Tag: India

Edges & Sledges (Episode 5): SandpaperGate and IPL 2018 Fantasy Cricket Preview

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With four days to go to IPL 2018, episode 5 of our weekly live cricket show “Edges & Sledges” is now online!

If you missed it live, you can watch the whole episode here on YouTube or if you like your cricket in podcast form you can listen to it on iTunes, Anchor or PocketCasts for Android. This week we cover:

  1. The aftermath of the ball tampering scandal and our views on the punishments handed out to Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft by Cricket Australia.
  2. The top players across all eight teams in the Indian Premier League – we discuss who we think will be key players in 2018’s re-jigged IPL teams and which team we think we will win the trophy. We also set out below a fuller list of the key players for your fantasy cricket teams.

Next Sunday (8 April), we will be live on Facebook again at 7:30 pm India Standard Time (i.e., in the innings break between the IPL double-header). Two matches of the IPL will have taken place by then and we will (technology-willing!) ask two fans of the returning Chennai SuperKings to join us on the show. We hope to speak to fans of all eight teams across the eight week IPL to get their views on their team’s chances and progress.

If you are an IPL fan and have something to say, leave us a comment. Remember to like our Facebook Page and subscribe to our podcast, YouTube Channel and email updates.

In the meantime, keep reading, watching and listening!

IPL 2018 – key players for your fantasy cricket teams

Delhi Daredevils

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South Africa v India: The Freedom Series Preview

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1992 – Kapil breaking orange(!) stumps to mankad Peter Kirsten upon South Africa’s return to international cricket.

1996 – Tendulkar’s off stump sent cart-wheeling by Allan Donald. 100 in the first innings in Durban, 66 in the second innings. Magic from Sachin and Azhar at Cape Town, ended only by a magical catch by Adam Bacher. Rahul Dravid’s maiden test ton at Johannesburg. The test series won by South Africa 2-0 after rain and bad light frustrated India’s hopes in Johannesburg. Donald swearing at Dravid and Tendulkar while they cart him around in the ODI tri-series final.

2001- Sehwag’s hundred on test debut. Charges of ball-tampering by Tendulkar and an unofficial test match.

2006- Sreesanth’s magical spell at Jo’burg. 2-1 to South Africa.

2011 – Tendulkar (146) v Steyn (5/75). Spell-binding cricket. Series drawn 1-1.

2013 – A near world record chase of 458 at Jo’burg. A six wicket haul by Steyn and a farewell hundred by Kallis helps the Saffers take the series 1-0.

After what felt like a million meaningless cricket matches against Sri Lanka, India has reached South Africa. And if you are feeling a mixture of dread and excitement, you are not alone. The first test of the Freedom Series begins at Newlands in Cape Town tomorrow – finally some competitive cricket! Read More …

India v Sri Lanka: The Kohli-coaster rolls on

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At the end of the first day’s play in Delhi, Kohli remained undefeated on 146. Three test matches against Sri Lanka have seen three contrasting tons from the Indian captain.

The first test at Eden Gardens saw Kohli get a ten-ball duck in the first innings. Walking in with Sri Lanka in the hunt for the win, Kohli’s second innings hundred on a spicy pitch swung the match decisively in India’s favour. One of his best efforts, one which nearly saw India pull off a famous come-from-behind win at the spiritual home of Indian cricket.

Kohli’s double hundred in Nagpur was pure efficiency after the Murali-Pujara show. He cut out risk and ground the Lankans into the dust without mercy. Read More …

Are you still watching India play cricket?

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After the Latham-Taylor show in Mumbai, India have drawn level in the ODI cricket series against New Zealand with a clinical performance in Pune. Bhuvaneshwar and Bumrah set the tone up front and batsman knocked off the runs with ease. 1-1 with one to play. Our prediction at the start of the series seems to be coming good at this point.

We, however, have an another (larger) question – do these matches have any context at all? With series flying thick and fast, hardly a weekend goes by without India featuring in a cricket match. Since the Champions Trophy 2017 in June, India have played almost non-stop.

  • Five days after defeat in the Champions Trophy final the Indian team was in the West Indies for five ODIs and a T20I.
  • Two weeks after returning from the Caribbean, they were in Sri Lanka for three tests, five ODIs and a T20I.
  • Ten days after returning triumphant from Sri Lanka, India were playing their old nemesis Australia in five ODIs and three T20Is.
  • A week after Australia, the New Zealand series started.
  • Ten days after the end of the New Zealand series, India plays Sri Lanka again in three tests, three ODIs and one more T20. You might ask why we are playing Sri Lanka again, since we played them earlier in the year? Maybe it has something to with Sri Lanka being the only ones voting with the BCCI in the big ICC revenue re-shuffle?
  • Ten days after the end of the Sri Lanka series, India will be in South Africa for three tests, six ODIs and three T2OIs.

Did you feel tired reading that? Does the world really need more India-Sri Lanka matches? Who is watching these matches? Read More …

India vs New Zealand, 1st ODI (Mumbai, 2017)

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Since falling agonisingly short of the Champions Trophy, Kohli and his band of merry men have had a busy summer. India may have lost Anil Kumble as a coach but they have continued their stellar form to conquer Sri Lanka (3-0 in tests, 5-0 in ODIs), West Indies (3-1, ODIs) and Australia (4-1, ODIs). With the weather cooling down and Diwali celebrations nearly complete, the Indian team gets down to the serious business of hosting New Zealand for 3 ODI and 3 T20s.

The ICC Rankings tell us that India should win the ODI series while NZ should walk away with the T20 honours; India is the #2 ODI Team, up against the #5 ranked NZ side. Conversely NZ has top T20 billing against India’s fifth place.

Cricket, however, would be deathly boring if everything went to plan.

The ODI series kicks off Sunday, October 22nd, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai (1.30pm IST). Read More …