The BCCI’s decision to announce India’s T20I squad for the New Zealand series while holding back the ODI squad has triggered a familiar yet unavoidable debate: should Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli be recalled for the three-match ODI series beginning January 11? Whether this delay is strategic or merely procedural remains open to interpretation. But…
The omission of Shubman Gill from India’s T20 World Cup squad is not merely a selection call—it is a tacit admission of error by a selection committee that has lurched from impulsive overreach to reluctant course correction. In doing so, the selectors have exposed the deep inconsistencies, poor succession planning, and knee-jerk decision-making that have…
My cricketing journey began in 1960, in a very different India and an even more different Hyderabad. There were no academies, no video analysis, no floodlit nets. What we had instead were heroes—real ones—roaming the streets of Secunderabad, close enough to touch, observe, and quietly dream about becoming. Names like C. D. Thangaraj, Samluck, and…
After the battering India endured in the Test series, the ODI leg against South Africa felt less like a bilateral contest and more like a test of character. And in that space—where nerves jangle, confidence wavers, and the dressing room can slip into self-doubt—two men stood tall once again: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Much…
Let us get to the real thorn in the side of modern Test cricket — the tiresome excuse of “rest.” Every time a player is asked to turn up for a Ranji game, a workload chart magically appears, and suddenly, a five-day match becomes an unbearable burden. England’s cricketers play four gruelling months of county…
Indian cricket is in a phase where talent is abundant, ambition is high, and the calendar is brutally unforgiving. Yet in the middle of this relentless churn stands a simple truth: fitness is the only non-negotiable, no matter how gifted the cricketer. And that is precisely why the current treatment of Shubman Gill — arguably…
India’s 30-run loss to South Africa in the low-scoring opening Test at Kolkata was not a bolt from the blue. It was the natural culmination of patterns long ignored, combinations left uncorrected, and a dangerous over-reliance on the lower order to bail the team out. When a side as formidable at home as India capitulates…
When the final wicket fell and the tricolor erupted across the stadium, India wasn’t just celebrating a trophy — it was celebrating a revolution in women’s cricket. The 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup triumph wasn’t an overnight miracle. It was the outcome of technical refinement, nerves of steel, and players maturing into world-beaters. As someone…
Here we go again — the great Indian pastime after every ICC event: speculating who should hang up the boots next. And this time, the debate has turned to two of the most luminous stars in the Indian cricketing galaxy — Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The question making rounds in drawing rooms, commentary boxes,…
Despite years of turmoil, corruption allegations, nepotism, and court battles surrounding the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), there are encouraging signs emerging from the senior team. Riding on the momentum of their recent Butchi Babu Trophy success, the Hyderabad batsmen have shown remarkable resilience and consistency. As a former batter, I have no hesitation in giving…
