Sports

Shardul Thakur’s 45 minutes of mayhem sparks Eden Gardens to life

Published

3 years ago

2023/04/8

Shardul Thakur swings across the line during his match-winning innings•BCCI

Over the years, Shardul Thakur has evolved from being a red-ball fast bowler, primarily, to a handy lower middle-order batter who also picks up key wickets in the limited-overs formats. He may not be as consistent as he would have liked to be, whether with the bat or with the ball, but Thakur has proved several times that he does not shy away from the big stage.

On Thursday, there was a chance for Thakur to be the star, and he cashed in. With Kolkata Knight Riders at 89 for 5, and Andre Russell gone for a first-ball duck, Thakur knew that the stage was set up for him perfectly: a packed Eden Gardens, a first home match for the Knight Riders, the star team owner in the stands and star Indian cricketer in the opposition camp. All that was needed was action. He provided that with a 29-ball 68 that left Royal Challengers Bangalore so stunned that the eventual target of 205 proved too steep.

Over the years, Thakur has become a character who wants to be in the thick of the action. Even when things aren’t going his team’s way, Thakur has that look on his face – he wants to bring his side back in the contest. And even as he produced heroic performances in Tests – twin fifties at The Oval and a 67 in Brisbane, both in India’s victories – he never was the star performer.

On Thursday, nothing quite stood out about his innings against Royal Challengers from a technical standpoint. He offered poor defensive technique first ball and was lucky to not become a hat-trick victim for Karn Sharma. The nine fours and three sixes that followed were not extravagantly beautiful either. They were effective shots built on a base which is a handy technique from the Mumbai school of batting. In short, they were shots from a cricketer who briefly felt invincible, and it was this confidence that translated into runs.

The three sixes in his innings epitomised that. Thakur cleared the boundary once off Akash Deep and twice off Michael Bracewell. None of those shots came off the middle of the bat, but they did come off the bat of someone who was willing to give it a full swing. For 45 minutes, everything that Thakur touched turned to gold.

“Even I didn’t know where it came from,” Thakur said after the match. “Looking at the scorecard, anyone would’ve said we are struggling out there. But at some point, your subconscious mind has to take over and pre-empt what bowlers are going to bowl and areas you are going to hit.”

On the night, that plan worked perfectly for Thakur – who also picked up a wicket in the chase – and in the process, also vindicated the decision of the Knight Riders backroom staff, who chose to trade him into the squad as part of an all-cash deal of INR 10 crore from Delhi Capitals. Thakur’s innings did one more thing – it brought the Eden Gardens crowd to life. Knight Riders came into the season with very few marquee names barring their two West Indians, Russell and Sunil Narine, and there was a sense that the home crowd was not finding the common ground that would give them a connect with their side.

Virat Kohli shadow batting brought the loudest cheers before the start of the game, and shouts of “Kohli, Kohli” were getting more frequent as the Knight Riders top order crumbled. Previously, when Russell was dismissed cheaply at Eden Gardens, pin-drop silence would follow. On this occasion, there was a big roar when he was out the first ball. Perhaps a lack of faith in the team. Perhaps the worth of the opposition. Perhaps both.

Royal Challengers have built a loyal fanbase around the country centred on their biggest star, and also their social media game. A direct impact of that could be seen in Kolkata, where before 2019, it was almost impossible that Knight Riders’ wickets would be celebrated with such fervour. Before the match, walking into the stadium, even if more fans were hoping for a home win, it seemed more spectators had the Royal Challengers red on compared to the Knight Riders purple.

After Thakur’s innings, though, the Knight Riders faithfuls went back to creating the sort of buzz that made Eden Gardens such a stronghold for the home side. It culminated with the loudest cheers of the night when Kohli was bowled by Narine in the chase, the start of a collapse that led to an 81-run win for Knight Riders.

While Thakur stole the limelight, Rinku Singh also made a valuable contribution of 46 off 33 balls. Rinku is best known in the IPL for his sharp fielding and cameos with the bat, but those small efforts have not gone unnoticed. In Kolkata, he has developed a cult-like following and has turned into a crowd favourite. Knight Riders captain Nitish Rana later said that Rinku played his role – to stay till the end, and not start slogging too early – perfectly.

“The innings Rinku played was as important as Shardul’s,” Rana said after the match. “In the time out, I told him that I know he can hit seven sixes if he wants to, but at that time he didn’t need to. I told him he can hit three sixes [to make up] later in the innings because he has the skills for it, but at that time it was important for him to stay till the 19th-20th over. Rinku is a bindaas (cool) guy. If you keep things simple with him, he will play cricket in a simple way too. And that is our strength.”

While the Knight Riders’ win at home changed the trend for them somewhat, their top order looked out of sorts for the second game in a row. It took the highest sixth-wicket stand in the IPL since 2012, a rare, freakish innings and partnership, to lift them from what looked like 140 to 200-plus. For now, they can afford to bask in the afterglow till their next challenge: against defending champions Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

(Cricinfo)

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Sports

Fifty days in Pakistan

Published

6 hours ago

2026/10/6

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sri Lanka’s tour of Pakistan is one of the longest undertaken by the team in recent years. The team will spend 50 days in Pakistan and will play two Tests, three T-20Is and an ODI tri-nation series with England being the third team.

by Rex Clementine

England legend Sir Ian Botham’s famous quip that Pakistan is the sort of place to send your mother-in-law on an all expenses paid holiday was rather unkind. Touch down in Pakistan and you are greeted instead by warmth and affection, with people going out of their way to make you feel at home. Tell them you are from Sri Lanka and more often than not, the conversation quickly begins with one word ‘brother’.

That same hospitality greets you even at the Pakistan High Commission on Buller’s Lane when you turn up for a visa. The first question is not about the purpose of your visit or how long you intend to stay. It is much simpler: tea or coffee?

The Sri Lankan team that flew out to Pakistan on Sunday will experience plenty of that warmth during what promises to be a lengthy stay. It is one of the longest tours undertaken by the national side in recent years, with those involved in all three formats, along with the coaching staff, spending up to 50 days in Pakistan.

The tour comprises three T20Is, a tri-nation ODI series with England as the third participant and two Test matches. There is also a three day warm up game in Islamabad ahead of the Tests.

The current crop of selectors have been largely conventional in their approach, but some of their choices for the white ball squads suggest they are prepared to bare their teeth when required.

The boldest call has been to leave out star leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, until recently one of the first names on the team sheet. The writing had been on the wall for Hasaranga for some time and it has now emerged that his omission has little to do with injury or form. Instead, the message from those running the show appears fairly straightforward: get your act together.

Pathum Nissanka was overlooked for the T20Is but has been named in the ODI squad subject to fitness. Charith Asalanka has been left out of both formats following a poor run of form, while a couple of youngsters have forced their way in on the back of impressive returns in domestic cricket.

More changes are in store for the two match Test series. ‘The Island’ learns that Dhananjaya de Silva is set to lose the Test captaincy following an unimpressive stint at the helm during the recent home series against India.

Kusal Mendis is expected to take over the Test side on an interim basis, giving him leadership responsibilities across formats, before the selectors settle on a long term choice.

Sports

Sebs keep alive hopes, Joes commence campaign with crushing win

Published

6 hours ago

2026/10/6

Sahan Weerasooriya

by Reemus Fernando

‎

St. Joseph’s College, Darley Road commenced their campaign with a crushing 124 runs win over Gurukula College, Kelaniya while St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa scored vital eight wickets win over Maris Stella College Negombo to keep alive their hopes in the Under-19 Division I Tier A Limited Overs Tournament.

‎The Joes posted a competitive 208 for eight in their allotted 50 overs, before Vigneswaran Akash, Vishwa Peiris and Nushan Perera joined to rattle Gurukula for 84 runs.

‎For St.Joseph’s Aveesha Samash top-scored with 43 rune (off 74 balls) including four boundaries, while Dilpa Maduranga contributed 30 off 38 balls.

‎The innings gained momentum towards the latter stages, with Nimthaka Goonewardena striking a brisk 28 off just 22 deliveries, including three fours. Pamoda Dalpadado made 23 off 21 balls.

‎Gurukula’s bowlers were led by Shan Jumath, who claimed three wickets for 32 runs in his full 10-over spell.

‎Gurukula never threatened the target and were bowled out in the 31st over. Shan Jumath offered the only significant resistance with a top score of 41 from 67 balls.

‎Vigneswaran Akash was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets for just 12 runs from 7.2 overs. Vishwa Peiris also claimed three for 21, while Nushan Perera returned impressive figures of two for 11 from six overs.

‎‎St. Sebastian’s keep alive hopes

‎‎It was St. Sebastian’s third outing. They suffered two wickets defeat at the hands of Richmond in their first match. Then they bounced back to beat D.S. Senanayake in the second match. With only two teams advancing to knockout stage from the five-team group they came to yesterday’s match needing victory to keep alive their hopes. At the must win game they registeted an eight-wicket victory over Maris Stella, Negombo to make it two wins after three outings.

‎Maris Stella were bowled out for 145 in 38.4 overs after struggling to build substantial partnerships. Kavith de Silva top-scored with 35 off 57 balls, including three fours and two sixes, while Ameesha Fernando struck a brisk 31 off 31 balls with three sixes. Sathmira Silva added 22 and Gaveesha Induwara made 21.

‎St. Sebastian’s bowlers shared the workload effectively, with Risinu Prabesh, Thejan Bandara, Lashen Fernando and Chamath Wellalage claiming two wickets each. Prabesh was particularly economical, conceding just 12 runs in six overs.

‎The hosts made light work of the modest target, reaching 147 for two in just 21.4 overs. Lashen Fernando led the successful chase with a blistering unbeaten 61 off 38 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 160.53.

‎Hirusha Perera remained unbeaten on 37 off 42 balls, while Meshone Ferdinando and Thivanka Fernando contributed 25 and 24 respectively.

‎They will now meet Sri Sumangala Panadura in their last group match. A victory there is likely to guarantee Sebs a place in the knockout stage.

Sports

Musaeus sweep all age category titles

Published

6 hours ago

2026/10/6

Sahan Weerasooriya

Musaeus College, Colombo won all three age category titles at the All-Island Schools Games Badminton Championship 2026. Their Under 20 team are pictured here.

All Island Schools Games-Badminton

Musaeus College, Colombo, accomplished a remarkable achievement capturing all three girls’ team titles in the Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 categories at the 40th All-Island Schools Games Badminton Championship 2026.

‎Conducted by the Ministry of Education, the championship was held from October 2 to 4 at the Hormus Indoor Stadium in Malabe, with 150 teams representing all nine provinces.

‎Musaeus dominated the girls’ competition, winning ahead of Sujatha Vidyalaya, Matara, and Southlands College, Galle, to win the Under-16 title. They continued their winning run in the Under-18 category, with Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya, Colombo, finishing runners-up and Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda, third.

Thidasa Weragoda of St. Benedict’s College and Thenuki Ayansa de Silva of Sanghamitta Balika Vidyalaya, Galle were adjudged the best players of the Badminton 2026.

‎The Colombo school completed its unprecedented clean sweep by securing the Under-20 crown ahead of Viharamahadevi Balika Vidyalaya, Badulla, while Sujatha Vidyalaya took third place.

‎In the boys’ events, St. Joseph’s College, Colombo, won the Under-16 title, Dharmaraja College, Kandy, emerged Under-18 champions, while Ananda College, Colombo, claimed the Under-20 crown.

‎W. M. Thidasa Weragoda of St. Benedict’s College and M. G. Thenuki Ayansa de Silva of Sanghamitta Balika Vidyalaya, Galle, were adjudged the best schools badminton players of 2026 based on their performances in the Under 20 age category. (RF)