Author: Boria Majumdar

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,…

We run a sports company. When we say this, what exactly do we mean? Are we here to cover sport and give athletes, both able-bodied and para, a voice? Are we here to cover cricket and jump on the bandwagon to make some money? Are we here to cover every sport and try and make a difference to the Indian sporting ecosystem? Why are we here? This is the question we asked of ourselves last year ahead of the FIFA World Cup. While it is all very glamorous to cover major events like the World Cup and the Olympics, would…

We keep hearing that bilateral cricket contests aren’t relevant anymore. People are losing interest. Fans don’t really care. And yet, we keep seeing matches being organised on a regular basis, which don’t really reflect much prudence in scheduling. The India-Australia T20 series is an example. Australia, within days of winning a 50-over World Cup, will play a T20 series, which they will have very little motivation for. Dave Warner pulling out is clear evidence. And for some like Travis Head, who has stayed back to play, he could well return home having lost a series instead of going back as…

The 2023 World Cup was the most-watched cricket tournament ever. And by a distance, with 1,250,307 coming through the turnstiles over the six weeks. The concurrent viewership for the final was a staggering 53 million. Now, these are great numbers that give us a lot of hope and optimism about the format and also the future of the tournament. Imagine 50 million people – almost the population of a big European country – watching a game together! For almost all India games, the numbers were sensational. But that’s where the issue lies – India games. While we have seen the…

A RevSportz Exclusive While there were many positives to take from the World Cup qualifying match against Qatar, the one question that baffled football fans round the country was why Amrinder Singh was picked ahead of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu? More so when Gurpreet was the star of the 0-0 draw against Qatar at home in 2019. What was the thought behind the decision, and did it push India back with early goals conceded in both halves? There were some other interesting calls taken by Igor Stimac, the coach, which raised a few eyebrows and resulted in considerable debate. We sought…

A RevSportz Exclusive The 1-0 victory in Kuwait City last week was India’s first in an away World Cup qualifier in more than two decades. On Tuesday evening, Qatar, the Champions of Asia, arrive at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar fresh from an 8-1 hammering of Afghanistan. How India play in front of a packed house could well dictate their World Cup destiny. Ahead of the game, Igor Stimac, India’s coach, spoke to Boria Majumdar, RevSportz editor-in-chief, about the Kuwait result and how he and those around him have to keep faith in the process. Excerpts: Boria: Coach, do you…