Author: Boria Majumdar

We watch sport for action. There is always a kind of climax. A good innngs leading to a thrilling finale. A great over, and a wicket, and the match can change. A superb catch which turns a game on its head and makes a telling impact on the outcome. And yet, there are matches which have none of these. No perfect fairytale and no real climax. Rather, what the first T20I against Afghanistan had was the perfect anticlimax. In any case, this is a C-list series that few really care about, sandwiched between the South Africa and England matches. A…

India’s women’s hockey team start their campaign for Paris 2024 Olympic qualification in Ranchi from January 13. Vandana Katariya, one of the team’s most experienced stars, is injured, but with passionate support expected from the home crowd in Ranchi, India are confident of taking one of the three spots up for grabs. In this episode of Backstage with Boria, Savita Punia, the team captain talks of expectations, preparation and the phone call to her father that gave her the belief to play her first match at the Olympics. Boria: Welcome Savita Punia! How are the preparations and how are you…

Bilateral white-ball series lacks context. In recent times, there has been very little interest in such matches because no one really cares for them anymore. With franchise leagues the future, the way ahead for bilateral cricket is clear. While the World Cups and Champions Trophies will remain significant, bilateral series will sooner than later cede ground to domestic T20 leagues. Consider the following: If the BCCI was given a choice to extend the IPL for another 15 days as against a bilateral series involving six 50 or 20-over games in the same window, what would it prefer? Would it choose…

Boria: Welcome Janneke Schopman! Big tournament coming up, thoughts? Wish you a very happy new year and make it happier for us! Schopman: Thank you and happy new year to you too! It’s an important two weeks coming up. We are ready, excited but pressure is there. We had a lot of learnings for the last couple of months. We are hoping that we are ready to go. I know we are ready to go but never know what other teams will do. Boria: Did the trip to Spain help to get the team together? Schopman: It was good that…

In sport, the hardest thing is to be harsh on yourself. Take a strong call, and make yourself accountable. Take ownership and step up. Be the leader on and off the field. That’s what India now wants to see from Harmanpreet Kaur, skipper of the women’s cricket team. To say India played well in the red-ball game and it is only the white-ball games that were lost doesn’t really work. India played a one-off red-ball Test against Australia. And six white-ball matches, of which five were lost. How does that work for a team that aspires to be the best…

India play a very important series decider against Australia on Tuesday night. With the World Cup just 9 months away, it is key for India to win this series, for it will give the team and the skipper a much-needed confidence boost. And that’s what brings me to the captain. Harmanpreet Kaur is possibly going to play one of the more important matches of her career tonight. She hasn’t done anything with the bat of late and the pressure, clearly, is getting to her. Each time she comes out to bat, there is a kind of build-up. And when you…

Days before India begin their AFC Asian Cup campaign against Australia in Doha, the team’s talisman Sunil Chhetri explains to RevSportz why it’s important to play against stronger Asian teams. The following are excerpts: Boria: If we do well against Afghanistan, if we do well against Kuwait at home, we can make it to the next round (of World Cup qualifiers). How confident are you and how important is it for you as a captain and player? Sunil: We have a decent chance. Win against Kuwait was very important, but we were really expecting that we could get a point…

On November 28, I had written for RevSportz that it was impossible to imagine a T20 World Cup team without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. And my argument was purely on the basis of performance. Given the form Kohli has been in – he was the best batter at the T20 World Cup in 2022, and World Cup 2023 – it was tough to see him being overlooked. Shouldn’t performance be the only index? Isn’t age just a number with sports science making incredible advances? Isn’t Kohli still one of the best fielders in the team? So, why leave him…

Trevor Sinclair during Team India’s practice session in Doha. Credits- AIFF During his heyday, Trevor Sinclair was a fast and tricky winger who enjoyed his best spells in the colours of Queens Park Rangers and West Ham, before winding down his top-flight career with Manchester City. There were also 12 England caps, four of them during the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. It was during his time with West Ham at Upton Park that Sinclair struck up a…

Standout overseas wins are a rarity in the history of Indian cricket. Newlands 2024 is a significant addition to this small exclusive club. As we savour the win, here are my top eight overseas wins since India started playing Test cricket in June 1932. This feature is in two parts, with the first published on January 6. Trent Bridge, 2007 India had escaped with a draw at Lord’s, courtesy the weather and Steve Bucknor refusing to give Sreesanth out when he was plumb in front. In Nottingham, England’s frustrations boiled over. In tricky conditions for batting, they were skittled for…