THE PROTEAS MARCH FORWARD

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue – Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban [November 27-30, 2024].

In November 2024, the Sri Lankan cricket team toured South Africa to play 2 test matches. The tour was an important one, as the WTC Finals were at stake. The hosts were the favorites before the series, but one could not rule out the Lankans. After all, who can ever forget their test triumph 5 years ago in the Rainbow Nation? Moreover, they whitewashed Kiwis in a test series just a couple of months ago. So, everyone was expecting an interesting contest between two strong cricketing nations.

On a cloudy day in Durban, Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and sent the Proteas to bat first. The decision turned out to be a good one, as the Lankan bowlers dismantled the South African top order in no time. Unfortunately, the rain stepped in between, and the match was abandoned for the day with only 20 overs being bowled. The Proteas' scorecard read 80/4 at the end of Day 1's play.

The Sri Lankan carnage continued on the second day as well, as the Proteas kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and were eventually bowled out for just 191 runs in their first innings. Captain Temba Bavuma was the lone fighter for his side as he played a gritty knock of 70 runs, wherein no other Proteas batsmen managed to get past even the 25-run mark.

However, one thing was certain, and that was that even the Sri Lankans will struggle to bat upon this Kingsmead pitch in front of the lethal Proteas pace attack. But what followed next was something truly unbelievable. Marco Jansen bowled one of the deadliest spells of his life as he picked up 7 Lankan wickets for just 13 runs. In a short spell of 6.5 overs, Jansen unleashed terror. Moreover, the visitors looked clueless as the trio of Rabada, Jansen and Coetzee demolished them for just 42 runs in their first innings, with the hosts taking an important first-innings lead of 149 runs.

The match was well and truly over for the Lankans after the first innings itself. However, the remaining hopes were later buried by the duo of Tristan Stubbs and Captain Bavuma, who together stitched a massive 249 runs and took the game away from the visitors. Tristan Stubbs posted a solid 122, whereas Captain Bavuma continued his form from the first innings and hammered a brilliant 113 as the Sri Lankan bowlers looked helpless.

The hosts eventually declared at the score of 366/5, with the visitors now needing 516 runs to win the game. Though there were 7 sessions left in the game, it was almost certain that the Sri Lankans were inching towards a big defeat.

Unlike the first innings, this time the visitors did show some resistance with half centuries by Dinesh Chandimal and Captain Dhananjaya de Silva. However, this was not going to be enough for the Lankans, who were eventually bowled out for 282 runs in their second innings. Marco Jansen was the leading wicket taker in the second innings as well, as he picked up 4 crucial wickets. Apart from Jansen, Rabada, Coetzee and Maharaj picked up 2 wickets each as the hosts won the first test by 233 runs.

Marco Jansen was awarded the man of the match award for his marvelous contribution with the ball. Interestingly, the victory march which the Proteas started in Durban continued the entire summer as they whitewashed Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home, and later in 2025, they went on to win their first World Test Championship Mace at Lord's.

To Watch the Highlights of the Test Match, Click Here. 

COMETH THE HOUR, COMETH THE MAN

 Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue – Adelaide Oval, Adelaide [February 15, 2015].

No cricket match comes closer to an India-Pakistan game. The stakes get even higher when they take down each other in the 50-over World Cup. Statistically, Pakistan has struggled to register a single win against us in the 50-over marquee event. However, the drama, nerves and thrill in this game are enormous. Moreover, it's not just the sporting rivalry, but it goes beyond that. The history, the politics – everything comes into the Radcliffe Line Rivalry. This post is about one such match played between the two sides Down Under.

Australia and New Zealand were co-hosting the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. Interestingly, both India and Pakistan were placed in the same group. Moreover, the much-coveted India-Pakistan match turned out to be the first game for the sides in the tournament. So, the pressure was huge. After all, both the teams were eager to start their World Cup campaign with a bang.

Pakistan came in as the favorites because they were the winners of the previous encounter, which happened a year ago in the Asia Cup. Apart from that, they were also successful in winning the ODI Series 2-1 against India in India. Even though the Men in Blue did beat them in the ICC Champions Trophy, their performance in the last year has been below satisfactory. Hence the pressure was surely upon Indians. Many felt that Adelaide could see the first Pakistani win over India in a World Cup event.

In a high-pressure game, it was Indian Captain MS Dhoni who won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a perfect batting pitch. The Men in Blue started slowly and steadily. However, the Pakistanis got an early breakthrough in the form of Rohit Sharma, who was caught at 15 by Captain Misbah-ul-Haq off Sohail Khan's short-pitch delivery. Rohit tried to play a pull shot but got the timing wrong, which resulted in an easy catch.

Virat Kohli was the new man on the crease as the Indian scorecard read 34/1 in 7.3 overs. Kohli took his time to settle, and in the process, he even played a risky shot which could have marked his end, but Yasir Shah dropped the most important catch of the match. The chance was difficult, but if the catch would have been taken, the course of the game as well as the World Cup could have changed, as Kohli at that time was batting on just 3 runs.

After this catch drop, Kohli unleashed himself before the arch-rivals. Not only did he stitch valuable partnerships first with Dhawan and then with Raina, but he also scored his second World Cup hundred at the biggest of stages. In an innings which lasted for more than 2.5 hours, Kohli scored a magnificent 107 off 126 deliveries. Interestingly, this Kohli innings had only 8 boundaries, which implies that he scored the 75 runs by running between the wickets.

Apart from Kohli, Dhawan scored a gritty 73 off 76 deliveries, and Suresh Raina scored a quickfire 74 off 56 balls as the Indians posted a huge total of 300/7 at the end of 50 overs. For the Men in Green, Sohail Khan picked up 5 wickets as every other bowler struggled to make an impact on the Adelaide deck.

In response, the Pakistanis got off to a cautious start, as they were 102/2 in 23 overs. However, the 24th over turned out to be a game changer as Umesh Yadav dismissed both Ahmed Shehzad and Sohaib Maqsood and reduced the Pakistanis to 102/4. Shahid Afridi did play a few shots, but he too was dismissed for 22 as the Men in Green kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. Captain Misbah-ul-Haq (76) kept on fighting alone, but his efforts were insufficient as the Pakistanis were eventually bowled out for 224 runs in 47 overs.

The Indians won the match comfortably by 76 runs and started their World Cup campaign with a bang. Interestingly, the Men in Blue marched on an unbeaten streak in this tournament before losing the semi-final clash to the eventual champions and hosts, Australia, in Sydney.

However, the 2015 World Cup is a tournament which brings nostalgia among the cricket fans all over the world. Among the most cherished moments from the event, Virat Kohli's 100 in Adelaide is definitely one of them. 

To watch the Highlights of the Game, Click Here.

To watch the Innings of Virat Kohli, Click Here. 

THE DAY WHITE LOST ITS COLOUR

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney [January 3-5, 2025].

 

On 5th January, 2025, Virat Kohli stepped out for the last time in a test match. India were playing Australia in Sydney. The hosts were leading the series 2-1 and were on the verge of winning the final test as well. The target was not a big one. But the pitch had a lot for the bowlers. Unfortunately, Bumrah suffered an injury due to which we were a bowler short in the most crucial phase of the series. Moreover, Rohit Sharma was also not playing the test, which meant that Virat Kohli was the stand-in captain for Team India.

Interestingly, the visitors started strong and reduced the Aussies to 58/3. At one point everyone felt that India could pull it out in Sydney. However, Usman Khwaja, along with Travis Head, stitched a crucial partnership of 46 runs and took Australia to a dominant position. Even though Khwaja was later dismissed for 41, it was not going to take much time for the in-form hosts, and the duo of Travis Head and Beau Webster made sure that the Aussies chased it down comfortably. Webster hit the winning runs as the Aussies won the match by 6 wickets and thus lifted the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 long years.

The Aussies erupted with joy. After all, they have struggled to beat India on the previous four occasions. Whereas there was sadness around the Indian Camp, who had now suffered two back-to-back test series defeats. Something which they have not experienced for a long time. It was almost certain that the management would take some tough calls. However, back then no one knew that it was the last time we saw Virat Kohli in whites.

Four months later, on 12th May, 2025, Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket. The cricketing world was shocked. No one could believe their eyes. The Beloved King has hung his boots from the format he loved the most. It was a heartbreaking moment for everyone who loved Test Cricket.

After all, the biggest ambassador of the sport has just left. However, it is quite interesting to note that the country which saw Kohli's transition from prince to king also saw his end. In 2011, as a 23-year-old youngster, he stepped for the very first time on the Australian shore. Even back then we were undergoing a transition phase, and this is when Kohli peaked. His century in Adelaide was a statement to the cricketing world that the successor of the great Sachin Tendulkar has arrived.

2014-15 saw the transformation of Kohli into a modern-day great. Who could ever forget his historic BGT Down Under. Not only did he score loads of runs [692 to be precise with 4 centuries], but he also became the captain of a young Indian Test team. Sydney was the city, and SCG was the ground where Kohli took over the charge as the Indian Test Captain.

Yes, we lost that series 0-2, and we were ranked 7th in the ICC Test Rankings. But 4 years later things completely changed under Captain Kohli. Not only did we hammer the Aussies 2-1, but we were also the number 1 Test Side of the World. The redemption was well and truly complete.

Six years later things were similar to 2011-12, but this time it was Kohli who was in the final phase of his career. A country which saw his rise also saw his fall. In the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he managed just one good knock in the entire Australian summer. Barring his hundred in Perth, he could not breach the 50-run mark in the remaining innings. Though one cannot deny the fact that apart from Jaiswal, no other batsman performed well in those tough conditions. So it was quite cruel on the part of Kohli to announce his retirement after failing in one cricket season.

He would have definitely performed well in England. But, alas, Kohli decided to retire from Test Cricket. The Whites lost its color as the King bid farewell. 

OUR LITTLE DYNAMO IS BACK

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy [September 2, 2023]. 

The BCCI has announced the 15-man squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Interestingly, the hosts are also the defending champions, so the stakes are high. As a result, it is important to field the strongest team. One weak player can end our ambitions of lifting the trophy again. Fortunately enough, the team announced by the selectors on 20th December is quite a remarkable team which has the potential to lift the cup once again. The players selected have been consistently performing well in both the domestic and international stages. However, out of 15 players, the name which surprised as well as made people happy was the inclusion of wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan in the squad.

Ishan Kishan has been out of the Indian team for almost 2 years now. What started as a punishment for indiscipline ended up becoming a career-ending move for the young batsman from Bihar. However, his memorable performance in the domestic circuit spoke volumes for him, and the selectors picked him over Rishabh Pant and Jitesh Sharma.

Ishan Kishan's inclusion is a positive move, as in the past he has performed in pressure situations. In this blog post I will be talking about one such match. The Men in Blue were facing their arch-rivals Pakistan in the group stage of the Asia Cup, 2023. Indian Captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a good wicket.

However, the Men in Green pushed the Indians on the back foot as they blew away the Indian top order in no time. The scorecard read 66/4 when Hardik Pandya joined Ishan Kishan in between. One more wicket and the game would have been done and dusted for us. The game was on a knife-edge.

But this is when Ishan played one of his finest ODI knocks, as he scored a magnificent 82 off 81 deliveries. In an innings which lasted for around 2 hours, Kishan hammered 9 boundaries and 2 massive sixes. Along with Hardik, he stitched a partnership of 138 runs and brought Indians back into the game. Interestingly, after Ishan's dismissal, Hardik continued the carnage as he too scored a brilliant 87 off 90 balls. The Men in Blue were eventually bowled out for 266 runs in 48.5 overs, as the Pakistanis required 267 to win the match.

Unfortunately, due to incessant rain, the match could not continue further, and both teams were awarded a point. However, Ishan's performance was praised by all. The skill to bat in tough conditions is what makes batsmen great. It is expected that next month when we take on Pakistan in the 2026 World T20 in Sri Lanka, Ishan and Hardik will continue their same form.

To watch the Highlights of that Match, Click Here.

THE PARADIGM SHIFT

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue – Trent Bridge, Nottingham [August 4-8, 2021].

In the summer of 2021, the Indian cricket team toured England to play 5 test matches. Prior to the Test Series, the visitors were also supposed to take part in the inaugural World Test Championship Final. Hence, it was a big English summer which followed for Team India. Unfortunately the Men in Blue lost the WTC Final to the Kiwis in Southampton. It was a tough defeat against the side who knocked them out in the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final a couple of years ago in Manchester. So it called out for an introspection. And the change did happen for Team India.

In the first test at Nottingham, the visitors came out with a new game plan. Captain Kohli took a tough call of dropping Ashwin and decided to play 4 fast bowlers. For the spin option, he kept Jadeja, but the focus was to develop a strong pace attack. It was a big gamble, as Ashwin is a proven matchwinner who could win games on his own, but his performance overseas has not been that great in comparison to the subcontinent. So the management decided to take this bold step.

On a gloomy day, English Captain Joe Root won the toss and decided to bat first. The decision turned out to be a horrendous one, as the hosts were bowled out for just 183 runs in their first innings. Apart from Captain Root (64), no other English batsman was able to cross the 50-run mark. For India, Bumrah and Shami picked up 4 and 3 wickets, respectively, as the English struggled before the Indian pace battery.

In response, the visitors scored a formidable 278 in their first innings. KL Rahul (84) and Ravindra Jadeja (56) scored gritty fifties as the Indians took a crucial first-innings lead of 95 runs. For England, Anderson and Robinson picked up 4 and 5 wickets, respectively. However, the moment which grabbed the headlines was those two deliveries which Anderson bowled to Pujara and Kohli on the second day. First he got rid of Pujara, as he nicked one off to Buttler. On the very next delivery, Kohli did the same thing as he was dismissed for a rare first-ball duck. The Anderson-Kohli rivalry has been one of the greatest duels of our times, and this time Jimmy got the better of King Kohli. The atmosphere in the ground was deafening when Kohli walked back to the pavilion.

                                 Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

However, the second innings was no different from the first. Joe Root played a captain's knock of 109 as the English were bowled out for 303 in their second innings. Apart from the skipper, every English batsman struggled before the pace and bounce of the Indian fast bowlers. Thus the plan of playing 4 fast bowlers did work for Captain Kohli in Trent Bridge, and it was now almost certain that this is how Team India would play in this series.

The visitors now required 209 runs to win the test and take a 1-0 lead in the series. However, the rain had some other plans, as no play was possible on day 5 of the match. The Indian scorecard read 52/1 when the match was called to an end. It was quite unfortunate that the Indians could not win the test, but the match will always be remembered for the paradigm shift in Indian mentality. The team, which historically relied upon spinners, was now going with an all-round pace attack. It was truly a new Indian side who just wanted not only to win but also to dominate overseas.  

To watch the highlights of this test, click on the URLs below.

Day 1.

Day 2.

Day 3.

Day 4.

THIS IS TEST CRICKET

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue—Hagley Oval, Christchurch [December 2-6, 2025].

In the summer of 2025, the West Indies Cricket Team toured New Zealand to play 5 T20 Internationals, 3 ODIs, and 3 Test Matches. The hosts won the T20 Series 3-1 and the ODI Series 3-0 as the visitors struggled against a formidable New Zealand side. After facing defeats in white-ball cricket, the tour reached Christchurch for the first test match. The visiting captain, Roston Chase, won the toss and decided to bowl first on what looked like a spicy wicket.

The decision turned out to be a good one, as the hosts were bowled out for just 231 in their first innings. Apart from Williamson, no Kiwi batsman was able to cross the 50-run mark. However, the Kiwis did make a strong comeback in the game as they dismissed the Windies for just 167 in their first innings. Jacob Duffy bowled a remarkable spell of 5-34 as the Black Caps took a crucial 64-run lead in the first innings.

Interestingly, to everyone's surprise, the pitch, which looked bowler-friendly in the first couple of days, turned into a batting paradise for the next 3 days of the game. Captain Tom Latham and Rachin Ravindra scored magnificent centuries in the second innings as the Kiwis declared at a massive total of 466/8. Latham scored a gritty 145 off 250 deliveries, whereas Rachin Ravindra played an aggressive knock of 176 in just 185 balls. In an innings that lasted for around 4 hours, Ravindra hit 27 boundaries and one six as the Windies struggled for wickets.

The Visitors were now required to chase down 531 runs in around 164 overs to win the game. A win was almost impossible, and a draw at this stage looked like gold dust. To make matters worse, the Windies top order collapsed in no time as the visitors were reduced to 72/4 in 28.3 overs. This is when Justin Greaves joined Shai Hope in the center. The game was on a knife-edge. One more wicket and the Kiwis would have steamrolled the remaining batsmen.

However, this is when Justin Greaves played the knock of his life. Firstly, he shared a partnership of 196 runs with Shai Hope and brought the Windies back into the game. After Hope was dismissed for a magnificent 140, he stitched an unbeaten partnership of 180 runs with Kemar Roach, which lasted for around 69 overs.

In an innings that lasted for a staggering 564 minutes, Greaves scored an incredible 202* and saved his side from defeat. It was truly a masterclass. Everyone was up on their toes, as what they saw in Christchurch was nothing short of a miracle. However, one must also give credit to Roach, who also batted for around 5 hours and scored an unbeaten 58 in 233 deliveries and took Windies out from the jaws of defeat.

To be honest, at one stage it even appeared that the Windies could chase the total. But eventually it ended in a respectable draw. Unfortunately the visitors failed to maintain the momentum in the next two tests, as the Kiwis won the series 2-0. However, despite the defeat, people will remember the West Indies' resistance in Christchurch for a long time.

To watch the Highlights of the Test Match, Click Here. 

ONCE UPON A TIME IN BANGALORE

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue – M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore [December 8-12, 2007].

The Radcliffe Line Rivalry brings in a lot of emotions. After all, an India-Pakistan match is not just about cricket. It is bigger than that. As a result, each and every game goes into the history books. This blog will be talking about one such episode of the India-Pakistan cricket. The year goes back to 2007. Indians were facing Pakistanis in Bengaluru for the third and final test of the series. The hosts were 1-0 up in the series, and a draw would have ensured a series win. For the visitors it was a must-win game in order to level the series.

Legendary Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni were not playing the test. However, the man who came in his place was none other than Yuvraj Singh [Dinesh Karthik was keeping before the wickets in place of MS Dhoni]. So it was still a strong Indian side. Indian Captain Anil Kumble won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a batting paradise. However, debutant Yasir Arafat came out strong, and the Indian top order crumbled before him. The scorecard read 61/4 when Yuvraj Singh joined Sourav Ganguly in the center. The match was on a knife-edge. A couple more wickets and the game would be over for us.

This is when Sourav Ganguly (DADA) took charge and led a counter-attack which would be remembered for ages. The duo of Yuvraj and Dada shared a partnership of 300 runs and brought the hosts back into the game. The pair batted for around 65 overs and took the sting out of the Pakistani bowling attack.

Yuvraj Singh, who was making a comeback to the Test side, made a quickfire 169 off 203 deliveries and made a mess of the visitor's bowling line-up. In an innings which lasted for around 4 hours, Yuvraj smashed a total of 28 boundaries and 1 six. Eventually when he was dismissed for 169, there was a delight on the Pakistani faces. But the carnage didn't stop with Yuvraj's dismissal.

Irfan Pathan scored a gritty 102 and stitched another important partnership with Dada. However, it was Sourav Ganguly who played the innings of his life and got all the attention of the audience. Dada scored a monumental 239 off 361 deliveries, which helped India to post a massive total of 626 in the first innings. The knock was a masterclass. An art of genius. The innings, which lasted for 518 minutes, saw Ganguly hit 28 boundaries and 2 sixes. Apart from the boundaries he scored, there were also singles and doubles which constituted a large chunk of runs in the innings. The audience ran out of superlatives while talking about this innings. For the visitors, debutant Yasir Arafat was the leading wicket taker, as he picked up 5 wickets in the first innings.

In response, the visitors scored 537 in their first innings. Misbah-ul-Haq scored an unbeaten 133 as Indians too struggled to pick wickets. Ishant Sharma was the leading wicket taker for the hosts, as he too picked up 5 wickets in the first innings. It appeared that the match would end in an easy draw, but the hosts tried their best to get a result out of the game.

Firstly, they batted at a good pace in the second innings and declared at a total of 284/6. Ganguly once again took the lead as he scored a solid 91. It was quite unfortunate that he missed his hundred. Apart from him, Dinesh Karthik and Rahul Dravid also made some valuable contributions with the bat, as the visitors were now required to chase 374 runs to win the test.

But the Indian bowling attack this time looked inspired and motivated. Captain Kumble led from the front and made a mess of the Pakistani batting line-up. Had it not been for bad lights, the hosts would have registered yet another win upon their arch-rivals.

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

The match eventually ended in a draw, and the Indians won the series 1-0. Sourav Ganguly was awarded both the man of the match and the man of the series awards for his remarkable contribution. Lastly, it turned out to be the last when India and Pakistan faced each other in a test match.

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

To watch the highlights of the test match, Click Here.

To watch the innings of Sourav Ganguly, Click Here.

To watch the innings of Yuvraj Singh, Click Here.