News / Author / Rasesh Mandani

Rasesh Mandani

Rasesh Mandani loves a straight drive. He has been covering cricket, the governance and business side of sport for close to two decades. He writes and video blogs for HT.

Articles by Rasesh Mandani

In ODIs, India’s “Big Three” remain Sharma, Dhawan and Kohli

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli may no longer be a collective force in T20s, but together, their ODI influence remains as astonishing as ever.

cricket

Published on Mar 23, 2021 10:28 AM IST

ByRasesh Mandani, Mumbai

India vs England: ODIs, with an eye on the T20 World Cup

Kohli questions need for an ODI series in this T20 World Cup year, but sees it as an opportunity for new players to get noticed.

India and England will lock horns in the first ODI in Pune on Tuesday(BCCI)

cricket

Updated on Mar 23, 2021 09:05 AM IST

ByRasesh Mandani, Mumbai

All-round Hardik Pandya returns, lends India T20 side crucial balance

Pandya's return to bowling, after lengthy injury management post a back surgery, played a crucial role in India's 3-2 T20 series win over England.

India's Hardik Pandya celebrates taking the wicket of England's Jason Roy with teammates.(REUTERS)

cricket

Updated on Mar 22, 2021 02:43 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani, Mumbai

Iyer makes his World Cup case with one of the best innings of his career

Whether it's blasting away from ball 1, or pacing his innings to take India to the finish line, Iyer changes gears like no one else in Team India.

India's Shreyas Iyer in action.(REUTERS)

cricket

Updated on Mar 19, 2021 04:20 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani, Mumbai

ICC announces verdict on Motera pitch for Test that ended in two days

The Ahmedabad pitch was a subject of intense debate during the four-match series which India won 3-1 to qualify for the World Test Championship final. Now ICC has passed it judgement on the 22 yards.

England Skipper Joe Root during the 2nd day of the 3rd Test Match in the series between India and England at Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera in Ahmedabad.((ANI Photo/ECB Twitter))

cricket

Updated on Mar 14, 2021 05:20 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

Is it fair to have uniform fitness benchmarks for unconventional India finds?

Two seasons in a row Varun Chakravarthy has failed to pass his fitness test. Will there be another India call up for the IPL sensation?

Varun Chakravarthy failed fitness test ahead of T20I series against England.(ANI)

cricket

Updated on Mar 12, 2021 11:45 AM IST

ByRasesh Mandani, Mumbai

Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar use IPL as launchpad for Test career

The RCB duo has used inherent strengths to showcase worth in Test cricket, in the historic series in Australia and against England.

India's Mohammad Siraj celebrates a dismissal with teammates during the 4th Test Match between India and England at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. (BCCI/ANI Photo)

cricket

Published on Mar 09, 2021 07:46 AM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

No home game for any team in IPL 2021 fixture

The Indian Premier League (IPL), to be held across six venues, will take a decision on allowing fans into the stadiums later in the tournament. The IPL 2021 schedule was announced on Sunday.

cricket

Published on Mar 07, 2021 09:35 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

India vs England: Kohli-Pujara-Rahane averages dip on bowlers' turf

Kohli, Pujara and Rahane's batting averages have been their worst ever, or matched their poorest phase, across fairly long careers.

Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane run between the wickets. (Getty Images)

cricket

Published on Mar 04, 2021 09:42 AM IST

ByRasesh Mandani, Mumbai

Covid-19 could spike Mumbai’s IPL-14 chances

Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata have been earmarked as the five venues.

Vivo will return as IPL's title sponsor for the 2021 edition. (IPL)

cricket

Updated on Mar 03, 2021 07:59 AM IST

ByRasesh Mandani, Mumbai

Ball makers SG to conduct more trials after two day pink ball Test

India vs England: Ashwin says players will take time to adapt, as BCCI confirms pink ball Tests here to stay

cricket

Updated on Feb 27, 2021 10:05 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani, Mumbai

India vs England: That's the way the pitch crumbles

As many as 17 wickets fell to spinners on Day 2 of the day-night Test, raising questions on whether the pitch was fit to host a game in the longest format

cricket

Published on Feb 27, 2021 11:55 AM IST

ByAbhishek Paul, Rasesh Mandani

Ben Stokes dropped catch brings soft signal rule in focus

The TV umpire overruled the “Out” soft signal (on-field umpires’ own call before technology adjudicates) and the incident renewed the debate whether soft signal can be an informed decision with very limited reaction time for the umpires on ground.

Ben Stokes' attempted catch of Shubman Gill on Day 1 of third Test against India in Ahmedabad(Twitter/Screengrab)

cricket

Published on Feb 24, 2021 10:58 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

India vs England: To keep or not to keep Umpires' Call in DRS

The committee led by Mike Gatting that includes a host of former captains, coaches and match referees, had differing views on the subject and their recommendations to ICC will therefore be varied.

Indian captain Virat Kohli (L) and umpire Nitin Menon (R)(Twitter)

cricket

Published on Feb 23, 2021 07:52 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

Lukman Meriwala, Chetan Sakariya and IPL's enduring hinterland story

After T Natarajan, two left-arm pacers from poor rural families aim to make a mark in the glitzy T20 league.

cricket

Updated on Feb 21, 2021 09:17 AM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

IPL Auction 2021: Chris Morris becomes IPL's most expensive player

Before Morris, Australian “big-show” Glenn Maxwell who knows all about handling prize tags, went for big money yet again—at 14.25 crore, the most he has ever made in the IPL.

cricket

Published on Feb 18, 2021 10:54 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

IPL 2021: BCCI-Vivo deal back in place for three years

The IPL chairman also confirmed that IPL 2021 will most likely see fans return to the stadium.

cricket

Published on Feb 18, 2021 04:48 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

IPL 2021 mini-auction: A juggle of money and available players for teams

IPL 20201: A lowdown of all eight franchises and what promises to be on their agenda for the players' auction on Thursday.

A total of 292 players will go under the hammer. (IPL/Twitter)

cricket

Updated on Feb 18, 2021 01:27 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani, Mumbai

Kuldeep Yadav, pushed to the periphery, wins a battle with Moeen Ali

The chinaman bowler, reduced to third spinner in his first Test for over two years, removed England’s last wicket to finish up with a smile in the Chennai Test.

Indian leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav(Twitter)

cricket

Published on Feb 16, 2021 05:42 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

Teen leggie from Nagaland on IPL teams’ radar

What Kense does know is how to spin the ball past right-hander’s bat, fast. So impressed were some IPL talent scouts that the leg-spinner made the 292-player shortlist from 1194 applicants for the auction in Chennai on February 18.

cricket

Published on Feb 15, 2021 08:31 AM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

Will IPL reward Test stars like Cheteshwar Pujara on the auction table?

Also throwing his name in the ring is the Sydney Test saviour Hanuma Vihari, with a base prize of ₹1 crore. His IPL record, like Pujara, is not flattering with 284 runs in 24 matches at a strike rate of 88.47. After featuring in IPL 2019 for Delhi Capitals, he went unsold, last year.

cricket

Updated on Feb 12, 2021 09:15 AM IST

ByRasesh Mandani, Mumbai

India vs England: Chennai Test leaves SG ball bursting at the seam

The seam came off during the first Test leaving Virat Kohli unhappy, though makers of the match ball blame the abrasive MA Chidambaram Stadium pitch.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Indian captain Virat Kohli(Twitter)

cricket

Published on Feb 10, 2021 07:32 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

Smith, Moeen Ali head massive list of players registered for IPL mini-auction

Steve Smith released by Rajasthan Royals, Shakib Al Hasan returning to IPL after serving an anti-corruption suspension, Harbhajan Singh and Kedar Jadhav - both released by CSK are amongst the 11 prominent names to have kept their base price at the higher end of R2 crores.

cricket

Updated on Feb 05, 2021 11:00 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

India’s pace ace Jasprit Bumrah ready to burst IPL myth at home

With every IPL, Bumrah reinforces his T20 credentials. But he relishes breaking batsmen’s confidence with the red ball more. His pet peeve is being called an IPL find.

cricket

Published on Feb 05, 2021 07:57 AM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

No Ranji Trophy for the first time in 87 years, players face a setback

Instead, the curtailed domestic calendar will see the Vijay Hazare Trophy ODI event staged in February, in a format similar to the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, which ends with the Tamil Nadu-Baroda final on Sunday.

cricket

Published on Jan 31, 2021 07:38 AM IST

ByRasesh Mandani, Mumbai

I had to grip the bat with four fingers, it wasn't natural: Cheteshwar Pujara

Match by match, session by session, Pujara spoke about the experience of being in the thick of action in a historic series and on how he made a gash through Australia's plans mid-way through the series.

cricket

Updated on Jan 28, 2021 10:17 AM IST

BySanjjeev K Samyal, Rasesh Mandani

Interview | 'Told Pujara to continue, I'll look for runs': Rahane on Gabba chase

The reserved and soft-spoken Ajinkya Rahane led the team aggressively and astutely: “It was a challenge as well as a responsibility, and I thought it was the best opportunity for me to stand up, send that message, he said.

cricket

Updated on Jan 26, 2021 09:11 AM IST

BySanjjeev K Samyal, Rasesh Mandani

Chennai to stage IPL mini auction on Feb 18

Teams will be left to make some tricky selection calls, with IPL’s return home still not a certainty.

cricket

Updated on Jan 27, 2021 11:00 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

Rahul Dravid's hand in the rocking rookies

The game-changing performance was also the result of Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur coming through an astute systemic platform laid by the low-profile Rahul Dravid.

Former India captain Rahul Dravid(Twitter)

cricket

Published on Jan 21, 2021 11:33 AM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

Rajasthan Royals release skipper Steve Smith ahead of auctions

Under Smith's captaincy, the inaugural edition champions RR finished last in the last IPL in the UAE, where the star Australian batsman played all the 14 league matches and scored 311 runs.

Steve Smith in action for Rajasthan Royals(IPL)

cricket

Updated on Jan 20, 2021 11:12 PM IST

ByRasesh Mandani

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Rasesh Mandani

Rasesh Mandani loves a straight drive. He has been covering cricket, the governance and business side of sport for close to two decades. He writes and video blogs for HT.

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli may no longer be a collective force in T20s, but together, their ODI influence remains as astonishing as ever.

Kohli questions need for an ODI series in this T20 World Cup year, but sees it as an opportunity for new players to get noticed.

Pandya's return to bowling, after lengthy injury management post a back surgery, played a crucial role in India's 3-2 T20 series win over England.

Whether it's blasting away from ball 1, or pacing his innings to take India to the finish line, Iyer changes gears like no one else in Team India.

The Ahmedabad pitch was a subject of intense debate during the four-match series which India won 3-1 to qualify for the World Test Championship final. Now ICC has passed it judgement on the 22 yards.

Two seasons in a row Varun Chakravarthy has failed to pass his fitness test. Will there be another India call up for the IPL sensation?

The RCB duo has used inherent strengths to showcase worth in Test cricket, in the historic series in Australia and against England.

The Indian Premier League (IPL), to be held across six venues, will take a decision on allowing fans into the stadiums later in the tournament. The IPL 2021 schedule was announced on Sunday.

Kohli, Pujara and Rahane's batting averages have been their worst ever, or matched their poorest phase, across fairly long careers.

Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata have been earmarked as the five venues.

India vs England: Ashwin says players will take time to adapt, as BCCI confirms pink ball Tests here to stay

As many as 17 wickets fell to spinners on Day 2 of the day-night Test, raising questions on whether the pitch was fit to host a game in the longest format

The TV umpire overruled the “Out” soft signal (on-field umpires’ own call before technology adjudicates) and the incident renewed the debate whether soft signal can be an informed decision with very limited reaction time for the umpires on ground.

The committee led by Mike Gatting that includes a host of former captains, coaches and match referees, had differing views on the subject and their recommendations to ICC will therefore be varied.

After T Natarajan, two left-arm pacers from poor rural families aim to make a mark in the glitzy T20 league.

Before Morris, Australian “big-show” Glenn Maxwell who knows all about handling prize tags, went for big money yet again—at 14.25 crore, the most he has ever made in the IPL.

The IPL chairman also confirmed that IPL 2021 will most likely see fans return to the stadium.

IPL 20201: A lowdown of all eight franchises and what promises to be on their agenda for the players' auction on Thursday.

The chinaman bowler, reduced to third spinner in his first Test for over two years, removed England’s last wicket to finish up with a smile in the Chennai Test.

What Kense does know is how to spin the ball past right-hander’s bat, fast. So impressed were some IPL talent scouts that the leg-spinner made the 292-player shortlist from 1194 applicants for the auction in Chennai on February 18.

Also throwing his name in the ring is the Sydney Test saviour Hanuma Vihari, with a base prize of ₹1 crore. His IPL record, like Pujara, is not flattering with 284 runs in 24 matches at a strike rate of 88.47. After featuring in IPL 2019 for Delhi Capitals, he went unsold, last year.

The seam came off during the first Test leaving Virat Kohli unhappy, though makers of the match ball blame the abrasive MA Chidambaram Stadium pitch.

Steve Smith released by Rajasthan Royals, Shakib Al Hasan returning to IPL after serving an anti-corruption suspension, Harbhajan Singh and Kedar Jadhav - both released by CSK are amongst the 11 prominent names to have kept their base price at the higher end of R2 crores.

With every IPL, Bumrah reinforces his T20 credentials. But he relishes breaking batsmen’s confidence with the red ball more. His pet peeve is being called an IPL find.

Instead, the curtailed domestic calendar will see the Vijay Hazare Trophy ODI event staged in February, in a format similar to the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, which ends with the Tamil Nadu-Baroda final on Sunday.

Match by match, session by session, Pujara spoke about the experience of being in the thick of action in a historic series and on how he made a gash through Australia's plans mid-way through the series.

The reserved and soft-spoken Ajinkya Rahane led the team aggressively and astutely: “It was a challenge as well as a responsibility, and I thought it was the best opportunity for me to stand up, send that message, he said.

Teams will be left to make some tricky selection calls, with IPL’s return home still not a certainty.

The game-changing performance was also the result of Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur coming through an astute systemic platform laid by the low-profile Rahul Dravid.

Under Smith's captaincy, the inaugural edition champions RR finished last in the last IPL in the UAE, where the star Australian batsman played all the 14 league matches and scored 311 runs.

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