India’s batting reigns supreme but its under-cooked middle-order needs a spark. Hopefully it will acquire energy soon.
Cricket’s ancient batting template of opening with a defensive bat and a circumspect approach followed by middle order consolidation and exuberance, has long been altered both in Tests and limited overs cricket. The buccaneers of change were a bunch of men,who could shred the leather off the red cherry or the white ball, and these were openers who were more contemporary than classical.
Even in Tests, where the accent is still on the slow start and a yearning for a no-loss scorecard on the first day’s lunch, the pirates of destruction have found their ways to sprinkle adrenaline on the turf and do a tapdance on the 22 yards.
It could be a sacrilege for the connoisseurs but players like the great West Indian Gordon Greenidge; maverick Indians K. Srikkanth and Virender Sehwag; and Aussie Michael Slater, to name a few from the longer format, believed in the simple motto of ‘see ball, hit ball’.
And a strange thing happened in ODIs where batting tumult is a natural thanks to having abridged overs and where quick runs are as essential as two-minute noodles and instant coffee for the harried working professionals at bustling offices. The shorter version helped the above mentioned batting marauders to flourish and it also encouraged men who were middle-order stalwarts or lower-order bulwarks to fancy themselves having a biff atop the batting tree.
この記事は Sportstar の July 27, 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Sportstar の July 27, 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears
Organisers in Japan cancelled the amateur portion of the Tokyo marathon, affecting around 38,000 runners, on fears about the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan.
Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT
What should the criteria be? What weight should be attached to each criterion? And what should not be considered as valid criteria?
The making of a batting behemoth
If Steve Smith dominated the Ashes in England in a dramatic, blockbuster fashion then his like for like a replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, is the Next Big Thing after an exciting summer of run-glut.
WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...
It was an evening of nostalgia and celebration when the Sportstar Aces awards were given away in Mumbai.
A question of recognition
After a week of awards, one wonders if it’s only a departed player that one will be named after.
Thinking straight, thinking right!
“A lot depends on when I am bowling and what is required from me. That’s something I do when I play for India and I try to follow the same thing in the domestic circuit,” says Yuzvendra Chahal.
The Big Three and the Next Gen
Though the Big Three are very unlikely to retire during the same year, Judy Murray, mother of Andy, echoed the sentiments of many fans worried about the impact of their departures.
WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH
Sport at large and cricket specifically has taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.
Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room
Bangladesh quick Abu Jayed Rahi is new in the red-ball arena, but his swing brings back old memories — of James Anderson on green tops.
The league of the masses
With traditional clubs locking horns with the hard-working nurseries of the game, the I-League will continue to keep the beating heart of Indian football alive despite official apathy.
