Author: Boria Majumdar

I was at Bhubaneshwar airport when MS Dhoni walked out with just a few balls left of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) innings in one of the IPL games in early April 2023. The television set in front of Boarding Gate 1 on the ground floor, which till then had no takers, was all of a sudden the object in demand. Those who did not have their mobile devices open to Jio Cinema had queued in front of the TV. In fact, that crowd was, all of a sudden, bigger than the queue in front of security check. All wanted…

Three excellent weeks for Indian football, and multiple key decisions taken at the AIFF Annual General meeting in Bengaluru. The man in the hot seat is Kalyan Chaubey. Is India over-hyping the SAFF Championship victory, or can Indian football now take advantage and do even better in the Asian Cup in Doha next January? As a former goalkeeper, how does he describe Gurpreet Sandhu’s save? And finally, how does he see Igor Stimac’s request for more time with the team ahead of the Asian Cup? Kalyan Chaubey answered all these questions. Boria: How important is this win for India? Are…

From one medal in London in 2012, to four at Rio 2016, and an exponential jump to 19 in Tokyo in 2021, India’s Paralympic story in recent years is one of serious achievement. And if Gursharan Singh, the Secretary General of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), is to be believed, the number could go up to 35 or even more in Paris. “In Tokyo, I had predicted 15 medals,” he said. “I was absolutely sure we would do better. In Paris, I am telling you we will get 35 or more. And it is not that I am just…

26,000 people chanting Bande Mataram together. It has happened in Indian stadiums before. But in football? Nah. And that’s what we witnessed at the “Fortress” last night in Bengaluru. As Sunil Chhetri started walking towards the gallery in celebration after winning the SAFF Championship, all of 26,000 fans joined in the chorus in a collective. Hundreds of these fans had travelled to Bengaluru for the game. Some had even come from the North East. May be that’s why Sunil had said, “The crowd was fantastic. And a large number of our fans travelled to watch us play spending time, energy…

With Emiliano Martinez now in Kolkata, there are continuous references to two of the greatest footballers the world has seen – Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. I have had the privilege of meeting both. In the case of Maradona, it was up close and personal, while with Messi, it was a rather strange encounter. With Martinez still in the city, it is time to look back and remember my meeting with Maradona. December 2017. He had just about settled down in his chair for the interview when I decided to spice things up a little. “Cristiano Ronaldo claims he is…

Is Neeraj Chopra the greatest Indian athlete ever? Is it premature to say so? Can he be compared to the likes of Abhinav Bindra, Sachin Tendulkar, PV Sindhu, Vishwanathan Anand, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Mary Kom or, even, Major Dhyan Chand? Is such a comparison fair? His sheer consistency makes Neeraj a potential candidate for the mantle of the best. He has won gold at the Asian Games and the Olympics, has won silver at the World Championships, won multiple Diamond League titles and is expected to win many more. If he does win a second Olympic medal in Paris,…

India didn’t play in the World Cup. But they won it (30 June 2002) on the streets of Kolkata. ‘Bra..aazil’- some sang, others shouted and still others hugged friends in delight. One man- a wizard called Ronaldo- had made their day. Kolkata celebrated Brazil’s record-breaking fifth World Cup victory as if there was no tomorrow, living up to its reputation of being a true soccer-crazy city. Their faces painted yellow and green, men and women danced in the aisles and on the streets in unmitigated glee. From Netaji Indoor stadium, where thousands watched the match on a giant screen to…

“I just hated it when in Australia, a few years back, there were two West Indian teams playing at the same time,” said Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies and former Director of the West Indies Cricket Board, when we spoke four years ago. “One was a conglomerate of players plying their trade in the Big Bash League and entertaining a world audience with their skill. The second was the West Indian national team that was getting hammered in the Test series. “We had to do something.” Beckles devised a ‘secret’ plan with the University…

On the field, Indian football has had its best three weeks in a long time. From winning the Intercontinental Cup, beating Lebanon 2-0 in the final, to making the summit clash of the SAFF Championship, it has been great going for Sunil Chhetri and his team. The Igor Stimac setback notwithstanding, a victory in the final of the SAFF Cup would mean India getting a double-digit FIFA world ranking and a comparatively favourable draw in the World Cup qualifiers. Off the field, however, the going hasn’t been smooth. While the SAFF Championships have been successful from an organisational point of…

How good is Ben Stokes, and is there anything that he can’t do? Be it the Ashes, the World Cup or the IPL, Stokes has had maximum impact on most competitions he has played in it. An extraordinary athlete, Stokes is always in the game. What you get from him is 100 percent commitment each time he steps out for his team. Blessed with incredible talent, Stokes has honed his skills over the years and is now in that zone where he can hardly put a foot wrong on a day he gets going. And more important is his clarity…