Author: Boria Majumdar

Viswanathan Anand is in Kolkata for the Tata Steel Chess, and it was only natural that I would request him for some time. The context was perfect, with so much talk around Indian chess following Praggnanandhaa’s runner-up showing at the World Cup. How does Anand look at this new-found interest in the sport? How does he see Pragg’s chances in the Candidates and how does he view the Indian teams for the Asian Games? Here is Vishy Anand unplugged on Backstage With Boria. Boria: Welcome to my city. Feels great to see so much enthusiasm around the sport, and so…

EXCLUSIVE: Kalyan Chaubey attempts to unite every stakeholder of Indian football in national interest. Salient points Delay the start of the ISL by a few days to ensure India sends its best team to the Asian Games Ensure that no club suffers because they released players in national interest. Bring every stakeholder together in the interest of Indian football. He has been fire fighting this club v country debate for a while and is now trying to do something very radical in national interest. AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey is all set to speak to FSDL and convince the organisers of…

EXCLUSIVE It is his birthday today (September 6) and all Igor Stimac is worried about is how his team will stand up against Iraq, Asian Cup winners in 2007, in the first match of the King’s Cup in Bangkok. For the record, the Indian team has had one training session ahead of the game. Most of the players arrived in the Thai capital late on Sunday night after playing the Durand Cup, and needed a break on Monday to recover from exhaustion. It meant Stimac would get just one training session on match day minus one. Iraq, on the other…

Cap no: 301 and counting. PR Sreejesh is a legend of Indian sport and is not done yet. Be it fitness or passion, he is still right up there with the very best in the world and looking forward to the Asian Games and, subsequently, the Paris Olympics. In this conversation with Boria Majumdar, Sreejesh outlined his plans going forward. Excerpts from the conversation: Boria: 301 and counting. It is quite unbelievable when we think of it. How do you look back at this incredible journey? The best part is there is a lot more to come. Sreejesh: Thanks for…

September 8, 2023. In all likelihood, cricket will take a big step towards making it back to the Olympic fold after a 124-year hiatus this coming Friday, as the IOC Executive Board meets to make final recommendations on the inclusion of new sports at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. LA 28 has already sent its recommendations to the IOC EB, and from what we understand, cricket is more than likely to be in the list. Once the EB approves it, it will go to the session, to be held in Mumbai in October 2023, for final approval. We had…

It was on Saturday at 5pm that RevSportz broke the story of Igor Stimac, the Indian national coach, being served a show-cause notice by the AIFF. The notice, dated August 31, allows him three days’ time to respond to the allegations levelled against him. Stimac, who was on his way to Thailand on Saturday evening for the King’s Cup, will have to respond to the charges by Monday. The letter, parts of which is reproduced below, makes some serious allegations against the head coach. Reacting to comments made in the media, the AIFF has even gone on to ask why…

It was two hours after the India-Pakistan World Cup match had ended on June 16, 2019, and the Curry Mile in Manchester was a sight to behold. One side of the road was dark, and all the Pakistani restaurants wore a deserted look. On the other, every Indian restaurant was full, and every conceivable dance form was on view. People were moving to the dhol and the bhangra was impromptu and full of energy. The tricolour was everywhere, and the party had just begun. India had again beaten Pakistan in a World Cup encounter, and yet again, it had been…

Boria- Coming to the question of home advantage. How do you see it- do you see it as pressure or do you think it will help India. Sourav- The positive thing is in the last few editions of the world cup the home team has won so there is no such thing that home teams don’t win. Boria- How are you seeing Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Virat wasn’t at his best in the last few years but had a very good IPL and is looking very good again. And Rohit as captain and batter will be massively important for…

He has played many an India-Pakistan match and captained India to a World Cup final. And he has served in every position in the BCCI including as President. Sourav Ganguly knows very well how much pressure there can be on Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid in the forthcoming World Cup on Indian soil. Saying they are the best men for the job, Ganguly says India will start as favourites against Pakistan on home soil and in front of 110,000 Indian fans in Ahmedabad. Speaking on the concluding episode of Backstage With Boria, Sourav spoke at length about India’s world cup…

Few know better than Brad Hogg what it takes to win a World Cup. An integral part of Australian teams that won the tournament in 2003 and 2007, his role was especially crucial in 2003 when he had to take on the spin mantle after Shane Warne’s drugs ban. With extensive experience of playing in India and tremendous knowledge of Indian conditions, Hogg, who took 156 ODI wickets with his left-arm wrist-spin, is better equipped than most to predict how the 2023 World Cup will pan out. In this fascinating conversation with Boria Majumdar in the new World Cup series…