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The eighth and ninth Nawabs of Pataudi made significant contributions to the game

Paul Edwards26-May-2020India’s imperial past sometimes seems so distant that its preservation can be entrusted to the heritage industry. People hearing of the two Nawabs of Pataudi might think them characters in a Sherlock Holmes mystery rather than a father and son whose life stories offer a personal history of the independent republic’s emergence. Yet any temptation to view them as modern men of the people must take account of their princely background. And no account of either’s career could be complete without considering some of the finest innings played by the pair in an era which stretched from Duleepsinhji to Sunil Gavaskar.The father was the eighth Nawab of Pataudi and inherited the title, aged seven, in 1917; he played three Test matches apiece for England and India, married the daughter of the Maharaja of Bhopal and died of a heart attack in 1952 when playing polo. In no respect outshone, the son was considered a far better batsman and made his first-class debut for Sussex aged 16, when he still had two years’ schooling ahead of him at Winchester. Having lost the sight in his right eye when involved in a car accident a fortnight before the 1961 Varsity Match, he remodelled his stance and made his Test debut for India less than six months later. The possessor of film-star looks and effortless charm, he married Sharmila Tagore, a proper film star. Pataudi captained his country in 40 of his 46 Test matches but ended his days in 2011 as simple Mansur Ali Khan, prime minister Indira Gandhi having abolished all princely entitlements some four decades previously. In any case everyone still called him “Tiger”. This, you may have gathered, is not a story of everyday Indian folk.ALSO READ: Odd Men In – Frank ChesterWhen surrounded with so much glamour – had they played today both men would have been targets for and – it might have been easy for the Nawabs to take their cricket for granted, yet this was not a trap into which either fell. Instead, their careers are a beguiling blend of honed talent and aristocratic mien. Perhaps no innings captures this mixture better than the elder Pataudi’s only Test century, which was scored on debut in the first match of the Bodyline series. Rather than being achieved with a succession of silky boundaries, the hundred was brought up after five-and-a-half hours’ stubborn effort and included only six fours. When mocked by Vic Richardson, Pataudi replied that he was assessing the pace of the Sydney pitch. “Well it’s changed three times since you came in,” was the amused reply. Nevertheless, the debutant gritted it out against Bill O’Reilly and Clarrie Grimmett before being last out for 102 with his side’s total on 524 in a match they eventually won by ten wickets.Yet there was patronage to go with the patience. As the players left the field after England’s first innings, Pataudi asked the umpire, George Hele, for a bail as a memento of the innings. Hele offered him the ball instead and thought nothing more of it until a few weeks later when the grateful Nawab presented him with a gold wristwatch. “I thanked my lucky stars Pataudi did not play in another Test [after the watch was presented],” Hele said.But Pataudi was as closely involved as most MCC tourists with the unsavoury centrepiece of the Bodyline tour. At a relatively trivial but still insulting level he was addressed as “Pat O’Dea” by some of the folks who lived on The Hill, although others in the Sydney crowd had the grace to ask him what he wished to be called. “Just plain ‘Pat’ to you boys,” he replied, thereby showing a far greater popular touch than his captain, Douglas Jardine, ever revealed or wished to possess. Indeed, the antipathy between the pair seems clear. “I see His Highness is a conscientious objector,” Jardine said when Pataudi affected not to hear his instruction to join the leg trap. The Nawab was not selected for any of the three Tests after Melbourne. “I am told he has his good points,” he said of Jardine towards the end of the tour. “In three months I have yet to see them.”The Nawab of Pataudi raises his bat after reaching his century•PA Photos/Getty ImagesThe elder Pataudi was only 23 when the Bodyline tour ended but he was almost exactly at the midpoint of a career which comprised 127 first-class matches. Some spectators had fond memories of his unbeaten 238 in the Varsity Match two years previously and there would be three double-centuries for Worcestershire in 1933. There was even a return to the England side for the Trent Bridge Test in 1934 but Pataudi was cursed by ill-health for the remainder of the decade and when he returned to England after the war it was as captain of the touring India team. He made four centuries on that trip but managed only 55 runs in the three Tests. And perhaps it was fitting that having made his first-class debut in The Parks; Pataudi should end his top-level cricket career at Lord’s. He had, after all, opted to make himself available to play for England against India in his homeland’s first official Test in 1932. “While India was still ruled by the British such anomalies were possible,” notes Ramachandra Guha.’s obituary of the elder Nawab is a trifle more oblique, albeit it mentions his schooling in Lahore and adds that “after the partition of India and Pakistan, Pataudi, a Moslem, found himself without a State to rule”. But the tribute’s most prescient sentence is its last, which notes that he had left “an eleven-year-old son who has shown promise of developing into a good cricketer”.Less than five years later such optimism seemed mild. People spoke wonderingly of the younger Pataudi’s talent when he was still at school and he had been recruited by Sussex before he arrived at Oxford in 1960. No doubt the shrewd eyes of the former Sussex players and Winchester coaches, Hubert Doggart and George Cox jnr., played a role in that signing. “There was huge excitement and anticipation,” recalled his Oxford contemporary, Abbas Ali Baig. “At first sight in the nets his technique seemed a little unconventional as his bat started its descent from the gully position…However, we soon discovered that at the moment of contact Tiger’s bat straightened out magically and his eye and foot coordination was such that he was able to choose where to despatch the ball earlier than both batsmen.”For his freshman season the mystique was maintained; indeed it never completely left the younger Pataudi. But the accident which deprived him of the sight in his right eye necessitated a more square-on stance and if the runs continued to flow from this less classical technique they rarely did so quite as fluently. After the accident, wrote John Woodcock, “his batting was not so often an expression of genius as a triumph over handicap.” Nevertheless, after noting that Oxford and Cambridge produced some 15 Test captains in the period 1952-82 Woodcock judges that “none of the 15, not even Dexter or May or Cowdrey or Imran, was capable of greater brilliance than Tiger.” Like his father, Pataudi scored more first-class centuries for Oxford than for any other team.

On the field he had presence, a regal touch; one’s eyes would be drawn to him, as eyes have been drawn to Imran Khan, Viv Richards, Ian BothamMike Brearley on “Tiger” Pataudi

Unlike the eighth Nawab, however, his national loyalties were never divided. At 21 Pataudi became India’s youngest captain in only his fourth match when he led the team at Bridgetown in 1962 after Nari Contractor had fractured his skull when ducking into a Charlie Griffiths bouncer. He would lead the side for much of the next decade and when critics pointed to only two series wins, both against New Zealand, Pataudi’s supporters, many of them modern writers, would argue that he revolutionised the approach of India’s players, inculcating fresh pride and suggesting his colleagues might at least attempt to emulate his own graceful and athletic fielding. “Pataudi remains, perhaps, India’s most iconic captain ever, credited with giving Indian cricket the steel to take on the best in the world without backing down,” wrote Boria Majumdar in . “In many ways he remains the forerunner to the Sourav Gangulys and Virat Kohlis of the world.”Pataudi scored his first Test century against England in only his third match and his 13-year international career would feature five more. Those against Australia in 1964 and against England at Headingley in 1967 are still rated among the finest Test hundreds, albeit only when the compilers of such lists are not blinded by modernity. Pataudi’s record in other first-class matches was more modest. His 33 centuries in 310 matches compares unfavourably with his father’s 29 in 127 games.Yet the opportunity to display his leadership skills helped make the last Nawab’s achievement far more substantial. Guha considers him “the most charismatic Indian cricketer since CK Nayudu… Even with one eye he was close to world-class… Back in the 1960s, no one would have cared to question the patriotism of the Muslim captain of India.”Equally significantly, Pataudi demanded that India’s cricketers represented their newly-independent country rather than their ancient states. “If you were good, you were in, irrespective of whether you were from Mumbai or Bihar,” writes Mudar Patherya. “Today, one would hardly consider that a big deal but in the 1960s, this was a morning breeze in a factional India.”Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi stands on a balcony overlooking an esplanade and beach•Getty ImagesThere were tactical innovations, too. Blessed with four high-class spinners in Bishan Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, Pataudi sometimes bucked orthodoxy and played them all. The nerves of some top-order Test batsmen never recovered, especially if they had toured the subcontinent and been hemmed in by close fielders. Claustrophobia has never since been as fascinating.Some criticised Pataudi’s mercurial temperament but it was still rather a surprise when he was replaced as India’s skipper by the calmer Ajit Wadekar. The new captain proceeded to win series in both West Indies and England in his first six months in charge; his predecessor, meanwhile, who had been deprived of both his title and his job in less than a year made an poorly-judged foray into Indian politics but was among the first to send Wadekar a congratulatory telegram after Chandrasekhar had bowled India to their first Test victory against England at The Oval.Pataudi returned to the Test side for the home victory against England and led his country in his final Tests when India lost 3-2 to a West Indies side captained by Clive Lloyd. On a personal level it was a low-key conclusion to his international career but perhaps there was something fitting about bowing out in a series which saw the debuts of both Viv Richards and Gordon Greenidge. Both men may have hit the ball harder than Pataudi but he, too, could dazzle spectators without blinding them.”Tiger – in the mind’s eye – aquiline, still, slight, swift, hawkish,” recalled Mike Brearley, who played against Pataudi in the 1963 Varsity Match. “On the field he had presence, a regal touch; one’s eyes would be drawn to him, as eyes have been drawn to Imran Khan, Viv Richards, Ian Botham. A proper arrogance, or as Bishan Bedi put it, an imperious charm.”For those who did not see Pataudi bat there is still film available of him advancing down the pitch and hitting spinners over the infield. For those who did not meet him when he was young and had a world before him, there are many recollections and many more photographs. Few cricketers have done so little to repel the lens. One such shot adorns the cover of a book of tributes: . The young batsman gazes down from what appears to be a hotel balcony on Brighton’s sea front in the early 1960s. His eyes are shaded by dark glasses and the hair is immaculately cut and combed. It could be a still from a Visconti film and its subject could indeed be a prince looking down on a possible kingdom. “What will you be doing after Oxford?” he was asked when still an undergraduate. “I won’t have to be doing anything,” he replied. “You see, I am a Nawab.” He little knew. Odd Men In

Also: Why didn’t the Sunrisers promote Rashid Khan in the batting order?

Karthik Krishnaswamy29-Sep-20202:12

Manjrekar: Natarajan showed why the team persisted with him

Who is T Natarajan, and what was so special about his performance today?
Natarajan is a left-arm quick who first came to the attention of IPL scouts when he bowled six yorkers back-to-back in a Super Over against Abhinav Mukund and Washington Sundar. Kings XI Punjab signed him for INR 3 crore during the 2017 IPL auction, and he played six matches for them that season. He was expensive, though, returning an economy rate of 9.07 across six games.That performance drove down his price at the 2018 auction, where the Sunrisers snapped him up for INR 40 lakh. It’s understood that Muttiah Muralitharan, the Sunrisers bowling coach who has also worked in the TNPL, played an influential role in Sunrisers bidding for Natarajan.He didn’t feature in a single game in his first two seasons with the franchise, but he’s since added an extra yard of pace, which he showed while helping Tamil Nadu reach the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. He was Tamil Nadu’s designated death bowler through the entire white-ball domestic season, and those performances may have helped him break into the Sunrisers first XI.On Tuesday night, he showed exactly why he was there: to bowl yorker after yorker and keep nailing them. In his third and fourth overs – the 14th and 18th of the Capitals’ innings – he bowled ten balls that could either be described as pinpoint yorkers – with a hint of shape into the left-hander as well – or balls too full to get under easily, or low full-tosses hitting the toe-end of the bat. The last of them got him the wicket of Marcus Stoinis, lbw playing across the line.The long boundaries and the two-paced pitch definitely increased Natarajan’s margin for error – it will be interesting to watch how he holds up when the Sunrisers play in Sharjah – but it said a lot about his skills that he could hit the blockhole with such precision against some of the biggest hitters in the game, that too with a bit of dew about.Why did the Sunrisers pick Kane Williamson over Mohammad Nabi?
For a number of seasons now, the same weakness has dogged the Sunrisers: a top-heavy batting line-up with a lack of experience and power through the middle order. This weakness had contributed significantly to their losing their first two games of the season, against Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Kolkata Knight Riders.Bringing Williamson in was the obvious way to strengthen the middle order, but in doing so, the Sunrisers took a big gamble because they were leaving out the offspin-bowling allrounder Nabi, who is one of the world’s leading bowlers against left-hand batsmen. This against a side with four left-handers – Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer and Axar Patel – in their top seven.The move worked brilliantly on the day, with Williamson not just adding solidity to the Sunrisers batting effort but also urgency and inventiveness while scoring a vital 41 off 26 balls. The Sunrisers also rose to the challenge of having only five bowlers, with Sharma doing well to finish with an economy rate of 8.50 despite bowling the bulk of his overs to two left-hand batsmen. Whether this combination will work in other matches, in more batting-friendly conditions, and against other teams, remains to be seen.Why did Axar Patel only bowl two overs?
Axar was one of the heroes of Delhi Capitals’ win over Chennai Super Kings in their previous match, taking 1 for 18 in his four overs, of which he bowled two inside the powerplay. Against the Sunrisers, however, Axar didn’t bowl at all inside the first ten overs, and only two overs thereafter. Why?In one word, match-ups. The Capitals used Axar with the new ball against the Super Kings because of his excellent head-to-head record against Shane Watson, whom he ended up dismissing for the sixth time in nine meetings.Tonight, the Capitals were wary of using Axar when David Warner was at the crease. This is their head-to-head in T20s: 51 balls across eight innings, 84 runs, two dismissals. Warner was at the crease until the 10th over of the Sunrisers innings, and the Capitals brought Axar on in the 11th, as soon as the opener was safely out of the way.Why didn’t the Sunrisers promote Rashid Khan?
When the Sunrisers lost Jonny Bairstow with 13 balls remaining, they sent in the debutant Abdul Samad. Did they miss a trick by not promoting Rashid Khan, who’s shown himself – in the limited batting opportunities he gets around the world – to be a natural ball-striker?There’s definitely an argument that the Sunrisers can trust Rashid’s ability a little more – he has a first-ten-balls strike rate of 143 in the last three years.But Samad comes to the IPL with quite a reputation for hitting too. He hit 36 sixes during last year’s Ranji Trophy, more than anyone else in the competition. It’s a first-class tournament, yes, but that number still tells a tale, and off the fourth ball he faced tonight, Samad proved he can do it against the quickest bowlers in the business too, going deep in his crease to get under a full ball from Anrich Nortje and smoke him over the long-on boundary.Were the Capitals too conservative in their chase?
The Capitals went at less than a run a ball through their powerplay, despite just losing one wicket, and by the time they reached the halfway point of their chase, their required rate was nearly 11. Were they too conservative at the start?Yes, and no. Like most teams, they must have backed themselves to chase two runs a ball if they had wickets in hand, so there was a bit of early caution. But this was a two-paced pitch, there was some seam movement early on too, and the Sunrisers bowled well and used the long boundaries to their advantage, so – much like Bairstow during the Sunrisers innings – the slow scoring wasn’t entirely intentional. Where Shikhar Dhawan did the Bairstow role to an extent, the Capitals didn’t have a Warner or a Williamson on the day to get them close to the target with wickets in hand.Should Warner have used Sharma’s four overs in one spell?
Without Nabi, the Sunrisers had a depleted bowling attack, and Abhishek Sharma – who had bowled two overs each in his first two matches of the season – had to take on a much bigger workload. The left-arm spinner did commendably to concede just 19 in his first three overs despite predominantly bowling to two left-handers. He did this by going wide of the crease, landing on a length just short of sweepable, and forcing the batsmen to hit him into the leg side where most of the boundary-riders were – the long boundaries gave him the cushion to bowl to such a plan.But was a fourth over on the trot asking for too much, especially against hitters of the calibre of Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer? Warner gambled, and the move nearly came off, with the first four balls bringing three singles and a dropped caught-and-bowled, Pant hitting it too hard for it to be anything more than a half-chance. The last two balls, however, disappeared for sixes, leaving the Capitals still in the game with 85 to get off 42 balls.Why did Warner hold back Khan’s last over?
While Sharma bowled four on the trot, Warner pulled Rashid out of the attack after his third, waiting until the 17th over to bring him back.From the start of the 14th over – when Rashid went out of the attack – to the end of the 16th, the Capitals scored 36 off 18 balls, remaining in touch with their required rate. Another over from Rashid then, you could argue, could have shut them out of the game.Warner, though, may have wanted to ensure that he had one over from his legspinner left in order to break up a string of overs from his quicks. He may have also gambled on getting at least one of Pant or Hetmyer out before bringing Rashid back against Stoinis, who isn’t the most confident starter against spin.In the event, it worked, with Hetmyer holing out off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 16th over and Rashid returning for the 17th with Stoinis on strike.Should Pant have played out Rashid’s final over?
At the start of that over, the Capitals needed 49 from 24. In a similar situation in the CPL recently, while playing for the Trinbago Knight Riders against the Barbados Tridents, Kieron Pollard had played out Rashid’s final over, leaving himself 66 to get off the last 24 balls and somehow pulling it off.Three singles came off the first three balls of Rashid’s over tonight, before Pant took the legspinner on and picked out deep square leg with a miscued sweep. Should he have held back?It was a difficult choice either way for Pant, given the situation, and given how well the Sunrisers’ fast bowlers were also bowling. And he certainly had reason to back himself against Rashid. Before today, Pant had a career T20 strike rate of 155.73 against legspin and an average of 65.66. Against Rashid specifically, he had scored 56 runs off 37 balls while only being dismissed once.

On retirement, he looks back at his 18-year career, playing in Dhoni’s era, under Ganguly, and more

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2020Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Wednesday, bringing the curtains down on a professional career that took off in 2002, with him making his India debut much before his first Ranji Trophy appearance. Over the last 18 years, Parthiv has made numerous comebacks to the Indian team, but it’s his success with Gujarat, a side he transformed from underdogs to a domestic powerhouse, that he derived a lot of satisfaction from. He spoke to select media on his journey and the challenges he faced along the way. Excerpts:Your retirement call – two years too late or two years too early?I think the timing is right. I’ve been contemplating (it) almost for a year now. I was taking it season-by-season. I felt that this was probably the right time, having played 18 years of first-class cricket and India career. I’m satisfied and content with the career I’ve had. There’s hardly anything left to achieve as a player and as a captain of a first-class team. We’ve won almost everything. I’ve been part of three IPL title wins. I also feel that Gujarat cricket is in very good shape right now.What is your most memorable moment from your India career?The best memory for me is to have been part of India’s Test wins in Headingley [in 2002] and Adelaide [in 2003]. Contributing to our series win in Pakistan in 2004, where I took up the opening slot in Rawalpindi – all these are greats moments. Also, receiving the first Test cap from Sourav [Ganguly] in Nottingham was special. I still have the cap that Dada gave me – I’ve been spelt wrongly as “Partiv” there.

As a player, acceptance is very important. Accepting where you are is important. When MS [Dhoni] was captain, I was still playing the game only because I loved the game.Parthiv Patel

At the time of your international debut, did you feel you were ready to be handed a Test cap at 17?I had no expectations, so I never felt any pressure. The biggest challenge any youngster would feel is the pressure of expectation once you play for a few years. The pressure of living up to your expectation is the biggest thing. Yes, I did feel I was ready when I was handed a Test debut, because I had good tours of South Africa and Sri Lanka with India A. I’d gone through a Border-Gavaskar Scholarship Programme in Australia. For me, the biggest pressure was when I was looking to make a comeback, when you know you have to keep performing year after year, and you have to wait for your chances. That was the bigger challenge for me.In these 18 years, was there a moment where you were close to giving up?Before the New Zealand tour in 2008-09, I’d scored 800-odd runs in seven Ranji games. I made a hundred in the Duleep Trophy final. I was keeping really well. When I didn’t get picked [for the New Zealand tour], that was the moment where I felt probably [that] I’d never be able to make a comeback. I felt it was time I thought of something else. But support from my family and GCA [Gujarat Cricket Association] was phenomenal during that phase, and that is the reason why I changed my mindset of building a team here in Gujarat.Tell us about the frustrations of playing in a wrong era with MS Dhoni around.As a player, acceptance is very important. Accepting where you are is important. When MS was captain, I was still playing the game only because I loved the game. The format hardly mattered to me, whether it was club cricket, districts cricket, state, IPL or India. I had set myself certain benchmarks and wanted to achieve them by playing cricket with a certain level of intensity. My focus completely shifted towards building a team and to the youngsters coming from Gujarat, because not many had international experience which I had. After that, everything else took care of itself. Once you put the team, and not individual success, in front of you, nothing else matters.

Guys like Devdutt Padikkal or Ambati Rayudu, or when I’ve done well in IPL, the pillar was domestic cricket…Because the domestic season is long, as a cricketer you tend to have a lot of ups and downs which will help you manage pressure, your own expectations.Parthiv Patel

Youngsters grow up wanting to play in the IPL. What would your message to them be?Domestic cricket teaches you a lot. Playing in empty stadiums, travelling in trains and buses teaches you the value of having team-mates. Playing on different wickets – low wickets of Kanpur or bouncy Wankhede pitches – help you. If you prioritise domestic cricket and Ranji Trophy, IPL and everything else will be part of it. If you do well in the Ranji Trophy, you can do well in the IPL too. Guys like Devdutt Padikkal or Ambati Rayudu, or when I’ve done well in IPL, the pillar was domestic cricket. It helps you deal with a lot of things. Because the domestic season is long, as a cricketer you tend to have a lot of ups and downs which will help you manage pressure, your own expectations. It’s a great learning experience.There is a perception these days that wicketkeepers are selected because of their batting but get dropped because of their wicketkeeping. Is it unfair?If you look at it nowadays, Wriddhiman Saha is picked because he is an out-and-out keeper. I’ve said this before, yes, a keeper needs to contribute with the bat, but in Tests, you should look firstly at who is the better keeper and then someone who can contribute with the bat. It should change from format to format. It was different in 2002. With a change of eras, now a new wicketkeeper has to be good with both gloves and bat.’When MS [Dhoni] was captain, I was still playing the game only because I loved the game’•AFP / Getty ImagesAs much as you wanted to make a comeback, you invested heavily in making Gujarat a domestic powerhouse. Walk us through that journey.I was scoring runs every season, but individual performances get recognised only when your team wins trophies. Call it selfish, but the idea was to help players along the way so that Gujarat win trophies. The thinking was, if my performances have to be recognised, Gujarat should win. My biggest thing was, players used to be picked for Gujarat by scoring just one hundred or taking one five-wicket haul in districts tournaments. That’s something I’d spoken to selectors about. The idea was to pick guys who had made three or four hundreds or taken three-four five-wicket hauls so that they know how to do it repeatedly.I got a lot of help from selectors and (the) GCA. Once I got the players, I used to challenge them in practice sessions to work hard. We weren’t a supremely talented side, so we had to make up for it with hard work. I used to challenge them, if you play 100 balls, I will play 101. If you take 50 catches, I will take 51. That way, they were also improving, I was also improving. That was the kind of culture we had put in. And the results are showing. As a captain, I can be very proud that Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah have gone on to play for India. Bumrah is the No. 1 bowler in the world. There’s Priyank Panchal, Manprit Juneja – so there are good players. People are now talking about Gujarat players, which wasn’t the case in the past.It must have been tough to invest time for yourself too?In 2010-11, I decided I won’t change the intensity with which I play, whether it’s Ranji Trophy or Test cricket. I wanted to always be prepared for the next tour, irrespective of whether I was in contention or not. I wanted to be ready whenever I got a chance. I made that my template and it helped me be ready all the time.Talk us through the change in perceptions at Gujarat – from 2004 to 2016-17 when the side became champions?To me, to come to play for Gujarat after having played for India, was very different. I thought earlier our purpose to play was to try and get a first-innings lead in the first couple of years so that we get those two points and then think about winning the game. Once we started doing that regularly, we started thinking of outright wins. Once that started, the thinking and mindset changed. We started getting the belief that we could win tournaments.We had a lot of Under-19 players who had already won trophies at the national level – we’d won the Cooch Behar and Vijay Merchant Trophies. So they knew what it takes to win, but it was a different level. It was about trying to tell them the first priority was to win outright and then think about a lead if that didn’t happen. Before winning tournaments, the goal was to come first in West Zone. That’s how we started building the process.If you to were to rewind to 2002 and go back to being a 17-year-old playing for India, what would you change?I would’ve liked to be fitter. Skill-wise, I was quite happy at where I was at 17. Maybe my diet – the ice-creams, French fries – would’ve liked to change my food habits.Who was the best captain you played under?Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble. They were leaders, their management and man-management skills both on and off the field made me a better person.Is there a sense that your career had a missing element? There are no regrets. Every time I stepped onto the field, I tried to get the best out of me and my team-mates. I’ve been sleeping well. In fact, the family was in tears but I’m happy with the call I’ve made.

The India No. 3 talks about his partnership with Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant in Brisbane, and looks ahead to the England series

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jan-2021The 21-year-old Shubman Gill was playing a totally different brand of cricket from you at the Gabba, scoring freely and confidently. Can you tell us more about Gill’s batting style?
He is one of the best timers of the ball. He has a natural ability to react to the ball a little earlier. He gets that extra fraction of time to judge the length, the line, and then play his shots, whether it be the pull or a cover drive. He has quick hands and his downswing is so good that even when he defends the ball, with that timing, sometimes, it goes for two or three runs. Sometimes it feels like he is playing with hard hands, but he is so good at his timing.If I speak about his batting technically, it is a double-edged sword. If you remember, he was out a few times against Pat Cummins earlier in the series, caught at gully or slip, but at the same time Gill can play the same ball for two or three. He is managing it really well. He is very talented and I hope he continues to improve because we need good openers. We have been getting good starts in the last couple of Tests matches and that is a big advantage. The way Rohit [Sharma] and Shubman started in Sydney and Brisbane laid a good foundation.Related

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In a recent conversation with R Ashwin, Vikram Rathour, India’s batting coach, said the same – that both Rohit and Gill look for runs. Did it bother you that despite your experience, you were finding it hard to score runs while a youngster like Gill was scoring freely the other end?
Gill’s strength lies in the way he plays and that is why he is successful. If he tries to bat time or tries to defend for longer periods, it could pose a challenge for him. I can take the bowlers on too, but if I feel I need to hang back a little, I can do that as well. I can bat according to the situation. At that time, I felt it wasn’t wise to take the bowlers on because Gill was already doing that.It is important to understand what your partner is doing, as a batting unit, how the team is going forward. There could be occasions where both batsmen are playing their shots, but most of the time, if one is going well, the other has to bat normally and not do anything extraordinary. That is what I was trying to do. That is my strength.From one end you need to make sure there is a lot of assurance, a lot stability, which allows the other guy freedom to play their shots. What ended up happening in that first session was I ended up getting too many balls from the tougher end ().”[James] Anderson is very familiar with the conditions in England and can accordingly set up a batsman. However, when it comes to bowling in India, we have a little bit of an advantage”•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesJoe Root will reach the 100-Test milestone during the first Test in Chennai. What do you like about Root’s batting?
His work ethic. I have seen him bat for long periods of time as a team-mate during my stint with Yorkshire and as an opponent from the time he played against us on England’s 2012 tour of India. As a batsman, he is clear about his game plans, knows his scoring areas, is clear about his strengths, understands his game very well, and all that shows in the success he has had in Test cricket.Having faced the best of fast bowling in Australia, you now have to prepare to have another master quick – James Anderson. He has got you seven times and your average against him is 26.85. What’s the key difference between facing Anderson in England and in India?
The pace and bounce are different, firstly. Then the balls are different. There is some swing with the SG ball, but it doesn’t last and swing as much as the Dukes ball in England. Anderson is very familiar with the conditions and the bowling areas in England and can accordingly plan and set up a batsman. However, when it comes to bowling in India, we have a little bit of an advantage – not just me, but the entire Indian batting unit. We know our strengths and game plans well. When you are familiar with the conditions, it does help.Rishabh Pant was one of the key pillars, a catalyst for India in Sydney and Brisbane. You batted with him on the final days of both Tests. Can you talk about his growth?
He is fearless, not afraid to play his shots. Also, being a left-hander gives him an advantage. It frustrated the opposition bowling when there is a right-left combination. They seemed to struggle with the length. His knock in Brisbane was much, much better than what he did in Sydney. He played a brilliant innings in Sydney, too, when he scored 97 – I am not trying to take away any credit – but I felt this innings was under pressure and he handled it pretty well.I especially liked the way he handled Lyon just before and after tea [on the final day] in Brisbane. During the partnership, unlike his usual approach, where he looks to score runs, he defended in one phase – that was very impressive for me. You need to understand the situation. You need understand the game, whether you have to move away from your usual approach, it is very important.”The most impressive part about Rishabh [Pant] was the way he held himself back when it was needed in the last Test”•Jason McCawley/Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesDid you need to temper his approach?
Not in particular, but I always try and communicate to young batsmen that you just need to understand the situation. If he [Pant] is at the crease, the opposition is under pressure. He is so destructive. Even if he is looking to defend, he will end up getting at least one boundary in two or three overs. So I was just telling him to try and make sure you make the right decision. Even if you want to play your shots, make sure you are clear in your mind. I will say this again: the most impressive part, for me, about Rishabh this time was the way he held himself back when it was needed in the last Test.Do you think India-Australia Test series could have five Tests in the future, like the Ashes?
It can be, no doubt about that. But five-Test series in Covid times is not easy. I think it becomes too long, especially because players need to be part of a biosecure bubble. Mentally, it is very frustrating, especially when you are away from home.Sometimes you are with the family, sometimes you are not. It’s not easy. But if it can be scheduled with enough breaks, then I wouldn’t mind it at all.You didn’t score as many runs on this Australia tour as you did in 2018-19, but you got three half-centuries. The last one, in Brisbane, was the slowest of your Test career, but was it also the most important one?
Yes, it is one of the most important fifties I have scored. The other one I remember was also against Australia, in Bangalore in 2016-17 series where I scored 92. The other was Jo’burg [50], which came on one of the toughest pitches I have played on.”Five-Test series in Covid times is not easy. Mentally, it is very frustrating, especially when you are away from home”•Getty ImagesSo Test cricket is the ultimate format?
Without a doubt. It challenges you physically, mentally, emotionally, and in multiple ways. That can’t happen in any other format. If you ask any white-ball player, even in death overs, I don’t think anyone will say they feel more pressure than in Test cricket. This is the toughest format of the game.Every session is different. You can win or lose a game in an hour – like we lost in the first Test in Adelaide. We played really well for the first two days. We were ahead with a 50-run lead and yet we lost the Test because we did not bat well in that one hour.A day after the Brisbane victory, you told the Indian Express that your two-year-old daughter, Aditi, watching you getting hit repeatedly at the Gabba, said: “When he comes home, I will kiss where he is hurt, he will be fine.” Did she do that?
She actually did that – kissed me on my hand. Forget about the injuries, when I returned home, the best part was she was so, so excited. She hugged me for almost a minute or two and she wasn’t letting go of me. I was really, really happy to hold her and be back with my family.Read part one of this interview with Cheteshwar Pujara.

The Royals captain looks ahead to the second half of the IPL season

As told to Nagraj Gollapudi20-Sep-2021Now that India’s selection for the T20 World Cup is done, at least that will not be a distraction any longer and I can now devote all my focus and energies towards the IPL. I will confess that it was very disappointing to not be selected. Playing for India and playing in the World Cup is a great dream for all players and I was very much looking forward to that.As the cliché goes, selection is not in a player’s control, so it is very important to stay focused on what you control and where you are as a player. You need to have that maturity in your thinking.We are resuming the tournament after a four-month break, so it feels like a new season. The mood in the Rajasthan Royals camp is like we are starting another IPL. We also have had a few changes in our squad. So that too makes it feel like a new tournament for us. Overall it is good to come in with that mindset regardless of what happened in the first phase.Related

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The break has also allowed us to not just recoup our energies but also review our ideas and strategy going into the second half. The key points me and Sanga have spoken about are mainly about the roles individuals can play and about the combinations.Playing this format, one has to understand the margin of error is very small. You can’t really blame your players or your team. The only things you can take care of are the mindset you go in with and the intent and attitude the players display in the games.I am aware that one of the areas that the Royals have been inconsistent in is the middle order, and the numbers will say as much. So we can’t deny that is a weakness.To score quickly in that phase, you need to have your best batters around. That doesn’t mean I’m saying that I want to drop anchor at one end. In T20 you have to show intent every ball and play your shots, and not think that you can sit back, play it safe in the powerplay and then score in the middle overs. You have to take good decisions as a batter to play a lot of overs, but equally, not miss scoring opportunities.Luckily, if I am not wrong – and you can look up the numbers – Royals have finished powerfully in the death overs with the bat. So if you have enough wickets in hand or your best batters around, you will more often than not come up with a powerful finish.ESPNcricinfo LtdKeeping that in mind, I am very happy and excited that we once again have got Liam Livingstone, who has been hammering bowling attacks off late. We have seen glimpses of his attacking strokeplay for Royals before but this time we would like to give him more opportunities, give him the freedom to express himself, without assigning him a specific role. For him and other batters, we want to keep options open. We’ll have chats with the players and figure what kind of role they want, and then the final call will be taken by the team management.One other potential weak area people from outside point at is our death bowling. The stats will say we are nowhere near the best, but I am not bothered by that. If you are only conceding ten or 11 runs in each of the final four overs, it is actually not a very bad run rate at the death.Last year in the UAE we finished eighth. So any improvement would be good. But in my first huddle with the Royals family this year I made it clear that while the goal is to win the championship, we need to focus on our process, on our preparation, and take it one match at a time. We give everything out there. I don’t mind if we end up at No. 8 again, but I want everyone to go all out. No matter who the opposition is, I want to see that attitude in your eyes and your body language. We are going for the kill – die or win. As simple as that. No one is holding back. I said that I wanted that commitment from each and every one.We are a young IPL team and the brand of cricket I want my team now to play is to fight and succeed. Of our remaining seven matches this season we have to win as many as possible. The goal is not to qualify for the playoffs but to win the championship.

Much like they were in their respective T20 World Cup semi-finals, school-mates Mitchell and Stoinis were the heroes for Scarborough back in 2009

Alex Malcolm12-Nov-20211:42

Daryl Mitchell – ‘It never felt like it was out of our grasp’

In March 2009, Daryl Mitchell, Marcus Stoinis and Justin Langer sat together as team-mates in the changerooms at the WACA celebrating a first-grade premiership for Scarborough.On Sunday night in Dubai, Stoinis and Mitchell, school-mates and long-time friends will face off in a World Cup final in Dubai, with Langer watching as Australia coach.Just as they did in their respective T20 World Cup semi-finals over the last 48 hours, back in 2009 both Stoinis and Mitchell were heroes for Scarborough. Stoinis made 189 in the semi-final. Then in the final, Mitchell, just two months shy of his 18th birthday, produced a match-winning spell taking 4 for 26 to help Scarborough beat Bayswater-Morley to win the premiership.Watch cricket live on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the USA. Match highlights of the second semi-final is available in English, and in Hindi (USA only).

Mitchell’s captain that day, former Western Australia opener Clint Heron, remembers the gamble he took. Bayswater-Morley were 169 for 2 chasing 265 when Heron turned to Mitchell.”He turned the game for us big time,” Heron told ESPNcricinfo. “We obviously had some big guns in the team at the time and they had had a crack and not quite got through. I spoke a bit with Alfie [Langer] about it.”We threw the ball to Daryl thinking he just might be one of those guys that will make something happen. And he got a wicket almost straight away, I think it might have been the first ball of his spell. He’s just such a competitor, which is why we sort of thought it was a good sort of roll of the dice at that stage because we were right up against it at that point.”Mitchell had moved to Perth from New Zealand three years earlier when his father John Mitchell was appointed the inaugural coach of the Western Force in the Super 14 Rugby competition.He was enrolled at Hale School where he met Stoinis, two years his senior, and played in the school side alongside Stoinis and Australian Rugby Union representative Dane Haylett-Petty.Stoinis and Mitchell are kindred spirits in many ways. They trained together non-stop over a period of nearly five years. Whether it was at Scarborough under Heron and Langer, privately with Langer’s long-time batting mentor Neil ‘Noddy’ Holder, or on their own together in the nets and gym at Revolution Sports indoor centre in Perth, the pair were relentless in their pursuit of becoming the best cricketers they possibly could. Mitchell told ESPNcricinfo prior to the World Cup that both Holder and Langer were major influences on his career.”To be able to first of all work with Neil ‘Noddy’ Holder not just with batting but as a mentor as well… to be able to spend time with him has helped me grow my game not only as a cricketer but as a person,” Mitchell said. “Obviously, [I was] very lucky to play club cricket in Scarborough with Justin Langer in my first year out of school was really cool. I remember growing up watching him as a kid and to share a dressing room with him was awesome.”Ironically, both had to leave Perth to get an extended run at first-class level. Stoinis moved to Melbourne without a contract to try his luck with Victoria following limited opportunities with WA. Mitchell headed back to New Zealand in 2011 to play for Northern Districts.Stoinis had dominated grade cricket in Perth and Melbourne and his ascension to domestic and international ranks was less of a surprise than Mitchell’s, whose returns at Scarborough in his early days were relatively modest. But Heron believed there was something special there.”Knowing his character, he was always one of those guys that will just work out a way to get the very best out of himself,” he said. “And even since he’s been gone, he’ll be in touch to just ask questions about how you try and face an offspinner in certain conditions. And then you’d catch up for coffee whenever he’s back in town to literally just talk about batting and how he could possibly improve.”That’s where those two guys, Stoinis and Mitchell, were so similar that every stone that was left, they turned it to see what was underneath and how they could get better.”The amount that Stoin has done in the background and the different people that he’s got to help him in his game, to get to where he is, the fitness, etc, is incredible.”The club won four first-grade premierships in a row with Langer playing in three of them, captaining and starring in the first two after his international career had finished. AJ Tye and Marcus Harris are other international players to come through the club. Heron believes Langer’s impact on their careers can’t be understated.Related

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“Justin’s part to play was instrumental as well,” Heron said. “I know he’s caught some flak for being critical and harsh at times. But you know, it’s coming from such a good place and he set the standard like no one else does.”The fact that these guys could see how hard he worked when he’s coming back to Scarborough, even when he’s finished his career and was just playing state cricket, was I think probably instrumental to all three of those guys’ success, obviously the two in the World Cup now, but Harry [Harris] as well.”Mitchell said it is odd to see his former teammates playing for Australia.”Growing up playing club cricket with Marcus Stoinis and Marcus Harris and it’s quite bizarre now they’re playing for Australia (laughs),” Mitchell said. “But yeah to be able to grow up with those guys and practice with them definitely played a major role in my formative years as a cricketer.”Ahead of that 2009 grand final, Heron invited John Mitchell to a Scarborough team dinner to talk about his experiences of coaching in a World Cup with the All Blacks and how to handle finals pressure.”It was really good,” Heron recalls. “Everyone really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. It was just about backing yourself. Looking around the group, do you have trust in each other? But it was mainly coming down to just full trust, full commitment, and just go out and give it a red-hot dip. There was nothing to lose. If you back yourself, everything will work out well.”Stoinis and Mitchell are still following that advice.

2021 wooden-spoon winners are optimistic that young squad can make big strides forward

Alan Gardner01-Apr-2022Few things quicken the anticipation ahead of the start of the county season like a trip to Good Old Sussex by the Sea. The sight of Hove’s deckchairs might not cure all the ills which currently beset the English game, but it feels like a decent place to start. The question that might have been asked, however, as a flurry of sleet and snow across the immaculate green acreage caught the attention of those assembled in the pavilion for Sussex’s press day, was: which sea? Perhaps the Baltic.Soon the sun was shining again, and there are hopes for brighter times at Sussex. After finishing bottom of the Championship in 2021, during a season in which they gave as many as nine first-class debuts to young, homegrown players – and at one stage fielded a team with an average age of 19 – the expectation from both management and supporters is for a more competitive summer.Concerns about the club’s direction of travel have simmered under the surface, notably given voice by the former Sussex and England wicketkeeper Matt Prior, with the influx of youth offset by a high number of departures – Phil Salt, Chris Jordan and Ben Brown left over the winter, following the likes of Laurie Evans, Danny Briggs and Luke Wells out through the gates on Eaton Road. But Ian Salisbury, head coach of the Championship and 50-over sides, believes a rebuilding process was needed in order to deliver “sustained success” of the sort Sussex were used to in the 2000s.There have been moves to strengthen a callow squad that might otherwise be considered outside contenders in Division Two. In particular, the arrivals of Steven Finn, the former England seamer signed from Middlesex, and overseas batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Mohammad Rizwan ought to bring a hardened edge to the dressing room; Ollie Robinson, who has a point to prove after fitness issues stalled his progress at Test level over the winter, is also expected to be available for a number of the early rounds – though not next week’s opener against Notts.Related

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Further international experience has been added to the mix with the arrival of Grant Flower as batting coach, while former club captain Mike Yardy has returned to Hove as academy director. It feel likes there is now greater heft behind the club’s crop of young players, which includes a pair of precociously talented 17-year-olds in Danial Ibrahim and Archie Lenham. What Salisbury refers to as “the project” at Hove might just be coming together.”Do we aim to get promoted? Of course we do,” Salisbury said. “But more importantly, we want to be better than what we were last year. That’s not just as a team, it’s as individuals, as coaches. We just want to keep improving. We know where we want to be in four or five years’ time, which is bringing sustained success back to Sussex, in all competitions. I know the side we have, and the squad we have, once we get to that situation, we can be there for a long time, just because of the age of this side.”That’s why we took the decisions we have done in the past, because we haven’t been in the first division since 2015, we haven’t won a trophy for 13 years. So something had to change, because that’s not acceptable for a club of this standing. So how do you do it? You rebuild, you make decisions – some made around Covid. But we made a decision to go down the route we have, because we want to bring sustained success back to Sussex. But we know when we get there, we’ll hold it there for a long period of time.”One of the players who is expected to play a key role in any Sussex resurgence is 23-year-old opener Tom Haines. No-one in the country scored more than Haines’ 1176 Championship runs at 47.04 in 2021, and he will be aiming to lead from the front after being named interim captain of the red-ball side (“interim” because Sussex still retain the option to bring back Travis Head, the Australia batter who was expected to take charge, next summer). Encouragingly for Sussex, Haines’ average actually rose – to 51.12 – in the four games in which he stood in for Brown last year.It is only a couple of seasons since Haines was looking to establish himself in the first team and he admits it is “weird” to now be considered a senior player. Given the struggles of England’s batters over the winter, it is not too far-fetched to think that further promotions could soon be in order. A strong start to the summer could bring him into discussions for the New Zealand series in June, though Haines will not be looking that far ahead.Tom Haines made a pre-season hundred against Surrey•Getty Images”Right at the front of my mind at the moment is scoring as many runs as I can for Sussex,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I’m really focused on leading this side, and hopefully leading by example with runs and in the field. I’m not one to get too far ahead of myself, I think when you do that in cricket, it comes back to bite you. So I would never focus on the speculation [around] England selection, I just want to get my head down again, like I did last year, and hopefully back it up.”It’s nice to be mentioned by people but I’m always one to try and stay as level as I can, because as an opener batter failure it always going to happen. I try to stay nice and level headed and focus on the here and now, game by game in the County Championship for Sussex.”Haines describes “trusting my defence, and leaving well” as the two fundamentals of his game. Like Kraigg Brathwaite, whose obduracy at the top of the order helped West Indies to secure a series victory over England last week, he has never played a game of professional T20 – and while Haines says he doesn’t want to pigeonhole himself, he has a clear goal in mind.”My dream since I was young is to play Test cricket for England. I don’t like to compare myself to any other players I don’t like to put myself in their shoes and say I’d have done better because that’s just not what I’m about. I try and focus as much as much as I can on myself, improving my own game. We’ve got great coaches here, Grant who’s come in and been brilliant since day one, and we’ve got all the facilities here to really improve as a player.”Salisbury says that the Sussex’s goal remains producing players for England, and Haines pushing for Test selection would be welcome – even if it leaves another hole in the side to be filled. The depth of the squad will be tested anyway, with spinner Jack Carson unlikely to play before May, having had surgery on a knee injury, and long-term absentee Jofra Archer unlikely to be in contention for first-team action until the Blast comes around.No-one is getting carried away at Hove, but with a strong T20 side looking to improve on their Blast Finals Day appearance last year and a zephyr of optimism whispering around the Championship rebuild, there is hope that the members might be able to rest a little more comfily in their deckchairs.”We won one [Championship] game last year, that’s factual,” Salisbury said. “So there’s got to be some realism. To get promoted we might have to win eight games – 800% improvement? Anything’s possible. More than anything, I want us to be better and show that we are actually progressing.”

No coach, no managing director of cricket, no selector and now no Test captain

Matt Roller15-Apr-2022″There’s no coach, no managing director of cricket, no selector.” Eoin Morgan did his best to sum up the power vacuum at the heart of England’s men’s teams in an interview with ESPNcricinfo last week but now Joe Root has thrown the Test captaincy into the black hole, too.Even before Root’s resignation on Friday, England were in a mess. They had won one of their last 17 Tests and spent most of last summer treating home fixtures against the world’s two best teams – India and New Zealand – as “preparation” for an Ashes series that they lost four-nil.Against West Indies, the team felt increasingly out of sync with the wider mood. As England slipped to a 1-0 series defeat, Root insisted that they were making “big improvements” in his final television interview in the role, in which he was grilled by an increasingly short-tempered David Gower.The two highest wicket-takers in their history, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, are frustrated by the lack of communication they have had with their employers since they were surprisingly omitted for the series defeat in the Caribbean. “There’s nobody in those positions permanently,” Anderson said earlier this week. “I’m presuming that is why I’ve not heard anything.”Related

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There were mitigating factors throughout, with the demands on England’s leading players heightened by the effects of Covid on both their schedule and their day-to-day lives with the suffocation of bubble life catching up with them. But when results turned, so did public opinion; by the final day of Root’s last Test as captain in Grenada, his predecessors were queuing up to call for him to be sacked.”Why now – why not 20 years ago?” a reporter asks in a episode when Krusty the Klown announces he is quitting show business. The same could be asked of Root’s resignation: why wait until mid-April when it has been clear for three months that his time is up?Root said in his statement that during a rare break after the West Indies tour, it had “hit home how much of a toll [the captaincy] has taken” and the impact it has had on his life away from the game. It is a reminder of just how gruelling England’s schedule has been that he did not have time to make that realisation in the weeks after the Ashes.It was telling that Tom Harrison, the chief executive, was the only senior figure left to pay Root tribute in the ECB’s statement, rather than a coach, a managing director or even a chairman, and even he appears to be on his way out. Andrew Strauss, the interim MD, has been calling the shots for the last two months but his family circumstances mean he will only be a short-term appointment.Joe Root’s resignation adds to a long list of vacancies in England cricket•Getty ImagesThe immediate speculation will be around Root’s potential successors but at least two key appointments will come first: the managing director and the head coach – or head coaches, if the role is split in two. There may well be a new selector, too.Rob Key has become the favourite for the managing director role almost by default. Several leading options either opted not to apply (Alec Stewart, Ed Smith and Mike Hesson) or pulled out of the running (Marcus North) and the reported on Friday afternoon that he will be appointed next week.Key was critical of Ashley Giles’ decision to concentrate power in the hands of Chris Silverwood. He suggested before the West Indies series that the ECB should return to a split coaching set-up and “some form of selection panel”, and said that Stewart would be “perfect” as a short-term coaching option.He has also mentioned Jos Buttler as a potential captain – Key was critical of Root’s leadership – but Ben Stokes is the obvious successor. That Root jumped, rather than being pushed, makes him more likely to accept the role if offered, and his decision to pull out of the IPL auction to focus on the Test team now looks almost prescient.England’s first Test of the summer, against New Zealand at Lord’s, is under seven weeks away. There are few breaks in their schedule from that point onwards. They play seven Tests this summer (three each against New Zealand and South Africa, one against India) and five over the winter (three in Pakistan, two in New Zealand), while multi-format players have regular bilateral white-ball series and another T20 World Cup to fit in.The volume of cricket would be daunting for any team; for an England side without a captain, a coach or anyone in place with the long-term authority to appoint them, it is ominous. For whoever comes in, at least things can hardly get worse.

When does it start? What’s the format? We’ve got all your questions covered

Hemant Brar20-Aug-2022 • Updated on 26-Aug-2022The Asia Cup – what’s that?
Outside the ICC events, the Asia Cup is basically the biggest international tournament in terms of the number of participants, though you may not immediately think of it that way. It contains exactly what it says on the tin, i.e it is played between the top teams in Asia. The first edition was played 38 years ago in Sharjah and featured India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. After three round-robin games, India emerged as champions under the captaincy of Sunil Gavaskar. The Asia Cup hasn’t been the most consistently scheduled tournament, but since 2008, it has been played every alternate year until the Covid-19 pandemic broke the sequence in 2020.Which makes it how many now?
Fourteen Asia Cups: the last one was in 2018 in the UAE (a theme developing here), when a Rohit Sharma-led India beat Bangladesh in the final to lift the trophy.Related

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India again? They seem to have won it…
The most times, yes. India have won the Asia Cup seven times, while Sri Lanka have won it five times. Pakistan, perhaps surprisingly, have only won it twice.Trying to recall memorable Asia Cup moments but none are coming to mind. Can you jog my memory?
Sure, there’s been more than you think. Surinder Khanna’s quickfire knocks in 1984; Ajantha Mendis bamboozling India in the 2008 final; Harbhajan Singh’s penultimate-ball six off Mohammad Amir to seal the win in 2010; Virat Kohli smashing his career-best 183 against Pakistan to help India chase down 330, and Pakistan beating Bangladesh by two runs to clinch the title – both in 2012; Shahid Afridi hitting R Ashwin for back-to-back sixes in the final over to win the game in 2014; Amir’s new-ball spell against Kohli and Co in 2016; the India-Afghanistan tie in 2018… This could go on but you get the point.Great. So, when is this year’s edition starting?
The tournament starts on August 27 with Sri Lanka taking on Afghanistan in Dubai, and the final is on September 11, also in Dubai. It’s being played in the T20 format because it’s good prep for the T20 World Cup later this year.The 2022 Asia Cup starts and ends in Dubai•Arjun Singh/BCCIUmm, you’re missing something?
Yes, sorry, it actually started with a qualifier tournament, which ran from August 20 to 24 in Oman. UAE, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuwait competed in a round-robin format, with Hong Kong qualifying with three wins in three games.Hong Kong, really?
Really. They are at 23 in the ICC’s T20I rankings and are led by allrounder Nizakat Khan at the Asia Cup. In the qualifying round, Yasim Murtaza was their top-scorer with 130 runs in three innings, while offspinner Ehsan Khan took nine wickets. You might not remember this, but Hong Kong gave India a bit of a scare in the 2018 Asia Cup.And now back to the main event?
Simple: six teams, divided into two groups:Group A: India, Pakistan, Hong Kong
Group B: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan
Each team plays the other two in their group once and the top two qualify for the next round, the Super 4. There, each team plays every other team once, and the top two teams make it to the final.Has the Asia Cup done a T20 version before?
Yes, the 2016 edition in Bangladesh was also played in the T20 format and it was done keeping in mind that year’s T20 World Cup, which was scheduled to begin two days after the Asia Cup final. The tournament changes format depending on which year it is played: next year’s edition in Pakistan, for example, will be an ODI Asia Cup as preparation for the 2023 World Cup in India.That’s handy. And did I hear it’s being played in the UAE?
You did and it is. Again. It’s actually the spiritual home of sorts given the Asia Cup began there (as a way to have India and Pakistan play regularly at a neutral venue). All games are being held in Sharjah and Dubai.My weather app tells me it’s not the best time of year to play anything in the UAE.
It’s not, but needs must. The tournament was supposed to be held in Sri Lanka this year, but the economic and political crisis in that country meant it had to move: bilateral cricket has been held in Sri Lanka, but the logistics of a multi-team tournament would’ve been difficult to manage.India and Pakistan were ruled out as options for various reasons, so it had to be the UAE.India and Pakistan will face each other for the first time since the T20 World Cup last year•AFP/Getty ImagesAnd the heat?
It will be very hot. And very, very humid. International cricket has only been scheduled once in the UAE in August, when Australia played Pakistan in a white-ball series in 2012. It was physically draining but they just about managed, with later than usual starts. The Asia Cup games will start at 6pm UAE time. Other than that the UAE is more than adept, having held the 2018 Asia Cup, the IPL, the PSL regularly (and in June last year), as well as the T20 World Cup last year.How many times will I see India play Pakistan?
Most likely twice, three times if we’re lucky. They face each other first on August 28 in Dubai, their first meeting since the 2021 T20 World Cup, when Pakistan beat India by ten wickets at the same venue.If both finish as the top two teams in their group, they will meet again in the Super 4 round. And then there could be an India-Pakistan final as well. India and Pakistan have never faced each other in the final of the Asia Cup.And what’s the head-to-head record between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup?
The two teams have faced each other 14 times, with India winning on eight occasions and Pakistan on five. One game ended in a no-result.

The South African allrounder, who impressed with the bat in the CPL last year, is looking to unleash his inner Avenger for the Paarl Royals franchise

Deivarayan Muthu09-Jan-2023South African allrounder Corbin Bosch is such a big fan of Thor from the Marvel Universe that he often celebrates with an imaginary hammer. He has added more power to his batting in the past year and smacks bowlers away like the Marvel superhero does villains with Mjolnir. So it’s only inevitable that Bosch has earned the nickname Thor.”I love all their [Marvel] movies and I’m a big fan of their Avengers series,” Bosch said during the CPL, “and growing up, Thor has been my favourite character. So when I came to the CPL, my initial plan was to try and do a celebration [with] every single Marvel character. I started with Thor and it kind of just stuck. It’s a celebration I enjoy, and I play to enjoy my cricket and this is one of those that stuck with me.”Related

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Corbin, son of Tertius (2014)

Bosch was the Player of the Match in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup final in the UAE, when South Africa clinched the title. His senior career didn’t quite take off like it was expected to after the U-19 success, but he is finally in the spotlight now after having broken into the big leagues in 2022.Bosch was a replacement player for Rajasthan Royals last year in the IPL and he was signed up by the Barbados side in the CPL. His flexibility with the bat was among the highlights of Royals’ run to the CPL final, though they eventually lost to Jamaica Tallawahs. Bosch is now ready to do it all over again for Royals, this time at home in the SA20.”This SA20 is going to be huge,” he said. “I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for guys to put their names on the map and say: ‘Hey, maybe South Africa has a lot more talented cricketers than those that might just be seen in the IPL and [playing] for South Africa.’ It’s a recognised platform for guys, including myself, to just display their skills and show what they’re about and how they can dominate – whether with bat or ball. Players a lot of guys haven’t heard about are all of a sudden front and centre of one of the biggest stages in the world. Who knows who is going to be the next big thing from South Africa?”Bosch could potentially be that very thing. He has bulked up to improve his six-hitting and to pound the pitch with the ball – traits that are in demand in T20 cricket. He usually bats lower down the order for Titans in domestic cricket, but Royals’ management saw some spark in his batting and used him as a pinch-hitting No. 3 in the CPL.Bosch made 191 runs in the 2022 CPL, including back-to-back fifties against St Lucia Kings and Jamaica Tallawahs•CPL T20 via Getty Images”For me, my batting is a work in progress,” Bosch said. “Me batting at No. 3 in the CPL was a new role that a couple of coaches mentioned to me even before I came here [to the Caribbean]. So, I wrapped my head around it while I was training back home with the Titans to hone my skills. I still feel I’m only in the infancy of my batting and I’ve got so much to learn – trying to take in as much information as I can and learning what works for me and what doesn’t.”I’ve done a lot of range-hitting and just trying to figure out the areas where I can be dominating – if the ball is in my area, I know I can take any bowler on in any situation – and at the same time, working on the areas I’m weaker at. My goal is to become one of the best allrounders in the world, if not the best – that is how I mentally train every single day.”With the ball, Bosch can now crank it up around the 135kph range, and step in as a change bowler, thanks largely to his club cricket stint in Australia with Northern Districts Suburbs in 2016. Andy Bichel, who worked with Bosch back then, was particularly impressed with Bosch’s progress when the pair caught up during last year’s IPL; Bosch was with Rajasthan Royals and Bichel with Lucknow Super Giants as their bowling coach.”After high school, I only bowled around 130kph. I left for Australia for a year to play a season there and made a mental switch there that I really want to bowl fast. It wasn’t easy getting my body stronger. I put in a lot of hours in the gym, and still do, to keep my body fit and healthy.”Bowling fast is no joke – you need to be physically prepared for what you will put your body through. I’m still looking to bowl even faster in the next couple of years. I feel I’m only starting to touch the untapped potential of the pace I can generate.”Bosch comes from a cricketing family. His father Tertius Bosch, who played three international matches for South Africa, was ranked alongside Allan Donald as one of the fastest bowlers of his era. His younger brother Eathan is currently contracted to Dolphins and Pretoria Capitals. Corbin is looking forward to the prospect of playing against his brother in the SA20.”Growing up, I was lucky to be part of such a fantastic household,” Bosch said. “My mother has been an inspiration – she allowed me and my brother to really express ourselves and do what we always dreamt of doing. I don’t think I can tell you the amount of hours and days we spent in our backyard playing garden cricket with one another, ruining my mum’s grass. I’ll be the first one to say that we destroyed the garden, but it was us enjoying each other’s company. Throughout our childhood we just played a lot of garden cricket and we’ve always pushed one another.”Bosch is hoping to get one over his brother Eathan (in picture) who will play for Pretoria Capitals in the SA20•Cricket South AfricaEathan often cops a fair bit about not being the best cricketer in his family because Corbin has won an Under-19 World Cup, but he claimed bragging rights ahead of the SA20, having dismissed his older brother before.”I think I’ve played against Eathan twice before [in competitive cricket]. I played for Pretoria and he played for Durban and he managed to get me out in the last over [of one of those games]. He definitely is one up on me (). For the MSL, I was with Tshwane Spartans and he was with Paarl Rocks in 2019, and all of a sudden we’ve done a switch. Hopefully, that switch means I get the trophy with Paarl and he becomes a sore loser in the [SA20] final.””Our competitiveness started in our garden-cricket days,” Eathan said in a CSA release. “I’m a bit taller [at 1.90m] but he’s a little bigger. “We haven’t played against each other too much, I just know that I’ve got him out once and he hasn’t. It can be tough playing against your brother, wanting him to do well but also wanting your team to win.”Bosch is particularly enthused about teaming up once again with Tabraiz Shamsi – they have played together at Titans – and hopes to trump the left-arm wristspinner’s snazzy celebrations with his own ones.”I love playing with Shamsi and I’m fortunate enough to get to play with him at the Titans,” Bosch said. “He’s so bubbly and gives the team so much energy, which I love, and his celebrations are going to be tough to beat. But I have a few exciting things at the back of my mind that I’m going to try to make sure that his wicket celebrations aren’t going to be able to outdo mine.”Like I said, I play cricket because I enjoy it and this is just one aspect of cricket that adds fun to some stressful situations and pressure situations. The celebrations are [about] just letting go and showing the world who I actually am. The Thor is definitely coming out in Paarl.”Bosch found no takers at the recent IPL 2023 auction, but the SA20 offers him another chance to remind franchise owners – and South Africa’s selectors – of his worth.