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Category / Sports
November 16, 2019

India-Bangladesh 1st Test: Bangladesh Humiliated by Ruthless India

Indore: After being whitewashed in the recently-concluded Test series in India, Faf du Plessis, the South African skipper talked about the “mental scars” which he and his boys had to deal with at the end of that tough tour. Going forward, it won’t be surprising if Bangladesh’s Mominul Haque echoes Du Plessis at the end of the Eden Test, especially if India continues to be ruthlessness, as was evident in Indore.

On a pitch where Mayank Agarwal and other batters combined to get 493 for 6 in just 114 overs, their counterparts could last only 127.5 overs and they were 130 runs short of equalling India’s total. And it was India’s pace-trio which took 14 out of the 20 Bangladeshi wickets. Yes, the red-soil pitch offered a little bit of extra bounce but the visiting batsmen were clearly undone by the quality and class of the likes of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma.

To start with, winning the toss and batting first was a positive move on part of Mominul, who was captaining the Test team for the first time. However, not playing the third seam bowling option was a huge tactical blunder and Bangladesh realised it as the match progressed.

Cricket, Sports
By Sandipan Banerjee
November 13, 2019

India vs Bangladesh, 1st Test Preview: Can Bangladesh cause an upset?

It’s very unlikely that Bangladesh would be backing themselves to win when the two teams meet at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore for the first of the two Tests tomorrow. Such has been India’s domination at home that most touring teams now are just happy to compete.

The biggest sign of India’s relaxed attitude ahead of the Test was that the skipper, vice-captain and some of the other players were seen sweating it out in the nets with the pink ball in the twilight hours, two days prior to a red-ball Test. Such has been the focus on the day-night Test in Kolkata (the second of the series) that India does not want to be undercooked for the occasion. With the pink ball being an unknown, Team India was content to warm-up to this Indore Test by practicing with it.

Will that leave them circumspect against the red ball at Indore? Unlikely, given how bullish India is in this format. India sits atop the World Test Championship table and Bangladesh, without the talismanic Shakib Al Hasan, should ideally be a pushover for the hosts—but the last thing this Indian team has advocated is complacency. They will, however, want to wrap things up quickly and not give the tourists any opening.

Cricket, Sports
By Rohit Sankar
October 25, 2019

The Inspirational Story of Boxer Manju Rani

In the final few minutes, Ekaterina Paltceva lands a nasty left-handed blow on Manju Rani’s head. The cheers in the crowd go louder as the majority support is for the home boxer. Manju tries to take control with a right-handed hook but Paltceva defends.

With sharper reflexes, Paltceva manages to keep Manju at hold and a few seconds later, the Russian strikes gold in the 48kg category at the Women’s World Boxing Championship.

There was clear visible sadness in the Indian contingent but the result was massive for 19-year-old Indian boxer, Manju, who had been ignored by Haryana in the last couple of years, for unknown reasons.

Sports
By Sakshi Gupta
October 24, 2019

Why Pakistan sacked Sarfraz Ahmed as Captain

In the 1990s, Pakistan’s cricket captaincy was a revolving door. After Imran Khan lifted the 1992 World Cup and his subsequent retirement, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Salim Malik, Rameez Raja, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail, Rashid Latif and Moin Khan got a shot at captaincy, before Inzamam ul Haq got a fairly long run in the 2000s. In fact, the only senior player of that generation to have missed out on captaincy was Ijaz Ahmed.

Post Inzamam, Younis Khan and the talismanic Misbah ul Haq too held the job for fairly long and successful terms—although the likes of Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali have all captained Pakistan in one format or the other in the last decade.

The success of Sarfraz Ahmed in the shortest format (T20Is) prompted Pakistan to appoint him to lead the Test and One Day International (ODI) sides as well, replacing Azhar Ali, who was not able to replicate his success in the List A format in ODIs for Pakistan. And Sarfraz looked in command of the team and led Pakistan to thumping a win in the 2017 Champions Trophy in England, beating arch-rivals India in the final. He kept the job for a couple more years and was in charge the World Cup in 2019, but his batting tailed off in the interim.

Cricket, Sports
By Sahil Jain
October 23, 2019

Umesh Yadav’s moment in the sun

“I know, I have to be ready when I get my chance,” Umesh Yadav said after snaffling three wickets each in both the innings of the Pune Test. This, mind you, is easier said than done when you have picked up a 10-wicket match haul in the last Test on Indian soil and then have had to warm the benches for a year to don the Indian clothing at home again.

Umesh Yadav was once among the top three Indian pacers in Tests alongside Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. In fact, he bowled the most overs by an Indian bowler in Test cricket in two consecutive years—2016 and 2017. You might remember how Yadav slogged his heart out in hostile conditions, with the temperatures in excess of 40 degrees, during the 13-match home Test trail which included tough series against Australia and England.

However, with the emergence of Jasprit Bumrah and opportunities being far and few in between, Umesh gradually kept slipping down the pecking order, so much so that he was not even part of the Indian squad for the series against South Africa to begin with. It was Jasprit Bumrah’s unfortunate stress fracture that brought him back in the fold and Umesh, as mentioned at the outset, “was ready when he got his chance”, and grabbed it with both hands.

Cricket, Sports
By Saksham Mishra
October 22, 2019

Ranchi Review: Ruthless India Crush Proteas Pride

Ranchi: With 0-2 down, the Proteas came to Ranchi hoping for a turnaround and, of course, there were 40 World Test Championship points to play for. Unfortunately, a week later, Team South Africa is leaving the Jharkhand capital as a shattered unit.

Much like the previous two Tests, Indians showed no mercy and completely dominated in the final game as well. In hindsight, nothing worked for the South Africans–neither the plan of using a proxy in the toss nor the five changes effected in the playing XI. India outperformed the visitors in all three departments of the game.

The first hour of Day 1 was the only occasion in this game when they looked competitive. With the ball seaming around on a cloudy morning, Kagiso Rabada bowled a brilliant spell with the red cherry and was well backed up by Anrich Nortje. The duo got rid of three key Indian batters within the first 16 overs of the innings as India were tottering at 39 for 3. However, as we had seen throughout the series, the Proteas bowlers (especially spinners) yet again failed to seize that moment once the SG ball got older and softer.

Cricket, Sports
By Sandipan Banerjee
October 18, 2019

India v South Africa, 3rd Test: Can South Africa save face?

During the T20I series preceding the Tests, when South Africa’s batsmen—prominently Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma—exhibited excellent temperament and judgement against the spinners, it almost seemed as though the Proteas were more intent on milking those singles to prepare for the Tests, rather than seeing to the immediate task at hand.

However, like with all their ICC tournaments, the bigger stage has seen them flatter to deceive. The only consolation is that they aren’t the first team to feel the heat in India. That they have the best record in Asian countries for non-Asian teams is history. And India’s dominance at home is the present-day reality.

Beating India in the subcontinent seems like a far-fetched dream so much so that social media has been trending with World XIs to beat India at home. South Africa does’t have a dream team. Since their first team XI hasn’t done well, it is inevitable that we will see changes in the visiting camp.

Cricket, Sports
By Rohit Sankar
October 16, 2019

The Hundred: ECB’s Leap into the Unknown

Back in 2003, it was the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which launched the T20 format—in a bid to restore the dying crowds in England’s County games. There was a lot of buzz around it, and nobody knew what impact it could have on the game. T20 went on to become a huge crowd-puller over the last decade and a half, thus revolutionizing the game.

The ECB is taking another leap into the unknown this season with cricket’s newest format and league—The Hundred. Nobody knows how this is going to fare and what impact it will have on the game.

So what is ‘The Hundred’ all about? Well, as the name suggests, each innings will be comprised of 100 balls each. But there is a twist in the way the overs will pan out. Each bowler will be allowed to bowl a maximum of five or ten deliveries at a stretch, which will be decided by the fielding team. Moreover, like each bowler can bowl a maximum of four overs in a T20 game, here in ‘The Hundred’, each bowler can bowl a maximum of 20 balls in a game. The change of ends will happen after every 10 balls and the powerplay will consist of 25 deliveries.

Cricket, Sports
By Sahil Jain
October 15, 2019

Ganguly could tread Dalmiya’s path as BCCI President

Amidst the chaos and disarray in the administration of Indian cricket in the past few years, the appointment of Sourav Ganguly as the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) comes as a breath of fresh air. The former Indian captain will officially take charge of the board on October 23 and, as of now, his tenure is supposed to last nine months before he goes for his mandatory three-year ‘cooling-off period’.

During his playing days, ‘Dada’ was regarded as a players’ captain. Both on and off the field, he used to rally behind his boys whatever the circumstances, and always led from the front. Now, as the head of the BCCI, ‘The Prince of Calcutta’ is expected to deal with all the stakeholders of Indian cricket in a similar manner, much like his mentor and former president, the late Jagmohan Dalmiya.

The clout that the BCCI has come to acquire in world cricket today is primarily the outcome of Dalmiya’s crafty administrative skills. He changed Indian cricket forever through the revolutionary concept of selling television broadcast rights. It brought money into system, which was later utilised for grassroots and infrastructure development.

Cricket, Sports
By Sandipan Banerjee
October 13, 2019

Ind vs SA: Kohli’s double ton, Umesh’s return and other Talking points

India needed just five overs post the Tea session on Sunday to break Vernon Philander and Keshav Maharaj’s stand, the only partnership that bothered them in the Pune Test. The duo did well to reduce the deficit in the first innings and repeated the effort in the second, but, in the end, it was too much for the tail-enders. The Indian bowlers eventually had the final say.

That spoke volumes about how miserably the South African batsmen have performed in the last two Tests. Once that particular stand broke on Day 4, Virat Kohli’s bowlers knew they were not far from an emphatic victory. It took India exactly seven balls after that to wrap up the Test as the hosts clinched a massive win by an innings and 137 runs and a historic Test series victory over South Africa.

The Test has been all about world records for the skipper and his team. Kohli got the ball rolling on Day 2 by registering his highest Test score of unbeaten 254. That was his seventh double ton as he broke the record for most double tons by an Indian. He also notched up his 19th century as captain, and with that, he is on level with former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.

Cricket, Sports
By Sakshi Gupta
October 9, 2019

Ind vs SA: India looks to avoid Pune Hiccup

After a short regroup following the Vizag Test, India and South Africa will reassemble at Pune to resume their battle for the No.1 ICC ranking, which, by the way, is still at stake. Should South Africa beat India in back to back Tests and win the series, they will usurp the hosts as the No.1 ranked side. But, that is a huge IF considering how visiting teams have performed in the country in the last decade. It has taken herculean team efforts to beat Indian in India and that is exactly what South Africa would seek from its players.

At Vizag, they were aided by sparks of brilliance from a few individuals. But to beat India they will need a team effort and Faf du Plessis would know that. On the pace front, at least, South Africa will be intent on righting their wrongs from Vizag. Notably, they were superb with the new ball on day one but failed to generate breakthroughs and it is this they will want to correct at Pune.

India, on the other hand, has few worries. The batting group is settled, the spinners did their job and with Mohammed Shami also stepping up in the first Test, there really isn’t much India to need to specifically worry about. That said, the Pune surface could be a potential discussion topic in one of those drawing board discussions.

Cricket, Sports
By Rohit Sankar
October 7, 2019

Ind vs SA: Despite Resistance, Hosts Romp Home

Visakhapatnam:  Beating India in a home Test is perhaps the toughest ask for any side in contemporary cricket. Despite scoring 431 in their first innings in reply to India’s 502 for 7, the Proteas eventually fell short by a significant margin of 203 runs in the inaugural Test of the Freedom Trophy and handed over the hosts their third consecutive Test triumph by 200 or more runs.

Coming into this coastal town, South Africa knew what they were up against in this series–a trial by spin on turning pitches. However, by skipper Faf du Plessis’s own admission, the pitch at the Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium was not as dry (read threatening) as some of the surfaces they encountered back in 2015. Furthermore, prior to the start of the game, the local meteorological department predicted chances of scattered rain on all five days of the Test match. Hence, on a pitch with a bit of moisture, the versatile South African attack was expected to test the mighty Indian batting line-up.

But the story of the match days turned out to be different. Apart from a passing shower on Day 1, the rain clouds mostly stayed away from Visakhapatnam and the pitch ended up being a slow turner, much like what we had experienced during the inaugural Test at this venue against England back in 2016.

Cricket, Sports
By Sandipan Banerjee
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