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In an interesting political twist, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal picked Atishi Marlena, a junior minister and someone considered close to Deputy CM Manish Sisodia as the new chief minister of Delhi, as he decided to step down and hand in his resignation to Lt Governor VK Saxena. Known as the main brain behind Delhi Government school reforms, Atishi played down her elevation as a stopgap arrangement. Making it clear that Delhi and its 2 crore people can only have one CM — that is Arvind Kejriwal. Atishi asked party cadres not to celebrate her elevation. There could be celebration only after Kejriwal gets re-elected in the March 2025 assembly elections. Initial announcement about Atishi was made by a party heavyweight and potential contender Gopal Rai. AAP also made it clear that there will be no deputy CM this time. By choosing to play the woman card and not opting for his wife Sunita as CM, Kejriwal may have tried to buy time with voters but will it blunt the edge on incumbency and non-delivery? Only time will tell. Yet with her rise as CM, Atishi will be the third woman CM of the UT after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit. Born in June 1981 Atishi hails from an academic family in Delhi, with her parents, Vijay Singh and Tripta Wahi, both professors at Delhi University. She will be the youngest CM of Delhi at 43.When Kejriwal became CM in December 2013 he was 45. With an undergraduate degree in History from the prestigious St Stephen’s College in 2001, she completed her Master’s from Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar.
AAP’s former CM Arvind Kejriwal has a new political guru in Congress MP and advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, instrumental in his enlargement on bail. Initial plans to reward Singhvi with Rajya Sabha seat failed, even blowing up in Kejriwal’s face over l’affaire Swati Maliwal, with Congress accommodating their estranged leader from Telangana instead. Senior BJP leader Mahendra Jain says, the non-resignation drama first, by Arvind Kejriwal, continuing during incarceration over five months and then, precipitating as two-day resignation drama played over worries about Delhi LG, VK Saxena’s imminent intention to seek his resignation following Supreme Court’s diktat against Kejriwal attending CMO, other official duties. While incarcerated, Kejriwal pretended to carry on as CM from jail although no government papers were signed by him over issues of confidentiality and directives of SC. Even his note to the LG seeking approval for AAP’s CM incumbent Atishi (Marlena Singh) hoisting the tricolour on August 15 was rejected by Saxena instead authorizing AAP minister Kailash Gehlot.” The LG took issue over Kejriwal’s access to official CMO letterhead over the communique with SC also curbing jail visitors thereafter. Plans to reach consensus over two days for better half Sunita Kejriwal as incumbent CM were shelved as LG would cite her unelected status with less than five months to state assembly elections in Delhi. With Atishi helming AAP, BJP lost no time raking up her parents’ leftist leaning as ideologues demanding release of parliament attack terrorist Afzal Guru. The saffron party insists moniker ‘Marlena’ was a combination appended to Atishi Singh’s name by parents assimilating leftist philosophers: Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.
Political parties have their own whims and fancy notions about good luck charms of their parliamentary party offices. That’s why when it comes to the new Parliament complex, it seems — both the Congress and the BJP– are reportedly being reluctant to move their parliamentary party offices from the old Parliament House. Both the offices are on the ground floor and have plenty of history to it. Of course ministers and the LoP do have their offices in the new complex. The only party which has moved into the new building is the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which stormed to power in Andhra Pradesh winning 164 of 175 assembly seats in an electoral alliance with Janasena Party and the BJP and has 16 seats in Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha Secretariat allocated a new office, F09, to the TDP on the first floor of the new Parliament, a prime location that also houses the offices of the Prime Minister and Union Ministers. This change marks a transition from the party’s previous office, Room No 5, which was situated in the old Parliament building. Recalling how the YSRCP led by Jagan Mohan Reddy had occupied TDP’s office after party was routed in 2019 elections, a TDP source pointed out that in the 2019 LS polls, the YSRCP had swept the elections, winning 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state and TDP was reduced to just 3 seats. Official sources said regional parties like DMK are also reluctant to move into the new Parliament complex.
A new star has joined the Indian insurance galaxy! Galaxy Health Insurance Co Ltd is the new addition. The birth of Galaxy signals the re-entry of yet one more family of the erstwhile TVS group into the insurance space. Significantly enough, this happens a few years after the formal legal separation of four families of the erstwhile TVS group. Galaxy Health Insurance is promoted by Venu Srinivasan and his family. V Jagannathan, former CMD of United India Insurance Company and the founder of Star Health & Allied Insurance, is the co-promoter. Industry stalwart G Srinivasan, former head of United India Insurance, is the MD & CEO. The Galaxy board comprises Dr Sai Satish, a renowned cardiologist, and Sudarshan Venu, MD of TVS Motor Company. Galaxy Insurance is all set to commence its operations shortly. Insurance business is nothing new to the Chennai-based TVS Group. It was the owner of Madras Motor and General Insurance before the industry’s nationalization. After nationalization, Madras Motor merged into United India Insurance. Subsequently, in the post-liberalization era, Sundaram Finance, initially promoted by Madras Motor, launched Royal Sundaram Insurance, a general insurance company. Ironically enough, two former heads of United India Insurance will be guiding Galaxy Health Insurance to make a mark in the space. The size of the Indian health insurance sector was estimated at Rs 1.17 lakh crore in FY 2024, and is currently growing at a CAGR of 20%. Post the legal separation, assorted organisations who once formed part of the erstwhile TVS group are now freely exploring the freedom of opportunity, it appears.
Top BJP minister Nitin Gadkari’s sensational disclosure that he had been offered support for Prime Ministership by a prominent opposition leader before the Lok Sabha election is considered significant owing to its crucial timing. Gadkari generally avoids commenting on political developments and does not entertain any media questions in this regard. Hence, his candid revelation has surprised the BJP brass, which has refrained from reacting to it. The opposition, by and large, also has kept away from the potential bombshell. Gadkari has refused to name the opposition leader who made this offer to him. But the political grapevine is on overdrive to identify the opposition emissary. Various algorithms are applied to find out who it could be. Is he from Maharashtra? From Nagpur or Vidarbha? A former BJP member? Close to Rahul Gandhi or Mallikarjun Kharge? Or someone having tacit approach to the RSS decision makers? Of course, all these are supposition without any factual backing. Still, the suspense is mounting in view of the coming assembly elections. It is deepened since Gadkari has declared on multiple occasions that he is not interested in the topmost job and is happy with his ministry. In the past, his name was being discussed to become the Maharashtra CM but he had firmly rejected the idea. His only connection now with the state elections is that he is one of the star BJP campaigners.
The ongoing RG Kar Medical College protests have cast a shadow over the Bengali film industry, with many in the fraternity struggling to return to work amid constant backlash and online trolling. While several actors, directors, and singers actively participated in the protests, some have gone back to work sparking mixed reactions from the public. The situation intensified after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s call to “return to festivities”. This statement was widely criticized. Amidst this political tension, prominent figures in the Bengali entertainment industry have found themselves facing undue criticism from netizens. Celebrities like singer Iman Chakraborty, actors Swastika Mukherjee, and Sohini Sarkar, all of whom supported the protests, became targets of online trolling. Swastika faced particular backlash after promoting her upcoming film Tekka, despite her regular attendance at protest rallies. Dev, who stars in Tekka and is also a Trinamool Congress MP, defended his stance, supporting the movement while stressing that livelihoods, especially during Durga Puja, should not be affected. He pointed out that marginalized groups, such as dhakis, decorators, and vendors, depend on the festive season. Singer Shilajit, another victim of online criticism, echoed similar sentiments. He defended the importance of continuing work, noting that events contribute significantly to artists’ earnings. Director Raj Chakraborty expressed concern over how easily celebrities become targets for trolls, leading many to avoid social media. Amid this growing tension, promotions for upcoming Puja releases, such as Bohurupi and Shastri, have been toned down to avoid further controversy. The Bengali film industry continues to navigate these challenging times with caution.
The mantle of head coach of the Indian cricket team has passed on smoothly from Rahul Dravid to Gautam Gambhir. The once famous ‘Wall’ of Indian cricket has returned to IPL’s Jaipur franchise, Rajasthan Royals, but the immediate focus will be on the doughty left hander from Delhi who showed guts and gumption for India across the three formats, scored 10324 runs in 242 matches embellished with two World Cup titles — the Twenty20 In 2007 and the 50 over format in 2011. Gambhir’s international career spanned from 2003 to 2016 after which he spent time as a BJP member of the Lok Sabha from 2019 to 2024 before he joined Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders. His success there has catapulted him to the national team that won the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies in July. Gambhir’s first major work will be to facilitate India qualify for the final of the World Test Championship. India under Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri and Rohit Sharma and Dravid finished second best against New Zealand and Australia in the two previous cycles of the WTC, the finals being played in Rose Bowl and The Oval. India has to win at least five of the remaining 10 Test matches to be in the running for a third consecutive WTC final appearance, and this time the final will be played at the famous Lord’s Cricket Ground in London from June 11 next. Gambhir will have five home Tests — two against Bangladesh, starting this Thursday and three against New Zealand — before the historic five-Test series in Australia from November 22. Guiding India to the WTC summit before the ICC Champions Trophy in February- March 2025 in Pakistan will give a perspective about Gambhir’s coaching and mentoring philosophy.
A free burqa distribution programme organised by a Eknath Shinde camp legislator highlighted the uneasiness between the ruling alliance partners particularly over the Muslim vote bank. While the BJP did express its displeasure about such acts as “appeasement politics”, they clearly had to leave it at that. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena neither publicly disowned nor criticised the drive, thus recognising the need to woo core voters. The MLA concerned, Yamini Jadhav recently lost from the prominent Mumbai South Parliamentary constituency by over 50,000 votes mainly due to the fact that the Muslim voters there chose to throw their weight behind Uddhav’s nominee, Arvind Sawant. The fact that 50% of voters in her Mazgaon constituency are Muslims, could not have been lost on her as she faces her electorate yet again to reclaim her MLA seat. All this, while the prominent alliance partner, the BJP continues to adopt an aggressive pro-Hindu pitch with Nitesh Rane’s diatribe against Muslims being the order of the day. The BJP has also been critical of Uddhav’s recent success in garnering the support of the Muslim vote bank terming it as a result of not being sincere to core Hindu ideology. The third partner, Ajit Pawar, has already clarified that he would continue to be secular, in spite of his alliance with the BJP. Pawar has gone ahead and almost-declared the candidatures in key Muslim-dominated seats like Bandra East (Zeeshan Siddiqi) and Anushakti Nagar (Nawab Malik’s daughter Sana Malik) ignoring the BJP.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin said he would be seeking an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and personally request him to release funds meant for the second phase of the Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) project as well as the funds due to the State under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) relating to school education. Both funds have been blocked by the Centre. His finance minister Thangam Thennarasu has already issued a statement hitting out at the Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman for saying that the ongoing CMRL second phase for Chennai was a State sector project. He had pointed out that the project envisaged in 2017 was a central sector project in which the Union government’s share had worked out to Rs 7,425 crore. He also refuted a statement by Ms Sitharaman that the state had spent only Rs 5,880 crore on the 119-km phase II whereas the state had already expended more than Rs 18,000 crore so far. The step motherly treatment being meted out to Tamil Nadu, considered the last bastion against the ruling BJP is borne out by the fact that funds allocated for Metro Rail schemes in cities like Bengaluru (Rs 30,399 crore), Kochi (Rs 1,957 crore), Nagpur (Rs 6,708 crore), Pune (Rs 910 crore) and Thane (Rs 12,200 crore), are all from the Centre’s kitty while not even what was promised for Chennai Metro expansion has been delivered.
Even as film fans across the country are wildly speculating about divorce in the Bachchan’s family comes the news from Kollywood that Jayam Ravi, one of the most dependable performers (the standout star of Ponniyin Selvan) dropped a bombshell on his 44th birthday (Sept 9) that he is seeking divorce from wife Aarti after 15 years of marriage. The couple have two children. A shell shocked Aarti, a successful entrepreneur in her own right, said “Ravi did not consult me, nor was I aware that he is about to drop this bombshell on me and the kids. This unilateral announcement never gave me a chance …much as I tried to talk to him.” Coincidentally, Ravi’s first hit, M.Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi was a film that touched the hearts of many. It is about a single mother who brings up her son with no help from a husband who walked out on the marriage. Ironically, Ravi asking for divorce will see Aarti face a similar predicament. Aarti is the daughter of successful TV serial producer Sujatha Vijayakumar. Has Ravi come to the end of his tether because of perceived interference of his in-law? Inspite of his busy schedule, Ravi has always given quality time for his family says sources. No one is aware of the real reason for Ravi’s ultimate break decision. But the way he has done it made Aarti lament, “My grace and individuality have been knocked out by the media speculations.” She still hopes for a rapprochement. Marriages are made in heaven, but hit the rocks in this fantasy world of tinsel make believe.
The mantle of head coach of the Indian cricket team has passed on smoothly from Rahul Dravid to Gautam Gambhir. The once famous ‘Wall’ of Indian cricket has returned to IPL’s Jaipur franchise, Rajasthan Royals, but the immediate focus will be on the doughty left hander from Delhi who showed guts and gumption for India across the three formats, scored 10324 runs in 242 matches embellished with two World Cup titles — the Twenty20 In 2007 and the 50 over format in 2011. Gambhir’s international career spanned from 2003 to 2016 after which he spent time as a BJP member of the Lok Sabha from 2019 to 2024 before he joined Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders. His success there has catapulted him to the national team that won the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies in July. Gambhir’s first major work will be to facilitate India qualify for the final of the World Test Championship. India under Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri and Rohit Sharma and Dravid finished second best against New Zealand and Australia in the two previous cycles of the WTC, the finals being played in Rose Bowl and The Oval. India has to win at least five of the remaining 10 Test matches to be in the running for a third consecutive WTC final appearance, and this time the final will be played at the famous Lord’s Cricket Ground in London from June 11 next. Gambhir will have five home Tests — two against Bangladesh, starting this Thursday and three against New Zealand — before the historic five-Test series in Australia from November 22. Guiding India to the WTC summit before the ICC Champions Trophy in February- March 2025 in Pakistan will give a perspective about Gambhir’s coaching and mentoring philosophy.
Will Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana pull off a coup at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates? The two stalwarts of the Indian team are the top two run-getters in the format for India and among the top three in the world. Kaur has played 153 innings from 173 matches, scored 3426 runs, and has featured in 92 wins, while Mandhana, 135 innings from 141, scored 3493 runs and has featured in 79 wins. Kaur has played all eight previous world cups, and Mandhana has five. But both have been erratic in the global competition which is reflected in Kaur’s average of 20.57 and Mandhana’s 22.45. That India is placed in a tough group along with six-time winners Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka means that they cannot make a faltering start against New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium on October 4. India has won 55.56% of its World Cup matches and has a 50% record against Australia and New Zealand (played 4 and 2 wins each), four wins against Sri Lanka out of five and five wins against Pakistan from seven matches. Since only two advance to the knockout from the preliminary stage, India starts its campaign with a pressure match against New Zealand. India has not played a single Twenty20 international in Dubai, as is the case with Australia. But Pakistan and Sri Lanka have. India has played 36 matches since January 1, 2023 and lost 10 including the Asia Cup final to Sri Lanka.
Why are politicians these days making a beeline towards the corridors of power at the Mumbai Cricket Association? Nothing new to an association that has won the Ranji Trophy 42 times; barrister Sheshrao Wankhede was a politician, but he did not throw his weight around and bring party politics into the MCA’s daily affairs. The Stadium is named after him because of his role in the development of the Stadium in South Mumbai. Observers at the D Road venue in Churchgate say that Manohar Joshi (Shiv Sena); Sharad Pawar (NCP).and Vilasrao Deshmukh (Congress) — all Chief Ministers — and Ashish Shelar (BJP) did not play petty politics in cricket administration. Wankhede was from Nagpur, Pawar from Baramati, and Deshmukh from Latur, but though Joshi was born in Raigad, he was a ‘Mumbaikar’ residing in Shivaji Park and Shelar is known as a “Bandra Boy.” Dr Vijay Patil who was the President for one term belonged to a political family based in Navi Mumbai. Political parties made their presence in a big way at the MCA election of 2022 Jitendra Awhad of the NCP, Milind Narvekar, Nilesh Bhosle (SS-UBT) and Vihang Sarnaik (SS) — all got elected. Top of it all was Amol Kale — backed by Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP — who got elected as President. Politicians seen at the recent election for Secretary were Nana Patole (MPCC President), Ramdas Athawale (RPI and Union Minister) and Prasad Lad (BJP). Cricket gives politicians visibility, but the latest entrants (politicians) “have to contribute to Mumbai cricket’s legacy, not just win elections and occupy the seats”, says an insider!
Raja Randhir Singh may have triggered a fresh debate on whether administrators’ maximum tenure of 12 years is good for developing sport in India. India’s National Sports Development Code (NSDC) 2011 specifies terms, tenures, age, and cooling-off rules for sports federations. A five-time Olympian, several-time Asian Games participant in the Trap and Skeet shooting event, a gold and bronze medal winner has been an administrator for around four decades at the national and international sports bodies and is all set to become the 44th President of the Olympic Council of Asia wef September 8. In recent interactions, the 77-year-old former member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said that Yoga will become a medal sport from the 2030 Asian Games, but more significantly, he touched upon an essential aspect of the governance structure and strict rules. He believes more than 12 years is needed for administrators at the sports bodies. While the NSC stipulates a 12-year time restriction for national sports federations, the Justice Lodha Committee report that the Supreme Court has endorsed stipulates a maximum period of nine years together at the State and BCCI and with a cooling off period after six years that was initially three years. Being an experienced hand, Raja Randhir may have a point that will only get full support from the BCCI, but the Apex Council of the country believes that sports federations cannot be a fiefdom for an individual or group of people. The BCCI has been lucky to get relief from the Supreme Court on the cooling-off period restriction, but they may hope for further ease in restrictions. Given a chance, both the BCCI and the sports federations would like the cooling-off period and tenure restrictions, junked!
For the second time in three months, near about 380 member-voters of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) have been called upon to cast their vote for the high-profile position of Secretary, a post that needed to be constitutionally filled after Ajinkya Naik (Secretary) was elected President in July. There has not been a political drama preceding the election on September 3 and people are not even speculating whether Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is playing behind-the-scene role; he appears to have done before the election of the President following the untimely demise of his friend Amol Kale. Candidates believe that they need to have the backing of bigwigs across the political spectrum and in recent times Fadnavis’ name has surfaced more than any other. Abhay Hadap, one of the two candidates for the Secretary’s post, is banking on the goodwill he has gained following his work at maidan level for three decades and his rapport with the Secretary and officials of member clubs. Suraj Samat’s candidature proposed by Sachin Tendulkar has puzzled the cricketing fraternity in the city who feel that the legendary cricketer has been, hitherto, sagacious not to be on a particular side of the electoral process. Hadap and Samat were elected to the MCA Apex Council two years ago and were probably looking forward to hierarchical progress next year, but Kale’s death on June 10 left a vacuum providing an opportunity for the ambitious ones to try their strength and popularity. People in the MCA feel that the two ‘by-elections’ — for the President and Secretary doesn’t matter much, and that next year’s election for the Apex Council will see either the Mahayuti (NDA) or Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA- INDIA Bloc) call the shots.
Jay Shah, 35, would have weighed the beneficial options of taking the opportunity to become the youngest independent Chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Come November, the ICC which has grown in profile since the time Star Sports became its global media rights partner with a billion dollar support, will have a new face at the helm, and Shah — the son of India’s Home Minister Amit Shah — is tipped to replace New Zealand’s Greg Barclay, a legal person who took over from another legal person, India’s Shashank Manohar who also called time after two terms. Once he takes a call to leave the high profile position as Secretary, BCCI, and gets elected through the ICC’s electoral process, Shah will have nothing to do with the establishment in India as he is supposed to be “independent” with no strings attached to the BCCI. Since 2019, when the BCCI put in place a new governance structure in the form of 9-member Apex Council, Shah has been the face of the BCCI which had a former India captain Sourav Ganguly as its President. Ganguly was in the spotlight during his three year tenure. He did not get a second term though, neither did the BCCI show any interest to back him for the top position of the ICC. But Ganguly’s successor, Roger Binny, a 1983 World Cup winning star has kept a low profile leaving Shah to hog the limelight. Shah, who was chosen for the best sports administrator by Harsh Goenka’s Ceat Cricket Rating, has taken a number of welfare measures for the cricketers in India. He will leave a void should he assume office at the ICC unless he anoints a like-minded individual to run the BCCI.
Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are in the news again, but on the positive side of the spectrum. Not long ago, both appeared to be losing their way in the midst of a career that had opened up for one (Iyer) and on the cusp for the second (Kishan). Among the two, Iyer, the Mumbai batter was the one to feel the heat –– immediately after the second Test match of the home series against England. A fragile back nagged him to the extent of being left out of the last three Tests, but apart from this big setback, he was not given the central contract by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and not considered for the World T20 that India won defeating South Africa. Iyer was punished for missing out one Ranji Trophy match against Baroda in the quarter–finals. But he played his part in Mumbai’s 42nd Ranji Trophy win and led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to its third IPL title win. He was recalled for the three match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Kishan, upon his request, returned home from South Africa citing personal reasons. He remained absent from the BCCI’s domestic tournaments. But following a tough stance taken by the BCCI, both have chosen pathways in order to be in the national reckoning. The big question is when will they be inducted into the annual contract system that provides financial security to the cricketers? Kishan is in action for Jharkhand in the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai and a good show in the Duleep Trophy afterwards will keep him in the mind of the national selection committee. From a period of despondency, time has enabled Iyer and Kishan to gather their wits and look at their career with positivity, aplenty!
It was admirable the way an American told the international media what cricket is all about and the reason for the noble game to be included as a medal event at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. At the Main Press Centre at Palais De Congress in Paris on August 10, Casey Wasserman, Chairman and CEO of LA28 summed up the team game saying: “Cricket is what makes the sun rise and sun set daily.” India’s Squash players can hope to play at the LA28, but what enthused the spectacled American Wasserman — he must have got an idea of cricket seeing the recent ICC Men’s World T20 in New York and Florida — about cricket was the fact of more than one billion people following the game. One of the great cities in the USA, Los Angeles will offer three medals — gold, silver and bronze — to the winner of the Twenty20 competition, an event India would fancy winning the gold! On the penultimate day of the 33rd Summer Olympics in Paris, the organising committee of LA28 got an opportunity to make a presentation at the MPC where it said that over hundred people involved to plan and execute the games four years later are in Paris to watch how the French delivered its third modern Olympics and that the 34th games will be “Authentically Los Angeles”. With a humongous interest already existent in Los Angeles for cricket — with a large South Asian diaspora in the State of California — tickets will be sold out for matches featuring India and this fact is the reason that made Wasserman give a novel description to a sport that has not caught on with the American natives yet, but has the potential to become a hit, financially!
Life is a long-haul race. Those who stay on course win the ultimate accolade. A quitter never wins. So said the legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar in his book Sunny Days. Ask Rajiv Reddy. He will gladly vouch for these. Just back from the Olympics extravaganza in Paris, the indefatigable Reddy has retained the Squash Champion title in Masters’ category at the 80th National Squash Championship in Mumbai. Age has never been a factor for him. But Rajiv Reddy is all passion-driven. He had taken to the sport when he was 36 years old, just after he had become a member of the MCC in 1987. Since then, it has been a one jolly good ride for him. In 2000, he went on to win his first national championship title in the over-45 year category. Since then, titles came to him in rapid succession. In 2019, he won the title in the over 65-year category, instituted only that year at the championship. Age is a mere number, said Hema Malini once. An ever-fit Rajiv Reddy, who sports a permanently friendly countenance, is an age-defying sport personality. If his enthusiasm is anything to go by, this ever-green sports person has an unalloyed propensity to ever stay wedded to the game of Squash. A player, referee, coach and what not, Rajiv Reddy is an all-encompassing sports personality. Staying in the game permanently is what makes him a role model for young ones in the sporting community.
An India-Pakistan rivalry has gained ground in track and field sport. It’s always been typecast in hockey and cricket, but on Thursday (Aug 8) at the Paris Olympics’ Stade De France that was packed, Pakistan’s Ashraf Nadeem created the big buzz by sending the spear to a distance of 92.97 metres that deflated the ideas of others in the fray. India’s champion thrower for eight years, Neeraj Chopra, who is used to winning gold medals, had to settle for the silver with a good effort of 89.45 metres. Nadeem has been challenging Neeraj in major international events, but did not find ways to upstage his Indian opponent with whom he enjoys a friendly relationship. But on an eventful day at the venue where the world’s leading athletes are flaunting their talent, the 27-year old from Pakistan made his rivals tremble in their boots with an Olympic record throw. He fouled the first throw and so did Neeraj. Nerves were playing havoc. But in the second Nadeem used his muscle power to deliver a sensational result. Neeraj responded with great calm, but his best was not good enough to enable him to win back to back gold medals having won the first one he had won in Tokyo. The two will get into a showdown in Tokyo in September 2025 at the World Athletics Championship. But as of now it’s time for Nadeem and Pakistan to celebrate for achieving glory at an Olympics after 40 years. Nadeem has thrown the javelin to a 90 plus distance twice, Neeraj not even once. It was the 16th instance of a javelin thrower making the javelin travel to a distance of 92. 97 metres and the first Asian to get into the record books.
India’s promising shuttler Lakshya Sen lost out to Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in the bronze play-off at the Paris Games on Monday. Earlier, Sen chucked away a big chance to earn the tag of a giant killer! Sports offers opportunities of a lifetime to dethrone champions and the 22 year old could not have given a better gift to his mentors, Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar, by bringing down the defending Olympic men’s singles champion — Viktor Axelsen had won the men’s singles badminton title at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics — in the Paris 2024 semi-finals. Up 17-11 in the first game and 7-0 in the second, the young aspirant squandered openings to thrash the great Dane and bid for the gold. Nothing had prepared Axelson for an inspiring and incisive display by Sen; perhaps even Padukone and Kumar would have been surprised by their charge’s extraordinary stroke play bringing out the best from his repertoire. Sen had put it across two seeded players — Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie and Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen — to get into the semi-finals. When the other Indians could not rise above the mediocrity, Sen appeared like a shining star, all ready to conquer the World. The La Chapelle Arena was packed with the roaring India supporters and Sen had just done his part to encourage them to be full throated. Eventually he appeared to have lacked the killer instinct. Every minute after he offset the 0-3 deficit, he looked the part as a conqueror. But as they say in sport: He petered out, losing the grip on the semi-finals.
A lot more medal events are to be held at the 33rd Summer Olympics in the city that is famous for fads and trends and fine arts and historical monuments which is Paris, but pessimism has gripped again from an India perspective at the Quadrennial games. The gold and silver has eluded sportspersons showing their talent representing the tricolour. The three bronze medals from Manu Bhaker (2 in the pistol events), Sarabjot Singh (1 pistol event with Manu) and Swapnil Kusale (rifle event) have lifted the spirit and hope somewhat in the India camp. Ambition, apart from skill and character, drives the individual sportsperson, virtues that have been amply mirrored in achievers like Manu, Sarobjit and Swapnil; the others like PV Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and the women pugilists have not lacked it, but have come up short in their respective sport and event. India is still looking for an Abhinav Bindra (gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games) and Neeraj Chopra to win the most shining and valuable medal — the gold coloured. Neeraj will try his hardest in the javelin throw and Manu will have another medal shot in the 25 metre pistol competition and the men’s hockey team will go for broke in the playoffs, but overall it’s been lacklustre results in most of the sports. Asian giants China, Korea and Japan are in the top 10 of the leaderboard and will continue to impress. The Olympics will get tougher and tougher as the sportspersons prepare for the 34th Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028 where Twenty20 cricket will make its debut. But the question on the eighth day of Paris 2024 is: Will India be able to win a gold medal over the next nine days?
Is the Tamil Nadu government fixated on conducting a Formula 4 Night Streetcar race in Chennai? It should not, considering that an assurance was given in the high court that a proposed street event in December 2023 would not be held on the Island Grounds-Marina-War Memorial-Napier Bridge Road circuit for at least two years. But since the guarantee runs out in 2025, that year may well see the event being organised in the city at the cost of rearranging road traffic for days on end. Chennai, unlike Monaco or Singapore, may not be best suited to making busy roads into a race track for the mild enthusiasm of a few diehard fans who may love the sound of screaming race engines. It is the Opposition leader and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami who threw light on the government’s plans to go ahead with the road race as he saw letters written to industrial houses to support the event. The plan for the formula race had created a controversy when a YouTuber, now in jail, alleged that a Tamil actress having a home in Dubai was associated with the racing circuit companies and was behind the event coming to Chennai. It is clear young ministers in the cabinet seem committed to this tamasha just to please a filmy friend. They can expect severe strictures from the court if ever they solidify plans to run fast cars around the Beach Road.
Fairy tale or a dream come true, Manu Bhaker became part of India’s shooting sport’s folklore when she cracked the Olympic code by winning the bronze medal in the 10-metre air pistol event. Just 22, Manu’s performance, like the rest of the others, had fizzled out three years ago in Tokyo. India had fielded the most robust shooting contingent when the Olympics – because of the coronavirus pandemic was pushed back by a year – was held in the Japanese capital. Manu has been the most talked about shooter debated among the fraternity – all about her talent after winning the Youth Olympics at the age of 16. Thereafter, she won many medals but was disappointed that she could not rise to the occasion in Tokyo. As Anjali Bhagwat, once the face of India’s shooting sport in the women’s ranks, said: “Manu was amazingly focused right from the qualification stage and in the final. She held her nerves, she got great scores!”. Manu comes from Jhajjar in Haryana and has given an impetus for the sport after two disappointing Olympics for India at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 when none of its shooters could muster all their strength and demonstrate skill to win a medal, especially after Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won a bronze medal in double trap at Athene 2004, Abhinav Bindra won the gold medal in the 10 m air rifle in Beijing, and Vijay Kumar and Gagan Narang clinched the silver medal and bronze medal in the 25 m pistol and 10 m air rifle in London. Manu brought happiness on the second day of the Olympics at Paris 2024, an achievement that should inspire the others to become medal hopes and win too!
On Friday (July 26) morning the local metro railway staff in uniform stepped into the train at some stations after the automatic doors opened and asked the commuters to alight declaring that the service was terminated because of unspecified issues and requested the regular travellers and visitors to find alternative ways to reach their destination. Paris, the fashion capital of the world, awoke to the news of unpleasant incidents hours before the inauguration of the 33rd Summer Olympics, the city’s third Summer Game, but the first after World War II. France, which was all set to put up a grand show on the Seine River, positioned thousands of police across the city served by a fantastic railway, tram and bus network to assure its citizens and tourists that all was in control. After the twilight hours, the Seine River came alive with a show that mirrored its ethos and culture to the 10500 athletes who sailed on the waterbody and to millions of television audiences. It was quite riveting; the opening ceremony itself being held outdoors for the first time in the history of the summer Olympics. The security apparatus will be in full force and alert over the next weeks for the smooth conduct of the games at venues scattered across the city. The opening ceremony has been described as “ground breaking” by the IOC with President Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte receiving world leaders at the Elysee Palace. From July 26 to August 11, the Elite Athletes of the world will take the centre stage with the ultimate aim of winning a medal, with their minds not affected by any security concerns.
With the Summer Olympics in Paris a few days away, the focus, from the Indian point of view, is on a handful of individuals and the men’s hockey team upon which interest never diminishes. After lacklustre performances in the quadrennial Olympics for 41 years, the men’s team won the bronze medal in field hockey at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, but put off to 2021 because of the pandemic. Apart from the men’s hockey team’s fortunes which has oscillated like a pendulum, much to the chagrin of the game’s die-hard fans, attention has riveted on the likes of the undisputed queen of badminton, PV Sindhu and the track and field super star, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. Sindhu’s form has slipped significantly in the last year, but she has countless supporters who believe that a big stage like the Olympics could see her rise to the occasion. Chopra seems to be on another planet though, startling the athletics world with consistent displays in the last eight years. The armyman from Sonepat has won everything that has been before him and hence the expectations are high — for him to win the gold medal in Paris; he had won the gold medal for the first time in Tokyo. There is also much hope on the men’s doubles pair in Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and from the rifle shooters. In all 117 Indian athletes will be in action in the French capital. For a long time winning the men’s hockey gold was deemed as the ultimate victory, but these days the name that’s in everybody’s lips is Chopra, Neeraj Chopra! He will get a chance to defend the gold he clinched in Japan, three summers ago.
There is a time-honoured adage in cricket that says, “Catches win matches.” In Suryakumar Yadav’s case, the golden rule of the game can be modified to read, “Catches win captaincy,” too! No one, least of all the national selection committee, can erase from their memory the stunt-show-like catch that Yadav converted to bring to nought the big straight blow of South African left-hander David Miller in the tense moments of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final at Bridgetown, Barbados on June 29. Less than a month after he demonstrated his athleticism, commitment and situational awareness to win the title for India’s men in blue, the decision-makers of Indian cricket have awarded him with the national team’s Twenty20 captaincy; it was not just the game-changing catch that impressed the selectors. Whoever brainstormed with them – his ability to maintain equanimity and not leave his foot on the pedal as captain of the Indian team on seven previous occasions must have also weighed in. As captain, he has made 300 runs off 182 balls with a century (an exact 100 off 56 balls with 7 x 4s and 8 x 6s) against South Africa at the Wanderers in December 2023. He has played in 68 Twenty20 internationals, scored 2340 runs, and featured in 51 wins, five as captain. In over three years, Yadav’s unique style of eruptive batting has made him India’s top-notch Twenty20 brand, even amid stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He has taken 45 catches, fourth behind Sharma, Kohli, and Hardik Pandya. The soon-to-be 34-year-old Yadav has not made the ODI team cut, though. It’s unlikely he will get the nod for Test cricket. Yadav has the top job ahead of Pandya, and his tenure will now be in his hands.
Why the high profile Prasad Lad did not file a nomination for the election to the post of president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) remains a mystery. The 53-year-old MLC of the BJP, who could pull strings with the state deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, announced that he would “100 %” file nomination, but according to the grapevine, was stopped from “entering the fray” upon instructions from the party bosses in New Delhi. What gives credence to this development is that another BJP big shot, Ashish Shelar — the Bandra boy is the president of Mumbai BJP — had already named the MCA vice-president Sanjay Naik as a potential successor to Amol Kale, who passed away in New York on June 10. Shelar pointed out at Kale’s condolence meeting that Sanjay had sportingly withdrawn in favour of Kale in the MCA election of October 2022. With Kale — who owed his position in the MCA to Fadnavis — at the helm, Lad could not have considered seriously engaging with the association. Lad’s backtracking will likely see the incumbent secretary, Ajinkya Naik, lock horns with the incumbent vice-president, Sanjay. Looks like they are daggers drawn and ready for the big fight! Should there be no withdrawal on July 16, the election will occur on July 23. The loser will retain his position, though (as secretary or vice-president), so both could get a toe-hold some 15 months before next year’s election to the full Apex Council. Lad may throw his hat in the ring next year if the BJP-Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde and NCP of Ajit Pawar win the assembly elections in October-November.
Finally, what was doing the rounds on the grapevine has been confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that Gautam Gambhir will take over the mantle of Head Coach of the Indian cricket team from Rahul Dravid. The BCCI has not mentioned the time span, but it is assumed that Gambhir will be around for a few years. The former India opener, dour but doughty, was part of the Indian team that won the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa and the 2011 ICC World Cup in India. Gambhir’s priority will be to shape the national team for the ICC World Test championship title that eluded Virat Kohli, and Ravi Shastri and Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid. Apart from playing Bangladesh and New Zealand in a home Test series, India will face two formidable teams in Australia and England, involving five Tests each, both being away series. Thanks to the remarkable display by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, India was able to show its mettle in these countries in the recent past. Gambhir will start with a white ball series in Sri Lanka this month without some of the key players. What’s of much interest is whether the BCCI will change the full support staff; Gambhir would like to have men of his choice but the players may have a different take on the matter. Gambhir turned out to be a successful mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Tata IPL 17, an outcome that hastened his appointment as Head Coach of the Indian team.
Mumbai and Maharashtra’s Chirag Shetty may have stirred the hornet’s nest by telling the Government of Maharashtra to look at the achievements of sportspersons of the State in Olympic sport and reward them, just as they do for cricketers. He was only refreshing the people in authority that he, too, as a son of the soil, had helped India win the ultimate prize in badminton — the seven-plus decade-old Thomas Cup in 2022. A doubles specialist — his partner being Satwiksairaj Rankireddy from Telangana — Chirag had played his part in the historic win. The young shuttlecock player made a timely appeal soon after the Government of Maharashtra feted the Mumbai players and support staff of the Indian team that won the Twenty20 World Cup in Barbados on June 29 with a cash award of Rs 11 crore. Former India player and coach Uday Pawar has hit the nail on its head, saying that a mechanism in place for winning World Cup level competitions would straightaway reward sportspersons and that achievers like Chirag can focus on their sport. Chirag, along with his partner, are among the top doubles pairs in the World, and the badminton community in India is fondly hoping for a medal from the doubles pair in the forthcoming Summer Olympics in Paris. On the count of sweat and toil, Chirag is no less than any other champion performer. Chirag doesn’t grudge the cricketers being applauded before the lawmakers in the Vidan Sabhan, and most importantly, he is only asking the likes of Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar to pat achievers in other sports on their back and be generous on money matters.
Members of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) are peeved by the gall shown by their own ilk to prop up individuals — for the post of President — who have no connection with the rich tapestry of Mumbai cricket. Political class thrust upon the association as President is nothing new, a handful of them — Sheshrao Wankhede was one — have done good things for the association. That the association has been helmed by politicians for a long period of time is an indictment of the general profile of the association that seems to lack dynamism to lead and rise above the partisan. The time is upon the MCA to choose someone from within as President to fill the vacancy caused by the untimely demise of Amol Kale. It is virtually impossible in the prevailing circumstances to keep the vested interests with political heft at bay, especially with the BCCI disbursing around Rs 100 crore from the previous fiscal. Members of the MCA should be proud that they belong to an institution that has won the national title — the Ranji Trophy — 42 times and delivered world class cricketers to the national team. So a correction course taken at the next election of the President a couple of weeks from now will go a long way in setting the house in order, by giving strength to people who have worked for the association, know the ropes and not allow strangers to usurp positions. Their motto should be to put such undeserving and power-seeking people in their place. The time is upon the 300 plus members and cricketers with a right to vote, to demonstrate common sense and a good deal of guts!
The BCCI’s announcement of a cash prize of Rs. 125 crore to the Indian team — the support staff included, and the national selection committee members too – for winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Barbados has not surprised anyone. Thirteen years ago, the World Cup-winning Indian team was given Rs 30 crore, with each of the 15 players getting Rs 2 crore after a request was made by a player to increase the sum from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore because 30% plus will go towards income tax. After 11 years, each playing member could get Rs 5 crore or a little more for winning an ICC title. Last November, the Indian team was trounced by Australia in the World Cup (50 overs) final in Ahmedabad, but Rohit Sharma, who had a significant say in team selection, especially on the matter of taking four spinners (Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal), showed the way with his leadership and with the bat — going hell for leather at all times. The BCCI Secretary Jay Shah did not waste time declaring the cash award, but there was a clear message: Win the big prize, the ICC signature events and reap the rewards. It was a fabulous achievement for the Sharma-led Indian team. But it must be said that a bit of providence – in naming Sharma as the captain after Hardik Pandya was laid low by a lower limb injury in the World Cup match against Bangladesh in Pune – allowed India to field an experienced team for the competition held in the USA and Caribbean.
Why two left-arm spinners? Why not a right-hand off-spinner… was the question raised by the cricket fan and even some experts when the team was announced. The team’s think tank had convinced the national selection committee that though Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are like spinners, the wiry Patel was sort of a most valuable player with splendid skills in bowling, batting and fielding and that he had to be on board. Patel was India’s best left-arm spinner in the two years, starting from 2022, and no way was he not going to be travelling to the USA and West Indies for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav may have bagged plenty of wickets, but Patel has quietly chipped in with eight scalps at 15.50 and with a strike rate of a wicket for every two point some overs. He has played the supporting cast role exceptionally well; it was his three strikes against England that, in a way, paved the way for India to call the shots after posting 171 on the board in the semi-final. The Nadiad-born Patel converted a miraculous catch of Australian captain Mitchell Marsh: his spectacular effort in the deep just about demonstrated his commitment to the game. An injury suffered during the Asia Cup last September kept him out of the World Cup in India. The decision-makers kept faith in him, and the results are there. Patel has been the cynosure of all eyes in the Twenty20 tournament. He has sent down 108 balls for eight wickets as against Jadeja’s 78 balls for one wicket.
Cricketers and teams do not talk about taking revenge these days; otherwise, the faithful would have been tempted to describe India’s facile win against Australia in the Super-8 clash of the ICC Men’s T20 competition at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, as an act of revenge! Only six months ago, Australia outwitted Rohit Sharma and his band of men in blue to win the ICC 50 over World Cup in the final in Ahmedabad. The Sharma supporters would be thrilled that the India captain blasted the Australian bowling to smithereens to make a match-winning 41-ball 92 against the likes of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Following the defeat, Australia under tremendous pressure, fell by the wayside against Afghanistan and bowed out of the tournament with the very ambitious South Asian team putting it across Bangladesh. With a clean slate, not going down in a single match five, India faces England in the semi-finals, a repeat of the 2022 semis in Adelaide; and on that occasion, England thrashed India by 10 wickets. The match at Clive Lloyd’s Guyana can turn out to be another high-voltage showboat of the T20 World Cup. The England batters, most of them of the explosive type, will go after the India bowling. It has to be seen if Sharma’s main weapon, Jasprit Bumrah, who had successful outings against Ben Stokes’s team in the home Test series, will rise to the occasion once again. With Australia out of the way, any team is capable of turning the cricket world upside down!
Has Gautam Gambhir – foreseen to take the mantle of Head Coach of the Indian team from Rahul Dravid post the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup — been given his due for India’s 2011 World Cup title win? While the fans and the cricketing fraternity doffed their hat to a brave, heart-like knock played by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the stoical display by Gambhir after Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag’s early exit in the final against Sri Lanka has not been acclaimed enough. Yuvraj Singh’s all-round showing during the World Cup campaign has also been talked about off and on, but hardly Gambhir’s doughty 122-ball 97 in the final at the Wankhede Stadium. The Delhi left-hander kept India in the hunt for three hours and seven minutes and, in the course of it, forged an 83-run stand with Virat Kohli for the third wicket. Gambhir’s steadfast knock was the high point of India retrieving lost ground after the Lasith Malinga blows that ejected Sehwag and Tendulkar from the middle. Gambhir’s scores in the World Cup were 39, 51, 10, 28, 69, 22, 50, 27 and 97 for a tally of 393 in nine innings. He has scored 10324 runs for India in 242 matches/283 innings across the three formats and was part of the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup-winning Indian team. Gambhir has the credentials to play the role his predecessors like Dravid, Ravi Shastri, and Anil Kumble have done with great zeal. His return to play a proactive role in cricket upon quitting politics and showing the way for Kolkata Knight Riders to win its third IPL title has opened the door of the Indian team for him!
Even an in form batter – Virat Kohli- has been unable to find his feet in the ongoing ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup. The leading run-getter in the Twenty20 internationals before the start of the competition amassed 741 runs in 15 innings of the Tata-IPL_17, all as an opener, but in the three innings of the preliminary stage in New York, Kohli has been off-colour, making one run off five balls against Ireland, four off three balls against Pakistan and 0 off one ball against the USA. So he goes into the fourth match of the tournament – against Canada at Florida — facing a mere 10 balls and eager to get going before the start of the Super 8 stage phase of the World Cup in the West Indies. He has hit one boundary shot at the 34000-capacity Nassau County Stadium that’s dismantled after India’s third straight match there. The team’s think tank’s call to pair Rohit Sharma and Kohli as openers – to find balance in the playing XI — has not worked well so far. The champion batter has scored 405 runs as an opener (from 12 innings, including the three at Nassau) with one century and two fifties, but 3076 runs at No 3 with 32 fifties at No 3. He has also batted at numbers 4,5 and 6, but one-drop is his most productive position. His single-digit scores in the World Cup are the fourth in a row, dismissed as he was for 0 by Afghanistan in Bengaluru in January 2024. Kohli has disappointed New York, and the Pakistan captain Babar Azam has dislodged him from the top spot in the game’s shortest form.
The untimely passing away of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) President Amol Kale, 47, following a cardiac arrest — hours after he saw the India-Pakistan ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup clash at the Nassau County ground in New York – could see heavyweights across parties come into play in a big way. Kale, a family friend of the Maharashtra State Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, defeated the 1983 World Cup star Sandeep Patil by 25 votes to become the MCA President in 2022. Right from the time of Seshrao Wankhede — who is credited with MCA breaking the umbilical cord with the Cricket Club of India (CCI) and bringing up its own stadium at `D’ Road, Churchgate fifty years ago — politicians like Shiv Sena’s Manohar Joshi, NCP’s Sharad Pawar, Congress’s Vilasrao Deshmukh and BJP’s Ashish Shelar have called the shots as MCA President. The trend of politicians occupying the top post was broken by Vijay Patil, whose father was aligned with the NCP, and Kale, a friend of Fadnavis from his younger days in Nagpur. Kale would have completed two three-year terms as vice president and president next year, but his sudden demise has caused a vacancy to be filled for 15 months. Vice-President Sanjay Naik will fill in as chair at official meetings for 45 days, by which time the MCA members, as per their Constitution, will have to elect a new President. Two years ago, the State government successfully pushed for the election of Kale. The million-dollar question now is: Will the BJP-Shiv Sena take a plunge into the high-stakes election scene or hand it on a platter to UBT Shiv Sena’s Milind Narvekar — an Apex Council member now — who is said to have good equations with one and all.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) began the fresh season 2024-2025 with a bang at the MCA’s Indoor Cricket facility at Bandra-Kurla Complex. And it pleased Milind Rege — whose heart and soul has been with Mumbai cricket for six decades as player, administrator, selector and advisor — no end. Sitting alongside the brilliant Mumbai stalwarts in Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shardul Thakur, Abhishek Nayar and Sarfaraz Khan, the former Mumbai all-rounder and captain Rege said the past is history and that he is looking forward to another bright and successful season during which the dressing rooms of different MCA teams — men and women and juniors and seniors — will have the running theme of “Home of the Champions”. Mumbai won the 42nd Ranji title three months ago, a performance that reflected teamwork of all concerned. Rege and Rahane thanked the MCA administration for its wholehearted support, in particular its President Amol Kale and the hands-on Secretary Ajinkya Naik. The season opener assembly — held three months in advance — enabled the cricketers to tell the 400 odd off season campers the importance of maintaining fitness in order to face challenges during the six month long season. The meeting was meant to happily convey to the boys and girls that MCA means serious business about its cricket, but with a great deal of passion. Soon the MCA will celebrate its golden jubilee of the Wankhede Stadium and what it can mull over is putting in place a museum which doesn’t seem to be taking off at all!
The most famous Indian ‘Kul-cha’, not of the tandoor variety, but derived from the first name of left-arm leg-spin-googly practitioner Kuldeep Yadav and the surname of conventional leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, can turn out to be quite handy for teams like Ireland, USA and Canada in the preliminary stage of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in the USA. They were India’s top dog pair from September 6, 2017, after the mauling of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja by the Pakistan batters in the Champions Trophy final (50 overs). The Kul-cha pair has taken 28 wickets in 15 innings, sending down 57 overs. Given a short shrift after 2018, Yadav played in nine matches in 2023 and took 14 wickets at 13.14. And Chahal’s 23 scalps in 2022 and nine in 2023 have compelled the decision-makers to plump for him for the ICC’s marquee event. Chahal has been a Twenty20 veteran, taking 98 wickets in eight years with an economy rate of 8.19, and Yadav has a collection of 59 scalps at an economy rate of 6.75. In the 2023 away series in the West Indies, Yadav took six wickets in four matches, and Chahal five wickets in as many matches, and with the Super 8 of the World Cup to be played in the West Indies, the team management took a logical call. They, together, did not feature in the previous four series against Ireland, South Africa, Australia and Afghanistan, adding to 14 matches. Chahal’s 18 wickets in the recent IPL tilted the scales in his favour juxtaposed against Ravi Bishnoi, unlucky to miss the bus, having taken 36 wickets for India in 24 matches since February 2022. Kul-cha will have to compete with another successful Twenty20 practitioner though in left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who has taken 36 wickets from 2022 from 37 matches.
On the face of it, the Ireland hurdle in the first group match of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in New York should not cause much anxiety to the Indian team. Yet, India has to make a bright start and get the winning points against a competitor from the British Isles. England and Scotland are not in the group India is in. Ireland has played 166 Twenty20 internationals in 16 years and has won 72 and lost 86 with the other eight matches being tied (1) abandoned (3) or not producing a result (4). It has never got the better of India in seven outings from 2009. The most recent clash between the two teams happened in August 2023 that actually marked Jasprit Bumrah’s return to mainstream cricket after a long injury related break. In fact Bumrah was the captain of the team that won by two runs (adjusted target in a rain affected match) and 33 runs. Prasidh Krishna, Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar were part of the bowling attack then, apart from Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dubey. Ireland has beaten Bangladesh and Pakistan and hence are capable of causing an upset. Whatever may be the conditions in New York on June 5, Rohit Sharma’s team has to win two points before the big clash against Pakistan on June 9. India’s other two matches are against USA and Canada.
Gautam Gambhir is hogging all the limelight mentoring Shah Rukh Khan’s IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, into the final of the World’s most acclaimed Twenty20 league for the third time. The former Delhi left-hander, who played pivotal in India’s splendid 2011 ICC World Cup win against Sri Lanka in the final at the Wankhede Stadium, led KKR to IPL title triumphs in 2012 and 2014. So it is happy tidings for KKR, which has entered the title match in grand style, disposing of Rajasthan Royals in the qualifier 1 in Mumbai. While Gambhir deserves all the accolades, the team’s Chief Coach, Chandrakant Pandit, has, without making all the noise, guided the team’s Indian component and also shared knowledge with the overseas players. After playing, Pandit plunged into coaching; having learned the art of leadership and coaching from the former Mafatlal and Mumbai captain Ashok Mankad. Likeable but tough, Pandit has shown cricketers from Mumbai, Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh how to play a long multiple-day Ranji Trophy league and win the title. He has also coached the teams of Maharashtra and Kerala. Last year, KKR finished seventh in the league, but this season, it has stunned one and all, topping the leaderboard and winning the first playoff with Shreyas Iyer at the helm. Pandit is 62 and cannot even think of a role with India’s national team. But the smart cricketer raised in the Mumbai maidans and in the Mumbai dressing room filled with legends of Indian cricket would be a happy man. Winning the title on Sunday (May 26) will make him doubly happy and bring joy to his dear and near ones.
Like his eye-pleasing straight drives, among other copybook strokes, Sunil Gavaskar has warmed the cockles of many a heart over nine years and seven gatherings by throwing a party to his friends, acquaintances, and cricketers from his school and club days. Some were many, many years older than him, like former Test cricketers Nari Contractor, Chandu Borde, and Chandu Patankar. A superb all-rounder in his days, Borde, 89, came from Pune accompanied by Raju Metha of Sunny’s Sports. Patankar – one of the great Col. CK Nayudu’s favourites — is 93, and Nari Contractor, 90, a resident of South Mumbai, drew much of the attention. So did Chandu Joshi,92, Rajasthan’s leggie of the past and excellent standing, making the road trip Pune-Mumbai-Pune for seven hours and in between spending a breezy four hours at the bash where everyone was trying hard to, as they say, “paint the town red.” The little master shuffled towards the golden gang and welcomed them with a delightful: “Ah, here are the youngsters” as the “Indus Club” chatter at BKC Mumbai began to raise its decibel level. Everyone would agree with SMG’s Instagram post that a handful, most notably Tukaram Surve and Avinash Karnik, were missed. The much looked forward “SMG Party” had the charming presence of many Bombay and Mumbai boys, including Sachin Tendulkar, Ajit Agarkar, Sandip Patil, Milind Rege and Abdul Ismail. Three times each at the MCA- BKC and the Indus Club and once at the Cricket Club of India…where next, Mr Gavaskar! Only Anil Joshi can tell us all, come next year.
If Rohit Sharma is unhappy at Mumbai Indians, a team with whose success in the IPL he was involved with on five occasions, he may have just been given a valuable escape route. A blank cheque for the transfer as well as captaincy of the SunRisers Hyderabad are on offer from the owners, it is learnt. Hyderabad is a city Rohit is familiar with as he was originally a Deccan Chargers pick in the early IPL seasons when once he famously met a 21-run target in the final over to win a game for his then home team. The transfer of Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans was the talk of IPL Season 17 and he was brought over by Nita Ambani who, in tandem with her son Anant, is in charge of the popular franchise Mumbai Indians. But so disruptive was the Pandya influence on the season that many established MI stars might be thinking of transferring out and are scouting for offers. There are some who are also waiting to put their names when the mega auction comes along. It is Kavya Maran’s carte blanche offer for Rohit that is the most interesting among options ahead of Rohit who was first in a winning IPL team in 2009 when he was with Deccan Chargers. His decision is keenly awaited by the Marans.
The head-hunting process — to find a suitable boy for the exalted position of head coach of the Indian cricket team across the three formats — has begun. Perhaps for the first time in 10 years, the opportunity for an overseas talent has presented itself. The BCCI has invited applications for the same, with a closing date of May 27. Not anybody and everybody can apply for a job that entails expectations around skill sets, man management and a lot more. The BCCI is not yet inclined to employ independent coaches for the conventional Test or white-ball formats. It has been a decade or so since the national team has been working under three home-grown coaches – all distinguished former India cricketers Ravi Shastri, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid. The question that Indian cricket would be faced with — assuming that Dravid has made up his mind to bid adieu to the position he holds now – is whether the BCCI is ready to look at overseas options. The national team has not had issues with Shastri and Dravid, but the surmise is that Kumble was forced out because of one or two stalwarts not liking his style of functioning. John Wright, Greg Chappell, Gary Kirsten and Duncan Fletcher had their time with the Indian team, and among the four, only Chappell’s ways did not go down well with a few senior players. The money for the job will be tempting and the Indian talent would not mind spending 10 months away from home for three years, but an overseas talent will think hard.
While the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Koli has been pilloried for his alleged slow scoring in the Tata-IPl-17, he has a scoring rate of 9. 31 for a tally of 661 runs in 13 matches which gives him the pride of place as the leading Indian opener in the 10-team league. The three overseas openers who have a superior scoring rate are Australian left-hander and Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Travis Head (11 matches, 533, 12.11), Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) Sunil Narine (12 matches, 461, 10.98) and England and KKR opener Phil Salt (12 matches, 435 runs, 10.97). Kohli has one more match, wins it for his side and places it in contention for a playoff berth. Kohli has hit one century and five half-centuries this season and is the holder of the Orange Cap for being the highest run-getter. Travis Head, Chennai Super Kings’ captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, and a few more are in the running to displace Kohli for the Orange Cap. Kohli’s scoring rate in 242 IPL innings is 7.91, and as an opener, it is 8.29. Kohli is going through a remarkable phase in the League; his scoring rate of 9.31 is the best across all batting positions since the start in 2008. In 109 innings for India, his scoring rate is 8.29, which has gotten him into the all-time top 15 batters in the world. No wonder Chairman of the Selection Committee Ajit Agarkar said they don’t talk about Kohli’s scoring rate in Twenty20 matches or otherwise!
The visuals from the cricket stadium in Uppal, Secunderabad, where the home team Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Lucknow SuperGiants hollow, conveyed anything but warmth between the owner of the Lucknow team, Sanjiv Goenka and the team captain, KL Rahul. The boundary line episode for a few minutes mirrored Goenka’s disappointment at the team going down without a fight – LSG lost the match by 10 wickets to the Sunrisers — and allegedly getting into a stern talk with Rahul who has been going through difficult times, even not considered by the selection committee and team management for the ICC Men’s World Twenty20 in the USA and West Indies. The injury to express fast bowler Mayanak Yadav has largely made the LSG bowling department without firepower, resulting in the team winning only half of the 12 matches it has played. With two more matches to be played against the playoff hopeful, Delhi Capitals, and the down and out Mumbai Indians, the Rahul-led team can still qualify for the knock-out part of the Tata-IPL-17. Rahul has played 197 matches for India across formats. The cricket fan has never seen the courteous cricketer being given a public dressing down by the BCCI officials or the captains and coaches he has played under. Only three people were in the visual – Goenka, Rahul and an LSG support staff – and one could not lip-read what a seemingly worked up Goenka was telling Rahul, but it certainly did not make a pleasant picture!
Rinku Singh has awe-inspiring numbers in 15 Twenty20 internationals for the men in blue. The numbers are: 11 innings, seven times not out, 356 runs, balls faced 202, average of 89, highest score of 69 not out, 2 x 50s, scoring rate of 10.57 an over, 20 x 6s, 31x 4s and seven catches. He has not bowled a single over. He has featured in 11 wins against Ireland, Nepal, Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa and Afghanistan. In comparison, Shivam Dube — almost four years older than the Uttar Pradesh and Kolkata Knight Riders left-hander– has played 21 Twenty20 internationals, 14 innings, seven times not out, 276 runs from 190 balls, scoring rate 8.72, 15 x6s, 19x 4s, 11 catches and he has taken eight wickets bowling 36.3 overs. He has featured in 14 wins against Bangladesh, West Indies, New Zealand, Ireland, Nepal and Afghanistan. It has to be construed that skipper Rohit Sharma would have preferred Dube to Rinku because, as he revealed at a media interaction, he will use him as a bowler when necessary. Sharma and the selectors also preferred a second left-arm spinner, Axar Patel (an injury forced him out of the 50-over World Cup), because he has been India’s leading spinner, playing 37 matches since January 2022. He has taken 36 wickets at an economy rate of 7.54. He also scored 282 runs. It’s just that Sharma chose an additional left-arm finger spinner (in addition to Ravindra Jadeja) apart from two wrist spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. Rinku – a travelling reserve now – was plain unlucky not to make the cut for the ICC event in the USA and West Indies.
Ajit Agarkar looks far from stressed when it comes to selecting Indian teams. The 46-year-old who took 349 wickets across formats for India as an attacking seamer, looks lean and mean and fit enough to compete even today with the red and white ball. The chairman of the BCCI’s senior national selection committee since July 2023, the former Mumbai and India all-rounder who fashioned India’s spectacular victory against Australia in the Adelaide Test of 2003 with an incisive spell of 6 for 41 in the second innings and who can brag about of Lord’s century against England in 2002 articulated at a press conference on Thursday (May 2) that his committee, more or less aligned itself with the needs of the captain Rohit Sharma for the ICC Men’s World Twenty20 in the USA and Caribbean Islands. Agarkar made it plain and simple that his committee picked a 15-member Indian team and not an IPL-2024-XV. Even the selection of Sanju Samson when juxtaposed against KL Rahul (for the second stumper’s slot) was based on the six hitting prowess of the Keralite, and the boundary shots he hit in the ongoing IPL only selection in his favour. Similarly, Shivam Dube’s unbeaten knocks of 60 and 63 in the last series against Afghanistan, followed by his long-lever hitting in the Tata-IPL-17 ensured his selection for the first-time bash under the American sky. Without having to say so by either Agarkar or the captain Rohit Sharma, the rest of the team has been picked on the runs and wickets when turning out for the men in blue team.
Once the news broke out that Hardik Pandya was set to return to the Mumbai Indians for the ongoing Tata-IPL Season 17, he has been the hot topic of conversations. The India all rounder has also been the butt of criticism for his dismal show in the league, but numbers — 197 runs at a high scoring rate of 11 an over and six wickets at 42.17 after 10 matches puts him among the top six all rounders in the league. The selectors were satisfied with his fitness after his recovery from an ankle injury of his landing foot, and the fact that he sent down 23 overs also could not be ignored, although they would have liked to see him more proactive with the ball. What the selectors considered it necessary to look at was his display with the bat (359 runs in 19 Twenty20 internationals) and ball (19 wickets at 21.11) after the last Twenty20 World Cup in Australia. Pandya’s overall record in Twenty20 internationals is 1348 runs and 73 wickets with a strike rate of 19.63. Moreover, he is a classy fielder and has led India in 16 matches with a success percentage 62.50. So it was his performance for the Men in Blue that gave weightage to his choice as a player and vice -captain for the Twenty20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies. Had he not gone down with the ankle injury in the World Cup match against Bangladesh last October, Pandya, a game-changer, would have probably been the team’s captain.
Indian cricket, nay the BCCI’s selection committee, will do a Beau Geste (beautiful gesture) to both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli by picking them for the ICC Men’s World Twenty20 in the USA and Caribbean. Perhaps Ravindra Jadeja, too. While the two batters are the top two run-getters in the Twenty20 format in the world, their appearance for India since India’s last World Twenty20 match against England in Adelaide on November 10, 2022, has been a little something; after a gap of 14 months, Sharma played the three-match series against Afghanistan (0,0, 121), and Kohli played two against Afghanistan (29,0). Jadeja has played in two matches since August 2022, missing many because of injury. With Hardik Pandya going down in the home 50-over World Cup last year, the selectors returned to the old war horses Sharma and Kohli. With Hardik being made the India Twenty20 captain in January 2022, Sharma and Kohli did not fit into the Twenty20 scheme of things. But the ankle-related injury to Hardik in the World Cup match against Bangladesh in Pune paved the way for Sharma and Kohli’s recall. After the semi-final exit in 2022, India has played 28 Twenty20 internationals and the leading batters have been Suryakumar Yadav (857 runs), Yashasvi Jaiswal (502), Ruturaj Gaikwad (365), Rinku Singh (356), Shubman Gill (339), Tilak Varma (336), Ishan Kishan (253) and Hardik (231). The leading wicket-takers have been Arshdeep Singh (33 wickets), Ravi Bishnoi (20), Axar Patel (15), Kuldeep Yadav (15), Mukesh Kumar (12), Hardik and Yuzvendra Chahal (11 each). In a few days, the India squad will be announced for the World Twenty20, and we will know whether performance in the IPL counts!
If the BCCI’s national selection committee apply the performance in the Tata-IPL-17 as the yardstick, then Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan should be the top choice opening pair for the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean starting in June. Sharma and Kishan have made 332 runs in eight matches with one century, and the three 50-plus stands for the first wicket partnership, the best by miles by an Indian opening pair in the ongoing IPL. Mumbai Indians are going through a rough ride in the league this season, but Sharma and Kishan have given roaring starts in the first six over power play. Sharma and KL Rahul are India’s best, with 1412 runs in 34 matches, and Sharma and Kishan have opened in six games. Kohli has scored 3076 of his 4037 at No 3 with 32 x 50 plus knocks, and hence, India should look at him at the one drop position. Kohli, Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kishan are some openers who have been in good nick in the IPL. Sharma with Kishan (also a wicketkeeper) and Jaiswal fit nicely as a right-left combination. Moreover, Jaiswal has played 16 Twenty20 internationals and scored 502 runs with one century and four half-centuries. And so it should be either Jaiswal or Kishan with Sharma as the opening pair and not Sharma and Kohli. Numbers do not support Kohli to be picked as an opener.
Sunil Gavaskar is a big draw wherever he goes in India and abroad; thanks to his splendid deeds with bat right from the debut series against the West Indies in 1971, he has a massive fan following across the cricketing world and beyond. In recognition of his yeoman service to cricket and other walks of life for half a century and more, the Bruhan Maharashtra Mandal (BMM) in the USA has chosen him for the Jeevan Puraskar, an award that will be conferred upon him at a four-day function in San Jose, California from June 27 to 30. The BMM represents 54 marathi organisations in North America. Apart from his achievements in the cricket field, he has been the face of Indian cricket via the media expert route. He is quietly doing charity work for a number of NGOs and other organisations especially for the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital. The BMM’s biennial event in California is likely to be attended by other personalities from India and people from Maharashtra who have settled in the USA. During the four-day social gathering Gavaskar will get a chance to interact with the local milieu, and the champion orator that he is, Gavaskar will regale the audience with his terrific wit in Marathi and English. Of course Gavaskar is likely to be in the USA for cricket’s major show there; for the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in New York and Florida — the two cities the Indian team will play in the group stage matches.
With a little over seven weeks left for the ICC Men’s World Twenty20 to start in New York for the men in the blue team, the BCCI’s senior selection committee ought to be anxious about the form demonstrated by its leading lights — barring the notable exception of Jasprit Bumrah — in the fast bowling department. Bumrah has been exceptional, imposing himself upon the batters with a high degree of consistency; turning out for the beleaguered Mumbai Indians, he even bagged his second five-for in the home match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In six Tata-IPL season 17 matches, Bumrah has bowled 24 overs for returns of 10 wickets at 14.60 apiece. But his partner, Mohammed Siraj, has sent down 22 overs in six matches for RCB and taken four wickets at a high cost of 57.25, numbers similar to the 2022 season when he took nine wickets at 57.11 in 15 matches. But in the IPL-16, he took 19 wickets at 19.74 in 15 matches, numbers reflecting the blow-hot, blow-cold nature of the shortest format. Khaleel Ahmed (Delhi Capitals), Mohit Sharma (Gujarat Titans), Arshdeep Singh (Punjab Kings), Harshal Patel (Punjab Kings), Umesh Yadav (Gujarat Titans), Yash Thakur (Lucknow SuperGiants) and a few more are in the list of wicket-takers (5-6 band). Lucknow Super Giant’s Mayank Yadav was sensational in two matches before a side strain rendered him out of action. Luckily, the selectors have a fortnight to name the initial squad for the big show in the USA and Caribbean. Of much interest will be the news of Yadav’s fitness.
A prize of $ 50000 each to the 48 gold medal winners of the Track and Field events at the Paris Summer Olympics in July –August 2024 may not be seen as a jackpot by the particular fraternity. Still, the sum is not pocket money either! It’s the sentiment that counts, and the World Athletics (WA) decision to disburse $ 2.4 million to the gold medallists in Paris — a portion of the revenue WA receives from the quadrennial Olympics — is a move that could trigger similar initiatives from other international sports federations. WA needs to be applauded, particularly its president, Sebastian Coe, a distinguished middle-distance runner who won gold medals at the Moscow (1980) and Los Angeles (1984) Olympics. India’s own Adille Sumariwalla, a sprinter-achiever, an Olympian and administrator (president of the Athletics Federation of India), was part of the WA decision as its Council member. The medal winners at the Olympics do not receive cash prize money, and hence, the WA decision would compensate the gold medal winners in a big way. The silver and bronze medal winners will likely get a cash prize from the WA but from the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. An Indian track and field athlete will receive Rs 41 lakh plus should they win a gold medal in Paris, and as of now, it looks as though only javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra can win the gold; he won at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
The last week in the Tata-IPL-17 has been all about the thrills and frills provided by a speed merchant who has made the cricket world sit up and take notice of him, and the fans have shown the appetite to see his explosive deeds, more and more. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fast bowler Mayank Yadav has awakened people and more significantly has not given peace of mind to the batters in the Twenty20 league; the speed he has generated consistently at 150 km plus, the lift of the pitch he has extracted and directed the white ball within the stumps, meaning accuracy, has been compelling action to watch. The 21-year-old from Delhi has been trigger-happy like, keen to cause the batters’ downfall in a jiffy. In two matches against Preity Zinta’s Punjab Kings and the United Spirits-owned Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mayank returned 3/27 and 3/14 and his fans were saying: Aur Bahut Kuch Baaki Hai. The IPL is a long way from the finishing line and the LSG skipper KL Rahul will deploy him in such a way to ensure his team’s entry into the playoffs. The million dollar question though is whether the BCCI’s selection committee with Ajit Agarkar in the chair will, without batting an eyelid, put him in action against Ireland and thereafter Pakistan and USA during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies in June. There is already a clamour for it!
Thanks to Reliance Industries, aka the Ambani family that own the IPL team, Mumbai Indians, and their constant endeavour to make the venue spectator-friendly, the Wankhede Stadium was not only a sea of blue for the first home match of Season 17 between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, but the 50-year-old stadium at D Road, Churchgate itself looked classy and grand with its branding team giving emphasis to the team’s luminous blue in elements inside and outside the stadium. MI has always made refreshing changes to its branding during the IPL matches depicting its entire team and bringing in themes like the “Mumbai Meri Jaan” theme song. The team symbol, Sudarshan Chakra is another striking part of the MI branding. The only disappointment for the “Mumbai Paltan” on Monday (April 1) was that their favourite team went down to Rajasthan Royals. The Jaipur franchise is making up a lot for Rajasthan’s dismal displays in the Ranji Trophy against Mumbai. The nearly full house stadium expressed its fondness for Rohit Sharma shouting “Rohit, Rohit, Rohit” and booing the new captain Hardik Pandya. But a big part of the crowd applauded Pandya’s bold, big and brave shots as he began the process of repairing the damage inflicted by left-arm seamer Trent Boult. The spectators had a good fill of the overall atmosphere and would be hoping for winning results in the forthcoming matches.
If the flavour of the Indian summer is the Tata-IPL-17, the fortunes of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are followed by a frenzy that is matchless! The team bought by India Cements for $ 90 million has been a 10-time finalist and 5-time winner, all under the stewardship of “Thalaiva” Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The 226-time captain of the team in 14 seasons (the team was suspended for two seasons), MSD — he passed on the captaincy mantle to Ruturaj Gaikwad before the start of the ongoing season — is still the league’s biggest draw. CSK in its “Manjal” (yellow in English) is known more for getting its nuts and bolts right when giving shape to the composition of the squad and the playing XI. CSK has made a roaring start to its campaign and looks like the team to beat for the title. The unprecedented 6th title is on the way is the refrain amongst its fans and with a number of breathtaking batters and match winners in its line up, and equally efficient bowlers accustomed to seeing through their side past the finishing line. CSK would like to clinch the trophy for its fans, Dhoni and team promoter N Srinivasan, who must have been disappointed that Tamil Nadu did not win the Ranji Trophy. Two wins on its home turf at the Chepauk against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans, in a most convincing manner, is just what the doctor ordered for its fans to get into the mood.
While a Mumbai cricket faithful would like to say “Shabash” to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for becoming the avant-gardist in Indian cricket by announcing a like-for-like match fee (if the BCCI fee is Re 1 we will top it up with an equivalent sum for each match day) to its Ranji Trophy cricketers from the next season (2024-2025), the 42-time winner of the national championship has not walked the extra mile; it has not put in place an annual retainer programme. The other members of the BCCI should take a leaf out of the MCA book that augments the first-class cricketers’ monetary resources from a single season; they cannot say they don’t have the money. Looking at a broader canvas, an annual retainer programme will be a most welcome development for hundreds of Ranji Trophy players. The borderline lot who warm the bench need more financial security/incentive. Every Ranji Trophy player in the country will doff his hat to the MCA which awarded a team bonus of Rs 5 crore to the Ajinkya Rahane-led team for winning the Ranji Trophy recently. The BCCI has loosened its purse strings and disbursed a substantial percentage to its members — Rs 100 crore or thereabout every fiscal is not small money. The performance (results achieved) of its team in the BCCI tournaments is a true and only reflection of its strength. So Messrs Amol Kale/Ajinkya Naik and the MCA Apex Council, you can take a step further now. The topping up of per day match fee could have been from the just concluded season too.
The $ 10 billion Indian Premier League (IPL) will get off the ground at the good old Chepauk on Friday (Mar 22). And it’s a no-brainer that attention will bolt down on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli who has not faced a ball in a competition after the second innings of the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town, which means he will be facing a Chennai Super Kings bowler in the Tata IPL-17 lung opener after a 77-day break from the game. Virat has played 237 matches (229 innings) and scored 7263 runs — the highest in the League — but he and his fans are yet to see RCB lift the trophy. Now the RCB men can only be second best to its women’s team that cracked the code to win the WPL! Last year, Virat (he doesn’t like being hailed as King Kohli) scored 639 runs with 2x100s. The champion batter has shown loyalty to the franchise bought in 2008 for $ 111.6 million, owned by United Spirits Ltd, a Diageo Group company. The cricketing world, especially India’s selection committee chaired by Ajit Agarkar, captain Rohit Sharma and Head Coach Rahul Dravid will be keen to see how Virat shapes up in the league. Virat is a big brand which will be present at the ICC Men’s Twenty 20 to be exhibited in New York, Florida and Texas, apart from Caribbean venues. The interest will be around how the champion is hitting the ball!
Is the Rohit Sharma-Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians) captaincy saga sticking out like a sore thumb? On the face of it, the answer is a definite yes. From what Hardik said at an IPL pre-season interaction with the media it appears that they have not said “Hi buddy” to each other for a long time. MI is a five-time winner of the IPL and the owners — the Ambanis of the RIL — want more silverware in their cupboard. All action happened in November last when the IPL confirmed the trade-off between MI and Gujarat Titans and, subsequently Hardik was named the captain. Rohit was dislodged after a 163-match run (158 in IPL and 5 in the 2013 Champions League) as captain with five IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 and one CL20 title in 2013 and this change of guard made the Rohit bandwagon squeal against Hardik. All said and done Hardik (92 matches for MI) crippled with an ankle injury for a few months, is the MI chieftain and he will be his own man. He said, “he (Rohit) will always be there to help me out if I need his help.” Hardik has led the Gujarat Titans to a title win in 2022 and only CSK’s Ravindra Jadeja stopped him from a repeat in 2023. Hardik has a near 71 % win record for the Titans (22 wins from 31). He has had lower back and ankle injury issues for two years. Can he withstand the 14-match league run from March 24 when MI and GT lock horns at the Narendra Modi Stadium?
The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) annual retainer or contract was introduced with the primary intention of providing financial security to the potential India players (Test and white ball) based on their performance in the preceding season (Oct-Sep). While the past (monthly gratis and medical cover) and present players have been receiving monetary assistance from the BCCI’s policy of looking after the welfare of a select group, women included, the reluctance on the part of the member associations to follow suit for its players who take part in the BCCI tournaments is most baffling. Recently the BCCI went a step further offering an incentive (match fee) to prioritise Test cricket /domestic first-class cricket. It’s seen as a most welcome move with a player capped in nine Tests from October to September getting Rs 5.4 crore (9 x Rs 60 lakh). The domestic players not on the BCCI’s retainer list need to be provided financial security by their State just as those who play for India. The BCCI members reportedly receive Rs 100 crore as annual subvention from the BCCI and hence they are in a position to frame a retainer policy and disburse a few crore for its players, mainly those who play the Ranji Trophy. If the BCCI truly believes that domestic cricket is important then it must tell its members to institute a retainer policy for its players. Immediately! Someone has to give it a start.
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Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack
It is the Third Anniversary of Short Post and as a news media startup launched during the Covid-19 pandemic it certainly feels better than good to find ourselves where we are today. Here, I must cite the unstinted support of our seasoned contributors, all senior editors in the country, who brought a great degree of maturity and sagacity to the Short Post newsroom. But for them, our tagline “Authentic Gossip”, an Oxymoron, would not have matured viably. Our user numbers may be small but our stories have created the desired impact among people who matter — decision makers and influencers. We offer a big punch in a small pack and Short Post with its 225-word stories has been punching above its weight category. Having posted close to 3,000 stories in the last 36 months, Short Post, I feel, is an idea whose time has come.
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If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
As I said last year, disruptions in the media world are moving at a fast and furious pace. Technology is playing a very big role in how content is generated and consumed. But, we are neither alarmed nor perturbed as it is all a part of the evolution process. What gives us comfort is that AI is unable to create original gossipy content. And that is the news arena where we have achieved a distinction.