His ability to bat according to the demands of the situation makes him special among specialist batters.
Dreams are not fragile; they are powerful. So dream big, write your script like Praful Hinge did, and when the moment arrives go for the kill and dominate.
This is a franchise built on resilience and has often stumbled but risen with a vengeance, fiercer and hungrier. The question is: when will that happen, and why did it not start from their home ground?
Sanju Samson reminded the cricket world on Saturday why he is one of T20's most dangerous batters.
In an era where today's cricketers seldom read reports or build personal bonds with journalists, these four belonged to a different, warmer time. They valued relationships. They acknowledged the storyteller.
Very often in cricket, a single run has revealed its importance, especially for a batter who has failed to get off the mark continuously for many matches.
C D Gopinath was a member of the team that secured India's first-ever Test victory in 1952, beating England by an innings and eight runs--his contribution being a valuable 35 runs. Little did I imagine that within months of putting his journey into words as the oldest living Indian cricketer, he would pass away on April 9, 2026, at the age of 96.
It was shocking to see even good length balls disappear into the crowd and short balls being punished with a message never to bowl such deliveries to him.
Mohammed Shami's exceptional spell of 4-0-9-2 was instrumental in Lucknow Super Giants' five-wicket victory over Mohammed Shami's brilliance lies not in pace alone, but in precision, resilience, and an unrelenting hunger to return stronger.
In crowded Mumbai trains, passengers, despite being crushed and unable to breathe, watch the IPL action on their phones. Oxygen may be optional, but the live score is not.
The impact of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's knock will travel beyond Guwahati, inspiring every kid who picks up a bat in the narrow, dusty gullies, or a cramped maidan like those in Mumbai.
Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton chased down the huge target with the swagger of street fighters. Every hit to the boundary and over it was etched with a question to the bowlers: How dare you bowl to us?
The opening match had everything that makes the IPL special -- noise, nerves, and nostalgia.
Many fans hadn't even bothered to change their Team India jerseys with which they watched the match. A few wanted to carry on the stadium atmosphere into the train singing songs like Chak De India and Vande Mataram. They played them so loudly and ensured no one got a wink of sleep. Of course, the main topic of discussion was Sanju Samson.
Superstition is likely to rule the day with many believing that a small movement could result in the fall of a wicket.
'I have actually, for a few years, been trying to do something like this for my country.'
The South Africans had only recently wiped away their reputation of being chokers. Finn Allen got them to choke again.
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'.
Whenever he has played a match-winning knock, the pride in Malayalees travels faster than the fastest delivery in world cricket.
When the script of the match was leading towards a sad ending for his team, Sanju Samson played that unhurried knock, exactly what was needed at that moment.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances