Cricket now

    Image :X Trisha Ghosal, Birmingham Every time Jasprit Bumrah pulls on the blue jersey, there is an expectation that something special is about to happen. It is an expectation built not on reputation alone, but on years of delivering when the stakes have been at their highest. Yet, strangely, discussions around Bumrah have often focused less on what he has done for India and more on the matches he has missed. Every injury has sparked debates over workload management. Every carefully planned return has invited questions about his commitment. And every single time, Bumrah has answered in the only way he knows—by taking the ball and changing games. That, perhaps, is what separates him from many of his contemporaries. Modern cricket demands that fast bowlers are managed carefully. With international cricket spread across three formats and lucrative franchise leagues occupying an increasingly significant place in the calendar, workload management is no longer a luxury but ...

Image :X Boria Majumdar, Birmingham Shubman Gill played a stellar hand at Edgbaston and, with support from Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, ensured that India went 1-0 up in the three-match ODI series. While I have discussed his innings in an earlier piece, I believe this performance points to a larger issue currently affecting Indian cricket. We have all spoken about India’s inability to deal with the short ball in challenging conditions and the limitations of a one-dimensional approach. At present, many of India’s T20 batters are playing an all-or-nothing game. They try to slog almost every ball and have been found wanting in Ireland and England. That is where Gill comes in. He is a batter built on class and skill and is unlikely ever to thrive by playing an all-out power game. He could be India’s answer in difficult overseas conditions and may well force his way back into the T20 side over the next few months. To be clear, I do not think Gill has a great deal to offer in India...

Axar Patel (PC: BCCI) Axar Patel starred with a match-winning all-round performance to help India seal a comfortable six wicket win over England in the first ODI at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Tuesday. With the win, India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and handed England their first ODI defeat at Edgbaston since 2014. While chasing 259 runs, Axar powered India’s chase with an unbeaten 57 runs off 52 balls including five boundaries and a six. He shared a crucial 102-run unbeaten partnership with Washington Sundar (52*) to seal the game inside 46 overs. During the post match presentation, Player of the Match – Axar – shared his thoughts on his match winning performance. “Very happy with the way I performed today,” he said to the broadcasters. “I thought of varying my pace and bowl stump to stump. Did exactly that. Got lucky that I picked up four wickets. With Washington, it was about rotating the strike and finishing the game well. When I went in, Washi was there....

    Fresh off India’s historic victory over England Women at Lord’s, India women’s head coach Amol Muzumdar joined Backstage with Boria to reflect on the special triumph and the emotions that came with it. He spoke about the significance of bouncing back so quickly from the disappointment of the T20 World Cup 2026 and the character the team showed in doing so. Looking ahead, the coach shared the team’s plans for the coming months, including those for the Asian Games, the importance of taking a well-earned break, and how he intends to get the white-ball team back on track for the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka. Boria: Red-ball cricket is always special. Tell me a bit about your feelings after this Test match win at Lord’s. Amol: It’s 13th July, the same day many years back when Sourav Ganguly’s team won the NatWest Trophy final, and now Harmanpreet Kaur’s team did the honours. I’m really blessed to have witnessed this Test match. It’s been a historic one. About a coupl...

Team India at practice. Image: BCCI Boria Majumdar When Shubman Gill looks around the dressing room at Edgbaston today, he will see close to 1,000 ODIs’ worth of experience around him. That, in itself, is enough to instil a sense of calm and control. He will have Rohit Sharma, his opening partner and former captain, to lean on for advice, and Virat Kohli, someone who has seen almost every situation the game can throw at him. He will have the assurance of Jasprit Bumrah and the composure of KL Rahul. That collective experience is what will help Gill as he begins the process of getting Indian cricket back on track after a dismal few weeks in Ireland and England. First things first, T20 cricket is not the format of choice at the moment. Had it not been for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, few would have watched the series. So, while I understand the concern over India failing to win a single game and the disappointment that followed, the meltdown has been a touch over the top. When Gautam Gambhir...

Stephen Fleming (PC: X) Stephen Fleming’s departure as CSK head coach was the franchise’s decision, RevSportz understands. It is learnt that the former New Zealand captain wanted to complete the current cycle, which ends next year, and CSK, too, had planned it that way. The idea was to appoint a new coach in 2028, when the next cycle begins. Things changed quickly. A source close to the franchise told this website that CSK would take time to appoint Fleming’s successor. Nothing is likely to be finalised over the next two months, although some names are being considered. Hemang Badani, who coached Delhi Capitals, is one of them. A story is doing the rounds that Sanjay Bangar is in the fray as well, but this website can confirm that the former India batting coach has not received any approach yet from the Chennai-based franchise. Fleming presided over five IPL titles during his 18-year stint as the franchise’s head coach. But over the last three seasons, the tea...