Bipin Dani, in Observer, 13 December 2017
Former India cricketer Salim Durani completed 83 years on Monday. He had reason to remember his 84th birthday on two counts. First, Team India captain Virat Kohli married to Anushka Sharma on this day. Secondly, on this same day, the Indian cricket board has announced that Afghanistan would play its inaugural Test against India.
The Ongoing ESPN Commentary on Paper
Over 15
Nice and bright still. Although it’s only 3.20 pm. Hard to believe the light might not be as good in another hour. Here’s Shami
Rex Clementine, in Sunday Island, 18 November 2017, where the title is “Young captains have lot to learn from Michael Tissera
The Ceylon team that beat India in an unofficial Test match in 1964. (Picture credit Darrell Lieversz)
Young cricket captains have got a lot to learn from one of the finest captains produced by the country – Michael Tissera. The exemplary manner in which Tissera carried himself both on and off the field was tremendous. He was only 24 when the captaincy of the Ceylon team was thrusted upon him. Having been thrown to the deep end, his positive approach helped him to come out with flying colours. Continue reading
Michael Roberts ASKS: does not Lakmal’s beautiful spell in seaming conditions underline the failures of Gamage and Chandimal?
YES, Lahiru Gamage inserted a few sharp in-dippers without luck, But I wonder why Chandimal did not introduce either Shanaka or Matthews for the 8th and 10th overs? We could go further: seeing the conditions on the day of the match, why did the tour selectors not take a bold step: drop Gamage and choose another batsman? or replace him with the third paceman in the squad: Fernando?
YES the latter are bold thoughts. Yes, easier after the event and from an armchair. BUT the first suggestion was/is obvious> The thought arose as soon as the 5th/6th over when I saw Gamage’s trajectory and pitch-length. The scenario was/is BEDSER made not TRUEMAN-made.
I would go further. Given the 1eleven on the field, I would have asked Herath to emulate Underwood. Controlled bowling is more effective than that less controlled and too short-pitched. Having witnessed Vanderputt and Nizam open bowling with slow left-arm in-dippers plus[lus for St. Aloysius in the 1950s, I step forth boldly thus.
Bipin Dani, in Deccan Chronicle, August 2017 where a more sober title was preferred viz. Indian team sports new look!””
While cricket is high on their priorities, fashion isn’t far behind for the Indian cricketers, who are currently touring Sri Lanka. The Indian team will be sporting a new look as they play Sri Lanka in the ongoing series. A few members of the Indian squad, including captain Virat Kohli, visited Ramani Fernando Salons at the Taj Samudra hotel recently.
KL Rahul
Item in Daily Mirror, 10 August 2017
Cricket mentor Aravinda de Silva has said the Indian cricket team derives its strength from the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Hindustan Times reported today. “The IPL has helped them (Indian players) in playing against the best players in the world. They are able to bring in all the international players because of the monetary capability of the Indian cricket board. They all bring in the best knowledge into one country because all the best coaches are there in one competition. Continue reading
Says Prof. Ravindra Fernando during Q and A with Dr. Hemamal Jayawardena
When I dropped in recently at the Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Colombo to get some guidance on some forensic aspects of child
abuse, a subject on which the professor is a pioneering expert, I noticed a book on his table on a subject that had nothing to do with forensic
medicine. It was titled, “Sathasivam of Ceylon – the Batting Legend”. This interested me and I went over a few pages. It took me a while to
realise that it was Professor Fernando who had authored the book, to my surprise. It was unusual as the book was not on medicine or a medically
related subject as he usually writes. It was on cricket! More accurately, about a cricketer. As we spoke more, I recalled reading a piece he had
written long ago on our ace wicket keeper, Kaluwitharana to the newspaper as well and realised that Professor is a keen cricket fan. This led to the
following interview which I thought will be of interest to all our readers.
Sobers gifts Satha a memento
Andrew Fidel Fernando, courtesy of The Cricket Monthly, at ESPNcricinfo … http://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1087120/arjuna-versus …where the title is “Arjuna Versus”
January 1999: Sri Lankan supporters show Ranatunga some love outside Adelaide Oval, where he was facing a disciplinary hearing
v Australia, 1995-96
Sri Lanka have played in higher-octane, better contested and far more watchable series, but for pure watershed value none has left its mark on the island’s cricket like this pre-World Cup thrashing in Australia. If Ranatunga had not been at the helm, things might have gone very differently; it was the kind of tour that can run teams aground.
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This Test Match was “the first time in history that four different bowlers – Lyon, Ashwin, Hazlewood and Ravindra Jadeja – had taken six-wicket hauls in the same Test”–Brydon Coverdale
Indian bowler Ravindra Jadeja (R) and fielder Ravichandran Ashwin (C) celebrate the dismissal of unseen Australian batsman Peter Handscomb during the second day of the second cricket Test match between India and Australia at The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on March 5, 2017. —-Getty
The Kolkata Contretemps: Dickwella clarifies
Rex Clementine, in The Island, 23 November 2017, under title “Dickwella opens up on Calcutta antics”
Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella engages in an altercation with Indian captain Virat Kohli as the umpires try to intervene.
Sri Lanka’s young wicketkeeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who was the talking point for his antics in the opening Test against India in Calcutta, revealed that he tried to get under the skin of the Indian players in a bid to kill time. Continue reading →
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