N Ananthanarayanan

Australian cricket threads a needle through history

Australia cricketers joined the band on Friday, swapping their traditional yellow-and-green by wearing a predominatly black jersey adorned with intricate aboriginal patterns in orange and yellow.

The importance of being Ishant

While the Indian team grapples with the question of how to make up for Virat Kohli’s absence during the Test series, there is joy to be had in Ishant Sharma’s return from injury.

Autumn IPL adds spring to India ahead for Australia

Unlike many of their teammates from other cricketing nations, the IPL was the first taste of the game for India’s players since the pandemic began in March. What do the performances of key players tell us about their form ahead of the Australia series?

IPL 2020: Quiet flows Quinton, the other SA MVP

IPL 2020: Quinton de Kock doesn’t draw headlines like de Villiers does season after season, but his quality as opener and wicketkeeper has added steel to champions Mumbai Indians for a second year in a row.

Marcus Stoinis, Shikhar Dhawan steer Delhi Capitals into first IPL final

IPL 2020: Delhi Capitals cashed in on dropped catches and misfields to score 189/3 after electing to bat. Kane Williamson (67 off 45 balls) spread some calm in SRH with a sublime innings. Just as the panic shifted to Capitals, Stoinis, having taken two wickets to puncture the chase in the power play, got Williamson slice a drive to deep cover. With 43 to get off 19 deliveries, the innings ended at 172/8.

Rahane, Dhawan seal DC win to reach playoffs

Rahane’s 60, his first substantial score of IPL 2020, and Dhawan’s 54, his third fifty to go with two centuries, and their mastery over Virat Kohli’s bowling weapon—leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal went wicketless returning 0/29—settled the game.

IPL 2020: SRH stay alive, RCB wait for play-off spot

IPL 2020: The win lifted SRH to fourth on the table, enjoying the best net run rate among the four teams on 12. They must still beat table toppers Mumbai Indians in their final game on Tuesday if they are to keep hopes of qualifying.

IPL 2020: Suryakumar Yadav steers MI home after Bumrah masterclass

IPL 2020: Jasprit Bumrah, the go-to bowler in any team he plays, and young opener Devdutt Padikkal put on a show in the first half, and Suryakumar Yadav carried the second half, scoring a brilliant, unbeaten 79 (43b, 10x, 3x6) to steer MI to a five-wicket win with five balls to spare.

IPL 2020, KXIP vs SRH: Kings XI Punjab ride late surge to snatch incredible win over Sunrisers Hyderabad

IPL 2020, KXIP vs SRH: The win left KXIP fifth on the points table, two points adrift of the fourth-placed team, and fighting for a playoff berth with three games left. For SRH, even winning the last three games may not be enough.

IPL 2020: Jos Buttler steers RR to crucial win, CSK playoff hopes fade

IPL 2020: Smith dropped anchor while Buttler scored steadily. CSK hopes faded when Buttler hammered leg-spinner Piyush Chawla for three fours to milk 16 runs in the 15th over, effectively sealing the game.

IPL 2020: Shikhar Dhawan hits first T20 century as Capitals snatch win from CSK

IPL 2020: Teams batting first were 5-2 up in Sharjah ahead of the game and Delhi Capitals bowlers felt the pressure as CSK’s seasoned batsmen posted a solid 179/4. DC though made it 2-0 for the season. They found their man in Shikhar Dhawan and unexpected dew that made batting a touch easier as the ball came on to the bat.

IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians win a power game over Delhi Capitals

IPL 2020: Just when Capitals, electing to bat, were shifting gears through Marcus Stoinis, he was run out in a mix-up with Shikhar Dhawan.

Chetan Chauhan, a fighter who thrived in pressure

Chetan Chauhan, who went on to become a cricket administrator and later entered the rough and tumble of Uttar Pradesh politics, would go on to use these facets of his character well even in his “second innings”.

IPL 2020: Rahul Tripathi’s gritty knock spurs KKR to win over CSK

IPL 2020: Rahul Tripathi top-scored with 81 as Kolkata Knight Riders defended 167 to beat Chennai Super Kings by 10 runs in an Indian Premier League match in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

IPL 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders pacers upstage Jofra Archer’s brilliance as Royals lose

IPL 2020: Batting first Kolkata Knight Riders posted 174 for 6 riding on Shubman Gill (47) and Eoin Morgan’s (34*) contributions. In reply, young KKR pacers never allowed RR to be in the game as they restricted RR to 137 for 9.

IPL 2020: RCB beat MI in Super Over

IPL 2020, RCB vs MI: In the Super Over, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 7/1 by Navdeep Saini. Royal Challengers Bangalore reached the target on the last ball of the Super Over with Virat Kohli hitting Jasprit Bumrah for a four.

Dean Jones: The man who set a bold ODI template

Jones, 59, survived by wife and two daughters, is best remembered for his exploits, especially in India, as Australia’s batting lynchpin to help revive the team under Allan Border in the 1980s after Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappell and Rodney Marsh retired together.

IPL 2020: Staying in bio-bubble is like living in Big Boss house, says Shikhar Dhawan - Exclusive

IPL 2020: “It (the bio-bubble) is a new thing for everyone,” Dhawan says. “More than challenging, I see it as an opportunity to improve in every aspect. I keep myself entertained; I take it in a positive way.”

Connor breaches a cricket bastion, named MCC’s first woman president

MCC’s AGM made a historic decision to appoint former England skipper, Clare Connor, as its first woman president. Connor, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) managing director of women’s cricket, will take over on October 1, 2021.

Rajinder Goel, one of the best never to play for India

Goel, who played for Haryana, Punjab and Delhi, was a towering presence in domestic cricket during a 25-year first-class career that began in the 1958-59 Ranji season and extended until 1984-85, when he was 42.

For IPL’s young aspirants, a cancelled season is a great loss

The world’s richest cricket league, whose brand value last year was $6.7 billion, according to the US consultancy firm Duff and Phelps, is a parade of top international stars, but it also scores for the talent that it unearths.

Canned IPL will hurt India aspirants

Overseas, almost all at sea for India

The hosts wrapped up a 2-0 series win to boost their standing in World Test Championship after thoroughly exposing Indian batsmen’s frailty in the ultra seam-friendly conditions that make New Zealand a tough place to tour for sub-continent teams.

Want Serena Williams to win 24th Slam: Mary Pierce

Since her return after childbirth at the 2018 French Open, Serena has reached the finals in four of the eight Slams she has played in.

‘Need to probe Chawla’s links in India and Dubai’

Chawla, who was extradited from the UK on Thursday, will be interrogated by the Delhi Police for the first time, after a city court remanded him to 12 days’ police custody.

‘Need to probe Sanjeev Chawla’s links in India and Dubai’: Delhi cop who blew lid off fixing

Cricket bookie Sanjeev Chawla , who was extradited from the UK on Thursday, will be interrogated by the Delhi Police for the first time, after a city court remanded him to 12 days’ police custody.

Year-Ender 2019: Comebacks strong theme in Test show

If 2018 was about India establishing themselves as a pace powerhouse - Jasprit Bumrah’s Test debut heralding their arrival - 2019 was about answering questions of its versatility and depth all over again.

Months of magic, 30 minutes of misery

2019 review: India wrapped up a historic first Test series win in Australia in a year of highs marred only by the heartbreak of a World Cup semi-final loss

‘Sehwag is Sehwag,’ Rohit Sharma reacts to comparisons with former India opener

India vs Bangladesh: Rohit Sharma says former India opener Virender Sehwag in different league but if he can do as his team wants, it would solve a lot of problems.

India vs South Africa: Mohammed Shami shines with old ball skills

What it underlined was how Shami simply took out the pitch out of the equation in dismantling the Proteas batsmen. That he did with no help from the fielders, getting four of his victims bowled, adds lustre to his performance.