Author: Boria Majumdar

The idea behind the Trailblazers Conclave has always been to bring all stakeholders together on the same stage for free-flowing dialogue. One of the key stakeholders will always be the state. Government support for sport is crucial and, to a large extent, defines the direction in which the ecosystem will move over the next decade. One of the more proactive states, which is actually using sport as soft power and truly walking the talk, is Telangana. That is why this partnership with the Government of Telangana is special. As I have announced, Telangana will be the feature state for Trailblazers…

Bangladesh cricket is a classic case of how to self-destruct, conceding one own goal after another. In the last 48 hours, the entire saga over Nazmul Islam has cost Bangladesh cricket dearly and pushed it to a point of no return. For someone in a position of power to make comments that are insulting and humiliating towards his own players is unheard of, and it ultimately forced the BCB to relieve him of his responsibilities. Frankly, the BCB was compelled to act once they realised that the players would revolt again within 48 hours if no action was taken. Nazmul,…

The U-19 World Cup is a day away, and all eyes will be on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre, not to forget Deepesh Devendran. But the question to ask is: how important is winning the U-19 World Cup? While a World Cup will forever be special, and the men would do well to follow what the women achieved under Shafali, there are bigger questions when it comes to under-19 cricket. What I am also interested in is how many of these players will eventually transition to the senior level, and how long it actually takes to do so. In the…

I have always enjoyed speaking to senior corporates, for more often than not they bring interesting perspectives to the table. Most, if not all, have told me that they apply learnings from sport in the boardroom. DB Sundara Ramam, Vice President, Corporate Services at Tata Steel, is no different. Insightful and profound, Sundara Ramam was my guest in today’s edition of Leadership Lessons from Sport, and I must say, I felt inspired at the end of the show. Having played multiple sports while growing up, Sundara Ramam brings a unique perspective to the fore. “Given my background of having played…

A full audience waited eagerly for Anuv Jain to entertain them, and the build-up in Guwahati was excellent – despite it being Bihu, a time when people traditionally stay home with family. The occasion was the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, and Guwahati made it truly special. We know the North East loves football, and just how much was evident when Gilberto Silva asked from the stage how many people loved the sport. Every hand in the audience went up—no fewer than 10,000 in unison. The roar was deafening, and the Coca-Cola FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour was a rousing…

Why do we watch sport? Do we only watch it to see someone win and someone lose? Is it only about winning or losing, or runs scored and wickets taken? Is it only about medals won or records broken? Or is there something as basic as joy—the emotion of sport? When you watch it, you just feel good. You feel nice watching something without really thinking of the end result. For a brief while, at least, all that matters is the emotion and the joy. Watching Virat Kohli bat is much like that. From the time he walked in at…

As I write this piece, members of the RevSportz team are in Zimbabwe to cover the U-19 Men’s World Cup, in Navi Mumbai to cover the WPL, in Delhi for the India Open Badminton, and in Chennai for the Hockey India League – not to mention Vadodara and Rajkot for the ongoing India vs New Zealand ODI series. Of these, the India–New Zealand series is a headline across every media outlet. Virat Kohli leading the Indian run chase is music to fans’ ears, and inevitably there is a great deal of buzz around it. But each of the other events…

This ODI series is about two things: how India’s top four are shaping up, and whether Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna have done enough to justify the omission of Mohammed Shami. Coming to the batting first, anyone who watched Virat Kohli bat will agree that he is looking sublime. This is as good as he has ever been, and in his format of choice, he has never had issues with form. Unlike in Test cricket, where the second wave did not quite happen for Kohli, this is one format in which he has forever been king. The moment he…

I have to say I was looking forward to hosting the India leg of the Coca-Cola FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour. This was my second time doing so after 2014, and with Gilberto Silva in the house, it was an occasion to look forward to. What made the event doubly special was what Coca-Cola announced at the gala dinner in the presence of two of India’s U-17 women’s footballers. The brand announced support to the tune of crores over three years, which will be used for the training and development of the girls as they get ready to play in…

As the ODI series between India and New Zealand begins, with all focus on Shubman Gill as captain and on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, one eye will also have to be on the T20 series — the last warm-up opportunity ahead of the World Cup, which starts on January 21. The BCCI has announced that Tilak Varma is out of the first three games, and from what we know, his rehab will start in 10 days, when he gradually begins skill training. Maybe this is why the BCCI hasn’t called up Shreyas Iyer or Rajat Patidar, and is confident…