Author: Boria Majumdar

The story of cricket in Afghanistan is a fascinating account of the power of modern sport to give new meaning to life. From playing with sticks and plastic bags that passed off as bats and cricket balls on the streets of Kabul, to taking on and beating England last night, Afghanistan’s blow-hot-blow-cold story has been phenomenal. And it can’t simply be attributed to talent. A deep-seated desire to combat the challenges life has presented them with, including death at every corner and a kind of resilience that has little parallel, has seen them rise to the top ten in world…

A bunch of kids who have never attended an event like this leave alone address it. To even think what must be going through their minds is jaw dropping. And yet each of the kids were full of poise. When Bharti said “Abhinav Bhaiya”, I have never attended an event like this or spoken at an event like this”, I was hoping she doesn’t choke. In fact, was praying for her. She did not. Rather, she and the rest of the OVEP kids were all full of verve. Their passion was palpable. The pride was evident. In front of IOC…

Sport is all about leadership. And Indian sport was privileged to witness it last night in two places – Ahmedabad and Mumbai. In Ahmedabad, Rohit Sharma led from the front with his captaincy and his batting in taking down Pakistan. In Mumbai, India put on a show led by Nita Ambani, International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, which witnessed Shri Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister, making a public announcement that India would bid to host the Olympic Games in 2036. But what is most significant is that the Prime Minister did not just mention 2036. He also mentioned that India would…

What is it about an India-Pakistan match that gets everyone to drop everything else and watch it? Why would you pay a few thousand pounds for a ticket and fly into Ahmedabad from the UK, USA, distant parts of India or any other destination in the world? Why is the clamour for tickets as crazy as it is, with people wanting to see this game and nothing else? Why, despite the fact that neither of these two sides have the best record in ICC events, is this considered the final before the final? Is it because of all the history…

The World Cup is not simply a cricket tournament. Rather, like all mega events on this scale, it is so much more. Most importantly, it is about leadership. And a leader need not be the captain all the time. In fact, there is a difference between a leader and a captain. While the captain can indeed be the leader, like Rohit Sharma, India also have Virat Kohli, who is every bit a leader though he is no longer the captain. Kohli asking the crowd to stop booing Naveen-ul-Haq, for example, is the perfect leadership lesson. That’s sport. In doing so,…

Rohit Sharma had just been appointed captain and we were speaking on his philosophy of leadership in December 2021. “The captain should be the last one in the team in terms of priority,” he told me. A slight pause, and he continued. “Not in terms of performance. In terms of performance, the captain has to lead from the front. But in everything else, he should be the last person in the team.” While not going overboard about the knock against Afghanistan on a belter of a batting track, one thing is for certain. Rohit the captain is determined to lead…

With World Mental Health Day, October 10, around the corner, it was pertinent to speak to an athlete who was one of India’s great success stories from the Asian Games, after having grappled with mental health challenges. And yet, that ordeal is hardly documented, and we haven’t ever asked this question – if he wasn’t successful, would we have spoken about Tejaswin Shankar, India’s best high jumper and decathlete? Tejaswin is an atypical sportsperson. He is extremely articulate, worked for Deloitte in the US, is happy to experiment and fail, and is living life on his terms. In this conversation,…

Cricket at LA Olympics 2028 proposal. Final announcement During Mumbai IOC session. After months of deliberations and speculation, it can be said that Cricket is likely to be included in the proposed Sports Programme for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. After discussions in the Executive Board, the final decision will be taken and announced at the International Olympic Committee’s session in Mumbai later this week. We can report that it is now a formality. WhileRevSportz have been reporting the story for months now, the final outcome seems to be in favour of cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics. Coming at…

Michael Clarke played in three World Cups, winning the tournament in 2007 and 2015. He was captain in 2015, and signed off from the format with a match-winning 74 in the final. Now a respected commentator and analyst, he told Boria Majumdar in this special World Cup episode of Backstage with Boria how he worried about Australian finding the right balance, the importance of Rohit Sharma at the top of the order, and the permanence of class in the context of Virat Kohli. Excerpts from the conversation: Boria: India are hosts again. In 2015, you won it, 2019 Eoin Morgan,…

Boria Majumdar Mahela Jayawardene captained Sri Lanka in two World Cup finals, scoring a dazzling century in a losing cause in 2011. He subsequently coached Mumbai Indians in the IPL with great success. One of the finest thinkers on the game, he spoke to Boria Majumdar in this special World Cup episode of Backstage with Boria, on topics as diverse as Sri Lanka punching above their weight, Rohit Sharma the captain and India-Pakistan in front of 100,000 in Ahmedabad. Excerpts from the conversation: Boria: First question … 2011, the last time the World Cup was played on our soil, your…