.” Don’t miss the veiled dig at the lottery pitches at home as well. Throughout the first Test that India won by 295 runs, after being bowled out for 150 in their first…

Andrew McDonald was enduring the pain with stoicism. At the press conference after the second day’s play between India and Australia, Australia’s head coach conceded that the hosts were “well behind the game.” As he had to do, McDonald added that things could change quickly on Day 3. Two wicketless sessions have put India in the ascendancy in the first Test. An unbroken 172-run opening partnership between KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal has all but slammed the door shut on the Aussies. Unless the tourists implode spectacularly early on the third day, this is their game to lose now. Out…

The host broadcaster’s stump mic in Perth has unhindered clarity unlike the occasionally sparse visuals during replays that nipped a promising KL Rahul’s innings in the bud. As Steve Smith arrived at the crease, Rishabh Pant was in his element. “The legend is pressured,” chirped the Indian wicketkeeper. A ball later, Smith was gone. Jasprit Bumrah made one jag back a mile to trap the former Australia captain leg-before. The stand-in India captain was making the ball talk. In the commentary box, Wasim Akram was ecstatic. “He (Bumrah) is the world’s best bowler,” the legendary former Pakistan quick screamed. That…

“It’s all happening.” Yes, we miss Bill Lawry and his unmistakable nasal twang. A Richie Benaud-sized void in cricket commentary probably will never be filled. He was the master of reticence. He was the master of them all. When Cricket Australia signed a six-year deal with the Seven Network and Fox Sports in April 2018, giving them the rights to broadcast the Australian summer of cricket, at the expense of Channel Nine, a part of our childhood was gone. The newcomers ponied up A$1.182 billion and brought in some very good commentators. But the Australian summers were never the same…

On Monday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi paid a visit to Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium to see the renovation work. The venues that will host the Champions Trophy matches next year have been going through the busy fingers of regeneration. With December 31 being the ICC deadline, there’s a race against time. At the moment though, this is of secondary concern for the PCB. There’s a serious doubt whether Pakistan will get to host the Champions Trophy in its entirety. With the BCCI making its stand clear and refusing to send the team across the border for the tournament,…

The team Things didn’t go to plan for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the 2024 IPL. They came into the tournament as the defending champions but failed to qualify for the playoffs. Injuries to key players played a part. Also, the team was going through a captaincy transition, with MS Dhoni handing over the reins to Ruturaj Gaikwad. After the tournament, this correspondent asked CSK chief executive Kasi Viswanathan about how the management reacted to the failure. He was never going to press the panic button. “We are not going to win every year,” Viswanathan had said. “We had several…

Devdutt Padikkal is set to be included in the Indian squad in Australia, it is learnt. According to sources, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has decided to add the left-hand batsman as an additional member, with Rohit Sharma not playing the first Test. The India captain has informed the BCCI that he will miss the series opener in Perth after the birth of his second child, as he wants to spend some time with his family before going to Australia. Jasprit Bumrah will lead India in the first Test, starting on November 22. Padikkal went to Australia with the India…

On Saturday morning, a day after Rohit Sharma and his wife Ritika Sajdeh welcomed their second child, a baby boy, a story was doing the rounds that the India captain would be off to Australia by November 18 and would be available for the Perth Test. A source in the know, however, told RevSportz that the Indian team was yet to receive any update on Rohit’s arrival Down Under. By evening, reports emerged that the skipper has decided to skip the series opener to spend some time with his family. He would be available from the second Test in Adelaide…

Bengal won a humdinger at Indore, beating Madhya Pradesh by 11 runs in their Ranji Trophy game that ended on Saturday. In the grand scheme of things, there was even better news – Mohammed Shami passed his match-fitness test with flying colours. Shami returned to competitive cricket after a gap of one year and he was closely monitored by the NCA physio Nitin Patel. The fast bowler bowled 43.2 overs across two innings, took seven wickets and never did he look in any sort of trouble. Has he done enough to be added as an additional member in the Indian…