Audiosode 1 – Talking Cricket with Aakash Arya Yuyutsu in talk with Aakash Tweet
To stake a claim on the illustrious Ranji Trophy is no mean feat. To be able to play quality first-class cricket consistently for three months you need to put in plenty of effort into your pre-season preparation and fitness training, work on your team combinations, and ensure you have a strong bench of reserves to [...]
Memories of the majestic Armani Hotel in Dubai zip past my mind. That evening, immaculately orchestrated musical fountains had made for a beautiful backdrop for a rendezvous with friends over some delectable kebabs. Two months later, as I now spend time in a small district called Nadaun in Himachal Pradesh, that awe-inspiring opulence comes back [...]
The day Laxman announced his retirement it looked like S Badrinath had got a fresh lease of life. As one would’ve thought, he was fittingly drafted into the Indian Test team for the series against New Zealand. Nobody deserved to be picked for the Indian Test team more than S Badrinath, for he’d been scoring [...]
The air is thick with nervous energy. Another year of Indian domestic cricket kicks off tomorrow, this one unique in many ways. Most first-class cricketers have been busy priming themselves for an arduous five months of incessant cricket, putting in hours of daily practice, ironing out the chinks, strategizing and planning. While the new set [...]
India have slipped to No. 5 in the Test rankings – their lowest in the last five years. Even though rankings mean little unless taken in context, India’s decline in Test cricket is apparent. They were No. 1 when they arrived in England last year. By the time they finished their series in Australia six [...]
In May, when India TV released tapes of its sting operation uncovering potential black-money transactions, players openly flouting IPL rules, and possible spot-fixing, the BCCI needed to act fast to restore credibility. They did, conducting an enquiry that reached its conclusion in quick time. As important as it is to conduct a fair trial, it’s equally important [...]
MS Dhoni’s decision to field a four-pronged seam attack in the Perth Test earlier this year took many by surprise. It was the first time in two decades that India went into a Test with an all-pace attack. As much as Dhoni’s radical decision was about the seamer-friendly conditions in Perth, it was equally about [...]
Rahul Dravid’s retirement from international cricket has posed India a serious question: have they figured out which players are most likely to fill the void? The decision to end your career may be a personal one, but the impact is felt by the entire set-up, especially when the player is of Dravid’s stature. India could [...]
After India’s disconcerting 0-8 scoreline in overseas Test matches in 2011-12, there were calls, especially in the social media, to boycott the IPL. Indian cricket was at its lowest ebb and abandoning the IPL seemed to many the logical choice. It was commonly believed that India’s abysmal showing overseas was thanks to the eight-week-long T20 [...]
