As India prepares to take on Sri Lanka, the think tank might spend time deciphering Lasith Malinga, for he could probably be the biggest threat. The ones who haven't faced him enough might be a little wary.
Aakash Chopra writes.
The irony is both delicious and extraordinary. Just as Indian cricket is mired in a messy crisis, dragged down by controversy and conflict, the cricket team is surging ahead confidently, seemingly unstoppable in the Champions Trophy.
Amrit Mathur reports.
Into his first year in international cricket, the seamer has shown versatility. Swing bowling is a complex science and not an absolute one. The basics are simple enough.
Rohit Bhaskar writes.
When India plays Pakistan tension often boils over. Remember Javed Miandad mocking Kiran More with his famous kangaroo hop in the 1992 World Cup, or Venkatesh Prasad's expletive-laden send-off to Aamer Sohail at Bangalore four years later, writes
Rohit Bhaskar.
Since none of us have seen the next life and know nothing of our previous births, we should be content with a Srinivasan dictating terms to the Board and making light of what to most is an untenable situation.
Pradeep Magazine writes.
A cricketer has to keep his side of the bargain — which is to play good cricket. And clean cricket. How unpleasant it would be for cricket lovers to begin to view every no-ball or wide with cynicism and doubt.
Aakash Chopra writes.
Recent revelations have left cricket shaken and stirred. Ordinary fans, the key stakeholders, are outraged by the brazen deception and cheating; purists are distressed by the naked greed of players and the serious threat to traditions.
Just when cricket, like global warming, appears to be dangerously close to a tipping point following the latest spot-fixing scandal, two young players unveil themselves and partly restore faith in the game. Ian Chappell writes.
All through the season, we kept talking about the perfect game, and at no stage before the final did we think we had already played one because that could have led to complacency. The start wasn’t perfect in the final against Chennai, but the end certainly was! Anil Kumble writes.
Despite all that went on in the just-concluded season, there is one thing that stood out yet again — the boys growing into men by the end of each edition.
Javagal Srinath writes.
The thing with Beatles lyrics is you always look for a hidden meaning. Everyone assumes Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is really about an acid trip because of the very obvious allusion to LSD or that Yellow Submarine is actually the street name for a capsuled barbiturate. But what was George Harrison thinking about when he wrote Here Comes the Sun?
The adage that it’s wickets that win matches was emphatically proved on Sunday night. Lasith Malinga chose the perfect stage to make his most telling statement of this year’s tournament. Javagal Srinath writes.
One of my favourite pastimes is to get on to YouTube and search for thematic cricket clips. Sometimes, it is Steve Waugh playing a dogged innings, sometimes the search is on Mark Waugh’s delightful batting or Allan Donald’s hostile spell. Gautam Gambhir writes.
At various stages of our Qualifier against the Super Kings, we had our noses in front, so it was disappointing that the Mumbai Indians ended up as the losing side.
Anil Kumble writes.
For a young Indian player, especially if he happens to be a batsman, success in the league comes only if he ticks a few boxes.
Aakash Chopra writes.