Sharda Ugra

Sportswriter

Australia arrives at its own party

Australian fans turned up in droves for their team's SCG semi-final, dispelling pre-match fears that they would be drowned in a noisy sea of blue t-shirts and tricolour flags

26-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra at the SCG

Dhoni masters numbers game to crack ODI code

Over the last few months, he has slowly moved from a flashy finisher, to a more measured risk manager

25-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Sydney

India not carrying any scars, says Rohit

Rohit Sharma has said India carry no scars into the semi-final against Australia, despite their horror run in the Tests and tri-series preceding the World Cup

25-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Sydney

Wet weather dulls India's threat perception

The SCG might be India's preferred semi-final venue at this World Cup, but persistent rain in the lead-up has left them worried their spinners may not get the help they are widely expected to

24-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Sydney

Dhoni knows how to win World Cups - Vaughan

Regardless of conditions and skill and Australia playing on a home venue, former England captain Michael Vaughan said the Sydney semi-final is a "50-50 call" because of a single factor. "MS Dhoni knows how to win World Cups and that goes quite a long way.

24-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Sydney

The coach with a hand in both camps

He does things his own way and so far Neil D'Costa has an impressive record in helping future stars get a leg up

23-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra

Not such an English game anymore

Increasing numbers of top-level cricketers are not comfortable expressing themselves in cricket's original tongue. It's an issue a game with global interests needs to take seriously

23-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra

Cricket nerds in rugby territory

When the new, improved and cult-status-acquring Black Caps 2015 are playing in the World Cup quarter final in their home, the hordes are bound to gather at Sydney Kiwi haunt, the Harlequin pub

22-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Sydney

Rohit turns up awake, alert

Where other Indian batsmen had stomped their authority in the World Cup, Rohit Sharma's scores appeared to nodding off. At the MCG on Thursday, he stepped up as the leader and backbone of India's batting

19-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra at the MCG

Floater Raina's time to own high-speed lane

After a decade, Suresh Raina's ODI batting is still waiting to reach a level where he can be given the alluring title - match-winner

18-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Melbourne

Sounds of silence hide India's greatest hits

The distance the BCCI instructs its players to keep from the media - both Indian and international - is a disservice to the men contesting the World Cup

18-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Melbourne

Build, build, blast off

In contrast to previous World Cups, this time most teams seem to have followed a strategy of constructing an innings till about the last quarter and then launching an all-out attack

17-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra

Bangladesh eager to catch giants 'off guard'

To merely give India a good game won't be enough at this stage - a knockout is sudden death and being 'valiant losers' stands for nothing when you are packing your bags as winners are trumpeting their success

16-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Melbourne

Middle-order masterclass hides troubles at the top

In an otherwise strong campaign, India will be wary of the fact that their openers have struggled to come out firing and are time and again being bailed out by others down the order

14-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra at Eden Park

The lightness of being India

India's bowling unit has been instrumental to the team's success in this World Cup, and Mohammed Shami has been the key cog behind it. As the tournament enters its business end, the transformed fast bowler has his eyes set on only one thing

13-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Auckland

Whatmore calls for more fixtures to help Zimbabwe develop

Zimbabwe coach Dav Whatmore wants Zimbabwe to be given the opportunity to play more international cricket, ODIs and Tests, to help them push on as a team to contend with.

12-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra

Familiarity breeds respect for Whatmore

Dav Whatmore is a common strand between two of the darkest days for India in World Cups. Now, with his team already out of contention, he won't mind one last swipe against a familiar opponent

12-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Auckland

Poems, paintings make for a Perfect Pitch

The most beguiling attraction in the Waikato Museum in Hamilton is the Perfect Pitch, an exhibition put together to celebrate the history of the Northern Districts Cricket Association

11-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Hamilton

India's spinners rush through Ireland

India hustled Ireland with speed and pace: not pace bowling or impressive readings on the speed gun, bouncers and yorkers, but a foot-on-the-pedal approach with bat and ball which left Ireland with little time to think

10-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Hamilton

From beat-up hatchback to purring sedan

Banding together, discussing strategy and knowing their roles have helped India's quicks to become one of the better attacks of the World Cup

09-Mar-2015•Sharda Ugra in Hamilton

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