Author: Boria Majumdar

EXCLUSIVE It was 10:08pm in South Korea when the call came. We had been trying to connect for close to an hour, but each time the call would drop. This was because Pullela Gopichand, Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were on the bus to Incheon Airport, where they would stay the night in a hotel before flying to Japan on Monday afternoon to get ready for the Japan Open. Within an hour of winning the Korea Open in Yeosu, the trio had boarded the bus for Incheon. It was a seven-hour-long bus journey, and evidence of the commitment and passion…

Table Tennis is one sport where India has made considerable improvement in the last few years. Against all odds, the team won two medals at the 2018 Asian Games, and Birmingham 2022 was also a very good outing for India’s paddlers. In mixed doubles, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra have notched some really good performances, while Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan too have played some good matches including at the World Championships, where they lost a very close contest 2-3 in the pre-quarters. In women’s doubles too, the pair of Sreeja Akula and Diya Chitale have been impressive. With the Ultimate…

Bhavina Patel was little-known to Indian sports fans ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. But with the historic silver, she became a household name. And once that happens, people start to follow your progress and expect big things. For example, she was built up as a gold-medal contender for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and we all know what that entails. Pressure is an uneasy thing to deal with, but in Bhavina’s case she dealt with the expectations superbly well on the way to a historic gold. She is now a role model for many and stands true to our series…

I have now seen the video of our skipper smashing the stumps over 20 times. And each time I have done so, I have been left with a sense of disbelief. Yes, it was intense out there and she was determined to win it for India. Yes, the umpire could have given her a bad decision and, in the absence of DRS, there was nothing she could do about it. Yes, the series was on the line. But to wait a few seconds and then smash the stumps with full force was not something befitting of and India captain and…

Sumit Antil is a rare athlete. He has already broken multiple world records in the last few years, and is expected to break a few more in the Asian Para Games and the Paris Paralympics in 2024. Rooted and humble, Antil is committed to the cause of para sports in India and feels the time is ripe to push through ground-breaking changes in the domain. Sumit was my guest in the fourth episode of Trailblazers, a show celebrating our Paralympic Champions, and presented by Tata Steel. Boria: In Paris, your throw of 70.83m was a phenomenal one. To see an…

Sports and politics are inseparable. They always have been, and always will be. Anyone who suggests something to the contrary is in fact making a political statement, and denying the truth. Each time the national anthem is played on the sports field, it is a celebration of nationalism and a political act. Players with hands on their hearts singing the national anthem while standing on the medal podium seeing their national flag go up is the most celebrated sight in sport, and nothing could be a more potent symbol of patriotism. We have seen Mirabai Chanu do that for India.…

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Press release on Tuesday afternoon was meant to be a clarification on the wrestling selection trials. Damage control for the backlash against the decision taken by the ad-hoc panel administering the sport. But then, it did not stop at that. What it also contained was a very important paragraph that suggested that PT Usha, the IOA President, is against sending the Indian men’s football team to the Asian Games. By stating that the IOA is in agreement with the ministerial requirement of being in the top eight for a sport to become eligible for the…

Sport makes for great television, and that’s well known. But when the best cricketers from across the world are in rickshaws or autos in the remotest part of Bengal, scouting talent that will then hone their skills under the tutelage of some of the best cricketers, that makes for a television show quite unlike anything done before. That’s what the HUNT is all about. The idea is to scout the best talent, who may not have the opportunity otherwise, and project them on television so that talent scouts from franchise leagues, for example, could be attracted to check some of…

Murali Sreeshankar is a rare athlete. Real clarity of thought, no fear of failure and steely determination make him one of India’s better prospects in athletics going forward. With a season’s best leap of 8.41m in the Long Jump, which was followed up by an 8.37m effort in the recently concluded Asian Athletics Championships, Sreeshankar has already qualified for Paris 2024. And that’s what has helped him to start planning for perhaps the biggest 14 months of his career. In this detailed conversation with Boria Majumdar on key issues like doping, mental health and medal hopes in Paris, Sreeshankar gives…

In a rather shocking decision Victoria has announced the cancellation of hosting the 2026 CWG citing rising costs. Needless to say with just 973 days left for the games, this is a terrible call for the Commonwealth Games movement. Having said that, costs were always going to be the issue that could decide the future of these mega events. Are they sustainable? Should cities jump in? Does the end result justify the billions of dollars spent? And what does this mean for the Commonwealth Games going forward? The Olympics caravan moves to Paris in 2024 and to Los Angeles in…