Author: Shamik Chakrabarty

Looking at the bigger picture, India probably would have liked to be stretched a bit more by Ireland. As it turned out, it was a walk in the Eisenhower Park. From a team perspective, it’s difficult to learn virtually anything from a game where the opponent gets bowled out for 96 in 16 overs. But for a side like Ireland who don’t have that much experience at the highest level, the degree of difficulty was pretty high. India sauntered to 97/2 in 12.2 overs to win the match by eight wickets, with 46 balls to spare. Rohit Sharma retiring hurt…

“I don’t want to go into details on this,” Rohit Sharma had said at the post-selection press conference after the 15-member Indian squad was picked for the T20 World Cup. “I definitely wanted four spinners. We have played a lot of cricket there. The match starts at 10 am in the morning. There’s a technical aspect involved in this.” A four-pronged spin attack was picked ostensibly with an eye to the business end of the tournament, when India will play their matches in the Caribbean. To start with, however, India will need their pacers to be in top fettle, and…

Not winning an ICC trophy for more than a decade is an “added baggage” and Rohit Sharma’s team will have to deal with that, feels Sandeep Patil. The explosive batsman of the 1980s was a cornerstone of India’s maiden World Cup triumph in 1983. Patil was in Kolkata as a mentor of the Shrachi Rarh Tigers team, which is gearing up for the upcoming Bengal Pro League. They are confident of a successful season. This is a Shrachi Sports venture, encouraged by the company’s managing director Rahul Todi. Far afield in New York, India will take on Ireland in their…

Team India will start their World Cup campaign on June 5 against Ireland. (PC: X.com) “Top-four is a trophy.” That used to be Arsene Wenger’s staple one-liner towards the latter half of his managerial career, when Arsenal had lost their title-winning mojo. The legendary Gunners boss was happy with his side’s consistency that secured Champions League football year after year. But the fans were far from happy. They craved silverware. As Rahul Dravid spoke to reporters two days before India’s T20 World Cup opener against Ireland on Wednesday, the Wenger analogy came to mind. Notwithstanding India’s ICC trophy drought for…

Asif Bajwa has advice for Mohammad Amir, as the fast bowler is getting ready for the T20 World Cup: “Go flat-out with the new ball. Bowl fast and don’t use slower deliveries and other variations in the Powerplay.” Over a WhatsApp call, Bajwa, Amir’s coach-cum-mentor, explained the reason. “Bowling quick and moving the ball have been his strengths,” he told RevSportz. “And he must stick to his strengths.” “Life brings us to the points where at times we have to reconsider our decisions,” Amir had posted on social media in March, and he is going through his second comeback. The…

Between March 2001, when he scored 180 against Australia at Eden Gardens in India’s greatest-ever Test win, and 2006, Rahul Dravid was the best batsman in the Indian team. He was even better than Sachin Tendulkar during that phase. The dressing room tipped its collective hat to the great batsman, who was an inspiration even to Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. But the personality-obsessed Indian fandom saw him as an accumulator. Sometimes, the fans even cheered loudly, when he got out. They celebrated Tendulkar’s arrival in the middle. Dravid is an educated, intelligent and well-rounded person. He has the ability to…

A source close to the Indian team confirmed that Virat Kohli would join the T20 World Cup squad on Friday. The former India captain didn’t travel with the team to New York due to personal commitments. He probably needed some downtime after the IPL. Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson, too, travelled separately, although they have already reached New York and took part in India’s first training session. The IPL final between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad didn’t have a single Indian player who was part of the 15-member T20 World Cup squad. And yet, the BCCI allowed some of…

Abhishek Nayar prefers to keep a low profile. He is comfortable working behind the scenes and not comfortable with the limelight. Over a private conversation, he politely turns down the request for an interview. He is not looking for attention. That’s not his style. Nayar says he just wants to be alone and enjoy the moment with his family and friends. As Kolkata Knight Riders won their third IPL title, team mentor Gautam Gambhir received unabashed praise. Skipper Shryeas Iyer, too, was lauded for his on-field leadership. Nayar’s role somewhat went unnoticed. But some players ensured that the unsung hero,…

KKR’s turnaround and whether India should borrow IPL champions’ templateIn 2022, Kolkata Knight Riders finished seventh in the league table, losing eight of their 14 group league matches. A year later, it was a repeat. Yet again, KKR lost eight to finish with 12 points. Circa 2024 saw a turnaround, KKR won nine of their 14 group league games, plus the Qualifier 1 and the final to annex their third IPL title. They lost just three games in the tournament. What changed? Putting this golden run to just team mentor Gautam Gambhir’s influence would be too simplistic. Yes, Gambhir changed…

Shamik Chakrabarty in Chennai Nitish Rana shared his WhatsApp exchange with Gautam Gambhir after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had decimated Sunrisers Hyderabad to win the IPL. “When he (Gambhir) became the team mentor, I sent him a message, expressing my happiness over his appointment,” Rana told the host broadcaster. “His reply was short. He told me the biggest happiness would be to stand on the podium, holding the trophy.” As KKR captain, Gambhir won two IPL titles. The winning mentality had deserted the team in the last few years. Gambhir, this time in the capacity of team mentor, brought it…