Author: Boria Majumdar

For ages, winning the toss and batting first has been the preferred option in India in 50-over contests. On wickets that aid spin, teams have preferred to set targets rather than defend them. Not so, however, with this Indian team. The toss, may we say, has been taken out of the equation. Bat or bowl first doesn’t matter. With a bowling unit capable of skittling the opposition out, Captain Rohit Sharma isn’t really fussed about what happens with the coin. Against Sri Lanka, for example, on a good batting wicket, India posted a very good total after losing the toss.…

It was Mumbai, and it was India-Sri Lanka in a World Cup final. A match that will forever have a special place in the history of Indian cricket. A look back. April 2, 2011 had just turned to April 3. However, it was midnight like no other. Most of India had bid sleep a temporary farewell. It was party time. It was a haphazardly progressing passage of temporal sequences, where every bylane in every Indian city, irrespective of its geographical location, was engulfed in unimagined euphoria, commemorating the actualisation of world dominance. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru were partying. Guwahati…

“I want to perform for the team in all formats,” Mohammed Shami had said in one of our many conversations. “I am not bothered about the colour of the ball. Anytime the selectors, coaching staff, and captain show faith by giving the ball to me, all I want to do is to fulfill my responsibility as a bowler. I don’t think too much about records and all, or which format I am playing more. If you are playing for India, you have to give your best. That’s it.” And that’s what he has been doing since he was handed the…

His 100th match as captain. And yet, he will say with the very same smile, “The captain is the least important person in the team. No, not in terms of performance. When it comes to batting, you need to lead from the front. Set the tone. But on the field, the captain comes after all his players.” A very Rohit Sharma kind of statement, and one that sums up his cricket philosophy. Ask any member of the Indian team, and all of them swear by their skipper. They know his door is always open. They know they can confide in…

Hockey India has just announced the appointment of Peter Haberl as mental conditioning coach for the Indian women’s hockey team. The release said, “Haberl, a licensed psychologist, who hails from Colorado Springs, USA, will work alongside the Indian Women’s Hockey Team Chief Coach Janneke Schopman… “Haberl comes with prior experience of working with high-performing teams and individuals. He has worked at nine Olympic Games with medal-winning athletes and teams, providing innovative, cutting-edge mindfulness techniques and team-building strategies to optimise performance under pressure. With the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers scheduled to be held in Ranchi from January 13 to 19, 2024,…

England versus India at Durban on February 26, 2003 will always be remembered for two fascinating sub-plots. The first was Ashis Nehra’s match-winning spell of 6-23, perhaps the best he ever bowled in his career. The second was Sachin Tendulkar against Andrew Caddick. Caddick-Sachin had started on the 2002 tour of England and the 2003 World Cup was a continuation of the evolving rivalry. Ahead of the tournament, Caddick had said a few things about Sachin and while the master claimed he had no idea of what was said or reported, word did go to him that the things…

Sumit Antil, who broke his own world record three times in 45 minutes at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, did it again in Hangzhou. Another world record with a huge throw of 73.29m. And yet, Sumit isn’t trending. There are no Twitter/X threads about him. No breaking-news coverage on national television. No banner headlines in newspapers. Even sports websites don’t have him as the lead story. While the Prime Minister has been stellar in celebrating Para athletes, the mainstream media has been extremely lukewarm. There has been hardly any coverage, and yet we wish to call ourselves an inclusive society…

Sachin Tendulkar has forever shared a great bond with Bishan Singh Bedi. Bishanji was the coach when he toured New Zealand as a 16-year-old and then scored his first Test hundred during the tour of England in 1990. It was only natural that I would call Sachin and ask for his reaction at the passing away of Bishanji. Soon after I had messaged him, telling him why I wanted to speak, came the call. And for the next 15 minutes or so, Sachin travelled down memory lane and left me with words that just needed to be reproduced. Here is…

Lord’s 2014, and England had given India a green top. Despite Ajinkya Rahane’s fine first-innings ton, India were far from safe going into the second innings. And when MS Dhoni got dismissed leaving Murali Vijay stranded, hopes of an Indian win seemed remote. In walked Ravindra Jadeja. Two hours later, we saw the first sword dance. Jadeja’s 50 set up the match. Thanks to Ishant Sharma’s super bowling effort, India won a famous victory, which also owed much to Jadeja’s grit. He did the same in Australia in that famous away series win in 2021. With Rahane, captaining in Virat…

This was his first World Cup game. And India were very much under the pump. So, in every sense, the pressure was on Mohammed Shami. Had it been any other side, Shami would be a certainty. But India now have Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, which has forced Shami to be the third seamer. But then, champions wait for an opportunity. Hardik Pandya’s injury was one such for Shami. Had Hardik been fine, Shami wouldn’t have played. And that’s why it is said that someone’s bad luck is another person’s opportunity. Shami with incredible figures of 5-54 grabbed the opportunity…