Author: Boria Majumdar

David Warner’s statement before training on Saturday afternoon, that he was looking to close his illustrious Test career at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in January 2024 has set the cricket world talking. From having spoken to people close to Warner, he hasn’t firmed up his mind just yet. As a very proud athlete, Warner could even call it a day after the Lord’s Test, the second of the Ashes series, if he thinks he isn’t contributing much anymore. At the moment, however, he is feeling really good about his game and has his sights set on the World Test…

PV Sindhu, one of India’s great champions, had lost her eighth final in a row in 2019 when I managed to speak to her. Things between her and Pullela Gopichand, her coach, had not yet gone south, and Gopi was with her when I called. Sindhu, clearly, was distraught. I could hear her howl on the phone and her words, “I need to get over this. People think I can’t play under pressure. What they forget is that winning a semi-final under pressure is equally important.” Sindhu has since gone on to win the World Championship, and make history for…

“Experience can be a double-edged sword,” says Greg Chappell. “In a conversation with Sachin [Tendulkar] some years back, I remember telling him this. He asked me why it is that batting gets difficult as the years go by, and I said to him that as a young player who doesn’t have the experience, all you do is react to the ball. You see the ball, and play it on merit. Your mind doesn’t think much. But with experience, you know what to expect. You know what the bowlers want to do, what can come at you and where, and you…

I remember speaking to WV Raman about Ravi Ashwin once. Raman is one of the most respected cricket voices in the country, and one who analyses the game with a lot of precision. He weighs his words with loads of wisdom. “Ashwin was very confident about his abilities, and the thing was, he was not afraid to evolve,” said Raman. “Lots of people fall into the trap of being content with whatever is achieved, and success in first-class cricket. Some become content and have reluctance to evolve, or develop as players. There comes a stage where some people take the…

I was in the commentary box in Dubai when news came in that Rahul Dravid had been formally appointed Head Coach of the Indian cricket team. Sir Clive Lloyd, one of the greatest captains the sport has seen, was very excited by the decision. “Rahul Dravid will be a very successful head coach for India,” he said. “Someone who has scored 13,000 Test runs will have the respect in the dressing room to tell anyone where they are going wrong. His personality is such that he will not want the limelight, and yet get the job done. Wish the West…

In the first Test against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham in 2018, India compromised on the solidity of Cheteshwar Pujara at No.3 to accommodate a fifth bowler. The team couldn’t chase 194 in the fourth innings. Kohli was stellar, but he had no support. This became the leitmotif of that tour, despite the odd contribution from Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Kohli stood out as the lone warrior with the bat. And despite a creditable bowling performance, India received a 1–4 series drubbing, raising questions about the team’s prospects in overseas conditions. “We met at the end of the last Test…

In a video that went viral at the end of India’s 2021 tour of Australia, the BCCI put out what Ajinkya Rahane, stand-in captain for three of the four Tests, had said to his teammates at the end of the Brisbane victory. What stood out for us were the two men Rahane singled out. He congratulated Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist-spin bowler, for his work ethic and told him that he would soon get an opportunity. Yadav was the only member of the squad who hadn’t played a Test in Australia. He also thanked young Kartik Tyagi for his contribution…

In November 2013, after playing his 200th Test and his last international game, Sachin Tendulkar sat in the Wankhede Stadium dressing room, all by himself, contemplating the moment. Here’s what happened next, in his own words: “As I sat in the dressing room, Virat [Kohli] walked up to me. I could see tears in his eyes as he approached me and held out a gift for me. It was evidently something very close to his heart. He said his dad had given it to him [a family heirloom for good luck] and he’d always wondered who he would pass…

It was days before the Brisbane Test in January 2021, and I had broken the news that Jasprit Bumrah was injured and unlikely to play a part in the decider. Understandably, the news went viral within minutes, and social media was abuzz with what it meant for India’s chances at the Gabba. For me, this was routine work, and I did not think much till Rohit Sharma messaged. It was just before noon that he sent a long WhatsApp message requesting not to break any injury related news. The Bumrah update, Rohit argued, could help Australia and allow them to…

I honestly don’t know who is right, and who wrong. I don’t know what the outcome of the investigation will be. I don’t know if the sexual harassment charges can be proved. But with the world watching in shock and disbelief, this issue is getting graver by the minute. If the shocking scenes on May 28 May were not enough, we now have this. The wrestlers will throw their medals – medals won for India, and by India, on the greatest sporting stage of all – into the Ganga at 6pm on Tuesday evening. Again, I don’t know if they…