Cricket now

Virat Kohli , Tanmay Agrawal and a Superfan Domestic cricket has largely been an ignored spectacle, followed only by the most ardent cricket fans in the nation, but owing to international stars, the Ranji Trophy has turned into a festival. A wave of excitement has swept through Indian domestic cricket, bringing in a new sense of purpose and adulation, whether it’s stadiums filling up, young cricketers making a name for themselves, an unexpected story keeping the buzz alive or fans rediscovering the charm of India’s premier red-ball tournament.   International Stars Flood Domestic Circuit The presence of India’s cricketing megastars in the Ranji Trophy has transformed the domestic setup into a major attraction following a BCCI policy mandating centrally contracted players to participate in the domestic fixtures. The biggest example was naturally at the Arun Jaitley Stadium where thousands of fans turned up to watch their local hero Virat Kohli. His return to domestic cricket...

Harshit Rana for India against England (Image: BCCI) How do we view Harshit Rana’s impact as a concussion substitute? Was it right on India’s part to use him? Was it within the rules of the game? How about spirit and ethics? Why did the match referee not intervene and disallow it? Jos Buttler said very politely at the press conference that he disagreed with the call. Truth be told, he is within his rights to do so. Harshit was never a like-for-like replacement. And it did not add up in that sense. However, there have been many instances in the past where players have done things which were questionable, but within rules. Thereafter, the rule had to be amended. Greg Chappell asked Trevor, his younger sibling, to use underarm when it was legal. West Indies’ bouncer barrage resulted in a blood bath at Sabina Park in 1976 forcing Bishan Bedi to declare, and for rules regarding intimidatory bowling to be changed over the next decade. Bodyline, for example, was legal at the time and Do...

Virat Kohli in action for Delhi (PC: RevSportz) Over the last two days, more than 30,000 people have been to the Kotla to watch Virat Kohli play. Not Delhi versus Railways, but Kohli. And hardly 500 people have been to the Eden Gardens to watch Bengal against Punjab. May be the same number have watched the Karnataka-Haryana game at the Chinnaswamy. While this is proof of Kohli’s star power, it is also evidence that we in India love spectacles and not the sport. Had it been the other way round, there would have been more people to watch a Vidarbha match at the VCA stadium or the Baroda-J&K game, which is turning out to be a good, hard-fought one. Take the women’s game, for example. For the longest time, the BCCI was criticised for not doing enough for the women’s game. Now, it has launched the Women’s Premier League (WPL), given the national team enough and more facilities, and left few stones unturned. But has the media done enough? Is the build-up to the WPL anywhere close to...

India celebrates a wicket against England in the 4th T20I (PC: BCCI/X) By Naman Suri India secured a 3-1 series victory over England with a well-rounded performance in the fourth T20I, winning by 15 runs. The middle order, led by Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, rescued the first innings before bowlers Ravi Bishnoi and Harshit Rana took three wickets each to seal the win. However, the major talking point of the match was India’s shrewd use of the ICC’s concussion rule, swapping batting all-rounder Shivam Dube for specialist fast bowler Harshit Rana. The move paid off, with Dube making an impact with the bat and Rana delivering with the ball. But England won’t be overly concerned by that. Instead, they will likely go back to the drawing board to analyse where they lost the game. A fiery start from their openers set the stage as they raced to 50 within the first five overs. A red-soil-dominant, windy Pune was always going to be beneficial for the pacers. England, who stuck to their...

Anshul Kamboj (PC: Subhayan Chakraborty) Bharath Ramaraj at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru The key narratives from day 2 of the Karnataka-Haryana Ranji Trophy game have been the noteworthy performances of Haryana’s seamers and how the home side is negotiating a transition phase in the longest format.  The cornerstones of Haryana’s impressive comeback were Anshul Kamboj and Anuj Thakral – the pace duo shared eight wickets between them. Of the two, Kamboj bowled with unremitting discipline, testing every single batter in the corridor of uncertainty outside off. He also employed the occasional nip-backer to keep the batters on their toes.  The delivery to KL Rahul perfectly sums up Kamboj’s simple but effective methods. It pitched slightly short of a good length and straightened just enough to catch the edge. Rahul had no other choice but to play at the delivery as it was very close to the top of off stump. Kamboj continued to base his game on old-school virtues of mak...

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul in the Ranji Trophy (PC: MCA, DDCA, KCA/X) Gargi Raut at Arun Jaitley Stadium A Virat Kohli fan standing outside Gate No. 17 of the Arun Jaitley Stadium proudly showing off his sketches of Indian players, a fangirl at the end of Day 1 screaming at the top of her lungs in excitement over her brief interaction with the local hero, and a crowd of over 10,000 filling up the stands all remind us of the sheer power of public adoration. The same adoration has breathed new life into domestic cricket, bringing the kind of attention that the Ranji Trophy hadn’t seen for decades. Be it Rohit Sharma in Mumbai, Mohammad Siraj in Nagpur, or KL Rahul in Bangalore, the presence of these India stars has drawn massive crowds to otherwise low-profile fixtures. Star culture and public worship are two sides of the same coin. While the BCCI have brought in stringent measures to negate the effects that ‘star culture’ was having on the Indian dressing room, they ...

Mohammed Siraj is getting prepared for the Ranji Match (PC: Mohammed Siraj/X) Vaibhav Tripathi from the VCA Stadium, Nagpur From 8:30 AM on Thursday morning, a steady stream of people gathered near Gate No. 10 of the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium for the Ranji Trophy clash between Vidarbha and Hyderabad. A buzz filled the air, with murmurs revolving around a single name. Calls were made, and more people arrived, swelling the crowd as anticipation grew.  After the toss, with Hyderabad opting to bowl first, I climbed the stairs to the stands and witnessed a rare sight. For the first time at a domestic match, every seat was occupied. Despite Vidarbha playing at their home ground, the support wasn’t for the local team. Instead, a unified chant echoed across the stadium: “Siraj, Siraj…” Every fan in the stands had come for one reason—to watch Mohammed Siraj in action. The moment he took the new SG ball, phones and cameras were out, capturing his every move. And Siraj did n...

Virat Kohli in action on the first day of the Ranji Trophy match against Railways. In sport, the only constant is fandom. Rather, it can be said that it is one of the rare constants in human life. Every other choice or preference may change, but not fandom. You might decide to dress differently or eat a different kind of food or live in another country or switch careers, but a Virat Kohli fan at the age of 6 will remain a Kohli fan at the age of 60. However many hundreds Steve Smith might end up scoring, a Kohli fan will always look to him as the Pied Piper of Indian cricket. That’s how cults are built. Take the Kohli example from yesterday. He is now a cult. Fans love him and his position as the one of the greatest crowd-pullers will never be in doubt. Fans continue to worship him. As my colleagues, Rohit Juglan and Gargi Raut, reported from the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the build-up started early. “Never have I seen such madness in a Ranji game,” said Rohit when we spoke at 9am, hal...

Bengal vs Punjab, Ranji Trophy at the Eden Gardens (PC: Shamik Chakrabarty) Shamik Chakrabarty at Eden Gardens The Pied Piper was in Delhi, wooing fans to dance to his tune, to be at his beck and call. That, in a positive sense. Virat Kohli has single-handedly given domestic cricket a facelift. Close to 20,000 fans turned up at the Feroz Shah Kotla, now the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The host broadcasters changed their plans to live telecast the Delhi versus Railways Ranji Trophy game. Irrespective of his current form, Kohli remains the game’s biggest brand. The game between Bengal and Punjab offered the other end of the spectrum. About 200 spectators cared to pay a visit at the Eden Gardens. One of them blew a conch shell when a Punjab wicket fell, or later, when a Bengal batsman hit a four. Domestic cricket all over the country is usually played in tranquillity. Die-hard supporters are aberrations. Shorn of stardust, the Bengal-Punjab game is a low-key affair. Shubham Gill’s prese...

Karnataka vs Haryana in the Ranji Trophy (PC: Bharath Ramaraj) While travelling to the Chinnaswamy Stadium, there is always a sense of anticipation. Fans making a beeline to enter the stadium, with police personnel having a tough time controlling the frenzied atmosphere. But on a pleasant Monday morning, with Haryana about to take on Karnataka in a crucial Ranji Trophy encounter, all that one could observe was the typical hustle-bustle of a crowded city. Vehicles moved back and forth on a busy Queen’s road. In fact, at around 8.50 AM, the number of fans in front of the main gate was less than the fingers on your hand. For a moment, it was a bit of a surprise to witness the low turnout as the home side had its share of fine players – From KL Rahul to Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna. It took one more hour for the crowd to slowly build up. By 10 AM, around 70-80 fans had made it to the only stand that was open – Stand No.15. A bunch of kids, most likely from a cr...