Author: Boria Majumdar

In January, it was the very same Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Rohit Sharma was forced to drop himself from the team. Having spoken to him on India’s last practice day, his words still ring loud in my ears. It turned out to be the last time he played for India in whites. In the very same match, with Jasprit Bumrah walking off with an injury, Virat Kohli led the team only to see India lose the match and the series. Batting failures in both innings meant his last Test was little better than Rohit’s. For every Indian fan out there,…

It was his first tour to Australia in 2012, and Virat Kohli looked completely out of sorts in the first few games. In Perth, Australia, as they often do, had managed to get under his skin. Not able to handle the heckling, Kohli showed the middle finger to a particularly noisy section of the crowd after they called him a ‘wanker’. The anger (mis)management was a feature of early Kohli, and there were concerns that it would get in the way of a full blossoming of his talent. Much like Sachin Tendulkar in 1989, he was finding it hard. Sachin…

I had written back-to-back pieces last week backing Pratika Rawal. She was being unnecessarily trolled and abused, and it was clearly impacting her mental health. Against England, she looked under pressure and out of sorts. It was as if she was trying too hard. It meant the match against New Zealand was a huge test for her. A failure would have meant more trolls jumping in, and the young lady would have been pushed into a corner. Pratika was circumspect to start with – 6 off 18 balls, and it was evident that India were taking their time. Smriti Mandhana…

Boria Majumdar There is no question that it wasn’t Rohit Sharma’s best effort. Not even remotely so. And yet, it will be one of his most pleasing efforts in recent times. Rohit was all at sea to start with. He just couldn’t put bat on ball. There was a close lbw shout where he was saved by a thin edge. His new-found fitness, which allowed him the full-length dive, prevented him being run out. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood beat him time and again. But at no point did he give up. He was ready for the grind and ready…

Sarfaraz Khan’s omission from the India A squads to face South Africa A has become a subject of serious political mud-slinging. First things first – Sarfaraz should have been selected for India A. Someone who has such a fantastic domestic record and one who is now fit should have been picked. In fact, his omission is baffling. Initially, we were told that he is unfit. Once he lost weight and got fitter, it was about his technique and more. Then, it was said that he isn’t capable of scoring overseas. He scored 92 against the England Lions and a hundred…

In rather difficult conditions to bat, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both failed to get going in Perth. Shubman Gill too fell early, and there was a top-order collapse. Now, that’s nothing new for Perth. There was steep bounce, and batting was by no means easy. Having said that, while Rohit looked okay, Kohli did look rusty. Even Rohit wasn’t at his best. But then, did anyone expect India – after losing the toss yet again – to waltz through in such conditions when Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were bowling? Soon after they got out, fans – or rather,…

Boria Majumdar India’s women’s team has been below par. Time and again, they have failed in crunch situations. The skipper has not led from the front. In fact, as Trisha Ghosal – who has been shadowing the side for RevSportz throughout the campaign – has written already, not one day did Harmanpreet Kaur front up to the media. Smriti Mandhana came to the press conference after the England loss, and handled things with dignity. The vice-captain stepped up for the captain. That’s what brings me to the point – should India look beyond Harman irrespective of what happens in…

Boria Majumdar At one point, the win predictor had India at 70 per cent. In fact, I’d say it was 85-15 in India’s favour. Five wickets in hand and an asking rate of seven, big teams coast to a win if playing in Indian conditions. One boundary here or there always comes and that’s all India needed. One could smell the semi-final almost. That’s when it fell apart. India, somehow, managed to blow it. Figure out how to lose! Think of ways to make things complicated and waste a golden opportunity. All that was needed was basic commonsense. We did…

Boria Majumdar Rohit Sharma may not have scored big but anyone who has seen him in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last winter will agree he looked much better during his brief stay at the crease in the first ODI against Australia in Perth. The very first ball was evidence he has trained hard. He was on top of it, switched on and went straight for a single. It was good to see. Even when he was beaten, it did not impact him mentally. The straight drive was proof he had a game left. In all honesty, I will…

Close your eyes and ask yourself what’s the one thing you would want to change in 2025. Almost everyone would have the same answer – we need to bring peace to our world. Be it the conflict in the Middle East and the killing of innocents in the region, or the multiple terror attacks across the world, we need a better and more peaceful world going into 2026. Add to it the ongoing clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the concern turns into alarm. Growing intolerance is a disease and the faster we rid ourselves of it, the better for…