Talk Cricket With Roshan

The last two games have witnessed an Indian side that has showcased its strength and asserted their dominance in the cricketing world. One could, of course, argue that these performances came against relatively weaker sides such as Afghanistan and Scotland, but nonetheless, the manner in which these games have been won show that the old frightening Indian side is perhaps back.  We are definitely in a situation we don’t like right now, depending on Afghanistan beating New Zealand, and then beating Namibia by a certain margin to ensure a spot in the semis, but even if that does not happen and this year does not belong to us, what are the factors that we could look at for the next edition of the world cup in Australia next year?  Selection Consistency  One of the things that have been troubling the Indian line-up has been consistency in team selection. This perhaps started some time from 2018 when the ‘who would play at number 4?’ conundrum began. Speculations were rife whet...

I have never personally followed the initial qualifier stages of cricket world cups before, and so, this being my first, I am perhaps overstating what may be a common sight in cricket: these games in this T20 World Cup 2021 are thrilling, they feature talented teams, and they elucidate tremendous learning potential. Take the case of Bangladesh versus Oman. One would expect a team like Bangladesh who have been in the top 10 teams for years to easily outdo a supposedly minnow team like Oman. Well, in the end, it did seem like a comfortable win, and that’s would the numbers say in the end, but Oman did put on some serious pressure before they lost.  Out came an Oman team to bowl buzzing with energy and confidence; and an exciting, cheering home crowd right behind them. Apart from being a qualifier game, it had all the makings of an exciting match-up.  There are quite a few standouts in the game overall. People will take notice of names such as Bilal Khan, Kaleemullah, and even th...

“Where Talent Meets Opportunity” might arguably be the most apt motto of the IPL. Over the past so many years, the tournament has opened the doors to so many blossoming careers that youngsters are now seriously thinking about cricket as a realistic career option. What’s more, it is also encouraging enough youngsters to courageously drop their existing professions and switch over to cricket.  And perhaps the courage to dynamically change professions is what is reflected even on the grounds when these youngsters come out to bat or bowl. It’s like they always belonged to that space; it’s like they have already found the means to accumulate the experience, which once used to take years to achieve; it’s like they have modes within themselves that they could turn off or on. Whatever be the case, it’s fascinating to see the abundance of healthy competition and rivalries between players to get a spot in the playing eleven, be it that of a franchise team, or the national side. And when any ...