Sandip G

Sandip G, Delhi-based, writes primarily on cricket and football. He pens a weekly football column, Total Football. In 15 years of sports journalism, he has covered a vast spread of sports, including World Cups in three different sports (cricket, football and hockey).

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More From Sandip G - Page 2

Ravindra Jadeja picked four wickets in second innings against South Africa in Kolkata Test. (PHOTO: BCCI)

India vs South Africa, 1st Test: Ravindra Jadeja’s four-wicket burst gives hosts slight edge after chaotic day at Eden GardensSubscriber Only

November 15, 2025 20:37 IST

India, after eking out a 30-run lead, valuable in the context of the low-scoring affair, and then twisting the knife on South Africa, reeling on the mat at 93 for 7, would feel a sense of ascendancy.

Sat, Nov 15, 2025

A match that bubbled with excitement and possessed the ingredients to thrill was held hostage by an abominable pitch. (PHOTO: BCCI)

India vs South Africa: Poor pitch reduces Test to a farce in KolkataSubscriber Only

November 15, 2025 18:45 IST

No batsman, 29 strode in and out, managed to touch 40; 26 wickets fell in two days as the horror track stripped the game of its soul

Sat, Nov 15, 2025

India played three all-rounders - Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel & Washington Sundar - in the first Test vs South Africa in Kolkata. (PHOTO: BCCI)

India vs South Africa, 1st Test: How Shubman Gill’s side thrives with all-rounders, squad flexibilitySubscriber Only

November 14, 2025 22:27 IST

With three all-rounders who can play as specialists with both ball and bat, and two wicketkeepers, India’s 11 are worth 16.

Fri, Nov 14, 2025

The deviations and bounce on the Eden Gardens pitch on the first day of the Kolkata Test were so wicked that Jasprit Bumrah took time to grasp the nature of the wicket. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Wicked, whimsy bounce at Eden Gardens keeps both sets of batsmen on toes, as SA skittled for 159; India lose JaiswalSubscriber Only

November 14, 2025 20:08 IST

Proteas batting coach Ashwell Prince reckons it's tough for batsmen to settle in at Kolkata, and 150 might be challenging target in 4th innings

Fri, Nov 14, 2025

India's Kuldeep Yadav congratulates Jasprit Bumrah after the pacer took a South African wicket on Day 1 of the Kolkata Test at Eden Gardens. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav deliver a deadly post-lunch dessert onto South AfricaSubscriber Only

November 14, 2025 18:11 IST

South Africa’s batsmen would have felt that they had been transported into a dark arts realm in second session, facing superhuman bowlers and not two simple smiling assassins from Ahmedabad and Kanpur

Fri, Nov 14, 2025

Who is Senuran Muthusamy? South Africa’s spin-bowling allrounder who has ancestral roots in Tamil Nadu’s NagapattinamSubscriber Only

November 13, 2025 20:07 IST

His school coach and mother saw a disciplined kid who loved books, quotes of Shakespeare, and utterly devoted to cricket.

Sun, Nov 23, 2025

Kuldeep Yadav (right) is just one of India’s weapons of mass destruction to worry about for South Africa. If he is defused, strides in Ravindra Jadeja, or Washington Sundar, or Axar Patel (centre), a variegated chalice of slow poisoners. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

India vs South Africa 2025 1st Test Preview: Temba Bavuma’s men eye historic win amid spin challengeSubscriber Only

November 13, 2025 18:03 IST

The caprices of the pitch and the fervour of the stands; the riffs of its spin orchestra and the tunes of their seam act, the masterfulness of their batsmen and the shifting climes and landscapes, the subcontinent could daunt the touring sides from half a world apart

Fri, Nov 14, 2025

Team India's Washington Sundar at the nets on Wednesday ahead of the first Test against South Africa at Kolkata's Eden Gardens. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

India vs South Africa, 1st Test: Why Washington Sundar will be key on Eden Gardens pitchSubscriber Only

November 12, 2025 21:53 IST

How the Kolkata strip behaves and how India fare on it would set the pitch narrative in coach Gambhir’s reign with Washington as his trusted lieutenant.

Thu, Nov 13, 2025

Temba Bavuma's troops are not as dynastic or celebrated as some of the previous iterations. (AP Photo)

India vs South Africa: Temba Bavuma’s WTC champs get set for their hardest challengeSubscriber Only

November 11, 2025 18:08 IST

A tour of India is the stiffest test for any overseas side, and the most rigorous baptism yet for the World Test champions. If uneasy disclaimers still lurk around their triumph, a series win in India would cleanse half the doubting minds.

Wed, Nov 12, 2025

When Luis Diaz shot, his left shoulder and half his body was well behind the upright at the near post. (AP/X)

Bayern Munich’s Luis Diaz’s improbable goal shows not all skills are taught in football schoolsSubscriber Only

November 10, 2025 08:37 IST

With a strike from a near-impossible angle, Diaz shows what Liverpool are missing as he proves instinct sometimes trumps conventional football thinking

Mon, Nov 10, 2025

Gill and Sharma — their camaraderie blossoming from junior cricketing days in Punjab, a tale of shared teenage and early adulthood — have struck an irresistible bond, their association yielding 486 runs at an average of 37.4 at a strike rate of 163. (BCCI Photo)

India’s T20 dream team takes shape as cup of talent overflowsSubscriber Only

November 08, 2025 20:29 IST

There is a sense of routine, almost a bloodless coup, about how India nails bilateral series and tournaments.

Sun, Nov 09, 2025

Shivam Dube: Hopping out of Hardik Pandya’s shadow, one skill at a timeSubscriber Only

November 07, 2025 19:40 IST

The Mumbai all-rounder is bowling without fear, and batting with impact, commanding a spot of his own, even when Hardik Pandya returns

Sat, Nov 08, 2025

India beat Australia by 48 runs in the 4th T20I to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. (BCCI)

India vs Australia 4th T20I: Axar Patel, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar power Suryakumar’s quest to conquer AustraliaSubscriber Only

November 06, 2025 19:59 IST

There was no single protagonist who stole the show single-handedly, but a win underpinned by the collectivism of a thrillingly modern team

Fri, Nov 07, 2025

Indian women's team coach Amol Muzumdar after winning the ICC Women's World Cup 2025. (PHOTO: AP)

As India win Women’s World Cup, Amol Muzumdar gets love back from the sport he loved for all those years as nearest among nearly menSubscriber Only

November 03, 2025 20:29 IST

One by one, the pieces of destiny fell in place, and India orchestrated a "watershed moment", as described by head coach Amol Muzumdar. It was special for him too. Wasim Jaffer remembers the player he was, turning up on the domestic circuit year after year.

Tue, Nov 04, 2025

Watching Erling Haaland in the kitchen is more theatre than watching him belting goals in the middle. (AP/Instagram)

Erling Haaland and the twin-arts of scoring an exquisite steak crust and a perfectly elastic goalSubscriber Only

November 03, 2025 13:54 IST

Erling Haaland, Pep Guardiola's premier project at Manchester City lives the complete life circle of food and football.

Mon, Nov 03, 2025

India vs Australia, 3rd T20: Washington Sundar stakes claim in India’s future plans with match-winning 49 as visitors level series with 5-wicket winSubscriber Only

November 02, 2025 19:52 IST

The all-rounder may have played 54 T20Is in the past eight years, but the innings in Hobart is the first in which he has definitively stamped his authority in the shortest format for India.

Sun, Nov 02, 2025

A player taking a correct throw-in during a game.

Why are long throw-ins giving football defenders and lawmakers a headache?Subscriber Only

November 02, 2025 14:58 IST

Most elite defenders are endowed with aerial prowess; so why is a long throw, that's slower and loopier than a corner kick, dangerous?

Tue, Nov 04, 2025

IND vs AUS: Indian batsmen know about Josh Hazlewood’s skills but they still fail to counter himSubscriber Only

October 31, 2025 20:06 IST

Shubman Gill had a tough time against Josh Hazlewood in the second T20 International in Melbourne.

Sat, Nov 01, 2025

Around the country, cricketers and cricket lovers put their bats out for 17-year-old Ben Jones. (Photo Credit: Ferntree Gully Cricket Club)

Ben Austin: A young life in cricket snuffed out in the same way Phil Hughes passed awaySubscriber Only

October 30, 2025 22:26 IST

Aussie club cricketer dies after being hit on the neck by ball from a side-arm thrower

Fri, Oct 31, 2025

As is often the case with Surya, everything happened in both a blur and ultra-slow motion. (JioHotstar screenshot)

Suryakumar Yadav’s swat-flick against Josh Hazlewood is a shot all his own and bends cricketing logic to his whimsSubscriber Only

October 29, 2025 21:28 IST

Other batting stalwarts have played this shot and its various versions, but the India skipper defines the stroke and is himself defined by it in return

Wed, Oct 29, 2025

India's captain Suryakumar Yadav reacts during the Asia Cup cricket match between India and Sri Lanka at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. (AP Photo)

With 126 runs in 14 matches, why Australia series is important for Suryakumar YadavSubscriber Only

October 28, 2025 18:59 IST

While he hasn't shown any signs of struggle in the middle, India's T20I captain has been struggling for runs and with Shubman Gill breathing down the neck, another lean series could pose serious questions

Wed, Oct 29, 2025

It was a night that saw the best and worst of Vinicius, a one-man allegory of the El Clasico itself, which fluctuated between brilliance and madness, genius and the clumsy. (AP)

Vinicius Jr’s Real Rumble: The tempest straddling ginormous talent and tantrums; also manager Alonso’s first of troublesSubscriber Only

October 27, 2025 09:06 IST

Subbing the dangerous Brazilian in the 72nd minute brought out fiery fury, but Lamine Yamal had wound Vinicius up much earlier in the game

Mon, Oct 27, 2025

Rohit, at 38 and with 11,168 runs before boarding the flight to Australia was a certified 50-over colossus. (AP Photo)

For Rohit Sharma, every game is like playing his first match and last match at the same timeSubscriber Only

October 26, 2025 18:08 IST

The seasoned and talented batsman, will have to keep proving what he has proven a thousand times before, and figure it all out by himself under relentless scrutiny

Mon, Oct 27, 2025