Author: Subhayan Chakraborty

Sarfaraz Khan wasn’t initially slated to play in the first Test against New Zealand at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium. His inclusion came only after Shubman Gill developed a stiff neck just before the match. Sarfaraz, fresh from scoring a double century in the Irani Cup which helped Mumbai clinch the trophy after 27 years, seized his chance brilliantly. He had previously shown his mettle in the Test series against England, scoring three half-centuries. However, his innovation, despite an unorthodox technique, put India back on track in the ongoing Test. Known for his hefty first-class average of 69, Sarfaraz has been…

Subhayan Chakraborty in Bengaluru On Day 3 of the first Test against New Zealand at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, India found themselves trailing by 125 runs after losing Virat Kohli on the last ball of the day. New Zealand, in response to India’s first innings score of 46, amassed 402 runs, thanks to a stellar century by Rachin Ravindra and a counter-attacking half-century by Tim Southee. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav acknowledged the difficulty in controlling runs on this pitch, particularly with the sun out and minimal assistance for spinners. “It’s tough to control runs here. There wasn’t much turn yesterday, possibly due…

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, dressed in a yellow T-shirt and black shorts, was seen at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium following the conclusion of Day 2’s play between India and New Zealand. He began with a few straightforward warm-up runs, then proceeded to bowl for several minutes, starting with a short run-up that he gradually extended. Although there was no visible limp, Shami wore a strap resembling a crepe bandage on his left knee, which had suffered from swelling. After about a couple of minutes, Shami was bowling at nearly half his usual speed, maintaining a good pace through the 2-3…

Rohit Sharma, India’s captain, on Thursday acknowledged the misjudgment of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch after the hosts were bundled out for their lowest Test score at home. Rohit surprised everyone by opting to bat first during an overcast morning in Bengaluru while also selecting three spinners and only two pacers. “Look, we felt there was not much grass on the pitch,” Rohit said. “We thought it will do whatever it has to do in the first couple of sessions and then it is going to take turn as the game goes on. That is how whenever we played in…

Subhayan Chakraborty in Bengaluru Rohit Sharma, the India captain, cast significant doubt on Mohammed Shami’s availability for India’s upcoming tour of Australia, confirming that the experienced pacer has suffered an injury setback during his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) due to a swollen knee. Although Rohit didn’t definitively rule Shami out from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he indicated that Team India were keeping their “fingers crossed” regarding the recovery of the premier Indian pacer. “To be honest, right now, it’s pretty difficult for us to make a call on him, whether he’ll be fit for this series or the…

Subhayan Chakraborty in Bengaluru Virat Kohli will return to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru as Team India face New Zealand in the first of a three-Test series, starting on Wednesday. With one eye on the upcoming tour of Australia in November, Team India aim to overcome the Black Caps, who are reeling from a disastrous two-Test series against Sri Lanka. However, the spotlight will be on Kohli, whom Bengaluru has embraced as one of its own. Despite not winning an IPL trophy with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he remains one of the city’s biggest draws. It has been over a…

Suddenly, it feels like India have found a pace-bowling all-rounder who can bowl at decent speeds and play the modern, attacking style of cricket. Does that sound like Hardik Pandya? Yes, but the player in question is Nitish Kumar Reddy. On Wednesday, Reddy became the second-youngest Indian to win a T20I Player of the Match award (21 years, 136 days), just behind Rohit Sharma’s record of 20 years and 143 days. This followed his standout performance in the second T20I against Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, where he shone with both bat (74 off 34) and…

Mayank Yadav made a stellar start to his international career as he was handed his T20I debut in the first match against Bangladesh in Gwalior. The Delhi speedster bowled a maiden to start with, becoming the fifth Indian bowler to start his T20I career with a maiden over. He troubled the Bangladeshi batters with his raw pace and ended with figures of 1/21 in his four overs. Mayank’s rise to fame began during the 2023 Deodhar Trophy, where, representing North Zone, he secured 12 wickets in five innings, the second-highest tally in the tournament, at an average of 17.58. The…

Manchester City, who made history by winning the Premier League four times in a row last season, are in India as part of the club’s Champions four-in-a-row Trophy Tour. The club also held a special screening of the tense 2-2 draw against Arsenal in New Delhi, where thousands of fans lined up to take photographs with the glittering Premier League trophy, FIFA Club World Cup, and Community Shield. They also enjoyed a special interaction with club icon and ambassador Shaun Wright-Phillips. Additionally, the club has opened a football school in Kolkata in collaboration with Techno India Group, continuing to establish…

Jay Shah, the youngest Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary at just 35, is spearheading a new era in the nation’s cricket, aiming to take the sport to unprecedented heights. His leadership is focussed on infrastructure development, and a vision for both domestic and international cricket which includes the brand new National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, the expansion of Women’s Premier League, cricket in the North-East region of India, sustainability of Test cricket and more. In an interview with The Times of India, Shah announced the opening of a state-of-the-art NCA on the outskirts of Bengaluru in…