Author: Boria Majumdar

The suspension of the Paralympics Committee of India (PCI) gives the nation a bad name globally after it was suspended by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on Saturday. The reason for suspension is “non-compliance and for not conducting elections on time.” On the one hand, India won 111 medals at the Para Asian Games in Hangzhou, China last year. The Indian Para athletes were supposed to double its medal count at the forthcoming Paris Paralympics. In such a scenario, the PCI getting suspended is not good news. In all this mess, it is the athletes who lose out.…

Pullela Gopichand had committed to be a part of the Conclave for months now. In fact, in October 2023, we had discussed and finalised the dates with him. Neither of us knew that the Conclave would clash with the French Open Super 750 in Paris. When I realised this, I remember calling Gopi in a somewhat anxious state. Gopi, as usual, was calm. “Once I have promised you I will be there. I will certainly be there”, he said. #Trailblazers2Conclave Know Your Panelists! 2nd Indian to win the All England after Prakash Padukone. The backbone of Indian badminton, the base…

Indian football’s premier club rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal mirrors the oppositional identities, social differences and emotional commonalities inherent in Indian society and culture. While the roots of the origin and consolidation of this football rivalry lie in social and sub-regional differences of contemporary Indian society, its playing out in the last 25 years can only be meaningfully explained in terms of club loyalty, fan culture and commercial transformation. This was borne out yet one more time on September 3, 2023, the last time the two teams met in Kolkata in the Durand Cup final. While the East…

Shubman Gill has always been considered cricketing royalty. That he had special talent has been known for years. When he dazzled the world with his skill during the U-19 World Cup, many argued that India had identified a successor to the legendary Virat Kohli. Gill was the prince who would in time be elevated to the status of king. Some years down the line, and we may say the promise hasn’t been fulfilled. Yes, there have been occasions when the world has watched in awe as Gill showed glimpses of brilliance. His 93 against Australia at The Gabba in 2021…

India had just lost the all-important Olympic qualifier to Japan and skipper Savita Punia was distraught. When we spoke late into the night, it was pretty much evident that Savita had been crying. Sport at times is cruel. Despite her best efforts, which included a fantastic match against Germany, Savita had failed to lead her team to Paris. “There is no point continuing,” she said over the phone. “Main aur khelna nahi chahti [I don’t wish to play any more].”That she was emotional was evident. Moreover, she blamed it all on herself as most good leaders tend to do. “Mujhe…

Why do we watch sport? A very simple question, which has no easy answers. Many like me watch sport because it makes us feel alive. The positive vibe, the extraordinary excellence on display on occasions, the superhuman stories of braving pain and criticism – sport lends itself to great storytelling and visual drama. And in doing so, makes us all feel that things that we normally don’t think of as likely are indeed possible. There is a certain disruption associated with sport. A kind of rebelliousness that we all grow up with, but which gets lost as we are all…

The current Indian side is a very average cricket team. That has been the case for the last two or three years, at least. And may I say, across formats. This is the hard truth. Since 2013, India haven’t won an ICC trophy. A couple of times, they have come close, like in the 50-over World Cup final in 2023 and the WTC final earlier in the year, but they were comprehensively beaten in both games. India have still to win a Test series in South Africa. Each time an Indian team travels there, there has been a clamour that…

Where did India lose the plot? A 190-run lead, and then with England 163-5, there was one result possible. Or so we all thought. Ollie Pope did not. He was audacious and breathtaking. Having dismissed him cheaply in the first innings, India did not have a Plan B for him. For Joe Root, they did. For Ben Stokes, yes, but not for Pope. So, when he mounted the attack and started denting India, the bowlers and the captain did not really know what hit them. It wasn’t part of the plan, and India were caught napping. Reverse-sweeping consistently and getting…

How many of us know Anuradha Devi? Just the night before, I was watching her shoot the finals of the ISSF World Cup in Cairo and was left wondering if she could make the Olympics at her age, 33, and go on to make history by winning a medal for India. It isn’t a pipe dream, for she managed to beat the very talented Rhythm Sangwan and almost took down Anna Korakkaki in the 10m pistol final on her way to a precious silver medal. Soon after that final, my thoughts turned to Rohan Bopanna. He was playing the final…

It wasn’t the only time that Lazarus fled the camp. “He had left a second time when I was in Bhubaneshwar,” said Kalu Sir with a chuckle. “He had one trouser, and during the monsoons, it hadn’t dried in time after a wash. He left for his village because he did not have anything else to wear. For me, it was a lesson. While teaching them hockey, it was also important we kept an eye on what these talented but underprivileged kids needed. I got him back again, and took him to the government store and bought him some T-shirts…