Mahendra Singh Dhoni is perhaps the bravest man Indian sport will have had the privilege of knowing. He might be the reason why cricket is still called the gentleman’s game.
While keeping pace with ODIs and T20 matches feels like a breezy walk in the park, following Test matches is like slogging through quicksand. Maybe it’s time we did away with the antiquated format for good.
The most natural reaction to losing the World Cup on a technicality would have been of excessive outrage. And no one could have held it against New Zealand captain Kane Williamson were he to be taken over by anguish. It stung deep, but not even an imminent heartbreak was enough for Williamson to get carried away.
The catchphrase, “It’s coming home,” recently became annoying as fuck, after it turned into a meme that Indians are repeating unironically. This is the World Cup we’re talking about guys, not the Kohinoor.
Constructing a batting lineup that was the envy of the rest of the world came with a price. England compromised on the quality of bowling, hoping to make up for it by outscoring the opposition. A fearsome bowler who could instill fear into the opposition’s best batsmen was the missing piece in the jigsaw. Enter Jofra Archer.
Cricket is no longer a contest between bat and ball. It’s Virat Kohli vs Steve Smith vs Joe Root vs Kane Williamson. Bowlers do not exist to create their own legacies, they merely exist as a hindrance to a batsman’s legacy.
World Cup games between the two nations are not as exciting as they once used to be, but despite the lopsided nature of contest, the rivalry couldn’t get anymore bitter. The ads from Star Sports and Jazz TV have started a war of words on social media. And it could be more melodramatic than the game itself.
If there’s one word to describe a captain who leaves out a veteran from her squad in a crucial game, it’s bold. That’s Harmanpreet Kaur, India Women’s T20 skipper for you.
Nobody expected the World Cup group stages would throw up a dark horse, loyal to neither team nor nation, who would emerge as the leading goalscorer. For eclipsing the feats of legends like Ronaldo and Messi, Own Goal is our Person of the Week.