Reflections of 2025: A hit on a helmet to the rescue, frailty of Bazball exposed, Virat Kohli’s tears of joy

When Harmanpreet Kaur completed the catch to dismiss Nadine de Klerk off Deepti Sharma, it felt like time briefly stopped. For everyone watching the moment live from the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, it was surreal. For a split second, the entire crowd seemed frozen. Then came the realisation and an outburst of emotion. “A victory that will ignite a nation,” beamed Ian Bishop on the broadcast. India winning the trophy, especially after three losses earlier in the tournament, is a moment that will be etched in memories. The celebrations that followed were even more special. Pratika Rawal, who had a heartbreaking injury and made way for Shafali Verma, joined her teammates in a wheelchair, even gingerly standing up on one leg to do a jig. Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami got to lift the trophy, one that eluded them on two previous occasions. Anjum Chopra, Diana Edulji and many other former cricketers were present to soak it all in. The players who walked so that Harmanpreet and Co could leap.

If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. The year ended with the Bazball balloon getting pricked for good. The England team, the management and fans would have finally realised that good vibes and having a great time are not substitutes for discipline, diligence and graft. Reports of over-drinking in public during the tour only added to the narrative. That these lessons were taught by a battle-hardened Australian outfit was particularly significant. That the hosts weren’t able to field their first-choice XI for any of the Tests made the disparity between the teams starker. Bazball, and the irrational exuberance it engendered, had continued too long on hype rather than results. As a result, when England tried to play ‘proper’ Test cricket, they merely delayed the inevitable, with the realisation finally dawning on them that the Aussies were much too good for them all along.

Ben Stokes walks back after falling to Washington Sundar as India celebrate. (AP Photo)

Long before the Ashes, it was Shubman Gill who had called out England’s Bazball bravado. It happened on a gloomy July day, the final moments of the second Test in Birmingham. Trailing 0-1, Gill scored 269 and 161, delayed the declaration and gave England a 600-plus fourth innings target. What will England do now? Ben Stokes, of the ‘we don’t do draws’ fame, faced a dilemma and heaps of embarrassment. The final day had rains and cloud cover, most teams would have dropped anchor and gone in a shell. But these were Bazballers, they don’t play the uncool, unentertaining and sleep-inducing forward defensive blocks. That day one understood the ethos of England’s approach. They don’t, because they can’t. The moment of clarity came around lunch. Gill, in an inspired move, got Washington Sundar, not having the best of days, against Stokes. The English captain took a stride, hoping to meet a ball that had drift and dip. He was nowhere near the ball. He was out lbw. The answer to blowing in the chilly Birmingham wind — this England was a one-dimensional team that played unconventional Test cricket since they didn’t have a choice. That day, Gill killed a flock of birds with one arrow.

The low full toss from Mohammed Siraj’s whippy, elastic limbs speared into Gus Atkinson’s off-stump to set delirium among Siraj and his teammates on a gloomy morning in Oval. England were just seven runs from sealing a famous one-wicket win, but the tireless, incandescent Siraj had the resolve to bend the game to his will and so he did, to complete a thrilling series that ended 2-2. The relevance will cast long shadows of significance in Indian cricket. New captain Shubman Gill displayed his captaincy wares; he showed that leadership would only elevate his batsmanship (he amassed 754 runs). Siraj, scowling and sneering, embodied the doggedness of his side. He produced match-defining spells time and time again and emerged from the shadows of Jasprit Bumrah. As did India from Ravi Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The transition success story would stall, as India lost 2-0 to South Africa at home, but there is hope that Gill’s team has the fight and skill to revive India’s red-ball supremacy.

Virat Kohli finally won an IPL trophy. He had waited for this moment since 2008. Every year began with hope but season after season ended in despair. There were tears of joy when an 18-year wait ended.

Temba Bavuma’s South Africa were clinical in their chase. (AP Photo)

Sticks, stones and words like “South Africa are chokers” could hurt me terribly, back once. Then Temba Bavuma went to Lord’s this June and lifted the World Test Championships mace, beating Pat Cummins’ Australia, no less. Aiden Markram scored a century, Bavuma played a crucial knock and the champion Proteas shot the grooviest re-enactment from Pulp Fiction, to celebrate the win. Temba ‘Jules’: “We happy?” Aiden ‘Vincent’: “Yeah, we happy.” The word ‘choker’ had lost its sting. It’s not that anyone with any sense, actually believes every Saffer loss is a choke — that’s poor comprehension of cricket. Or, that this one ICC title is a warranty card against all future mishaps that will befall them. But the unoriginal cackling by mischiefers needed a contemptuous ‘Talk to the hand’ retort. The WTC win was that. Out of habit however, it had unlocked another fear: Would South Africa stay interesting, once they reached the elusive ICC trophy? With a home ODI World Cup still to be won (T20s are ghastly, and don’t matter), Vincent might well say drolly, “Yeah, we still interesting.”

The tension was palpable as India was reduced to 20/3 in the final of the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai, chasing 147 runs. Enter, Tilak Varma. The southpaw chose to do it differently. He soaked in the pressure and became the architect of India’s memorable win. It was not just the temperament and maturity that were praiseworthy, but the versatility that he had shown in shot-making. In an earlier game against Pakistan in the Super Four stage, with the run-rate climbing and hitting boundaries getting harder on a sluggish pitch against cutters deployed by Pakistani bowlers, the Hyderbadi blitzed a 19-ball 30 to help India win the game.

When great things are meant to be, there isn’t possibly anything that could disrupt that moment. Salman Nizar’s helmet will concur. It was his unflinching ruggedness at short-leg that pulled off a Ranji Trophy thriller for the ages that marked history for Kerala. After 74 years of trying to put themselves on the domestic map as a serious First-Class contender, this was their first true moment. Only two runs separated Gujarat from the final during a 457-run chase in Ahmedabad when a thumping slog-sweep from No. 10 Arzan Nagwaswalla landed the killer blow. It would have seen the former champions prevail every other time, but when Thalassery man Nizar’s ‘thala’ stood undaunted, Kerala’s attrition found its bearings among Ranji classics. For a few cricket-mad Kerala fans who traveled for the epic showdown, the moment would instil the Malayali’s faith in ‘nimitham’ (purpose) and irrepressible serendipity.