Author: Boria Majumdar

In what may yet be the biggest controversy to impact the ICC Women’s World Cup, a commentator used the words “Azad Kashmir” on air while trying to describe the background of a Pakistan batter. While it can’t be ascertained if it was deliberate or inadvertent, the truth is that it was completely out of bounds and an act of utter irresponsibility. Anyone with the microphone should know better, and realise and own what they are saying. To disrespect millions of people is not acceptable, and the ICC must act. The issue has already blown up on social media, with Indians…

For years, India versus Pakistan was a tense affair. And yet, it was a cricketing rivalry. There were great duels – Sachin Tendulkar against Wasim Akram or Shoaib Akhtar, for example – and whoever won became a national hero. But all of this was limited to cricket. Yes, the army jawans would celebrate a victory, but never did that take centre stage. The Asia Cup has changed it all. India-Pakistan is no longer a cricket match. It has turned into something very different, and in the process, the sport has lost out. Let’s not get into the rights and wrongs.…

Boria Majumdar I write this with India Women just having won their first World Cup game against Sri Lanka. While it was a modest start at best, in normal circumstances, a tricky game against Sri Lanka would have helped India get into groove. Pakistan, the next opponent, aren’t a serious challenger, and India would have experimented with a series of tough games to follow. Not now. Not anymore. The India-Pakistan game in Colombo will not be another cricket match. It will be a continuation of the Asia Cup, and the only thing that changes is the gender. From men to…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai As we wrap our heads around what finally happened in the Asia Cup, the RevSportz journey continues unabated. India start their campaign in the women’s World Cup today and Trisha Ghosal and Snehasis Mukherjee are in Guwahati to bring us every detail of the competition. It is a massive event for the sport and deserves proper coverage. Is there no break then? Can’t people recharge? Shouldn’t people get days off to recalibrate? The answers to all of these questions is YES. As the Dubai team reached India and got time to settle back in, others will…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai Though he couldn’t perform as expected with the bat, Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy was integral to India’s seven-match unbeaten run to clinch the Asia Cup. Three of those wins came in pressure-cooker ties against Pakistan. In this exclusive interview with Boria Majumdar, RevSportz’s editor-in-chief, Surya spoke of managing the pressure and how unique the circumstances were surrounding this tournament. Boria: Beating Pakistan three times in a span of 15 days. No Indian captain has done that. You must be special. Surya: [Laughs] Yeah, winning 3-0 was excellent. Incredible show from the boys. They delivered what I expected…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai It was 3am Dubai time and Suryakumar Yadav had just finished eating some food when he walked into the room at the Taj where we had planned the interview. He had a chocolate cake in his hand and said to me, “Dada, aap ke liye hai. Aaj to banta hai [This is for you. Today, it’s a must].” That was what started the conversation. And Surya did not hold back. “I will not lie to you,” he told me. “If you measured my heartbeat at that time, it would have been 150 plus [beats a…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai The countdown to the Asia Cup final couldn’t have been more tense. Every person I have met here in Dubai has asked me one simple question, “Will there be any issue if we go to the stadium?” The truth is this game is one of the most politically charged cricket matches of all time. The 1999 World Cup match between India and Pakistan was played against the backdrop of Kargil. In 2003, it was yet again played against the backdrop of war. But the difference between then and now is, there was no social media at…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai One more day and another tournament will come to an end for us at RevSportz. And yet again, we have been able to win the coverage. Every nuance, ground report, practice details, lives, fun and banter — it has been a very demanding three weeks in Dubai. And yes, there are many learnings. That RevSportz is now a go-to platform is evidenced when people come up to us in the press box and say they want to be a part of the team. Two examples will suffice. We were all covering practice when one of the…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai The Abbas-Mustan thriller last night was not necessarily a bad thing for India. In fact, I’d argue it was a very good wakeup call and just what India needed. India have not played their best cricket, but still made the Asia Cup final quite comfortably. No team was able to stretch them, and that finally happened on Friday night with Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera tearing into India’s bowling attack. Hardik Pandya went off with cramps and Jasprit Bumrah was rested. That meant India did not have their regular power-play bowlers, and a rusty Arshdeep Singh…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai It is the much wanted India-Pakistan final in the Asia Cup. With fan interest at a massive high, it will attract a sell out crowd at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. But what about the game? Can Pakistan compete and push India or will it be yet another one-sided contest? Elite high performance sport is 95 per cent played in the mind. Mentally, will Pakistan be up for it? Do they have it in them to face up to a gun Indian team? Let’s be honest here. Against Bangladesh for example, Pakistan were average. A…