Author: Boria Majumdar

India secured a resounding victory against South Africa in the first ODI. Both Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan bowled well. KL Rahul was spot-on with his bowling changes. It is always good to start an away series with a win and South Africa is no easy country to win in. Having said that, something doesn’t seem right. Bilateral ODI 50-over cricket in the immediate aftermath of the World Cup just doesn’t work. Neither side is at full strength. There is no real end goal in sight. The context, if we may say so, is missing. And India have won many…

It was the Covid 19 virus induced lockdown and the entire country was indoors. Jameel Ahmed, Nikhat Zareen’s father, however, had a completely different worry. Zareen, who was home, was eating home food and with little to do was surfing the internet all day. “She would put on weight and it wasn’t the right thing to do”, said Jameel. “We had to ensure that even during lockdown her focus stayed on the world competitions”, he argued. The father-daughter duo soon devised their own plans. She would skip in the morning and train in the afternoon on the terrace. And the…

It was March 2020 and the India’s women had made the final of the World T20 in Australia against all odds. It was the second final for the side in three years after Mithali Raj had led the team to the final of the 50-over World Cup in England in 2017. With 86,000 fans at the MCG, the occasion was a real spectacle. While the Australians dominated the match with Alyssa Healy playing a blinder, and won yet another world title, every Indian fan was left with hope that big things were round the corner for the team. With a…

In a move that will be much discussed and debated in the coming days and months, the Mumbai Indians have announced Hardik Pandya as their new captain, replacing Rohit Sharma. This piece isn’t about the merits of that move. Nor is it about right and wrong. Rather, it is about Rohit Sharma, the captain, and the legacy he leaves behind – five titles in 11 seasons is a record only Mahendra Singh Dhoni can match or better. Mumbai Indians enriched Rohit and he in turns leave behind a matchless legacy. Taking over the captaincy reins in difficult circumstances, Rohit led…

Yesterday evening I had dinner with the “Beast” of Indian and world badminton, HS Prannoy. And in fact I asked him who gave him the nickname the ‘Beast’? Prannoy, who is completely the opposite of his on court persona when you meet him socially, laughed and said he needs to ask this question on social media and find out. The South African bowlers, however, would not have such a problem. For them, SKY is the new Beast. 100 of 56 deliveries as skipper, Surya had almost batted South Africa out of the game and made sure that the series ended…

David Warner’s final Test series, which begins with a Test match at the Optus Stadium in Perth against Pakistan, has been the subject of frenzied social media debates long before the first ball has been bowled. Mitchell Johnson’s explosive, and critical, column set the tone, and while many have hit back on Warner’s behalf, the man himself has shown no inclination to be drawn into a battle of words with his one-time teammate. Instead, Warner’s focus seems to be on reinforcing his stellar record in home conditions – he averages 58.39 and has made 19 centuries in 55 Tests on…

It was always going to be difficult against the Netherlands. More so after you go 0-2 down. In fact, for a few minutes in the second quarter, I was about to switch off the live feed feeling deflated. That was when the fight started. It was much like Tokyo 2020 and the match against Germany. Down and almost out, India came back. Some moments of absolute brilliance set things up and when it was 2-3 going into the last quarter, you could start to believe something might happen. The Indian bench was ready to push the boys and with just…

“I did not think I will play one test, leave alone one hundred,” said David Warner, when asked about his state of mind ahead of the 100th Test match. “So you can well understand what it means to me and my family. I feel privileged, humbled and fulfilled.” Now he has played 109 and is about to take guard for his final three Tests, with all coming together for one final time at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), his home ground, for the New Year Test in January 2024. In the recently concluded World Cup final, David Warner fielded like…

Sunil Gavaskar made a very pertinent point on Sunday evening when he said that every cricket board has enough money to buy covers and get entire grounds covered when there is bad weather around. By not doing so, you are exposing yourselves to weather conditions and if it rains in the middle of a game, it could take another hour or more to get the ground back in shape to play. Gavaskar cited the Eden Gardens example, where the entire ground is under covers if there is a threat of bad weather. The question isn’t only about money. The question…

Exactly a month from now, the Indian national football team will play the Asian Cup in Doha. Pitted against teams like Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria, it will be one of their toughest assignments in a while. In fact, India hasn’t played a slew of higher-ranked teams like these in years, and this will be a big test for Sunil Chhetri and his teammates. And soon after the Asian Cup, focus will shift to the next set of World Cup qualifiers in March 2024. India have never made the third round of World Cup qualifiers and it would be a historic…