Kohli wasn’t just a star; He was a supernova
The best cricket stories of the week, 10th to 16th May 2025
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Kohli wasn’t just a star; He was a supernova
Good Areas’ Jarrod Kimber has my favourite obituary on Virat Kohli’s Test career.
“The thing with stars is that once the helium is gone, the core often turns to iron. There is no fire left. The star collapses. Sometimes the shockwaves from a supernova help build other stars. But they are not the same as the original. Kohli shone so bright, there will be other stars because of him. But they won’t be him.”
ESPNcricinfo’s Sidharth Monga writes about the connection between Kohli and his favourite format; “Kohli and Test cricket gave each other their best”
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When to york and when to bounce
Cricbuzz’s Sai Krishna analyses Matheesha Pathirana’s IPL game in 2024 v 2025 to understand how T20 bowlers construct their overs, and how they use variations.
“Which ball do you bowl when?
While different bowlers will naturally have different approaches, the data points to some trends - particularly among pace bowlers. And the case of Pathirana offers insights into what is currently proving effective among T20 bowlers, and why the Sri Lankan has lost some potency this IPL season.”
ESPNcricinfo’s Kartikeya Date thinks batters are leaving runs on the floor; “The way batters approach the single tells us there is room for bigger scoring in T20”
3
Professional pitches for Saudi’s tape-ball cricket
The National’s Paul Radley reports on the growing phenomenon of tape-ball cricket in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert, promoted by Rahul Dravid and the Rajasthan Royals.
“For the most recent tournament grand final, played in December, the crowd of around 2,500 spectators included Rahul Dravid and Kumar Sangakkara.
The former international stars were there as part of their roles with Rajasthan Royals, the IPL franchise who are backing the promotion of cricket in Neom. Their trip to the project included providing a coaching session the night before the final, as well as a meet and greet with supporters at the game.”
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The best of the rest
BBC’s Ayaz Memon has the definitive goodbye to the other retiree; “Rohit Sharma: Indian cricket star who made batting look like art”
Dawn’s Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi tries to explain why the PSL’s eternal favourites are struggling; “Dethroning of the Multan Sultans”
Indian Express’ Nihal Koshie & Sandeep Dwivedi analyse a bat; “The physics behind Hardik Pandya’s curved bat that enables his signature no-look sixes”
Old Ebor remembers a forgotten but important figure from British cricketing history; “Cricket, Medicine and Windrush: The Post-War Career of Bertie Clarke”
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The best videos and podcasts
IWM’s Cyrus Broacha catches up with Indian analyst Sankar Rajgopal to talk about the analysis boom in Indian cricket, and the IPL in particular. [YouTube]
Caribbean Cricket Podcast’s Machel St Patrick Hewitt & Santokie Nagulendran talk about how they built their podcast, and how it has ended up influencing to actually impact West Indies cricket. It’s a bit meta, but lovely to see the transparency from a cricket media outlet. [YouTube]
The Grade Cricketer’s Ian Higgins & Sam Perry - who were touring India when the war broke out - speak about their experiences in country, and hastily getting out. [YouTube]