Rajesh Viswanathan

‘Sharjah demon’ finally buried after 36 years

October 26, 2022

18 April, 1986 is one of the most painful days for Indian cricket. 4 runs required by Pakistan to win the final of the Austral-Asia Cup in Sharjah and Javed Miandad slams a low full-toss of Chetan Sharma for a six to seal the most incredible victory for Pakistan. Until...

TIME TO LOOK PAST VIRAT KOHLI

July 8, 2022

Last week, in this column, I had exwpressed the fear over the fearless batting approach of England, especially when chasing targets in Test cricket lately. That fear has once again translated into reality. New Zealand faced it for three Tests in a row and India, under the new captain, Jasprit...

TAMING THE NEWFOUND ENGLISH AGGRESSION…

June 29, 2022

A reinvented Johnny Bairstow, a rejuvenated Ben Stokes and a resurgent Joe Root. Not the best adjectives to read if you are Team India’s biggest fan. No running away from the truth though. England have rediscovered themselves in Test cricket and how. They have literally ‘ignited’ Test cricket with a...

HAS T20 REVIVED LEG-SPIN OR…?

June 21, 2022

When Yuzvendra Chahal and Wanindu Hasaranga finished as the two best bowlers of IPL 2022, the cricket fan was rejoicing. It is always a beautiful sight - the good old wily leg-spinner in action. Leg-spin is more than just cricket. It is artistry, which requires enormous skill, patience and resilience....

UMRAN MALIK: EUPHORIA SHOULD MARRY REALISM

June 15, 2022

April 27, 2022: Umran Malik ‘remember thy name’ moment came and how! That incredible spell of blistering pace saw the SRH speedster demolish the stumps of Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, David Miller and Abhinav Manohar. He had arrived on the big IPL stage. The next week or so was all...

PANDYA SHOULD LEAD INDIA AT T20 WORLD CUP

May 31, 2022

Two months before the start of IPL 2022, at the grand auction in Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans didn’t necessarily catch the eye of the cricketing purist with their bidding strategy. Their top 5 bids, apart from the three significant retentions, had names that were considered unpredictable, at best. Yet, what many...