A World Cup win that changed everything

Somewhere at the back of the mind, there was this quiet, stubborn gut feeling: the Indian girls were going to do it. But for fear of jinxing it, the thought always remained unspoken.

What unfolded at D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai last night was nothing short of electric. A second consecutive cracker of a match. The first, of course, was India’s stunning win over the mighty Australians on Thursday.

And then, one minute past midnight, Harmanpreet Kaur leapt into the air to take a catch that sealed it. The Women's World Cup had a new champion. Finally. After heartbreaks in 2005 and 2017, the cup was ours.

This video put out by the official broadcaster in India Star Sports says it all:

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

Every ounce of effort, every clutch moment, every tear, all of it has paid off. 💙#CWC25 #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/hhxwlStp9t

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 2, 2025

A BATTLE WORTHY OF CHAMPIONS

India had come close before — twice, in fact — only to fall at the final hurdle. This time, both Australia and South Africa played their hearts out, making India’s triumph all the more sweet.

When India couldn’t cross 300 yesterday, the mood dipped. That nagging memory of South Africa snatching victory in the league match crept in. 

But what made this final unforgettable wasn’t just the scoreboard — it was the sheer grit on display. Honestly, you don’t often see this kind of raw determination even in the men’s matches.

MORE THAN JUST TROPHY

This win isn’t just about lifting a cup. It’s about lifting a sport, a generation, a dream.

Until not too long ago, many hadn’t even known there was a women’s cricket team! No live telecasts. No proper coaching. No big stadiums. No attention.

BBC World Service Test Match Special commentator Henry Moeran put out a telling tweet yesterday. Here it is:

The comparison between the crowds at World Cup Finals in 2013 and 2025.

Both games played in Mumbai, but worlds apart in so many ways.#BBCCricket pic.twitter.com/kHLdV7EJk8

— Henry Moeran (@henrymoeranBBC) November 2, 2025

In 2017, when India beat Australia to reach the final, something shifted. The country began to notice. It cracked the door open. Since then, the changes have been real. Pay parity with the men; better travel and stay arrangements; big sponsors; and then came the Women's Premier League — a game-changer in every sense.

LIGHTING THE PATH FOR MILLIONS

The WPL didn’t just spotlight women’s cricket — it flung the doors wide open for girls from small towns and villages to dream big; to play; to be seen; to be celebrated.

What we witnessed last night wasn’t just a win. It was both a culmination as well as a continuation; and a promise. And somewhere in the crowd, or maybe watching on a tiny screen in some remote village, a young girl must have seen herself in blue — and believed.

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The Oval epic: India's six-run thriller

Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna after the victory today.
Photo credit: ESPNCricInfo / AFP / Getty Images

Sometimes, the most probable, is not what happens.

No one -- barring perhaps the wildest optimist -- would have ever given India a chance of winning the Oval Test today.

No one -- barring perhaps the most depressing pessimist -- would have thought England, who needed just 35 runs with four wickets in hand and a full final day’s play remaining, would lose the match.

To say that the six-run win that India pulled off was dramatic would be an understatement.

England, chasing 374 runs, had reached 339 for six by stumps on Day 4.

HOW THE LAST DAY UNFOLDED

At the start of the final day’s play: 339 for 6; 35 needed for win

Seventh wicket falls at 347; 27 needed for win

Jamie Smith nicked one from Mohammed Siraj that was moving away and keeper Dhruv Jurel took it. Though everyone knew that the ball went off the bat, and the catch was taken clean, umpire Kumar Dharmasena asked everyone to wait and referred it to the third umpire for a video-replay review.

Eighth wicket falls at 354; 20 runs needed for win

Mohammed Siraj struck again, trapping Jamie Overton LBW with a delivery that would have clipped leg stump. Overton reviewed but lost.

Ninth wicket falls at 357; 17 needed for win

Prasidh Krishna bowled a full-length delivery, which Josh Tongue couldn't play, hitting his two stumps dislodging both the bails.

Chris Woakes, who suffered a dislocated shoulder, was forced to come out to bat, with his left arm in a sling and wrapped under his jacket. He received huge cheers from the crowd who applauded his guts and resilience.

Gus Atkinson kept scoring ones and twos and threes but, more importantly, retained the strike even during the change of overs, to keep the injured Woakes at the non-striker’s end. 

Woakes was visibly in pain as he kept running between the wickets. 

Last wicket falls at 367; seven runs to win

But Atkinson’s luck ran out when England needed just seven runs to win. Siraj delivered the knock-out blow sending one crashing into the stumps.

HIGHLIGHTS OF DRAMATIC DAY

A WELL-CONTESTED 5-TEST SERIES

Test matches were once dismissed as five boring days of cricket that almost always ended in a draw. But of late many have bucked that trend and this one was definitely one of the most gripping, fiercely contested ones. The first and the third Tests were won by England; the second and the fifth by India; the fourth was drawn.

For Shubhman Gill this was his debut series as captain, a stint well begun.

MEMORIES OF THE GABBA WIN

This victory was being compared to India successfully chasing 328 runs in the 4th Test match of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, played in Brisbane on 19 January 2021. This victory ended Australia's 32-year undefeated streak at the Gabba, their fortress, and India secured a historic 2-1 series win in Australia.

HIGHTLIGHTS OF THE LAST DAY OF THE GABBA TEST

Gill, Deep, Siraj script historic Edgbaston win

Shubman Gill celebrates after scoring a 161 in the second innings at Edgbaston.
With a 269 in the first innings, he became the only batter in Test history to score
a double hundred and a 150+ in the same match. -- Reuters

India made up at Edgbaston, Birmingham, for what they missed at Leeds.

By defeating England by a huge margin of 336 India registered their first ever victory last night at this ground, where they had, since 1967, played eight Tests (excluding this one) and lost all except one which ended in a draw.

Rain was a threat. In fact yesterday morning's play was suspended. Luckily for India, skies cleared by afternoon.

Before this Test started on July 2, there were worries about the composition of the team: will India be able to bowl out England twice without their ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah?

But, they did. 

In England's first innings, Mohmmed Siraj scalped six and Akash Deep the remaining four.

In the second innings, Akash Deep took six and the remaing four were shared by Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ravinder Jadeja and Washington Sundar.

Gill's memorable Test

Shubman Gill, to use a cliche, played a captain's knock in both innings, scoring 269 in the first and 161 in the second. 

His aggregate of 430 runs is the second-highest by any batter in a single Test, only behind Graham Gooch’s 456.

Gill became the first player in Test history to score a double century and a 150+ in the same match.

He also set the record for the highest score by an Indian captain in England.

Batters clicked this time

For India, the main problem in the first Test was that barring one or two, all the other batters just flopped. That wasn't the case here.

Not just Shubman Gill, others too clicked.  

In the first innings, Ravindra Jadeja scored 89, Yashasvi Jaiswal 87, Washington Sundar 42, and Karun Nair 31.

In the second innings, Ravindra Jadeja scored 69, Rishabh Pant 85, K L Rahul 55 and Yashasvi Jaiswal 28.

This helped India post good totals in both innings -- 587 and 427/6 declared.

Bazball tactic fails

When England chased down successfully 371 at Leeds, it was said to be a vindication of their Bazball tactic. 

"Bazball" refers to the aggressive, risky style of cricket adopted by the England Test team under the guidance of coach Brendon McCullum (whose nickname is "Baz"). The idea is to look for a win rather than for a draw.

But that just didn't work here. One, because of the pressure of the huge score India had mounted. And two, in both innings, Indian bowlers seemed to extract a better response from the surface.

England's first innings (407) was a pathetic show; very much like how India fared in the Leeds Test. Barring Harry Brook (158) and Jamie Smith (184), none contributed anything. The highest individual score after these two was 22 by Joe Root!

In England's second innings, they had a victory target of 608 with more than a day's play remining. It was definitely a steep climb, and considering they were already one up in the series, the traditional approach would have been to stay around to end the match in a draw rather than lose the Test.

But this time around, Indian bowling was definitely better than at Leeds, and English wickets began to tumble at regular intervals. They were all out for 271, losing by 336 runs, the second biggest margin of defeat against India.

New era

The victory is clearly a morale-boosting one for India. The five-Test series has now been levelled. 

India's new Test captain, Shubman Gill, is not only doing well individually with the bat, but also seems to be steering team in the right direction.

The third Test

The next match in the five-Test series begins on Thursday, 10 July, at Lord's.  

First Test: India fall short at Headingley against England

Ben Duckett's 149 set the stage for England's
successful chase of 371. Reuters/India Today

India lost the opening Test of the England series at Headingley by five wickets, but honestly, it was one of the most entertaining matches I’ve watched in a while.

It wasn’t a one-sided affair. Plenty of runs were scored, and despite a few rain interruptions, the Test still yielded a result.

When England won the toss and put India into bat, there were plenty of doubts about how well the team, without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, would hold up.

All but three failed

Three superb centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), Shubman Gill (147), and Rishabh Pant (134) raised hopes early. 

But here's the catch: those three alone accounted for 81% of India’s first-innings total of 471. That says a lot.

Jasprit Bumrah stood out

India’s bowling attack was supposed to outshine England’s. Yet, England nearly matched India's total, conceding a mere six-run lead.

Jasprit Bumrah was brilliant. He picked up five wickets for 83 runs in 24.4 overs. 

But Prasidh Krishna proved far too expensive, leaking 128 runs in 20 overs while taking three wickets. Mohammad Siraj also underwhelmed, giving away 122 runs in 27 overs for just two wickets.

Same story again

In the second innings, India's batting faltered again. Rishabh Pant sparkled once more with another century (118), and K. L. Rahul chipped in with 137. But together, they made up 70% of our total score of 364. The rest just didn’t deliver.

Chasing 371 with more than a day left, England never looked threatened. If anything, rain posed a bigger danger to them than India's bowlers.

A convincing victory

With ample time, England’s batters stayed calm and composed, needing just four runs an over. 

As long as they kept wickets in hand, the task was straightforward. Despite India's best efforts, England’s top order remained resolute.

Ben Duckett set the stage with 149. Zak Crawley scored 65 leaving Joe Root (53 not out) and Jamie Smith (44 not out) to steer the team past the mark with ample overs and time left.

RCB's IPL victory and tragedy -- lessons to be learnt

A horrific tragedy unfolded in Bengaluru today evening, during an event that should have been a celebration.

Historic victory for RCB

Yesterday, the city was buzzing with joy as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the Indian Premier League cricket championship, defeating Punjab Kings by six runs in the final in Ahmedabad. 

It was the first time that RCB won the cup since IPL was launched 18 years ago. Thrice the team was in the final but had lost. 

Such was the euphoria yesterday that within moments, an announcement was made that there would be a victory parade through the city today. The procession was set to start from Vidhana Soudha and end at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Victory parades are common

Parades by winners of sports events are nothing new. They happen around the world. But what happened in Bengaluru this evening was tragically unprecedented. 

The stadium, which can hold around 35,000 people, saw crowds of around 200,000 on the roads leading to it. It was like everyone wanted to be part of the celebrations and tried to make their way in.

In the chaos, 11 people lost their lives and scores were injured. Luckily, all the wounded are now out of danger.

Stampedes aren’t new 

People not only form crowds but they try to push and shove to move forward. There have been so many incidents of stampede in our country in which scores have lost their lives. 

Today evening, fans should have restrained themselves. It was common sense that there would be huge crowds for anything to do with cricket in India.

On seeing the surging masses, they should have exercised discretion and gone back home.

Lessons to be learnt

There are a number of lessons to be learned by everyone involved — the fans, the cricket board, and the government.

The RCB and the government should not have announced the victory celebration in such haste, with less than 24 hours’ notice. 

Even if the idea was RCB’s (their enthusiasm is understandable), the government and the police should not have given permission without putting proper crowd control measures in place.

Cricketers didn't deserve this heartbreak

The government, the police, and the RCB fans owe an apology to the cricketers who worked so hard to lift the cup, and also to the families of those who lost their lives, and the wounded. 

The crickerters' achievement has now been overshadowed by this preventable disaster.

Let’s hope at least now we will learn the importance of planning, restraint, and responsibility.

India's loss in Cricket World Cup

The way India went down yesterday to Australia was truly heart-breaking. They were the only team that hadn't lost even one single match in the entire tournament. 

The only bad day for the team had to be on the day of the final match for the World Cup. The string of 10 successive wins simply came to nought. 

How sad!

But let's give credit where it's due. The Aussie team played superbly. In fact, yesterday's victory was their ninth in a row. Their fielding was outstanding, exemplified by the catch Travis Head took to dismiss Rohit Sharma. In contrast, India's fielding looked sloppy for a change.

I guess the fact that India hadn't lost even one match gave them a feeling of infallibility, a sense of over-confidence. Australia had lost two matches, one to India (on Oct 8) and another to South Africa (on Oct 12). 

There are so many conspiracy theories about the pitch. In the end, it is unfair to expect any pitch to assist bowlers or batters, to say that only if the pitch assists will we win! After all, both teams get to play on the same pitch. 

Regardless of how a pitch might change its behaviour during the match, it's up to the players to make the best use of it. Yesterday, the Australian players extracted the best from that pitch, and they won.

While the role of the win streak was a soft skill issue, the hard skill issue was India's playing style.

Both played their role in India's defeat.

Why Angelo Mathews being declared out 'Timed Out' was a fair decision

In cricket, there is a rule that requires an incoming batter to reach the crease (that's the place where the batter stands) and receive the ball within three minutes of the previous batter having left the crease on being declared out.

This is the exact wording:

40.1 Out Timed out

40.1.1 After the fall of a wicket or the retirement of a batter, the incoming batter must, unless Time has been called, be ready to receive the ball, or for the other batter to be ready to receive the next ball within 3 minutes of the dismissal or retirement. If this requirement is not met, the incoming batter will be out, Timed out.

40.1.2 In the event of an extended delay in which no batter comes to the wicket, the umpires shall adopt the procedure of Law 16.3 (Umpires awarding a match).  For the purposes of that Law the start of the action shall be taken as the expiry of the 3 minutes referred to above.

40.2 Bowler does not get credit

The bowler does not get credit for the wicket.

© Marylebone Cricket Club 2017

This is a rule that very few knew till yesterday. That's because always the new batter is in, and play resumes with three minutes.

WHAT ANGELO MATHEWS DID

Yesterday, something bizarre happened during the World Cup match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Delhi.

Sri Lanka batted first, and everything was fine till the fourth wicket fell at the score of 135.

The new batter was Angelo Mathews. He walked in and reached the crease as any normal batter would do.

But just before receiving his first ball, he realized that the strap of his helmet was broken. He wanted to change it and signalled to the dressing room to send a new helmet.

Just as the new helmet was being brought in, the bowling team, that's Bangladesh players, realized that the whole process was taking too much time. Definitely, more than the stipulated duration of three minutes.

Bangladesh team captain Shakib Al Hasan raised the point with the umpire. A quick discussion ensued, and Angelo Mathews was declared out "Time Out" without having played even a single ball.

Mathews spoke to Hasan and the umpires that it was a genuine problem and it was unfair to have invoked the rule.

But the umpires went by the rule book.

That was the first time in cricket history a batter was declared Times Out, and in no time, a huge controversy erupted.

WHY CONTROVERSY WAS NEEDLESS

The issue was not about the rule. Many people thought that Bangladesh should have played by the "spirit of the game" and allowed Mathews to play.

But I beg to differ.

One, a rule is a rule. We all play by the rules of a game. Why are we thinking of an exception only here?

Two, Angelo Mathews should have known the rule. Probably he didn't. Or if he did, he didn't bother. He should have informed the Bangladesh captain and the umpires about the broken helmet and sought permission to have it replaced.

Three, better still, he could have received the first ball and then told the umpire and Bangladesh captain and got the helmet replaced.

Four, Bangladesh was well within its rights to raise the issue and get the batter out. After all, teams play to win by playing within the rules. It's not that Mathews was declared in violation of a rule.

Five, if we go back to the rule, it is clear that the opponent doesn't even have to appeal as in other dismissals. In this case, the batter is out, timed out. Plain and simple. Even if the Bangladesh team hadn't raised the issue, if the umpires were alert, they would have realized the extra time taken and declared Mathews out.

Six, should the Bangladesh captain have requested the umpire to "pardon" Mathews? If he had, that would have been definitely "magnanimous" and "generous". But that was his call. Considering the stakes involved, he didn't do that, and one can't fault him. He didn't do anything wrong by not letting Mathews continue to play. 

Seven, what about the spirit of the game? Well, but how are we defining the spirit of the game? If we are going to play games allowing for rules to be bent based on "compassionate grounds" and "spirit of the game", won't many matches end in total chaos?

I don't think it's fair to blame Bangladesh, and there was nothing wrong with Angelo Mathews being declared out timed out.

It would be nice to know your thoughts on this.

New Zealand vs Pakistan: Run Feast in Bengaluru

Yesterday, I went to watch the cricket World Cup match here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium -- New Zealand vs Pakistan. 

On many counts, I was looking forward to the match.

One, it was after a long time I was going for a day match. All the matches I had been to in the recent past were either the ODIs or the IPLs that are played under lights.

Two, it was the first time I was going to a match in which India wasn't playing.  

MATCH FEATURING PAKISTAN

Three, one of the teams in yesterday's match was Pakistan. I never got an opportunity to watch a match in which Pakistan was playing. 

The last time the two teams played a Test series was way back in November 2007, and a One-Day International and T20 series was in December 2012.

The bilateral tournaments remain suspended, and I don't think the sporting ties will be resumed any time soon. 

But the two teams have been playing against each other in multinational tournaments, like the World Cup and Asia Cup.

In the ongoing World Cup, India played against Pakistan on October 14 in Ahmedabad. I wanted to go for it, but I couldn't. India won by seven wickets.

RUN FEAST

In yesterday's match, New Zealand started off aggressively. They piled up 401/6 runs in their 50 overs. The bulk of the scoring was by Rachin Ravindra (108) and Kane Williamson (95). (The video above is of Rachin scoring his century.)

In reply, Pakistan, undaunted by the high score that they had to chase, was off the mark from the word go. Opener Fakhar Zaman belted the NZ bowlers all over the place. His captain, Babar Azam, gave him good support.

Around 5 pm, the rain started. The play was interrupted twice. Finally, at 7 p.m., Pakistan was declared the winner by 21 runs based on the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method.

Even if there wasn't rain, Pakistan would have easily chased the target successfully. In 25.3 overs that were possible, they amassed 200 for loss of just one wicket.

CHEERS FOR CRICKET

Even though India wasn't playing, there was a near-capacity crowd. It was great cricket on display. Not much was lost due to rain, only a quarter of the playing time.

There were loud cheers for both teams -- when there was a good shot, or a good bowling, or a good catch, or a good piece of fielding. 

New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra and Pakistan's Fakhar Zaman scored centuries. On both occasions, the entire stadium was on its feet, giving the batter a standing ovation.

When it was announced on the public address system that Pakistan had been declared the winner, the cheers were no less!

Cheering for a team other than India is okay. But when it's Pakistan, it's not the same, because of obvious reasons. That is the notion a lot of people have.

It was proved wrong yesterday, and the experience was extremely heartening. It was also a sort of revelation that common people are very discerning.

They came to watch cricket. Nationalities didn't matter.

That's the way it should be.

Bairstow was out. Ball wasn't dead

The Ashes series is continuing to keep us all entertained. The 5th day's play of the 2nd Test on July 1 was the most interesting.

Thoroughly enjoyed Ben Stokes' batting. He changed the dynamics of the play so much with aggressive batting. From sensing victory, Australia was struggling to get Stokes out of the way. 

He smashed 9 sixers and 9 boundaries (that's 90 runs) on his way to 155. I thought we were going to see a repeat of his performance in 2019 when he dramatically turned the tables on Australia to pull off an unbelievable victory.

That was overshadowed by the controversial dismissal of England's Jonny Bairstow. 

The last ball of the 51st over. Cameron Green bowled a bouncer that Bairstow ducked. 

The ball was taken by the keeper Alex Carey, who then quickly threw the ball at the stumps. 

Bairstow was outside the crease.

On hearing the stumps getting hit, Bairstow looked puzzled. 

Australians appealed, which was sent to the TV umpire, who ruled Bairstow out.

This became an unfortunate controversial dismissal since Bairstow and his England teammates thought the ball was dead. 

I saw a few replays and read the rules regarding when is the ball dead.

One of the basic rules is that the batter has to be always inside the crease unless s/he is convinced that the ball is not in play.

Rule 20 explains when is a ball dead and when is it alive. 

One,  the ball should have settled in the hands of the wicketkeeper or the bowler. 

Two, the umpire at the bowler's end is convinced that the fielders and the two batters have ceased to consider that the ball is in play.

In this particular incident, Carey threw the ball in one action at the stumps. Clearly, there was no time gap between the ball landing in the gloves and him throwing at the stumps. The ball was in play.

Additionally, Bairstow had strayed outside the crease twice before. So, Carey's action wasn't unfair.

I know my British friends will be very upset. It was sad to see a few of the disappointed spectators letting things go out of hand and shouting quite unsporting comments at the Aussie players.

But here, I don't think there were two ways about it. 

I would have really liked Ben Stokes to go on to get a double hundred and England valiantly chase down that target to pull off an amazing win.

Sadly, that was not to be.

Test cricket is real cricket

England's Joe Root in the 1st Ashes Test.
Source: Sky Sports

Anyone who watched the first Ashes Test match between Australia and England last week (from June 16 to 20) would have been thoroughly convinced that the 5-day version of cricket, the original version of the game in play since 1877, is alive and kicking. 

It ended in a dramatic victory for Australia by two wickets.

There was a packed crowd at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. The Eric Hollies Stand kept up its reputation of being the noisiest.

But the best part was the intense battle between the bat and the ball. That's something we don't get to see in the truncated versions -- the 50-over or the 20-over.

Test cricket matches -- that last five days and around 30 hours of playing time -- test not just the physical abilities of the players but also their mental endurance. Very often, players bat for one whole day or even more than that.

In England's first innings, Joe Root, who struck an unbeaten 118, faced 152 balls (25.3 overs) and stayed in the crease for 269 minutes (close to five hours).

Similarly, in Australia's reply, Usman Khawaja batted for 478 minutes (nearly 8 hours) for his 141 in 321 balls (53.5 overs).

Similarly, for the bowlers, it's not just five or 10 overs. Australia's Nathan Lyon, who scalped 4 English wickets in the 1st innings, bowled 29 overs.

England's Moeen Ali bowled as many as 33 overs in the 1st innings. Similarly, Stuart Broad bowled 23 overs, and Ollie Robinson sent down 22.1.

Unlike the limited-over versions, there is more of a mind game at work with plenty of opportunities for creativity and variety. There is more time to experiment with bowlers and field positions with no fielding restrictions.

Test cricket is also seen as the more serious form of cricket, in which fair play and sportsmanship are much valued.

Currently, a one-off women's Test match is ongoing between England and Australia at Nottingham.

Very glad to see that the following for Test matches hasn't diminished one bit, though when the shorter versions were invented, there was a fear that this longer, real form of cricket will ebb into mere memories.

Super Sports Sunday

6.30 am. I woke up, switched on the TV. 

Late in the night after 3. I switched off the TV, went to bed.

Three matches -- two football and one tennis -- during the course of the day. 

All together over 7 hours. 

COPA AMERICA 2021 FINAL

Image courtesy: The Guardian

The blockbuster Brazil and Argentina match kicked off at 5.30 am IST at Rio's Maracana stadium. But I managed to wake up only an hour late. By that time Argentina had scored. 

The scoreline stayed. A bit surprising, because Brazil dominated the game. 

Brazil had 59% of the possession; 13 shots (Argentina 6), and 4 corners (Brazil 1).

Anyway, the win was huge for Argentina, and Lionel Messi. 

That goal ended their 28-year-long wait for a victory in a major tournament. But a big disappointment for Brazil's Neymar who is yet to win a major international.

WIMBLEDON MEN'S FINAL   

Image courtesy: wimbledon.com

Back in front for the TV at 6.30 pm. 

The result was expected. Novak Djokovic finally caught up with what his two seniors -- Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal -- achieved: 20 Grand Slam titles. 

But Italy's Matteo Berrettini ensured that it was not a cakewalk for his opponent. At one point it looked like the match could go either way. I am glad that was some drama.

It was fascinating tennis stretching 3 hours 23 minutes. When Djokovic lost the first set 4-7 in the tie-break, I thought this will stretch to a five-setter.

But he seemed to be setting the tone as he won the first 4 games of the 2nd set. Berrettini held the serve to make it 4-1. Djokovic held the next and had a chance to wrap up the set. 

But Berrettini gave a stiff resistance and caught up picking up the next three games in a row to make it 5-4. The 10th game was Djokovic's serve and he finally closed it at 6-4.

Berrettini seemed to have lost a bit of the momentum in the 3rd set and Djokovic won that without much difficulty with the same score.

Image courtesy: wimbledon.com

The fourth set, in which Berrettini took a lead with a win in the 1st game, was a bit more challenging for Djokovic as he had to wait till the seventh game to get ahead: 4-3. From then on, the path was clearer and his job was done as Berrettini made an unforced backhand error.

Now all eyes are on the next matches that Djokovic will play. There is something called the Golden Slam, which only Steffi Graf has achieved in 1988, with a victory in all the four Grand Slams and an Olympic Gold Medal. 

But now whether the World Number One can do that is in doubt as he seemed to have been put off by the tight restrictions in the Olympic Village, and he is in two minds if he would go.

If he wins the US Open, which will start on Aug 30, he will get ahead of Federer and Nadal, and he would sort of establish himself as the GOAT or the Greatest Of All Time.

INDIA VS ENGLAND WOMEN'S T20

Image courtesy: Twitter/ICC

While the Wimbledon was on, the 2nd T20 cricket match between India and England women's team was being played at Hove. I kept checking the score on the BBC Sports app. 

India notched up 140 for 8 in 20 overs, and England fell short of the target by 8 runs. 

It was a thriller which I missed. 

The third match is tomorrow.

EURO 2020 FINAL

Image courtesy: BBC

After the tennis match, I took a one and a half hour nap before getting back in front of the TV at 12.30 am for the next epic encounter, at Wimbley.

It was a match truly worthy of a championship final as England and Italy battled hard. 

Within just two minutes of the start, the game got charged up as Luke Shaw scored for England. It should have remained like that at least. 

But in the 67th minute, Leonardo Bonucci equalised for Italy.

As expected the match went into half an hour of extra time and then the penalty shootout.

Though in the back of my mind I had a feeling that Italy might win, I was supporting England. And it was such a heartbreak to see Harry Kane's team fall behind by the thinnest of margins. 

It must be said that barring the initial few minutes, Italy was generally in control of the game, and they were constantly sniffing at opportunities to score.

They had 65% of the possession and had as many as 6 shot on target in comparison to just 2 for England.

In the penalty shootout, for England, Harry Kane and Harry Maguire scored; but the shots of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka failed to find the target.

It's sad that the England's three were subjected to racial abuse on social media. The flipside of our ubiquitous online world.

For Italy, Domenico Berardi, Leonardo Bonucci and Federico Bernardeschi scored; while the shots of Andrea Belotti and Jorginho were saved. 

And thus the quest of England for a major international win continues 55 years after their last triumph in the 1966 World Cup at the same Wimbley stadium.

England didn't win. But I enjoyed a thoroughly vigorous and enthusiastic contest.

The time was well past 3 am when I hit the sack.

Glory at Gabba

After the Indian cricket team pulled off a sensational win at The Gabba, Brisbane, today, the feeling was as if the team had won the World Cup! Not without reasons.

This India tour of Australia has been like never before. Not because of the pandemic, but because of so many cricketing reasons. 

The series saw India's lowest moment (when the team got out for a paltry 36 in the 1st Test at Adelaide on Dec 19) and the highest moment (registering today's unexpected 3 wicket win after notching up 329 for 7 when only three overs were remaining).

Here are the highlights of the breathtaking final day's play.

When the day's play began, India resumed at 4 for no loss, needing as many as 324 more runs to win, or bat through the day to ensure a draw, which would suffice for them to retain the Borer-Gavaskar Trophy that India had won against all odds during the previous Aussie tour.

The Indian team has been known to perform poorly in away tours and also crumble in the face of pressure while chasing to win. So, the prayer was not for a win, but for a draw - ironically, even when the gritty batsmen were going full blast aiming for a victory.

The odds were all stacked against India. That's why the victory is so sweet.

• The highest score a team has managed in the 4th innings till now was 236 for 7 by Australia way back in 1951.
  
  
• The last time Australia lost at The Gabba was to the mighty West Indies in 1988. 
  
  
• Most of the members of the Indian team that scripted this brave chase were standing in for senior players who are out of action because of injury.

This match, especially the final day's play, will be remembered forever.

One similar ending to a cliffhanger was on August 25, 2019, when Ben Stokes scripted a breathtaking 135 not out to snatch an unexpected one-wicket victory for England against Australia at Headingly. I blogged about it here.

30 years since Graham Gooch's 333 at Lord's Test

Graham Gooch. - Pix credit BBC 

Memories of the first Test between India and England at Lord's from July 26 to 31, 1990.

India lost the match, but there were plenty of moments of great cricket. 

Skipper Graham Gooch scored 333 after India won the toss and put England to bat. England declared at 653 for 4. Alan Lamb made 139 and Robin Smith remained not out at 100.

India struggled quite a bit. The only exceptions were opener Ravi Shastri's 100, and captain Mohd Azharuddin's 121. The next top scorer was Kapil Dev, whose scintillating 77 -- which included four consecutive sixes -- helped India avoid the ignominy of a follow-on by one run.

In the 2nd innings, England declared at 272 for 4. India had to chase 472 to win, but managed only 224, falling 247 runs short.

Here is the full scorecard on ESPN website.

BBC's Test Match Special brought out a bonus edition on July 27 to celebrate the occasion. It has archive commentary, as well as Gooch, Azharuddin and Kapil recalling those memorable moments.

If you are a cricket fan, then it's worth a listen.

C for Cricket - A few of my favourite things to counter COVID-19 stress

(This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. I am writing this month on activities that keep me refreshed during these depressing days. It's day 3 today.)

No, I am not playing cricket. That's unimaginable in these times, isn't it? So, what am I doing with cricket now? Wait, read on.

My interest in cricket was mainly because of an excellent English teacher, Prem C Nair, who was also a good cricket player. He introduced me to not only some of the famous cricketers but also cricket journalists. He used to tell us about the unique relationship between cricket and English literature. Some of the famous writers I got to know about from him are W G Grace, Neville Cardus and C L R James.

I can't believe now the amount of time I spent in school days listening to radio commentary during holidays. Those were the days of only 5-day Test matches. I did nothing other than listening to radio commentary from 10 in the morning to 5 in the evening on all five days. A number of friends also used to come to my house to listen to the ball-by-ball description or telecast on TV.

GREAT COMMENTATORS

The two great commentators of All India Radio I can fondly remember are Anand Setalvad and Suresh Saraiya. There were many others too like Balu Alaganan, J P Narayan, Sushil Doshi and Jasdev Singh.

On the BBC, I was a great fan of Test Match Special, which had the likes of Henry Blofeld, Brian Johnston, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Don Mosey, and Johnathan Agnew. Unfortunately, I am unable to listen to TMS on the BBC app now because of geographical rights restrictions.

COLLATERAL BENEFITS

There were a few collateral benefits of my interest in cricket. I learnt very early where different nations, especially the cricket playing ones, are located on the global map. Secondly, I understood the concept of the time difference between nations. In New Zealand, matches start around 4.30 am Indian Standard Time, in Australia, around 5.30 am, in England, around 3.30 pm, in the West Indies around 8 pm.

THE FAMOUS LEG OVER

Okay, what am I doing with cricket now? I am watching clips on anything to do with cricket on YouTube. Unfortunately, there are not many archival clips of Indian commentary. I am still searching the web for excerpts of Anand Setalvad and Suresh Saraiya commentary. If anyone can find one, please let me know.

Henry Blofeld would easily rank as the most popular of all commentators, and the most well-known episode from his commentating days is what has come to be known as the "leg over". In fact, that bit was hailed by BBC Radio 5 listeners as the best ever piece of commentary on the radio!

Here is BBC TMS producer Peter Baxter explaining what that episode was.




Below is that very famous clip



Henry Blofeld's final moments of his 47-year-long radio commentator career



Blofeld reflecting on those final moments




Henry Blofeld has written two books: Over and Out and Squeezing the Orange.

If you are interested in some of the great funny moments inside the commentary box of Test Match Special, there is a book called Rain Stops Play written by Brian Johnston. It's when rain stops play that all the fun begins with commentators exchanging jokes and pulling each other's legs!

Sindhu, Stokes made my Sunday

P V Sindhu, the world badminton
champion (Pix credit: Outlook)

You won't believe, yesterday I was glued to the television from 5 pm to 10 pm. Never, at least in the recent past, have I watched TV at a stretch like I did yesterday.

India's badminton star P V Sindhu's match against Japan's Nozomi Okuhara, in the final of the BWF World Championships, was coming up at 5.10 pm.

Sindhu had been in tremendous form in the tournament, yet I didn't have much hope. Because she has a history of reaching the finals and losing.

Thus she had to settle for a silver in the 2016 Olympics, 2017 and 2018 World Championships, 2018 Commonwealth Games, and 2018 Asian Games.

But, as the match progressed, I was pleasantly surprised. Sindhu was racing ahead of Okuhara. Halfway through the first set she was leading 11-2. She smashed her way to wrap up the first set 21-7 in just 16 minutes.

It was very unusual of Okhuhara to make so many unforced errors and lose a set so badly. I thought she will recoup herself and there would be a tougher fight in the second set. After all, their head-to-head record is quite even. Of the 15 matches they had played against each other, Sindhu had won 8 and Okuhara 7.

But that's not what happened. More aggression from Sindhu. I haven't seen Sindhu like this. She has deft movements and placements. But her smashes were not always the ones that are powerful enough or placed well to be winners.

Sindhu with the gold medal (Pix credit: BBC)

But in this tournament, she was in a totally new form. She wasn't allowing herself to be complacent. Unlike most of her other matches, in which she and her opponent go neck and neck to finish so close at the end, here she was not trailing at all but taking an early lead and building on it.

The second set (21-7) lasted 20 minutes and she won the world championship. On top of the world. She richly deserves this.

As India's national flag went up and India's national anthem played, she couldn't hold back tears. My eyes too welled up.

CONSOLATION FOR JAPAN

The women's final was followed by the men's final.  Kento Momota of Japan was taking on Anders Antonsen of Denmark. Momota is the top seed and had been in great form. This match too was one-sided. Antonsen didn't pose many challenges and the match ended 21-9, 21-3.

This was some sort of consolation for Japan, considering Okuhara lost the women's final.

DRAMATIC VICTORY CHASE

Ben Stokes, England's saviour
(Pix credit: Cricbuzz)

After badminton, I switched channels to see what's happening in Leeds in the Ashes series. It was a little after 6.45 pm. The match had entered an interesting stage, I realised.

England had been set a target of 359 to win, on day 3 (the day before yesterday). That means more than two days for them to do the task. But considering that in the first innings they folded up at 67, the odds were not exactly in their favour.

They lost the first wicket at 12 and the second at 25. It was Joe Root who steadied the ship, ending the day with his score at 75 not out and England at 156 for 3.

Yesterday was Day 4, and many thought England won't be able to stay put, handing over the Ashes to Australia. When I joined the match, the score was 259 for six. That means England needed exactly 100 runs to win with just four wickets remaining.

At 261, Chis Woakes got out for one. Three wickets remaining and 98 runs needed.

Jofra Archer belted three fours and I thought he will stay around for some time. But he didn't and got out after repeating a lofted on-drive and getting caught. He made 15. England slumped to 286 for 8. Two wickets remaining and 73 runs needed. Any hope of England saving the match was disappearing fast.

Stuart Broad walked in, and after facing just two balls, he got out without scoring. Score 286 for 9. Only the most diehard optimist would ever have thought England would win.

Australia needed just one wicket and England needed 73 runs.

Ben Stokes was keeping the hopes alive; and he was joined by Jack Leach, a slow left-arm orthodox spinner, whose career batting average is under 20. It shouldn't have been difficult for Australia.

But Stokes and Leach both seemed to have planned it well, as they ensured that Stokes always retained strike at the change of over.

They kept us all on the edge of the seat, as Australia came so close to taking that wicket, with chances for catches and runouts. With fours and sixes coming in at regular intervals from Stokes' bat, the required number of runs came down and down, and an unimaginable scenario of an England victory was gradually emerging.

And it finally, it happened. The match was tied at 359 and Stokes hit a boundary and ensured England not only registered an unbelievable win but also kept the Ashes alive.

The last pair faced 61 balls. Out of that, Leach faced only 17 and scored just one run. The rest 44 balls were faced by Stokes and scored 72 runs. His 135 not out, came in 219 balls, with 11 fours and 8 sixes. Stupendous performance.

Though the hero is Stokes, we must not forget the role Leach played. He hung on, keeping the match alive and allowing his partner to get the runs. He was like hanging on the edge of the precipice, waiting for his friend to save them both from a calamitous fall.

The moral of the story is, never give up hope, never lose cool, stay calm.

The fourth Test begins on September 4 at Old Trafford.

INDIA BEAT WEST INDIES

India was playing their 1st Test match against West Indies at Antigua. And the Indian bowlers were right on top, and the prospects of an Indian victory was looming. But I had little energy to sit through another cricket match!

The match would have got over around 2 am Indian time. India bundled out Windies for 100 winning the Test 318 runs, with Jaspreet Bumrah returning amazing figures of 8 overs 4 maidens, 7 runs and 5 wickets.

IPL is back to enthral cricket fans

IPL10

The 10th edition of India’s most captivating sporting extravaganza IPL or Indian Premier League has just got off to a start in Hyderabad with a match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers.

When the concept of T20 was first floated, there was lot of opposition to it, as many felt this short format was damaging the true form in which the game was being traditionally being played. But IPL has carved a niche for itself, and the best part is the longer Test match format, and 50-over One Day International format are still thriving.

Read my blog post written in 2007 defending T20.

Cricket fans are known for their obsession with statistics. Here are some interesting ones on IPL:

• Highest team total - 263/5 - Royal Challengers - Bengaluru - 2013
• Lowest team total - 58 - Rajastan Royal - Cape Town - 2009
• Most extras - 28 - KKR - Kolkata - 2008
• Highest individual score - 175 not out - Chris Gayle - Bengaluru - 2013
• Most ducks - 12 - Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir - both 2012-13
• Most sixes in a match - 17 - Chris Gayle - in 2013

The full set of IPL records can be accessed at ESPNCricinfo here

Tony Cozier: the authoritative voice of West Indian cricket

With the passing away of Tony Cozier in Barbados yesterday, the world of cricket commentating has lost a grand, melodious voice.

He was one of the great commentators who made up the BBC Test Match Special team. And, I grew up listening to him, among other like Brian Johnston, Don Mosey, Henry Blofeld, Christopher Martin Jenkins, Johnathan Agnew etc. I still listen to Test Match Special.

Tony Cozier, being from Barbados, had the typical accent of that region, referred to sometimes as the Bajan accent. It was a pleasure always listening to him commentating, be it when a batsman cracked the willow and the cherry flew over the ropes, or when the bowler was right on target and blew the stumps away.

Here is a clipping, via Sound Cloud.

Tony Cozier had a phenomenal knowledge of cricket, and it came through in all his writings and commentaries.

West Indies cricket has a romantic charm about it, the Calypsos just being one part of it. Tony Cozier took us closer to that wonderful land far way from here, and entertained us. He was there when West Indies cricket was on top of the world, with Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Gardner, Colin Croft etc. He was there when the great team began to slide, and plummeted to embarrassing lows.

Tony Cozier's voice will forever resonate in memories.

Rest in Peace. 

Harbhajan issue & Indian pride (or shame?)

The Sydney Test between India and Australia will be remembered for all the non-cricketing reasons -- not one but many. How quickly over five days it degenerated and plummeted to shameful levels.

Two main issues (whether related is debatable) which have made the Test controversial are:

1. Some Australian players said Harbhajan Singh called Andrew Symonds "a monkey".

2. The umpires -- Steve Bucknor from West Indies and Mark Benson from England -- made horrendous errors, most them by Bucknor, and most of them, going against India, costing India the match.

• Photo above: Harbhajan Singh, right, and Australia's Andrew Symonds walk past each other on day four of the second test in Sydney, Australia on Jan. 5, 2008. Credit: AP Photo/Rob Griffith,Files on Yahoo News


• The match scorecard - here on Cricinfo


• India fume at Aussies and umpires - here on BBC

Do Indians dislike Blacks?

The debates on Indian TV channels through the controversy have been dominated by personal and derogatory remarks directed against Bucknor on the umpiring issue; and by jingoistic outbursts in support of Harbhajan. ("Indians can never be racist. The accusation has hurt our pride.")

The point largely missed is why should Harbhajan call a person like Symonds, who is of Caribbean origin, a monkey? By terming this 'racist', the Australians have sought to widen the meaning of the word 'racist' to include even a conflict between two non-white persons, or within such groups of people. Generally, racism is understood to be practised by the whites against the non-whites. Australia has tried to convey the point that not just whites, but even non-whites can be racist.

There is a background here. During Australia's recent tour to India, Symonds was subjected to "monkey chants" by an undisciplined crowd. This point has been forgotten in all the debates now. Since Indians behaved in such a manner, neither Harbhajan nor Indian team members have a moral high ground. Instead of proclaiming that an Indian would never say such a thing, our senior players, Harbhajan included, should have apologised if an impression had been created that Symonds was called a monkey. An impression of mistake is as bad as a mistake.

There is no proof of the monkey comment. It's one man's word against another's. In that context, the line India should have taken was: "We never said like that. Even if you heard something remotely resembling that m-word, we are sorry. We don't talk like that, we are friends, let's us get on with the game...." That should have been the approach, pre-empting Australians from going ahead with the complaint.

Let us be honest

Let us not pretend that we have no racism or casteism or we don't discriminate looking at the colour of the skin in India. Look at the number of parents rejecting matrimonial alliances merely because of the caste. Educated people are so conscious about caste, they go to the extent of judging others merely by their surnames. Less said about the villages (where real India lives) the better: people try to find out who cooked the food, who brought the water, etc. It's not just shameful, it's tragic.

Look at the lengths people -- especially women -- go to make themselves fair. Our movies and serials are replete with scenes that project the advantages of being fair. In the movie Shivaji, there is an entire sequence wherein Rajnikant goes about trying to become fair (by applying creams and shielding himself from sunlight) so that he is more appealing to a girl (reference here). And every day, we see how people are preferred just because of the colour of their skin.

The point here is to be realistic. We don't have a great image abroad when it comes to our own caste and religion tolerance record. Eventhough we claim ourselves to be a very peaceful country with a great heritage, there is nothing on the ground currently to prove that. As a country, it's a shameful fact that we are as much guilty of racism, in our own way, as much as the west. Let's accept that first, and then, try to correct that.

I am not for a second believing that Bhajji said the m-word. Our prestige and image would have only gone up manifold if we had reached across and sorted out the matter amicably. It's never too late to mend fences.

• Read or listen to the discussion on BBC's World Have Your Say here.


• Racist and blind to it: Indians face the miror - Read CNN-IBN Face the Nation here


• India, Come Back - Read NDTV editorial here

Umpiring row

I am sure it's a coincidence: Steve Bucknor, who gave so many wrong decisions against India, is also from the Caribbean. I think he and Benson should have referred to the third umpire whenever there was a doubt. But, tragically, even third umpire failed. Even the best technology is good enough only if there are good enough humans to make use of it.

Sreesanth must check himself

One war has decisively ended in favour of Australia. With the victory in Nagpur today, Australians have clearly shown who the real champions are. They also sent a message that India's dream run in the T20 series in South Africa was more or less a flash in the pan.

Now, there is another war that is continuing. This is an ugly one; does no one any credit. It's the war of words. I wonder why cricketers are wasting time and energy on it. When they meet journalists don't they have anything else to talk, other than making statements mocking the rival team?

Look at today's statements:

• Andrew Symonds has described the ongoing tour as hostile and warned the Indian team of backlash when it tours Down Under this year. "They've beaten us in a Twenty20 game and one one-dayer in four years. You can't gauge much on that, but we'll see how this so-called new Indian team goes on our soil," he has said.

• Former Australian captain Ian Chappel has asked the BCCI to discipline Sree Santh before he becomes another Shoaib Aktar. He says Indian board shouldn't repeat their Pak counterpart's mistake of mishandling Akhtar's rage in his early days.

• The ICC has sought an explanation from the BCCI on Andrew Symond's complaint of racist chants during the Vadodara one-dayer. The Aussie all-rounder had spoken of `monkey chants' from a section of the crowd when he was fielding near the boundary. The BCCI says it's yet to hear from the ICC.

I think Ian Chappel has sounded the right warning. Sreesanth seems to going overboard. He is a talented bowler who has years ahead of him. His on-field theatrics and needless aggression doesn't do him or his cricket any good.

It's not that Australians are angels on the field. But we must remember that players are there in the middle to play cricket and not engage in theatrical antics. If Indian players have a genuine complaint, ICC has well-established procedures to take care of it.

Sree's argument that it's in his nature to behave the way he does, is no justification. Post-victory jubilation is understandable, but definitely not anything beyond that. What are we arrogant about? Not even our cricket!

Indians should keep their mouth shut. Let their game do the talking.

India Twenty20 World Champions

What a telling picture this is. India's players celebrate after the dismissal of Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, last evening. (AP Photo by Themba Hadebe)

For a change, it was Pakistan that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

I wonder what reception awaits Misbah back home; the awkward scoop that he played wasn't the last ball of the match, there were three more deliveries to go, and Pakistan needed only 6. Given the way Misbah was playing -- only the previous ball he had clubbed a low full toss over the ropes for a six -- he could have done it.

Here is the Cricinfo commentary of the last over:

19.1 Joginder Sharma to Misbah-ul-Haq, 1 wide, short of a length and far outside the off stump, that one barely lands on the pitch. Nerves here for Joginder Sharma. Big, big wide. Easily called.
12 needed from 6 now

19.1 Joginder Sharma to Misbah-ul-Haq, no run, short of a good length and outside the off, play and a miss, the tension mounts.
12 from 5 needed

19.2 Joginder Sharma to Misbah-ul-Haq, SIX, full-toss outside the off, that's not the place to bowl at this time. Misbah is cool as ice, lines this up and pounds the ball straight back down the ground. This is a baseball style home run. Such incredible hitting under pressure. You have to give it to Misbah.
6 needed from 4 balls now

19.3 Joginder Sharma to Misbah-ul-Haq, OUT, India! It's all over here! Full and on the stumps. Misbah goes for the scoop shot over short fine-leg. That is a risky shot to play with only 6 needed from 4 balls. Straight up in the air and Sreesanth takes the catch. India have won by 5 runs in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20.
India win by 5 runs, three balls to spare.

This match last evening at Johannesburg, the final of the first Twenty20 Championship, was much closer than India's semifinal against Australia. That victory looked much more emphatic than this one. Actually, this seemed to be drifting perilously to the earlier India-Pak match which ended in a bowl-out.

Pakistan was so close, they were almost there. In such situations, unlike wide-margin results, it's the slightest error that does one team in. It looked like Joginder's loose final over was gifting the match away to Pakistan, but before Joginder could do that, Misbah did.

Reuters photo by Juda Ngwenya of India's players posing with the ICC World Twenty20 trophy.

With each Twenty20 match, I am getting more and more convinced that this abridged version tests the cricketing skills to the maximum. Cricketing fame has been biased towards the batsmen. It has been always thought batsmen won matches. T20 will change that.

Bowlers are so crucial to this form of cricket, more than, if not as much as, batsmen. Like I said in an earlier post, each ball sent down has to be of perfect line and length. A skilful bowler who can keep his cool, will strike gold here, since batsmen under pressure are bound to miscue a shot.

Can't believe it has been 24 long years since India won a Cricket World Cup. Hopefully the Cup will come home again sooner. Kapil's win was in the pre-cable TV era. Then we all crowded around the radio. And for the vast number of teenagers and twenty-somethings, who dominate the world so much now, this is their first cricket World Cup.

What is T20 is for Sachin, Sourav, Dravid was ODI for Gavaskar, Vengsarkar and Viswanath! What a generational change cricket itself has undergone!

By the way, I don't know if anyone of us realised that it was only six months and one week back (on March 17) India lost to Bangladesh by five wickets in a Group B ODI World Cup match at Port of Spain. Then, on March 23rd, Sri Lanka drove the final nail defeating India by 69 runs. What a humiliating run it was. People vowed never to watch this game ever again. It's all forgotten and forgiven!

The next action isn't far off. Not the T20 but the ODI: India take on Australia in Bangalore on September 29, the coming Saturday, just four days away!