At the outset, Agartala appears to be the perfect ‘non-theatre’ for hosting the Ranji Trophy, with the city’s broad but empty highways closely mirroring the state of the country’s premier domestic cricket tournament – a giant monolith whose importance is merely paid lip service to these days. The capital of the northeastern State of Tripura … Read more
You aren’t a dyed-in-the-wool Bengali if you don’t exhibit a proclivity for ‘lyadh’ (indolence). While the etymology of ‘lyadh’ may suggest that the Bangla word is fringe-millennial at best, it is actually a pernicious habit passed down through generations by our forefathers along with their generously rounded paunches. If a Bengali had invented cricket, there … Read more
2024 has been a great year for those who follow women’s cricket in India, and this reporter was fortunate to witness quite a few memorable moments. Exciting Test victories over Australia and England welcomed the New Year, followed by a thumping of South Africa a few months later. A dramatic Women’s Premier League saw Smriti … Read more
The snow-capped mountains, an exciting hiking day tour to Triund, endless cups of hot chocolate at one of those homely cafés in Dharamkot, and soaking in the winter sun while walking up to the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium — covering cricket in Dharamshala is always fun! In March, this reporter drove down from … Read more
Having only read about smog in textbooks and newspaper articles, this reporter got to experience it firsthand for the first time in his life during his maiden Ranji Trophy assignment, a match between Haryana and Kerala in Rohtak. Besides the gloomy welcome by an acrid blanket of this man-made weather phenomenon, the reporter was taken … Read more