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By K.R. Nayar From Wankhede Stadium Mumbai. The kiwi may be a bird that cannot fly, but on Wednesday at Eden Gardens, the Kiwis took off in style, stunning South Africa in the first semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup in less than 13 overs. New Zealand opener Finn Allen, who is the hardest hitter of the ball in New Zealand, gave the Kiwis the wings to trounce South Africa and fly to Ahmedabad for the final. The day the cricket ball got scared Who is Finn Allen who follows the motto: “Watch the ball hard, hit the ball hard”? He treated the hard cricket ball with utter disdain. When he was on the crease, it looked like the ball was literally scared of him. Before him, only Chris Gayle — who struck the fastest century in a T20 World Cup against England in 2016 off 47 balls — had dominated the bowling in such fashion. Allen bettered that record, reaching his century in 33 balls, which means the ball suffered 14 fewer balls than when Gayle reached his century. Helpless South Afric...

By K.R. Nayar From Wankhede Stadium Mumbai. Witnessing Mumbai celebrate Holi on Tuesday was a colourful experience, but cricket fans are now gearing up to celebrate what many expect to be India’s semi-final win over England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. March is a month of celebrations like Holi, Ram Navami, Eid-al-Fitr, the Hindu New Year and also International Women’s Day. Fans are so confident of India retaining the ICC World T20 title that that they would like March 8 (the day of the final) to be added to the list of special days in March as ‘Indian cricket’s double-triumph day’.  Toss and stock market trends For nervous fans, it will be like an important examination day — a three-hour cardio workout. Though Mumbai is the financial capital, the importance of winning the toss will be discussed more than the stock market trends. Fans would have started to offer advice on field placing right from their homes, and also made it known that they want Abhishek Sharma,...

By K.R. Nayar From Wankhede Stadium Mumbai. Soon after Sanju Samson hit the match-winning knock against the West Indies, a few journalists, knowing I am from Kerala, asked me what Chetta meant. Most social media posts with Samson’s photo have used the word  Chetta . Since Samson is respectfully called by that name in Kerala, which means elder brother in Malayalam, some wanted to know how it differed from  Anna  (which means brother in Tamil). Sanju Samson in traditional mundu. Photo: Instagram Scoreboards may read Samson, commentators say Sanju, but across all Malayalee homes around the world, those younger than him address him as Sanju Chetta. When he hits a six, it stretches longer to “Sanjuuu Chettaaa!” That call turns philosophical if he fails. From nurses in the Gulf and around the world to students from Kerala studying abroad, this alert is fixed for actors Mohanlal, Mammooty, and now Samson. Whenever he has played a match-winning knock, the pride in Malaya...

By K.R. Nayar From Eden Gardens Kolkata.  Sanju Samson’s match-winning unbeaten knock of 97, which carried India into the semifinal by overcoming the West Indies at the Eden Gardens, was a treat to the fans of this City of Joy. It was an innings played with immense maturity, and an announcement that he was not just a big hitter. Every stroke had timing, every defence had a purpose, and every run he scored revealed his command over the West Indies bowlers. He played that innings when Eden Gardens hummed with nervous energy following the fall of a few wickets, including that of his skipper, Suryakumar Yadav. Sanju Samson thanks  the Almighty after his match winning knock. Photo: ICC Samson made the ball obey his command Though Samson had once, during an exclusive interview with this writer, while talking about the strength with which he hits sixes, had said: “I always remind myself of my name. Samson was considered the strongest man in the world (according to the Bible). I k...

By K.R. Nayar From Eden Gardens Kolkata. As the ICC T20 World Cup tiptoes into its final week, many unexpected incidents are happening — as unexpected as some of the results of the matches. The US–Israel–Iran war and the attacks on Middle Eastern countries have created tension for the organisers, though fans here are focused on the oncoming matches. A statement from the ICC expressed its concern and said that players, team management, match officials, broadcast teams, and event staff rely on Gulf hub airports, particularly Dubai, and that ICC security consultants are liaising with the relevant authorities to plan their course of action. In Kolkata, the main talking points among cricket fans were about the Friday earthquake and the India–West Indies . The giant screen at the Eden Gardens. Photo by K.R. Nayar  Earthquake and cricket fans An earthquake before an important cricket World Cup match is not something fans expect to happen. While the hurricane after the 2024 ICC ...

By K.R. Nayar From Eden Gardens Kolkata. There was a time when Eden Gardens, where India take on West Indies on March 1 in the ICC T20 World Cup, was the stadium with the largest seating capacity in India. Nearly 100,000 people used to watch the action. Today, Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium is the largest. But my first experience of reporting while sitting amidst 100,000 spectators was at the Eden Gardens. After renovation, this stadium can accommodate only around 70,000, but the aura and history of this ground makes it special. It was established way back in 1864 . Last World Cup for yellow Ambassador taxi. Photo by K.R. Nayar  To Kolkata without a wink of sleep Leaving for Kolkata from Chennai within a few hours after the India-Zimbabwe match and taking the 4:45 am flight resulted in a sleepless night. Since it was a red-eye flight, I hardly expected any journalist to be on this flight. To my surprise,  India’s ex-captain-turned-commentator, Ravi Shastri w...