Cricket now

Chris and Adam at the Captain Bligh’s Brewery. Images: Revsportz Subhayan Chakraborty in Hobart With the Indian and Australian teams scheduled to arrive in Hobart, on the evening of the eve of the third T20I at Bellerive Oval, Saturday morning felt wonderfully light. While taking a casual stroll through the Salamanca Market, open only on Saturdays, delivered an unexpected sporting delight. Amid the vibrant array of street vendors and stalls offering local food, mementos, spirits, and clothing, the market buzzed with tourists and locals soaking in authentic Tasmanian culture. One stall stood out: Captain Bligh’s Brewery, where Chris and Adam enthusiastically showcased their range of local spirits. Spotting two Indians wandering nearby, Chris called out, “Are you here for the cricket?” And just like that, a warm conversation began. “Australia defeated India last night,” this writer replied. “The crowd was great last evening but I am more interested in how your women’s team does in...

Laura Wolvaardt. Images: Proteas Women By Trisha Ghosal in Mumbai Laura Wolvaardt is in the form of her life and India have only themselves to blame. Ever since that group-stage clash where the South African captain scratched her way to a fighting 70, she has been unstoppable. Three fifties and a monumental 169 in the semi-final later, Wolvaardt has turned into the biggest threat standing between India and their first-ever Women’s ODI World Cup title. The question now is simple, but brutal: how do you stop her? For starters, India must win the first 10 overs. Renuka Singh Thakur’s inswingers have the best chance of unsettling Wolvaardt early. History suggests the South African opener is vulnerable to the moving ball when new to the crease. But if Renuka strays short, she’ll be punished through those crisp square drives. The message is clear, keep it full, keep it swinging. At the other end, Kranti Gaud must attack Wolvaardt’s middle and off stump, hitting the deck hard. Short-o...

Winning moments for India women in the semi-final against Australia W. Images : X Boria Majumdar In 24 hours, India’s women’s team will play the most important match of their lives. The stakes are at their highest and there is a huge amount of interest all round. The upset semi-final win over Australia has ignited fan passion and the tournament has come alive ahead of the final. I still call it an upset, for Australia were indeed the team to beat. They have proved it time and again, and set the bar really high. For India, the batting effort exceeded expectations. At the break, with 339 to chase down, hardly anyone gave India a chance. The bowling and fielding were poor and the captaincy left a lot to be desired. Now, here is the interesting point. In our mid-innings show, Trisha Ghosal, Gargi Raut and I were critical of Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision-making and rightly so. Not to bowl Renuka Thakur was a mistake in our eyes, and we called it out. The fielding was below-par and we n...

India W storm into finals. Images : X Boria Majumdar As we soak in the miracle of Navi Mumbai, and yes, it certainly was one, it is time to take a pause and reflect. A deep dive will tell you that it was by no means the perfect game. The batting was stellar and Jemimah Rodrigues played the innings of her life. Harmanpreet Kaur played a very important knock and so did Richa Ghosh with her power-packed cameo. While we celebrate the batting effort and also the human frailty that Australia showed, we must also acknowledge that India were not close to their best with the ball or in the field. Take the last 10 overs of Australia’s innings. Just when you thought that with two new batters, Tahlia McGrath and Ash Gardner, India could tighten things, the skipper conceded a boundary off a rank poor misfield. A ball later, another boundary was leaked. To not bowl Renuka Thakur and go with Radha Yadav and Deepti Sharma – bothof whom gave away 70 runs – left everyone puzzled. If you see the s...

Jemi (PC: BCCI_Women) Trisha Ghosal in Mumbai Jemimah Rodrigues stood tall under the DY Patil lights, exhausted, teary-eyed, and victorious. Her unbeaten 127* scripted India’s sensational chase of 339 against Australia in the ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final, a night that felt less like a match and more like a story of redemption. “I didn’t play for my hundred, I played for India to win” Jemimah’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke about her mindset. “It hasn’t sunk in yet,” she said. “I didn’t play for my hundred, I didn’t play to prove a point at No. 3, I just played to make sure India won. When you play for the team and not yourself, God favours you.” Her innings wasn’t just about runs but resilience, coming after a month where she admitted battling anxiety and self-doubt. Battling anxiety and finding strength In a moving moment, Jemimah chose honesty over pretence. “At the start of the tournament, I was struggling with anxiety. I used to call my mum and cry before match...

Jemimah Rodrigues (PC: BCCI Women) Jemimah Rodrigues produced a match-winning knock as India defeated Australia by five wickets in the ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday. This was Australia’s first loss in the series, and it came at the hands of India. After winning the Player of the Match award, Rodrigues revealed that she found out about her batting position only five minutes before going in to bat. “Five minutes before going in, I was told I was batting at three,” Jemimah said at the post-match presentation. “It wasn’t about me; I wanted to win this match for India and take the team through, having lost crunch matches before. Today was not about my fifty or my hundred – it was about making India win.” The Mumbai-based batter also highlighted how being left out of the squad last year affected her mental health. “Everything that has happened so far was a setup for this. Last year, I was dropped from the World Cup despite being in good form. Thin...

Image: MCA Ahead of the Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) elections for the posts of the office-bearers, Ajinkya Naik, the incumbent president, has given his vote of thanks. Naik would complete his term on November 12, when the elections would be held.  “The last three years have truly been an incredible journey,” Naik said. “It was only because of your trust, love, and blessings that I could serve as your representative and work wholeheartedly for the betterment of Mumbai Cricket.” He added: “With your constant support, we as an Apex Council were able to take over 50 important decisions — all focused on uplifting our maidan clubs and secretaries, office clubs, school and college clubs, and our men and women cricketers. Every step we took came from one emotion — to give back to the people who keep Mumbai Cricket alive. I will always remain deeply grateful for the faith you placed in me.” In July last year, at 37 years of age, Naik became the MCA’s youngest-ever president, d...

Smriti Mandhana (Image: BCCI) As journalists, we are expected to be objective. And it is our job to be so. But on occasion, you find it really difficult to stay neutral and talk reason. Today is one such. Yes, Australia are the favourites. They are the best team in the world by a mile. But then, this is a one-off game. We all know what can happen in a one-off contest. Rain and inclement weather notwithstanding, India do have a chance. In 2017, it was Harmanpreet Kaur who made the unthinkable happen. In 2025, it is yet one more opportunity for her and the girls. Smriti Mandhana has been tremendous in the last few games. She has 365 runs already and is looking superb each time she steps out. Today is the day for her. To do something special, and elevate herself to a pedestal no one has reached in the women’s game in India. Yes, India have played multiple World Cup finals in the past. But a home World Cup final would be different. When we say Australia are the favourites, we must re...

Alyssa_Healy (PC: ICC) Former Australia captain Meg Lanning has shared her predictions for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup semi-finals 2025. She also talked about the key players to watch out for. Speaking on The ICC Review with host Nikhil Uttamchandani, Lanning said, “I think England have been building nicely throughout the tournament and their key players are playing well.” She also praised England’s balance and experience, especially the leadership of former captain Heather Knight. “Heather Knight has got that really calm nature, which is really important in big games. I think she takes the pressure off Nat Sciver-Brunt and allows her to just play and dominate,” Lanning said. For South Africa, Lanning highlighted the importance of all-rounder Marizanne Kapp. “It is hard to go past Marizanne Kapp. I think her ability to impact the game with both bat and ball is going to be crucial for them,” she noted. Talking about the India versus Australia semi-final, Lanning believes Au...

Chris Broad. Image : X Vaibhav Tripathi Cricket and controversy can never be kept too far apart for too long. In the times we live in, a new dispute seems to arise almost every other day, with the latest stirred by Chris Broad. The former match referee has accused the BCCI of influencing match-related decisions 20 years ago, when Sourav Ganguly was India’s captain. Having served as a match referee for more than two decades, Broad reflected on his tenure during a recent interview. The former England international spoke about how the ICC used to be lenient towards the Indian team whenever they had a slow over-rate, citing an example from a game he was officiating. “India were three or four overs down at the end of a game, so it constituted a fine,” Broad said in an interview with the UK’s The Telegraph . “I got a phone call saying, ‘Be lenient, find some time because it’s India.’ And it’s like, right, OK. So, we had to find some time, brought it down below the threshold. The very...