The inaugural test of the four-match test series between England and India was one that the England side and its fans will remember for the years to come. Winning the toss and electing to bat first on a rather placid Chepauk wicket, the Three Lions got off to a solid start, courtesy their openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley. There was no assistance from the surface and right from the start it looked as though the Indian bowlers were going to have to toil to get rewards on that surface.

Two wickets fell in quick succession just before lunch. But then started the Joe Root show. Here was a man who had come into this test full of runs, with two daddy hundreds against a potent Sri Lankan spin attack. But he was hungry for more. Root looked in complete control of his innings. Nothing seemed to faze him. He didn’t look like the Joe Root of the past who had an issue of playing across the line and being given out LBW. Neither did he get to 50 and perish.

The man from Yorkshire piled on runs after runs. He went from 50 to 100 to 150 to 200 with ease. None of the three Indian spinners had an answer. Ishant and Bumrah’s tactic to bowl reverse-swing wasn’t to any avail either as the England skipper seemed as though he had an extra split second to play the ball. He did everything expected of a batsman playing in the subcontinent. Used his feet effectively, swept the ball frequently, played it late and negated the reverse swing to precision.

Sibley’s 87, Stokes’ 82 and a few handy runs from the lower middle order put England in the drivers seat as they ended their innings on 578. India, who had spent two long days in the hot Chennai sun, started rather cheaply in reply. Both their openers were dismissed by the searing pace of Archer. Bess came in and wrecked havoc as he sent India’s captain and vice captain back into the sheds. It was looking curtains for the home side as they were reeling at 73-4.

Then came the consolidation from Pujara and Pant. While Pujara batted like a stoic monk at one end, Pant was at his destructive best. The contrast between the two was amusing to say the least. The ball was starting to turn from the rough, and Pujara had to grind hard to play it out, whereas the Indian keeper-batsman went all-guns-blazing against Jack Leach, hitting him for 5 sixes out of the rough. It was an edge of the seats moment for everyone watching. And it showed why this young man is so highly rated. His 91 changed the course of the innings completely. The stand was broken by Bess.

Sundar played a classy knock of 85 to take India to 337-10, still trailing by 251 runs. The visitors chose not to enforce the follow-on, and went out to pile on more runs and set India a huge target. Ashwin looked lethal this time as the ball was turning square. England put up 178 on the board, with their skipper being the highest run scorer yet again with a breezy forty against his name.

This set India a target of 420. Rohit was bowled late on day 4 from a peach of a delivery by Leach. Some intent from Gill helped him get to a half-century, but he too was sent back by an in-coming jaffa from James Anderson. Reverse Swing proved to be the undoing of three key Indian batsmen – Gill, Rahane, Pant and Kohli. Apart from Shubman and Virat, no one could get stuck in as their line up went down like a house of cards.

India were bowled out for a meagre 192 as they lost by a huge margin of 227 runs. This win will be a massive confidence booster for England going ahead in the series. The next 3 games will be riveting ones as both teams have something more to play for than the trophy itself, which is a spot in the WTC finals.

-Vibhor Dubey

David Warner’s side Sunrisers Hyderabad looked in sublime touch as they came out all guns blazing against a low in confidence Kings XI Punjab in the 22nd game of this year’s IPL. SRH batted first, and put the foot on the pedal straightaway and tonked the Punjab bowlers around. Both Warner and Bairstow made viewers reminiscent of their partnership against Bangalore last year where they both got magnificent 100s. This time around, they couldn’t get to triple figures, but made sure they left a massive dent early on. Half chances didn’t quite go Punjab’s way. Both openers put on a mammoth 160 for the first wicket when Johnny Bairstow fell three short of a well deserved century.

Ravi Bishnoi then put on the breaks a little as he went on to dismiss Warner and Samad in quick succession. A couple of wickets courtesy Arshdeep Singh sort of pulled things back until Williamson and Abhishek Sharma gave SRH a finishing touch and set KXIP a target of 202. KXIP in response looked like they were headed nowhere as they not only lost key wickets up top, but also couldn’t get the scorecard ticking. It was only after Nicholas Pooran took charge that the match was put back in balance. His swashbuckling 50 off just 17 deliveries was nothing short of electrifying. 5 Fours and 7 big sixes ensured that he recorded this year’s fastest IPL fifty.

But all that was to no avail as SRH kept chipping away at Punjab’s line up, Rashid Khan being the pick of the bowlers with incredible figures of 3/12. The Men in Orange put the final nail in the coffin as David Warner caught Arshdeep Singh at short covers, thereby bowling Punjab out. A dejected Punjab will now have to go back to the drawing board and pick themselves up from the dust as they lay at the bottom of the table. On the other hand, things are looking to get better for their counterpart as the Orange Army climb up to 3rd in the standings.

-Vibhor Dubey

• 

Steve Smith’s Rajasthan Royals were up against Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in the first of many games to played at Sharjah. CSK, who were coming off a win against Mumbai in the opening match, won the toss and got Rajasthan to bat first. This decision was to prove costly as the Rajasthan batsmen proved how good a batting track it was.

Skipper Steve Smith opened the innings (much to the surprise of people watching). With him was the wonder boy of this year’s U-19 World Cup – Yashasvi Jaiswal. But he went early as he top edged a bouncer off Deepak Chahar and made his way back to the pavilion. In came Sanju Samson, who has been backed by RR for 7 years and counting. And the way he started his innings proved why he is so highly rated. He went berserk against the CSK bowlers, and cleared the ropes on every single occassion.

• 

Be it Chahar, Curran or Jadeja, Samson looked unbelievable against all of them. Piyush Chawla bowled the 8th over and went for 28 runs. Samson went from being 37 off 16 to 52 off 21, bringing up the fastest 50 of the season. Chawla looked clueless, as those crisp clean hits from the RR no.3 vanished into the night sky. The onslaught continued as even Smith joined the party and scored at a SR of close to 150.

Samson finally fell to a Ngidi bouncer, but not before putting on 74 off 32 deliveries, an innings that consisted of 9 sixes and a solitary four. The score was 131-2 after just 11 overs. The RR skipper brought up his fifty soon after, but in an attempt ran David Miller out for naught – which also happened to be a diamond duck. From then on wickets tumbled one after the other. After 19, RR were 186/7, and it looked as though CSK had pulled things back and stopped Rajasthan from reaching a huge total.

But something extraordinary happened in the last over. Jofra Archer, who is known for his big hits, went hard at Lungi Ngidi. His cameo of 27 off 8 nuts which included 4 humongous sixes, 3 singles, 2 no balls, and a wide, took Rajasthan to 216/7. 30 coming off the last over.

• 

In reply, CSK’s chase started rather ordinarily. They were always behind the 8 ball and didn’t look like they would catch up. Vijay and Watson started slowly. After their dismissals, Sam Curran looked to put the foot on the pedal a little but to no avail. He was soon stumped off Rahul Tewatia – becoming his 1st scalp of the game. Leggie Tewatia went on to take another 2 wickets, and bowled beautifully in the middle overs. His deliveries had guile, dip and turn as he ran through the Chennai middle order.

• 

The lone man fighting was Faf du Plessis, who got his 2nd consecutive half century of the season. After being run-a-ball, he accelerated and hit 7 sixes in his innings of 72. But he too became Tewatia’s victim and fell in trying to get to the total. MS Dhoni came in at 7 to everyone’s surprise and nudged the ball around. This didn’t help as the asking rate kept climbing. It was only in the last over of the game that Dhoni tonked the ball around. 3 huge sixes – out of which one went sailing across the roof. But it was much too late as CSK fell 16 runs short of the target.

Sanju Samson was adjudged Man of the Match as RR recorded their first win of the season and they look like a team to beat in the games going forward. Their fearless approach with the bat saw a record being made – most sixes in an IPL match (34). Concerns for CSK will be their death bowling and the starts that their openers give them. Up next, we have MI taking on KKR in Abu Dhabi – which promises to be a night to watch out for.

-Vibhor Dubey

• 

RCB took on SRH in their first encounter in this year’s IPL. Fans were raring to see King Kohli step onto the field alongside Mr 360 – Ab de Villiers. David Warner’s SRH won the toss and put RCB in on a Dubai wicket that had been used a night before. Young sensation Devdutt Paddikal came out to bat alongside the experienced Aaron Finch, and all eyes were on the young man from Bengaluru.

There had been so much talk about left handed Padikkal. Having seen him bat in his early days at KIOC, I had seen the hype this kid had created around our academy. Even then he showed glimpses of having something special as he played crisp strokes in our net sessions. And he did not disappoint when he came out donning the RCB red as he took on Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma with utmost ease, while his experienced partner at the other end looked to be struggling. With shots all across the ground, Paddikal looked in complete control ; middling everything that came his way. He soon raced to his maiden IPL 50 – which came up in quick time.

• 

RCB looked to have started really well, as they were 86 for no loss at the half-way point. It was then that the debutant perished to a straight delivery from Vijay Shankar. That put the breaks on RCB’s momentum a little bit, as they could get only 40 in the next 6 overs, despite two heavyweights Kohli and de Villiers being at the crease. After Kohli’s dismissal, De Villiers took charge and took on the SRH bowlers – and looked like the AB we all know. The highlight of that phase of the game has to be those 2 back to back beautiful sixes over cover against Sandeep Sharma, one of which was off the back foot!

• 

After a few big overs with the bat, RCB ended up with 163/6, which has been the par score in Dubai – and looked defendable. The only problem was that with due coming in – RCB’s spinners could prove ineffective.

SRH’s run-chase started with David Warner creaming Dale Steyn through the covers 2 times in a row. The confidence with which the SRH skipper started his innings made it look as though he would take the game deep. But he fell soon after that as an unlucky dismissal saw the back of him – getting run out at the non striker’s end off the bowler’s hand. Manish Pandey came in and solidified the innings alongside Yorkshire man Johnny Bairstow, and the more they played the better they looked. The next wicket fell at 89 – Yuzvendra Chahal picking up his first for the night.

It was the 16th over that completely changed the course of the proceedings. 43 was needed off 30 balls, and anyone would say that SRH, who bat deep – have their noses in front. But it took only 2 beautiful deliveries from leggie Yuzi Chahal to turn the game on its head. Two consecutive balls above the eyeline of the batsmen saw the back of set Johnny Bairstow and Vijay Shankar. The next over saw another two wickets – Garg and Sharma being dismissed in bizarre fashion. It doesn’t stop there – the over after that saw another two wickets!

• 

SRH were in disarray as their middle order completely collapsed. They went from being 121/2 at the start of the 15th to 153 all out with 2 balls to spare. Saini and Dube looked terrific at the end, both holding their nerve and delivering. RCB clinched the game by 10 runs, and started their IPL on a winning note. This is something the fans aren’t used to seeing, and they would hope that this title-starved team can go on to change their fortunes in the games ahead. Till then, we can sit back and enjoy the wonder that is the Indian Premier League.

-Vibhor Dubey

The second night of this year’s IPL saw Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab lock horns in an extremely close contested game. On a Dubai wicket that had a fair amount of green patches, Punjab skipper KL Rahul won the toss and continued the trend of electing to field first.

DC openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw were circumspect in their approach as KXIP pacers Sheldon Cottrell and Mohammed Shami hit their areas consistently. Shami in particular looked terrific with the new ball as he got it to move off the deck, putting his beautiful seam position on display. Wickets weren’t hard to come by at all, as 3 DC batsmen succumbed to the pacer from Bengal. The men in blue were reeling at 13-3 after 4 overs, and their score at the end of the powerplay told a sorry tale. Skipper Shreyas Iyer then put up a 67 run partnership with young Rishabh Pant, which included 3 big blows from the captain’s blade.

Despite the 4th wicket partnership, Delhi looked in all sorts of trouble – as they slowly trudged to 100 after 17 overs. The next 18 balls produced something that nobody could’ve seen coming. Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis was at the crease, and he belted Chris Jordan and Sheldon Cottrell for 57 in the last 3 overs! Sixes and fours galore as Stoinis brought up his fifty in a mere 20 balls, much to the amazement of everyone watching. This late cameo helped DC power through to a total of 157/8 in their 20 overs, when they didn’t look like they could even get to 140.

• 

In reply, Kings XI started their chase poorly. Their run rate was well below the asking rate, and they were losing wickets at quick successions. Delhi pacers Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada made life difficult for the Punjab batting line up early on. It wasn’t all pace, as DC’s lead spinner Ravi Ashwin picked the two wickets of Karun Nair and Nicholas Pooran in his very first over. Ashwin would then go on to discolate his shoulder in an attempt to stop a single. This will be a major concern for Delhi going forward.

Even with a bowler short, DC didn’t look like they were struggling at any point. The score read 55-5 after 10 overs, and it looked like it was too steep a mountain to climb for the Punjab boys. The only hurdle for Delhi was that opener Mayank Agarwal was still at the crease, fighting his way through the innings.

• 

Things changed from there on as Agarwal shifted gears and upped the ante against the Delhi bowlers. His Karnataka teammate Krishnappa Gowtham chipped in with a few blows as well. Courtesy a few big overs, Punjab now just needed 13 off the last over. With a bowler short, DC had no option but to go with Stoinis, and he was pounced on straightaway. The scorecard read 6-2-4 as 12 runs were conceded in the first 3 balls. 1 off 3, it looked as though Punjab had sealed this out of nowhere. But, a Wide Fulltoss pulled the tide back as Agarwal holed out on the deep cover fence. 1 from 1, Chris Jordan failed to score and chipped it straight to midwicket.

The scores were level. It was super over time. Punjab came out with KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran (which was a questionable decision), who could only manage 2 runs as they both lost their wickets. Delhi came out to bat and chased the total down with ease. Among all this, I truly felt for Mayank Agarwal – whose valiant knock of 89 wasn’t to be in a winning cause.

It was a night to remember, and this game showed why IPL is the biggest T20 tournament in the world. Players of the highest caliber produce games of the highest standards, even from pretty ordinary positions. With a plethora of matches to go, the fun of the IPL has just begun. A star studded RCB will take on SRH today and it will be a contest worth watching.

-Vibhor Dubey

• 

Cricket’s biggest bonanza began with the El Classico of the tournament, with last year’s finalists going head to head in the opening encounter. MSD’s Chennai Super Kings were taking on Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians, who’ve come into this tournament as the title defenders. Unlike all the other editions of the IPL, this opening game was a lot more subdued. Empty stands, no opening ceremony, no glamour. But the hype was still there. Millions, if not billions – were glued to their TVs, waiting for the carnival to begin.

MSD won the toss and put the opposition in to bat. With the massive factor that due plays in the sweltering humidity of UAE, that decision was a no brainer. Rohit Sharma came out to bat with his opening partner Quinton de Kock, and they started off in magnificent fashion. The first ball of the season was dominatingly put away for four. MI stamped their authority – scoring 44 in the first 4 overs of the game, with both the batsmen scoring at rate of knots.

A couple of wickets towards the back end of the Powerplay put CSK back into the game. After that, their bowlers kept things a little tight, as they got the RR down to 8.6 after 10 overs. Left-hander Saurabh Tiwary then took the game on, scoring 42 off 31, striking at 135. With a few big hits towards the end of the innings from Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard, the defending champions put up a defendable total of 162 on the board in their 20 overs.

It was then time for the Men in Yellow to come out and put up a show. But their chase was immediately halted as the Aussie and Kiwi pace duo of James Pattinson and Trent Boult made early inroads in the CSK lineup, sending Murali Vijay and Shane Watson back to the dug-out. Two quick wickets, and suddenly it looked as though it was going to down to the wire. But then two of the many veterans came to the rescue for CSK and steadied the ship. Ambati Rayudu and Faf Du Plessis strung together a much-needed huge partnership of 116, which consisted of crisp Cricketing shots.

It was a sight to behold for anyone who loves technically sound batting, as their 14 over long partnership had every pretty shot in the book- Inside outs, cover drives, flicks, pulls, you name it. CSK looked like it was going to cruise home, until a couple of wickets fell in quick succession and it was level pegging once again.

But a strategic move from MSD to send Sam Curran ahead of himself proved to be the game changer. It was a move that sent the tide towards CSK completely. With 29 needed off 3 overs, Krunal Pandya’s 18th over was sent to the cleaners. Sam Curran even took on India’s premier bowler at the death, Jasprit Bumrah. The English left hander ended his cameo of 18 off 6 deliveries, doing exactly what was asked from him. From then on it was a walk in the park for CSK as they chased down the remaining runs down with ease.

Mumbai often tend to have sloppy start. Their fielding, which probably cost them the game tonight, looks like a major concern going ahead in the tournament. CSK on the other hand, looked impressive with both bat and in the field. Their boundary catching was exceptional. It would be interesting to see if MI can pull things back, work on their shortcoming and comeback in this season as they have in the past. These two teams are giants of the tournament, and going ahead, we can be sure of seeing a lot more entertainment packed matches out of these two teams.

-Vibhor Dubey

• 

Just over a week ago, two of Indian Cricket’s biggest gems brought an entire nation to a standstill as they bid their goodbyes to International Cricket. MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, two of the most celebrated names in not just India, but all over the world decided that it’s time to hang up the boots.

Not many of us remember seeing MSD or Raina make their way into the Indian dressing room, but they both have been an integral part of the life of every Cricket fan in this country. All throughout my childhood, I’ve witnessed innumerable instances of both these players walk onto the field, produce something magnificent and win games for the country or for CSK.

• 

Both Dhoni and Raina began their International careers around the same time; with the former coming into the side about 7 months before the latter. They both came from middle-class families, having humble beginnings. MS, known for his bludgeoning batting style, didn’t have the best of starts as he got out for a duck in his first innings against Bangladesh. Sourav Ganguly, who was the captain at the time, backed Dhoni’s unorthodox technique and gave him a safe spot in the side.

That backing would go on to prove immensely beneficial for Dhoni as runs galore off his bat in the next two years. He moved up the order and scored a 123-ball 148 against arch-rivals Pakistan. This caught everyone’s eyeballs and people knew this boy from Ranchi was one to look out for. Number 3 was the place to be for MSD in those years, as he also registered 183* off 145 balls against Sri Lanka, which ended up being his career-best score in white ball cricket.

• 

It was around this time that the Helicopter Shot came into being, as James Anderson’s yorker went searing into the crowd, much to the delight of Indian fans. In an era where India breeded orthodox, technically correct batsmen like Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman; MS showed one and all that there is more than one way to score runs and to entertain. Out of the box became the new cool.

• 

Not just with the bat, Dhoni also impressed one and all behind the stumps. Because of his extreme lower body strength, he covered ground on both sides and didn’t need to dive. On top of that, he was exceptional while keeping to spinners, with lightening fast hands right from the start. Again, not the most technically sound, but as effective as one could hope to be.

• 

These two things, paired with his terrific ability to stay in the moment and read the game well, MS was then promoted to captaincy in the T20 World Cup in 2007. There were a few doubts about how the team would fare, as it was relatively inexperienced, with a new captain altogether. But MS’s troop shocked the world, as they won, and won comprehensively, beating Pakistan in the finals and announcing their arrival in the newest format of the game.

• 

Not only did India announce themselves to the world, so did MS Dhoni. The Wicket-Keeper Batsman went on to lead India in all formats of the game, winning trophy after trophy. Be it the Commonwealth Bank Series in 08, 2011 WC, 2013 Champions Trophy, No. 1 Test side or 3 IPL wins, MSD achieved it all.

• 

But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, as early 2007 saw the humiliating defeat of the Indian Cricket Team in the ODI World Cup. Even in 2013, there were allegations made about the Indian Skipper’s involvement in Spot-Fixing. To go with that, there have been many times where his ability to captain the Test side was questioned.

• 

No matter what is said about the man, everyone would admit that his impact on white ball Cricket in India is nothing short of exemplary. The fact that CSK has played 8 IPL finals under him, won 3 titles, 2 Champion Leagues, says a lot about the man and his leadership. To go with that, there have been so many games where he has brought the team back from the brink of defeat, and finished the game in style. When I say “Finish the game in style”, memories flood back from that World Cup winning six in 2011, easily the biggest moment for Indian Cricket in the 21st Century, one memory that makes the hair in the back of the neck stand up.

• 

How can I end this blog without mentioning his counterpart, and the one that retired alongside. Suresh Raina has been MS Dhoni’s go-to-man throughout his career. He was the part of almost every event that I mentioned above. And to be honest, it wouldn’t be fair to not give him enough credit.

Known as Mr. IPL, Suresh Raina has been one of the most exciting talents to have played for India. Every time he donned the blue, he played with his heart on his sleeve. Giving his all, be it with the bat or on the field. He is one of the players who took responsibility to take the level of fielding in India to another level. The spectacular catches he has pulled off in the past, be it out on the ropes or in the ring, they have all been so thoroughly enjoyed.

• 

The left hander was also a terrific middle-order batsman. His ability to shift gears and up the ante is quite rare. His beautiful inside-out stroke is something that lovers of batting relish. He has won many a game for India. He played an important role in the 2011 WC, as he scored runs exactly when India needed them. He became the first Indian to score a 100 in T20Is, and also the first Indian to score 100s across all three formats. He is an unsung hero, one that deserves a lot more credit than he gets.

• 

As both of these stalwarts call time on their illustrious journeys, the outpouring of love flooded Social Media. Moments that they’ve given to Indians for over a decade and a half came rushing back in everyone’s mind. It would be fair to say that even though they won’t don the Blues again, the impact that these two have had on Cricket in India, and on youngsters in the country, is enormous. And to match their stature and achievements, especially of MS Dhoni, would take a hell an effort-something that I feel we won’t see. At least in this life.

-Vibhor Dubey

• 

The 3rd and the final ODI between rivals England and Ireland was a dead-rubber with the former leading the series 2-0. Irish captain Andrew Balbirnie won the toss and put the hosts in to bat on a flat Southampton track. England got off to a weak start as they lost both their openers within the first 20 balls of the match. The third wicket came soon, with James Vince becoming Craig Young’s second victim.

At 44-3, the Three-Lions desperately needed to form a solid partnership to get things along. This is when skipper Eoin Morgan and newcomer Tom Banton steadied the ship and put up a partnership of close to 150. The aggressive right-hander got to his maiden 50 in no time as his partner Morgan at the other end bludgeoned away at the Irish attack, scoring at a rate well above 120. It looked like the England that we’ve come to know over the last few years in white-ball Cricket. The England that isn’t fearful of going after the opposition right from the word go.

Ireland’s short-ball ploy didn’t seem to be working as the experience and brute power of Morgan got him to his 100, which consisted of 15 fours and 4 sixes. Soon after the wicket of the captain, wickets started to tumble and the men in Green were crawling their way back into the game. The batting side lost 3 wickets in the space of 7 overs, and were 216-6. Then came in David Willey, who is known to be a handy left hander in the lower middle order. He smoked the Ireland bowlers around and got to a quickfire 51 off 42 balls. Tom Curran at the other end also contributed as England ended up with 328 all-out, a respectable total.

In reply, Ireland started well. Memories from the 2011 game against the same opposition kept coming back as they chased a very similar total. The Irish openers made full use of the mandatory powerplay as they got to 50 in 8 overs without losing a wicket. Opener Paul Stirling scored the bulk of those runs. After the first wicket fell, Ireland looked to keep the scoreboard ticking as Balbirnie and Stirling powered their way through.

With Eoin Morgan sitting out because of a niggle, Moeen Ali had to lead the troops out on the field. And he couldn’t figure out which bowler to use, as all of them failed to get a breakthrough. 5 of the 6 bowlers used by England went at an Economy of over run-a-ball (six runs/over). Even the likes of Willey and Ali himself were leaking runs. Both Stirling and Balbirnie went from 50s, to eventual 100s as the English bowlers looked clueless.

They both got dismissed, but not before putting on a partnership of 210 on the board. With 64 still needed of 9 odd overs, in came Kevin O’ Brien, who still holds the record for the fastest World Cup 100 in that same historic innings against England in 2011 at Bangalore. This time, he didn’t have to go all guns blazing and only had to make sure his more settled partner at the other end got them through.

It came down to 17 off the last 2 overs, and bowlers Curran and Mahmood succumbed to the pressure as Ireland got through. This was their highest successful run-chase, after the 328 that they chased all those years ago. The celebrations within the dressing room were quite reminiscent of that day, even without a single person in the crowd. There was jubilation all around the Ireland camp, as this win would’ve done their confidence a world of good. There is much to like about this Ireland side. Despite not being able to cap the series, they’ve still shown their prowess by holding their nerve and beating the World Champions.

-Vibhor Dubey

• 

Even after being widely known as Mr. Cricket, he is one of the most underrated geniuses that Australian Cricket has produced. Among the stories of overshadowed cricketers in that great 2000s era, Michael Hussey’s story is one of grit, grind and glory.

Growing up in the suburbs of Western Australia, Hussey used to emulate his hero – the then Aussie Captain Alan Border. In those summer days of playing in the backyard with brother David, little Michael shifted from being right-handed to left-handed, in hopes of one day looking and playing much like the man he idolized.

That’s not where the love for the game stopped. Not too long from that, at the age of 19 : Hussey would get his first taste of First-Class Cricket. He made his Sheffield Shield debut in 1994, and was regarded as a young prodigy to look out for. But that’s when life became difficult. With a star studded Australian batting line-up, Mike Hussey would find it hard to break into the national set-up, and had to wait 11 long years before getting the coveted Baggy Green. Once the arduous wait was over, the left-hander found his way into the side, courtesy an injury to Justin Langer. But the first test wasn’t a memorable one, as Hussey skied one up and got dismissed at a measly score.

The second test was different, though. Away from the noise of Brisbane, the calmness of Hobart is just what Hussey was looking for, as he eased his way to his first International 100, thereby stamping his authority and showing his class.

Since then Mike Hussey has played a plethora of memorable knocks. His match-winning knock in the ‘Amazing Adelaide’ test, his innings with the tail against South Africa, the crucial cameo against Pakistan at the World T20 or his comeback 195 at the GABBA against England are a few of many magnificent contributions that he has made to Australian Cricket.

Despite growing up and playing all his Cricket in Perth, where the surface is known to only support pace & bounce, Michael Hussey was regarded as one of the best players of spin in the world. His immaculate use of the crease and calculated sweep strokes put him in a different league of Cricketers altogether. He has scored big runs in dust-bowls against the likes of Kumble and Harbhajan, where most would’ve faltered. Besides playing spin wonderfully, Hussey was also known for his crisp, easy on the eyes cover drives that can make a viewer fall in love with the art of batting.

Not just the technique, but even his character was commendable throughout his career. Hussey was known for his incredible work-ethic and his phenomenal play-hard attitude. He gave his all to his side. Hussey would contribute in any way that he could, be it with the bat, the ball, or even as a Keeper! And by the end of it all he was still appreciative of the opposition. It’s no surprise that a gentleman like him is known as Mr. Cricket, a sport that is said to be the gentleman’s game.

Although a late bloomer in International Cricket, the career is nothing short of noteworthy. He has been a part of some of Australia’s biggest Cricketing achievements in the 2000s. With over 12,000 runs at the pinnacle level of Cricket, it would be fair to say that Cricketers across the world can, and should take a leaf out of Michael Hussey’s book.

– Vibhor Dubey

• 

This is a player who would walk into most people’s limited-overs XI. A player who has the ability to take the game away from the opposition in a matter of a few overs. Having a wide array of shots all across the ground, this bludgeoning right-hander is one of the most feared middle order batsmen in the entire world. Jos Buttler is the man I’m talking about.

Now an integral part of the English limited-overs set up, Jos Buttler burst onto the scene in 2011. At the time there weren’t many eyes on him, as the limelight was stolen mostly by more established players like Pietersen, Morgan and Bopara. But a few years down the line, in 2014, Buttler announced himself in the international arena with big runs in a few big games. It was clear to see that the guy had some serious ball-striking prowess.

Despite being a relatively soft-spoken person, it is evident that there isn’t anything soft about the way that he bats. Because of his range of shots, he often makes the opposition captain tear his hair out. Bowlers don’t know where to bowl to him at the death, because he has the ability to dig out the same wide yorker over extra-cover, fine leg, or third man for six. Not just in the death, but the man from Lancashire also has the skill to put spinners off their game in the middle overs, and dominate them with reverse sweeps and excellent use of the feet.

Being a renowned name in most T20 circuits, Buttler has shown the world that he isn’t limited in terms of the positions that he can bat in. We saw that versatility in the previous edition of the IPL, where he opened the innings for Rajasthan Royals and it paid rich dividends with them getting a solid start in most of their games.

Buttler is one of those batsmen who can turn a predicted par score into a massive one because of his capability to play match-winning cameos towards the back-end of an innings. He has played such a crucial role in England becoming the firepower that they are right now. He can come in the middle order and continue the aggressive platform laid out by England’s swashbuckling top order. In almost every 400+ total that England have amassed in ODIs, Buttler’s contribution has been significant. Besides being an innovative batsman, Jos Buttler is a terrific wicket-keeper, with one of the safest hands in the country. His technique, especially standing back to the stumps is extremely neat, and has helped him take some absolute screamers in the games that he has kept wickets.

The only disappointment in his career has been him being in-and-out of the England test circuit. Jos has always been overlooked by the likes of Johnny Bairstow, mostly because the former hasn’t scored consistently in Red Ball Cricket. I would go as far as to say that had Jos Buttler been consistent in representing the Three-Lions in Tests, he would be as big a name as Adam Gilchrist, MS Dhoni and Ab De Villiers in the Cricketing fraternity, given how clean he strikes the ball and how safe he is behind the stumps.

Saying that, all Cricket fans can admit that they thoroughly enjoy the way this Wicket-Keeper Batsman from England goes about his business, and what he brings to the table. Limited Overs Cricket is in a better place because of players like Buttler, and the game he possess is one that draws a lot of eyeballs in, which in-turn is great for the sport. With that, we can safely say that we are blessed to have players like Jos Buttler going around, and we look forward to the excitement that he brings every time he goes out to bat.

-Vibhor Dubey