Half of my mind has said yes, says Gary Kirsten after India coach offer

Racism in cricket? Refer to Australian report just out

The noise coming out of the Australian cricket camp over its star Andrew Symonds being taunted by “monkey chants” during last week’s...

THE DESERT PITCH

Skills for the arena, skills for life—that is what Greg Chappell, armed with philosophy, experience and optimism, aims to instill into gauche youngsters at an ultra modern cricket academy in Rajasthan

Return of Hansie: Brother to shoot movie’s final leg in India

Film crew landing this month-end, will film cricket action, Cronje’s visit to Mother Teresa, bookies making contact.

INSIDE MUNAF'S MIND

He’s not fit, not intense enough, needs to show more commitment— that’s the official version. but Munaf Patel, the missing face on India’s Twenty20 World Cup gallery, says it’s time to reveal his story — of not being understood, not being heard. Our correspondent listens as THE munaf MYSTERY unspools in a pune hotel room

Young blood in a billion hearts

Over the last two years, there were days when Team India’s GenerationNext would gather around in their hotel rooms on tour,

Dravid gives up the crown, prefers bat to show the way

Just over a month ago, in England, a senior Indian cricket board official asked Rahul Dravid, “Why are you so serious?

Before it battles BCCI, rival cricket league has to fight a web squatter

The breakaway Indian Cricket League may have begun its assault on the mighty, old BCCI. But wait, look who the rebels have to get past first...

Now selectors to get Rs 50,000 per Test

After 75 years, the Indian cricket board has finally decided to dump the system of having national selectors working on an “honorary” basis...

Re-educating irfan

When he first came out of the mrf Pace Academy, there was nothing that could go wrong with Irfan Pathan. Today, he’s back there—because everything has. Our correspondent visits Pathan in Chennai and gets mentors Lillee, Sekar & ex-coach Chappell to piece together a story of despair and hope

Dead End

last week, a 22-year-old, former captain of the india under-15 cricket team, walked to a shopping complex, climbed the stairs to its sixth floor with a view of kanpur’s green park stadium — and jumped to his death. Our correspondent follows the trail subhash dixit left behind and finds the dark underbelly of smalltown india’s bigtime cricket boom

Why Pawar can’t drive a Ford

No effort was made to find out whether the ‘new coach’ actually understood the environment in which he would work or whether he had agreed to the conditions drawn up for him

No ‘marriage’, Shastri happy with ‘honeymoon’

If you thought all the excitement was over with the final ball of India’s Bangladesh journey, Ravi Shastri strode into the media room with some patent...

Smiles return after India’s brisk stroll in the park

Skipper Rahul Dravid stood up inside the team bus on the way back this evening, turned towards his teammates, thanked them for the job done...

Sreesanth for Munaf

Sent back home from Chittagong last week, following a strained calf muscle, Team India pace hope S Sreesanth will return to the world stage nine days from now.

India race to record with four tons

For a brief while, just for a few minutes, it looked like Sachin Tendulkar had finally turned the clock back. He had just smashed his first six in Test cricket after that 109 in Delhi...

India on frontfoot, style not cramped

For once, Team India found all the cameras running the other way. They had just piled up a hill of runs against Bangladesh, one century and two almost there...

Why Dravid won’t open and why Kaarthick will

Two ducks in-a-row, fingers beginning to turn towards Mumbai’s Wasim Jaffer, you might probably have expected Rahul Dravid to step out with Dinesh Kaarthick tomorrow.

Kumble in; VVS, Yuvraj stay out

Some days ago, at a Bangladesh team meeting, one of their star batsmen couldn’t hold it any longer. Finally, he blurted out: without Anil Kumble

It’s now official, Dravid complains: Too much cricket, reschedule

With the Indian cricket board shutting out serious concerns raised by the team over their “over-cramped” itinerary for the next year, skipper Rahul Dravid today drew the line firmly...

Whatever the reasons, you can’t drop sitters at this level

When we were growing up in Hyderabad, there were days when we got swarms of flying insects virtually enveloping a light....

Concept of time-outs in Twenty20 is a bit out of place

I am delighted that the process of eliminating the time-out has begun.

In friendly conditions, T20’s whipping boys have hit back

One of the greatest, and indeed finest, variables in cricket, only matched to some extent by tennis and golf, is the nature of the surface....

Teams struggling to cope as they search for the right balance

In sport, indeed as in life, balance is the key to success and it’s a word used very often in the media and in strategy sessions....

Like last season, cricket must remain the major attraction

By a nice coincidence IPL 2 starts on the same date it did last year.

One-nil just fine, but should’ve been two

An anomalous statistic has been buried, an oddity has been consigned to the bin. India’s awful record in New Zealand was an aberration...

With batsmen like Sehwag, it’s always all or nothing

Exhibit One is shortish, tubbyish, balding and very very Delhi. Exhibit Two is tall, lean, muscular, a rebellious South African in English colours.

Not a bad Plan B, but the fans will definitely be missed

It is a relief and an accomplishment that the IPL is on. There has been much discussion and debate and that is not wrong.

Referral system is still a work in progress

For an organisation that is largely high on intent, the ICC gets an extraordinary amount of criticism.

Without fear, Viru’s come into his own

It would be easy to image Virender Sehwag as a pirate, terrifying genteel passengers on a cruise liner with his weapons and his audacity.

The game we love

Like on far too many days in this part of the world, a bullet left this morning hoping to find a target.

Opening loss a wake-up call for Team India

One of the joys of watching T20 unfold is the realisation that wickets count. Eighteen months ago you wouldn’t have dreamt of hearing a captain say that keeping wickets in hand is important.....

Why Dhoni’s India can break Kiwi jinx

India haven’t won a Test match in New Zealand since 1976, have never won a bilateral one-day series and last won a Test series in 1968.

BCCI should give ICL players a second chance

So there will be no ICL this March and while it might be too early to write the obituary of a patient it seems the doctors have been summoned.

IPL success driven by quality, not just money

Pakistan’s exit will mean a greater opportunity for the genial Sri Lankans but also for New Zealanders and South Africans.

Jayasuriya proves age is just a number

In a dream that often recurs I find I am visiting familiar places, some I may have lived in, others merely travelled through...

Pathan brothers, Jadeja give India more flexibility

Five months ago India were in Sri Lanka to play five one-day internationals, no more than two months after having played them in the Asia Cup.

Don’t worry about Test cricket, it’s in the pink of health

Once again two rivals, with a history of bad blood between them, have shown us up to be a community of hypochondriacs...

India and South Africa willing, 2009 could be the year of challengers

Australia's descent began in victory. It might seem a paradox but it is not unknown.

In an eventful year, T20 memories stand out

The year began with a family feud that threatened to tear apart our tiny community. It ended with two events of utter warmth...