The Dugout

The talk in Indian cricket right now is completely about Virat, be it good or bad. This article in a no generalized one but just my views on few stories that have come out since his announcement. And is to those few people whom it may concern. Here is a disclaimer that you may find this blog in support of one particular person but I can assure you that there will be no lies in it. Reminiscing Greatness:  Virat Kohli is one of the fewest cricketers who was never dropped off the team for out of form. No arguments when someone calls him the greatest of his timeline. Probably the only player on the planet whose form is measured by the centuries he score. STANDARDS!  People got so used to him scoring 100s that they started calling him out of form. Very strange. I can’t blame anyone because its Virat we are talking about and he sort of competing against himself ever since he started.  Who is called a ‘GOOD CAPTAIN’ ? It was a no brainer when Virat was called for cap...

CSK - THE HEIGHTS OF EMOTION :  I still remember the time when the announcement was made banning CSK and RR, initially it was a shock but later as an RCB fan felt relaxed that without CSK, there will be a spot open in playoffs. Thats the confidence everyone who watch IPL have on this team to qualify for playoffs.  When we talk about CSK, its all emotions running through the viens. People here in south worship their favourite stars be it cinema or cricket. This emotion is not just confined to the fans but the entire team as well. If you observe the players they buy, they aren't any stars from across the globe but normal players like any others and yet they perform like never before. No player in this franchise is loved in their home as much as they are loved in Chennai. The impact CSK has created on this league is unreal. Few examples to tell how CSK is far from reach in terms of fandom and emotions are - Packed stadium for training sessions in Chepauk and Chennai f...

Pre 2019 : Would you have guessed that in 3 years Rohit Sharma will be the best test ranking batsman from India? No one would even have Rohit in their test X1 as he was not considered as a test player including me. His technique was poor and didn't suit for this format, said by all. Test cricket has a different approach - being patient and having temperament is what separates it from the white ball cricket. Right from his initial days of career people saw him as a player who doesn't move his feet, has a lot of gap between his bat and pads. Even when given chance, he never used them to the fullest questioning his selection. People blamed him for throwing away his wicket every time. Post 2019 : If you observe Rohit's career be it any format, he has performed best only when opened. In a recent interview with DK he said, when opened he had a clearer mind as what to do rather than coming in the middle order. And that's evident. There is a drastic increase in his...

Is Virat under the pressure of not scoring a 100?  I personally being his fan would love to see him score a big ton and end his century drought. We all know how good a player he is, but its high time that he should realise what's going wrong for him instead of denying the fact that he's struggling. Its evident that he's under pressure now after the innings defeat in Leeds. As long as the team wins no one looks at his form as an issue , but its only after such losses. A confident Pujara-Kohli pair would have converted their overnight scores into big one's on day 4.  Not learning from mistakes? Here's what Ollie Robinson said, " It's a simple plan to Virat, fourth and fifth stump, get it to angle away, and hope he nicks it and he did". This clearly tells how confident a new bowler like him is over the best batsman of this gen. Virat takes his net sessions very serious and everyone knows that, dont these failures from him question his preparat...