THE FIGHTBACK

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue: Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica [30 July-3 August, 2016].

In the summer of 2016, the Indian Cricket Team toured the West Indies to play 4 Test Matches and 2 T20 Internationals. The visitors won the first test comfortably, and the action of the series now reached the iconic venue of Sabina Park. The Windies won the toss and decided to bat first in a game which they couldn't afford to lose. However, the visitors continued their form from Antigua and bowled out the hosts for just 196 runs in the first innings. Ravichandran Ashwin was once again the leading wicket-taker for the Indians as he picked up yet another fifer. Apart from Ashwin, Ishant and Shami picked a couple of wickets each as the Windies struggled yet again in front of the Indian bowling attack.

In response, the Indians declared a massive score of 500/9. KL Rahul scored a magnificent 158 as Indians were able to secure a massive first-innings lead of 304 runs. Apart from Rahul, Rahane too scored an unbeaten 108 as the Windies struggled for wickets. However, it is interesting to note that Roston Chase did give some competition to Indian batsmen, as he was able to pick up 5 of the 9 wickets, which included the prized wickets of Dhawan and Kohli. Moreover, he was also involved in the run-out of Pujara, so his contribution was significant for the hosts.

However, a deficit of 304 was never going to be easy for any team in any condition. To make matters worse, the Windies' top order collapsed in no time, with Indians looking at yet another innings win. But this is when Roston Chase surprised everyone, this time with the bat, as he scored an unbeaten 137 and helped Windies secure a draw from nowhere. Chase batted for around 6 hours and stitched valuable partnerships with Dowrich and Holder as the Windies inched closer to the 400-run mark [388/6 to be precise].

After 104 overs of West Indies batting, the test match ended in a draw. No one could believe what they had just witnessed. After all, the hosts have pulled off a miraculous fightback before a mighty Indian side. Roston Chase was awarded the man of the match award for his all-round performance as the hosts were still alive in the series.

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

To read about what happened in the First Test, Click Here. 

THE PINK BALL EXPERIMENT

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Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham [August 17-21, 2017].

In the summer of 2017, the English Cricket Board decided to go for the pink-ball experiment. Previously Australia has hosted a couple of day-night test matches which got them positive results in terms of revenue and viewership. As a result, the English too decided to try their hand at this new phenomenon.

Birmingham was selected as the venue for the first pink-ball test on English soil. The opponents were the West Indies, who were touring England to play 3 Test matches, 5 ODIs and a T20 international. Interestingly, it was the first test, which was supposed to be the pink ball test. Hence, everyone was excited for the same.

English Captain Joe Root won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a batting paradise. However, it was the visitors who got off to a great start as they reduced the hosts to 39/2 as Captain Joe Root joined Alastair Cook in the middle. The game was on a knife-edge. But this is when the duo of Root and Cook stitched a partnership of 248 runs and brought their side back into the game. Root played a captain's knock of 136 as he took his side to a commanding position. However, Roach bowled a snorter and bowled him out. Nevertheless, Cook continued to dominate from his side as he scored a monumental 243 runs off 407 deliveries. It is pertinent to note that Cook batted for around 10 hours as England declared at a massive total of 514/8.

In response, the Windies total was 44/1 when stumps was called for Day 2. The duo of Anderson and Broad were literally bowling fire with the pink ball. It was almost inevitable that the Windies would get blown away by the English bowling attack. But no one could have imagined that the hosts would dismiss 19 batsmen in a single day and would wrap up the test match on the third day itself. The Windies were bowled out twice in just 93 overs as England won the test match by an innings and 209 runs.

The visitors looked clueless on day 3 as they were bowled out for 168 runs in the first innings and 137 in the second. Anderson and Broad led from the front as the English dismantled the opposition. The pink ball and cold weather with swing and seam made the English bowling more lethal.

Alastair Cook was awarded the Man of the Match Award as England took a 1-0 lead in the series. Interestingly, since then we have not had a pink ball test on the English soil.

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

To watch the Innings of Sir Alastair Cook, Click Here. 

THE CHASE-MASTER

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue – Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali [October 23, 2016].

Virat Kohli is one of the greatest batsmen of our times. In the words of Martin Crowe, who wrote way back in 2014 that he, along with Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and Joe Root, constitutes a Fab 4 who would rule the world of cricket in the coming years. And rightly said, these 4 batsmen of our generation did go on to conquer the world and prove Martin Crowe right. However, when it comes to chasing targets in an ODI or T20 game, no one comes closer to Kohli. He is the ultimate cricketer a team needs during a run chase in a white-ball game. It seems Kohli enjoys himself the most when he has a target in front of him. This post is about one of his best run-chases.

In the autumn of 2016, the New Zealand Cricket Team toured India to play 3 test matches and 5 one-day internationals. The test series ended in a 3-0 win for the hosts, but the ODI series was levelled 1-1 at the end of the second game. The drama for the third game now moved from Delhi to Mohali, wherein we met for yet another exciting clash between two strong sides.

MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to field first on what looked like a good batting wicket. The Kiwis started off pretty well but were struggling in the middle overs. At one stage the New Zealand scorecard read 199/8 with 12.1 overs still left in the innings. It seemed that the Kiwis would be bowled out in no time. But this is when Jimmy Neesham and Matt Henry stitched a valuable partnership of 84 runs and brought the Kiwis back into the game. The visitors were eventually bowled out for 285 in 49.4 overs, with the hosts now needing 286 to win the game and take a 2-1 lead in the series.

The run chase was not going to be an easy one, as the Kiwis had a strong and formidable bowling attack. Furthermore, the visitors got off to a great start as they dismissed both the Indian openers cheaply. However, they did make one mistake in between, and that cost them the match. In the 5th over of the Indian innings, Ross Taylor dropped an easy catch of Virat Kohli, who was then batting on just 6 runs. It was a huge moment in the match. If Henry would have got Virat's wicket at that moment, the game would have been done and dusted right there. However, the drop turned out to be an expensive one for the Kiwis, as Kohli played a masterclass and took his side home comfortably.

In a match-winning innings which lasted for nearly three and a half hours, Virat Kohli scored a monumental 154* off just 134 deliveries and won the game single-handedly. It is interesting to note that in this knock of his, Kohli scored 16 boundaries and 1 six, which implies that he scored the remaining 84 runs by running between the wickets. Moreover, throughout the chase he never played another rash shot and still managed to keep the required rate within limits. The target of 286 in a ground like Mohali is never an easy task. But Virat Kohli played with such a calculated approach that the balance of the match never shifted towards the other side. In the words of Sunil Gavaskar, he has a computer fit in his mind. The way he maintained the run rate throughout the Indian innings and the manner in which he found gaps in the ground was simply superb. Apart from Virat Kohli, Captain Dhoni too scored a gritty 80 as the hosts won the game by 7 wickets and took a 2-1 lead in the series.

The run chase rightly justified the chase-master tag given to King Kohli by the cricket fraternity.

To watch that Innings of Virat Kohli, Click Here. 

THIS IS TRAVBALL

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Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth.

Ashes 2025-26 was one of the most anticipated test series. The media hype was at its peak. Everyone had just one question in mind – will Bazball work Down Under? It is interesting to note that it was only after the humiliating 0-4 defeat to Australia in the 2021-22 Ashes Series which propelled the English management to make radical changes to their philosophy pertaining to test cricket. Kiwi legend Brendon McCullum was appointed as the England Test Coach in the summer of 2022, with Ben Stokes as the new English Test Captain. The duo revolutionised the way Test cricket was to be played now. Bazball became the talk of the town as the English adopted an aggressive and attacking style of play. But the question was, will this philosophy work in Australia? After all, it failed badly in India. However, the English batsmen before the series were in red-hot form, with the Aussies missing out on their key pacers, including Captain Cummins. As a result, there was a belief among many that the English can possibly win the Ashes down under after 15 long years.

The eyes were all set for the first test, which took place in Perth. English Captain Ben Stokes won the toss and decided to bat first upon a pitch which had bounce and pace. Mitchell Starc bowled the first over of the game, and boy, what happened next was something which set the place alive. Starc dismissed Crawley in the very first over and set the tone for the Aussies from the first over itself. The English did manage to get a few partnerships in between, but they looked clueless in front of Mitchell Starc, who picked up 7 wickets in the first innings as the English were bowled out for just 172 in 32.5 overs. It is interesting to note that apart from Harry Brook, no other batsman was able to cross the 50-run mark. Something which is hard to believe.

However, in response, the English fought back hard as they bundled Australia out for just 132 in the first innings. Captain Stokes led from the front as he picked up 5 crucial wickets, with England managing to get a crucial 40-run lead. But, just like in the first innings, Mitchell Starc dismissed Crawley for a duck in the very first over and shifted the momentum towards the hosts.

The English, in the process of getting quick runs, kept on losing wickets and were bowled out for 164 runs in 34.4 overs. Scott Boland picked up 4, whereas Starc and Doggett were able to pick up 3 wickets each. The match was indeed on a knife-edge. A target of 205 appeared to be a tricky chase. Moreover, the injury to Khawaja also raised the question of who will open the innings along with Weatherald. Marnus Labuschagne did open in the first innings, but he is not a regular opener. So there was confusion all around.

This is when Captain Smith made one of the bravest calls. He sent Travis Head to open the innings along with Weatherald, and what happened next is history. Travis Head played one of the most destructive innings in the history of Ashes Cricket and single-handedly took his side home. The target of 205 was chased down in just 28.2 overs as Head scored an incredible 123 off just 83 deliveries. In an innings which lasted for around 2 hours, Head just demolished the English pace attack. It was indeed explosive cricket. It is pertinent to note that on a wicket where batsmen were struggling to survive, Head hit a total of 16 boundaries and 4 sixes. It was truly a masterclass.

The crowd in Perth were up and roaring for Travis Head, who entertained the crowd with BazBall – no, TravBall. The Aussies were 1-0 up in the series just after 2 days, with English morale getting dashed in the very beginning itself. Despite dominating for most of the part of the match, they ended up losing yet another test match. Mitchell Starc was awarded the player of the match award for picking up 10 wickets in the match. However, it was TravBall which became the talk of the town after the first test.

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

Day 1.

Day 2.

To watch the innings of Travis Head, Click Here.

To watch the spell of Ben Stokes, Click Here.

To watch the spell of Mitchell Starc, Click Here. 

THE PROTEAS MARCH FORWARD

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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.