Author: Boria Majumdar

As the dust settles on Hardik Pandya’s much-talked-about move back to Mumbai Indians, and IPL fans come to terms with Shubman Gill being handed the leadership of the Gujarat Titans, some interesting trends have started to emerge on the horizon. For GT, the easiest thing under the circumstances would have been to go to Kane Williamson as captain for the forthcoming season. A man of proven leadership pedigree, no one would have doubted such a call. It was the safe and conventional option for a franchise which had to let go of a leader who had taken the team to…

I was in the commentary box in Dubai in November 2021 when news came in that Rahul Dravid had been formally appointed head coach of India’s men’s cricket team. Sir Clive Lloyd, one of the greatest captains the sport has seen, was very excited by the decision. “Rahul Dravid will be a very successful head coach for India,” he told me. “Someone who has scored 13,000 Test runs will have the respect in the dressing room to tell anyone where they are going wrong. His personality is such that he will not want the limelight and yet get the job…

I had written a piece yesterday morning saying Virat and Rohit should both feature in the Indian team for the T-20 world cup in June 2024. And the piece was backed by reason. Both have played stellar cricket in the recently concluded world cup and were the two batting mainstays of the Indian team. Additionally, Virat is a livewire on the field and saves a few extra runs in every game. Finally, they are the only two brands in world cricket at the moment who draw crowds to stadiums. They are the Messi and Ronaldo equivalent of cricket and the…

Should Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play the T20 World Cup in June 2024? Should two of India’s greatest have one more crack at a world title? This debate started the moment the World Cup final was over. With the title eluding India, it is more pertinent than ever. Both these legends played a stellar hand in India’s campaign, and the way they both performed makes this discussion all the more relevant. While some reports have suggested that neither Rohit nor Kohli will feature in T20s for India, it is important to question such reports, for logic suggests otherwise. Virat…

We have celebrated MS Dhoni for the 2011 World Cup win and rightly so. He steered the ship and the buck, so to say, stopped with him. But the one person who was pivotal in winning India two key games, the quarterfinal against Australia and semi-final against Pakistan, also decided to leave the international stage on the same day, 15 August 2020. A white-ball champion, Suresh Raina’s contribution to the 2011 World Cup win was less than anyone else’s. And on the day he turns 37, we look back at that tournament which stands out as the highlight of an…

Why do we watch sport? Why is it unique? Do we only watch for the end result? Is it only about winning and losing? Or is it also about the effort, the never-give-up attitude and the fight? Isn’t that also what sport is about and part of its beauty? Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were down 13-20 in the decider against Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in the finals of the China Masters 750 Super Series. The match was almost done. In front of a raucous Chinese crowd, the final point was to be played. More a formality than…

On the face of it, Indian hockey is doing the best it has in months. Asian Games gold and direct Olympic qualification for the men, and the Asian Champions Trophy triumph for the women, against all odds, masked the rot that is eating away at the sport’s governance. While accusations of extortion against the Secretary General have plummeted the sport to a new low, what is worrying is how Dilip Tirkey, Hockey India president, has been sidelined from running the sport in the country. Tirkey is a legend – 400 caps for India and one of the greatest to have…

Sunil Chhetri is one of the most respected stars in Indian sports. And yes, we have spoken to him at length about the forthcoming Asian Cup and the World Cup qualifiers. But that’s for tomorrow. Chhetri is also a leader and a legend. That was evident in two of his answers as part of the long interaction. First, he had put out a tweet (X) on the day of the World Cup final in support of Rohit, Virat and the rest of the boys. In fact, he is very close friends with Virat and by his own admission speaks to…

India started their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-0 win against Kuwait in Kuwait. Thereafter, the team stumbled to a 0-3 loss to Qatar at home. But from here on, if India beat Afghanistan home and away, and get at least a draw with Kuwait at home, there is every reason to believe that they can qualify as the second team from the group. In this conversation, Sandesh Jhingan opened up on India’s chances and the forthcoming Asian Cup, while also explaining why Igor Stimac, the national coach, is special. Excerpts: Boria: We may have lost to Qatar, but…

Surya Kumar Yadav yet again played a stellar hand in leading India to a win in the inaugural T20I over Australia on Thursday night, while chasing a formidable Australian total of 208. Leading the team, Surya played some breathtaking shots and, at no point, seemed in doubt about his gameplan. That’s what brings us to the question: why can Surya do it in T20 cricket when he hasn’t been able to in the 50-over format? An innings like this in the World Cup final might have meant a very different outcome. A deep dive brings into focus two things. First,…