Wodehouse, Douglas Adams, House, RF, Dire Straits & VVS driving Warne inside out in 2001. Written for
@ESPNCricinfo
,
@WisdenIndia
and
@cricbuzz
. Now freelance.
Bruno. 💔
Big brown melting eyes. 4831 days of them staring at the world, making everyone who stared back long enough fall in love with him.
On October 31, those eyes were closed forever. The goodest boy who ever lived. The most pure-hearted creature I’ve ever met in life.
Rahul Dravid begins the post-series
#INDvWI
press conference with a laugh. First question is about whether he's hurt by Wriddhiman Saha's words.
"Thanks for congratulating us on winning this T20I series!" (1/6)
Kevin Pietersen standing beside Graeme Swann and talking about how 'that is not the way cricket should be played' might be the funniest moment of the match.
Ravi Shastri back at Cricinfo. MS Dhoni quitting captaincy. The last time all three were in the news together was when a smiling Dhoni told a smiling Shastri after beating Australia in the T20 World Cup semi "I read your article in Cricinfo and you said Australia are favourites".
"The easiest thing for me is to not have these conversations but that's not who I am. I hope at some stage they will respect the fact that I was at least able to front up and have these conversations with them." - Dravid on Saha (6/6)
The ins & outs of Charu Sharma's role at the IPL 2022 Auctions:
- a dessert left uneaten
- vital equipment forgotten at home
- miffed franchises (at points)
- large doses of luck
- and the saviour that was the Everest Premier League in Nepal.
Screen-grabs that show exactly how the last ball of
#RCBvCSK
panned out. The Mankad after-effect. A couple of inches *do* matter. And why R Ashwin was right all along. (via
@Reddit_Cricket
)
That hug between Rohit Sharma and Shane Bond at the end of the game... if you ever thought IPL is a 'lesser' competition or format or that it doesn't meant enough, just watch it.
#INDvNZ
"If the ball is moving around at 140-150 clicks off the deck, it's clearly more challenging than when it's moving at 80-90 kph" - Ashwin bowls a pearler at the press conference too.
#INDvEND
If this was indeed Dinesh Karthik's last ever T20 innings, it's kind of ironically poetic that it ended with MS Dhoni catching him.
DK's entire career has been, in some ways, stopped by MS Dhoni being there.
#RCBvsCSK
Vinesh Phogat deserves a Dangal 2.
Wrestling opponents on the field to bring glory to India.
Wrestling with monsters off the field to bring accountability to India.
I thought Cameron Green was a potential superstar. Found out today he's already much more, because he's been quietly and heroically battling a chronic kidney disease all his life.
He's already winning at life, here's wishing a massive number of victories for him in cricket too.
Cameron Green has chronic kidney disease.
There are five stages to it, with the fifth stage requiring a transplant or dialysis.
This is how Green - currently at stage two - manages the condition every day...
Alexander Zverev did this in front of a considerable crowd.
Can't even imagine how it would have been for Olga Sharypova behind closed doors. Her domestic abuse allegations against him need to be investigated and dealt with.
No pretendo discutir con aficionados nuevos al tenis, cada quién tiene en su experiencia su percepción del deporte, pero lo de Alexander Zverev es grotesco e inaceptable, espero que tengan huevos y haya sanción. Si esto lo hace alguien más, lo suspenden.
"I'm not hurt at all. I have a deep respect for Wriddhiman Saha and his achievements and contributions to Indian cricket. My conversation with him came from that place. He deserved honesty and clarity. I didn't want him to hear about it from the media." - Dravid on Saha (2/6)
"Even now, before every XI is picked either me or Rohit will speak to those not playing. It's natural for players at times to get upset. I just felt my team deserved clarity and honest and that's all I was trying to convey." - Dravid on Saha (4/6)
"We have only 3 Tests this year and with Rishabh Pant having established himself, we were looking to groom a younger wicketkeeper. This doesn't change my feelings or respect for Wriddhi or his contribution." - Dravid on Saha (5/6)
"These are conversations I have with players. I'm not hurt about it at all because I don't expect players to like all the messages or agree with them. But that doesn't mean you brush it under the carpet and don't have the conversations" - Dravid on Saha (3/6)
Andre Russell took KKR's forecasted score from 175 at the end of 15 overs to 208/7.
Heinrich Klaasen saw SRH's win probability sink to 0.85% at the end of 16 overs and dragged it to 81.95% at the end of 19 overs.
Two stunning innings from two T20 beasts.
#KKRvSRH
"I had my family in the second half of IPL and the full tour of Australia. This series I've used rotation policy and left them at home" - R Ashwin on dealing with bio bubble.
#INDvENG
Best video of the whole Cameron Bancroft incident. Long and detailed, and it looks very damaging not just for Bancroft but for Darren Lehmann to some extent too.
#SAvsAUS
On air comms during
#INDvNZ
saying 'in 2000s, India used to bat just once at home. This team doesn't'.
2000s decade had 21 wins in 47 Tests - 4 by an innings.
2010s onwards has 40 wins in 56 Tests - 17 by an innings.
It's frankly laughable that a comparison is even considered.
No Kohli
No Shami
No Ishant
No Jadeja to bat or bowl halfway through Test
Pacers combined experience of 20 Tests
Incident with the crowd & Siraj
Vihari batting on one leg for 4 hours
Ashwin wearing bruises on his body like a badge for 3.5 hours
This is epic by India.
#INDvAUS
That 96 of those Kohli innings are in T20Is makes his effort even more remarkable. A fifth of his international batting in the format least suited to gathering runs, and still comes out ahead of modern cricket's most complete batsman. Remarkable.
This will make for stomach churning reading. Read it anyway. And reflect - this is the monster that an entire ecosystem is bent on protecting.
‘Left our rooms in groups to avoid being alone with him’ — FIRs against Brij Bhushan allege. via
@theprintindia
Heard full Virat Kohli press conference & I've now understood how to be devastating while being perfectly measured.
▶️Said there were logical reasons to change ODI captaincy.
▶️Reiterated absolute support for Rohit.
▶️Without calling anyone a liar, busted lies about him.
Star.
Ian Bishop's first question to Faf - "Do you feel you are maximising your resources with the bat?"
He should be on all post-match interviews.
Good on Faf for acknowledging that perhaps they should have pushed harder at the end.
MS Dhoni willing to talk about his confrontation with the umpires, even joked about it first up. And Murali Kartik doesn't ask a single question about it! Most atrocious post-match presentation I've seen. How do you let a whole presentation go by without asking that?
#RRvCSK
There is really no website like Cricinfo. Doing a deep-dive into IPL 2008, came across so many fascinating news bits. All available for free. It's archival gold.
Interesting poll shown on TV during
#MIvsCSK
just now. The question was: Is Jasprit Bumrah India's greatest ever white-ball bowler.
68% said yes.
32% were wrong.
What does Suryakumar Yadav have to do to get selected in an India white-ball team?
He's got runs. He's got them quickly. He's done it consistently. He's done in domestic cricket and IPL.
"Dinesh Karthik has informed the KKR management that with a view to focus on his batting and contributing more to the team’s cause, he wishes to handover the team's captaincy to Eoin Morgan."
Interesting move by
#KKR
. It's not like they are floundering bottom of table
#IPL2020
"I don't get that argument. What do you mean by 'earning' your India cap. If you are selected in a squad of 15 or 20, you are selected with the possibility of playing in the XI. I truly believe everyone who is here has earned it" - Rahul Dravid.
#INDvSL
a) Virat Kohli came for the press conference after the Pakistan game
b) Reflect on the irony of using "press conference" for the only leader of a democratic country who hasn't given a SINGLE one
c) The only reason she's brought in Kohli is because he stood up for Mohammed Shami
What strength of character must it take to say this? He could have chosen to issue a press release. He could have chosen to let the agriculture minister announce this, like
@imVkohli
sent Bumrah to face the press after the Pak debacle. But he did NOT!
60 Slams since Wimbeldon 2003.
49 of those have been won by just three people. And of those 11 not won, 6 had one of the three in the final.
Savour the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era. I don't think there will be anything comparable for a long, long time - if ever.
#rg18
India's last series in
Australia: Won
England: Drawn
South Africa: Drawn
Think no subcontinent team has ever been in a position where they've not lost any of their most recent series here.
(Yes I know India were expected to win outright, but this is still a significant feat).
A couple of weeks ago was my last day working full-time at
@ESPNcricinfo
. Remains the best place to work. Amazing writing & most importantly, people.
As we say at Cricinfo, you never really leave. So I hopefully will pop in a while. That said, I'm available for freelance work.
R Ashwin left out of the playing XI is a proper WTF moment.
#INDvENG
The last time Ashwin bowled in England was about three weeks back. And he took 6 for 27 in 15 overs.
Things Oshane Thomas has done
- Seen a brother get shot & killed at 11
- Cried with fellow West Indians during IPL auction
- Said 'Yo when I bowl to Dre Russ in the nets, he don't hit my ball'
Things he hasn't yet done
- Played in a World Cup.
Now soon:
Matheesha Pathirana might have gone for a few runs after that wicket, but he can take heart from history. Another pace bowler, young and with an unorthodox action, began his IPL career with 1 for 12 in his first over, way back in 2013. His name was Jasprit Bumrah.
#CSKvGT
Can't believe some are angry with this tweet... It's obviously tongue-in-cheek, and IMO doesn't seem like this is SRK 'trying to make it about himself' or whatever... India seriously needs to get a sense of humour as a country. (That way there'll be fewer cases on comedians also)
Haan haan no problem. Just bring some Gold on your way back….for a billion family members. This time Dhanteras is also on 2nd Nov. From: Ex-coach Kabir Khan.
"The first six balls that I played could really hurt us in another match" - MS Dhoni may not be the batsman he once was, but he's still the man he was. Respect.
#CSKvRR
India's designated wicketkeeper and Ravindra Jadeja, batting together against New Zealand on a reserve day of an ICC tournament, in the knockouts... We've seen this story before.
#WTCFinal
Oh damn... that looks terrible. Hope the IPL auctioneer Hugh Edmeades is okay. Collapsed from the stage, by the looks of it.
#IPL2022Auction
has to be on hold.
Thought: When the BCCI enforced conflict of interest and related clauses, all of Rahul Dravid, Sanjay Bangar and R Sridhar had to give up IPL gigs since they were with Indian teams.
Does that no longer apply? Since MS Dhoni is going to play in IPL and be team India mentor...?
I love IPL so it's genuinely great to see some USD 5 billion+ being paid for broadcasting rights.
While celebrating that, remember, BCCI took months and innumerable meetings to give about 0.05% of that to domestic cricketers whose only income source had been hit by the pandemic.
Raising paddle to bid for wrong player - incompetent.
Trying to negate the bid after the hammer has come down - ignorant (of auction rules).
Doing that publically - unprofessional in the extreme.
How will the player feel now, while joining the team?
#IPLAuction
Where
@imVkohli
reveals to
@DanishSait
that
a)
@ABdeVilliers17
will be with RCB in "some capacity" next year
&
b) Kohli went to Thoms Bakery in Fraser Town Bangalore with mask & cap alone, paid by credit card - and wasn't recognised still!
#IPLRetention
list finally out. Sarfaraz Khan for RCB the only genuine surprise, but being uncapped was an advantage for him. Kohli at 17 crore - should be highest paid in
#IPL2018
Indian ball, going off the bat of an Indian batsman. Bat must be Indian too. Ollie Pope had no business interfering in our internal matters by catching it.
Sourav Ganguly would struggle to make it to even a third all-time ODI XI for India as an opener. There are four openers clearly better than him - Tendulkar, Rohit, Sehwag, Dhawan.
Could argue that Rahul and Srikkanth would also get in ahead of him.
There are very few times that people are able to pull off bringing out big guns for a fusillade storm - but doing it in almost gentlemanly fashion.
@AnushkaSharma
has done it here, and gone one better with a killer punchline that would do a stand-up comic proud.
Virat Kohli 👏🏼 👏🏼👏🏼
Especially in these times, it matters when a public figure who commands such attention and respect (and adulation) across the board gives out an inclusive message like this.
"Fight the election on truth" - says MP who goes to a school that is shut down and tries to pass it off as evidence of poor conditions of running schools.
A breathtakingly amazing interview & write up on
@TheRock
.
He's raw, he's unflinchingly truthful, he's charismatic, and he's still The Rock as well as Dwayne Johnson.
(Vin Diesel disses are gold. The
@VancityReynolds
comedy even better).
via
@VanityFair
The
#VijayHazareTrophy
final had about 4,000 spectators in the stands. Unprecedented.
But how big is 4,000?
Mumbai v Rest of India in 2013, Sachin Tendulkar scoring a flawless 140* - and only about 1,000 turned up at Wankhede.
That's how big 4,000 is.
Everyone is going gaga over these comments.
Nobody has realised that the question was: "Does playing the IPL for two months affect India's performance". Gambhir never answered that question, went off into his own rant.
He can't answer can he, being an IPL franchise's mentor...
"Dilon ka wazir-e-azam, Babar Azam, Babar Azam."
"Thori roti bota salan Fawad Alam, Fawad Alam."
"Panjan de kulfi, dasan de chaa, Yasir Shah, Yasir Shah."
Wondering what these are?
@kalson
has the answers from
#PAKvBAN
in Rawalpindi.
@JimmyNeesh
Isn't it a problem that what's in the laws and what's accepted as 'spirit' are two different things? Remove the ambiguity around the two - maybe just delete all the chunk about 'spirit' - and 90% of the acrimony should go.
Everytime our Sports Minister gets this sort of sycophantic praise, I'm going to replug this:
Got a 10 crore promotional budget from a body whose treasurer is... his brother.
Ajinkya Rahane ended IPL with an under-rated gem, 27 off 13. Hit 2 sixes in his first four balls. Then took down Rashid Khan with 2 fours. They weren't the best balls, but how many batters have the clarity of thought & self-belief to even punish Rashid's (rare) bad balls? (1/3)
Q: Was there anyone who you thought you wouldn't get along with, and then you became friends by being teammates in the IPL?
@KP24
: No, I didn't play with Andy Flower or Andrew Strauss in the IPL...
"It's just one of those things... within the rules of the game and that's how it is" - wise words from Jonny Bairstow.
ps: this isn't to knock on Bairstow. Very watchable batsman across formats. But this video is bloody funny!
#Ashes2023
"Dare I say, of all the players in this World Cup, Jasprit Bumrah has caught the eye of the English audience" - Mark Nicholas thinks Bumrah is some sort of 'discovery'.
Earlier it was "Understated allrounder" etc for Shakib.
They're only No.1 ranked bowler and allrounder. 🤦♂️
India's collapses after Kohli wicket
27/2 - 92/7
71/3 - 135 all out (Cape Town)
26/2 - 87/7 (Centurion)
97/2 - 187 all out (Jo’burg)
141/6 - 162 all out (Edgbaston)
49/3 - 107 all out
61/4 - 130 all out (Lord’s)
279/4 - 329 all out (Trent Bridge)
142/2 - 195/8
123/3 - 184 all out
With both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah fit and firing in the same bowling attack, it'll be like having the banker operating from one end, and the safe-cracker with the blowtorch from the other. Irresistible.
#INDvENG
Nothing happening off the pitch and Jasprit Bumrah has given up only 5 runs in 3 overs. And that includes a four. So 16 dot balls, one single and one four.
Everyday, he reinforces that India have never had a fast bowler like him. Absolute GOAT.
#IndiaVsPakistan
RCB sent Reece Topley for press conference after
#KKRvRCB
- who didn't play the game. Why Topley?
First Q: What happened, we were told you guys had left. Sudden change of heart?
A: Yeah... I think the main bus had gone and I was in the gym, staying behind. So, I have to front up.
Trust Anurag Thakur - who would open the batting and bowling (and keep wickets) in an XI of narcissists - to have a freaking LASER show in the middle of a freaking match.
Who cares if it disrupts players' rhythm/concentration? It's an India match, so has to be capitalised on. 🤦♂️
Fun fact: Sourav Ganguly & Jay Shah tenures should have been over about a year and a half ago.
BCCI is spending/has spent 830 crores to fight the Supreme Court reforms that mandate it (reference: )
If SC follows its own writ, Ganguly-Shah need to be gone.
Kohli, Gambhir fined 100% match fees
#RCBvLSG
Naveen fined 50%
[How is GG match fee calculated?]
Meanwhile "Mr Gambhir admitted to the Level 2 offence under Article 2.21 of the IPL Code of Conduct." is a historic phrase. Possibly the first time a BJP MP has admitted to an offence
"I'm just an employee of the myth of Shah Rukh Khan".
It's a brilliant episode all through but you should watch
@iamsrk
with
@Letterman
just for that line and how SRK explains and delivers it.
Fakhar Zaman's average progression over the course of this
#ZIMvPAK
series:
45.83 --> 46.92 --> 55.92 --> 59.23 --> 75.38 --> 76.07
So next time he bats, he needs to score more than 76 merely to keep his batting average from dropping.
Jasprit Bumrah is the kind of bowler that couldn't have been created even in a lab with programmed specifications on what skillsets to add.
He defies rational expectations.
#INDvsAUS
Just a week ago, Karthik pulled off a tactical heist against
#CSK
in this game.
Maybe the plans were made from the dugout, but the captain has to still make it happen in the middle...
How a hate-filled right-wing account created a fake profile of another community and used it to troll nastily. As ever, great investigation by
@AltNews
. They're doing stellar work.
If all the fours and sixes that Rohit Sharma hit thrilled you, then his dismissal shouldn't make you curse.
He got those fours and sixes and fast starts precisely by taking these risks. Sometimes they don't come off. India are fortunate it's come off so much in
#CWC23
"No excuses for that shot. None of that nonsense of 'oh that's his natural game'. There's got to be some responsibility shown, because there are other guys like Pujara, Rahane taking blows." - Sunil Gavaskar on Rishabh Pant's dismissal.
#INDvSA
Fast bowling: one of the most unnatural acts the human body can go through, with the contortions and explosiveness putting several times your body weight's stress through you.
Jasprit Bumrah: India's greatest at the art.
Clowns on Twitter: how dare he walk if he can't bowl.
@StuartBroad8
How about if:
You're bowling in 4th inns vs Australia. They are 250/9. Target: 256. Last ball of over. Steve Smith batting, Josh Hazlewood non-striker. Hazlewood takes a big start so that Smith can be on strike next over, despite warnings.
Would you run him out?
Hi, just your reminder that if Cheteshwar Pujara had not spent as much time batting in the first innings as he did, India would still have had a lot more overs to survive.
#INDvAUS
Anurag Thakur, who was thrown out of the BCCI on the Supreme Court's orders, coolly sitting between president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah. Nice.
Rahul Tewatia and the art of pulling off impossible chases. In quantifiable terms,
#RR
win probability in *that* Sharjah chase was 1.46% at 14.4 overs, and Tewatia pulled it off.
In
#RRvSRH
today, it had gone down to 4.21% at 15.4 overs, and he still pulled it off.
#IPL2020
Or it might be because this tune was made by a composer who lived in the 1800s, and was famous enough for Bollywood to have 'been inspired' from.
Wikipedia:
YouTube: