IPL10 - Third title win for Mumbai

IPL 10 started after a series of tests at home. The pace quickened and how - it seemed tests were on fast forward mode.

From the beginning, the slot for the top and bottom three teams remained the same. RCB was the biggest disappointment, especially with the team on paper. Another heavyweight, Mumbai Indians, funded by ultra-rich Ambanis won the title, pipping the Pune team by a single. Overall, the final reflected the closeness of the tournament.
This year saw the emergence of Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan with the bat - let us see if they go on to bigger things.MSD also showed that he was still a force to reckon with,
It has been a great tournament so far. In 10 years, all the initial icon players have become coaches or mentors. New players have emerged, both domestic and foreign. New captains have been identified. Let us see what happens next year for that will dictate the next ten years of cricket, not just IPL!

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Australia home tests - India beat Oz at home again...

It may not have been the whitewash everyone expected. The young team gave a fright to the Indians, even winning one test at Chennai, before going down to the hosts 0-2.

Dharamsala was a good place to finish the long domestic season and take India to the No.1 position under Kohli and Kumble.

Bangla Home Tests - India beat Bangladesh as expected

India defeated Bangladesh in the first and only test of the series, as expected. The Indian spinners picked wickets but what was more pleasing was the pacers picking a handful.

The Aussies are next and India is on course for a great home season!

England Home T20s - India win 2-1

Another series for him - not one with youngsters like Kedar but with veterans like Raina, Yuvraj, Dhoni winding the clock back - vintage performance that one can go miles to see. Bumrah, Nehra and Chahal shared the spoils with the ball to complete a 2-1 of the T20 series, reflecting the closeness of the teams.

England Home ODIs - India win run-fest of a series

• 1st ODI - England scored 350 and lost as India overtook them
• 2nd ODI - England scored 350 and lost again as India scored 15 more!
• 3rd ODI - England scored 340+ and just about won as they scored 5 runs more.

Indian (and English bowlers) must have been glad that the series finished, such a run-fest it was.
India though was happy with Jadhav and Pandya's emergence as lower-order batsmen, resurgence of Dhoni and Yuvraj  in their old style just before the ICC  Champions Trophy starts.

Jadeja and Ashwin will not take part in the T20I series though I dont think the series result will change :)

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England Home ODIs - MSD says goodbye to captaincy

Duck on his debut versus Bangladesh.
Did not Bat during his ODI captaincy debut.
A loss versus England during his last match as a captain.

But what a profile! Well worth the biopic that was made about him.

Whoever saw this match  and this one will never ever forget the last captain  that got India its last two World Cups.

We will however still see the quick runouts and stumpings for some more time...

England Home Tests - Massive 4-0 win for Indians

No big score from Kohli, Pujara and neither a good bowling performance by Ashwin. Still, India won their fourth match of the series after conceding 477 in the first innings! Newbie Karun Nair and Ravindra Jadeja combined to knock the fight out of the Englishmen. The series verdict was unanimous - the English were thoroughly outplayed! Two Indian bowlers were No.1 and 2 in the ICC rankings, as the icing to the Indian cake! Bring on the Aussies!!

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England Home Tests - Three-nil lead for India

A great advertisement for test match cricket! India lost the toss and conceded 400 runs in the first innings. Yet, went on to win by an innings!

A masterful double century by the captain and 12 wicket haul by No.1 bowler in the world, supported by No.9 batting spinner ( scoring a century) triggered a comeback that saw the Indians win the test series with one test to go.

All eyes on 4-0 win though the English are still cribbing ( second nature?)

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England Home Tests - All-round performance by India to go up 2-0

A superb performance by the Indian team saw them take an unbeaten lead in the five-match test series.
England have been affected by the relative loss of form of captain Cook (compared to the previous tours), batting of the lower order not as good as the Indians while the Indians have shown great all-round performance to win this test. Replacement opener/keeper Parthiv Patel was great, giving the team management all reasons to smile!

Two more matches and I dont expect the English to win anything else, especially with new replacements.

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England Home Tests - Massive win for India to go ahead 1-0

India won the 2nd test match versus England by 246 runs!Virat Kohli contributed 248 runs in both innings of the match, but it was a team effort.

1. Chet Pujara scored a century in the first innings to shore up the Indian total
2. Ashwin's eight-wicket haul and impressive batting continued!
3. Jayant Yadav was a revelation with his all-round stints.
4. Shami took crucial wickets in both innings to complete the formalities.

Forget the stats, it was an impressive win by the Indian team. Onto Mohali, where the English will have one change in the batting and I expect India to go with three pacers!

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England Home tests - Interesting high-scoring draw to end first test

The first test saw scores of 500+ being scored and predictably ended in a draw. But, it was interesting too. No one expected the English spinners to collect so many wickets, though the Indians also bowled decently. All in all, it is a four test series remaining now. My prediction is 2-2.Can India go one better and win the series? Wait and watch this space!

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NZ Home ODIs - India seal series with crushing win

190 runs. That was the difference between the two teams in Vizag. Without major contributions with the bat by Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni. No Ashwin or Jadeja as well ( enjoying a rest in the midst of a hectic home season). Amit Mishra it was, who became the nemesis with his guile and turn. The Black Caps tried their best but chasing a difficult targat against the Indian spinners was beyond their reach. SIMPLE AS that. But, well tried Kane and team!

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NZ Home ODIs - NZ strike baack to level series

In Dhoni's hometown, Black Caps scored a total that was just beyond India's reach. Kohli, Dhoni left early, putting the onus on lower middle order. They tried their best, learning a lot in the process, but could not win the match. Dhoni asked for more patience, which is fair.

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NZ Home ODIs - MSD, Kohli take India to 2-1 lead

Dhoni promoted himself to give the stability, using which Kohli roared past 150 to take India to 2-1 lead in the series.

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NZ Home ODIs - NZ sneak past Indians to level the series

The Indian bowlers continued their good work to pull back the target but even that turned out to be tall by six runs for the Indian batting.

Kohli failed for once and MSD couldnt get going in a rare occurence. Hardik Pandya tried his best but that could only reduce the losing margin. NZ levelled the series but the Indians will be keen  to come back and win the series.

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NZ Home ODIs - easy chase after bowlers trick

The bowlers restricted NZ to a target that was easily chased down. With Kohli's good form, it was just a formality. But, MSD should be happy with his bowlers trick to restrict the Black Caps in the morning.

NZ Home Series - expected whitewash

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NZ Home Series - India win 500th test match easily...

India won their 500th test match easily against Black Caps, by 197 runs, thanks to a well-rounded team performance. Though the first innings score was below-par, the batsmen led by Murali Vijay and Chet Pujara put up a target for NZ that was way beyond their reach. The bowlers with the pitch helping Ashwin and Jadeja, produced unplayable deliveries to skittle out the NZ batsmen.

What  more did Kohli and Kumble want? Not a hamstring niggle to rule out KL Rahul or injury scare to Ashwin from next test at Kolkata !

NZ Home Series - Indian team selected

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After easily winning the overseas tour in West Indies, India come back home to host the Black Caps later this month. The Indian team was announced by the selection committee.The last day of the Duleep Trophy is still to be played as the squad was announced. Also, the India A team has to come back from Down Under - the selection could have been timed slightly better is the view. From the Duleep Trophy, what did we learn?

1. Cheteshwara Pujara has no rival in domestic cricket. But why is he given the second-hand treatment?Check what the coach thinks of him.
2. There is a big chasm of difference between Ashwin and his near competitor ( Pervez Rasool).
3. Similarly, Amit Mishra is not being pushed hard enough by Karn Sharma or Shreyas Gopal
4. Though there are options like Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson, the selectors wished to retain Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma based on potential and performances.
5. Anil Kumble will continue with Virat Kohli the same plan that MSD had successfully pursued at home soil earlier - look at the squad for an indication of the pitches we can see.But, how will Kohli as captain fare versus the master tactician MSD?Tough question and challenge!
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Duleep Trophy- Red, Green, Blue anyone?

This year, two novelties happened in the domestic Duleep Trophy format. Most importantly, it was a day-night affair testing the pink ball.

Also, the teams were not zonal-based but all bunched into three teams - Red, Blue and Green. While they are fine initiatives, the teams lost their identity- no one could recall which teams consisted of who? The final will be played soon which will see the Test regulars participating.Hopefully, the experiment is majorly a success but the team identities need to be revisited. Do you agree?