Author: Kashish Chadha

Once the ball starts talking, what would otherwise be middling run chases prove quite a handful in the ODI game, as India found out at Lord’s in the second game of the series against England on July 14. However, skipper Rohit Sharma believes the only way forward in such tricky chases is to play a positive brand of cricket. For Rohit, India’s biggest lesson from their 100-run loss chasing a modest 247-run target on a seam-friendly deck was to not go too nervy at the beginning of their chase and not allow the opposition bowlers to dictate terms. As India look to…

Lord’s once again reinforced its status as one of the hardest venues to chase in ODI cricket as India collapsed to a measly 146 all out in a 100-run mauling at the hands of England in the penultimate game of the three-match series on July 14. A score of 246 all out proved a handful for the hosts, who never allowed their visiting counterparts to settle down at the crease and ran through them eventually, with left-arm quick Reece Topley leading the way. Enjoying a rare one-day outing where the ball dominated the bat, Topley used his height, swing, seam and left-arm angle to…

Ireland lost to Michael Bracewell yet again, giving away another position of promise to New Zealand No.7, who propelled his team to a victory in the second ODI in Dublin on July 12. Bracewell struck a critical 42 not out off 40 balls as the Black Caps inched ahead of the Irishmen in a low-scoring affair. Chasing a target of 217, the Kiwis found themselves in a spot of bother at the very beginning, reduced to 0 for 2. They gained their stability via a 101-run stand between half-centurions Finn Allen (60) and Tom Latham (55), before another flurry of wickets brought them down to 149/5.  Credit: NZC It was…

An outstanding new ball exhibition from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami backed up by a freeflowing half-century from skipper Rohit Sharma helped India dominate the first game of the ODI series against England on July 14. The visitors took a 1-0 lead in the three-match rubber after bundling out the hosts for 110 through some exceptional fast-bowling from their senior pros, and then an unbeaten stand between Rohit and fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan took them home with ease. On a rare day the white Kookaburra ball swung and seamed, India ran through the lengthy England batting unit, which simply couldn’t adjust to…

2017 World Cup hero Anya Shrubsole says the moment her team conceded the coveted crown to Australia in Christchurch earlier this year, she knew that was the end of her 14-year-long career for England. The seamer decided to quit international cricket in the aftermath of England’s painstaking defeat in the World Cup final aged 30. Despite age on her side, Shrubsole decided to hang her boots at the top-level game and says her announcement was, in fact, six months in the making. Preempting a future where she may not be able to provide England with the quality and the consistency she used…

Debutant Prabath Jayasuriya’s magnificent six-fer on Day 4 of the second Test drowned Australia to just 151 all out and helped Sri Lanka level the two-match series with a victory by an innings in Galle. The left-arm spinner ran through the visitors’ batting unit and made sure his team ended with series parity after conceding an irrevocable 1-0 advantage in the previous Test. The Australians got bundled out in just 41 overs on the fourth afternoon, with Jayasuriya giving them a scary reminder of their troubles against the turning ball on dry, subcontinent pitches. In his 16-over outing, the 30-year-old dismissed big…

A remarkable century from Suryakumar Yadav was not enough to propel India to a victory in the third and final T20I of the series against England on July 10. The hosts earned a victory to finish the series 2-1 down after posting a gigantic score of 215/7 versus a visiting side short of their incumbents. India rested multiple of their regular bowling stars, including the entire trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal, and premier fast-bowling allrounder Hardik Pandya. It meant an opportunity for the likes of Avesh Khan, Umran Malik, Ravi Bishnoi and pressure on Ravindra Jadeja to bowl his entire quota of four overs.  The…

Former India pacer Zaheer Khan said the selectors’ decision to open the innings with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant in the second T20I against England felt surprising to him. Pant was asked to start off the innings in Birmingham on July 9 by head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma as they looked to provide the youngster’s T20I career a new lease of life. While not making a substantial score at the top, the aggressive left-hander smashed a freeflowing cameo of 26 from 15 balls, featuring four fours and one six. Pant looked like finding his innate flow with the bat in hand until his innings was cut short by a caught-behind dismissal. …

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja were the star performers in a comprehensive Indian win in the second T20I of the series versus England in Birmingham on July 9. The hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match rubber, thanks to exceptional outings from their ace new-ball bowler and premier spin allrounder. Defending a score of 170/8 on a flat batting beauty at Edgbaston, India needed to plague England early into their run-chase. The visitors required early breakthroughs to derail the home team’s lengthy batting unit. Enabling that was the ever-incisive Bhuvi, who got the dangerous opening duo of Jason Roy (0) and Jos Buttler (4)…

West Indies white-ball captain Nicholas Pooran may have played multiple explosive innings of deep impact and flair in what is still essentially a young career. But the left-hander rates his unbeaten 74 in the third T20I versus Bangladesh in Guyana as one of the best he has churned out for his national side. Pooran deemed this as a knock close to his heart since he managed to stay there till the end and helped WI chase down a score on their way to a 2-0 series win over the visitors. Walking into bat with West Indies in a spot of…