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By K.R. Nayar Chennai Super Kings' superstar Suresh Raina’s sudden decision to fly to India without playing in the Indian Premier League is now a good script for a detective story. Ever since the IPL has had a Bollywood flavour every time, there has never been a shortage of drama. There were reports about Raina throwing a tantrum and co-owner N. Srinivasan then making a stern statement. Now there seems to be a U-turn. Raina and Dhoni ...are they still friends? You need to be a Sherlock Holmes to find out why Suresh Raina rushed back to India on August 29 and the number of stories emerging out of this incident.   Within ten days of arrival in UAE, Raina is said to have felt homesick and concerned about his family back home and has taken the trip back home. For a cricketer like Raina who has for the most part of his professional career lived out of his suitcase travelling the length and breadth of the world, to go through such a sudden change felt a bit strange. However, ...

By K.R. Nayar Staging of the IPL 2020 is a challenge that everyone involved in this league must take up with full responsibility. A disciplined approach is the only way forward and that is possible only if they respect and protect the bio-bubble without being careless and negligent about the procedures to be followed to remain safe from the Coronavirus.  Mumbai Indians players undergoing test before start of  their practice in Abu Dhabi  The Indian Premier League (IPL)  2020 to be held in UAE from September 19 can be staged successfully only if every individual associated with this league acts in the most responsible manner. It’s not just the players and support staff in the teams but everyone associated with the staging of this league who will have to strictly adhere to the procedures laid down for the smooth and safe conduct of this event.   The UAE had conducted the 2014 IPL edition successfully but there were no challenges like this then. All that wa...

By K.R. Nayar I decided to drive down to the ICC Academy for the first day’s IPL teams' practice session after they had completed their quarantine period. It was a very different experience and I realised how tough it was to pierce the bio-bubble. I returned home promising myself to never complain again about waiting for an interview with cricketers, since cricketers in a bio-bubble cannot even be seen, forget meeting them in any way. Rajasthan Royals at the ICC Academy during their first day's practice. Picture courtesy: Rajasthan Royals twitter  It is highly unlikely that anyone has ever seen or experienced a bio-bubble. I witnessed what it would be like while waiting outside the bio-bubble created for the IPL teams during my visit to the ICC Cricket Academy on Wednesday evening when the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab teams were having their practice session. As journalists reporting on cricket, we've often had to wait for hours to meet a player, and most of us ...

By K.R. Nayar Cricket teams need players with them who can ease the tension in the team in any way....maybe through humour or even singing songs. Indian spinner Padmakar Shivalkar and England wicketkeeper Arthur Wood had the ability to lift their team's spirit, not just through their cricketing skills alone. They entertained their teammates without ever revealing their own sorrows and disappointments.  Padmakar Shivalkar  There are many cricketers who are a delight to be with as they can lift your spirits. During my club cricketing days, we had a cricketer named Shaheer Peeru Mohammad, who would beautifully sing some old melodious songs and transport us to a different world.  He would make it a point to sing on our way back home, especially if we lost a match.  That helped us wipe away our disappointment after the defeat. Many club teams would have such players not for their cricketing skills but for their ability to entertain team-mates and help lower the tensio...

By K.R. Nayar Forward short-leg is that fielding position which will always remind us of the late Eknath Solkar who pulled off some breath-taking catches from there. His view on taking tough catches can inspire people who give up their mission when the going gets tough. Solkar's determination was tough to beat. Eknath Solkar's catches Alan Knott during India's historic win over England  August 24, 1971, will remain an unforgettable day for Indian cricket fans. On this day, India recorded its first series win over England at the Oval ground. Most times, when this historic moment is mentioned, the picture depicting the victory is that of Eknath Solkar’s diving catch of England wicketkeeper Alan Knott off S.Venkataraghavan at forward short leg. Solkar was one of the great cricketers whom I wanted to meet personally when I reached Mumbai to pursue a career in journalism. By the time I met him it was over a decade since he had retired from the game. During our first meeting I to...

  By K.R. Nayar Attending an umpiring course and getting more understanding of the various interpretations of the laws can surely boost one's enjoyment of the game. Here is my experience after attending the Emirates Cricket Board’s (ECB) umpiring course at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and how it made the 40 odd participants feel different after the two day session. From left: Coach Shah Hussain and international umpires Iftikhar Ali and Shiju Sam It is always an inspiring experience when one gets the opportunity to spend time with a bunch of cricket enthusiasts and do nothing else but talk about the game. I attended the Emirates Cricket Board’s two-day umpiring course on Friday and Saturday (August 21, and 22), conducted by the UAE's international umpires Iftikhar Ali and Shiju Sam and coach Shah Hussain at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, and it gave me immense joy. Although I had qualified as a state panel umpire from Kerala during my college days, due to work commitments I wa...

By K.R. Nayar Cricket fans are excited with top stars arriving here to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Whether fans would be let in to watch the matches or not, they have decided to get ready for the event buying team jerseys and constantly sharing information about the stars on their arrival, stay, and much more. IPL fever is taking on the country....… G Force Cricket Academy youngsters practice wearing the different IPL team jerseys  To be in a city where the cream of world cricketers have landed to play in the Indian Premier League’s 13th edition is a special feeling. Within a radius of a maximum one and a half-hour drive, all of them will be staying here for nearly three months, and for cricket fans, whether they would be able to see them or not, it is a matter of pride for them. Every cricket fan in this country is planning to get ready for the upcoming 53 days of action. When in 2014 the UAE had hosted IPL’s early matches, it made almost every fan here feel speci...

By K.R. Nayar Curator G. Kasturirangan, who passed away on August 19, created wickets with immense passion for the game. An encounter with him in the early eighties was an eye-opener on the art of making wickets. His sincerity was such that he even refused the offer to play for India on moral grounds. Read on… G. Kasturirangan  Over the years of my interacting with people associated with cricket, there have been many who are genuinely passionate about the game. There are also a few who devote themselves to the betterment of the game without any financial expectations. G. Kasturirangan, one of India’s finest pitch curators, was one such character. He passed away on Wednesday, August 19, at the age of 89. Before taking up journalism, as a youngster, I was always thrilled to involve myself in spreading cricket in Kerala. Those were the days when most youngsters in the state preferred football, volleyball, basketball, and athletics, and cricket was not yet popular. ACM Abdullah, th...

By K.R. Nayar This piece is not about Raina’s runs, catches, or sixes, but a journey into his mindset following a long chat with him a few years ago.  Raina’s approach is worth emulating. Although it’s been cricket all his life for him, he also sang and listened to songs to relax, and be on a song with his skills.  With Suresh Raina after a chat with him on his cricketing mindset I f a cricketer decides to retire on the same day that Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket, it is but natural that all attention will go to Dhoni being a legend that he is. Suresh Raina wasn’t concerned about that, and he too retired on the same day that his best friend and his most respected captain for many years decided to stop playing international cricket.  There is a lot written about Raina’s achievement in cricket such as being the first Indian to hit a century in T20 Internationals, the 12th Indian to hit a century on Test debut, the first Indian to sc...