Author: Boria Majumdar

Of Sachin Tendulkar’s 51 Test centuries, five came on South African soil, at venues as diverse as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Centurion. In fact, no visiting player can match that tally of five hundreds, spread across more than 18 years and five tours. He had to see off the likes of Allan Donald and Brett Schultz in the early years, before the Proteas’ bowling baton was passed on to Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini, and then Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Who better then to talk of how India’s bowlers need to perform if they’re to rewrite history and…

By Boria Majumdar The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections are finally over and there is a new elected president at the helm of the sport. After 12 months of protest and turmoil, the sport was expected to come back to normal. But is the election really the end of the story? Is normalcy restored? Can it ever be? Sakshi Malik, Olympic medallist and one of India’s most decorated wrestlers, has decided to quit the sport in protest. Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat are equally disappointed. Their major grievance – how could someone who is a close aide of Brij…

As the dust settles on the IPL mini-auction, it is perhaps time for a deep dive. Is there a method to the madness, or is the auction a world in itself which is governed by its own laws and rules, where every plan and strategy is shunned after a while? What explains KKR paying 24.75 crores for Mitch Starc and RCB spending 11.75 crores for Alzarri Joseph, who hadn’t done much in the previous IPL? What explains a team spending 20.50 crores for Pat Cummins, who is a far better red-ball bowler and whose T20 record is modest at best?…

The auction was indeed about the Rs 24.75 crores spent for Mitchell Starc. And about Rs 20.50 crores spent for Pat Cummins. Also about Rs 14 crores spent for Daryl Mitchell. But it was as much about Yash Dayal. Five crores spent by RCB may not seem a big amount when you see some of the other buys but then the story goes far beyond the money spent. It is about all that is good about the IPL and why it is about the fulfilment of dreams. We hear it far too often that the IPL is ruthless business. Franchises…

Representation photo of what the IPL auction table will look like today in Dubai. (Source: X) Let’s start with a very basic question. Why is the IPL auction being held in Dubai, and not in India? It could easily have been held in Mumbai or Delhi or Kolkata, and not at the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai. And yet the BCCI decided to take it to Dubai, which is the gateway to Asia and South Asia. The only reason behind this move is the global ambition of the IPL as a brand. It is a key element in India’s use…

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…