Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

I am suddenly reminded of Osman Samiuddin’s landmark book on the history of Pakistan cricket. It’s an enchanting account of the game in that country, which gifted world cricket some of its greatest performers. Pakistan’s cricket is rich in heritage, pedigree and the supply line of talent. It’s also one of the biggest revenue earners of a game trying to go global because of its following and fervour. The book is called The Unquiet Ones. Suitably titled and excellently justified, it’s a wonderful assessment of what cricket means to the country and how diehard are the fans that follow the…

Just weeks ago, the streets of their national capital were flooded by one of the most volatile public protests seen in recent times in world history. It led to an uprising and an eventual overturning of a publically elected government. Bangladesh was the world headline for a few days because of the nature and character of that movement. Far way, in Rawalpindi, a bunch of Bangladeshis scripted a similar unrest, as far as cricket is concerned. What is cricket? Just a game? Yes, and no. It can be merely a leisurely activity featuring the bat and ball. Yet, it can…

Let’s go back 12 years in time. Desperate for a series-levelling win, India had England down to 139 for five in the first innings. The pitch in Nagpur was inexplicably flat, but MS Dhoni’s team needed just one more wicket in order to restrict the visitors to a low total. If England secured a draw, they would win a Test series in India after 27 years. A debutant defied the Indian spinners — four of them — shared a century-plus sixth-wicket stand with wicketkeeper Matt Prior, and was eventually the eighth man out, but not before guiding the team to…

Todd Murphy, Matthew Kuhnemann, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir. Do these names ring a few bells? They may not, unless one is a hardcore cricket follower. These are spinners, unheralded and mostly uncapped, before coming to India, who troubled the home team batters in their own conditions in the marquee Test series played in this country in 2023 and 2024. Against Australia last year and England earlier this year, Indian batters struggled against this nondescript bunch. Murphy of Australia and England’s Hartley returned seven-wicket hauls. Australia’s Kuhnemann and Bashir of England bagged fifers. They helped their teams inflict defeats on the…

There was a reel showing a bunch of young girls dancing to a peppy Punjabi number with medals around their necks. One of them had a trophy in her hand. Some in tracksuits, some in their singlets — it was the Indian women’s team, which finished on top at the U-17 Wrestling World Championship held in Amman in Jordan from August 19-25. The video didn’t go viral. A lot of things do these days, but at one point in time on one particular social media outlet, total views were in two digits. There may be reasons for this. The country…

Once rated as the country’s top domestic first-class competition because of the participation of mostly the best players, Duleep Trophy was also the most neglected event on the national calendar in the last many years. Big names stayed away, its importance diminished, the format underwent different kinds of experiments and there were even years when it was not held at all. After being reduced to a sideshow without takers, this tournament first held in 1961-62 is making a celebrated comeback this season. Other than being the first first-class event of 2024-25 — which is going to be an important time…

Among other things, Yogesh Kathuniya’s Instagram profile says ‘proud Indian’. It could have read ‘pride of India’. A world record holder in discus throw category F56, he had won silver at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. One of India’s top prospects in Paris this time, he will gun for gold. Like most para-athletes, Kathuniya’s career started in relative oblivion. Not many paid attention to what he did and it was a battle against mounting odds. But this son of an army man found a guide while studying in college in Delhi. An official of the students’ union inspired him to…

The first thing that strikes you about Manasi Joshi is confidence. She is full of it. She speaks with total conviction and leaves no one in any sort of doubt about what she means. At the RevSportz conclave in Kolkata earlier this year, she left the audience spellbound with her straightforwardness and clarity of thought. It was immediately evident that here is an extraordinary person. Extraordinary she certainly is. In a few days from now, Manasi will represent India at the Paris Paralympic Games. She is a former world champion in women’s para-badminton in the SL3 category and one of…

If the world were to be a laboratory of miracles, Sheetal Devi would have been its most famous and unique product. Taking into account that the world is not exactly such a laboratory, she is still a miraculous personality. She has done what nobody could, by overcoming the gravest of odds and making a massive mark in her chosen field. In the upcoming Paralympic Games in Paris, Sheetal will be representing Indian in archery. She will possibly be the only contestant in this particular discipline without arms. Imagine? This is far beyond imagination and starkly real. She shoots with her…

Despite all efforts — and a lot of that has been put in over many years — this is one discipline where Indians continue to shoot blanks. They go to the Olympics promising a lot and come back with nothing. Some of them are appreciably high in the world rankings, but when it comes to performing on the biggest stage, they fizzle out with unerring regularity. Archery has been a priority sport for the Indian Olympic mission for many years now. Huge amounts of money have been spent in hiring foreign coaches, training, exposure trips and all that is required…