Off Stump

So the first Test in the second marquee series of this Indian winter follows a script remarkably similar to the first match of the India-England series albeit in a slightly different order and of course different central characters. India score 500 plus with a double hundred and a hundred and run down a small chase in their second innings with plenty to spare. One of their spinners dominates taking the bulk of the opposition scalps on a dusty but not terrible track. The opposition pick only one specialist spinner and duly struggle. Their captain is by far their best batsman though there is strong resistance also from one their middle-order all-rounders. Dhoni and the Indian team will be hoping that the rest of the series doesn't continue to follow the same script whereas Clarke and his men will keep faith that they can turn things around the way England did though with the personnel they have its likely to be tougher. Sundry other thoughts from the match (which is probably the...

The last time India played Australia at home was also the last time they won a series against opposition that ranked in the top 5. The series winning match in Bangalore was marked by several key performances with Tendulkar scoring 214 and 53*, Vijay scored his maiden century, Pujara announced his arrival with his knock of 72 in the second innings chase, and Zaheer and Harbhajan led the charge for wickets amongst the bowlers. Given what's happened since then, you couldn't blame Dhoni if he wished desperately for a repeat of at least a few of those in the 2012-13 series launcher in Madras. Tendulkar has since not scored a Test match hundred at home (and averages 28.83), Vijay has only now reclaimed a place in the side, and Zaheer and Harbhajan are a shadow of the bowlers they were and are struggling to even keep their places in the side. Pujara is the only one who has actually enhanced his reputation and is starting to show signs that he can become the fulcrum of the batting or...

One of my most common laments about growing up as a cricket aficionado in India is the fact that the average Indian cricket fan is more of a fan of the Indian team than of the game itself. And even here they are fickle in that the same players go from hero to villain and back to hero every other day depending on Team India's fortunes.  This piece  (and especially the passage below) by one of my favourite cricket writers, Siddhartha Vaidyanathan sums it up nicely. " I have also been charitably compared to Mark Antony for switching sides and writing a eulogy for Tendulkar a day after advocating that he be dropped. I am stumped at the number of people who fail to understand that the first piece was about the selectors (and the rebuilding a team) and the second about celebrating an incredible career. I am also amazed at how many people think this is a zero-sum game. What pains me is how a large part of discourse on the internet is so limited to black and white. You are apparen...