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By  K R NAYAR Every innings he played will be remembered along with every drop of sweat he shed to display the purity of technique with resilience, recalls veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar. In Cheteshwar Pujara, India had one of the finest cricketers who showed the greatest respect and commitment towards the longest version of the game. The term 'Pujara' generally refers to (in Sanskrit) as someone who performs worship or prayers. Pujara believed that batting is like worship and had once remarked: 'For me, batting is like meditation. I try and keep my mind blank during that time. If you have any thoughts in the middle, then you can't concentrate for long periods.' His worship and ability to transform batting into meditation made him one of the cricketers who brilliantly displayed the art of playing Test cricket. So strong was his love for the longest version that he did not turn out to be as popular as his aggressive contemporaries, despite scoring ...

By K.R. Nayar From Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Mumbai has a special place in the history of cricket. It is not just a city with the historic Wankhede Stadium, which has staged some of the greatest matches and tournaments in the game. It is also the home of the Mumbai Cricket Association, a body that stands tall among other domestic cricket associations mainly due to its achievements over the years. Mumbai has won the prestigious Ranji Trophy 42 times. Which means, it has many special dates and priceless possessions from its feats over the years.   Sunil Gavaskar in front of his statute  August 23, 2025, will be remembered as a special day in this association’s history. On this day was inaugurated the Sharad Pawar Mumbai Cricket Museum (MCA), which is set to enthral cricket fans with its contents—ranging from the evolution of cricket bats to bags, kits, and blazers worn by great cricketers, many of whom are products of this association. The icing on the cake was the associat...

By K.R. Nayar From Ardingly, England   Thirteen-year-old Advay Kumat carries with him a maturity much beyond his age and fully implements whatever he has learned about the game when he is on the cricket field. He is one of the budding cricketers taking part in the Global Cricket Festival organised by the G Force Cricket Academy at Ardingly College.   Advay Kumat returns after cracking 118 runs  His willingness to express and enjoy what he has learned has been a stupendous show. He cracked 118 in 217 balls for G Force in the two-day Test match held at Ardingly College against Twenty20 Club from England. He stuck to what Head Coach Gopal Jasapara had taught him on how to play the longer version of the game — by staying at the wicket, displaying immense concentration and not throwing away his wicket.   G Force Head coach Gopal Jaspara with Advay Kumat Kumat, who bowls leg spin, then went on to produce a stupendous spell of eight wickets which included a hat-trick....

By K.R. Nayar From Lord’s Cricket Ground   On August 14. 2025, budding cricketers who are on a tour of England with the G Force Cricket Academy got to experience two of the latest formats of the game on. In the morning, they played Smash 50-ball cricket at the Ardingly cricket ground, and in the evening, they watched ‘The Hundred’ at Lord’s Cricket Ground, played by international stars like Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, etc. For the youngsters, both were memorable experiences.   G Force Boys during The Hundred match at the  Lord's  Head coach Gopal Jasapara has innovated many formats. Each time he introduced or played a new format, I’ve been fortunate to report it. In 2008, when he introduced the 10-over cricket and I reported it, very few believed that one day it would become an international format. He introduced the 10-over format, and the Dubai Cricket Council approved it. The tournament was held at Zabeel Park Ground, where only limited time slots...

By K.R. Nayar From Ardingly, England Ian Trott is one of the most renowned coaches who has groomed many youngsters into international cricketers. Father of England Test star Jonathan Trott, Ian has been coaching youngsters during G Force Academy cricket tours around the world for many years. He is a reservoir of tales from the game and was happy to share some interesting stories about the spirit of the game. Ian Trott... a coach with reservoir of cricket tales  The discussion around how to play with the spirit of the game came up after an incident during this ongoing tour in the final of the Global Cricket Festival at Oakham, when G Force took on the G Force Global team. Before narrating this incident, he talked about a game in which England skipper Paul Collingwood had to step down following a run-out incident in which he did not adhere to the spirit of the game, during the 2008 fourth ODI between England and New Zealand at the Oval. Jonathan Trott... son of Ian Trott  ...

  By K.R. Nayar From Ardingly, England   Cricket enthusiast and Dubai-based businessman Shyam Bhatia unveiled his museum’s first-ever T-shirt during the ongoing G Force Cricket Academy’s 52nd tour, being held at the picturesque and historic Ardingly College in West Sussex, England. Steeped in history, the Shyam Bhatia Cricket Museum in Dubai is one of the world’s best museums, filled with personal memorabilia from the legends of the game. The history of each cricket-playing country and the tales of cricket are all depicted on the walls of this museum.   Shyam Bhatia unveils the Shyam Bhatia cricket museum T-shirt at Ardingly during the G Force cricket tour  Bhatia, who promotes the game by distributing cricket kits around the world, even to the remotest areas, and supports budding cricketers, deliberately chose the G Force Academy tour day at Ardingly to unveil his museum’s T-shirt and cap, and to be with budding cricketers who are eager to learn the game. Pres...