Author: Boria Majumdar

EXCLUSIVE He is one of Sri Lanka’s main weapons in the World Cup. With a good record for the Chennai Super Kings, he is also well-versed with Indian conditions. And given Sri Lanka’s record in ICC tournaments, it is no surprise that Maheesh Theekshana is quietly confident about doing well on the big stage. In this conversation with Boria Majumdar in the World Cup series of Backstage With Boria, Theekshana opens up on being a mystery spinner, his plans in the 50-over format, bowling with Wanindu Hasaranga, trying to get Virat Kohli out, and much more. Excerpts from the conversation:…

EXCLUSIVE He has always been hailed as one of the most astute observers and analysts of the game. As player, coach and selector, Greg Chappell has seen it all. While his tenure as India coach was marred by problems and controversies, he has continued to follow Indian cricket closely, and always had pertinent observations on the game and individual players. As RevSportz’s expert for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Chappell had pointed out that he had seen a few issues with Shubman Gill at the start of his innings that could make it difficult for the talented youngster to…

Talking to Shoaib Akhtar is always fun. He will speak his mind and, in doing so, give you multiple headlines. At the same time, he will make some fascinating observations, which make you think. That’s what happened in this World Cup Special episode of Backstage With Boria. Excerpts from the conversation: Boria: Shoaib, it is India-Pakistan time once again, and this time in the World Cup on Indian soil. After much deliberation, it all seems to have fallen in place and we will see the mother of all cricket contests in Ahmedabad on October 14. Before that, India will play…

With just 50 days to go for the start of the Cricket World Cup, the buzz has started to build. And for us in the media space, it is a massive event. Just like the teams, we need to plan and prepare. What are we going to offer our viewers? Why should they come and watch you, in what is a hugely cluttered space? What sort of curtain-raisers can you offer for the big show? We are delighted to launch the World Cup and Asia Cup special series of Backstage With Boria today, and the line-up is the best we…

EXCLUSIVE They started the year wanting to be in the top three in the world rankings. Now, they are there. They wanted to win a Super 1000 event. They did. They have also played back-to-back finals. Clearly, they are the hottest pair on the circuit at the moment, the ones who others want to hunt down. Does that put any extra pressure on them, and how are they gearing up for the World Championships? Having just finished training, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty joined Boria Majumdar for a candid conversation that included mention of the new cuisine that Satwik had…

HS Prannoy is a much-improved player and perhaps at the top of his game. But equally importantly, he now understands his body better, and knows when it tells him to go a little slow and calibrate his intensity. Speaking to Boria Majumdar ahead of the World Championships, Prannoy highlighted his plans for the next few weeks and seemed in control of what he wanted to do going forward. Excerpts from the conversation: Boria: Is this the best badminton you have played? Prannoy: I think, yes. To make two Super Series 500 finals in a span of four months has never…

Source: TwitterThe best time to speak to Pullela Gopichand is somewhere around 5-5:30am in the morning. That’s when he is at the academy and getting ready to start the day. It has now been a routine for a decade and more, and I know that’s when he will pick up the call and settle down for a candid conversation. With the World Championship just round the corner, it was important to speak to the national head coach on what he thought of India’s chances. And it is not simply the World Championship that is in focus. Within weeks, we have…

As we celebrate 76 years of independence, the question I asked of myself is what does freedom really stand for as far as each of us is concerned? In one sentence, it stands for a society that is sensitive and has a conscience. A society that is empathetic and cares. And in my case, with my investment in sport, I would want to judge society through the prism of sport. Let’s take the Tokyo Olympics as a case study. For the first time, India sent a contingent of 126 athletes. By Indian standards, this was a pretty big squad and…

A Revsportz Exclusive by Boria Majumdar As India marks 76 years of independence, it merits a very special look back into the history of the nation’s sport. As result, we at RevSportz decided to compile the greatest moments in the history of Indian sport in the 76 years between 1947 and 2023. In chronological order, this is the third and final part of the feature. 2001: Indian cricket emerges from the shadows of match-fixing and beats Australia in one of the best Test series of all time VVS Laxman scored 281 at Eden Gardens, then the highest score by…

There is a lot of talk about India losing the T20 series to West Indies. Hardik Pandya, the go-to man after the Indian Premier League (IPL), is all of a sudden a poor captain. Shubman Gill, the best man to take over from Virat Kohli, is now in the firing line. Rahul Dravid is the worst coach, and this side has no real chance in the T20 World Cup next summer in the Caribbean and the USA. Really? India won every bilateral series there was to win in the last few years. None of it translated into ICC event success.…