THE CHASE MASTER

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue- Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai [February 23, 2025].

The India-Pakistan rivalry is the biggest rivalry in world cricket. The stakes get even bigger when they meet in an ICC event. 23rd February, 2025, added one more chapter to the great battle between the two nations of the Radcliffe Line. The Indians won their first game against Bangladesh, whereas the Pakistanis were hammered in their backyard by the Kiwis. As a result, a win for India would have meant a semi-final berth, whereas for the Pakistanis, a defeat would have implied a knockout from the tournament. Amidst such a tense situation, Pakistani Captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and decided to bat first. 

The openers gave Men in Green a decent start. However, 2 quick wickets in between pushed them to the back foot. Furthermore, the Pakistanis were under extreme pressure because of tight fielding and disciplined bowling. It is interesting to note that the Pakistani batters at one stage became so defensive that it appeared that they were saving a test match and not setting a target. Apart from that, the Indians kept on picking wickets at regular intervals, due to which the hosts struggled to accelerate. Eventually they were bowled out for 241 runs in 49.4 overs. Saud Shakeel was their leading run scorer, who scored 62 of 76 deliveries. Except for him, no other Pakistani batsman managed to cross the 50-run mark. For Indians, Kuldeep Yadav was the leading wicket taker as he picked up 3 important wickets. 

In response, the Indians got off to a flyer before Shaheen Afridi dismissed Captain Rohit Sharma for 20. The Indian scorecard read 31/1 when Virat Kohli joined Shubhman Gill in between. The duo stitched a partnership of 69 runs before Abrar got the better of Gill. However, Abrar's celebration post Gill's dismissal added spice to the contest. The match was on a knife-edge when Iyer joined Kohli in between. However, that day Kohli looked unstoppable. The elegance with which he was playing was simply a delight to watch. In an unbeaten innings that lasted for 151 minutes, Kohli scored 100* off 111 balls. His innings comprised 7 boundaries. The cover drives were simply wow. However, it is interesting to note that despite having so many shots under his belt, Kohli constantly rotated strike and kept the scoreboard ticking with ones and twos. Kohli was truly at his ultimate best. 

The match was won with 45 balls remaining and 6 wickets in hand. With this win, Indians made their way into yet another ICC Semi-Final, whereas the Pakistanis were knocked out of the Champions Trophy. Virat Kohli was awarded the Man of the Match award for his excellent hundred as the legend of Chase master continued. Lastly, the ghosts of 2017 were well and truly buried now. 

KING KOHLI SPECIAL

 

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Venue- Centurion Park, Centurion [January 13-17, 2018].

South Africa is one of the hardest places to play test cricket. The swing, the pace, and the uneven bounce makes it tough for any batsman to score runs. Furthermore, the pace attack of the Proteas makes it even tougher to survive. As a result, if one scores a ton in South Africa it is remembered for long. In this blog post I will be talking about one such test ton.

In the summer of 2018, the Indian cricket team toured South Africa to play 3 Tests, 6 ODIs, and 3 T20 Internationals. The hosts won the first test at Cape Town, and the action now reached Centurion. In a must-win game, South African captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to bat first. Riding on the half-centuries of Markram, Amla, and du Plessis, the hosts ended up scoring 335 in their first innings. 

In response, the Indian batting line-up struggled in front of the Proteas' pace attack. It appeared they would be bundled in no time. However, this is when Kohli led from the front and countered the pace attack with his flair and class. In one of the toughest situations, he scored a magnificent 153 and brought his team back into the game. Kohli was literally at his absolute best that day. The shots he played were a treat to our eyes. It was simply superb. The timing, the placement, everything in it was incredible. Due to Kohli's heroics, Indians ended up scoring 307 in their first innings. Just 28 runs for the Proteas total. The game was truly on a knife-edge. 

However, this is when the Proteas came back harder. The legendary ABD scored a gritty half-century (80) as the Proteas scored a fighting total of 258 in their second innings. Apart from De Villiers, Dean Elgar and Captain Faf Du Plessis also made valuable contributions, as Indians now needed 287 runs to win the test and level the series. 

Unfortunately, the Indians failed miserably in the second innings as we lost both the test and the series. However, despite the setback, this knock of Kohli will be remembered for ages.  It was truly a masterclass. It is further interesting to note that in the entire series, there was only one batsman who scored a century, and he was none other than Virat Kohli. 

To watch the knock of Virat Kohli, Click Here. 

HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN

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Venue- The Gabba, Brisbane [December 14-18, 2024].

In the Australian summer of 2024-25, the Indian cricket team toured Australia to play 5 test matches. The Visitors won the first test in Perth, whereas the Hosts won the second test at Adelaide. With the series poised at 1-1, both teams reached Brisbane for an important test match. Seeing the clouds all around, Indian Captain Rohit Sharma, after winning the toss, decided to field first. Interestingly, India got a wonderful start as they reduced Australians to 75/3. Bumrah was truly in the form of his life as he picked up both the openers, with Nitish picking up the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne. It seemed that India would tighten up the screws now. However, this is when Steve Smith and Travis Head came into action. The duo took the sting out of the Indian bowling as they piled runs after runs. Steve Smith scored a gritty 101 off 190 balls, whereas Travis Head scored a quickfire 152 off 160 deliveries as the Aussies ended up scoring 445 in their first innings. For Indians, it was Jasprit Bumrah who was the leading wicket taker as he picked up 6 crucial wickets. 

In response, the Indians were reeling at 74/5 when Jadeja joined KL Rahul in between. The duo batted sensibly and tried their best to avoid the follow-on. However, the Aussies continued picking up wickets at regular intervals. Jadeja, on his end, tried his best, but eventually Cummins got the better of him, as when Jadeja was dismissed, the Indian scorecard read 213/9. Still 33 runs short of the follow-on total. The last batsman, Akash Deep, joined Bumrah in between as the Aussies were gearing up. It appeared that a follow-on was surely in the cards, as the Aussie bowlers were in red-hot form. However, what happened next was something truly unbelievable. Both Bumrah and Akash Deep stood in between like a rock and avoided the follow-on in the most dramatic of manners. Furthermore, after avoiding the follow-on, Akash Deep hit a massive six, which brought joy to every fan's face. At last, it was Travis Head who got the better of Akash Deep as the Indians ended up scoring 260 in their first innings.

Due to continuous rains in between, it was almost certain that the match would end in a draw. Though there were moments when we felt that we could get a result, the rain made sure that the match ended in a draw. However, the question that might come into everyone's mind is this: When the match ended in a draw, why am I saying that the mighty have fallen? The reason being when the follow-on was avoided, there was a loud cheer in the Indian dugout. The players and the support staff literally went into a celebration mode as if we had won the test. Something that is not expected of a champion team. From winning in Gabba to celebrating that we avoided a follow-on. Truly the mighty have fallen from the crown.

To watch the knock of Steve Smith, Click Here.

To watch the knock of Travis Head, Click Here.

To watch the spell of Jasprit Bumrah, Click Here. 

THE LEGEND OF KING KOHLI

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Venue- Trent Bridge, Nottingham [August 18-22, 2018].

The 2014 England Tour was an absolute nightmare for Virat Kohli. He struggled to score runs against a formidable English attack. Pacer Jimmy Anderson got the better of him most of the time, as he managed to score just 134 odd runs in 5 Test Matches. It was an absolute tragedy that no Indian fan would like to remember. As a result, when Kohli returned to English shores 4 years later, he was determined to prove himself. Interestingly, he scored a ton as well as a half-century in the first test itself but struggled to score in the Home of Cricket—Lord’s. The action now reached Nottingham, where it was a must-win game for India to remain alive in the series.

In this crunch situation, we saw the best of King. In the swinging and pacy conditions of Nottingham, Kohli scored a gritty 97 in the first innings and a magnificent 103 in the second innings. It was pure class of Virat Kohli as Indians blew away the English in their home. Yes, fortune did favor Kohli this time, but his knocks were truly masterclass. A treat to watch. The elegance, the timing, everything was simply superb. The ghosts of 2014 were well and truly buried now as Kohli got his name etched in the Trent Bridge Honor's Board. Remarkably, the man who struggled in 2014 ended up winning the Man of the Series Award in 2018 for scoring an exceptional 593 runs in 5 tests. 

To watch Kohli's masterclass in Trent Bridge, Click Here and Here. 

THUNDER BOULT

 

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Venue- Eden Park, Auckland [March 22-26, 2018].

In the summer of 2018, the English cricket team toured New Zealand to play a triangular T20 series, 5 ODIs, and 2 test matches. The Aussies won the Triangular T20 Series, whereas the English won the ODI Series 3-2. Post this, the two major cricketing nations locked horns in what would be the first pink ball test in NZL. New Zealand Captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field first on what looked like a spicy wicket. However, what happened next was something truly unbelievable.

The duo of Boult and Southee came charging in and blew away the English batting lineup. Boult picked up 6, whereas Southee picked up 4 as the Visitors were bowled out for just 58 in their first innings. At one stage the English scorecard read 27/9; however, Craig Overton scored a quickfire 33 and took the team total beyond 50. Interestingly, the Kiwis used just two bowlers to dismiss the entire English team. Moreover, in 20.4 overs itself, the fate of the match was very much decided. 

In response, the Kiwi captain led from the front as the hosts amassed a massive 427 in their first innings. Captain Williamson scored a gritty 102, whereas Henry Nicholls scored a well-made 145. The visitors were well behind the hosts, and it was almost certain that they would not be able to save the test. However, unlike their previous outing, they did give some fightback in the second innings. The English scored 320 in their second innings as the Kiwis won the game by an innings and 49 runs. Trent Boult was awarded the Man of the Match Award as he picked up 3 more wickets in the second innings and ended the match with the figures of 9/99. 

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

THE RISE OF NEW INDIA

 

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Venue- Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah [June 10-14, 2015].

In the summer of 2015, the Indian cricket team toured Bangladesh to play one test and three ODIs. The Test Match marked the beginning of a new era as Virat Kohli captained India for the first time in a Test Series. He did captain India in a couple of test matches in Australia, but this was his first assignment as a Test Skipper. Amidst cloudy conditions, Indian Captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first. The decision turned out to be a good one, as the openers Vijay and Dhawan stitched together an opening partnership of 283 runs. Murali Vijay scored a gritty 150, whereas Dhawan scored a quickfire 173 as the visitors piled up heaps of runs. Apart from them, Rahane scored a solid 98 as the Indians declared at a respectable total of 462/6. 

In response, the Indian spinners weaved a web of spin and bowled out the hosts for just 256 runs. Ashwin picked up 5, whereas Harbhajan Singh picked up 3 wickets as Virat Kohli enforced a follow-on. Unfortunately, due to showers at regular intervals, the match ended in a draw. But it was quite evident from this test match how Team India will play in the coming years under the leadership of their charismatic captain, Virat Kohli. 

THE BEST OF LITTLE MASTER

 

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Venue- Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street [July 4, 2002].

In the summer of 2002, the Indian cricket team toured the UK to play an ODI Tri Series and 4 test matches. The Indians started their campaign pretty well, and the action of the series reached the north of England, i.e., Chester-le-Street. North England is a place wherein the Hosts have always dominated. Hence, the game was not going to be an easy one for the visitors. Indian Captain Sourav Ganguly won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a good batting surface.

However, it was the Host that got off to a great start as they reduced the Visitors to 52/3 in 10 overs. The game was on a knife-edge, and this is when Rahul Dravid joined Great Sachin Tendulkar in between. The duo batted off sensibly and took the sting out of the game. Furthermore, they not only saved their wickets but also scored runs in every scoring opportunity. 

Sachin Tendulkar scored his first ODI hundred (105) against England in England, whereas Rahul Dravid scored a gritty 82. However, it was the flamboyant Yuvraj Singh who stole the show as he scored a quick-fire 40 off 19 deliveries. Due to the acceleration in the final overs, the visitors managed to score a respectable total of 285 in their 50 overs.

Unfortunately, the rain hit in between the game could not get completed. However, this match will forever be remembered by the Cricket Fans for the class and elegance of Sachin Tendulkar.

To watch the innings of Sachin Tendulkar, Click Here.