Author: Subhayan Chakraborty

Virat Kohli’s birthday couldn’t have come at a better time for the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). With India practically assured of a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup and playing some of the best cricket they have in recent times, the India-South Africa match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 5, Kohli’s birthday, promises to be a blockbuster. And to mark the occasion, Snehasish Ganguly, the CAB president, has made some interesting plans. Speaking to RevSportz, Ganguly revealed some of his ideas. “We have ordered a cake for Virat, and the design will be something everyone…

Shubhayan Chakraborty at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow England, the defending World Cup champions, find themselves in a precarious situation, with their tournament aspirations teetering on the brink of collapse. Although the mathematical possibility of a semi-final spot still exists, they face an uphill battle that demands nothing short of a miraculous turnaround in their remaining matches. The arduous journey to salvation begins with a high-voltage encounter against India, the unbeaten hosts, at the BRSABV International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday. After arriving in Lucknow on Friday, England engaged in a rigorous training session at the stadium on Saturday.…

Subhayan Chakraborty in Lucknow As the clock ticks down to the clash between India and the defending champions, England, in the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup on October 29 in Lucknow, all eyes are on the home side’s potential team combination for the game. The squad continued their preparations with an optional session on Friday at the scorching BRSABV International Cricket Stadium, where key questions surrounding the composition of the playing XI loomed large. The practice session saw the likes of India captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin…

After notching up five successive wins in the World Cup, the India team is gearing up for the sixth match. It’s against England in Lucknow on Sunday (October 29). Wednesday’s optional training session at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Cricket Stadium was aimed at fine-tuning strategies, and it included a twist — the sight of Virat Kohli the bowler. All the players, except for Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Shami and the injured Hardik Pandya, attended this session, which reflected the commitment of the team. However, it was the unexpected arrival of Kohli as a bowler that drew maximum…

Hardik Pandya, India’s all-rounder who has played such a key part in balancing the side, is likely to miss at least the next three matches of India’s World Cup campaign, because of the Grade 1 ankle sprain he picked up while fielding in the match against Bangladesh on October 19. Hardik was helped off the field in that match and subsequently went to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore to have the injury assessed. It’s understood that India will not be calling up a replacement and are happy to wait for Hardik to be part of the business end…

Subhayan Chakraborty in Dharamsala Rahul Dravid, India’s coach, spoke to the media on the eve of the game against New Zealand in Dharamsala. India have started the tournament with four straight wins, including marquee match-ups against Australia and Pakistan. But New Zealand have often been a bogey team at ICC events, and India will have to make do without the injured Hardik Pandya. Dravid spoke about that, the spinners’ star turns, pitches being rated average and much else. On Pandya missing the game He is an important player for us and an important all-rounder. He helps us balance our squad…

Subhayan Chakraborty in Dharamsala Ahead of their much-awaited top-of-the-table clash against New Zealand at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, India suffered an injury scare that sent alarm bells through the side. Suryakumar Yadav, in contention to replace the injured Hardik Pandya in the XI, suffered an injury during the team’s practice session on Saturday evening. As the team trained intensively on the eve of the crucial match, Suryakumar faced an unexpected setback. A throwdown from Raghu struck him on the upper part of his bat, and the impact seemed to jar his right wrist, causing significant…

The India versus Bangladesh World Cup showdown at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune put the enthusiasm and tolerance levels of the fans to the ultimate test. The process of watching cricket from the stands is not pleasant in many venues in the country. Pune ranks high among those for several reasons. The stadium located on Mumbai-Pune expressway is around 30 kms from the heart of the city. It is connected by only one road. Public transport is minimal. Braving the heat and humidity, fans began flocking towards this place called Gahunje in the outskirts of the city as…

Subhayan Chakraborty in Pune The India-Bangladesh on-field rivalry has become one of the most followed and talked-about battles in recent times. As both the teams gear up to lock horns in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup encounter at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, one would expect a close game, plenty of sledges and banter between fans. In an exclusive interview with RevSportz ahead of what promises to be a high-decibel clash, Mohammad Ashraful, former Bangladesh captain, talked about why India-Bangladesh is a modern-day rivalry, that 2007 World Cup win, the Tamim Iqbal-Shakib Al Hasan controversy, his…

India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey accepts that it is difficult to leave out a bowler of Ravichandran Ashwin’s calibre. But he says that the team chooses the XI depending on the nature of the pitch. In the last two matches, the team thought that a third spinner was not required. Mhambrey also praises Ashwin for taking omission in his stride and doing his best as a team man. The following are excerpts of Mhambrey’s interaction with the media in Pune, a day before the India-Bangladesh match. Q: Any thoughts about the team composition? Mhambrey: It’s a really tough one. You…