Let's talk Cricket

Picture Credits: U.S. Wall Street Journal Before the start of the English tour, Team India had many questions to answer. It felt like India will answer all those questions and authorize their dominance in England. However, after the recently concluded ODI series, India instead of answering the questions have got more problems to solve. This English series, especially the ODI’s was going to be very crucial because this is the last time India were playing in England before the World Cup. After a comprehensive win in the 1 st ODI, it felt like Team India is the best team at the moment and nothing can stop them. Kuldeep Yadav ran through the English batting line up. However, it’s often said that a team is no.1 for a reason. England, the no.1 team in ODI’s currently came back stronger and easily won the next 2 matches. Joe Root with two classy centuries didn’t allow India to find even a chance to get back in either of the matches. After being castled out by Kuldeep in the firs...

I enjoy watching cricket. I have followed and loved the sport since I was a kid. But, these days, watching Cricket bores me.! It’s not the same. The game has evolved and it’s good for the game and the revenue makers. However, the game is getting more and more batsman friendly day by day. I fear there will be a time, where a team will score 600 in an ODI and 350 in a T20. There will be a time where scoring 450 will be normal. These scores sound exciting and we praise the batsmen. Even I don’t want to take anything from the batsmen, but the question here is, is cricket just a batsman’s game? Is it moving towards being just a batsman vs. batsman game? There have been long talks in the past whether cricket is a batsman’s game, that past is now a reality, especially the Limited Overs Cricket. As far as I know, cricket is supposed to be a batsman vs. bowler, one ball at a time, how you face it? It’s about the skills of the batsman to survive a good ball and punish the bad ba...

Italy Cricket Team Picture Credits: www.sportskeeda.com I have grown watching cricket since my childhood. It’s a sport my family follows with passion. Hearing stories of how cricket began and how Indian cricket developed, cricket is and will always be my favourite sport. However, it is sad that there are not many nations playing the sport. Agreed that it is the 2 nd most watched sports in the World, thanks to the Indian population, and let’s just accept the fact that Cricket isn’t that a big sport compared to Football or even Tennis. Cricket became popular amongst the CommonWealth of Nations, once ruled under the British Empire. However, even after being born in England, a European nation, why didn’t the sport spread across other nations in Europe like Italy, France, and Germany etc.? What is the reason behind it? Let’s find out Back in the early 19 th century, cricket was played in Italy and Germany. However, post the World Wars, and the political feud, the sport fai...

Picture Credits: www.sportsmaza.com Over the last few days, browsing over social media, I saw a lot of posts regarding IPL vs. PSL, the prize money, the spectators, etc. etc. It wasn’t a good sight to see people fight in the comment section regarding their club cricket and suddenly wave off to India vs. Pakistan political battle. And, it wasn’t like those funny banters we have in common, it was brutal and abusive. The argument just grew hatred amongst Indians and Pakistanis. The rage was clearly evident from citizens of both countries. So, for this purpose I thought of settling the deal once it for all with IPL and PSL. IPL, the Indian Premier League started in the year 2008, and is 10 years older. It has everything- talent, money, crowd, sponsorships, glamour etc. It is the closest, not similar but the closest to any football (soccer) league. The objective of IPL was clear enough, and that was to make money. That’s what it did, that’s what it is doing, and that’s what...

Picture Credits: The Indian Express That day of the year is here. It’s the opening ceremony of the IPL, and the opening match of the 2 month season. It all starts here, and what better to start with 2 teams which have a rivalry of their own. Mumbai Indians (MI), the best team in IPL history, and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the best team in IPL at some point. 10 years have gone by into the rivalry, or you might want to say 8 years, as CSK didn’t play in the last 2 seasons of the IPL. Let’s relive the rivalry and talk more about today’s game. It is not like those football classic matches or el classico or derby matches, it is a rivalry more because of the fans of each clubs. The fans have made this rivalry and it is a treat to watch and one of the most loved matches of the IPL. CSK, one of the successful teams in IPL, started off brilliantly being the finalist in 2008 and winning their first title in 2010 beating MI in the finals. 2010 was a dream year for the Mumbai Indians an...

Picture Credits: The National With just 1 day to go for the biggest league in cricketing world, the IPL, cricket fans from all round the world will be glued to the Television sets and witness the fierce competition which IPL gives. This year’s IPL is different from other seasons, thanks to the retention policy and the IPL auctions. It is very much IPL v2.0. There are a lot of changes and let us talk about it here. Starting off, the young brigade of the Indian team, the U-19 champions Prithwi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi and Manjot Kalra got very good deals and it would be wonderful to see all of them showcase their talent in this year’s IPL. Also, it is a very good opportunity for them to make a name for themselves at the biggest stage. It is fascinating how IPL, every year gives these kind of golden opportunities to youngsters. Karun Nair, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer are all good domestic players but I would consider IPL as a major boost...

Picture Credits: www.espncricinfo.com IPL 11 is just days away. A brand new season, new players, new signings and better and bigger entertainment than previous seasons is on its way. It is IPL V2.0, looking at the players shuffled in the teams and with a new form of auction held. Here is my list of top 5 players to watch out for in IPL 2018. 5. Heinrich Klassen Team- Rajasthan Royals Role- Batsman/Wicket-keeper This player came in as a replacement for Quinton De Kock against India in the ODI’s and the T20I’s. The promise he showed with the bat and the gloves was something above expectations. With Steve Smith out of the Rajasthan Royals squad, they had to announce a replacement, and looking Klassen’s recent form against India, Rajasthan Royals picked him as Smith’s replacement. The variety of strokes he plays and the power he generates is one to look for. He is surely a player to watch out for if he gets a place in the 4 playing foreign players. Picture Credit...

Picture credits: www.espncricinfo.com 2 nd April 2011, 48.2- MS Dhoni sent the ball out of the boundary line, as whole of India erupted in joy, happiness and goose bumps. Yes, I’m talking about the World Cup final. India finally were crowned champions after 28 long years. Let’s talk about India’s journey towards the World Cup triumph. As a kid, watching the sport since late 1990’s and the early 2000’s, I used to hear a lot of adults talking about how great Kapil Dev was, how India did the unimaginable by winning the 1983 World Cup. My dad used to tell me stories about Kapil Dev’s 175 against Zimbabwe and his amazing catch in the World Cup final to dismiss Sir Viv Richards. I too wanted to experience India winning the World Cup once in life. I was too young to understand the 1999 World Cup, or let’s just say I didn’t know much about cricket back then. Picture credits: www.scoopwhoop.com Then came the 2003 World Cup. I remember India’s dismal performance against...

Picture credits: www.espncricinfo.com IPL has been for a decade and the 11 th edition is just right the corner. T20 has been exciting and the competition and intensity in which IPL is played, there are bound to be nail biting moments. Moments where the fans are awe struck and don’t believe what the match transpired into. Here, I’m presenting the top 5 moments which brought goose bumps and I’m almost sure everyone else got too. There are of course more than 5 moments but here are my top 5. Don’t feel shy to tell me about yours. Here it goes- 5. McCullum starts IPL in his own style Brendon McCullum, retired New Zealand veteran batsman started off the IPL with a bang. The first IPL and the first match of the ever successful IPL, McCullum took RCB bowlers for a toss, smacking 158 of just 73 balls. I bet all the owners except for RCB’s enjoyed the innings as it got all the attention from fans from all around the globe marking towards the success of the IPL. McCullum’s 158...

Picture credits: in.bookmyshow.com It’s here. It’s that time of the year, the summers in India, the heat and humidity is here and so is the most loved cricket league in the World- The Indian Premier League (IPL) is here.   This year will mark the 11 th edition of the IPL. It is huge, it is bigger and it gets better and better every year. The viewership is getting better year-on-year and the TV ratings have a similar trend too. Started way back in 2008 and 10 years later you’re seeing the most valued cricket league- $5.3 billion (2017). No other T20 cricket league has come close to IPL in terms of brand value or its viewership, be it Australia’s Big Bash or England’s T20 Blast. In all the other sport leagues, IPL ranks in Top 10 of the most viewed leagues in the World. Unlike other leagues which are side-lined by International fixtures, the calendar for most of the Test teams is shut down for IPL, so you know how big this event is which runs over 2 months. The exposure...