Author: Boria Majumdar

The question that is doing the rounds in Dubai as I write this piece is what will Pakistan do tonight? Will they give the UAE a walkover or will they play? What we hear is that the ICC has responded to the call of removing the match referee and the response is negative. Andy Pycroft wasn’t at fault, and if at all anyone was responsible, it was the ACC officials at the ground who had informed him. If the ICC does turn down Pakistan’s request, and we hear they have, what option does Pakistan then have? Will they stand by…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai Why does Pakistan want India to do the handshakes? What’s the significance? Is it only because of sportsmanship? The spirit of the game? Is there any other motive to the whole thing that we are actually missing? Like I have said many times before, the India-Pakistan game on Sunday wasn’t a normal one. It is being played against the backdrop of a dastardly terror act and was played more out of compulsion than anything else. India has its own geopolitical ambitions and playing Pakistan is a part of this larger ‘India’ story. It is to ensure…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai You have a bad team. You have a team which includes a player who spews venom on social media. You have players who don’t have the ability to stand up to your opponents. And you don’t have the courage to call out your own like Faheem Ashraf and yet you talk about spirit. Clearly feeling the pressure, what does Mohsin Naqvi do? Attack the match referee Andy Pycroft for wrongdoing. There are many questions here. Is he being targeted because he is from Zimbabwe? Because they don’t really have the clout in international cricket? Would it…

Pakistan apparently refused to send Salman Ali Agha to the presentation because the India’s players refused the post-match handshakes. That’s the narrative being peddled at the moment. Ask people in the know, and you will realise this was not the case. Rather, what was conveyed was something fundamentally different. The message sent was that Pakistan wouldn’t attend the presentation because it was being conducted by Sanjay Manjrekar, an Indian. Apparently they weren’t comfortable with that, and hence decided not to attend. However, Shaheen Shah Afridi did come and collect his award, which yet again spoke of double standards. And then,…

India was always going to be the better team. How much better was the question. Could Pakistan compete? Are they even there to be able to push India? Could the Indians remove all the emotion when they walked out and turn in a ruthless and clinical effort? These were the questions doing the rounds at the start of the Asia Cup game. In front of a Dubai International Stadium packed to 90 per cent, the Indians turned in an effort they will be pleased with. They needed to brush Pakistan aside and they did. From the first wicket in the…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai Four hours to go for the India-Pakistan contest, and the tension is palpable. For the first time in history, Indian fans are divided on whether to watch this game or not. Should they boycott or use the sports field to make a point? What’s the best approach? In all this, one thing is certain. The end point for everyone is the same. Each is an Indian and each is hurt. Angry, upset and fed up. And that’s why this disagreement. Each one of us are figuring out our own ways to protest. But each one of…

India’s 3-1 Davis Cup victory over ninth-seeded Switzerland in the World Group 1 was a result for the ages. Not only did it come away from home, at the Swiss Tennis Arena in Biel, but it was also against a fancied opponent, the sort of side India have not beaten in the recent past. This result puts India into the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers early next year, and Sumit Nagal played a huge part, winning both his singles – against Marc-Andrea Huelser (6-3, 7-6) and Henry Bernet (6-1, 6-3). In this exclusive chat with Boria Majumdar, RevSportz editor-in-chief, Nagal spoke…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai I have been arguing almost every day that the boycott solution doesn’t work. Where does it end? You boycott the Asia cup. What’s next? Will you boycott the women’s World Cup on home soil? The men’s T20 World Cup in February? Will you keep boycotting and playing into Pakistan’s hands? Once you start this, all Pakistan needs to do is field an athlete in every sports event and then wait for India to boycott. Boycott empowers Pakistan and allows it to have a field day at the expense of India. Instead, use the sports field to…

Boria Majumdar Now that the UAE formality is over, all eyes will be on India-Pakistan this Sunday. And that’s where we need to spare a thought for the players. In all honesty, you don’t want to be a player in this game. Either way, you will be questioned. If you play, you will be called anti-national by the boycott brigade who can’t even recognize that, as a cricketer, your job is to go out there and perform if picked. If you play and don’t win, all hell will break lose. This is the one match you can’t lose, and all…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai No, the Indians did not need water to drink. Nor was there any dearth of water for the travelling media. All of that was well taken care of. Rather, that water bottle became the bull’s-eye as the Indian team started to warm up at the ICC Academy. Placed 25 metres away, players were asked to hit it as part of their throwing drills. And each time someone did it, there were loud cheers. With the heat starting to go down as the sun lost a bit of steam, such fun drills lit up India’s practice. Captain…