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India Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Stupidity and the C word: Shreyas Iyer's and the philosophy of Langda Tyagi
If Langda Tyagi were a cricket fan, he'd be tempted to remind Shreyas Iyer of his iconic philosophy - only a thread separates stupidity and the C word. Pull the string and you struggle to figure out what's stupidity and what's cricket. For nothing else explains Shreyas Iyer's cricket current evidence, Iyer is one of Indian cricket's bahubalis, a worthy successor to Virat Kohli's Omkara. He has the same swag, the same middle-finger-up mindset, and the game to back it up. His big-game performances reveal, if not rival, the Kohli template - hunger to fight for India's honour, and decimate the 2023 Cricket World Cup, he amassed 530 runs in 11 innings at an average of 66.25, with a strike rate of 113.24, including two centuries and three fifties. He was the first middle-order batter to score over 500 runs in a single World Unsung ICC Hero In the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, Iyer scored 243 runs at an average of 48.60, with three fifties, emerging as India's top batter and the tournament's second-highest run-scorer, contributing significantly to India's title win. His ability to dominate spin and deliver in high-pressure knockout games was key to India's triumph. But his performance was forgotten like Bipasha Basu's item numbers in Omkara - entertaining but just a rite of in Bollywood, cricketing fame is reserved for the A-listers. Iyer's contributions have been eclipsed by the defiance of Kohli, the derring-do of Rohit, the magic of Jasprit Bumrah, and the T20 brilliance of Surya Kumar as Dolly Mishra says in Omkara, even when the moon's half, it is still the L FactorIt is evident Iyer has the wretched luck of Langda Tyagi, the sharpshooter upstaged by a college kind in Vishal Bharadwaj's cult classic career has been plagued by injuries and off-field controversies. From the cusp of greatness, he has been pulled back many in the IPL, Iyer keeps reminding us of his resilience and luck - the lack of it. He is a successful IPL captain – the only one to lead three franchises to the play-off stage. His batting has the same selfless spirit that defines Rohit Sharma's exploits. And, like Bumrah, he is an exemplar of come-backs - someone who has risen above recurrent injuries and reclaimed his uncelebrated 2020, Iyer became the only captain to guide Delhi Capitals to their maiden IPL final, where they lost to Mumbai 2021, a shoulder injury forced him to miss the first half, with Rishabh Pant taking over as captain. Despite returning for the second half, DC management retained Pant as captain (who ditched them later.)In 2022, Kolkata Knight Riders acquired and appointed him captain. After a disappointing 2022, Iyer missed the next season due to a back injury, with Nitish Rana leading returned in 2024 to lead KKR to their third IPL title, their first in a decade. But Iyer was surprisingly released by KKR before the 2025 auction, reportedly due to a 'lack of communication' with the Iyer was dropped from the BCCI central contract, allegedly for ignoring domestic cricket. It was punishment for a luxury that has been offered to many other contemporary entire idea of domestic cricket has been shown up for what it is—a farce. Many consistent performers on the domestic circuit are ignored in favour of IPL performances. In hindsight, it seems, his exclusion was just a ruse to sideline him for reasons the future would Omission Test SquadIyer's Test career is a testament to his fate, written perhaps with, as Langda ruminates, an equine Iyer has played 14 Test matches and batted in 24 innings, scoring 811 runs at an average of 37 with 1 century and 5 Read: Gautam Gambhir avoids question on Shreyas Iyer's Test exclusion: I am not selectorHis average is better than half the Indian side touring England this summer. The only explanation for his exclusion is his perceived weakness against short balls. But Iyer's recent exploits suggest he has worked on this defining principle behind the selection of the Indian squad for England is hope, the optimism that players with a lesser record despite more opportunities will recent form, record, and experience made Iyer a safe bet for the as Omkara opined, Sarat ghodon pe lagate haiSandipan Sharma, our guest author, likes to write on cricket, cinema, music and politics. He believes they are Watch
News18
3 days ago
- Sport
- News18
PM Modi Meets IPL Teen Prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Family At Patna Airport
Last Updated: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vaibhav Suryavanshi at the inauguration of Patna Airport's new praised the young star's skills and wished him success. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vaibhav Suryavanshi during the inauguration of the new terminal building of Patna Airport. PM Modi took to social media to post: 'At Patna airport, met the young cricketing sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi and his family. His cricketing skills are being admired all over the nation! My best wishes to him for his future endeavours.' At Patna airport, met the young cricketing sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi and his family. His cricketing skills are being admired all over the nation! My best wishes to him for his future endeavours. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 30, 2025 With his eye-catching stroke-play and impressive six-hitting ability, the teenager scored 252 runs in seven innings of IPL 2025,after he was roped in by the Rajasthan Royals INR 1.1 crore in last year's auction. With a blazing 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans and a mature fifty against Chennai Super Kings fresh in everyone's memory, Suryavanshi's next big challenge is to perform well for India on their multi-format tour of England in June-July. India U19 will play England U19 in a 50-over warm-up match, a five-match one-day series, and two multi-day games. This will be Suryavanshi's first experience playing in tough English conditions, marking the beginning of India's preparation for the 2026 U19 Men's Cricket World Cup. According to an official communication, 'The PM will inaugurate, lay foundation stone and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 48,520 crore in Karakat. Boosting power infrastructure in the region, he will lay the foundation stone for the Nabinagar Super Thermal Power Project, stage-II (3×800 MW) in Aurangabad district worth over Rs 29,930 crore, which will aim at ensuring energy security for Bihar and eastern India". 'It will boost industrial growth, create job opportunities, and provide affordable electricity in the region", it added. First Published: May 30, 2025, 14:02 IST
Daily Maverick
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
‘Experienced' Marizanne Kapp's welcome return to boost stuttering Proteas Women
The Proteas Women will be boosted by the inclusion of star all-rounder Marizanne Kapp when they face the West Indies. The Proteas Women had a dire 50-over tri-series tour of Sri Lanka at the start of the month – winning only one of their four matches – but now have star all-rounder Marizanne Kapp back in the squad hoping to make a change. The Proteas will tackle West Indies in Barbados throughout June in a six-match white-ball tour, hoping for an improved performance. The last time South Africa won back-to-back cricket matches was in the T20 World Cup in October 2024 – with only two sporadic victories since. From that point, they had a seven-match, all-format tour against England in which they only won one match and then more recently their singular victory against Sri Lanka in a tri-series that included India. Head coach Mandla Mashimbyi came on board halfway through the series against England and arguably the team's most important player, Kapp, was rested for the ODI tour in Sri Lanka. With the Cricket World Cup in India starting in September, the excuses are beginning to dry up. 'Sometimes things have to go wrong for you to get them right,' Mashimbyi said about his ambitions for success at the Cricket World Cup. Kapp's addition to the side will help ensure things go right more often. 'You can never underestimate the value of an experienced player in your squad,' Mashimbyi said of Kapp's return to the national fold 'Based on the plans that were had for Marizanne, in terms of her fitness block and to make sure by the time we get to the World Cup she'll be where she needs to be – that was most important for us at this time.' Besides experience, 35-year-old Kapp adds quality swing bowling with the new ball as well as runs in the middle order – areas in which the team struggled in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 'Having her back in the squad is something I'm looking forward to seeing,' Mashimbyi added. 'Seeing how she operates within the team environment and also the experience that she brings.' Possible wildcard In place of Kapp as well as the ill Anneke Bosch, youngsters Karabo Meso, Seshnie Naidu and Miané Smit were given a run. 'One of the main things we're trying to do as well is create depth within the squad, knowing that anybody coming into the squad can impact the team positively,' Mashimbyi said. Meso and Smit are with the team again for the tour of West Indies, while Naidu has been dropped. Bosch has also not recovered in time for the tour. While Mashimbyi has not been afraid to turn to youth in his short time as coach thus far, he has also not ruled out calling on South Africa's eighth-most-experienced player in the 50-over format. Former captain Dané van Niekerk made a u-turn on her international retirement in 2024 and was aiming to make a return to the international stage at the World Cup in September. That looks unlikely at this stage but not out of the realm of possibility, according to Mashimbyi. 'We are not in a position to say that she can make it or not,' he said. 'Anything can happen. In terms of her being in the plans, I've had a chat with her in February about the things that we require for her to put her name back into the hat. 'I'm going to have to have a follow-up chat with her regarding what she thinks going forward. 'In terms of that, she was not in the plans initially, but you can never count anybody out. When the opportunity presents itself and she's the one that's available to make the team, or she's fit enough, or she's where she needs to be… we can't control that.' Youngster Smit and Suné Luus are currently the two top-order batters who bowl spin in the squad. Neither has made the position completely her own, however. Smit is only two matches into her international career and Luus hasn't scored a half-century in the format since September 2023. 'These tours are not casting [any names] in stone,' Mashimbyi said. 'It's to create depth and to see what other players can do. 'I'll never count a player out. Everybody in domestic cricket, who has done well, is still eligible to play in the upcoming World Cups.' Van Niekerk has a batting average of 36.25 and a bowling average of 19.14, with 138 scalps with her legbreaks, in international cricket. She was in solid form for Western Province Women as well in the past season, scoring a 64-ball century against South Western Districts Women in a T20 clash, which was her second-last match of the season. DM
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Heather Knight ruled out of summer in huge blow for England ahead of World Cup
Former England captain Heather Knight will miss the remainder of the summer after suffering a severe hamstring injury in a huge blow for Charlotte Edwards' side. Knight suffered the problem while compiling a half century as England completed a 3-0 sweep of the T20 international series against the West Indies at Chelmsford on Monday. Subsequent scans have revealed a 'significant tendon injury' that will sideline the 34-year-old for June, July and August, though it is hoped she will be fit for the Cricket World Cup, which begins at the end of September. Alice Capsey has been called up to England's one-day international squad ahead of three more white-ball encounters with the West Indies that begin in Derby on Friday. Knight lost the captaincy after a disastrous 16-0 Ashes whitewash in the winter but underlined her importance with two excellent knocks from No 4 in the T20 series. An unbeaten 43 in the successful chase at Canterbury was followed by her 66 not out in Chelmsford, with the former skipper leaving a significant hole in the middle order. "Her innings was pretty special to get us up to that total, being a competitive and winning score in the end," said captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, of Knight's knock. "That just shows her class and experience." England take on India later in the summer, while Knight will also miss The Hundred having captained the London Spirit to the title last year. Surrey all-rounder Alice Davidson-Richards and Lancashire opener Emma Lamb are among those who could press for a place alongside Capsey after being included in the ODI squad.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Heather Knight ruled out of summer in huge blow for England ahead of World Cup
Former England captain Heather Knight will miss the remainder of the summer after suffering a severe hamstring injury in a huge blow for Charlotte Edwards ' side. Knight suffered the problem while compiling a half century as England completed a 3-0 sweep of the T20 international series against the West Indies at Chelmsford on Monday. Subsequent scans have revealed a 'significant tendon injury' that will sideline the 34-year-old for June, July and August, though it is hoped she will be fit for the Cricket World Cup, which begins at the end of September. Alice Capsey has been called up to England's one-day international squad ahead of three more white-ball encounters with the West Indies that begin in Derby on Friday. Knight lost the captaincy after a disastrous 16-0 Ashes whitewash in the winter but underlined her importance with two excellent knocks from No 4 in the T20 series. An unbeaten 43 in the successful chase at Canterbury was followed by her 66 not out in Chelmsford, with the former skipper leaving a significant hole in the middle order. "Her innings was pretty special to get us up to that total, being a competitive and winning score in the end," said captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, of Knight's knock. "That just shows her class and experience." England take on India later in the summer, while Knight will also miss The Hundred having captained the London Spirit to the title last year. Surrey all-rounder Alice Davidson-Richards and Lancashire opener Emma Lamb are among those who could press for a place alongside Capsey after being included in the ODI squad.
