My cricketing career may not have been a long one, but it gave me the rare privilege of meeting, watching and playing alongside some of the finest cricketers India has produced. Looking back, I owe a big thank you to M.L. Jaisimha and, above all, the Almighty for giving me those unforgettable experiences. Cricket is…
Cricket has always possessed a unique charm. Unlike many sports that demand specialised facilities, expensive equipment or carefully prepared playing surfaces, cricket can find a home almost anywhere — on an open ground, a street, a terrace or even a backyard. A few friends, an improvised lincid bat and a ball are often enough to…
Cricket in India has travelled a remarkable journey—from an era when representing one’s state or country was a matter of passion and pride, with little financial reward, to a modern sporting industry in which talented players can earn crores in a single season. For today’s young cricketers, accustomed to the glamour of the Indian Premier…
Cricket has evolved dramatically over the years. The arrival of T20 cricket has changed batting philosophies, coaching methods and the way players prepare for matches. Aggression is celebrated, innovative strokes are encouraged, and batters are increasingly expected to score at a rapid pace. Yet, amid all these changes, one fundamental question deserves serious consideration: should…
Children are a face of God. When they are young, they play with innocence, freedom and a remarkable ability to perform without carrying the burden of expectations. In cricket, particularly at the junior level, that performance should matter far more than the labels we attach to a youngster. We often hear that a particular boy…
Hyderabad is not just another cricketing centre. It is a founding member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and has contributed to Indian cricket in almost every department — administration, umpiring, playing and coaching. Yet, when one looks back at the history of Indian cricket, there is an unmistakable feeling that Hyderabad’s…
Every generation of cricket has had its favourite heroes. Players come and go, styles change, formats evolve and records are constantly rewritten. Yet, some performances become so extraordinary that they appear almost beyond the reach of another generation. As a cricketer, I have always believed that records are meant to be broken. That is the…
The Duleep Trophy final may have produced a winner, but more importantly, it threw up a question that Indian cricket cannot afford to ignore: where is the next generation of Test batsmen and quality spinners coming from? For too long, the IPL has been treated as the principal shop window for Indian cricketing talent. There…
Having followed cricket for more than six decades, I sometimes find the logic of today’s game rather confusing. The game has certainly evolved, and there is nothing wrong with innovation. But innovation should not mean abandoning the basic principles that have made successful cricket teams successful for generations. I have had the privilege of watching…
There is no question that Yashasvi Jaiswal is one of the most exciting young batting talents in Indian cricket. Which is precisely why his behaviour after being dismissed in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo should be a matter of concern—not something to be dismissed as “passion” or “aggression”. Jaiswal had battled his…
