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By K.R. Nayar This piece is not about Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s exploits on the cricket field but happenings involving him that I have witnessed off the field. How I shot the selfie as he walked away after his last innings in international cricket, incidents during his press conferences, and his love for his ardent fans, will forever remain as my fond memories. Enjoy reading! Selfie with Dhoni from the press box as he walks away with the scoreboard in the background  Sometimes you get that gut feeling, even if a player may not have announced his retirement, that you may be reporting his last innings in international cricket. There was a lot of talk even before the start of the 2019 World Cup that it might be Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s last tournament as part of Team India. So on July 10, when I walked in to report the Indian innings at the Old Trafford ground in Manchester, something kept telling me that this could be the last time I would be watching one of India’s finest captains and th...

By K.R. Nayar The UAE has some of the world’s most luxurious hotels and some of them have been booked by the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams to ensure a safe stay during the league. Players and officials of the IPL will be put up in these hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and they will have to remain in a bio-secure environment. St. Regis in Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi to be home for Mumbai Indians The Indian Premier League players will be staying in some of the best hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi during the 13th edition of the league to be held from September 19 to November 10. As the teams get preparing to arrive from August 20 in the UAE for pre-event camps, all teams have been booked in hotels that can be safe as well as comfortable. Some of the hotels here have confirmed that they have been approached and that the deal has been finalised. According to information, Waldorf Astoria in Dubai will be home for the Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore team. Waldorf Astori...

By K.R. Nayar It's very exciting to learn that some of the famous authors have connections to cricket. After H.G. Wells, I have now learned that the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes also has links with cricket. Writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired to coin his character's name as Sherlock Holmes from names of cricketers. Doyle’s tales about his life as a cricketer too are special. Read on to see how he regaled us by playing with words as much as he enjoyed playing the game…. The Sherlock Holmes museum on the way to the Lord's cricket ground  Ever since I started my blog, it is interesting that ideas for stories have been coming in from different people who read my blog. It is very heartening to see this readership growing rapidly and I am grateful to all those who have enjoyed my stories. Since I am a cricket writer, almost all my writings are related to the game, but I also ensure there is message for everyone, including those who are not fans of cricket...

By K.R. Nayar A lot is written about cricketers but very little on umpires. As a result, many interesting tales of umpires remain unknown, especially their devotion to the game. Read about an umpire who officiated despite losing his arm in a war, and that the first man to score the first run in Test cricket also went on to become an umpire.   Frank Chester officiates with an artificial arm  To be an umpire requires great dedication.  Hence only people who really enjoy the game take up this profession. At no point in the match can the umpire relax unlike players who get some break between innings.  Soon after I wrote about K.N. Anandapadmanabhan, who has been picked to become one of  the Emirates ICC International Panel Umpire, someone asked me as to why not many stories were written about umpires even though they are also devoted to the game. When cricketers perform brilliantly, they are hailed as heroes; but umpires, even if they have officiated a tense ...

By K.R. Nayar Leg spinner K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan, who missed becoming an Indian team player has risen to become one of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Umpires. His rise to find a place among the top umpires in the world is an inspiring tale of a cricketer’s deep passion for the game despite many disappointments. It is a great feeling recalling my days of club cricket with this amazingly inspiring cricketer. K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan  K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan, whom I used to address as ‘Ananthan’ during our club cricket days, has risen to become one of the Emirates ICC International Panel Umpires. His career is an inspiring tale and a message to all those who play cricket that the game will never leave you as long as you don’t leave it. Ananthapadmanabhan had to encounter the disappointment of not making it to the Indian team despite sterling performances in domestic cricket, but he played the game with a heart full of love for the sport.  Without giving up his passi...

By K.R. Nayar Opener Mohammad Waseem, who won the Emirates Cricket Board’s Domestic D10 tournament’s 'Player of the Tournament' award and skillful 'death bowler' and left-arm pacer Sheraz Ahmed are knocking at the doors of the UAE national team. Both of them owe their rise to recognition to the tips and encouragement from the greats likes Yuvraj Singh and Lasith Malinga Mohammad Waseem (right) follows Yuvraj Singh's advice to bag the top prize  Mohammad Waseem and Sheraz Ahmed have watched cricket’s superstars like Yuvraj Singh, Lasith Malinga, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Lynn, and Andy Flower only on television. They had never imagined they would be even standing next to them, forget playing cricket with them. So it was more like a dream when they got the opportunity to spend hours with these players during the 2019 Abu Dhabi T10 League after getting picked to play for the Maratha Arabians team. They utilised every minute of the opportunity, making sure to travel with them...

By K.R. Nayar It was while reporting Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga’s spell of four wickets off successive balls in Guyana against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup and doing a bit of research on deadly spells in cricket that I came across the name Joseph Wells. He was the first bowler to take four wickets in four balls in a first-class cricket match in 1862. What surprised me most was to know that he was the father of the great author HG Wells. Here is an inspiring story of a father’s struggles and his son’s rise to fame.  Joseph Wells   I think many of us would be familiar with the short stories written by the famous English writer H.G.Wells. I first read his short stories as lessons in our English textbook at school. His stories lit up my imagination and then I went on to read some more of his works. But ' Time Machin e' and ' Invisible Man ' were my favourites and I would enjoy reading them again and again.  Little did I know then that his father Joseph Well...