Author: Abhijit Deshmukh

A total of 14 Indian wrestlers, including Aman Sehrawat and Deepak Punia, are set to compete for Paris 2024 Olympic spots at the World Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers in Istanbul, Turkey, beginning on May 9. The Istanbul event offers the last chance for wrestlers to secure their places at the upcoming Summer Games, with three Olympic quotas available in each weight class. In each division, the two finalists will secure Olympic quotas for their countries, while the third spot will be awarded to the winner of a playoff bout between the two bronze medallists. To date, India has achieved four Olympic…

Crafted by Bollywood — which has given us Lagaan, Chak de India, Gold and Dangal — Maidaan fills a void with its celebration of football, a game that had yet to find its way on to this grand a stage. Films such as Jhund, Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal and Sikander touched the surface. None until now had delved deep into the golden days of Indian football. Imagine millions awakening to the tales of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where India stood a breath away from a medal, or the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, where gold was not just won but…

World Athletics has made a groundbreaking announcement, revealing that for the first time in history, it will offer prize money at the Olympic Games, beginning with the upcoming Paris Summer Olympics. This decision will see athletes being monetarily rewarded for their Olympic achievements, with a total of US$2.4 million set aside from the funds World Athletics receive from the International Olympic Committee every four years. This fund will provide US$50,000 to the gold medalists in each of the 48 athletics events at the Paris Games. Additionally, World Athletics has committed to expanding this initiative by offering graduated prize money to…

Jonty Rhodes, the South African known for his exceptional fielding skills, recently conducted a fielding camp for aspiring young cricketers in Pune. The camp organised by former player Parag More at the JusCricket Academy echoed with enthusiasm, as the kids eagerly absorbed what Rhodes spoke about, on learning the arts of agility and precision on the field. Rhodes shared invaluable tips and techniques, instilling a passion for excellence among the budding players. The camp not only honed their cricketing abilities but also left a lasting impact. In an exclusive chat with RevSportz, Rhodes was candid. The following are the excerpts:…

Cricket is mostly about batting and bowling. Is that right? Wrong. It’s as much about fielding. Pune’s MCA Stadium witnessed one such act during the World Cup match between Australia and Bangladesh. At 214-3, Bangladesh’s Mohammad Mahmudullah and Towhid Hridoy were looking firm. They had stitched together a run-a-ball 44-run partnership. They seemed quite at home in the heat of Pune, much like they would in Bangladesh. They were set and a total of 350 or thereabouts seemed on the cards. Hardly any wrong shot was played during this partnership. Australia’s bowlers were struggling to get that breakthrough. But that’s…

Abhijit Deshmukh at the MCA Stadium, Pune After six consecutive defeats, England, the defending champions, finally registered their second win of the 2023 World Cup. Inspired by a thrilling 84-ball 108 from Ben Stokes, and Dawid Malan’s brisk 87 (74 balls), England piled up 339-9 before bowling out the Netherlands for just 179 at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali shared six wickets. This all-round display helped England leapfrog the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to seventh place in the table. Victory against Pakistan in Kolkata on Saturday – Pakistan need a win to have any…

With India set to take on Sri Lanka on Nov 2, 2023, at Wankhade Stadium, Rohit Sharma, the India captain, will achieve something unique. He will become the first Indian captain to lead the side in front of his home crowd at an ODI World Cup. In that context, let’s have a look at the captaincy journeys of those cricketers who had led India in previous World Cups held on the subcontinent. Kapil Dev (1987) India made it to the semi-final of the Reliance World Cup in 1987, losing to England in Mumbai. During the tournament, they played their matches…

Abhijit Deshmukh in London At Tokyo 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Olympics Games missed its heartbeat – the fans. Next year’s Olympics in Paris will be different in many ways, and the fans will have several opportunities to reconnect with the greatest show on Earth. The opening ceremony will take place along the River Seine and its canals, and around 6,00,000 fans are expected to witness it. All the Paris 2024 Olympics medallists will have a walk to remember at Trocadéro, which faces the Eiffel Tower, and their victory will be celebrated with thousands of spectators around. With…

At the age of 43, Rohan Bopanna is playing tennis like Spiderman. He covers the court like a teenager, executes shots which are next to impossible. He is the only Indian at Wimbledon this year. RevSportz caught up with Bopanna who spoke on various things, including his vision to make India a better tennis country. Abhijit: I like to call you Spiderman because in the last few years, you have been incredible on all sorts of courts and pulling off some incredible shots. How are you playing like this at 43? Bopanna: I think this is the first time…