Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

He went on his first date riding an auto. His love for biryani landed him in embarrassment when he indulged in anticipation that he would not be making his international debut the next day. He is known as the MSD of Indian football. The word ‘sacrifice’ associated with professional sportspersons is not an appropriate one for him. He thinks staying away from temptations is part of their job. That, and a lot more, were the takeaways from Farewell Sunil — a tribute to Sunil Chhetri before his final international appearance on June 6 — organised by RevSportz, in association with…

Confidence manifests itself in several ways. For some, it’s a triumphant expression, an announcement of aggro, outrageous body language and all that. For some others, it’s just a quiet chuckle and perhaps a few muted words, with no outward sign of belligerence. Still to turn 19 and having already taken the chess world by storm, R Praggnanandhaa clearly belongs to the second category. With him, it’s always a period of lull — before and after the storm. He goes there, messes up reputations and comes back saying with disbelieving nonchalance that he believes he can do it. There is no…

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their first match of the season, against Sunrisers Hyderabad. From a commanding position, they land in a spot of bother. With 13 to defend in the last over against a marauding Heinrich Klaasen, Harshit Rana pulls it off. Kolkata Knight Riders in their last match of season, against Sunrisers Hyderabad. They are bowling first and the opening batters of their rivals are carrying serious threat. Vaibhav Arora shares the new ball with Mitchell Starc and claims the vital wicket of Travis Head. Isolated incidents they were. At different venues and in different conditions with different…

A forehand chop shot is associated with table tennis and some other racquet sports. Even on those boards or surfaces, it’s a difficult one to execute. To do it on a cricket field! Kidding? The person who played it has possibly played his last match. He did not have the last laugh. His team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, lost in the IPL 2024 Eliminator. His innovation did not come off. But Dinesh Karthik left the cricket field head held high. The chop referred to here is actually a reverse, which makes it that more unrealistic. Tried honestly, the forehand version is…

A part of existence is an ongoing conflict. What’s right and wrong? How much is too much? Where to draw a line? Sensitive matters hinge on these and sometimes, there are no easy answers. That’s the time for common sense. In the absence of a rulebook, discretion based on experience becomes the way out. Privacy in public life is a contentious issue. When a cricketer as part of a team is out in the open playing, sitting in the dugout, chatting with someone or carrying drinks, he or she is in the public eye. Their actions and expressions are beamed…

Loyalty is not supposed to be high on priority for professional sportspersons. They focus on rewards and prestige. Allegiance is determined accordingly. As it is, a career in playing sport is shorter than other walks of life. There can be forced breaks and no income due to injuries as well. Practicalities dictate that a player goes for the best available bargain instead of thinking who is offering it. From that point of view, Virat Kohli spending 17 years with Royal Challengers Bengaluru is a rare exception. His current deal with the franchise is worth Rs 15 crore a year. Some…

Soon after the turn of the century, the arrival of a baby-faced boy in Mohun Bagan sparked interest among the football fanatics of Kolkata. With roots in the hills of Uttarakhand and early schooling in the game done in Delhi, he was marked out for big deeds. The late Amal Dutta, coach of Mohun Bagan back then, predicted a bright future by saying – here was the next Bhaichung Bhutia. Unlike his idol, Sunil Chhetri didn’t make an instant impact. Bhutia had wasted no time in establishing himself in a league of his own. Success for club and India, a…

Yashasvi Jaiswal has good memories of the USA and West Indies. He made his Test and T20I debut in the Caribbean last year. After a big hundred in his maiden Test appearance in Dominica, he belted a 51-ball 84 not out in a T20I in Lauderhill on the northern side of the Atlantic. The opener should not feel out of place when the Indian team lands in those shores for the ICC T20 World Cup next month. However, there is a job to do before that. Eyes will be on Jaiswal in the closing stages of the Indian Premier League…

It’s not common for one player to tick all the boxes that matter in a T20 competition. On course to registering what could arguably be the most dominant all-round display in the 17-year-old history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sunil Narine is doing that. He is the only constant in the top-10s on the lists of runs, strike rates, wickets and economy rates. That Narine is leading the race for the Most Valuable Player by a distance on all popular cricket platforms is half the story. The IPL gets a player of the tournament every year. Rarely does an…

This was in 2018. India beat South Africa in their backyard in an ODI series for the first time. In one of those games, Virat Kohli gave Aiden Markram a mouthful after the latter got out. There was no aggression in the body language of the home team’s stand-in skipper. Head down and removing his gloves, he was on a sheepish walk back to the hut. The India captain had joined the celebrations next to the pitch when Markram passed them. His arms resting on the shoulders of teammates in the huddle, Kohli turned his head towards the South African…