England’s bowlers need to ditch containment for attack on June 6, 2022Finally someone in the England set-up has vocalised one of the team’s biggest failings. When their new coach, former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, emphasised to his bowlers, “Don’t focus too much on economy rates, I want wickets,” he was applying Test cricket common sense. To sum up Test cricket simply: a team’s batters need […]
Test cricket cannot flourish in the shadow of the T20 format on October 15, 2021There’s a Twenty20 World Cup to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and then, after some spirited negotiations, hopefully a credible Ashes series in Australia. The difficult negotiations over the Ashes series were mostly brought about by the Covid pandemic, but more and more the T20 format is casting a dark shadow over […]
Did we really need The Hundred? on August 2, 2021Throughout my playing career I believed there were two possible solutions to a problem: a simple one and a complicated one. I also believed that to the benefit of Australia, England would regularly choose the complicated solution. They’ve done it again.To overcome the perceived problem of a public not fully conversant with cricket, they’ve concocted […]
300 cotton growers trained on use of best practices in crop production on March 27, 2021Central Cotton Research Institute had trained about 300 cotton growers on use of best crop management practices for achieving higher per-acre output during the coming season. In this regard, Central Cotton Research Institute in collaboration with Kashtkar Foundation had organized a day-long workshop, which was attended by a large number of farmers, scientists and exporters. […]
Don’t ban the bouncer, fix batting technique instead on December 21, 2020A Test match, especially one played between two skilful and evenly matched teams like Australia and India, is appropriately named. Each game is a searching test of the players’ skill, cricket intelligence and courage. In the first Test, at the Adelaide Oval, it also became a test of everyone’s patience while Cheteshwar Pujara was in […]
What made Don Bradman better than the rest? on October 12, 2020I was often asked an intriguing question during my playing days: “Why was Don Bradman so much better than any other batsman?” I didn’t have a satisfactory answer to the query. Nevertheless, I eradicated a couple of reasons for Bradman’s dominance. “It wasn’t his superior eyesight or reflexes,” I confidently said. Good reflexes and decent […]
It’s time the DRS got an overhaul on July 20, 2020There was a time when the BCCI distrusted the DRS. I’m no longer in lock-step with the BCCI on this because I still don’t have much faith in the DRS. It struggles to achieve at least two of the ICC’s prime objectives: arriving at the correct decision and eradicating the howler. So long as there […]
The racism I have seen in cricket on June 23, 2020As racism is playing a prominent role in the current turbulent times, it’s worth reflecting on my experience of prejudice in and around cricket. As a youngster growing up in a family where there was no notable prejudice, despite being in the era of the White Australia Policy, I wasn’t really aware of racism. I […]
Change the ball-tampering and lbw laws on May 12, 2020There will be some noticeable changes to the game when cricket resumes from its Covid-19 hiatus with one of the major differences being the way the ball is polished. It’s critical administrators produce the right response to the health challenges as swing bowling, along with wristspin, is a crucial part of attacking cricket. Both skills […]
India’s Laxman and Australian Walters’ innings — The best I’ve watched against spin on March 30, 2020Cricket reacted quickly and responsibly in shutting down the game to try to minimise the crushing effects of the coronavirus. The absence of any cricket gives me an opportunity to reflect on an aspect of the game I enjoy: watching a batsman utilise good footwork to combat top-class spin bowling. Two innings stand out: one […]