Cricket now

  Radha Yadav. Image :X Boria Majumdar in Manchester The defeat in Manchester continues to hurt. As I write this piece late into the evening, I am still feeling the pangs of disappointment. On multiple occasions in the game, India looked like taking control, only to see things slip away. One of the main reasons was indeed the fielding lapses, or more specifically, the dropped catches. Two of the three chances were put down by Radha Yadav, arguably the best fielder in the Indian team. Not just in India, Radha ranks among the finest fielders in the world. And yet, it happened. The ball did not stick, and the second chance was as straightforward as it could get. Let me say this at the outset. I do not know Radha well, so please do not jump to conclusions and call this PR. It isn’t. I have watched the Indian team train every single day over the past ten days, and the best fielder on display has been Radha. Here in Manchester, on match day minus two, the team was engaged in high-ca...

Team India’s batting (PC: Proteas Women and BCCI) Team India’s perfect run in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup came to an end in Manchester as they suffered a six-wicket defeat on June 21, their first loss in three group-stage games. However, with two matches still to go, the Women in Blue remain in contention for a semi-final spot. That said, their path has become a little tougher after this defeat. Be it the two costly drops from arguably India’s best fielder, Radha Yadav, or the inability to control South Africa’s innings in the middle overs, India fell short in several areas. As a batting unit too, they looked around 15-20 runs short. Despite getting off to a strong start and reaching 59/2 in the powerplay and 82/3 after 10 overs, the Women in Blue failed to capitalise. They added only 76 runs in the final 10 overs while losing four wickets. After opting to bat, it looked a good surface for strokeplay. Both Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana played a few delightful sho...

Left: Crowd during CSK vs SRH match; Right: Crowd during Ind vs Afg ODI The M.A. Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) in Chennai is one of India’s most passionate cricket venues, and the home ground of the five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, attending both the CSK IPL fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the third ODI between India and Afghanistan has revealed how drastically the atmosphere at this stadium can change depending on which team is on ground. One of the most noticeable differences was the crowd turnout and the arrival pattern. During the IPL clash, spectators had begun to occupy the stadium well before the toss and begun creating an energetic atmosphere. The stadium was packed, fans were whistling, and were eager to soak in every moment of the occasion. On the other hand, the India-Afghanistan ODI witnessed a slower build-up, with Afghanistan batting first, several stands had remained partially empty during their innings as spectators began ...

Stokes doing the huddle talk. (PC: X/EnglandCricket) England pace bowler Josh Tongue lamented the absence of Ben Stokes at the end of the fourth day of the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval. The hosts are staring at defeat, needing 281 runs with only five wickets in hand heading into day five. England scored 291 in response to New Zealand’s first-innings total of 391 and currently stand at 182/5 in their second innings. Stokes’ absence has been felt with both bat and ball, and Tongue did not shy away from admitting it. “Stokesy is an unbelievable player,” said Tongue in the press-conference at the close of play. “Obviously, I made my debut when he was captain, so I’ve got huge respect for Stokesy. It’s always nice seeing him score some runs as well. We’ve missed him, but we’ve got a lot of leaders in our team too. Rooty, stepping in as captain, is obviously an unbelievable player and an unbelievable leader as well. It’s been good.” Tongue also gave a debrief on the team’s...

                                                          MI Captain Hardik Pandya (PC: Mumbai Indians) There is a lot of talk around IPL trades. In fact, when it comes to Hardik Pandya, we have already heard plenty – that discussions are ongoing, that multiple conversations have taken place, and so on. As far as I know, the Mumbai Indians will only get to their team reviews next week, and only then can there be clarity. Post the AGM, the ownership, led by Akash Ambani, is set to take stock, after which they will follow due process and take decisions. While some tough calls can indeed be expected, nothing concrete has happened so far to suggest that decisions have been finalised. As far as Rishabh Pant is concerned, the move was expected. Things were not really working out, and a change of team seemed the best option. That it is the Delhi Ca...

Images :X Boria Majumdar in Manchester This is the big game. In fact, if India win this one against South Africa, they will have one foot in the semi-finals. Few expect Bangladesh to mount a challenge, and a victory here would mean the Australia match has little or no relevance to India’s path to the last four. Yes, it will matter in terms of who tops the group, but from the standpoint of qualification, it will carry limited significance. In such a scenario, India will want to close things out in Manchester and not leave it to Lord’s. Against a South African side that has lost to Australia and was pushed by Pakistan, India do have an opportunity. Finish the job here and settle the debate. India have had two solid practice days, and the most encouraging sign is their intent to play a genuine wicket-taker in Prema Rawat. It is a welcome mindset. They know Rawat is inexperienced, but they also recognise that the 24-year-old offers a genuine wicket-taking option. Against South Africa,...