The jury has voted, the verdict’s out and this being January that can only mean that it’s time to all-hail Lionel Messi again. Since two-thirds of the voters comprise national team captains and coaches and with 41.6% of the total votes going to Messi, there really should have been no debate about an unprecedented fourth Ballon D’Or for the peerless ball wizard of this generation if not of all time. [Read more]

Although their fans and media always stoke the rivalry, India and Pakistan players always show a healthy respect to each other. With most of them speaking the same language, sledging is almost unknown despite the intense pressure they play their games under. They at best rib each other on the field in a language both sets of players understand. [Read more]

A confidential order from who-can’t-be-refused is just a click away from being sent to Nagpur, the venue for the last Test. This is how it reads: Should England survive Kolkata too, slip in some burglars into the England nets in the guise of net bowlers to steal all their bats. [Read more]

The lament about how Test cricket is on a rapid decline and that it will be dumped very soon is something we hear on a daily basis. Cricket bosses point to declining spectators for the five-day matches and worry that young fans are keener to watch one-day and Twenty20 matches. [Read more]

Turning tracks have been the running theme of England’s tour of India thus far. And by the looks of it, most of their batsmen don’t just have technical problems facing up to India’s spinners on slow pitches, they have so far struggled to mentally tune themselves to stay patient. [Read more]