New Delhi: Given the wafer-thin attention spans, it is easy to forget that cricket, just about five years ago, was played in a bio-secure bubble. With the world still coming to terms with the havoc caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the debate around vaccines, embracing what was called the ‘new normal’ became imperative.

Cricketers spoke of bubble fatigue, mental health and safety protocols, and you know things have come to a head when even the Indian Premier League (IPL) schedule is changed — IPL 2021 was suspended in India and moved to United Arab Emirates after much uproar. With the toll mounting, a sporting spectacle was not the priority anymore. The 2021 T20 World Cup was played amid such overarching moral dilemma.

The tournament was originally scheduled in Australia in October-November 2020, but was postponed by a year because of Covid. It was then moved to India due to entry restrictions in Australia, but considering the pandemic situation, it was moved to the UAE and Oman with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remaining the official hosts.

A five-year gap after the previous T20 World Cup meant the format had undergone a sea change. As evidenced by the big-hitting West Indies batters in the 2016 edition, teams realised the merit in power-hitting. The hard lengths were not hard to hit anymore and as batters grew brave and inventive with stroke play, rival captains began to rely on mystery spin and slower ball variations to disrupt the rhythm. The event also set right an enduring anomaly — that of Australia not winning the trophy.

An unstoppable force in the 50-over World Cup, the Aussies had inexplicably failed to lift the T20 trophy despite their arsenal. They did come close — runners-up in 2010 and semi-finalists in 2007 and 2012 — but it was only in 2021 that they went all the way.

Led by an astute Aaron Finch, Australia won six of their seven matches, none more impressive than taking down an in-form Pakistan bowling attack in the semi-final. With Australia needing 62 runs in five overs, Pakistan would have fancied their chances. But left-handed Matthew Wade smashed Shaheen Shah Afridi for three sixes in the 19th over to take Australia into the final with an over to spare.

The final against New Zealand was a comprehensively one-sided affair. The Kiwis, riding on skipper Kane Williamson’s 48-ball 85, scored 172/4 on what was perhaps the best pitch Dubai had rolled out in the tournament. Australia, powered by a 50-ball 77* from Mitch Marsh, crossed the line with seven balls to spare and eight wickets in hand. Brimming with allrounders Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and even Pat Cummins, Australia’s success underlined the value of multi-dimensional cricketers who could be used for specific match-ups and as cover for frontline practitioners having an off-day.

It was also sweet redemption for David Warner, who was adjudged Player of the Series. The aggressive opener was stripped of captaincy in the middle of IPL by Sunrisers Hyderabad and eventually lost his place in the eleven. Days later, he had hammered 289 runs in the World Cup to prove his mettle.

For ‘hosts’ India, the tournament was a bit of a nightmare with their proud, unblemished World Cup record against bitter rivals Pakistan ending on a tacky Dubai track. Shaheen Afridi exploited the early swing to perfection, getting the ball to swerve in beautifully to account for openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul inside the Powerplay. Jolted early, the Indian innings gasped for momentum, huffing and puffing to a below-par 151/7 in 20 overs.

That India got that much was down to skipper Virat Kohli’s 49-ball 57. He anchored the innings in the middle overs before a brief late assault. Rishabh Pant was the only other Indian batter to cross 30 that night.

India had a potent attack in Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja, but Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were impenetrable. Chakravarthy roped in ahead of R Ashwin for his mystery spin, struggled. The dew quickened the pitch and made life tough for the Indian spinners as they struggled to grip the ball. That shouldn’t take anything away from the Pakistan openers, who put up a masterclass to seal a 10-wicket win.

Days later, an eight-wicket hammering at the hands of New Zealand sealed India’s fate. Wins against Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia followed but with only the top two progressing, India endured an early exit.

Kohli, having announced he would step down as T20I skipper before the tournament, lost his ODI captaincy months later. Other casualties included Chakravarthy, who didn’t play another T20I for three years, leggie Rahul Chahar, who hasn’t played a T20I since, and Shardul Thakur, who played only once since that World Cup.

Arthur Fils, Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev (Getty Images)

Dubai: The lines are blurring for today’s top tennis pros, chalk markings smudging the clean cuts of the fashion world.Arthur Fils, the 21-year-old ranked No. 34 on the ATP Tour, was recently signed by luxury fashion house Balenciaga. The talented Frenchman, who pulled out of the Dubai Duty Free tennis tournament with a strained hip, spends up to 15 minutes in front of his wardrobe deciding what to wear for dinner.“I take this, this and this and the mix always works. I’m pretty simple. I don’t go with crazy things,” he told TOI in an exclusive chat about his choices, which aren’t very different from what he does on the court. “Tennis is much more open now. More new brands are coming into the sport, we’re also signing with luxury brands. We are invited to a lot of events and there’s much more media now.”In the Carlos Alcaraz–Jannik Sinner era, forehands meet fashion collaborations, global luxury powerhouses walk alongside sports brands expanding into athleisure. The game’s new icons are not just chasing trophies; they are setting the tone for a generation that treats tennis as a vibe and lifestyle as much as grind and legacy.If the Roger Federer–Rafael Nadal–Novak Djokovic years were defined by sculpted perfection, the Alcaraz–Sinner era is about expression.Alexander Bublik, the second seed at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, points to age. He is 16 years younger than Federer and more than a decade younger than Nadal and Djokovic. Bublik, 28, ranked No. 10, was already on Tour when Alcaraz, 22, and Sinner, 24, emerged.“For me it was about looking up to them,” Bublik said of the golden generation. “We’re not friends; we are not going to be friends. With Carlos and Jannik it is a friendly relationship. Carlos is a funny guy, very, very loud. He wears crazy gear and Jannik is more style and elegance, an ice-cold approach on the court.”Bublik, who noted that these were much cooler times, as against the result-oriented stretch of the game’s golden era, said that back home in Kazakhstan or Russia, he even had movie offers.Andrey Rublev, whose unruly mop mirrors his temperament, calls it “a generational thing”.“Each generation had to contend with something,” he said. “Before Roger and Rafa, it was Sampras and Agassi; before that it was McEnroe and Borg. That was a different time, with no social media. They were doing many more things outside the court. In the time of Roger and Rafa, social media started and tennis also became more professional. Players were more kind of locked down, super professional.”“Now there’s a new generation, like the TikTok generation, so it’s just different,” the 28-year-old Russian said.Fils, for his part, admires the unapologetically expressive style of Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton.“There’s a lot of character in Lewis Hamilton’s style. When he goes anywhere, everyone looks at him because of what he’s wearing; it looks great on him. I like fashion and now I can wear a lot of cool stuff that I really like. So every time I’m going out to dinner or whatever, I try to put on something cool.”In a sport once defined by whites and restraint, self-expression is no longer a sideshow; it is part of the main event. The new generation is as comfortable fronting fashion campaigns as it is trading blows from the baseline, unafraid to let personality sit alongside performance.For the likes of Fils and his peers, style is not a distraction but a declaration. The forehand still does the talking, but increasingly, so does the fit.

Axar Patel with teammates. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: India’s crushing defeat to South Africa may have dented their semi-finals hopes, but former head coach Ravi Shastri believes the setback could be the “shake-up” the title favourites desperately needed — provided they respond immediately.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Speaking ahead of the must-win Super 8 clash against Zimbabwe, Shastri warned that another slip could push India to the brink of elimination.“You win 12 matches on the trot, there’s bound to be an off day. And I’m glad it has come early. It might just be the shakeup India needed,” Shastri said. “It might also make them rethink their strategy as to the composition of the side going ahead.”

India’s 76-run loss ended a dominant run and left them with no margin for error. Shastri made it clear that the team must quickly learn and adapt.“They would have learned from that last experience that they’re not going to take things for granted because in this Super Eight if you lose one more match, then you’re really putting yourself under serious pressure,” he cautioned.ALSO READ: What India must do to stay alive at T20 World CupAxar Patel’s return key to revivalShastri stressed that India must urgently strengthen their bowling options, calling for the immediate return of vice-captain Axar Patel.

“They have to bring him back. You need that experience. I would say play both,” he said, referring to Axar and Washington Sundar. “Give yourself that extra option. Because on a given day, you’re bound to have one bowler who’s going to have an off day.”He also dismissed concerns about batting depth if Axar returns.“If eight batters can’t do the job in T20 cricket, then something’s wrong, especially with that kind of firepower,” Shastri said. “Where you’re missing out is you’re not giving yourself that extra option of a bowler, which I think is important.”For India, the equation is simple now. The warning signs have arrived. The shake-up has happened. Their semi-final fate will depend on how quickly they respond.