Author: Shamik Chakrabarty

Shamik Chakrabarty in Chennai In all likelihood, India will play the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s next year. Whether Ravichandran Ashwin would be part of the playing XI is anyone’s guess. If the conditions call for going with just one spinner, then Ravindra Jadeja would be picked ahead of the veteran off-spinner. This has been the Indian team’s trend-set over the last several years, especially in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries. Ashwin has learned to live with the overseas snub. At home, however, he is indispensable. It’s not just about spinning a web around…

India’s top order fell prey to red-ball rustiness, but Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bailed the hosts out and took them to a position of strength. The first Test against Bangladesh was India’s first five-day game in six months. Even for the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, it wasn’t easy to immediately get into the groove. On the face of it, there were some soft dismissals that could have been avoided. But Bangladesh looking more match-ready, coming here on the heels of a two-Test series against Pakistan. They had the advantage of the conditions after winning the toss…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Chennai India broke a pattern in the first Test against Bangladesh here at Chepauk. For the first time in five years, they went with three fast bowlers in a home Test match. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep formed the pace trio. Bangladesh, too, opted for a three-pronged pace attack, with Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana in their playing XI. The last time India played three fast bowlers in a home Test was against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in 2019. It was a pink-ball, day-night Test, played on a green top. Ishant Sharma, Umesh…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Chennai Only about a month ago, Bangladesh was in ferment. People were protesting on the streets and violence was en vogue. The country has seen a regime change but deep scars still remain. Against this backdrop, the Bangladesh cricket team went to Pakistan to play two Tests and they clean-swept their hosts to achieve a historic feat. Obviously, their confidence is high as they take on India in a two-Test series, but deep down, even the Bangladesh think-tank knows the team will have to do something really special to pull off an upset here. Najmul Hossain Shanto,…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Chennai Take Jasprit Bumrah out of this Indian team, and the contest probably becomes 60-40 in favour of India. The presence of the fast bowler makes the hosts out-and-out favourites, as the two-Test series against Bangladesh commences here in Chennai on Thursday. India have a world-class spin attack, but on a red soil pitch that is unlikely to break quickly, Bumrah remains India’s biggest match-winner. Rewind to the home Test series against England earlier this year. After losing the first game, Rohit Sharma’s team needed some inspiration and Bumrah’s yorker to Ollie Pope in Vizag provided that.…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Chennai A new red-ball era is about to begin in Indian cricket under a new management. Rohit Sharma remains the captain. But the personnel around him have changed. Gautam Gambhir is the new head coach. Assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, and bowling coach Morne Morkel are also new to the set-up. Gambhir’s stint as coach has started with a mixed result in the shorter formats. India won the T20 series in Sri Lanka, but lost the ODI series, failing to counter spin on the Premadasa Stadium turners. The pitch at Chepauk, the venue for…

“Favourites hum hi hai (we are the favorites), Mohammed Shami said, when he was asked about who would be the favourites in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India have won back-to-back Test series Down Under and they will carry the confidence, when they tour Australia for a five-match series in the winter. And Shami believes India would be the favourites, not the other way round. “Chinta unhe honi chahiye, hume nahi (they should be worried about us), said Shami. “We have have won in Australia on the last two occasions.” Shami also fired a thinly-veiled warning to Bangladesh ahead of their two-Test series…

The Delhi High Court on Friday quashed the decision of the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) Players Status Committee (PSC) to suspend Anwar Ali and directed Indian football’s governing body to conduct the entire proceedings afresh. A single judge bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula was hearing petitions filed by Anwar, his current club East Bengal and his parent club Delhi FC. The PSC on September 10 had slapped a four-month ban on the India defender, and asked East Bengal and Delhi FC to pay a compensation of Rs 12.90 crore to Mohun Bagan Super Giant. East Bengal and Delhi FC…

Even by Indian football’s ever-falling standards, the failure to beat Mauritius in the Intercontinental Cup was a new low. Mauritius are placed 179th in the FIFA rankings, but Manolo Marquez’s side failed to edge them on home soil. Back in the 1970s and ’80s, players would have hesitated to step out after such a result, fearing fan fury. Now, not many people care about Indian football. So far, India have played nine matches this year, losing six and drawing three, and scoring a mere two goals. The rot has spread to age-group football as well, with India losing to Bangladesh…

The first round of Duleep Trophy matches offered real excitement. In Bengaluru, India B beat India A by 76 runs, while in Anantapur, India C got the better of India D by four wickets. After a long time, a lot of India players turned up for domestic cricket, adding to the excitement. In a season where India will play 10 Tests, starting with a two-match series against Bangladesh this month, there were some positive takeaways. Rishabh Pant The wicketkeeper-batter is returning to the Test fold after a gap of almost two years. Pant’s last Test was against Bangladesh in December…