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The parallel tales of two tantalizing semi finals..

Wins from close to unwinnable situations in World Cup semi-finals on two successive days is not every day's treat. The four best teams in the World Cup served up two fabulous knockout matches which went all the way down to the wire. New Zealand and Australia came out victorious after being on the brink for most parts of their respective matches. The contest between bat and ball was so rich that it was unfair that only two of them could win and go through. Cricket being a game of margins is not a cliche but apart from a couple of missed catches in both the games, we must agree on the fact that New Zealand and Australia did a lot more to win than England and Pakistan did to lose. Twenty 20 is a funny game and these two games were perfect examples of how a handful of deliveries decide the result of the match.  Two different venues, four teams with different approaches, and yet the matches were so parallel, it is quite remarkable and unbelievable. With similar scores in the first halve...
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Rohit Sharma - An immortal in limited overs cricket.

"Sirf talent se kuch nahi hota" is what Rohit Sharma says everytime when someone relates him with the word 'talent'. It feels almost ironic that someone as talented and as gifted as Rohit Sharma doesn't believe in talent. May be he doesn't want to go over the moon and become overconfident and that's what it's all about, isn't it? Rohit Sharma of the late 2000s resembled a highly intelligent child who took things for granted and often left it for his brilliance to get them done. Whereas Rohit Sharma - post 2013 is a classic example of 'better late than never'.     Despite being a slow starter in the first class circuit, Rohit got early breakthroughs in his career, the biggest being a place in the inaugural World T20 squad. Having made the most of the chances and helping India lift the trophy, Rohit had already made a name of himself. But apart from a good knock here and there, he was not playing to his full potential. On the way, he had t...
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Neil Wagner: The Master of bouncers!

Of all the crowd including the likes Kagiso Rabada, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Starc and Patrick Cummins, the one who has absolutely mastered the art of short pitch bowling is a certain New Zealander named Neil Wagner. When he announced his arrival in test match cricket with a five for against England, captain Brendon Mccullum called him a workhorse. After a couple of quite years, right now he is probably the best bowler for New Zealand in the longest format. Not a daunting figure on the field, about 5 foot 10, Neil Wagner has the heart for fast bowling. What he did in Australia over the period of last month was exceptional. When the Kiwis were not getting any breakthroughs on those flat Australian wickets against a strong and in form Australian batting line up, Neil Wagner was the one running in all day. When in crisis, Kane Williamson and later Tom Latham in Sydney, always turned to the left arm pacer to provide them with a breakthrough and very seldom did he disappoint.  In all ho...
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Concussion replacements are here to stay!

Exactly five years to this date, Phil Hughes was taken too soon, the most tragic moment cricketing world has had to digest in recent times. When Phil Hughes got hit on that dreadful day at the Adelaide Oval by a searing bouncer and passed away just hours later, cricketing fraternity woke up and again started thinking about the safety of the players. When I thought of the kind of summer Mitchell Johnson had the previous year, I was completely thrown off and pleased for English batsmen thinking how didn't any of them get hit on the head and sent to the hospital. It was obviously a good thing that nobody got hit in the summer of 2013-14 but I was surprised about it a year later because I hadn't seen someone bowl that quick in my life. After the demise of Phil Hughes, India were scheduled to take on Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Aussies put on a score well in excess of 500 in the first innings and India were two down for not too many. Virat Kohli walked in with the burden of thos...
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Why it is unfair to compare players from different eras..

Michael Jordon or LeBron James, Pete Sampras or Roger Federer, Pele or Maradona, Maradona or Messi? Such debates have been making fans scratch each their heads to prove a certain sportsman. Such situations where players from different eras are compared, it's very difficult if not impossible to draw any conclusion due to many factors. In basketball, it might be the hardcore playing style in earlier days compared to the ultimate professionalism that has come in the last decade. In football, it's the playing conditions and facilities that can deny any argument. There are 'n' number of factors that come into consideration. So to go on and say that a particular player is the greatest ever makes very little sense to me.      It applies for cricket as well, doesn't it? What are the famous debates in cricket? Let's try and understand with a couple of examples. The best non Indian example is without a doubt The 'Lara vs Richards' argument. This is a debate they ...
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