Author: Boria Majumdar

He is one of the most articulate athletes you could come across. Poised, calm and focussed, Saurav Ghosal is an interviewer’s delight. And if the going is good, the conversation only gets better and better. Ghosal, who is on cloud nine after winning the team gold in squash at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, spoke about his own preparation, the tension, chances in the individual category and a lot more in this conversation with Boria Majumdar. Boria: When I first got in touch, I remember you telling me about your preparation. Now that the games are underway and you have…

A Revsportz Exclusive This was the only medal that she did not have in her stellar trophy cabinet. And things didn’t change in Hangzhou, with a pain in her thigh during the warm-up stopping Mirabai Chanu from pushing harder. Chanu, one of India’s greatest athletes, has had a tough few months. With the home situation in Manipur extremely worrying, she was seen appealing on social media for things to get better. When she was training in the USA in August, she had a pain in her thigh. After Ultrasounds and treatment, she managed the pain. Between her and Vijay…

In the end, the gulf in quality was all too apparent. Saudi Arabia are Asian Under-23 champions for a reason, and even with two seasoned pros in Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhingan in the ranks, India were no match for them in a round-of-16 clash at the Asian Games. Two superbly taken goals from Mohammed Khalil Maran, who will soon return to training with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, were the difference, but the score line didn’t tell the whole story. “If we speak about the fight, I’m very proud of them,” Igor Stimac, the India coach, told RevSportz when asked…

From fun drills at practice to motivational speeches, captain and coach doing all they can ahead of the Saudi encounter. India plays their last 16 match against Saudi Arabia this evening and all of India’s players are charged up and looking forward to the game. They have finally left behind all the under preparedness that plagued their participation at the start of the competition and are keen to make an impact in this knockout encounter. Against a higher ranked team and one which has played excellent football, the Indians have their task cut out. But they don’t seem flustered: from…

There has been a lot of talk about Bhavani Devi’s loss at the Asian Games in China. Some media reports said she did not even shake hands with her opponent in disgust. While Bhavani was indeed upset with the refereeing and said as much to RevSportz soon after her match ended, she has always been a sport and the thought of not shaking her opponent’s hand never crossed her mind. Speaking to RevSportz from the flight on her way back, she opened up on the whole issue. “At the start of the match, for a point I had a…

Esha Singh is the toast of the nation. And so is the Indian shooting contingent. They are scripting a comeback for the sport. Delivering under pressure, coming back from bad situations and finishing on the podium — they are doing it all. Esha’s silver medal in Hangzhou was proof of that. It was Rajyavardhan Rathore’s silver medal in Athens in 2004 that started it all. India’s first Olympic medal in shooting, and all of a sudden, there was growing interest in the sport. Samresh Jung, Gagan Narang added to it at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and when Abhinav Bindra hit…

In 2018, a confidential report, sent to the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) by one of the coaches, said that more than 70 per cent of India’s shooters underperformed at every major event. The report attributed this dip to pressure and the inability to self-regulate. It also noted that while India had a lot of talent, we lacked sports science. Manu Bhaker’s performance in Tokyo illustrated the point. In the rapid-fire segment of the 25m pistol, Bhaker had a good three seconds to shoot a bullet. When she held her nerve, and utilised close to the allotted time, she…

Igor Stimac’s work as India’s football coach has done wonders for the national team’s profile, with three tournament victories and a FIFA ranking under 100 among the list of achievements for 2023. But it seems that those results have been getting attention closer to home as well, with Bosnia and Herzegovina looking for a new head coach after sacking Medo Kodro last week. Stimac had an illustrious career with the Croatian national team, making 53 appearances between 1990 and 2002. As coach, he had 15 games in charge of his home nation, winning eight of them. But after resigning in…

Bhavani Devi started really well. 5 wins and then another commanding win going into the quarter final, all of India was hoping for a medal from her. However, she faced 2018 silver medalist Shao Yaqi from China in the semi final and lost 7-15 after some tough decisions went against her. Facing the Chinese in China is hard. And when it’s a subjective sport, it is more so. Reacting to the loss Bhavani said “I was a little rattled by the refereeing because the first few points weren’t called right. That upset me a little”. While not for once suggesting…

There is so much more to sport than winning or losing. Sport is also about memories. About fulfilment, joy and satisfaction. Ask Rajeshwari Kumari and she will tell you that sport is the best thing to happen to her, and the Asian Games opening ceremony was a dream she actually lived. Rajeshwari, who won a quota for India in shooting at the Baku World Championship, marched under the tricolour in Hangzhou as Raja Randhir Singh, her father and acting President of the Olympic Council of Asia, looked on. Both tried to film the other and immortalise the moment for posterity.…