Pujara and Rahane have their supporters, and rightly so. They have done great things in the past.

Pujara and Rahane epitomise the medieval-school* brand of defensive batting in Test cricket.

*Anything after 1864 is not really "old-school"
*
In other words, bat for long hours, grind the opposition bowlers down, let them tire, put the loose balls away.

I have always been a firm believer in quick batting, because that improves the chance of taking 20 wickets.
+
But in an era dominated by ball, and with percentage of drawn Test matches on the decline, grinding is perhaps not as defensive than it used to in the flat-wicket 2000s.

I pitted Pujara and Rahane against Pant and Jadeja, two batters known for aggressive, high-risk batting.
+
I checked balls per dismissal.

Since 2021, Rahane has actually lasted fewer balls per dismissal than Pant or Jadeja, two batters with other roles in the XI.

In fact, in 2021, Pujara (79) has lasted *roughly* as many balls more than Pant (61) as Pant has more than Rahane (45).
+
Since 2020, not only has Rahane not scored, but he has also not lasted as long as Jadeja or Pant (Pujara has at least done that, as a #3).

Remember, with India almost always playing five bowlers, Pant/Jadeja often bat just after Rahane.

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More from @ovshake42

23 Oct 21
Pelé turns 81 today.

There is not much I can write that you do not know, but here is a behind-the-scenes love story.

A love story of two Pelé fans, I must clarify here. Not his love story.

Maybe you have not heard of it.
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The story began in Sweden, back in 1958. Yes, almost six decades ago.

It involves two fans of Brazilian football.

They were there when a certain Pelé became the youngest to score a hat-trick in the FIFA World Cup.

They also saw him score two more goals in the final.
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They cried together when Pelé got injured against Czechoslovakia in the 1962 World Cup.

And during the Bulgaria and Portugal matches of the 1966 World Cup.

And they were obviously there for the 1970 World Cup final.

By now they were obviously not in their early 20s anymore.
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14 Oct 21
Tillakaratne Dilshan, one of my most favourite cricketers of all time, turns 45 today.

There is no actual reason for Dilshan being my favourite.

I just loved watching him, with bat, with ball, on field, anything.

Dilshan was one of the giants of cricket, especially ODIs.
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He is one of six men with the 10,000 run-1,000 wicket-100 dismissal treble in ODIs.

Of them, he is the only one to have been a specialist Test wicketkeeper at some point.

I do not mean stepping in for an injured wicketkeeper: he *started* three Test matches as wicketkeeper.
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Talking about Test cricket, Dilshan (40.98) averaged more than in the format than Jayasuriya (40.07), Atapattu (39.02), and Karunaratne (38.62 as I write).

Dilshan played until he was 40 (I thought he always looked 25).

He scored 4,674 ODI runs after turning 35.
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27 Aug 21
On 27 August, a bit on Bradman's ancestors.

To begin with, Bradman was part Italian.

The only other Australian international cricketers of Italian origin (that I know of) are Mike Veletta, Michael de Venuto, and Phil Hughes.

Please feel free to add to the list with evidence.
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In 1826, one Emanuel Danero was one of the first Italians to migrate to Australia. He was a successful hotelier, and a champion at quoits and skittles.

He married Mary Corner. They had 14 children.

During this marriage, he had another daughter, Sophia Neich, with Mary Cupitt.
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After Mary Corner died, he married Maryann Parkinson, and had 10 more children.

That is 25 known children.

Now let us discuss Sophia Neich, who married one William Whatman.

Their sixth child, Emily, married George Bradman.

Their son was the greatest cricketer in history.
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Read 6 tweets
9 Jul 21
Test cricket had returned on July 8, 2020.

It was also the day when the English and West Indian cricketers took the knee to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Australian national cricket team has not taken the knee yet.

They may, during this tour. I hope they do.
+
A more famous incident was the Black Power Salute at the Mexico City Olympics of 1968.

The stance is among the most iconic in the history of all sports.

England and West Indies taking the knee together does not seem as iconic...
+
Until you read about the combined past of the two nations and think.

But these are the moments that were photographed, and thus, celebrated more.

One iconic stance against racism we do not talk about much took place in 1974.

An Indian stance.
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Read 14 tweets
30 Jun 21
I often think of cricket, both old and new.

Sometime in the mid-2010s, I tried to remember the 1990s.

And then I realised which cricketer represented One-Day cricket in the 1990s more than anyone else.
+
Ideally, as an Indian, it should have been this man.

They switched off television sets when he got out.

He became the first Indian whom we *saw* take down overseas attacks. Live.

He seemed to break and set records every day.
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Or one of these two men, who defied conventional "technique".

An artist-turned-general, the enigma of Indian cricket.

And his, and India's, greatest weapon.
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Read 10 tweets
28 Jun 21
India were not the only team to tour England in 1932.

A motley group of South Americans were there, too.

The only time South America played First-Class cricket as a continent.

On June 25, the same day of India's first Test match, they played against Sir Julian Cahn's XI.
+
And on this day, that year, they won the match.

Before the match, some context on Cahn.

Cahn was incredibly rich (not an exaggeration), and a great patron of cricket.

He owned a team that he also led.

How strong was Cahn's side?
+
At various times, the team included Andy Sandham, Stewie Dempster, Joe Hardstaff Jr, Bob Crisp, Denijs Morkel, Paul Gibb, Arthur Carr, Bev Lyon, Ian Peebles, Lionel Tennyson, EW Swanton.

Cahn's team 621 matches played in England and away across 18 years.

They lost only 19.
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Read 13 tweets

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