Author: Boria Majumdar

Ask R Ashwin about obsession, and he will smile. In fact, he had once said to me, “Many say I am obsessed. Yes, I am. Against the batters who are the best, I do everything I can to be the best prepared. Steve Smith was one such. I tried to do all I possibly could to get into his mind and be ready for him. He was the most important wicket, and we had to get him early. When you study someone as closely, you almost tend to know what he will be doing. That’s what helped to get him…

Trailblazers conclave 2.0 was formally inaugurated by Pulella Gopichand on Monday evening with a press conference at the Calcutta Sports Journalists Club, which was more than packed to capacity. What Gopi said and details of the conversation will be written by my RevSportz colleagues. That’s not the focus of this piece. Rather, I will be writing about the response I witnessed from journalist colleagues at the press conference. It was, indeed, overwhelming. By the time we reached the venue at 345pm for a 4pm event, the club auditorium was packed to capacity. Journalists, print and broadcast, were all there and…

Two years since Shane Warne left the world. Two years of a void. Of missing the magician. His voice and his art. The cricket world called him a magician. He could do anything with the cricket ball. But the only spin he couldn’t control was that of life. World cricket was poorer with Warne no more at 52. A man of incredible talent, he was born blessed. He could do unimaginable things with the ball on the field. Win games and stun opponents. Bowl the Ball of the Century and win Australia many a match single-handedly. But in doing all…

What’s the one standout feature of the conclave that leaves a lasting impression? While seeing a galaxy of sportspersons share their experiences is in itself enriching, what makes the Trailblazers Conclave 2.0 unique is the presence of multiple mentors and mentees. When Abhinav Bindra is on stage speaking about how to win on the biggest stage of all, there will be Esha Singh, Sift Kaur Samra and Shriyanka Sadangi listening to the legend in the audience. They will be in the same boat in Paris, faced with the biggest moment of their lives. Listening to Abhinav, PR Sreejesh, Sourav Ganguly…

It was a personal visit to check out rare football artifacts from the past as someone deeply interested in them. Carles Cuadrat did not visit as East Bengal coach. Rather he had come over as a student of football history who loves the past. It was meant to be what we call the perfect Bengali adda. Carles Cuadrat and Dimas Delgado with team RevSportz, on what it takes to be a good footballer, the fans who make Kolkata football what it is. “India needs some game-changers” said Cuadrat. “If you have a few game-changers, close matches can be won. It…

We remember watching Leander Paes play Andre Agassi at Atlanta in 1996 and the pride we felt each time Leander stunned the crowd with one of his fancy drop shots, too many of which might have ultimately cost him the match. Leander, then ranked 127 in the world, was someone who raised the bar a series of notches when he donned the national colours at the Olympics. In qualifying for the semi-finals, Leander upset four competitors ranked higher than him in the ATP rankings. As Rohit Brijnath, one of our finest sports writers, who covered Atlanta, had written: “Here was…

A RevSportz exclusive Contrary to popular perception, which has been doing the rounds in the media, there is a concerted effort on the part of the AIFF and Igor Stimac, the national head coach, to work together as closely as possible leading to the India’s matches against Afghanistan later this month. The AIFF has also sent a letter to the coach expressing its fullest support and assuring him of every backing in his quest to take India to the next round of the World Cup qualifiers. India have never made the third round and it will be historic if it…

On Monday, March 4, we kickstart the Trailblazers Conclave 2.0 with a Pullela Gopichand press conference. Why did we pick Gopi? Why is he special? What makes him different, and the best person to start the conclave? PV Sindhu had just won her Olympic Games quarterfinal in Rio Di Janeiro in 2016 against the legendary Wang Yihan of China, and all of us, members of the Indian media contingent, were euphoric. One more win, and Sindhu could finally end India’s medal drought. It was late evening in Rio that same day when I met Gopi at the gate of the…

Two women who have redefined sports narratives in India. Two very different careers and yet very similar. Both are rebels in their own way. And yet very conventional. Both resilient and passionate athletes who are role models to many of us. Both from the same city which had little or no tradition of their respective sports and yet both broke barriers to be the best in the world. Sania Mirza and Nikhat Zareen are two such champions who headline the Trailblazers Conclave and will be together in a panel titled ‘Women Power’ on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024.…

The Indian squad for the fifth Test has been announced, and yet again KL Rahul is missing because of injury. In fact, he is in London for diagnosis and the press release suggested that the BCCI medical team were in touch with experts to figure out when Rahul would make it back to the pitch. Rahul, it could be said, is one of the unluckiest players around. Each time he gets into a streak of red-hot form, he is laid low by injury. His hundred in South Africa was one of the best by an Indian against the moving ball,…