Author: Boria Majumdar

Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 196 in their 20 overs, and Mumbai Indians needed just 15.3 overs to chase it down. Needless to say, it was a belter of a wicket. But in the midst of such carnage, Jasprit Bumrah bowled his four overs, conceded just 21 runs and picking up five wickets. Just this one statistic is enough to demonstrate the difference between the best and the rest. How good Bumrah is should actually be the question. In one sentence, he is unhittable and unplayable at the moment. Bowling yorkers at will, mixing up pace, and using the short ball…

Following Mohammed Salim’s death in 1989, a brief obituary in the Amrita Bazar Patrika declared: Mohammed Salim (Sr) a member of the legendary Mohammedan Sporting Club side that claimed five successive Calcutta senior football league titles in the thirties died in Calcutta on Wednesday morning. He was 76. A right winger in his playing days, he was intimately connected with many sports clubs and took active interest in training youngsters. He is survived by his wife, four sons and three daughters. When his obituary ignored his feat of having played for Celtic FC with distinction, it is hardly surprising that…

East Bengal’s ISL play-off fate is no longer in their own hands. On Wednesday night, they take on Punjab FC away from home knowing that nothing less than three points will do. If that mission is accomplished, they then need to wait until April 14 and hope that a resurgent Chennaiyin FC take nothing from their visit to FC Goa. But win, lose or draw, this has still been a season to savour for many East Bengal fans, after years in the doldrums. Carles Cuadrat, an ISL winner with Bengaluru FC, has led the revival as coach, and he spoke…

Just days before Sachin: A Billion Dreams was all set to hit film screens round the world, someone asked me what a movie on Sachin would have to offer. The argument was that his life was an open book, and people had followed him since he was a child. To be fair, it was a very pertinent comment. Sachin Tendulkar is one of the most talked-about personalities in the history of modern India, and would a biopic offer us that we did not already know? First things first, biopics or documentary dramas help expand the constituency. For youngsters growing up…

Though he had shone at the national level, few outside the athletics world had heard of Kishore Jena before his stunning fifth-place finish at the World Championships in Budapest last August. Soon after, the son of paddy farmers from Odisha improved his personal best by almost three metres while pushing Neeraj Chopra to the limit at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. In this exclusive chat with Boria Majumdar, RevSportz editor-in-chief, Jena spoke of how last season’s feats are just the beginning. Excerpts: Boria: In 2023, you achieved a lot, broke records, set a personal best, won medals. At the start…

Rashid Khan had just dropped a catch off Noor Ahmed. Even before he could look up to his captain, Shubman Gill was there to give Rashid a pat on the back. Intense and involved, Gill as captain has been excellent to watch. He has pushed his own fielding a couple of notches higher, and taken to captaincy as if it was waiting to happen. Body language is most important, and that’s where Gill radiates confidence. He has been a bowlers’ captain, and at no point has he been hands off. Just after Darshan Nalkande was smashed for two sixes by…

Catches win matches is one of the oldest sayings in cricket. It was proved right again in Lucknow on Sunday night. Gujarat Titans were cruising in the powerplay, and with 164 the target, Lucknow Super Giants seemed to have a tall ask against the likes of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan. It was more so when Mayank Yadav, the star of the IPL so far, walked out as a precautionary measure. A bowler short, Lucknow needed a miracle. After Yash Thakur cleaned up Gill with a peach, Kane Williamson walked out for Gujarat. In a relatively small chase, Williamson is…

Yet another RCB outing, and one more excellent innings from Virat Kohli. Not just the volume of runs scored, but also the manner in which he got them was evidence that Kohli is in excellent form. Let’s state this clearly. Kohli is batting extremely well, and his record in World Cups and big games should settle the selection debate once and for all. How can you look beyond someone who is batting this well and is also a gem of a fielder? Also, his record in big games like Pakistan is unmatched. And yet, there has been a lot of…

Mirabai Chanu won silver in the 49kg women’s weightlifting at the Tokyo Olympics. But the years since have not been easy ones. There was another silver at the World Championships in Bogota in 2022, and gold in the Commonwealth Games the same year, but the Asian Games medal she covets continued to be elusive after a thigh injury saw her limp off the stage in Hangzhou. After months of recovery, Mirabai, who turns 30 in August, is on the comeback trail. In this exclusive interview, she and Vijay Sharma, the national weightlifting coach, spoke to Boria Majumdar, RevSportz editor-in-chief, about…

With HS Prannoy struggling because of health issues, Lakshya Sen has taken up the mantle for Indian badminton in the men’s singles in recent weeks. His displays in Paris and at the All England – he got to the semi-finals in both events – have rekindled hopes that he could cause an upset or heree at the Paris Olympics. With Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar in his corner, Lakshya is confident of building on these big strides. In this exclusive chat with Boria Majumdar, RevSportz editor-in-chief, he spoke of his All England disappointment, and his hopes for the Thomas Cup…