Cricket now

  Boria Majumdar Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return to the Indian side for the T20I series against New Zealand has already sparked plenty of debate. Should the selectors have gone back in time? With Bhuvi not having played List A cricket for three years, some have questioned whether this is merely a stop-gap measure, with the pacer being considered for this format alone. I have always argued that age cannot determine a player’s place in the national team in an era dominated by sports science. Bhuvi was brilliant in the IPL and has, quite literally, forced the selectors’ hand. It is the right call. But if you can go back to Bhuvi for the T20 format, why not Mohammed Shami for the 50-over game? Is there anyone better than him at the moment? Prasidh Krishna is out with an injury, while the look of India’s bowling unit in the ODIs against the West Indies did not inspire much confidence. Without Jasprit Bumrah, India tend to struggle, which makes Shami extremely pertinent. If you can go b...

Sahibzada_Farhan (PC: X) The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have appointed Sahibzada Farhan as the new T20I captain, replacing Salman Ali Agha in the role. On Tuesday, the squad was announced for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka and the ODI tri-series involving Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka. Farhan led Pakistan at the 2026 Asian Games, where they lost to India in the final. He continues as the T20I captain, while Salman, who led Pakistan at this year’s T20 World Cup, has been dropped from the squad. Salman’s poor record with the bat and a dismal World Cup campaign have led the PCB to take the decision not only to strip him of the captaincy but also to drop him from the team. There are wholesale changes to the squad, with Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah returning. Razaullah receives his maiden white-ball call-up. Wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan and spinner Usman Tariq have also been omitted from the squads. Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Moh...

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (PC: IPL/BCCI) If you’re a Bhuvneshwar Kumar fan, then Instagram is the right place for you: the platform comprises countless reels of the skilful bowler’s traits to swing it this way or that way at the tilt of the wrist. Those nostalgic memories of him playing Yo-Yo strings with Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammed Hafeez and Co. from the 2012-13 season are still a part of an Indian cricket fan’s psyche. Not surprisingly, when the evergreen pacer made a comeback into the Indian T20I set-up after a gap of four years, hundreds and hundreds of fans rejoiced and celebrated it with his wicket-taking reels. Just remove the outer layer of nostalgic memories and enough logic could also be observed behind the selectors’ move to return to Bhuvneshwar. The affable pacer bagged 28 wickets in the 2026 IPL. The 36-year-old also seems to have worked hard on his fitness. It was an eye-opener to witness Bhuvneshwar bowling well-directed short deliveries in the IP...

Abhiram Singh Yadav on Indonesia Women’s Cricket growth (PC: ACC, Cricket Indonesia) The Indonesia Women’s cricket team recently made their debut in the Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai. Placed in Group B, they faced Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE). Although they remained winless, they gained valuable exposure. Now, in an exclusive conversation with RevSportz, the current Chairman of Persatuan Cricket Indonesia, Abhiram Singh Yadav, shared his experience of seeing the team play in the Asia Cup, the future roadmap for women’s cricket in Indonesia, the appointment of head coach Nitish Salekar, and much more.  Excerpts: First of all, how was the experience of seeing the women’s team play their first-ever Asia Cup? Irrespective of the results, what are your thoughts on the overall experience? It was an emotional and historic moment for all of us. Indonesia had never previously played in a senior Women’s Asia Cup, and suddenly our players were competing on ...

  Smriti and Harmanpreet. Image :X Boria Majumdar Smriti Mandhana was ready and, more importantly, India were in need of fresh ideas in the T20 format with an eye on the 2028 Olympic Games. Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to step down as captain is therefore a timely one. She continues as a batter, and Mandhana will need her experience in the middle order. In an interview with me the day after the women’s event at the Asian Games ended, Mandhana acknowledged the need for improvement in T20 cricket. That was what stood out most from the conversation. She wasn’t sugar-coating it or trying to suggest that the Asia Cup and Asian Games gold medals had masked all the deficiencies. Instead, she was open about the issues confronting India in T20 cricket and clear that, to compete with Australia and South Africa, things needed to improve. Introspect, accept and redeem – Abhinav Bindra’s three-step formula – is what Mandhana was effectively suggesting. And one can only do that if one isn’t ...

Harmanpreet Kaur with the ODI World Cup (PC: ICC) Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down as captain of the Indian women’s cricket team across all formats on Tuesday, which brought to an end a leadership stint that lasted nearly a decade. The 37-year-old batting all-rounder led India through major moments in their cricket history, including the historic 2025 World Cup triumph. During her tenure, India also reached the final of the T20 World Cup in 2019-20. Sharing the decision on Instagram, Harmanpreet wrote, “I step down as captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team across all formats. This is not an easy decision. It carries years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life.” Harmanpreet took over as India’s full-time T20I captain in 2016. As a batter, she became one of India’s finest match-winners; her notable achievement includes scoring an unbeaten 171 against Australia in the 2017 50-over World Cup semi-final. Harmanpreet also mentione...

ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 (PC: ICC) Exactly a year from now, India will open their 2027 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup campaign against Australia in Cape Town. With the marquee tournament set across the challenging conditions of the African continent, the next 12 months represent a critical preparation window. While the batting lineup features established match-winners and promising talent, India’s recent performances have exposed structural vulnerabilities that require urgent correction if they are to mount a serious title challenge away from the subcontinent. The noise around Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s future has reduced, which will bring in much-needed positivity around the ODI squad, and that’s a great sign for the Men in Blue. One of the most glaring concerns for the team management is the recent lack of penetration from the pace attack. The flat decks in India, where 350s and 400s are being chased for fun, haven’t helped the cause. South A...