Author: Subhayan Chakraborty

India will be without regular captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, which begins on Sunday. The team is eager to put the recent 0-2 Test series drubbing behind them. In their absence, KL Rahul will lead the side and will rely on the vast experience of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja to guide the squad toward a strong comeback. Although the 50-over format is no longer India’s top priority, with the next ODI World Cup still two years away, interest in bilateral ODIs has surged again – largely…

PC- Debasis Sen Marco Jansen produced one of the great individual performances on Indian soil to leave the hosts reeling on Day 3 of the Guwahati Test and place South Africa within touching distance of a historic series whitewash.Walking in with South Africa already holding a 1-0 lead, a drawn result would have been satisfactory for his team. Instead, Jansen…

Mohammed Shami was mobbed by Assam players seeking tips to improve their game. (Image: Subhayan Chakraborty) Subhayan Chakraborty in Kalyani Mohammed Shami may have been dropped from the Indian team, but his hunger to play cricket at the highest level remains unchanged. Turning up in Kalyani for the Ranji Trophy match between Bengal and Assam, Shami bowled 23.2 overs in the first innings and followed it up with 29 overs in the second, picking up a total of five wickets in the game. He now has 20 wickets in four matches at an average of 16.30. However,…

Subhayan Chakraborty at Eden Gardens Following the conclusion of the Eden Gardens Test, where South Africa secured a historic 30-run victory in just three days to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, several Indian players, particularly the middle-order batters, returned to the nets in Kolkata on Tuesday for a practice session. Six players, including Ravindra Jadeja, Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, and Akash Deep, attended the optional net session. India’s Test captain Shubman Gill is in all certainty ruled out of the second game in Guwahati, starting November 22, after suffering a neck spasm while…

Much has been said and written about the Chennai Super Kings’ team-building strategy ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Having traded out CSK legend Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, while acquiring Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals, the five-time IPL champions have clearly begun transitioning into a new era. However, one decision that raised many eyebrows was the release of Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana, which freed up ?13 crore in CSK’s purse. Contrary to reports suggesting the release was a last-minute call, the 22-year-old was informed by the CSK management about his release a week before the retention deadline. When…

By Subhayan Chakraborty at Eden Gardens As the Indian team stepped onto Eden Gardens, the first visuals showed the entire coaching staff, including head coach Gautam Gambhir, Ryan ten Doeschate, Sitanshu Kotak, and Morne Morkel, heading straight to the centre pitch along with curator Sujan Mukherjee. As the discussion continued over the match strip, they were joined by BCCI curators Ashish Bhowmick and Tapas Chatterjee. Soon, captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Rishabh Pant joined the discussion, which lasted for around half an hour. Going by the visuals, Pant and the support staff appeared to have slight concerns about one particular…

( South Africa Head Coach Shukri Conrad, PC- Subhayan Chakraborty) South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad labelled the two-Test series against India as the biggest challenge of his coaching career. The Proteas will aim to continue their good run of form following a 1-1 drawn series in Pakistan. Whereas, India are coming on the back of a 2-0 series win against the West Indies. “Look, India is one of the toughest challenges in the world and when…

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to keep the World Test Championship (WTC) as a single-tier competition featuring all 12 Test-playing nations starting from the 2027 cycle. This move ends over a year of discussions on introducing a two-tier system with promotion and relegation, which collapsed during the latest quarterly ICC meeting in Dubai due to unresolved concerns over funding and match opportunities. A working committee, chaired by former New Zealand cricketer Roger Twose, had explored the two-tier idea but hit roadblocks. Key issues included the funding model and ensuring that lower-ranked teams got chances to face top sides.…

By Subhayan Chakraborty As the Indian cricket team gears up for the first Test against South Africa at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens on November 14, one selection dilemma stands out: should Kuldeep Yadav be in the playing XI? With the pitch expected to offer turn as the game progresses, Kuldeep’s recent Test exploits make a compelling case for his inclusion over a third seamer or utility all-rounder. Kuldeep’s resurgence in the longest format has been nothing short of magical. After sporadic appearances earlier in his career, he exploded in 2024, claiming 22 wickets across five Tests at an impressive average…

By Subhayan Chakraborty in Brisbane India’s recent T20I series victory against Australia by a 2-1 margin underscored head coach Gautam Gambhir’s strategic emphasis on extending batting-line-up capabilities while leveraging spin resources effectively, even on surfaces traditionally favouring fast bowlers. By committing to three spinners across all five matches, the team demonstrated adaptability and foresight, particularly with the T20 World Cup scheduled on Indian pitches in three months’ time. The partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill delivered consistent momentum at the top, barring the third encounter in Hobart. This left-right duo, both hailing from Punjab and longtime teammates since the…