Author: Boria Majumdar

It was Sachin Tendulkar who said it. I was in his house for his 50th birthday to present him a copy of Sachin@50. The talk came to Surya who wasn’t scoring in the first few games of the IPL. Sachin just dismissed it. “Someone who is able to hit the first ball he faces to fine leg with that timing is surely not struggling for form. Had it gone five meters either way it would have gone for six”, he said. And then added, “All Surya needs to do is be there. He has the ability to demoralise opposition and…

As I was watching Mumbai Indians play Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday evening, I was wondering if these two legends of Indian cricket would have their final crack at a World Test Championship (WTC) title come 7 June at The Oval. Neither is getting younger, and to see both in top shape for another two years is perhaps unrealistic. For two of the greatest of our generation, who both regard Test cricket as the pinnacle of the sport, it could well be a final attempt at landing the coveted trophy. The Rohit Sharma – Virat Kohli relationship has been the…

During the innings break in the game between KKR and Punjab Kings, the host broadcaster showed a small clip of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli speaking to each other at the Wankhede Stadium. It was a brief 30-second visual, but extremely pertinent. Two of Indian cricket’s all-time greats catching up and greeting each other with respect and affection. That’s what sport is all about. Respect and values. Not the over-aggression that we have seen on a few occasions this IPL. Nor the verbals hurled on the field from time to time. It is the respect that you have for each…

This conversation was due. We had last spoken soon after the Australian Open Mixed Doubles final and, since then, Rohan Bopanna has gone from strength to strength. Rotterdam, Indian Wells, Barcelona and, now, Madrid – it has been a stellar few months for the 43 year old. He is knocking down the top-ten door yet again. We had agreed that we would have a conversation soon after the Madrid final was over, and it was at 1am India time on Saturday night when Rohan messaged asking, “Awake?” I had slept by then, and only picked up the message on Sunday…

Sandeep Sharma wasn’t picked at the IPL auction. In fact, it was a surprise for many of us to see one of the better opening bowlers in IPL history go unsold. And then the Rajasthan Royals added him to the team with just weeks left for the start of the competition. That’s when the roller coaster started for Sharma. From the disappointment of not being picked to being added to one of the better teams, Sharma’s life had seen all shades of emotion in a matter of days. Or so we thought. As if to show what all sport is…

He is one of the great stories of our times. In fact, it isn’t wrong to say that each time we see Mohammed Siraj run in and pick up wickets for India or in the IPL, each one of us starts to feel good about sport. Having studied sport for a living, it isn’t wrong to say that one of my favourite picture-postcard moments will forever be when Siraj was handed the Indian flag at the Gabba in January 2021, and asked to lead the Indian victory lap. The entire team followed him and for that one instant, cricket became…

“The President of Afghanistan calls me every match day to check on me,” Rashid Khan once said when asked what his IPL stint meant for war-torn Afghanistan. “The whole country watches the IPL religiously because Afghan players are playing in it. We are looked upon as a ray of hope in our country and that for me is deeply satisfying.” Rashid is a superstar in Kabul. He stands for aspiration and hope, joy and fulfilment. From wanting to take a selfie with Sachin Tendulkar to dreaming of playing in the 2019 World Cup as captain of Afghanistan, and now to…

Delhi Capitals won their game against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the most emphatic fashion on Saturday evening at the Arun Jaitley stadium in New Delhi. It was perhaps the best they have played this IPL. But that’s not what was trending on social media. The moment the match got over, Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli started to trend. Memes were posted, and it was as if Ganguly had won a personal battle against Kohli. In fact, the match was marketed as one between these two giants of Indian cricket. While it made for a provocative build-up and riled up fans…

Should we be concerned about Rohit Sharma’s IPL form? How much is it going to worry India going into the World Test Championship final? With Rohit getting out for his second consecutive duck in a one-sided defeat to Chennai Super Kings, these questions were all over social media on Saturday afternoon. First things first – the WTC final and the IPL have no connection whatsoever. Playing against the red ball in England in early June, and playing on a Chennai turner are two fundamentally different things. While in England, the ball will move and do so appreciably, in the IPL,…

It is not easy being Neeraj Chopra. Do the things he does. Win multiple medals at the world stage and yet feel the same hunger when he gets ready for the next competition. To be the polestar can’t be easy and yet he has conducted himself with utmost maturity and presided over a revolution of sorts winning medals at every event he has participated in. Doha was no different. It was much like Tokyo where he did it with his second throw. Here it was his first. 88.67 and Neeraj had jumped to the top of the pile in a…