Pakorakorner

Sourav Ganguly announced his decision to retire from Test cricket after the series against Australia. Unarguably Sourav Ganguly was one of India's better captains and his fighting spirit transformed Indian cricket forever. His infamous clash with Greg Chappell, his ouster and subsequent return provided plenty of drama for the entire cricketing world. He probably won't be missed any longer given his poor form, but there is no question that he has been a phenomenon in Indian cricket for well ...

MS Dhoni deserves all the credit possible for India's ODI series win against Sri Lanka. Winning in Sri Lanka is a tall order by itself. Besides, Indian batsmen had been completely foxed by the magic of Ajantha Mendis both at the Asia Cup and the recent Test series. India lost the first ODI even without a fight. But Dhoni inspired an impressive turn around thereafter winning three ODIs in at a stretch. Dhoni displayed the ability to adapt his otherwise ...

India won their second ODI in a row against Sri Lanka, this time far more convincingly than the first victory. Positive signs for India from this match: Dhoni's form, Raina's return to form, Rohit Sharma's useful contribution with the bat, and India's early breaks thanks to the fast bowlers, particularly Zaheer Khan. The issues for concern: Yuvraj Singh's continuing poor form, and lack of a strike bowler/wicket taking bowler. As for Sri Lanka the two main areas of concern: the repeated ...

Dhoni and his boys managed to scrape through and win the second ODI! It was hardly a convincing victory, but a victory nevertheless. Zaheer Khan's return to form was timely. India decided to recognize Badrinath for his consistent domestic performance by giving him a chance to play in the second ODI and he didn' disappoint. He produced two lovely catches and played a crucial knock. Most importantly he showed that he could take on Murali and Mendis. The composition of the Indian ...

Sri Lanka first destroyed India's ODI team at the Asia cup final. They then won the Test series against India rather convincingly. The common factor behind these victories was the new cricketing sensation, Ajantha Mendis. He baffled Dhnoi's boys in the crucial Asia cup final. Then, he also destroyed India's fabulous four (Dravid, Sachin, Ganguly and VVS). And now the young turks return. This is easily Dhoni's biggest ODI challenge since he took on the mighty Aussies after insisting on ...

MS Dhoni chose to pass on the upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka and deserves plenty of praise for this. It is perhaps the first time in Indian cricket history that a player so young and on the rise has willingly stepped aside from a Test tour. Firstly, it reflects a clear sense of self-confidence in the man. Secondly, it is a sign that he suffers from no insecurity whatsoever. A welcome sign in India's ODI and T20 ...

Dinesh Karthik's exit from the ODI was on the cards. The big three Rahul Dravid, Ganguly and VVS Laxman are unlikely to play ODI again for India. Sachin is injured and Harbhajan is serving his sentence. The injured Sreesanth has just been replaced by the impressive Goni. With this, India's team for the Kitply Cup extends Dhoni's virtually complete control over the team selection. He initiated the changes he desired on the Australian tour and refined it further ...

A new format of the cricket game targeted at the world's leading cricket market appears to have become a bumper hit for all and sundry. The three hour duration combined with the day-night schedule has managed to attract a new set of cricket audiences among families with small kids in addition to the already cricket crazy Indian public. Based on media reports, the turn out at these matches and the general interest level, it appears that the IPL is ...

The BCCI's quick decision to put "slapgate" to rest by issuing Harbhajan Singh a five ODI ban was as lame as it gets. It has been clearly established for the record that Harbhajan Singh slapped Sreesanth. Moreover, Harbhajan was captaining the Mumbai Indians when this happened! Without a doubt it was an awful on the field act for a sportsman. This is all the more a serious issue because cricket mania in India is at its peak. The game is ...

The firing of Charu Sharma the CEO of Royal Challengers is probably the first and quickest instance of action being taken against cricketing management. There is no question that thus far the Bangalore Royal Challengers have been a dismal flop on the field. None of the young local players have fired. Jacques Kallis who has been persisted with throughout seems completely unfit for T20. Dravid himself is struggling to find his feet in this form of the game. Sunil Joshi ...