CRICKET
When was the first World Test Championship held?
Even the Asian Test Championship, started in 1998, was not the first ever multi-nation Test tournament. For that, we need to go way back to 1912, when the triangular tournament was held, and later forgotten.
CRICKET
IPL 2023 | What explains Chennai Super Kings' presence in 10 out of 16 Indian Premier League finals?
The IPL began in 2008. Chennai Super Kings made the top 4 every year till 2020. CSK have won the trophy four times, most recently in 2021. And they still have the same captain 16 years on: M.S. Dhoni.
TRENDS
Remembering the immortal Eleven of 1911, as Lucknow Super Giants plays in Mohun Bagan colours tonight
In 1911, the prospect of an all-Indian side playing against a British team, East Yorkshire Regiment, in an IFA Shield final drew crowds from far away. East India Railway issued a special train to bring fans.
CRICKET
Cricket history: Inside their palace compounds, they built cricket grounds to match the best in the world
Nearly a century before the IPL, the Maharajas had a group of privately owned teams. The first significant name was Rajinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala.
CRICKET
Sunil Gavaskar’s shove to Sreesanth’s slap: 12 major cricket scuffles and riots
That hallowed sport, cricket, did not quite have a pristine past. It has had its share of numerous scuffles during matches, from slaps and hits to stone-pelting and full-blown riots.
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Most iconic sixers in cricket history & four Indian men who hit those
Seven decades before Sachin Tendulkar, and later MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, came the memorable sixer by CK Nayudu, at Edgbaston, on India’s England tour of 1932.
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Sachin Tendulkar at 50: Half-century of TV commercials’ mischievous gully cricketer
Sachin Tendulkar was not merely an Indian superstar but India’s first global sporting icon of the satellite television era.
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Sachin Tendulkar, Arjun Tendulkar and other father-son pairs to play for India
The Tendulkars are the first father-son pair to play in the Indian Premier League. There have, of course, been other father-son pairs to play for India in the past. Case in point: Lala Amarnath and Mohinder Amarnath.
CRICKET
Cricket history: Bizarre problems umpires faced, and how they changed the rules of cricket
Introduction of a third stump in cricket, a six hit when there was no one at the non-striker's end, the first batsman to retire out - some of the hardest problems umpires have faced.
HEALTH-AND-FITNESS
How T20 changed fitness regimes for cricketers around the world
T20 demands power hitting, but over a short span of time. Test cricket requires stamina and endurance, with little focus on power hitting. It is difficult for a cricketer to excel at both.
CRICKET
15 years of IPL, 15 smashing moments in cricket history
With the 16th IPL underway, a look back at 15 instances that raised the stature of the tournament in as many years.
CRICKET
Where have the Parsees in Indian cricket gone? They were the first Indians to play cricket
The Parsees founded the Oriental Cricket Club in 1848 and the Young Zoroastrian Club in 1850, and as for an opposition to play against, who better than the British themselves?
CRICKET
Will Virat Kohli break Sachin Tendulkar's record for most ODI centuries this year?
With a ridiculous record of a hundred every 5.9 ODIs (for Sachin Tendulkar, that number is 9.4), Virat Kohli could become the first cricketer in the world with 50 ODI hundreds.
CRICKET
Hollywood, cricket, and the US of A
There is evidence of cricket being played in the USA in 1709, and the sport was very popular in the 18th century. There was also a variant called 'wicket', which George Washington, no less, played at least once.
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‘Demon’ Meena: The first great Indian woman cricketer
Meena Talwar was 15 when she went to Miranda House in 1952. She won discus-throw championship in 1953 in the Delhi Olympics (later the National Games), named the Best Woman Athlete of Delhi State in 1954, and, of course, she played cricket.
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Cricket history | The WPL marks new beginnings, but we must not forget that…
As WPL promises to take women’s cricket – not only in India but around the world – to unchartered territories, let us not forget what it used to be like.
TRENDS
If India were the most spectator-friendly cricketing nation, our stadiums would ...
... have comfortable, clean bucket seats, hygienic food, vending machines for most necessities, access to drinking water, ramps for the differently abled, discounts for senior citizens, and more.
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Cheteshwar Pujara vs Mohammad Azharuddin: Why cricket needs a scale for aggregate records
With the number of matches going up, cricketers will play more matches than they would have in previous generations. As a result, the aggregate record will not only lie with the most recent generation, legends of the yesteryear will slide down the ladder.
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Nagpur, Delhi, Dharamsala, Ahmedabad – four venues of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023
These grounds are repositories of India's sporting history. For example, Sourav Ganguly played his last Test at the VCA in Nagpur, and Feroz Shah Kotla is where Anil Kumble felled all 10 wickets in a match against Pakistan in 1998/99.
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1st Women’s Premier League auction: Why WPL teams must look back at the early years of IPL
In the early Indian Premier League auctions, some teams made costly mistakes that became obvious as the games played out, while others made some smart decisions that paid dividends from the get-go. Here's a quick look back.
TRENDS
Sania Mirza: A trailblazer like none other
Coming from a family of cricketers, Sania Mirza's parents wanted her to take up sports. She tried skating, swimming and tennis. Tennis quickly won out.
TRENDS
Vinesh Phogat's accusation against WFI chief is the latest in a long history of abuse in sports
According to a Rajya Sabha reply on 28 July 2022, there have been 30 complaints of sexual harassment against the coaching authority and staff of the Sports Authority of India between 2017 and 2022.
TRENDS
FIH Hockey World Cup 2023: How likely are India to qualify?
As the hosts, at the 15th edition of the Men’s Hockey World Cup, in Bhubaneshwar and Rourkela, India have qualified automatically, and as outright favourites against Wales, a win against Spain or England, or two draws, should see them past the league stage.
TRENDS
The revival of Indian hockey: A Men's Hockey World Cup 2023 preview
At the World Cup, India are pitted in Pool D, with England, Spain, and Wales — the first two are likely to pose a threat, but India are acquainted with all three sides, having faced them in 2022.
