Author: Boria Majumdar

It was July 12, and the Asian Games Gymnastic trials had just concluded at the newly established High Performance Centre in the Kalinga Stadium precinct in Bhubaneshwar. Dipa Karmakar, making a comeback after a 21-month ban, was the cynosure of all eyes. She performed well and topped the trials, and was understandably elated at the opportunity to represent India in Hangzhou. I was at the stadium, and pleased to see her perform. Soon after the event was over, we had a chat. “I am very happy to be on the mat again,” she told me. “Coming back is like getting…

The timing was perfect. D Gukesh had beaten SL Narayanan the previous night in Baku, and was now through to the fourth round of the World Cup. It meant that he consolidated his lead over Viswanathan Anand in the FIDE live ratings and could well be ahead when the ratings are published early September. I say ‘could be’ because he might drop some points and there is always that element of uncertainty in sport, something that Anand referred to as we spoke about Gukesh, what it meant for Indian chess and the road ahead. As always, Anand was candid and…

For years on end, Indian athletes have come to the Olympic stadium early, and left within minutes after failing to make the final. Such has been the pattern, leaving behind questions of why a nation of over a billion can never win an athletics medal. Neeraj Chopra too came to the stadium early, and left before long on the day of his qualification. Only this time, he had a monstrous 86.54m throw to his name, topping the qualification charts. He was the first to make the final of the men’s Javelin. As Neeraj left the stadium, there was a swagger…

It was around 10pm in Sydney when I got HS Prannoy on the line. Even before I could say something, I heard him laugh. No words. I could sense that he was very well aware of the reason behind the call, and saw the irony behind it. He was out for dinner with the team, and when I said it was one of those days in sport, which we will never be able to get our heads around, Prannoy found his voice. “Thank you,” he said. “It means much.” And I could hear him laugh again. He was still in…

The World Cup is less than two months away, and we still don’t have a firmed-up schedule. In a meeting on Thursday, the Kolkata police informed the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) that it would struggle to provide adequate security on November 12 for the England-Pakistan game because it falls on the same day as Kali Puja – a festival that is celebrated with much fanfare in Kolkata. While CAB President Snehashish Ganguly confirmed saying they haven’t yet received anything formally from the police, news reports quoting Kolkata police sources suggest that issue has been informally communicated. Normally for Kali…

I have been traveling to Hyderabad for years now, and it is always exciting to see the athletes train with Pullela Gopichand. But before the Thomas Cup win, it was always about Srikanth Kidambi or Sai Praneeth, or Satwik and Chirag in the men’s doubles. We knew Lakshya Sen was coming up, but few would speak much about HS Prannoy. Here was a man of talent, but one who had not done justice to his potential. Plagued by multiple injuries throughout his career, Prannoy, I think I can safely say, has had it harder than many others who started at…

PV Sindhu has lost yet another match against Beiwen Zhang, her nemesis, at the Australian Open. And in all fairness, Sindhu looked below par. Despite making it 16-16 in the second game, she then conceded four straight points to Zhang and it was all over in no time. It isn’t the first time this has happened, and is now becoming a cause for worry. Her slump shows no signs of stopping and with the Olympic qualification cycle on, there is enough reason for worry if you are an Indian badminton fan. But then, every great player goes through a slump.…

It is now known that Sunil Chhetri, the India national football team captain, and his wife are awaiting the birth of their first child. We have seen pictures of Chhetri performing rituals at home with Sonam, his wife, and there have been media reports quoting him as saying that he would ask Igor Stimac, the India coach, for a break during the King’s Cup. Quite understandably, Chhetri wants to be with his wife before he travels to Hangzhou for the Asian Games. Revsportz can confirm that Stimac is very much on the same page as his captain. Speaking to Boria…

The end of the Second World War and the process of decolonization thereafter provided the opportunity for a truly pan-Asian Olympics-type event. India played a pivotal role in stitching together the new Asian Games. As Indian administrators went about creating the Asian Games Federation and the first Delhi Asiad of 1951, they were also driven by the idea of a resurgent independent India and the vision of a new world order: decolonized states, led by India, marching forward to take their rightful place. At the heart of the story of the Delhi Asiad was a desire for newly independent India…

India start their Asian Champions Trophy campaign on Thursday evening, and it marks the beginning of three very important months for Indian hockey. As they set foot on the newly laid turf of the magnificent Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai, they will have one eye on the Asian Games, which could also guarantee India a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics. To set things in context, I was joined by Harmanpreet Singh, the captain and best drag-flicker in the team, and Craig Fulton, the Head Coach who will be facing his first real home challenge in Chennai since taking…