Sports

Indian cricket has become a formidable force

Published

5 years ago

2021/08/22

by Rex Clementine

In cricket we have had some teams that set the benchmark in the sport. First it was ‘The Invincibles’ of Don Bradman, who went through a tour of England where they played 32 matches and were never defeated.

Then there was Clive Lloyd’s champion outfit in 1980s. His fast bowlers instilled fear among opposition batsmen while his carefree batsmen threw caution to the wind. After several series of total domination of England, the lexicon had a new word thanks to West Indies; ‘blackwash’.

Steve Waugh’s Aussies at the start of the new millennium took the sport to a new level encouraging ambidextrous players and targeting 400 runs on day one of a Test match. They ended up winning 16 Test matches in a row, a record that will be hard to match.

Are we seeing the sport’s next best team in India? Well, they have not won the series in England as yet but they played out of their skins at Lord’s earlier this week and you tend to get the feeling that you are seeing something special. India under Virat Kohli have been truly remarkable.

Early this year, they did something even special; winning a series in Australia; that too after being bowled out for 36 runs in Adelaide. It was a remarkable achievement to lift the spirits from such lows. Mind you they sealed the series of all places at the Gabba in the final Test. Brisbane is a venue where Australia had been unbeaten for 30 years. It was the first time an Asian team won at the Gabba after 16 attempts.

So, what have the Indians been doing right in recent times? Quite a few actually. They are fortunate to have a good leader of men in Kohli. This throw down coach that India lifted from Sri Lankas Nuwan Seneviratne better known as Bawwa to most, was Kohli’s idea.

India were to play Australia in 2018 and Kohli knew Mitchell Starc was going to create problems. So he insisted on having Bawwa on board. Bawwa is left-handed and can give you a torrid time at the nets while doing throw downs. So, torrid that apparently apart from Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella no Sri Lankan padded up to him.

Kohli is a different beast. After a couple of deliveries struck on his ribcage, Bawwa lowered the intensity only to be called up by the Indian captain who gave him an earful and wanted him to go high intensity. Small things matter. Then of course there is Kohli’s insane gym work and stuff to be the best player he can be. It is he who is calling the shots when it comes to fitness standards in India and although there is a hue and cry made in our part of the world about the two kilometer run, the Indian standard is supposed to be more intense than ours.

The options are simple. Fall in line or get lost. Over here, players who fail fitness tests go to the social media and blast the coaches. Then they find themselves recalled to the team! This Pramodaya Wickramasinghe is truly setting new standards. With friends like him, Kumar Sangakkara doesn’t need any enemies.

Going back to India, apart from Kohli, there is of course Ravi Shastri. The former Indian captain has little coaching experience. Since retiring, he has been a broadcaster for nearly three decades. The Indian board realized that coaching at this level was more managing players than helping with any technical brilliance. So they took Shastri out of the commentary box and put him in charge of the team. Shastri-Kohli combination is a match made by the cricketing gods in a bid to bring Aussies and Poms to their knees.

The IPL obviously has been a godsend to Indian cricket. Time was when India played just one seamer and included a seamer all-rounder to share the new ball and depended on spin to cover up their bowling. But what IPL has done is that young Indian quicks get a chance to spend time with world’s leading fast bowlers and coaches picking their brains. As a result, India is able to put up a formidable four-pronged pace attack. The consequence of that is someone like Ravichandran Ashwin, who has 400 Test wickets at an average of 24, is unable to get into the team.

So, there is Shastri factor, Kohli factor and the IPL factor that has contributed to India’s success. There is one more factor that has put cricket in India back on track; the intervention of Indian Supreme Court.

In the year 2015, the Indian Supreme Court appointed a retired judge to give recommendations as to how cricket in India could be improved. The court appointed someone with stature – Rajendra Lodha, the 41st Chief Justice of India. He presented to court in what is known as Lodha Committee report several recommendations.

Some of the prominent recommendations of the Lodha committee report are term limits for office bearers, limiting the number of votes at the BCCI AGM and an independent governing body for IPL. These recommendations were implemented resulting in the CEO having greater control over the matters and hence more responsibility. That has certainly been a welcome move. Indian cricket is nowadays run like a business.

In Sri Lanka too, several past administrators and former players got together and moved the Court to bring constitutional changes to our cricket. The learned judges’ observations remain to be seen.

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Ambidextrous spinner Shashini Gimhani in Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup squad

Published

19 seconds ago

2026/05/29

Priyan

Chamari Athapaththu is set to play her tenth T20 World Cup (Cricinfo)

Batter V8shmi Gunaratne, wristspinner Shashini Gimhani and seamer Kavya Kavindi have been picked in Sri Lanka’s squad of 15 for the Women’s T20 World Cup in England starting on June 12.

Chamari Athapaththu was named captain of the team and will be representing Sri Lanka in her tenth T20 World Cup.

Rashmika Sewwandi, Dewmi Vihanga, Inoka Ranaweera were left out of the squad that played the series against Bangladesh earlier this month.

Gimhani, 17, is an ambidextrous wristspinner who has played seven T20 internationals, having made her debut as Sri Lanka’s youngest international at the age of 15.

The squad will depart for England on June 3.

Sri Lanka are in Group 2 along with England, New Zealand, West Indies, Ireland and Scotland. They play the opening game of the tournament against England at Edgbaston on June 12, followed by fixtures against New Zealand in Southampton (June 16), West Indies in Bristol (June 21), Ireland also in Bristol (June 23), and Scotland in Manchester (June 26).

The top two teams from Groups 1 and 2 qualify for the semi-finals at The Oval on June 30 and July 2. The final is on July 5 at Lord’s.

Sri Lanka squad for Women’s T20 World Cup

Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Imesha Dulani, Nilakshika Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Hansima Karunarathne, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Sugandika Dassanayaka, Nimasha Madushani, Shashini Gimhani, Kawya Kavindi, Malki Madara, Mithali Ayodhya

(Cricinfo)

Sports

Pakistan’s famous cheerleader ‘Chacha Cricket’ to retire this year

Published

2 hours ago

2026/05/29

Priyan

The third ODI against Australia will be the last time Chacha Cricket cheers for Pakistan at home [Cricinfo]

Pakistan’s most famous cheerleader “Chacha Cricket” will retire this year. The third and final ODI between Pakistan and Australia in Lahore next week will be the last time he cheers for Pakistan at home, though he is hoping to cheer them on with the Pakistani flag from the stands in England this summer, during Pakistan’s three-Test tour.

Australia’s games in Lahore mark a full circle moment of sorts for Abdul Jalil – Chacha’s real name – who first witnessed a cricket match from the stands in Lahore when England toured for a Test series in 1968-69. He became a fixture at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the 1980s and 1990s when Pakistan played there regularly and his distinct dress – the deep green kurta and cap – catapulted him into the nation’s consciousness. He quit a job in the UAE to become Pakistan’s full-time mascot and travelled to England for the 1999 World Cup to cheer for the Wasim Akram-led side, after which he became a recognisable figure through the cricket-playing world.

Now at 77, Jalil wants to realise his dream of opening a restaurant and museum on the outskirts of his hometown, Sialkot. “I will display all the memorabilia I have gathered over the years at the museum,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I had the target of cheering for Pakistan in 500 matches, which I have achieved.”

Jalil is a celebrity of sorts in Pakistan. His presence is sought at events, ranging from local tapeball matches to wedding ceremonies, and he now wants to use that for the benefit of others. “I have done everything for the sheer love of the game and my country. My mission has been to be a great ambassador of the country and make fans across the aisles happy. I am now also looking to do some welfare work after my retirement.”

Jalil had to “change three buses to reach Sharjah” from his office in Abu Dhabi to watch Pakistan play back in the day but the team’s recent deteriorating performances discouraged him from travelling to Sri Lanka for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

“I witnessed Pakistan’s three consecutive defeats to India [in the Asia Cup last year]. We have now lost nine in a row to India. I did not want them to lose another match after the Asia Cup.”

But Chacha has been cheerleading long enough to remember Pakistan’s dominance over India. He reminisces about those days fondly. “I was on the ground when Javed Miandad hit Chetan Sharma for a six on the last ball [in 1986 at Sharjah],” he said. “I vividly remember Miandad hitting him over deep midwicket. The other memorable match for me was when we beat India at The Oval [in the final of the Champions Trophy] in 2017.”

But two defeats, in particular, sting him. “They could not chase 120 against India at New York [at the 2024 T20 World Cup]. I had travelled a great distance to support the team.”

The other is from the 2011 World Cup when Pakistan fell 29 runs short of India’s 260 in the semi-final at Mohali. “I took a painstaking journey for that game,” he said. “I travelled from Sri Lanka to Karachi to Sialkot and then crossed into India. We could have won that match but mistakes happen. Wins and losses are part of the game.”

Pakistan are currently going through arguably the worst phase in their cricket history. They have not won a Test away from home since 2023 and were recently beaten in a two-Test series in Bangladesh, who recorded consecutive home and away sweeps over them. They finished the most recent World Test Championship cycle at the bottom of the table and have not made it to the knockouts of the last four ICC white-ball tournaments.

Like many Pakistani fans, Chacha is disappointed, but he retains hope that a change in fortune is around the corner, recalling his slogan: Hota hay bhai hota hay, khel mein aisa hota hay, kabhi agay kabhi peechay, kabhi khushi kabhi ghum, kabhi tum, kabhi hum. [Defeat is part of the game. Sometimes you are ahead of the opponent, and at times, they are. There are moments of happiness and sorrow in it. Sometimes they will win, other times we will.]

[Cricinfo]

Sports

South Africa Women’s maiden tour to Zimbabwe to feature five T20Is

Published

4 hours ago

2026/05/29

Priyan

Zimbabwe have never played a T20I against South Africa [Cricinfo]

Zimbabwe will host South Africa Women for a historic five-match T20I series at the Queens Sports Club in September. This will be South Africa’s first visit to the country and the first-ever T20I series between the two teams. The matches will be played on September 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 and will start at 1.30pm local time.

Zimbabwe and South Africa have met only twice before in international cricket – during an ODI quadrangular series in South Africa in 2017.

“South Africa are one of the strongest teams in world cricket and this tour presents our players with a valuable opportunity to test themselves against elite opposition in home conditions,” ZC managing director Givemore Makoni said.

“This series reflects Zimbabwe Cricket’s continued commitment to investing in the women’s game and creating more opportunities for our players to compete at the highest level.”

Zimbabwe last played a home series in September-October 2025, when they hosted UAE. Since then, they have played in the 2026 T20 World Cup Global Qualifier, where they lost their all four matches. More recently, they toured New Zealand and Pakistan.

After the South Africa series, Zimbabwe are set to tour India for three T20Is and three ODIs. It will be Zimbabwe’s first visit to India.

[Cricinfo]