By Kanishkaa Balachandran/The Hindu The apparent stage-fright that hits Pakistan’s batsmen has reduced all recent matches between the arch-rivals to duds. Moreover, when every game is pegged as a crunch match, you end up chewing more than you bite off. Some years ago, a popular news channel in India ran a discussion, involving cricket […]
By Kanishkaa Balachandran/The Hindu Test cricket was born on March 15, 1877. We look back at some significant milestones in the game’s longest format. It all began at the now iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 15, 1877 when Australia took on England for the first ever officially recognised Test match. The first ball was […]
By Kanishkaa Balachandran/NIA In 2000, Bangladesh played its first ever Test, hosting India to mark the occasion. In 2017, India are finally returning the favor. The irony is hard to miss. The same country that helped Bangladesh join the elite club of teams that play Test matches is finally hosting them, in 2017. Pay attention […]
By Kanishkaa Balachandran High-scoring matches are good for batsmen, not bowlers. Rules have to be tweaked yet again to give bowlers an equal chance or else one-dayers will go stale. Take a look at the following scenarios: Game 1: England post 350 for 7. India are in trouble at 63 for 4. Centuries by Virat […]
By Kanishkaa Balachandran/NIA MS Dhoni is known for surprises. On Wednesday, the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman was watching his native Jharkhand take on Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Nagpur. After the game, he set out for some batting practice trying out various bats, in preparation for the limited-overs series against England beginning on January 15. […]
By Kanishkaa Balachandran It might still be too early to include him in the elite list, but given his achievements in 2016 alone, Indian bowler Ravichandran Ashwin is set to break more Indian records. At the start of this decade, Indian cricket was on the cusp of change. It was an adjustment not many would […]
Poor shot selection cost Sri Lanka the first Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth, says Kanishkaa Balachandran When South Africa were bowled out for 286 early on the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Port Elizabeth, there was hope that the match could turn out to be more evenly matched […]
By Kanishkaa Balachandran Colombo, December 26 (NIA): Sri Lanka are unbeaten in their last five Test matches. Two of those victories came against Zimbabwe. Nothing remarkable there, but it’s the other three that stand out. They came against Australia, at the time the No.1 Test team. Yes, Sri Lanka were playing them at home, but few […]
It’s time India started hosting day-night matches, says Kanishkaa Balachandran in www.scoopwhoop.com Eight out of 13 Tests have been completed in India’s 2016-17 home season, but curiously, none of them are day-night games. The concept is gaining ground in other countries, with Dubai having hosted one recently, and Australia – the first to embrace the […]
Peshawar, December 23 (The Express Tribune): Twenty-year old Mahindar Pal Singh, hailing from the warn-torn FATA, has become the first-ever member from his community to join the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore. Mahindar aims to be part of the Pakistan cricket team – the Green Brigade – soon. “I never thought I will be […]